After having dinner, Ye Erquan and his family of four went home.

As they were going to bed that night, Madam Wei said, "Starting tomorrow, Xuan'er will have to run back and forth between the two places. How about we let Peng'er do the same? He won't stay at Master Qian's place, he can bring his own food, and he'll only have to pay one tael a month. What do you think?"

Ye Erquan said irritably, "Why are you trying to save this tael or two? Why didn't you come up with this terrible idea when the young lady was paying?"

"Now that your little sister isn't contributing any money, you're already doing all this and that. What are your little sister and parents supposed to think? It's like telling everyone that you can spend whatever you want when others are paying, but when it's your turn, you're all frugal. What, does your little sister's money grow on trees?"

Mrs. Wei's face turned pale and then red: "You... I didn't mean that. I only said one sentence, and you went on and on."

"Then tell me, which sentence of mine was wrong?" Ye Erquan immediately turned over and stood up.

Wei choked for a moment: "I'm just... not used to it yet! Before, we were so poor that we couldn't even get enough to eat with rice porridge. A tael of silver was a lot of money! Just thinking about it made my heart ache, so I tried to save money. I can't adapt as quickly as you."

Ye Erquan sighed: "Alright! Since you can't adapt right away, just listen to your parents and younger sister. Do whatever they tell you to do, and you can't go wrong."

"Putting everything else aside, take this house for example. You said you wanted to build it with adobe bricks, but Dad and my little sister stopped you and insisted on building it with blue bricks. Look, we made the right decision now! If we had listened to you, we would be regretting it now."

Mrs. Wei blushed deeply. At that moment, holding those thirty taels of silver, she felt that it was the largest sum of money she had ever received in her life, and she just wanted to hold onto it tightly.

Little did she know that such good days awaited her.

"Alright, go to sleep!" Ye Erquan said, lying down. "Let Peng'er attend classes as usual. It's just a matter of paying tuition for another two months."

"Um."

"Speaking of which, isn't this quilt too stiff? Shouldn't we replace it? This one's been used for over ten years. We also need to get new furniture and bedding for the other rooms. Let's add a big wardrobe to our room; the room is big enough anyway."

Madam Wei said, "We've only been delivering goods for a few days, so we should have saved up at least ten taels! We'll ask Master Yong'er about it later."

...

The next day, Ye Daquan drove the oxcart out.

Ye Caiping, Ye Xuan, Du Shi, and Jin Hua were all sitting on the oxcart.

Du came to see Ye Xuan off, while Jin Hua was going to work at the cloth shop.

Upon arriving in the town, Jin Hua got off the oxcart first.

Next, they arrived at the Shen family's residence. Madam Du said, "The Shen family is too grand, and Master Shen is quite arrogant. My husband and I won't go in. Please bear with us, little sister."

"good."

Ye Caiping, carrying a basket, led Ye Xuan inside.

Shen Zhiyan was in the inner hall at the moment. When he saw the two of them come in, he exclaimed softly, "Madam Ye has come too."

Ye Caiping said, "I came to see him off. Also, I forgot about the apprenticeship ceremony yesterday. I want to discuss with Master Shen about choosing an auspicious day to hold an apprenticeship banquet."

"No need. I dislike formalities. A simple kowtow here will suffice."

Ye Caiping nodded.

Ye Xuan immediately knelt down: "Student Ye Xuan greets teacher."

Shen Zhiyan nodded, and the servant beside him quickly brought over a box. When he opened it, it contained a set of writing implements.

Ye Caiping raised an eyebrow. This nanmu box alone must cost several taels of silver. Not to mention the exquisite writing implements inside.

"Thank you, Teacher Xie." Ye Xuan had never seen such fine calligraphy and painting before, and for a moment he was hesitant to accept it.

After he took it, the servant brought another box, opened it, and inside was a piece of mutton-fat white jade.

Shen Zhiyan said, "This is white jade. I hope that in the future you will be like jade, gentle and lustrous. Like water, a gentleman who benefits all things without being impure."

Hearing this, Ye Xuan was deeply alarmed.

On second thought, he realized he hadn't even paid tuition, yet he was receiving a bunch of gifts as a disciple. His handsome face flushed slightly: "Thank you, teacher."

Ye Caiping felt a little embarrassed. They weren't really seeking an apprenticeship; they were practically fleecing her. First, they took advantage of her as a gift, then they took her knowledge and skills.

Ye Caiping said, "We also prepared gifts for the Master."

As he spoke, he lifted the basket, revealing two strips of cured pork belly with alternating layers of fat and lean meat, along with a handful of dried vegetables.

Ye Caiping said, "The teacher said we don't need money for tuition, so we'll give you the most practical thing. I dried these myself last autumn."

In ancient times, "shuxiu" actually meant meat, but later meat was rarely given, and only money was given instead.

Shen Zhiyan glanced at him, quite satisfied: "Alright. We'll have stir-fried bamboo shoots with cured pork for lunch."

Seeing that he liked it, Ye Caiping was relieved.

She then took out a wooden box from her sleeve (space): "And this, I hope you like it, Master."

Shen Zhiyan took the box; it was unremarkable. But when he opened it, he was taken aback.

Inside was a long, rectangular object with a light green landscape painting underneath.

"Is this a paperweight?" Shen Zhiyan asked in surprise.

"Yes." Ye Caiping nodded. This was a glass paperweight she had bought from the system.

Shen Zhiyan picked it up: "It's very valuable. I've never seen such clear glass before. The painting inside, the craftsmanship... well, it's quite ordinary, but its strength lies in its clear texture. Unfortunately, it's just clear; it lacks charm. But rarity makes it valuable."

Ye Caiping thought to herself, "Of course it lacks charm; it's mass-produced."

It will naturally lack charm and elegance.

Thinking about it, she glanced at him. As expected of someone from a prominent family, his discerning eye was top-notch.

"Where did you buy this?" He had never seen such craftsmanship before and was very curious.

Ye Caiping said, "I dug this out when I was picking wild vegetables in the mountains."

"Oh?" Shen Zhiyan raised an eyebrow. "So you dug up this bottle too?"

Ye Caiping looked in the direction he pointed and almost twisted her ankle. On the antique shelf next to her was a bottle that was clear and shiny. It was the one she had sold!

Ye Caiping choked, what a strange coincidence!