Yang Haiyan said, “It’s really not much of a guidance. Our Cheng Ge’er will start attending the private school tomorrow; he’ll go to school in the morning and practice martial arts at home in the afternoon. I think, even though he’s still young, it’s good for him to learn more things, whether or not he pursues the literary or martial examinations. If Da Ying has nothing else to do, he can join Cheng Ge’er for martial arts practice.”

Upon hearing this, Kun Zhangshi’s eyes lit up: “Thank you, Madam.”

Yang Haiyan replied, “You’re welcome. If you have nothing else, you can go about your business.”

Kun Zhangshi said, “Yes.”

She walked out the door but suddenly came back in, asking, “Excuse me, Madam, how much silver is required to attend the private school?”

A flash of appreciation crossed Yang Haiyan’s eyes: “It’s two taels of silver for a year. The items needed for studies must be prepared by oneself, and since it’s not an apprenticeship, there’s no need for a master’s gift. The private school enrolls students every year; it just started this year, so it’s still in time to enroll. If you wait too long, you’ll have to wait until next year.”

Upon hearing this, Kun Zhangshi exclaimed, “Thank you, Madam.”

Returning to the servants’ courtyard, Kun Zhangshi saw her husband and son playing.

When she returned, Kun Shi asked with some concern, “How did it go?”

Kun Zhang replied, “lets talk inside.”

After all, their courtyards were connected, and if they spoke outside, someone might overhear them.

Even though she could sell snacks to the county, others could do the same, but she couldn’t rush to tell everyone.

Kun Shi nodded, “Mm.”

The couple entered the house, and Kun Zhangshi relayed the details, including the snack business and her plan for their son to study: “What do you think? The Madam said it’s two taels of silver for the tuition. I think we can afford it, so let’s send Da Ying.”

Kun Shi naturally wanted his son to succeed.

He said, “Alright, in the morning, let Daying go to the private school with Cheng Ge’er, and in the afternoon, let them practice martial arts together. Cheng Ge’er is the legitimate younger brother of the Lord, and it’s good for Daying to have him as a companion. If Daying excels in his studies, I will continue to support him. If he doesn’t, then he should practice martial arts well. In the future, if the Lord has a son, it would be good for Daying to be his protector.”

Qin Fang was completely unaware that Kun Shi was already thinking about such matters for his son.

Kun Zhangshi laughed, “You’ve arranged everything for our son’s future.”

Kun Shi said, “The adult is only twenty-one and already holds the rank of a seventh-grade commander. There are no commanders this young in our army. The adult has a bright future ahead, and as I follow him, I naturally think of our son.”

Kun Zhangshi usually listened to her husband, so she naturally paid attention to his words.

---

In the main courtyard:

During dinner, Qin Siya couldn’t help but ask, “Sister-in-law, Third Brother is going to the private school tomorrow. What about me?”

She remembered that if she memorized ten characters, she would receive a reward.

Yang Haiyan picked up a piece of scrambled eggs.

Just as she put it in her mouth, she heard Siya’s question and swallowed the egg, saying, “You’ll also start tomorrow. Every morning, you’ll study for half an hour, learn arithmetic for half an hour, and in the afternoon, you’ll study needlework for half an hour. The rest of the time is yours.”

Girls don’t take the imperial examinations, nor do they have the modern equivalents of middle or high school entrance exams.

For Qin Siya, studying meant learning to read and expanding her knowledge, so studying for half an hour, equivalent to one hour of study, was sufficient.

Qin Siya asked, “If I memorize all ten characters, will I still get a reward of one copper coin?”

Qin Fang couldn’t help but frown: “Does your sister-in-law have to give you money to teach you how to read?”

How could this girl think so fancifully?

Qin Siya felt a bit scared of her elder brother, so when she saw him with a stern face, she shrank her neck.

Yang Haiyan said, “I promised Siya that if she memorized ten characters, she would receive a reward of one copper coin.”

She wouldn’t teach her more than ten characters each day; they would take it slowly.

Qin Fang felt uneasy about this.

When he studied, there had been no rewards.

In the past, his wife cared about him the most and said she liked him the most, but now it seemed that Shoucheng and Siyah were more important.

Qin Fang thought that bringing his younger siblings here was a mistake.

Yang Haiyan didn’t know that her husband had such worries.

Seeing him frown in contemplation and how he frightened Siya, she used her chopsticks to pick up a piece of meat for him: “The braised pork has enough sugar; you like sweet food, don’t you?”

Common people generally liked sweet food because they were poor and rarely had the chance to eat sugar, so they enjoyed it.

Qin Fang was no exception.

When he saw his wife serving him meat, Qin Fang didn’t know what to think, and he opened his mouth.

Yang Haiyan: “…” (This man has issues.) After thinking it over, she decided to let it go; he was only twenty-one, still a big boy.

She, a sister nearing thirty, wouldn’t hold it against him, and she brought the meat closer to his mouth. “Don’t bite the chopsticks.”

Qin Fang replied, “Mm.”

After lunch, Yang Haiyan called Qin Siya to the study: “Siya, this is the ‘Hundred Family Surnames’ book your elder brother read when he was studying. Starting tomorrow, you’ll begin to recognize the characters in this book. I’m giving it to you now.”

As Qin Siya reached for a book, Qin Fang swiftly intercepted it upon entering.

Yang Haiyan looked surprised. “Weren’t you supposed to take a nap?”

Qin Fang placed the book back in its original spot, saying seriously, “If she wants to read, she needs a new book. This one was given to me by you, so it can’t be passed on.”

He was just being cautious.

During lunch, he had heard that the girl wanted to read, and when he didn’t see a new book in the study that morning, he guessed this would happen.

It absolutely couldn’t be allowed.

Yang Haiyan was at a loss for words, but she still took out some silver and handed it to Qin Shoucheng. “Shoucheng, you and Siya go to the study and buy her a book.”

“Understood,” Qin Shoucheng replied.

As she led the two siblings out, Yang Haiyan shot Qin Fang a look. “You’re even fighting over a book? That’s your sister.”

Qin Fang insisted, “That’s a book you gave me! You can’t just pass along a gift.”

Yang Haiyan realized she couldn’t refute him.

Satisfied, Qin Fang said, “I’m going to take a nap now.”

Yang Haiyan, feeling a bit drowsy herself, decided to join him for a nap, perhaps due to the spring fatigue settling in.

“Madam…” Just as she was about to sleep, Aunt Fan came in. “Madam, Kunshi’s family just came looking for me.”

Yang Haiyan hesitated. “Is it about the pastries?”

Aunt Fan replied, “No, she wants two pounds of small cakes and two pounds of cookies. She also checked the pastry shop and bought some pastries for her son to taste. She thinks the small cakes and cookies are suitable for selling in the county town.”

Yang Haiyan nodded, knowing they were affordable and durable. “Just keep track of the accounts.”

---

The Next Day

Qin Fang took his private guards back into the mountains again.

It was the first day of the market, and Yang Haiyan planned to go buy some things without bringing the servants.

Today was also the first day Qin Siya would learn to read, so she entrusted her to Granny Lian, making it easier for her to buy seeds.

“Yang Haiyan…” Aunt Lu arrived early at the Qiannfu residence to call for her.

Yang Haiyan hurried outside, carrying a basket. “I’m here.”

Sister Lu glanced behind her. “Are you going alone today?”

Yang Haiyan replied, “Yes, I thought they might want to buy something, so I gave them the day off.” That was true; except for Granny Lian, everyone else was on leave.

The town market was not as bustling as Yang Haiyan had imagined.

The vegetable market was small, and the townspeople weren’t wealthy.

If the traveling merchants had good goods, they would save them for the county town market in early April, where it would be larger, and the customers wealthier.

Traveling merchants came to make money.

Some merchant groups were well-known, traveling between countries and tribes.

Others were individual traders who teamed up for mutual support but ultimately focused on their own profits.

Initially, Yang Haiyan felt a bit disappointed in the traveling merchants.

Although she had prepared various seeds to “buy,” she was still curious about what the merchants had to offer.

However, as she walked alongside Sister Lu, she found nothing particularly extraordinary—until she spotted a large group of merchants with an array of goods.

Her eyes widened: “So many jade pieces and pearls!” Were they crazy? There were so many jade items and pearls.

If Yang Haiyan hadn’t been somewhat knowledgeable, she might have thought they were fake, but she recognized that these were real.

At least the few she picked up were genuine.

However, the merchants were shrewd; only a bit of the jade was visible, so it was hard to tell whether it was good or bad, which was the famous “gambling stone” phenomenon.

Even more enticing was the fact that outsiders, like Yang Haiyan, wouldn’t know how to guess if there was jade inside.

Sister Lu noticed Yang Haiyan stopping. “Are you interested in buying jade?”

Yang Haiyan replied, “I’m not really interested in jade, but I am interested in pearls.”

Sister Lu said, “I heard that people outside specialize in farming pearls. Apparently, the pearls aren’t worth much where they’re farmed, but once they’re sold here in Qi State, their value increases.”

Yang Haiyan found that very reasonable; it was simply a matter of sales channels. She told Sister Lu, “Sister, I want to look at the pearls. Why don’t you check for what you need first? I’ll come find you later.”

“Okay,” Sister Lu agreed.

Seeing Yang Haiyan focused on the pearls, the merchant enthusiastically introduced, “Madam, do you like these pearls?”

The flower pearls were a soft pink, looking very gentle.

Yang Haiyan inquired, “How much for these?”

The merchant replied, “The price varies with size, and if you buy in bulk, we can negotiate the price.”

Yang Haiyan scanned the selection and noticed several types of pearls, such as pure pink flower pearls, pure white South Sea pearls, and those resembling the warm sun, though she didn’t know how they were referred to in this era.

She selected fifty pieces of the shallow pink flower pearls, forty pieces of the 1 cm-sized sun pearls, and ten pieces of the 1 cm-sized South Sea pearls.

“Can you break down the prices for me?” After all, it’s hard for any woman to resist the charm of pearls.