"This is your first time learning to read. It's good to read them like this so you know how to pronounce them. But next lesson, I expect you to be able to read aloud immediately when I point to a particular character," Kong Ci said, raising her expectations.

"Okay, sure." Ye Yunniang nodded. She would remember it carefully when she got back.

"Okay, your class is over for today."

"Yes, Aunt." Ye Yunniang stood up, bowed, and took her leave.

On her way back to Zhiyuxuan with her schoolbag on her back, Ye Yunniang was still reciting 16 surnames.

"Zhao, Qian, Sun, Li, Zhou, Wu... Zhao, Qian..."

Li'er waited at the intersection not far from Zhiyuxuan. Upon seeing Ye Yunniang, she quickly stepped forward, took her schoolbag, and slung it over her shoulder.

"Sister, it's your first day of class, so I prepared a gift for you." Pear pulled Ye Yunniang along as they hurried towards Zhiyu Pavilion.

In the corridor in front of Ye Yunniang's room, there was a flowerpot that was one foot long and one foot wide.

The flowerpot was filled with sand, and there was a thin wooden stick next to it.

This is a sand basin, a tool that Li'er prepared for Ye Yunniang to practice calligraphy.

Many servants in the mansion used sand basins for initial practice when learning to write, but even though they could write, they wrote on paper.

Ye Yunniang grabbed Li'er's hand. "I'll teach you to read, okay?"

"Teach me to read?" Pear's eyes widened.

"Yes, I learned the first 16 surnames of the 'Hundred Family Surnames' today." Ye Yunniang said, opening her schoolbag, taking out the book, and turning to the first page.

Ye Yunniang pointed to each word and taught Li'er how to read them.

Pear's voice trembled as she followed Ye Yunniang's soft reading. From the initial stumbling and stuttering, it gradually became clearer and louder.

Pear looked at the 16 characters again and again.

Ye Yunniang traced the first character "Zhao" in her mind, tracing it over and over again, until she memorized all the strokes.