“Tuition at the academy is seven taels of silver per year. Room and board are extra—are you aware of that?” the headmaster asked.
“Yes, we heard about it on the way here,” Yunshu replied.
The headmaster nodded and turned to Fourth and Fifth Brothers. “Where do you live?”
Fourth Brother answered, “Sir, our home is in Pingyuan Village.”
“That’s not close to town. Looks like you’ll have to stay at the academy, then?”
“Yes, we’d like to stay at the academy,” Fifth Brother replied.
The headmaster asked if they had any prior schooling or were starting from scratch.
Fourth Brother explained, “We studied a little at home and can recognize some characters.”
“Good,” the headmaster said, producing two test papers. “Take these. I’ll see your level to place you in the right class.”
Fourth and Fifth Brothers carefully completed the tests—one in arithmetic, one in Chinese language.
The results showed Fourth Brother had a perfect score in arithmetic but slightly lower in language; Fifth Brother excelled in language but was weaker in arithmetic.
The headmaster smiled approvingly. “You both have a solid foundation. You’ll go to the beginner class. The academy has the textbooks for sale—no need to look elsewhere. Other supplies you can buy on your own. At the end of each month, you’ll get a three-day break to return home.”
Yunshu asked, “Headmaster, can my two brothers start immediately?”
“Yes. Once tuition is paid and supplies ready, they can begin.”
“Good. I’ll pay the tuition and boarding fees now, then go buy their supplies. By the way, do students have a standard uniform?”
“Yes, but that’s extra. Just get them some extra underclothes to change into.”
After paying tuition, room and board, Yunshu was led to the dormitory by an attendant. The conditions were decent—far better than the family’s old house.
Later, they took the ox cart to buy school supplies like brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones.
Ancient supplies were not cheap: the cheapest brush cost 100 wen, a hand-copied Three Character Classic 200 wen, and practice books varied—ordinary handwriting 200 wen, beautifully styled calligraphy 500 wen.
Yunshu bought expensive practice books for each of her brothers and extra paper and brushes. The shopping alone cost five taels of silver, adding to the ten taels already paid for tuition and board. Including clothes and other items, the day’s expenses were significant.
At home, clothing could be casual, but the academy required proper attire.
Finally, Yunshu handed Fourth and Fifth Brothers a tael each. “Here’s one tael for each of you. Use it for anything you need—don’t be stingy. Your sister earns it for you.”
Fifth Brother exclaimed, “Little Sister, I’ll become the top scholar and back you up!”
Fourth Brother said, “I’ll be a top scholar too! Then no one will dare bully you.”
“Good! But remember, don’t study too late—straining your eyes won’t help. Practice the exercises I teach too. Balance work and rest.”
“Don’t worry, Little Sister. We know. We’ll tell Father and the others so they won’t worry.”
“Alright. We’ll pick you up at the end of the month.”
Yunshu and Third Brother drove the ox cart back to the village. On the way, she said, “Third Brother, I want to start a small business selling spicy hot pot and sour-and-spicy noodles, but the village is far from town—it’s inconvenient.”
“Spicy hot pot? Sour-and-spicy noodles? Never heard of them,” Third Brother said.
“They’re snacks my master taught me. It’s just that running to town every day is too far.”
“Little Sister, distance doesn’t matter. We have the ox cart! Even before that, we came back and forth all these years. Just leave early in the morning.”
“Okay. I’ll plan it properly and check what we need tomorrow in town.”
Back home, Yunshu proposed the idea of selling snacks in town. Her family approved unanimously—they always trusted her abilities. This trust warmed her heart but also weighed heavily on her.
Her mountain herbs were running low, and she wanted a stable source of income for the family. Though she’d never run a business in her previous life, she decided to start a food stall.
That night, she used the space to check recipes and necessary ingredients on her phone. She placed an order, though not everything was available—after all, it was the ancient era.
She bought chicken and pork balls, luncheon meat, quail eggs, sweet potato noodles, and chili seasonings. Meat could be bought in town; vegetables like spinach, bok choy, lettuce, garland chrysanthemum, bean sprouts, potatoes, winter melon, cucumbers, and tofu were readily available. Only fried tofu puffs needed to be made by herself.
She planned to start with a stall, save money, open a small restaurant, and eventually expand to a chain across the empire, managed by her brothers.
She also needed pots, stoves, bowls, chopsticks, tables, and chairs. Considering the trouble of carrying everything daily, she resolved that once she earned enough, she would rent—or ideally buy—a shop.
The next day, Yunshu and her brothers headed to town with a shopping list.
“Third Brother, who usually buys vegetables at home?” she asked.
“Let Third Brother do it. I’m slow with calculations. I’ll go with you to help carry things.”
In town, they first bought kitchenware and furniture, then went to the butcher for pork. The locals preferred fatty meat—pork belly 17 wen per jin, lean 15 wen, lard 13 wen.
Tang Dashan looked at the pile of goods and said, “Yunshu, let’s store these at Uncle Li’s house. We can pick them up in the morning and return them at night.”
Yunshu slapped her forehead. “Right! Uncle Li’s is in town—I forgot! That’s much more convenient. We should also bring some meat as a gift, so they don’t feel troubled.”
This was Yunshu’s first time meeting Uncle Li’s family. She greeted each warmly: “Hello Uncle Li! Hello Aunt Li! Hello Grandma!”
Uncle Li was named Li Gang; his wife, Zhao Xiaolan; and they had an elderly mother living with them.