The Soulful Artist

Mrs. Liu inquired about what he had learned today.

Bai Shanbao, experienced in dealing with his grandmother, only told her about Mr. Zhuang and their class discussions, not about their plan to scare their second cousin by catching bugs.

Mrs. Liu immediately suspected that her grandson was not being entirely truthful in class, especially after Mr. Zhuang introduced the duties of the county magistrate for the first time.

She was sure there was a reason for this, but she didn't inquire further. Instead, she called her grandson over and explained to him what a county magistrate is and what their responsibilities are.

Bai Shanbao listened attentively and decided to tell Manbao the next day. He knew much more than she did.

Seeing her grandson listening attentively and not being as rebellious as before, Mrs. Liu spoke more thoroughly and with a gentler attitude.

Bai Shanbao asked questions when he didn't understand. He also mentioned that Manbao said their county magistrate was a bad person who collected excessive entry fees.

It was then that Mrs. Liu understood why Mr. Zhuang had taken them to see ants, watch the autumn rain, and tell stories.

Mrs. Liu said, "Repairing roads in the county requires money, as does maintaining embankments and developing water resources. If the county magistrate has these reasons, there's nothing wrong with increasing entry fees."

Bai Shanbao understood this point: everything requires money.

His mother explained that they moved to the mountains because a neighboring family was harassing them, trying to take over their property.

She said that those properties were meant to generate income, and in the future, he would need money for his studies, marriage, and even for pursuing an official position. All that money was meant for him.

It was from that time that Bai Shanbao knew that money was a very important thing. Even powerful people, such as the clan leader, had no shame in trying to take their money.

However, Mrs. Liu felt that their move to Qili Village was the right decision.

Despite the presence of numerous clan teachers and abundant resources in Longzhou, her grandson was consistently isolated at the clan school, and family issues greatly impacted him.

He was clever but unwilling to listen in class, mischievous, and even fought. Most importantly, the clan teachers did not treat him fairly.

In the long run, he would either be led astray by them or become a cynical commoner, neither of which Mrs. Liu wanted to see.

After her husband's death, she had raised her son alone; therefore, she was more than capable of raising her grandson once more.

Mrs. Liu's gaze was firm, and she felt that they had taken the right step. The best part was having a teacher like Mr. Zhuang in this secluded mountain valley. Perhaps this was the fortune of the Bai family.

Mrs. Liu called her daughter-in-law and said, "Although we live close to our relatives, we have decided to stay here, so it's not ideal to always be with them." My idea is to purchase a piece of land in the village, construct a small courtyard, and relocate there. This way, we'll be close to each other, take care of each other, and have our own space. "Isn't that comfortable?"

Zheng Shi had no objections. She was used to listening to her mother-in-law.

Bai Shanbao was the one who had many ideas. While playing on the side, he heard his grandmother say that and ran up to her, saying, "Let's choose a place by the river. We can bring the water into the house and dig a large pond." I want to raise turtles.

"Why are you still thinking about raising turtles?" Back in their previous residence, he had stirred up trouble by arguing with his cousin over a turtle, leading his mother to make amends with numerous gifts. Zheng Shi still felt sorry for that incident.

Bai Shanbao insisted, "I want to raise turtles. When they grow up, I'll make turtle soup for my grandmother."

Zheng Shi's expression was somewhat indescribable, but Mrs. Liu understood her grandson's meaning and patted his head, saying, "Alright, I'll dig a pond for you to raise turtles." What else do you want? Tell me, and we'll plan it out.

Bai Shanbao thought for a moment and said, "I need to think about this."

"Go ahead, think about it, and let me know when you've made a decision."

Mrs. Liu couldn't handle the task of purchasing land and constructing a house. She had to discuss it with Mr. Bai.

Bai Shanbao wasn't concerned about these things. He reviewed his lessons for the day and started drawing his imagined courtyard with a pen.

But at the moment, he was just a soulful artist. Apart from himself, no one could understand what he was drawing.

However, Bai Shanbao was unaware of this. So, the next day, he happily showed his masterpiece to Manbao, telling her that this would be his new home.

Manbao looked at the drawing for a while and asked, "Where is the front?"

Bai Shanbao adjusted the drawing and said, "Look, this is my room. I want to put a swing here so I can swing as soon as I wake up." And here, I'll dig a pond and raise turtles. This way, I can swing and watch the turtles at the same time. See, this is the turtle.

Manbao had never seen a turtle and asked, "Can turtles be eaten?"

"Yes, turtles can live for a very long time." I plan to fatten them up and make turtle soup for my grandmother. "That way, she can live a long life too."

"Really?"

"Of course, it's true." "When I was in my old home, they all said that turtles represent longevity!"

"How many do you have?" Can you sell me one? "I want to raise turtles too."

Bai Shanbao asked, "What do you want to raise turtles for?"

"To feed my mother," she's always sick. "If she eats turtles, she can live a long life and won't be sick anymore."

Bai Shanbao thought turtles were precious. Otherwise, he wouldn't have fought with his cousin over one. But now that he had just made friends with Manbao, he didn't want to refuse her. So, he hesitated and said, "I'll ask my mother to buy another one. If we can get one, I'll give it to you." If not, I'll wait for my turtle to have babies and give you one of its offspring.

Manbao felt it wasn't right, "You need two turtles to have babies - one male and one female."

"Who said that?"

"Chickens and pigs are similar in that way, and people are too," she said. Despite her young age, she showed remarkable knowledge as she listed examples. "My mother inspects the eggs laid by hens and explains that only eggs laid by hens and roosters have the potential to hatch into chicks." In the spring, my cousin brought a boar from the neighboring village specifically to mate with their sow so she could have piglets. People also need to get married before having children.

"So, you need to buy two turtles, one male and one female, so they can reproduce." One baby a year, and in ten years, you'll have ten. "Then we can eat the mature ones and keep nurturing the rest, and they'll reproduce more..." Manbao counted and was amazed, "Wow, we'll end up with a lot of turtles."

Bai Shanbao thought she made sense and decided to talk to his mother about it when he got home.

Seeing that he was willing to listen to her advice, Manbao became more active and pointed to his blueprint, "In addition to raising turtles in the pond, we can also grow lotus roots." Do you know what lotus roots are? There are many fish downstream by the river in our village. "They have beautiful flowers in the summer, and the lotus seeds and roots are delicious."

"I'll take you to dig lotus roots." "I went to see them last year and already know how to dig them."

Bai Shanbao asked, "Didn't we agree to catch caterpillars today?"

Manbao didn't mind and said, "We can catch them later." Let's go dig lotus roots first. "They're much prettier than caterpillars."

Bai Shanbao also didn't want to catch caterpillars, so he agreed.