Bai Erlang hopped off the carriage and went looking for his teacher’s comfort. As soon as he entered, he blustered, "Teacher, are your eldest disciple and second disciple getting engaged?"
Mr. Zhuang lifted his eyelids and glanced at him before asking, "Who told you this?"
Bai Erlang spread a rumor, "The two of them said so."
Following behind and running in after him were Bai Shan and Manbao: ...
The two stared at him with wide eyes, while Mr. Zhuang stared back at them. Without waiting for them to speak, he slowly said, "It’s wrong to set a match in private; such matters should be discussed by the elders."
Manbao protested, "Teacher, he’s spreading rumors."
"I am not," Bai Erlang argued. "Otherwise, why would he have told you about such a big matter so early but not me? I’m still his cousin, after all."
Manbao was at a loss for words.
"And don’t think I haven’t noticed—Shanbao is the one with ulterior motives. Great-grandmother likes you a lot, and Teacher is very fond of you too. Hmph, just keep it from me then."
Mr. Zhuang saw that both disciples’ eyes were round and wide, and after clearing his throat, he glanced at Bai Erlang and demanded, "What are you ranting about?"
He scrutinized their expressions closely and, feeling that it wasn’t as Bai Erlang described, turned his head towards him and asked, "Erlang, have you been reading storybooks again lately? Besides that, what other mischief have you been up to?"
Bai Erlang stiffened, shaking his head repeatedly, "No, none at all."
The teacher humphed and punished him by having him copy texts.
Bai Shan and Manbao took the opportunity to slip away; Mr. Zhuang glanced at their retreating backs but said nothing.
That evening, when Mr. Zhuang went back to his room to rest, Bai Shan and Manbao sat at their desks doing homework. Bai Erlang not only had to do homework but also copy texts. Unable to help himself, he muttered resentfully, "Why is it always me who gets punished? I didn’t even say anything wrong."
Bai Shan heard him, his ears turning slightly red with anger, and couldn’t resist kicking him under the table.
Bai Erlang looked up and glared at him. After glancing at Manbao, who was across from him and focusing on his homework, he lowered his voice to Bai Shan, "Don’t think I don’t know. I’ve figured it out. You do my homework, or I’ll tell Manbao."
Now Bai Shan’s neck was thoroughly red as he whispered back, "Don’t talk nonsense, I didn’t do anything!"
"Hmph, Qi Jue is about to propose. He fancies Second Miss Shan. Every time he sees Second Miss Shan, he behaves just like that. We’ve discussed it privately; someone like you obviously fancies Manbao." Being a year older than Bai Shan, Bai Erlang clearly knew more about these matters. He lowered his voice and threatened Bai Shan, "So, will you help or not?"
Bai Shan said with disdain, "Your homework is too easy; I’ll help you copy texts instead."
Bai Erlang objected, "I’m not stupid. Even if you try to copy my handwriting, Teacher will notice. You should help me with the academy’s homework; they can’t tell the difference in handwriting there."
After looking at him for a while, Bai Shan said, "Then you mustn’t ask about what Manbao and I are doing anymore, nor or mention it to Teacher."
Bai Erlang frowned and after thinking for a moment said, "I can keep it from Teacher, but how can I not join you? Am I not your brother anymore?"
"You’re not; you’re our Junior Brother."
"I don’t care, I want to join you."
Afraid that even Manbao’s background wouldn’t remain a secret any longer, Bai Shan, not wanting him to know more, said, "It could lead to someone’s death, and even implicate our uncle and elder cousin. Grandmother herself is not keen on having the uncle meddle too much."
It was then that Bai Erlang fell silent.
Bai Shan rolled his eyes and proposed, "All right then, you can help us, but you must keep it a secret and not tell anyone other than us two."
Bai Erlang’s eyes sparkled, finally feeling somewhat happier, and he nodded, "Deal. But you can’t deceive or hide things from me anymore."
The two of them had just finished whispering to each other here, when they turned their heads and saw Manbao staring at them, "What are you talking about?"
Bai Erlang was whispering to Bai Shan, "Haven’t you told her that you like her yet?"
Bai Shan blushed and snapped, "Don’t talk nonsense."
"Hmph, I’m telling you, you’d better talk to your great-grandmother now and set the marriage, otherwise as you kids grow up, the adults might change their minds," Bai Erlang said, "The Qi family wanted an arranged marriage with the Shan family, even though it wasn’t set, they both knew it clear as day. But now that Qi Jue has fallen for Second Miss Shan, the Qi family doesn’t want the arranged marriage anymore. Qi Jue is really annoyed. He nearly got into a fight with Shan Yu over this at his birthday party yesterday."
Bai Shan was dumbfounded, "How come I didn’t know about this?"
"Of course you didn’t know, you and Manbao went off to chat with someone’s brother. Seriously, we’re young, why would you go and talk to someone so much older?"
Manbao couldn’t take it anymore, she put down her pen and walked over.
While keeping an eye on her, Bai Erlang quickly said, "Anyway, the sooner the better for this kind of thing, you know? Are we going back home for the Shangsi Festival? Just bring it up with your great-grandmother."
Seeing Manbao approaching them, Bai Erlang instantly sat up straight without a word, and Bai Shan also stiffened, stealing glances at Manbao.
Manbao curiously looked at the two, "What are you guys talking about?"
Both of them shook their heads at the same time.
Bai Erlang quietly turned his head and gave Bai Shan a smile, a look that said I understand.
Bai Shan’s ears turned even redder.
He grabbed Bai Erlang’s homework and started doing it in front of Manbao.
Manbao looked back and forth between the two of them but in the end didn’t ask anything, turning around to go back to her own seat.
As she turned away, Bai Shan let out a sigh of relief, feeling his face a bit feverish.
Without a sound, he pinched his cheek and took a deep breath before starting to write Bai Erlang’s homework.
With the homework mountain off his shoulders, Bai Erlang quickly finished the copying punishment, then with special affection, he grinned at Bai Shan, got up, and left, giving them space.
Bai Shan watched him leave before he allowed himself to breathe a sigh of relief. He felt Bai Erlang had changed all of a sudden; were people who got enlightened all so scary?
After he left, Bai Shan said to Manbao, "I’ve talked to him, he won’t tell anyone. In the future, we can let him help us with some small questions, I think he is better at digging up information than we are, he’s very close with Qi Jue and the others."
Manbao looked at him with suspicion, "So that’s why you did his homework?"
Bai Shan nodded with a stiff scalp.
Manbao put on her Senior Sister act and lectured, "You can’t do this kind of thing again, or what if he develops a bad habit? If the teacher finds out, not only will you be punished, but I, who knew about it, will also get punished."
Manbao felt his honesty was over the top. If it had been before, he would have already started arguing with her.
She looked at him with surprise for quite a while, and since he really didn’t argue with her, she could only nod in apparent satisfaction, "Alright then, shall we leave it at that?"
Bai Shan nodded to her.
Manbao couldn’t help scratching her head, took a few steps, and then turned back, "Are you sure you don’t have anything else to tell me?"
Bai Shan shook his head.
Manbao could only go back to sleep.
Bai Shan heaved a huge sigh of relief.