Guest
The servants at the White Lord's residence were familiar with Mǎn Bǎo. Upon hearing that she was looking for the young master, they let her in.
Mǎn Bǎo hurried to the front hall, and before she arrived, she heard voices inside. Without rushing forward, she first crouched near the door to peek inside.
Bái Shàn Bǎo saw her at a glance. He was standing behind his grandmother, with his grandmother and Aunt Bái sitting at the head of the room, facing the entrance.
A familiar round head poked out from the side of the door, catching his attention.
Bái Shàn Bǎo blinked at her, indicating that she should wait, as he would come to her shortly.
Mǎn Bǎo blinked back at him in response.
The arriving guests were three elegantly dressed gentlemen who were conversing with the White Lady. They had their backs to Mǎn Bǎo, but strangely enough, one of them seemed to sense something and turned around abruptly.
There was nothing at the door.
Mǎn Bǎo squatted behind the door, holding back a small cat that was about to run into her, delightfully cradling it in her arms.
The young maid who followed the cat did not dare to approach; instead, she waved her hand to Mǎn Bǎo continuously. ###
Mǎn Bǎo ran over with the cat in her arms and asked, "Miss, is this your cat?"
"It belongs to the old lady." I was about to give my pet a bath, but it doesn't like baths, so it ran away. Miss Zhou, could you please return it to me?
"Oh, okay," Mǎn Bǎo reluctantly handed the cat back to her. The young maid, noticing how fond Mǎn Bǎo was of the cat, smiled and said, "Miss, you can pet it a bit more."
Turning back to the person at the door, he withdrew his gaze, unaware that Madam Liú, who was sitting and chatting at the head of the room, also casually looked away.
Bái Shàn Bǎo didn't want to stand here listening to the adults talk, especially since their conversation was dull. So, after glancing cautiously at his grandmother and seeing that she was not paying attention, he quietly slipped out.
Madam Liú noticed but said nothing.
The guest sitting at the lower end also seemed to understand that Bái Shàn Bǎo had left out of boredom, so he remained silent.
Bái Shàn Bǎo slipped out, only to see Mǎn Bǎo cuddling the cat. He immediately rushed over and asked, "Why are you here?"
Mǎn Bǎo said, "Mister said your grandmother was ill, so you did not go to school to care for her, but you deceived us." Grandmother Liú is clearly fine.
Bái Shàn Bǎo replied, "It was grandma herself who claimed to be unwell, but then my aunt sent someone to find her, saying that there were guests at home who wanted to see us, and suddenly grandma recovered."
After glancing around, he whispered to Mǎn Bǎo, "I think grandma wants to take it easy, so she pretended to be sick."
"Why did she ask for your permission?"
"Is it to make it more convincing?"
He added, "For example, if I were to feign illness, I would need to press a hot towel to my forehead first, so when my mother touches it, she would think I have a fever."
Mǎn Bǎo handed him a notebook, saying, "Here, these are the morning notes." Mister emphasized the importance of transcribing all the notes and completing assignments without neglecting them. Do you think Mister is aware that Grandma Liú is pretending to be ill intentionally?
Bái Shàn Bǎo hesitated.
"Do you want to return to class in the afternoon?"
After pondering for a moment, Bái Shàn Bǎo shook his head and glanced back at the front hall before saying, "I don't know what happened, but it seems my grandmother is very interested in these guests." "I may have to accompany her to the village head's house later."
"Who are these guests?"
"They claim to be officials sent by the court to assess the disaster situation." For those severely affected by the disaster, the court will provide additional subsidies. It seems that each individual is entitled to it, based on the household register.
Mǎn Bǎo exclaimed, "Really? My family has twenty-one people!"
Bái Shàn Bǎo also came to his senses, "Yes, your family could receive a significant subsidy."
Excited, Mǎn Bǎo said, "I want to go to the village head with all of you." "I hope to listen in."
Bái Shàn Bǎo agreed and led her back to the front hall. Before entering, the people inside came out first.
Madam Liú escorted them out and said, "My dear sister isn't feeling well, but since you were sent by the authorities, I will take you to see the village head."
The leader of the group's eyes flashed slightly, "Thank you very much, Madam."
At this crucial moment of non-stop events, Mǎn Bǎo was spirited and eager to follow along.
Bái Shàn Bǎo then took her hand and ran into the hall to grab some pastries before rushing to catch up with his grandmother and the others.
The two children, with their hands full of pastries, trailed behind, whispering to each other. "The teacher will tell us a story this afternoon." "Are you really not going to school?"
Bái Shàn Bǎo hesitated, "I'll consider it and ask Grandma."
Mǎn Bǎo nodded.
Upon arriving at the village head's house, the three individuals stated that they were appointed by the court to conduct a disaster assessment. Seven Mile Village has been reported as severely affected. After verification, the court will provide subsidies based on the headcount, meaning that every person listed in the household register will benefit.
The village head had never heard of such a subsidy system, but upon seeing the officials in their elaborate attire and carrying swords, they did not seem like fraudsters. Moreover, they did not ask for money.
Excitedly, the village head asked, "So, will compensation be provided according to the household register?"
"Yes."
"Will it also apply to my daughter-in-law and underage children?"
The official seemed a bit impatient but nodded, "Yes, please lead us to survey every household for verification."
The village head immediately smiled and said, "That's simple. Let's start with my home." By the way, would you like to meet the person beforehand?
After a moment of contemplation, the official replied, "If the person is at home, it's best to visit them, even if their name is on the household register." "What if there are errors or omissions?"
"Oh, sir, I wouldn't dare to imply that." The people in our village are honest, and reporting additional individuals would result in higher taxes. "Why would we over-report?"
"Are there cases of under-reporting?"
"No, there are no such cases," the village head silently considered them fools but explained with a smile, "Once these children come of age, they can receive land." "Why would anyone underreport?"
Over-reporting or under-reporting was simply inconceivable in their community.
Because the officials wanted to inspect individuals, the village head called upon his elder son, saying, "Go and inform Master Zhuāng." Have all the children in the village take a half-day off, and instruct the younger son to gather everyone from the fields. Every household must be accounted for as accurately as possible because this is crucial for determining the subsidy.
The two children looked at each other and realized they didn't have to worry about returning to school any longer. Still, the two of them ran hand in hand towards the school.
The village elder arranged for them to have time off because he feared that the teacher would gather the students and announce something important, and Mǎn Bǎo couldn't afford to miss it.
When the teacher gathered the nearby children back to the school, he spotted someone sitting beside Mǎn Bǎo and was surprised, "Bái Shàn, wasn't your grandmother unwell?"