Xie Yan said, “I was just playing around to see you.”
Lu Yang was pleased, but said, “Go to school first, and we’ll talk about it later.”
Xie Yan could tell from Lu Yang’s tone that he was softening. There was room for negotiation.
He kissed Lu Yang on the cheek and said, “I saw you guys making red strings. Have you made one for me yet?”
Lu Yang refused to give it to him.
“I’ll give it to you if you study hard.”
Xie Yan was hooked and couldn’t sleep at night.
Lu Yang saw how eager he was, kicked him, climbed down from the bed, and took the red string out of his cotton coat pocket in the dark. He tied the ends together and tied it to Xie Yan’s wrist.
Xie Yan didn’t see the design of the red string until the next day.
It was a double knot, with a single knot in the middle and plain threads on both sides.
He didn’t recognize it and asked Lu Yang what the knot was.
Lu Yang heard this and kicked him again.
“That’s my heart!!”
Xie Yan had spoken out of turn and spent the entire morning trying to appease him.
Upon arriving at the county seat to register at the private school, Wu Pingzhi was waiting outside the shop. Unable to continue appeasing him, Xie Yan said to Lu Yang, “When I return, I will also give you my heart.”
Lu Yang snorted, “There is no need to give it to me; it was always mine.”
He was right.
So Xie Yan decided to give something else instead.
Chapter 68: The First Day of School
On the first day of school, the private school didn’t have classes.
Students came to pay their tuition fees, collect their ID cards, and if they wanted to stay overnight, they had to pay additional fees and collect another ID card.
Wu Ping handled all these matters and even gave extra silver to the young attendant in charge to make things easier. He shared a room with Xie Yan.
After everything was settled, they paid respects to Confucius, collected their exam papers, and found empty seats to answer the questions.
This private school was jointly established by two juren (scholars who passed the provincial examination) and had only been in operation for over a year. It was the largest private school in Sanshui County.
Other private schools used a spare room in their own courtyard for teaching, but this private school was a large two-courtyard mansion with five classrooms in the front and back.
Like the county school, students were divided into Class A and Class B.
Those with the title of scholar were automatically placed in the Class A.
Xie Yan and Wu Pingzhi both had the title of scholar, but after being placed in Class A, their academic abilities would still be assessed.
Scholars with good academic abilities could take the exams earlier, and the subjects they studied were different from those who had to wait several years.
Those with poor academic abilities who still wanted to take the exams could request permission from the teacher.
Those who wish to take the provincial examination gather in the large central hall for classes.
The annual examination tests academic performance and ranks the scholars. In the past, first- and second-class scholars could be selected as lingsheng and receive lingsheng silver and grain. Now that the lingsheng silver has been reduced, the grading has become more stringent, and only those who rank at the top of the first class can be selected as lingsheng. The annual examination is mandatory for all scholars. Those who fail to attend for three consecutive years will be punished.
The provincial examination is not mandatory. It is held the year before the provincial examination and selects candidates eligible to participate in the provincial examination. Typically, only those ranked first or second are selected, so the rankings can also be used to evaluate scholars. Students may choose whether to participate in the examination based on their circumstances.
This year is the Year of the Tiger, and the provincial examination will be held next year.
According to regulations, they must also take the provincial examination in the prefectural city this year to secure their eligibility to participate.
If they fail this year, they will have to travel to the provincial capital in July next year to take a makeup exam.
Xie Yan is confident that he will obtain the exam qualification this year, while Wu Pingzhi wants to take the exam this year to test the waters, that is, to go and see, try his luck, and then strive for it again in July next year.
After receiving the exam papers, they sat for a while, ground the ink, and dipped their brushes. When the attendant entered the room, they unfolded a scroll and began selecting topics to write about.
Wu Pingzhi had specifically chosen this point. For eight taels of silver per year as tuition, without accommodation or meals, he had agreed to pay it.
Wu Pingzhi, who had been exchanging smug glances with him, was left speechless.
He had been flirting with the wrong person.
Xie Yan had other things to do today. After finishing the exam paper, he checked it once, copied it out, and then handed it in and left the exam hall. He went outside and found a place to wait for Wu Pingzhi.
Then he took a brush from his small backpack, folded a sheet of Xuan paper into the size of a palm, and began to draw on it.
In the end, he could only draw a young man named Yang.
He had observed Lu Yang many times, so his brushstrokes were full of spirit.
With just a few strokes, several small portraits of Lu Yang came to life on the paper.
The ink needed to dry, so Xie Yan placed it under a small inkstone and then put away his brush and ink.
One after another, students who had finished their exams came out, passing by him. They were all polite, merely nodding in greeting.
A few who noticed the portrait and the small mole between the subject’s eyebrows were tactful enough not to ask any questions.
Since school hadn’t started yet, everyone was friendly.
By the time Wu Pingzhi came out, Xie Yan had already used a paper cutter to cut the Xuan paper into pieces.
He cut along the folds, reducing the paper he had drawn on to the size of a palm, placing a sheet of white paper between each drawing, and then inserting them into a large notebook.
He didn’t like to bring books to school; his bag was filled with large notebooks.
During class, if there was anything good, he would write it down. If he had any ideas, he would write them down too.
Xie Yan resisted going with him.
Wu Pingzhi didn’t bother to speak to him much: “Look at you, acting like a little wife. You’ve only been married for a short time. Is it really necessary? I should have known you were this kind of person. I shouldn’t have written so many articles back then. I should have had my father persuade your father to arrange a marriage for you when you were young. Would you have achieved your current status? You would have already been consumed by the pleasures of the flesh.”
Xie Yan listened and began to think carefully.
He didn’t know much about Lu Yang’s past.
All he knew was that Lu Yang had grown up in the county seat, where he had led a hard and laborious life. The Chen family didn’t seem like a good place to be.
He had also lived in the county seat before and rarely returned to the village. If only he had known him earlier… Hmm…
Wu Pingzhi scolded him, but he didn’t respond, so Wu Pingzhi stopped talking.
They went to the study hall, which was in the backyard.
The side rooms were partitioned off, making a total of eight rooms, with two people living in each room.
Xie Yan came to take a look. The place was small, but it was clean.
He still wanted to commute to school and tried to persuade Wu Pingzhi: “The county town is small. We can make it to class in time even if we go there and back every day. Why do we have to live here?”
Wu Pingzhi paced around the small room and asked him, “When I was receiving the silver, did you notice the expression on the instructor’s face? His expression softened, and the way he looked at us, especially the way he looked at me, was incredibly friendly.”
Xie Yan hadn’t noticed.
Wu Pingzhi told him to pay attention in the future: People can’t live without food, drink, and shelter. Living in the county, what doesn’t require silver? Silver is a good thing. No matter how much people despise it, they still chase after it day after day for its sake. We can rent a small courtyard nearby to live in. If we don’t go there, we’ll stay here. Whether it’s buying paper and ink or lamp oil, we can make do with three meals a day, and we can even order some side dishes and have someone run errands for us, giving them a little something extra. The benefits will come later.”
Xie Yan had never done such things before; he was still studying.
He urged Wu Pingzhi to focus on the right path.
Wu Pingzhi shook his head: “A private school is different from the county school. The teachers at the county school only care about you passing the exams to boost their performance records. At the private school, if you stay for a few more years, they make money. If you pass the exam early, it will bring them fame. Either way, it’s beneficial for them, and it’s beneficial for you. Our next step is to take the juren exam, which basically means dealing with the private school owner. Money paves the way, and there are fewer detours. Go home and learn more from your husband.”
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