Moreover, his top-ranking examination results and low-key manner did not match his conspicuously high-profile book-selling behavior. Ji Mingzhu had asked around, and others had also inquired into Xie Yan’s reason for taking leave. They heard that he was earning money to treat his husband’s illness. Among the classmates he regularly interacted with, he had an excellent reputation—people were willing to associate with him and form deeper friendships.
Xie Yan agreed immediately and also asked Ji Mingzhu, “Do you know where Old Master Cui lives?”
Ji Mingzhu did not. “Besides you, who even talks to him?”
While chatting, they arrived at the classroom.
At the prefectural academy, once classes were divided, individual progress was no longer a concern. The instructors simply taught forward according to the curriculum.
Xie Yan opened his book and set it aside, spread out his draft paper, ground the ink and dipped his brush, then tucked both hands into his large sleeve muff. Only when he had something in mind to write did he extend a hand and jot down a few lines.
Ji Mingzhu noticed this and the corner of his mouth twitched.
No scholar attended class like this. From last year to this year, Xie Yan had been acting like a little old man, completely lacking any scholarly elegance—always hunched over and withdrawn.
But with a sleeve muff… well, just thinking about it made one feel warm.
Xie Yan had even placed a small copper hand warmer inside the muff to keep his hands warm.
Ji Mingzhu tossed him a small note: “Zhuo-zhi, lend me your hand warmer for a bit.”
Xie Yan refused. It was something Lu Yang had bought for him.
Ji Mingzhu then asked to borrow the sleeve muff.
Xie Yan still refused. Lu Yang had sewn it himself.
Ji Mingzhu said he was cold and asked him to at least lend one of the two.
Xie Yan replied with icy indifference: Don’t you have a husband?
Ji Mingzhu: “……”
Inside the prefectural academy, Xie Yan returned to his usual routine of attending classes.
Outside the academy, Lu Yang was leading Weimeng, with Zhao Peilan and Shun-ge following, strolling around the nearby area.
They needed to familiarize themselves with this street—there was a good chance they would come here in the future to find Xie Yan.
The street in front of the prefectural academy was paved with stone slabs and looked quite grand.
Compared to the commercial district, the area was quieter, without noisy hawkers shouting their wares. However, the street was lined with eateries, and when mealtime arrived, the din was no less than anywhere else.
Walking two streets behind the academy led into a residential area.
This area was deeper in, without shops. Aside from local residents, the rest were academy students. Most brought their wives or husbands along to accompany them during their studies; a few even brought their parents.
It was the same as in the county town. Some scholars were older, with children already running all over the place.
Lu Yang had clear requirements for a rental house. It needed to be close to the academy—he needed to take care of Xie Yan, so the closer to the prefectural academy, the better.
Because he wanted to live together with his younger brother and family, the house could be a bit farther away, but not too far. A quarter-hour walk was ideal—convenient for travel, and it would allow Xie Yan to get some exercise on the way.
The house could not be too conspicuous—they were just ordinary commoners—but it also could not be too run-down.
He did not want to live in shared housing anymore. Too many shared stoves and heated platforms robbed a place of any sense of home.
There needed to be a courtyard, preferably with a well. Living in the city meant buying water, which was troublesome. Washing and cleaning required waiting for water and rationing its use—it was simply inconvenient.
Once they rented a place, it would be best if there were three to five nearby vacant houses, or houses with flexible rental terms. Starting mid-year, tenants would gradually move out, allowing him to rent them together.
In addition to residential houses, they also needed to look at workshop-houses with living quarters. Ideally, these should also be nearby. As far as he knew, many family workshops operated out of their homes. The entire family would work together, and hired hands would simply be given a room and a large communal sleeping platform. Some houses had front and back courtyards, others were divided into east and west wings. Houses with such layouts should be quite common in the prefectural city.
Housing in the prefectural city was expensive—annual rent was much higher than in the county town.
Once a place was rented, given the amount of silver involved, people usually endured the inconvenience and avoided moving lightly. Therefore, the decision required careful consideration.
Since they were staying at the Wu family’s home, there was no rush to move out. Lu Yang spent a few days wandering nearby, familiarizing himself with the roads and gaining an understanding of the residents in the alleys before going to the broker.
They would be busy for several days afterward. Lu Yang left his mother at home to rest with Weimeng, while he took Shun-ge out to look at houses.
The broker was young—just over twenty, by the look of him. He smiled broadly at everyone, revealing large buck teeth, and carried a ledger and an abacus. As they walked, his mouth never stopped moving.
“Aside from the prefectural academy, the city has thirty-seven private academies and schools—five academies and thirty-two small private schools. Among the five academies, Luming Academy and Qingyun Academy are the most prominent. In past years, the number of successful provincial and metropolitan examination candidates from these two academies matched that of the prefectural academy itself. Many people would break their heads trying to get in.
“And Qingyun Academy also runs a beginner school, admitting young children.
“There are many itinerant merchants in the prefectural city, and many of them send their children to Qingyun Academy for early education. As a result, housing prices in the two neighborhoods near Qingyun Academy are much higher than elsewhere. Near the prefectural academy, renting a small courtyard costs around fifteen taels of silver per year. That same fifteen taels near Qingyun Academy would only get you six months—it’s twice as expensive.”
By comparison, housing near Luming Academy was cheaper. Luming Academy was also closer to the prefectural academy, with a residential area between them. The average annual rent there was about fifteen taels.
The broker led them toward Luming Academy and continued, “Luming Academy doesn’t have a beginner school. The minimum admission requirement is xiucai—no tongsheng allowed. There are even many juren studying there. You know, in other academies, a juren could already serve as a resident instructor.
“So some people in the city say Luming Academy is actually stronger than Qingyun Academy. Qingyun Academy can’t compete at the high end, so it goes after children’s money instead.
“I don’t really understand it—I’m just a runner for the broker’s office. Luming Academy only admits xiucai and above. Every year people come, every month people leave. Neighbors can change in the blink of an eye. Especially before and after the provincial examination, a large number of houses become vacant. Many candidates make one last push—if they fail to become juren, they pack up and return home. Back home, a xiucai title is enough to open a beginner school or teach at a private academy. In the prefectural city, many scholars simply can’t afford the cost of studying.”
As he spoke, the broker flicked his abacus and said to Lu Yang, “There’s still half a year until the provincial exam. Based on your requirements—three to five adjacent houses, close to an academy, quiet surroundings—Luming Academy is the most suitable. You can put down a deposit first. Once houses become vacant, I’ll reserve them for you. If you’re satisfied after viewing them, you can rent them all together. The deposit is only ten percent—five to eight taels of silver at most.”
Lu Yang asked, “How far apart are the two academies?”
The broker replied, “Over three li. The middle stretch is all commercial streets—crowded with people. It doesn’t sound far, but squeezing through the crowds takes more than three quarters of an hour.”
Based on the earlier introduction, Lu Yang was more tempted by Qingyun Academy.
Other than Xie Yan, there were no serious scholars in their family. Children grew quickly—before you knew it, they would be walking and talking. When it came time for early education, if a good academy was willing to accept them, he wanted to send them to the best one.
But after calculating the distance and rent, he frowned and set the idea aside.
The business had not yet grown large. Annual profits were only around two hundred taels. Living expenses and rent would take over fifty taels—and that was just a baseline estimate. Actual expenses would only be higher. For his younger brother’s family, this was a major financial burden.
They would secure a place to live first. When the children were older, they could reconsider.
While talking, they arrived to view the houses.
Most residential houses in the prefectural city were no different from those in the county town.
In this era, ordinary commoners were never wealthy. Earthen houses with mud walls—step inside and you could see dust flaking off the walls.
Houses built more properly were somewhat larger than Lu Yang had expected, with a pseudo–two-courtyard layout.
The courtyard walls were slightly taller than ordinary houses, the gate lintel somewhat larger. Upon entering, there was a bamboo screen wall. Rows of bamboo poles formed a fence. Some households were refined, building platforms below to place flower pots or training vines to form a floral screen. Others were simple—the bamboo had yellowed and split from sun exposure, never replaced.
Behind the bamboo screen wall, right next to it, was a water well. On the side were two narrow side rooms—one kitchen and one storage room. The broker said one could be cleaned up and used as servant quarters. Past the second gate was the main residence: a central hall, with two small courtyards on the east and west sides. If desired, two families could jointly rent the space.
There were seven or eight houses with this kind of layout.
