"I'm home, Mom!"
Wang Er's voice rang out from outside while Li Yao was arranging herbs inside the house.
These past few days, he had been so busy following the people sent by the County Magistrate to dig wells in each village that he had lost a lot of weight.
"Mom!" Wang Er rushed into the yard excitedly, impatient to report his results, "I helped pick 120 well locations, and every one produced water!"
"Not bad."
Although it was just two simple words, it still made Wang Er feel elated inside.
His mother rarely praised people so easily.
"Wang Er really stepped up this time," Li Zheng also chimed in. "The County Magistrate was very happy and said he would reward him."
Li Yao didn't care about rewards.
But now that the family had money, it was time to make plans for Wang Er's education.
Early the next morning, Li Yao took Wang Er to the academy, but they were stopped at the gate by the gatekeeper.
"Wait here."
Seeing the gatekeeper's impatient expression, Li Yao's good impression of the academy diminished.
...
Inside the academy, Teacher Liu was supervising the students' reading.
When the gatekeeper said someone wanted to enroll in the academy, he asked, "Where are they from?"
"River Bend Village," the gatekeeper replied. "It's the former classmate of Li Xian."
Teacher Liu's brow furrowed when he heard this. "Have them come see me."
Li Yao led Wang Er to stand before Teacher Liu.
Before she could speak, Teacher Liu said coldly, "So it's you, the little beast who assaulted his elder in public."
When she heard him begin with insults, Li Yao's brows tightened. "What did you say?"
"Shut up!" Teacher Liu bellowed. "This is a dignified academy, not someplace for village women like you to speak as you wish!"
Li Yao was furious.
She had kindly brought her son here to study and was prepared to pay the tuition fee. Yet they treated her with such contempt?
"What law says that women cannot speak in academies?"
Teacher Liu let out a cold laugh. "I've long heard you're a notorious shrew. What, do you want to throw a tantrum in my academy now?"
Long heard?
Looking at Li Xian seated there, Li Yao suddenly understood.
She had heard Li Xian was clever and favored by the teacher. He must have told about the fight with Wang Er on purpose so the teacher could publicly chastise them and stand up for Li Xian.
A scholar, yet so petty.
It seemed there was no chance of getting into this academy. Even if they did, they would face discrimination everywhere.
But if not the academy, where could Wang Er get an education?
"What is the commotion here?"
Just then, an old man walked over with his hands behind his back. Teacher Liu quickly stepped forward and bowed, "Master Shan, you're here."
Looking up, Li Yao recognized him as the elderly man who had paid a month's meals upfront before. She could tell at their first meeting that the old fellow was no ordinary man. She just hadn't expected him to be the academy's Master Shan.
"Oh, it's you two." Master Shan chuckled and asked Wang Er, "You want to enroll in the academy?"
Wang Er nodded.
"A good thing to want to study!" Master Shan said. "Pay the tuition tomorrow and you can start right away."
"Master, you can't do that!" Teacher Liu hurriedly advised, "This boy assaulted his elder in public. His conduct must be lacking. How could our academy allow in such a troublemaker?"
"Assaulting someone means lacking conduct?" Master Shan asked coldly. "Did you even ask why he fought in public?"
"Well, this is..." Teacher Liu hesitated but remained adamant. "No matter the reason, assaulting one's elder in public cannot be justified legally. Master, if you rashly accept him and the County Magistrate finds out, you may also face punishment."
Master Shan's brows furrowed slightly.
He had not expected Teacher Liu to bring up the County Magistrate like this.
"Then don't accept him if you don't want to," Li Yao had no patience to listen to the two old men bicker. "We can still study without the academy." She said to Wang Er, "Let's go."
After the mother and son left, a trace of a cold smile appeared at the corner of Teacher Liu's mouth.
The wild child from Riverbend Village dared to dream of studying and becoming one of the gentry?
Keep dreaming!
...
"I'm sorry, Mother." As soon as they were out of the academy gates, Wang Er started apologizing. "It's all because of me that Mother suffered such humiliation."
"It's got nothing to do with you."
"No, it must be related to me," Wang Er said. "Teacher Liu has never liked me."
According to Wang Er, when he first started as Li Xian's reading companion, Teacher Liu rather liked him for being diligent and eager to learn. Although just an assistant, he was allowed to listen outside the window during lectures.
But suddenly one day, Teacher Liu's attitude completely changed. Not only did he forbid Wang Er from listening by the window, he would often find various excuses to reprimand and insult him, causing Wang Er much grievance.
Hearing this, Li Yao was very surprised. "Do you know what caused it?"
Wang Er shook his head.
He had always been confused about this matter.
"But I remember he said that no one from our Riverbend Village is a good person."
This was even stranger.
Could Teacher Liu have some feud with Riverbend Village?
Nevermind, Li Yao didn't want to think more about it.
After this incident, she gave up on sending Wang Er to the academy and decided to directly hire a private tutor at home instead. But qualified scholars were pitifully scarce in Baichuan County, and almost all of them were concentrated in the academy and county government. So she would need to carefully consider where to find a suitable tutor.
"Let's go buy some things for you first."
Leading Wang Er, Li Yao entered a bookstore.
"What can I interest you in today?" The shop assistant enthusiastically came over. "We have all kinds of books here, as well as writing supplies."
Li Yao let Wang Er pick out books himself.
Having already studied the primers, he chose the Four Books and Five Classics this time.
Thoroughly reading through these should pose no problem for passing the imperial exam.
After selecting the books, the total came to 3 taels of silver. Li Yao also asked about writing supplies and was shocked by the high prices.
Even the cheapest goat-hair brush cost 1 tael of silver, while the best wolf-hair brushes were 15 taels!
Ink stones, paper, and ink were also very expensive, making one gasp at the cost.
And paper and ink were consumables. A single essay could easily cost over 10 or 20 wen in fixed costs.
"It's okay Mother, we don't need to buy these now," Wang Er considerately said. "I can practice writing on the ground."
While they couldn't afford them for now, there was no need to be that destitute. Li Yao already had an idea.
She had also thought of a suitable tutor.
Back at home, Li Yao went to find Li Zheng.
"What else do you need, Mistress Li?"
"I'd like you to help make two stone tablets for me," Li Yao said. "They're for Wang Er to practice writing."
Hearing they were for proper use, Li Zheng readily agreed.
"But it's not a permanent solution for Wang Er to study at home."
"That's also why I came to find you today," Li Yao said. "I want to ask Tutor Lv to teach him, but I'll need you to make the request."
"Him? No no no."
Li Zheng immediately shook his head at the suggestion.
Although called a "Xiucai", Lv wasn't actually an imperial exam graduate.
Back then, his family had also spent everything they had to support his studies. But due to lacking talent, now nearing fifty, he was still just a student.
Failing the exam repeatedly, his parents had also passed away early, and he had no children. On top of lacking any practical skills... Tutor Lv had now become completely useless, dependent on his wife's farming to survive.
With the natural disasters these past couple years, their family probably couldn't even afford meals.