Inquiry

The cold sweat on the yamen's forehead was about to fall.

Just heard the little boy behind him say, "Don't be afraid, Manbao." I'll have Daji build a boat. If there's a flood, we can sit in a boat and not drown. "We can also catch fish in the water while sitting on the boat."

Manbao suddenly thought of a better idea, "Let my fourth brother learn to swim, so he can dive into the water to catch fish and pass them to us on the boat."

Zhou Sirlang: ...

Baishanbao suddenly pointed to the river and exclaimed, "Look, a big fish!"

Manbao couldn't help but lean in to look, and sure enough, saw a palm-sized fish that had just emerged from under a rock. With a sweep of its tail, it disappeared with a swish. She screamed and reached out, as if she really wanted to catch it.

The magistrate, Fu, couldn't help but cough lightly and walked forward to take a look.

Zhou Sirlang turned around and suddenly saw a group of well-dressed people appearing behind him, which startled him. Despite his usual boldness, he patted his chest and asked, "Who are you?"

Manbao and Baishanbao looked up, and the first person they saw was the magistrate, Fu, standing in front.

Baishanbao just glanced and said, "This is the magistrate." "Didn't you see the insignia on his clothes?"

Zhou Sirlang widened his eyes, feeling a bit awkward, but still couldn't help but sneak a peek at him.

The magistrate Fu didn't pay attention to Zhou Sirlang but was curious about Baishanbao. He stroked his beard and asked, "Young sir, where are you from?"

Baishanbao and Manbao had already gotten up from the ground, clapping their hands to remove the mud. They then performed a student salute and replied, "We are from Qili Village, sir."

The magistrate, Fu, smiled and asked, "I heard you talking earlier. Do you know how to build this embankment?"

Baishanbao looked at Manbao and said, "I don't know, but Manbao knows some." Why don't you ask her?

The magistrate, Fu, was surprised and looked at Manbao.

Manbao was a little shorter than Baishanbao and looked even younger. Her round face was now staring at his clothes with curiosity.

The magistrate, Fu, couldn't help but chuckle and asked, "What's your name, little girl?"

Manbao performed a salute and replied, "I am Zhou Man."

"Oh," Magistrate Fu asked, "Do you have a full name?"

It is rare for women in the community to have full names, especially at such a young age. In some cultures, full names are only given to girls when they reach a certain age, and many women in traditional communities never acquire full names during their lifetime.

Manbao naturally said, "Of course, I am my aunt's relative."

"Oh?" The magistrate, Fu, became interested and found a stone by the riverbank to sit on, inviting the two to come closer and talk. He asked Manbao, "Is your brother very old?"

Manbao nodded and pointed directly to Zhou Dalang and Zhou Erlang, who were selling food and drinks to people in the distance. "There are my eldest and second brothers, and this is my fourth brother."

The magistrate, Fu, took a look. He had been to the riverbank several times and naturally knew that there were people conducting business there. He didn't pay much attention, but he was still pleased that their family was thriving.

Because the population was also one of the magistrate's concerns, he smiled and asked, "How many brothers do you have?"

"Six!"

The magistrate Fu praised, "Not bad, not bad." He added, "If your father can have six sons, it would be great if your brothers can also have six sons."

Manbao thought for a moment and widened her eyes slightly, "Then how many houses does my family need to live in?"

Baishanbao also laughed and said, "By then, you won't even recognize everyone."

Manbao argued, "I have a good memory. I can remember all the people in the village." How could I not recognize them all?

Magistrate Fu asked, "Why did the topic suddenly shift here?"

He cleared his throat and asked Manbao again, "Do you know how to build an embankment?"

"I know a little," Manbao said truthfully. "They are building it here now." Building an embankment involves using wood, stones, and mud to construct a sloping wall that can control the flow of water.

The magistrate, Fu, nodded with a smile, "That's not wrong."

He thought Manbao had come to this conclusion after seeing the embankment being built. He no longer paid attention to the children's words, but the county magistrate couldn't help but ask, "Why is it sloping?"

"Because it can relieve pressure," Manbao had just heard Keke mention. The most crucial aspect is to calculate the slope based on the actual situation to maximize resistance to water pressure and prevent the embankment from being washed away.

Manbao explained her understanding to the county magistrate, "If a stick is standing upright, when the water descends from a great height, it might break." If the stick is inserted at an angle, water flowing down from a great height may follow the angle of the stick even as it descends.

The county magistrate was surprised, and even Magistrate Fu couldn't help but turn around to look at Manbao, asking, "Who told you this?"

Manbao thought for a moment and said, "The principle was told to me by my friend, but the idea was mine. I think my idea is right."

They secretly played in the reeds, inserting sticks into the mud. When the wind blew, the straight sticks always fell first. However, she chose not to inform the adults about this because she and Baishanbao had purchased a lot of delicious food to bribe their young friends into keeping it a secret from the adults.

Daji, who had been silently watching them play, thought to himself, "I am also an adult!"

The magistrate Fu was surprised by Manbao's intelligence but didn't pay much attention to it. After all, she was just a little girl. Instead, he was very interested in Baishanbao.

Baishanbao also had something to say to Magistrate Fu. He pulled Manbao's sleeve and whispered something in her ear in front of everyone.

He thought it was a secret, but his voice was not low at all, and everyone was standing close, so they all heard it.

Baishanbao said, "Let the magistrate see the article we wrote."

Manbao said, "It's not finished yet." The teacher said, "It's not ready to be seen by others."

Baishanbao was not happy and said, "It's been a year." How long do we have to write? I think it's very good, and now we can show it to the magistrate. We may not have the chance to meet the magistrate in the future.

At this point, Baishanbao no longer whispered in Manbao's ear but openly discussed with her in front of everyone.

Manbao didn't see anything wrong and said confidently, "It's okay." "Once it's completed and approved by the teacher, I'll have my friend send it to the magistrate."

Baishanbao was curious, "Does your friend know the magistrate?"

The magistrate, Fu, was also very curious.

Manbao nodded and said, "Yes, my friend is her father."

The county magistrate and the others looked at Magistrate Fu.

The magistrate Fu: ...

Baishanbao insisted, "I think it's very good."

"The teacher said, 'It's not good enough yet; otherwise, we wouldn't have come to see the laborers building the embankment,'" Manbao said.