Home Visit

Gou Dan returned home in tears to find his grandmother, but Da Tou was not afraid of him. He also ran home to find his grandmother. "Grandma, someone outside said bad things about Xiao Gu!"

Qian's eyebrows furrowed slightly. "What did they say, and who said it?"

"Gou Dan's grandmother said that Xiao Gu is not the child of my grandparents!"

The smile on Qian's face faded as she set aside the unfinished insole in her hand. She propped up the chair and looked outside.

Coincidentally, Zhou Dayuan's daughter-in-law, Zhang, also brought her grandson, Gou Dan, along.

In the village, it is common for children to argue, but it is uncommon for them to be physically assaulted.

Not only Zhang, but also ordinary families would be upset.

Zhang has always been at odds with Qian, and it is even more impossible for her to let this matter go. Seeing her grandson being beaten like this, she didn't even ask for the reason; she directly brought the person here to demand an explanation.

Before she could ask a question, Qian spoke first, "You came just in time." "I heard from my eldest grandson that your grandson said you mentioned, 'My son Man Bao is not my child?'"

Zhang suddenly came to her senses.

"Then we will go to the village chief's house and ask the elders of the village to clarify whether Man Bao is my child."

Zhang's face turned pale as she looked down at her grandson, unsure if he had overheard her conversation with the old man.

At this moment, although Zhang felt somewhat guilty, she was more angry. She said, "Qian, who knows where the child heard such words?" Anyway, I never said such things. Even if that's the case, your Da Tou cannot beat our Gou Dan. He is only one year older than our Gou Dan.

Qian said, "The words came from your grandson; he said you said them."

Zhang was speechless.

Qian then looked at Da Tou and said, "Go to the mountain and bring your grandfather and father back." We are going to the village chief's house.

Only then did Zhang become a little flustered and said, "Qian, it's just a fight between two children." It's embarrassing for your family to make a scene at the village chief's house. My family cannot afford to lose face.

"If it were just a fight between two children, I would discipline my son for beating Gou Dan." But this also involves my daughter, Man Bao. I want you to publicly declare in front of all the elders and villagers whether Man Bao is my child. Whether you have been spreading rumors or I have been cheating with Zhou Jin behind his back.

Zhang was so angry that she almost spoke out of turn. Who in the village doesn't know who Man Bao's parents are?

Under Qian's gaze, Zhang dared not speak out.

Qian, unlike her usual gentle self, forcefully dragged Zhang to the village chief's house.

Due to this dispute, numerous household heads in the village were summoned back from the fields, and many children rushed over to witness the commotion. Although Qian wanted the children to watch, she didn't want the situation to escalate into ugliness, as it would not be beneficial for Man Bao.

So, she sent the children away and only allowed the elders and household heads to stay.

Man Bao was unaware of all this. At this moment, she was whispering with Bai Shanbao.

Bai Shanbao said, "I have thought about it. I want to become very powerful, and to achieve that, I need to study." "I want to study in order to become powerful."

Man Bao asked him, "How powerful do you need to be to be considered powerful?"

Bai Shanbao had contemplated it for a long time last night and expressed, "I aspire to become more influential than the leader of our Bai family, surpassing anyone in the Bai family, to ensure that no one can mistreat me, my grandmother, or my mother."

He didn't study for the glory of his ancestors or to carry on his father's legacy. He didn't think his ancestors had any glory worth carrying on, and he didn't have much of an impression of his father, who only existed in the words of his grandmother and mother.

He whispered to Man Bao, "When I studied at the family school, they always bullied me because I didn't have a father." "Even the teachers blamed me for any disputes I had, saying it was my fault because I lacked education."

He snorted, "I am not lacking in education. My grandmother taught me many principles when I was young, and I remember them all."

Man Bao indignantly said, "They are really mean!"

Bai Shanbao nodded, "But they are not the worst." The worst are those uncles, aunts, and the head of the family. Because I don't have a father, they want our family's property. My mother said, "The property is for me to study and marry."

Bai Shanbao still remembered hiding behind the screen and watching his grandmother plead with those people. He looked at Man Bao with a hint of resentment and stubbornness, gritting his teeth. "My mother said that the head of the family is the governor of Jingzhou, and my fifth uncle is an official in the capital." That's why they have the confidence to take over our family's property. Hmph, I will be even more powerful than them in the future and hold an even higher position than them.

Man Bao applauded him, "You will definitely succeed. The imperial examinations are not easy, but you are very clever."

Bai Shanbao looked at her and asked, "How do you know?"

Man Bao confidently said, "I guess, we are both smart people."

She then asked the system, "Are the imperial examinations difficult?"

The system replied, "Very difficult!"

Man Bao's eyes widened, "Didn't you say that Shanbao and I are very clever?"

The system said, "There are many clever people in the world, and even more diligent and clever people." Only twenty people passed the imperial examinations this year, and only ninety-eight passed the Mingjing. Bai Shanbao is very clever, but diligence is not guaranteed at his young age. Studying is not just about talent.

Man Bao earnestly said to Bai Shanbao, "You must study diligently; otherwise, even if the imperial examinations are not difficult, you may still fail."

She felt a little guilty because she shouldn't have made such a definitive statement earlier. Now, changing her mind would not only damage her "authority" but also discourage her little friend.

The system took the opportunity to educate her, "So in the future, it's better to conduct an investigation before drawing conclusions." There is an old saying that goes, "Without investigation, there is no right to speak.""'"

Man Bao asked, "Who said this?"

"For me, it's an ancient person, but for the host, it's a future person."

Man Bao nodded, "So it's a saying from my ancestors."

The system fell silent.

At this point, Man Bao had no other choice but to urge Bai Shanbao to study hard. Otherwise, if he failed the imperial examinations in the future, how could she explain it to him?

For this reason, Man Bao took the initiative to study with him. However, due to her younger age, her progress was slower. She would study first and then ask him for explanations.

But she was careful not to disturb him, as the teacher had said, "Reviewing the old to learn the new." While she asked him for help, he was also reviewing, so each time they could gain new knowledge.

After school, Man Bao carried her small bookcase and followed Bai Shanbao out of the classroom. They were still discussing the interpretation of a passage she had just asked him about, so they didn't notice that Da Tou hadn't come to pick her up.

As they walked and talked, they naturally arrived at the Bai family's house. After greeting Mrs. Liu, they went to the study to read.

They took out the bamboo slips from behind the books, observed them curiously, and then put them back before looking for other books.

Man Bao believed that in order to pass the imperial examinations, it was necessary to read numerous books. Therefore, even if some books were challenging to comprehend, they had to be read.

Of course, to avoid making things difficult for themselves, they would first look for books that interested them.