Chapter 53: Li Family 1/3

As soon as Zhu Xunmiao received the manuscript given by Li Qingzhi, he couldn’t wait to read it immediately.

But it would be a bit impolite to do so… He suppressed his urge and invited Li Qingzhi to his study for a conversation.

Upon learning that Li Qingzhi wanted to study with Li Xiucai, Zhu Xunmiao said, “If Brother Li wants to see Li Xiucai, I can take you there.”

“Would it be inappropriate to disturb him on his day of rest?” Li Qingzhi asked. He had originally planned to discuss it with Zhu Xunmiao and then choose a day to visit Li Xiucai.

Among the educators in Chongcheng County, the one with the highest level must be Sun Juren. However, Sun Juren had very few students and was very picky. He definitely wouldn’t accept him. Moving down the list, it would be Li Xiucai’s turn.

Although Li Xiucai was somewhat fond of money and had quite a few students, he was still the best choice.

“Li Xiucai won’t mind,” Zhu Xunmiao said, then instructed the steward to prepare a gift for Li Xiucai.

The gift prepared by the steward of the Zhu family for Zhu Xunmiao was some paper and two ink cakes, totaling only two taels of silver.

Although the Zhu family was wealthy, they didn’t give too many gifts to others. It’s not always a good thing to give too much to others; it might even breed resentment.

With the gift in hand, Zhu Xunmiao took Li Qingzhi aboard the Zhu family’s boat and headed to Li Xiucai’s house.

Li Xiucai’s house was crowded with people, so he rented a fairly large courtyard in the county town.

However, even though the courtyard he rented was large, it seemed somewhat cramped after each of his sons got married and moved out. If it weren’t for his two somewhat promising sons moving out to live on their own, this place might not have been able to accommodate them all.

Li Xiucai’s house was large, with a riverbank on one side. The Zhu family’s boat stopped there, and Zhu Xunmiao led Li Qingzhi up the steps to knock on Li Xiucai’s door.

“Who’s there?” a woman’s voice sounded, followed by the door opening.

The one who opened the door was a woman in her forties. Seeing Zhu Xunmiao, she smiled brightly and immediately invited him in, shouting for Li Xiucai to come out.

Li Qingzhi followed in and saw several children playing in the Zhu family’s courtyard, with some ropes nearby hanging full of clothes…

Li Xiucai soon emerged. Despite not being young, he was a bit older than Jin Xiaoye’s father, Jin Dajiang. However, probably due to a prosperous and well-nourished life, he looked much younger than Jin Dajiang.

Let’s just talk about his teeth… Li Xiucai’s teeth were very intact, not a single one was missing from the front.

In this era, many rural folks lost most of their teeth by the time they were forty.

One reason was that people didn’t pay attention to oral hygiene at this time; many went their whole lives without brushing their teeth. Another reason was that common people had poor nutrition and ate rough food, so naturally, their teeth wouldn’t be good.

But it was different for urban dwellers; their teeth tended to be much better.

At first glance, Li Xiucai seemed a bit serious, but as Zhu Xunmiao approached… seeing the gift Zhu Xunmiao held, he smiled and invited Zhu Xunmiao into the hall to talk.

Li Xiucai’s hall wasn’t large, with tables and chairs for guests. At this moment, two “grandmaster chairs” were pushed together, with two infants about a year old seated in between.

Li Xiucai picked up the two children and called out, “Xiulian, Xiulian, quickly take the children away.”

Soon, another middle-aged woman came over and took one child in each arm, carrying them away.

Once the children were gone, Li Xiucai gestured for Li Qingzhi and Zhu Xunmiao to take a seat, saying, “My humble abode is simple, please forgive the inconvenience.”

After exchanging pleasantries, Zhu Xunmiao explained the purpose of their visit.

Upon learning that Li Qingzhi wanted to study at his academy, Li Xiucai was delighted. Without hesitation, he stated the tuition fee—seven taels of silver for a year, as Li Qingzhi would require instruction in classic texts.

Li Qingzhi said, “Teacher, I left in a hurry today and didn’t bring money. I’ll bring it tomorrow.”

“No rush,” Li Xiucai said with a smile, then asked Li Qingzhi about the books he had read.

Li Qingzhi replied truthfully, “Teacher, I have memorized the Four Books and Five Classics thoroughly, and I have some knowledge of other books. However, I have not received any guidance, so there are gaps in my understanding, especially in writing.”

“You’ve memorized all the books?” Li Xiucai was somewhat surprised. The Four Books and Five Classics together contained over sixty thousand characters, and very few people could memorize them all.

He didn’t know how many times Li Qingzhi had read the books, and while he was familiar with them, he couldn’t recite them completely. As he grew older, he forgot some of the books he had memorized before.

“Yes,” Li Qingzhi said.

Li Xiucai didn’t doubt Li Qingzhi’s honesty; there was no need to lie. But he was genuinely amazed. So, he recited a few passages and asked Li Qingzhi to continue.

Li Qingzhi spoke fluently without making a mistake.

Li Xiucai then asked Li Qingzhi about the meanings of some sentences. Li Qingzhi had read the annotated books given by Zhu Xunmiao and could provide a general explanation.

As they conversed, Li Xiucai became increasingly delighted, clapping his hands and cheering. Then he asked Li Qingzhi, “Is the injury on your arm getting better?”

Before knowing Li Qingzhi’s level, Li Xiucai didn’t think his arm injury was a big deal. But now, discovering Li Qingzhi’s excellent scholarship… If Li Qingzhi’s right arm doesn’t recover, he must practice writing with his left hand diligently! Li Qingzhi’s current handwriting wouldn’t do for participating in the imperial examination!

“Still not fully recovered, but nothing serious,” Li Qingzhi said, planning to refrain from using his right arm in front of others for a short period to avoid arousing suspicion.

“As long as it’s not hindering you! With your solid foundation and extraordinary talent, passing the scholar examination won’t be an issue!” Li Xiucai remarked.

Passing the imperial exams is challenging, but achieving the title of Xiucai is different; with proper preparation, it’s not difficult.

Since Li Qingzhi could memorize the Four Books and Five Classics, he should definitely pass as a master.

Thinking along these lines, Li Xiucai even suggested, “You don’t have to pay seven taels for tuition; five taels will suffice. There’s not much I can teach you.”

Li Xiucai had no prospects in officialdom anymore; now he aimed to earn more money through teaching.

With Li Qingzhi’s solid foundation, he could easily participate in the county examinations after a little guidance, so Li Xiucai felt it wasn’t right to charge him too much.

Of course, teaching for free wasn’t an option either.

Li Qingzhi thanked him and expressed concern that he might not be able to attend school daily.

Li Xiucai had no objection to this, saying that Li Qingzhi could attend as he pleased.

As they chatted, Li Xiucai had Li Qingzhi write an article on the spot, then provided feedback.

Writing vernacular novels was different from composing examination essays; Li Qingzhi’s article had several issues. Despite that, his level was not low, and Li Xiucai praised him repeatedly, and soon it was lunchtime.

Li Xiucai invited Li Qingzhi and Zhu Xunmiao to stay for lunch, but Zhu Xunmiao declined, saying, “Sir, my father intends to treat Brother Li to a meal, so we must return home.”