Since the decision had been made to send Wang Qingchen to school, Wang Youfu, not one for procrastination, took Wang Qingchen to the market town first thing the next morning.

As he was enrolling mid-term, Wang Youfu decided to prepare some gifts. The two first purchased some items: a cut of meat, two catties of white sugar, and a box of pastries, before heading to the town's academy.

The academy in Qingshan Town was situated in the southern district, a relatively quiet area. Upon reaching the main gate, they informed the gatekeeper of their purpose and were then ushered inside.

Once inside, Wang Qingchen discovered the academy was a large compound spanning two courtyards. Besides the gatekeeper, there were servants handling cleaning, staff providing hot water, and a dining hall for meals—though the hot water was free, the food required payment.

They were led to the second courtyard, where the gatekeeper brought them to a room, knocked, and after receiving a response from within, stated Wang Youfu and Wang Qingchen’s purpose. The three were then invited in.

Upon entering, Wang Qingchen spotted a middle-aged man standing by a large desk. Knowing Wang Qingchen was there to study, the man tested his foundational knowledge. Finding that the boy had only briefly studied the Thousand Character Classic, he immediately placed him in the beginner's class.

After presenting the gifts to the middle-aged man, Wang Youfu paid five taels of silver for tuition, spent two taels on textbooks, and settled the remaining half-year's meal fees—nine hundred wen—at the dining hall. This fee only covered the midday meal. Wang Qingchen muttered to himself that even though only half a year remained, the tuition was charged for a full year; thankfully, the dining hall hadn't demanded a full year's worth of food money.

Guided by the gatekeeper, Wang Youfu escorted Wang Qingchen to the room designated for the beginner's class. Wang Youfu remained visibly constrained throughout the process. Wang Qingchen understood this well enough; in this era, scholars held a high status, and as a simple farmer, Wang Youfu naturally held a degree of reverence toward them.

After delivering Wang Qingchen to the beginner class, Wang Youfu offered a few quick words and hastily departed, likely feeling ill at ease if he stayed any longer in such an esteemed place.

Wang Qingchen surveyed the students in the beginner class—about twenty in total. In all likelihood, he was the oldest student in the room, as it was rare for someone his age to just begin their studies. Wondering which class Li Yuntai was in and planning to ask at lunchtime, Wang Qingchen chose the very last seat.

The gazes of all the students in the room fixed upon him, some even pointing and whispering. Seeing this, Wang Qingchen stood up and smiled at them, saying, "Hello everyone, my name is Wang Qingchen, and I hail from Wang Family Village. I look forward to your guidance in the days to come…"

The room instantly fell silent. Every student stared at Wang Qingchen, astonished by his straightforward opening.

Wang Qingchen paused, realizing they might never have witnessed such a direct self-introduction. But what should he have said instead? "This humble student offers his respects"? The thought alone made him feel strangely agitated. It seemed indeed that the road ahead was long and arduous; he had much to strive for to properly cultivate the mannerisms of an ancient scholar.

What Wang Qingchen didn't realize was that he had misinterpreted the children's shock. Initially, they had been taken aback by his age and felt a little intimidated. Then, Wang Qingchen’s introduction struck them as somewhat simple and guileless, creating a stark contrast that momentarily paralyzed their reactions.

Before Wang Qingchen could dwell further, the Master entered, and Wang Qingchen began his first day of ancient schooling.

While Wang Qingchen diligently listened to the lesson, Wang Youfu walked home, calculating the remaining silver reserves of the household. They had initially saved three or four taels. Then, Wang Qingchen earned three hundred taels from growing flowers, followed by seven taels in annual rent paid by the tenant for the shop space. After that, they spent two hundred and twenty-six taels on purchasing land and shops, thirty-one taels on Zhang Shi's medical expenses and the thank-you gifts, and nine hundred and sixty wen on the piglets. Today, the entrance fee, tuition, books, and food expenses for Wang Qingchen’s schooling totaled nearly nine taels of silver. Now, the household had just over forty taels remaining. While this leftover sum was certainly enough to find a suitable match for Qinghua, Wang Youfu also intended to build a few new, handsome houses with blue bricks and tiles, which would quickly deplete the remaining funds. However, Wang Youfu quickly reconsidered: the harvest from the land he purchased should yield about ten taels of silver by the autumn reaping. With that realization, he decided to postpone the house construction until after the autumn harvest.

Wang Youfu made these plans happily on the road, completely unaware that a problem was waiting for him at home.

When school dismissed for lunch, Wang Qingchen was contemplating how to find Li Yuntai, but to his surprise, Li Yuntai sought him out instead. The two went to the dining hall together for their meal. Afterward, Li Yuntai offered Wang Qingchen a tour of the academy to help him get acquainted with the grounds.

Once Wang Qingchen had a general understanding of the academy and knew where Li Yuntai’s class was located, he earnestly begged Li Yuntai to accompany him to purchase brushes, inkstones, paper, and ink.

Not far from the academy stood a shop specializing in these scholarly supplies. As Li Yuntai led Wang Qingchen inside, the shop assistant immediately greeted them enthusiastically upon seeing students from the academy.

Wang Qingchen had previously used Li Yuntai’s supplies when learning characters. Now, facing the prospect of buying these items himself, he truly couldn't distinguish between good quality and poor. This was precisely why he had asked Li Yuntai to come along—to help him choose.

For these brushes, ink, and paper, the top-grade items were beyond what families like theirs could afford. Wang Qingchen had no intention of buying anything overly expensive; something suitable for his current needs would suffice.

The assistant introduced several sets of brushes, ink, and paper at different price points. Fortunately, Li Yuntai was more experienced in these matters and was not swayed by the assistant’s exaggerated sales pitch. He directly helped Wang Qingchen select a writing brush priced at sixty wen. According to Li Yuntai, this brush was effective and reasonably priced, favored by many students at the academy. Next, he picked out a rectangular ink ingot for him, priced at one hundred and twenty wen. Wang Qingchen then chose an inkstone holder himself for twenty wen.

They still needed an inkstone and paper. Wang Qingchen glanced around, finding none of the displayed inkstones aesthetically pleasing. Just as he was about to settle for a random one, the assistant noticed his hesitation and brought out an inkstone that was not displayed publicly.

This inkstone was irregularly shaped, featuring two depressions carved into it, representing two lotus ponds of different sizes. Along the edges of the ponds, carved, three-dimensional lotus leaves extended toward the center, making them look as if they were floating on water. This was less an inkstone and more a piece of art; the carving alone was quite admirable.

Seeing Wang Qingchen’s clear interest, the assistant began to enthusiastically promote the inkstone, extolling its many virtues.

Wang Qingchen loved the inkstone the moment he saw it, but it was priced at one tael of silver. In his past life, he wouldn't have thought twice about one tael, having been accustomed to watching dramas where nobles and scions scattered thousands or tens of thousands of taels without a second thought. Under such influence, who would consider one tael expensive? However, since arriving here, Wang Qingchen had grasped the true value of money, and this one tael felt genuinely costly.

Noticing Wang Qingchen's hesitant expression, the assistant knew the price was the sticking point. He quickly said, “We only have this one inkstone in the shop. Many students have admired it before, but they hesitated because of this price, which is why it’s still here today. If you truly like it, I can knock off ten wen for you.”

The assistant heavily emphasized the inkstone's uniqueness and its prior popularity, hinting that someone else might buy it soon. Furthermore, he presented the ten-wen reduction as a magnanimous gesture, suggesting the price was unlikely to drop further.

Li Yuntai could see Wang Qingchen’s strong desire for the inkstone, but he still felt spending such a high price on it was somewhat unwarranted, especially since Wang Qingchen’s family had only recently improved their fortunes. Such lavish spending was perhaps unwise. Therefore, he advised, "Qingchen, this is too expensive. Why don't we look at other inkstones?"

Wang Qingchen was deeply conflicted. He knew Li Yuntai’s suggestion was sound advice, but he genuinely favored this specific one. With a resolute hardening of his heart, he said, "Let's take this one."

"Excellent!" the assistant beamed, delighted.

Afterward, Wang Qingchen bought some paper. Perhaps because he purchased that expensive inkstone, the assistant gave him a further discount of five wen on the paper. He spent one hundred and thirty wen for three large sheets of paper, which would need to be cut down into smaller sheets later back home.

Having acquired the necessary brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone, the two returned to the academy, as there were still afternoon classes.

Since Wang Qingchen was in the beginner class, a portion of the afternoon was dedicated to calligraphy practice. The other students, having previously been taught by the Master how to properly hold the brush and apply pressure, wrote in quiet concentration. Knowing Wang Qingchen was new, the Master gave him individual instruction on techniques such as holding the brush and making the initial strokes. Although Wang Qingchen had learned some of this from Li Yuntai, he listened intently to the Master’s guidance.

The afternoon passed quickly. Li Yuntai came to fetch Wang Qingchen so they could walk back together. Wang Qingchen suddenly recalled that two other people from the village were also studying at the academy—Qi Jintang, the village head’s relative, and Zhang Wenbing, from Zhang Yunzhu’s family—and he inquired about them.

It turned out that although these two were also from Wang Family Village, Qi Jintang had a relative in town, so his family arranged for him to stay with that relative to avoid the hardship of commuting. As for Zhang Wenbing, his family had rented a room for him in town. However, Li Yuntai mentioned that Qi Jintang’s academic performance was quite outstanding and highly favored by the Master; he was expected to participate in the county examination next year, and with his aptitude, he should pass without issue. But Zhang Wenbing, it was rumored, was not applying himself well, neglecting his studies and often associating with some of the less diligent youths in town.

Wang Qingchen listened to this as mere gossip. His primary focus now was to study diligently.

Upon returning home, Wang Qingchen immediately sensed a strained atmosphere. Though Wang Youfu and Yang Shi were silent, their expressions spoke volumes. Wang Qingchen pulled Caiyun aside to ask what had happened.

"Second Brother, Big Uncle came today, and that’s when Mother and Father became like this," Caiyun replied.

"Big Uncle?" Wang Qingchen frowned. His family hadn't been in contact with Yang Shi’s family for a long time. Why would they show up at such a crucial juncture? Could they have heard about the family buying a shop and come seeking handouts? Wang Qingchen pressed further, "Did Big Uncle say anything when he arrived?"

"I don't know. Big Uncle and Mother were talking inside the room and told me to go play outside," Caiyun said.

Wang Qingchen grew more suspicious. Still, given the demeanor of Wang Youfu and Yang Shi, he didn't dare to ask directly. Whatever this Big Uncle’s motives were, he figured he would soon find out, even if his parents wouldn't tell him.