Cooperation
"But I have already collected all the flowers and plants near the village for you," Manbao said with a sense of grievance. She had pulled out all the plants she encountered, and for those she couldn't pull out, she had torn off branches and leaves.
She wanted to be diligent, but she didn't have the opportunity to do so.
Manbao sat on the bed, looked at her little fingers, and thought for a moment. Her eyes lit up as she said, "Keke, do you have the ability to teleport to another place with just a flick?" "That way, I could collect a lot of plants."
Keke, with a blank expression, replied, "No."
While flying in an aircraft was possible, instant teleportation to another place was not available. Space transfer technology could currently only be applied to animals and plants, not to humans.
Of course, Keke wouldn't tell Manbao about these things to prevent her from having unrealistic ideas.
Manbao spread out her hands and said, "So you see, it's not that I'm not diligent; it's just that there are no more plants around me to collect."
"So, Host, you need to accumulate enough capital and strive to leave here as soon as possible to reach a broader place," Keke said. "You haven't read any extracurricular books in three days."
Manbao, feeling guilty, shrank her neck and said, "The weather is too cold. Can I wait until it's warmer to read?"
"No, you can't!" Keke said. "Host, please consider your mother's health and the necessary ingredients for the potion."
Manbao reluctantly mustered a bit of determination. She checked Keke's stomach and found that she had finished reading the books she had recently bought. Since Keke had just reminded her about the points, she was reluctant to use them to exchange for books, so she looked in the direction of the Bai family.
The Bai family owned numerous books, and Bai Shanbao could read most of them, so Manbao had also read quite a few books there.
Under Keke's supervision, even if Manbao felt drowsy due to the cold weather, she had to stifle a yawn while holding a book and read it absentmindedly.
Bai Shanbao, on the other hand, was more honest. He would curl up with a small blanket, fall asleep, and then listen to Manbao read.
When Manbao came to her senses and saw this, she was dissatisfied and reached out to pull his blanket. "Why aren't you reading?"
Bai Shanbao didn't move from under the blanket and said, "It's so cold." I won't read until spring. You can read if you want, read it out loud, and I can listen.
"No, we have to take turns." After I finish reading, it's your turn to read to me.
"But I don't like the book you chose."
"Then which book do you like?"
"I like the book 'Jiannan Travelogue'," Bai Shanbao said. "You read that book to me, and next time I'll read 'Shimei Travel Collection' to you."
Manbao got off the bed, ran to find her copy of "Jiannan Travelogue," and took out her current favorite collection. After comparing the thickness of the two books, she said, "Okay, it's a deal."
Manbao set aside her favorite book and opened the book that Bai Shanbao liked, then began reading it to him.
Bai Shanbao didn't notice Manbao's little scheme. He leaned on the pillow and listened to her reading the book as if it were a story, feeling very happy.
She recognized most of the words in the book, and for those she didn't know, she could look them up in the "Shuowen Jiezi" and continue reading smoothly.
At first, she was just reading, but as she continued, she found it quite enjoyable. It was a poet's account of his travels in Jiannan. It recorded many strange and interesting things, as well as some animals and plants she had never seen before. Manbao found it very useful and interesting.
She read with great interest.
When Zheng Shi came over with snacks, Manbao was engrossed in reading on the couch. Her little head was shaking back and forth, making her look very cute. She then looked at her son.
Zheng Shi couldn't help but frown. Her son was lying on the bed, fast asleep, with his eyes closed and his little mouth slightly open, revealing a rosy face.
Zheng Shi couldn't help but push open the door and enter. Manbao was so absorbed in her reading that she didn't notice anyone coming in until she smelled a sweet fragrance.
She looked at the snacks on the table, and her eyes lit up.
Zheng Shi patted her little head and said with a smile, "Are you tired from reading, Manbao? Come and eat something first."
Then she looked at her son and called out to him, "Shanbao, wake up and eat some snacks." "You won't be able to sleep tonight if you go to sleep now."
In fact, Bai Shanbao wasn't really asleep. At first, he was quite excited to listen to Manbao read, but lying down and listening to the book was just like listening to a story, and soon his eyelids became heavy.
Of course, he didn't think it was his fault, so he blamed Manbao, "You're reading without any emotion." "I fell asleep."
"Who says that?" I'm reading very well. "It's just that you're too lazy and fell asleep," Manbao retorted.
Seeing the two children about to argue again, Zheng Shi hurriedly said, "I had the kitchen prepare osmanthus cake and glutinous rice cakes for you." Do you like them?
The two children immediately stopped arguing and reached out to grab the snacks on the table. One grabbed their favorite osmanthus cake, and the other took their favorite glutinous rice cake. The two hedgehog-like children instantly turned into squirrels, bowing their heads to nibble on the snacks.
Zheng Shi enjoyed watching them eat, and she wiped their mouths with a handkerchief, asking softly, "Is it delicious?"
Bai Shanbao and Manbao nodded repeatedly.
Bai Shanbao even said, "Mother, I like you the most."
Manbao also quickly expressed, "Aunt Zheng, I like you the most too."
Although she knew the two children were just trying to please her, Zheng Shi couldn't help but smile, feeling extremely happy. "If you like it, eat more."
Bai Shanbao and Manbao were both overjoyed. They loved eating snacks, but the amount they could eat each day was fixed, similar to how Xiao Qian Shi was only allowed to eat one string of candied haws daily.
The Bai family also supplied Bai Shanbao with a set amount of snacks, which frequently left him with insufficient food.
It wasn't until the two children finished all the snacks on the plate that Zheng Shi realized she might have made a mistake.
She hurriedly rubbed the children's bellies and asked in a low voice, "Are you full?"
The two children shook their heads simultaneously, and Manbao said, "I can eat another plate."
Bai Shanbao added, "I can eat two more plates."
Zheng Shi became worried. "Do you still want to eat dinner?"
The two children shook their heads together. "What's good about dinner?" "We just want to eat snacks."
Zheng Shi became anxious. She almost bit her handkerchief. The managers were coming to report accounts that day, and her mother-in-law wanted to calculate the year's income. She had asked Zheng Shi to bring snacks for the two children. She thought the two children would be hungry after coming back from school and would need to study in the study, so she couldn't resist having a few more snacks. As a result, they had eaten all of them.
Zheng Shi anxiously reminded the two children, "You still need to eat dinner." Not eating dinner does not make you good children. Next time, there won't be any snacks.
The two children were not happy. Zheng Shi was worried. "Are you full?"
The two children shook their heads simultaneously. Manbao said, "I can eat another plate."
Bai Shanbao added, "I can eat two more plates."
Zheng Shi became worried. "Do you still want to eat dinner?"
The two children shook their heads simultaneously. "What's good about dinner?" "We just want to eat snacks."
Zheng Shi became anxious. She almost bit her handkerchief. The managers were coming to report accounts that day, and her mother-in-law wanted to calculate the year's income. She had asked Zheng Shi to bring snacks for the two children. She thought the two children would be hungry after coming back from school and would need to study in the study, so she couldn't resist giving them a few more snacks. As a result, they had eaten all of them.