Chapter 44: Paying the Entrance Fee

“You writing them recommendation letters is already guiding them into their studies. Please feel free to examine them as you see fit, sir,” said Madam Su with a smile, then stepped aside.

Old Scholar Jiang was very pleased with her attitude. He took out a stack of pristine paper and brushes—ones he usually couldn’t bear to use—and had the four boys from the Yan family, Yan Jia, Yan He, Yan Qi, and Yan Xing, take turns grinding ink.

Among them, Yan Jia performed the best. Yan He was steady and proper. Yan Qi was passable, while Yan Xing was the worst.

Old Scholar Jiang couldn’t help but glance at Yan Jia again. Then he tested their calligraphy by asking them to write their own names.

Yan Jia and Yan He passed this test. Yan Qi barely made it, but Yan Xing failed.

Yet Yan Xing wasn’t the least bit anxious. Instead, he scratched his head and awkwardly apologized to Old Scholar Jiang, saying he’d wasted his paper.

The words “this child is hopeless” were on the tip of Jiang’s tongue, but he silently swallowed them back. He waved his hand and told Yan Xing he didn’t need to continue. Then he asked the others, “Have you read The Analects?”

The three boys nodded. “Yes, sir. Before we fled from famine, we studied it.”

Yan Jia couldn’t help but speak up for Yan Qi and Yan Xing, “Please excuse my third and fourth brothers, sir. They started their education later and usually follow along while my second brother and I study. No one’s formally taught them, so when you test Yan Qi later, I ask that you not be too harsh. He’s only studied the Xue Er chapter.”

A trace of satisfaction flickered in the scholar’s eyes. He nodded and told Yan Qi to step aside. Then he asked, “Which chapters have the two of you studied?”

Yan Jia answered, “Sir, we’ve studied Xue Er, Yong Ye, Shu Er, Qin Bo, Zi Han, and Yan Yuan.”

Old Scholar Jiang had a clear idea now. He tested Yan He first, “Let me ask you: what is meant by ‘restraining oneself and returning to ritual’?”

Yan He replied, “To restrain oneself and return to ritual is to achieve benevolence. If a person can restrain themselves and return to ritual for just one day, the whole world will be drawn toward benevolence.”

The scholar continued, “Do you understand the meaning?”

Yan He paused to consider, then said, “To restrain oneself means, first, to control one’s personal desires; and second, to overcome one’s faults and shortcomings. Returning to ritual refers to adhering to societal norms and etiquette. Confucius believed that through this process, one could attain the state of benevolence. This is what it means by ‘the world returning to benevolence’—if a person can do this, they can lead the entire world toward goodness, and achieve virtue within themselves.”

Though his words were few, they made Old Scholar Jiang’s eyes shine. He was so moved he pounded the table and shouted “Good!” several times in a row. Then he turned to test Yan Jia. “Let me ask you: what are ‘the Four Things the Master avoided’?”

At this, Yan He frowned slightly and glanced at Yan Jia with concern.

Yan Jia paused and answered, “Sir, the Four Things the Master avoided were: no speculation, no certainty, no obstinacy, no self-interest.”

Old Scholar Jiang asked, “Do you understand what that means?”

Yan Jia shook his head. “I’m sorry, sir. I don’t understand the meaning.”

The scholar’s brows furrowed as he looked at him. “You don’t understand? Is it that you cannot explain, or that you don’t know?”

Yan Jia lowered his head and answered honestly, “I don’t know.”

Old Scholar Jiang shook his head in disappointment.

He had thought that since this boy had ground the ink well, had excellent handwriting, and spoke eloquently on behalf of his brothers, he must be highly knowledgeable too. Who would’ve thought he was all show and no substance?

Madam Su couldn’t help but worry and asked, “Sir, is there something wrong with my grandsons?”

The old scholar withdrew his gaze from Yan Jia, stroked his beard, and said with a smile, “Oh, it’s nothing serious. It’s just that your boy Xing is a bit dull. I fear he’s not cut out for studying. I can write them a recommendation letter, but madam, you should be mentally prepared—our county school holds major exams twice a year, and if a student fails, they will be expelled.”

Madam Su quickly agreed. After receiving the four recommendation letters from the old scholar, she left beaming.

Yan Xing, his round head and bold look, scratched his nose. “Grandma, the teacher said I’m not cut out for studying. Why are you still so happy?”

Madam Su pinched his nose with her handkerchief and said with a smile, “If you can study, I’m happy. The teacher says you’re not fit for it—I believe him. But if you can read and aren’t illiterate, if you can do simple accounting, that’s enough to benefit you for life.”

Then she turned to Yan Jia, Yan He, and Yan Qi and said, half kindly and half as a warning, “The same goes for the three of you. Grandma doesn’t expect you to become great men or earn official titles. But since you’ve got the chance to study, you must cherish it. Study well. Don’t think you can slack off. If I ever catch any of you being lazy, you’ll spend the rest of your life in the fields with me!”

The three of them immediately felt a chill down their spines and promised repeatedly that they would study hard! Even if not for the family, at least for their own futures.

After that, Madam Su hitched up the donkey cart and took the boys, along with Li Sumei and Su Fifth and his wife, into town. They bought several bolts of fine cotton cloth, exchanged some coins, carried a basket of eggs, two strings of pork, two large fish, and a pair of marble paperweights. With the recommendation letters in hand, they visited the county school’s principal—Hu Wenchuan—who held the title of a certified scholar.

At the county school’s study hall:

Principal Hu, plainly dressed with a patch on his pants, looked very pleased after reading the letters. “So Old Scholar Jiang hasn’t died yet? That’s wonderful news! Since you’re recommended by him, just pay the entrance fee and start studying in the spring. Did you bring the money? It’s five taels of silver per person per year. But let me be clear—that doesn’t include textbooks or supplies. You’ll need to buy your own books, ink, paper, and pens. If you plan to board here, there’ll be additional rent and food costs. If you drop out midway, there’s no refund.”

After calculating, Madam Su and Li Sumei realized that while the school’s tuition was cheap, once you added all the other costs, it was nearly the same as a year at the prestigious Boya Academy!

Still, Madam Su gritted her teeth and had Li Sumei pay the full year’s tuition and fees.

Principal Hu wrote her a receipt, gave each child a student token for the county school, and summoned a stern-looking Teacher Chen to give them a tour and help them get familiar with the campus.

By the time they went home, Yan Jia, Yan He, Yan Qi, and Yan Xing were all happily carrying their new textbooks and writing supplies.

Madam Su was delighted too. After strolling around town a bit more, she bought two jars of wine. When they got home, she had Zhang Xiaolan prepare a table full of delicious food. The family was planning to invite Zhang Hongzhuang and Little Dou’er over to celebrate properly.

Just as Wu Chunhe opened the door to step out, she saw Brother Lin standing at the door, hand raised as if about to knock in a rush.

Wu Chunhe called out in surprise, “Oh! Brother Lin? Have you eaten yet? Come join us!”

Brother Lin frantically waved his hand and rushed inside to report, “Is Madam Su in? Something bad has happened—your Uncle Hongzhuang was beaten by Li Ergou! You’d better come quick and see!”

“What?!”

The Su family was eating in the main hall and was shocked by the news.

Madam Su’s vision went dark. She steadied herself against the table and forced herself up. “Let’s go, we have to see what’s going on!”