Chapter 17The Qiantang Private School was neither too far nor too near from the east of the city—a two-ke walk away, though a carriage would get you there faster. Feng Li was saying to Mrs. Jiang, "There are many girls' schools in Jiangnan, and a few in Wuchang and Hankou as well. This is their first time opening one in our Cloudwater Town, and the tuition is by no means cheap."At twenty taels of silver a year for tuition, plus four taels for boarding if one stayed at the school, or three to five taels for meals alone if not, and another two taels for books and paper, the total came to over twenty taels.But Feng Li was willing to pay this sum. He hoped his daughter would truly receive a good education, and even if it took ten years, he could still afford to support her.Mrs. Jiang said, "Though reading is a good thing, not many girls take up studies. Wouldn't this teacher have come all this way for nothing if too few students enroll? What then?""Didn't I tell you they're a married couple? The wife teaches the girls, and the husband has also taken in some boys. In three to five years, won't they be raking in money hand over fist?" Feng Li chuckled.As the couple talked, Yingniang listened. She could hardly imagine that she would actually attend a girls' school, studying alongside many female students. In her previous life, this would have sounded like a fairy tale.Before long, they arrived at the gate of the Qiantang Private School. A few people dressed in silks were talking animatedly with two men at the entrance. Feng Li told Yingniang, "See those two? They're the zhaifu—the school servants.""Oh, I understand, Father." Yingniang nodded.Feng Li got off the carriage first and went up to speak with the two servants. After finishing, he had Yingniang and Mrs. Jiang alight, and had the young page and maidservant carry over the tuition gifts.The girls' school was located in a place called the Hall of Still Waters. The eastern wing was planted with green bamboo and jade plum trees, tall plane trees stood on both sides, and over a dozen pots of flowers lined the long corridor—an exceedingly elegant courtyard.The latticed window was half open, and through it one could see a woman in a purple jacket writing at a desk. It was at this moment that Yingniang entered.The female teacher, surnamed Shu, was dressed with great dignity and refinement. Her jet-black hair was coiled up, adorned with only two jade hairpins. Her skin bore the delicate quality unique to Jiangnan women. She said in a gentle voice, "Have you come to enroll?"Feng Li hurriedly smiled and pulled Yingniang forward. "This is my daughter. I have come specially to pay my respects to you, Teacher, on her behalf."Teacher Shu glanced at Yingniang and asked directly, "What is your name?""To answer your question, Teacher, I am Feng Chiying, called Yingniang as a childhood name. I am six years old, seven by nominal age." Yingniang stepped forward, showing not the slightest timidity.Teacher Shu nodded with a smile.The formal apprenticeship ceremony was about to begin. Yingniang personally offered tea, then presented the tuition: twenty taels of silver, ten strips of dried meat, and red dates, longan, celery, lotus seeds, and red beans. After Teacher Shu accepted them, Yingniang was officially enrolled.Teacher Shu then said to Mrs. Jiang, "We observe the ten-day holiday—that is, one rest day every ten days, on the first, eleventh, and twenty-first of the month. Additionally, we rest on the Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival, Winter Solstice, and Double Ninth Festival. We also have a long year-end break from mid-twelfth month until the fifteenth of the first month."Mrs. Jiang acknowledged this, and Teacher Shu had Yingniang take her seat, telling the family to pick up the child at the gate at the end of the shen hour.Mrs. Jiang hadn't thought much of it at first, but looking at Yingniang, she felt reluctant to part with her. It was Feng Li who said, "Come, let's go home. Look, more people are arriving outside—let's not disturb the teacher."Yingniang had been the first to arrive. She had just received her new books and was reading them at her seat when she saw a tall girl walk in. The girl smiled before she even spoke. While Yingniang was still hesitating over whether to greet her, the girl took the initiative: "Hello there, I'm Li Yuanshu of the Li family."Yingniang quickly returned the greeting: "Hello, Miss Li. I'm of the Feng family, with the school name Chiying."Li Yuanshu, being very familiar, asked Yingniang, "When is your birthday, little sister? Let's see who's older."On the matter of age, Li Yuanshu was already seven, older than Yingniang, so Yingniang addressed her as "Sister Li." Then a small, dark, skinny girl who looked like a copper pea came over and happened to sit right in front of Yingniang. She immediately introduced herself: "My grandfather works in the household registry office at the county seat, my father serves in the public works office, and even my maternal grandfather works at the yamen."Li Yuanshu was surprised. "So your whole family works for the government, then."The copper pea—no, the little girl Zheng Jingyu—nodded smugly.Several more girls filed in one after another. The most delicate and coquettish one was called Lou Jiaoai; the prettiest was Gu Miaojing. There was also one who seemed to have particularly strong connections—she was brought by the matriarch of the Fan family, who said her father served as a censor at court. Her name was quite lovely: Zhuang Yumian. Arriving with Zhuang Yumian was Fan Yun of the Fan family proper, and Miss Yang Hui. There was also her deskmate Lu Yaoyao, who turned out to be a neighbor—they both lived in the east of the city.The last girl to arrive was called Shu Nianci. She wasn't a local but was Teacher Shu's niece on her husband's side.All ten female students had arrived in full.Teacher Shu began teaching the rules of etiquette, and Elder Mrs. Fan returned to report the situation to Old Mrs. Fan: "Among these ten young ladies, in terms of status, naturally the Miss Zhuang holds the highest position—she is the daughter of a jinshi who passed both levels of the imperial examination. If not for her mother's insistence on staying in Yunshui, she wouldn't be studying here. Aside from the Zhuang family, the daughter of Registrar Yang and the daughter of Tribute Scholar Gu are both from prominent local families. Additionally, Clerk Zheng holds considerable standing in the yamen, so we'd best not offend him either."Old Mrs. Fan nodded and couldn't help asking, "What about the other young ladies?"Elder Mrs. Fan smiled and said, "Do let your granddaughter-in-law at least take a sip of water first. Besides the four young ladies just mentioned, there's our own Yun'er, of course. Then there's the daughter of Scholar Feng—the Feng family has three scholars and several hundred mu of farmland. Though not enormously wealthy, they're a comfortably well-off family. Then there's the Lu family—one of her uncles serves as a chiliarch, and her family owns a boat that transports goods between two places, along with a shop—""Hmm, that Madam Lu who came last time gave birth to six sons before finally having this little daughter." Old Mrs. Fan, at her age, favored families blessed with many children and much fortune.Elder Mrs. Fan smiled in agreement and continued her introduction: "As for the Li family's daughter, her family originally ran a silk shop, but unfortunately when the family divided their property, her father didn't receive much money. He later gathered a group of dockworkers at the wharf to carry loads for people, and they manage to get by well enough.""Then there's Teacher Shu's niece—her father works as a cook and manages some affairs. She's a girl who knows her place and follows the times. As for the last one, Miss Lou, she's a relative by marriage from Third Aunt's natal family."Old Mrs. Fan was finally reassured. Her eldest son had once served as an official and was now idle at home, so the womenfolk all wished to cultivate connections that might help Grand Master Fan resume his official career and bring glory to the family name—hence her detailed inquiries.While the adults concerned themselves with such matters, the children's thoughts were far simpler. Where to drink water when thirsty, where to use the latrine, how meals were taken, what texts were studied—these were the truly important questions for the young ladies.The little crybaby Lu Yaoyao sitting next to Yingniang was quite remarkable. While her parents were present, she sobbed breathlessly, but the moment they left, she pulled out some candy to eat and even offered one to Yingniang.Yingniang noticed she had dimples on both cheeks and looked very cheerful, so she shared some of her own rice-crisp candy with her."How many older brothers and sisters do you have?" Lu Yaoyao asked.Yingniang shook her head. "I'm the only daughter in our family."Lu Yaoyao was astonished. "I have so many older brothers! But my parents dote on me terribly—they make my brothers play with me. What do you do at home by yourself all day?""I play with my mother," Yingniang said with a smile.Lu Yaoyao let out an "oh" before saying, "I play with my mother often too."They couldn't drink water in the classroom, as it might spill on the books, so they had to drink outside. The latrine was in the neighboring courtyard, and the young ladies initially went there together in groups.Fan Yun, being a member of the Fan family, was familiar with the place and took the lead in showing them around.After a morning of getting acquainted, at noon the cook brought their meals—four dishes for each girl. Yingniang ate with relish, and so did Lu Yaoyao, who told Yingniang, "I eat the fastest and the most at home. My mother says other girls are always picky eaters, but I'm not."Yingniang quite liked Lu Yaoyao—she had a naturally kind and easygoing disposition.Teacher Shu began with the Three Character Classic, the Hundred Family Surnames, and the Thousand Character Classic. It was said that only after mastering these could one learn to read and punctuate text. Each ten-day period was divided as follows: five days devoted to reading, memorizing, and practicing calligraphy; two days to learning the qin and chess; one day to needlework and flower painting; one day to composing poetry; and one day to reviewing lessons and taking quizzes.None of this was difficult for Yingniang. Once the initial excitement wore off, she gradually grew accustomed to life there.She and Lu Yaoyao were both deskmates and neighbors. They went to school and studied together nearly every day, and their bond grew closer than with the others.Teacher Shu assigned homework from the very first day of school. There were quizzes nearly every day, a test every ten days, a monthly examination, and reportedly even seasonal and yearly examinations—in short, examinations were the order of the day.Their girls' school actually had more coursework than the boys who were preparing for the imperial examinations.When Old Madam Chang brought her grandson Chang Sui to visit, she was quite surprised to see how much homework Yingniang had.Chang Sui studied with a tutor hired at home. His grandmother often forbade him from eating snacks. Last time, when Yingniang was buying things from a peddler at the back gate, she ran into him and gave him some snacks. He craved them so much that he often came over to play.Yingniang was just saying to Mrs. Jiang, "Mother, Teacher Shu said that for the Cold Food Festival, no fires are to be lit, so we need to bring our own food."Feng Li, who had just walked in to help Yingniang with her dictation practice, said, "My dear, you must prepare something lavish for our daughter. If you can't make it, by all means buy it from outside."Mrs. Jiang laughed and replied, "We're just bringing a lunchbox—why all the fuss?"Feng Li said, "You haven't studied like this, so you wouldn't know. When I first passed the exam to enter the academy, no one at home looked after me. My clothes were shabbier than everyone else's. Being mocked and bullied was the least of it. Once, when I tried to go into the bathhouse, I was shoved straight into the pool. My back hit a rock, and it took a full month to heal."Yingniang understood that feeling well. When she first started as a little maid in the Fu household, she had no godmother to rely on and held a low position. Being bullied was an everyday occurrence. Even among fellow servants, those from established families with connections got lighter work and held higher status.Mrs. Jiang clicked her tongue in surprise upon hearing this. "Even children treat each other like that?""Anyone who has been a student knows this. Comparing oneself with others is certainly wrong, but being too shabby is another matter. We adults wouldn't mind, but Yingniang would be looked down upon. In the third month, our family just sold the rapeseed, castor beans, and soybeans. It's not like we can't afford it. The girls who attend that school are all from wealthy or noble families. Since we can afford the tuition, why be stingy over a bit of food?" Feng Li said, looking at his daughter with a smile.Yingniang's father had always respected human nature. Another girl's father might spout high-sounding words about not comparing with others and valuing frugality, but her father put himself in her shoes and wouldn't force her to endure unnecessary hardship.

Yingniang