Chapter 343 - 330: Sending to School

Chapter 343: Chapter 330: Sending to School

The next day, Chen Shouheng set out from Liyang early in the morning. He spurred his horse onward, racing back to Lingxi.

Stepping through the gates of his home, he searched the main hall and the study but found no trace of Chen Li.

When he saw his mother, Song Ying, he hurried over and asked, "Mother, where’s Father?"

Song Ying looked up and smiled upon seeing her eldest son had returned. "Shouheng, you’re back. Your father took Shoujing, Shouyue, and Shoucheng to Mirror Mountain to begin their studies."

"Studies? Mirror Mountain?"

Chen Shouheng was stunned. He never imagined his father would send his three younger siblings off to school so soon.

As it turned out, seven days prior, Chen Shouyue had visited all the more renowned private schools across the counties of Liyang County, returning with information on seven or eight of them.

Among the schools she reported on, the most famous was the Cyan Cloud Academy in Liyang City. The tuition gift was as high as three hundred taels of silver per year, and its students were either rich or noble. They were even allowed to bring along page boys and maids to attend to them.

Chen Li had dismissed it with a wave of his hand.

’That kind of place most likely prioritizes status and connections over actual learning.’

’If my three children were placed there, they’d be constantly exposed to it. I’m afraid they’d pick up the bad habits of the rich and arrogant—constantly competing and fawning over others—before they even learned anything.’

As for the other private schools in Qingshui, Lishui, Ping County, and Jingshan County, the information gathered showed they were all more or less the same.

Since there was little difference between them, Chen Li chose Jingshan County, the one closest to home.

Jingshan County had two private schools. The one with a relatively better reputation was in Bamboo Forest Village at the foot of Mirror Mountain. The Tutor’s surname was Ding, his given name Molin, and he was a retired old County School Instructor from Jingshan County.

In the Court, civil and military paths were separate.

High-ranking officials and nobles, especially the chief officials governing a region, all possessed Cultivation. They used their martial prowess to maintain order and their literary skills to govern.

Purely Civil Servants, unless they placed in the First Class of the Imperial Examination, had a narrow path for advancement. They could only serve in auxiliary roles such as scribes, junior officials, or academic officers in the various levels of the Government Office.

Even if they did place in the First Class, they were mostly relegated to roles as reserve talents or compilers of books, making it difficult to wield any real power.

A County School Instructor held the rank of Standard Ninth Grade. While it seemed like an official position, in a world where martial arts flourished and strength was paramount, their status was awkward.

Truly powerful and aristocratic families, even when they wanted their children to study and understand the ways of the world, would first choose a high-level institution like the He Niu Martial Arts Academy, which taught both civil and martial arts. The next best option was to hire famous tutors for private instruction at home.

The ones who sent their children to private schools, hoping they would "rise from farmer’s son in the morning to the Emperor’s hall by evening," were mostly middle-class families. These families might own ten or twenty mu of poor land and could barely afford to support one child’s full-time education.

They hoped that after years of arduous study, their child would pass the examinations one day, earning tax and corvée exemptions and changing the family’s social standing.

This was the most realistic path of social mobility an ordinary person could imagine.

As for the destitute families who owned no land, were tenant farmers for generations, or struggled on the edge of starvation, learning to read and write was a luxury. And strengthening their bodies through martial arts was an even more distant dream.

In this world, invisible barriers were starkly present from the day a person was born.

However, no matter how awkward his status, he was more than qualified to teach these three children.

Of course, the most crucial point was that Chen Shouyue had also found out this Instructor Ding had a reputation for being a very strict teacher in his younger days.

Therefore, seven days ago, Chen Li had Zhao Gui prepare the tuition gift and, taking his three bewildered children, traveled by carriage to Bamboo Forest Village.

Ding Molin’s home was a rather neat, three-courtyard residence. With its gray-green bricks and gray tiles, it stood out conspicuously among the surrounding village huts, which were mostly made of adobe and thatch.

When Chen Li’s group arrived, the clear sound of reading aloud was coming from the eastern courtyard.

Chen Li led the children into the eastern courtyard.

A spacious main room had been converted into a schoolroom. At the head of the room was an old desk, and behind it sat an old man with a salt-and-pepper beard, dressed in a blue scholar’s robe and holding a scroll.

Below him, seventeen or eighteen students of various heights were seated. The oldest was already in his early twenties, while the youngest looked to be about eight or nine. All were dressed in coarse cloth garments that, while washed clean, had faintly visible patches.

The old man was, of course, Ding Molin.

His gaze swept over Chen Li, then past him to the three small children, and his brow immediately furrowed.

Chen Li took a few steps forward and bowed with cupped hands, his tone humble. "Mr. Ding, I have brought my sons and daughter to pay my respects."

Ding Molin set down his scroll, instructed the students to continue their recitation, and walked out of the schoolroom.

His gaze circled the three children once more, and his brow tightened. "Young man, these three children are too young. While it’s good to start their education early, they must be able to sit still and listen. It would be better to bring them back after they’ve turned eight."

Chen Li’s expression remained unchanged. "You are quite right, Teacher. However, the children are mischievous and have been poorly disciplined at home. I dare not hope for them to master the texts of the sages. I only wish for them to be accepted as your students, to learn some basic principles, and to understand proper etiquette. This meager gift is but a small token of our respect. I hope that you will consider their youth and be strict in their instruction."

With that, he turned and gestured.

Zhao Gui, who had been standing silently outside the door, immediately came forward, holding a tray covered with a red silk cloth.

Two other accompanying servants carried in a small but heavy camphor wood chest.

Ding Molin gestured for Zhao Gui to place the tray on an empty table nearby.

He reached out and gently lifted the red silk cloth.

On the tray, neatly arranged in rows, were Small Yuanbao. Each was a standard five taels of official silver.

At the same time, another servant opened the camphor wood chest.

It was filled with dried meat, along with neatly wrapped bundles of celery, lotus seeds, red dates, red beans, and longans.

These were the six traditional gifts for a tutor.

Even for Ding Molin, who had been teaching for decades, his old face couldn’t help but twitch slightly.

For an ordinary student, a year’s tuition gift plus holiday presents would be considered generous if it amounted to a few taels of silver.

This offering was enough to cover the tuition gifts for all the students in his private school for ten years, with plenty to spare. It was absurdly generous.

He looked up and re-examined the man before him, Chen Li.

He wore a simple gray cotton robe and common cloth shoes, but his calm and steady demeanor marked him as no ordinary person.

"Young man..."

Ding Molin’s voice unconsciously lowered. "May I ask... which family you are from?"

Chen Li cupped his hands again. "A gentleman does not inquire about one’s origins. My children are here only to learn. I hope you will not ask about our background, Teacher. Just treat them as you do the other students, as people eager to learn. You may strike or punish them as you see fit; we will have no complaints."

Ding Molin gave Chen Li a long, deep look and pondered for a moment.

Finally, he nodded slowly. "In that case, they may stay. But I must say this first: once they enter my school, they must abide by my rules. If they are too mischievous and refuse to change despite repeated instruction, then this old man will have no choice but to ask you to take them back."

"That is as it should be. Thank you for accepting them, Teacher."

Chen Li agreed.

With the acceptance ceremony complete, Chen Li prepared to leave.

The moment he stood up, Shoujing, Shouyue, and Shoucheng, who had been anxiously clutching the corner of his robe, panicked.

"Papa... don’t go..."

Shouyue’s little mouth trembled, and her eyes instantly turned red.

Shoucheng burst out crying with a loud "WAAAH!" and clung tightly to Chen Li’s leg.

Shoujing fought back his tears but still held onto Chen Li’s sleeve, refusing to let go.

The childish sobs were piercingly clear.

Chen Li crouched down, patting each of the three little ones on the head. He said gently, "Don’t cry. Papa isn’t leaving. I’ll be right here in the village. When you finish your lessons this evening, I’ll come pick you up. You must be good and listen to your teacher."

After some comforting, the three children finally let go. An older student, assigned by Ding Molin, led them to three small desks that had been specially added at the front of the room.

Without looking back at them, Chen Li left the schoolroom.

After leaving the private school, Chen Li went to a mountain stream and inquired about Bamboo Forest Village, finding out the situation there and where the clan head’s house was.

He then paid a visit, explained his purpose, and said he wished to rent a quiet, separate courtyard to stay in temporarily.

As he spoke, he had Zhao Gui present the extra dried meat from the carriage as a greeting gift.

The clan head immediately became much more enthusiastic.

He instantly put down his work and personally led Chen Li around the village.

Before long, they found a small courtyard in a secluded corner of the village.

The courtyard had a main building with three rooms and was flanked by east and west wings. In total, it was over a hundred square meters in area.

The courtyard walls were built of cobblestone. Though they looked a bit old, the house was sturdy. Most importantly, it was a standalone residence and very quiet.

"This courtyard originally belonged to one of my nephews," the clan head explained. "He went away to do business a few years ago, so it’s been empty. Esteemed guest, what do you think? Is it to your liking?"

Chen Li looked it over, inside and out, and nodded.

The courtyard was a suitable size, and its location met his requirements. He immediately asked about the rent.

The clan head quoted a price.

Chen Li didn’t haggle. He had Zhao Gui take out enough silver coins and promptly paid three years’ rent in advance.

After securing the residence, Chen Li ordered the several servants who had come with him to go to Jingshan County Town and purchase all the necessary daily supplies.

He himself, along with Zhao Gui and the two maids, Gin go and Nan Xing, began to tidy up the courtyard.

By evening, it was fully furnished and arranged.

Once everything was in order, Chen Li sent the servants back to Lingxi, keeping only Zhao Gui and the maids Gin go and Nan Xing to look after the children’s daily needs.

From then on, Chen Li settled down in Bamboo Forest Village.

Every morning, he personally walked the three little ones—Shoujing, Shouyue, and Shoucheng—to the private school.

In the evening, around the time classes ended, he would pick the children up and bring them back to the small courtyard.

At first, the three little ones, who were accustomed to a life of being waited on hand and foot, had a very hard time adjusting to this sudden, simple existence.

They were separated from their familiar playmates and surroundings, no longer attended by a flock of servants. They had to do things for themselves, and on top of that, the food at the school was plain and simple.

The crying and fussing were constant.

Thankfully, the two maids, Gin go and Nan Xing, were quick to take the three in hand and manage to calm them down.

After five or six days of this, they gradually settled down, and their crying fits became less frequent.

When Chen Shouheng arrived, Chen Li was in a mountain hollow, engaged in his Cultivation.

This had started when, during his nightly Cultivation, he discovered that the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi on Mirror Mountain was far richer and more abundant than around Lingxi—at least two or three times as dense.

Moreover, the density and purity of the Primordial Qi varied significantly in different areas of the mountain.

After taking the children to school in the morning, he would explore the mountain carefully.

In a remote mountain hollow, he found a spot where the Primordial Qi was the richest and purest he had encountered anywhere on Mirror Mountain.

So, every day after dropping the children off at school, he would practice his Cultivation there. He would continue until the sun set and dusk began to fall over the forest, at which point he would slowly cease his practice and go down the mountain to pick up his children.

Today was no different.

Chen Li returned home with the three children to find Chen Shouheng, who had already been waiting in the courtyard for a long time.

"Father."

Chen Shouheng stepped forward and bowed.

A flicker of surprise crossed Chen Li’s eyes. He nodded. "Shouheng, when did you arrive? Is there trouble at home?"

Chen Shouheng glanced at his chattering younger siblings, then hesitated, looking like he wanted to speak but couldn’t.

Chen Li understood. He turned to Gin go, who was standing by, and instructed, "Take them to wash their hands and eat."

"Yes, Master."

Gin go called the three children into the house.

The father and son walked out of the small courtyard, one after the other.

They came to a bamboo grove.

Chen Li stopped. "Speak. What is it?"