Chapter 45: Soul Painter
Liu asked him what he had learned today.
Bai Shanbao was very experienced in dealing with his grandmother. He only told her what Mr. Zhuang said to them in class, and did not mention that he and Manbao planned to catch insects to scare their second cousin.
Liu knew with her toes that her grandson could not be so honest in school, not to mention that Mr. Zhuang had brought up the responsibility of the county magistrate for the first time.
There must be a reason for this, but she didn't ask too much. Instead, she waved her grandson over and told him what a county magistrate was and what a county magistrate should do.
Bai Shanbao listened carefully and decided to tell Manbao the next day. Humph, he knew much more than her.
Seeing that her grandson was listening attentively and not as rebellious as before, Liu couldn't help but explain in more detail and in a gentler manner.
Bai Shanbao didn't understand so he asked, and also told Manbao what Manbao said about their county magistrate being a bad man who collected too much for the city entrance fee.
Only then did Liu understand why Mr. Zhuang took them to see ants, watch the autumn rain, and tell stories.
Liu said, "It costs money to build roads, maintain dams, and build water conservancy projects in the county. If County Magistrate Fu has these uses, there's nothing wrong with increasing the entrance fee."
Bai Shanbao understood this point, that everything needs money.
Mother said that the reason they moved to the mountains was because the tribe bullied them, an orphan and a widow, and wanted to swallow up all their property.
My mother said that those properties were all for making money. He would need money for studying, taking exams, marrying a wife, and becoming an official. All the money was to be left to him.
It was also from that time that Bai Shanbao knew that money was a very important thing, and that even powerful people like the clan leader would shamelessly come to rob their family of their money.
However, Liu felt that it was a good decision for them to come to Qili Village this time.
Although there are many teachers in the clan school and Longzhou has more resources than here, my grandson is always isolated in the clan school and family affairs have affected him to some extent.
Although he was smart, he refused to attend classes seriously, was naughty and got into fights at school, and most importantly, it was difficult for the teachers in the clan school to treat him fairly.
In the long run, he would either be led astray by them and become a playboy or a cynical and vulgar person, neither of which Liu wanted to see.
She was able to raise her son alone after her husband died at a young age, so she could naturally raise her grandson.
Liu's eyes were firm. They had made the right move. The best part was that there was a Mr. Zhuang in this valley. Perhaps this was the fortune of their Bai family.
Liu called her daughter-in-law over and said, "Although we have a close relationship with the seventh brother's family, since we have decided to live here for a long time, it is not good to always live in his house. What I mean is that we buy a piece of land in the village, build a small courtyard and move there. This way, the two families will be close and can take care of each other, and each has its own door and door. Isn't it comfortable?"
Zheng had no objection. She was used to listening to her mother-in-law in everything.
Bai Shanbao, on the other hand, had many ideas. He was playing nearby. When he heard his grandmother say that, he ran up and said, "Choose the one near the river. Then we can bring the water into our home and dig a big pond. I want to raise turtles."
"Why are you still thinking about raising a turtle?" Before, in his hometown, this child broke his second uncle's grandson's head just for a turtle. For this, the mother-in-law paid a lot of gifts as compensation. Even now, Zheng still feels sad when she thinks about it.
Bai Shanbao insisted, "I must raise turtles and make soup for my grandmother when they grow up."
Zheng's expression was hard to describe, but Liu knew what her grandson meant. She patted his head and said with a smile, "Okay, okay, I'll dig a pond for you to raise turtles. If you want anything else, tell me so we can plan it out."
Bai Shanbao thought for a moment and said, "I need to think about this carefully."
"Go ahead and think about it. Tell me when you come up with it."
It is not easy for Liu to be involved in the matter of buying land and building houses, so she has to discuss it with Mr. Bai.
Bai Shanbao didn't worry about these things. He reviewed today's homework and started to draw his imaginary courtyard with a pen.
It’s just that he is currently a soul painter, and I’m afraid no one can understand what he draws except himself.
But Shanbao didn't know this, so the next day he happily took his masterpiece to show Manbao and told her that this would be his new home.
Manbao looked at it from top to bottom for a long time, then asked, scratching his face, "Where is the front?"
Shanbao straightened the painting and asked, "Look, this is my room. I want to build a swing here so that I can swing on it when I wake up. I will also dig a pond here and raise turtles in it so that I can watch the turtles while swinging on the swing. Here, this is a turtle."
Manbao had never seen a turtle before, so he asked, "Can turtles be eaten?"
"Yes, turtles can live a very long time. I plan to fatten it up and make soup for my grandmother. That way, my grandmother will live a long life."
Manbao's eyes lit up, "Really?"
Shan Bao nodded, "Of course it's true. When I was in my hometown, they all said that turtles represent longevity!"
"Then how many do you have? Can you sell me one? I want to raise a turtle too."
Shanbao asked, "Why do you keep turtles?"
"Give it to my mother. She is always sick. After she eats the turtle, she will live a hundred years and won't be sick all the time."
Bai Shanbao thought turtles were very rare, otherwise he wouldn't have fought with his cousin for that one. But he had just made friends with Manbao and it was difficult to refuse her, so he hesitated and said, "I'll ask my mother to buy an extra one. If I can buy one, I'll give it to you. If not, then wait until my turtle gives birth to a baby and I'll give it to you to raise."
Manbao thought that was not right. “It takes two turtles to have a baby, one male and one female.”
"Who said that?"
"It's the same with chickens and pigs, and it's the same with people." Although Manbao is young, she actually knows a lot. She listed them one by one for him: "When my hens hatch chicks, my mother has to check the eggs. She said that only eggs laid by roosters can produce chicks. In the spring, my nephew Dazhu went to the next village to invite a boar to marry his sow in order to make his sow give birth to piglets. People also have to marry a wife before they can have babies."
So, "You have to buy two turtles, one male and one female, so that they can give birth to babies. One turtle a year, ten in ten years. Then we can eat the two grown ones and keep the others to give birth to more babies..." Manbao counted them and was shocked, "Wow, we will have a lot of turtles then."
Bai Shanbao felt that what she said made sense, so he decided to talk to his mother when he got home that night.
Seeing that he was willing to listen to her suggestions, Manbao became more active and pointed to his blueprint and said, "In addition to raising turtles in the pond, you can also grow lotus roots. Do you know lotus roots? There are a lot of them on the river bank downstream of our village. The flowers in the summer are very beautiful, the lotus seeds are delicious, and the lotus roots are also delicious."
Manbao became excited and said, "Let me take you to dig lotus roots. I went there last year and I know how to dig them now."
Bai Shanbao asked, "Didn't we agree to go catch cabbage worms today?"
Manbao said nonchalantly: "We can catch them later. Let's go dig lotus roots first. Lotus roots are much prettier than bugs."
Bai Shanbao didn't really want to catch bugs, so he nodded in agreement.
