Old Man Ye and Old Woman Ye wished they could give Mrs. Wei a good scolding.

But it's really not appropriate to make noise in front of guests.

Ye Peng, standing nearby, said anxiously, "Mother..."

"Shut up!" Madam Wei glared at him. Who was she doing all this for? Wasn't it all for him?

Shen Zhiyan noticed the awkwardness of Old Man Ye and the others, and not wanting to embarrass them, she looked at Ye Peng calmly and asked, "How old are you?"

Ye Peng stammered, "Sixteen."

"Your family is poor, and you can't afford to go to school?"

"Yes! My family earns over ninety taels a month!"

"Pfft!" Shen Manman covered her mouth.

Mrs. Wei was so angry that she almost fell backward: "No... Master Shen, although my family can make money, none of the teachers we've found are as good as you."

Shen Zhiyan looked at Ye Peng and asked, "You like reading?"

"dislike."

Shen Manman was about to laugh again, but she held it back.

Mrs. Wei was furious. Before she could speak, Shen Zhiyan continued, "I'll give you a few questions."

Then he posed three simple and obvious questions.

Ye Peng looked constipated and stammered, unable to answer a single key point.

Ye Xuan was getting anxious for him.

Finally, Shen Zhiyan said, "It seems you really don't like studying."

Ye Peng breathed a sigh of relief, but Madam Wei said anxiously:

"No, the reason Peng'er doesn't like to study now is because his previous teachers didn't know how to teach. If he were with you, he would definitely like to study."

Shen Zhiyan was displeased and said coldly, "I don't have time, and I don't want to train someone who doesn't like studying."

"If Madam Ye wants him to continue his studies, she can go to the prefectural city to find an old gentleman named Chen Qi. Old gentleman Chen is a retired headmaster of the prefectural city academy, and it is said that he likes to treat people."

"It only costs 10 taels per month, and in less than three years, I guarantee that Ye Peng will develop a love for studying. Given the income of Madam Ye's family, this cost is not high."

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Wei fell silent.

Ten taels a month? Why don't you just rob someone!

Whose family charges so much for schooling? One month's tuition is equivalent to a year's tuition for others? The county school only costs 1 tael a month, and even private schools like Master Qian's only cost 2 taels!

Madam Wei's face turned ashen: "Um... Master Shen, please give Peng'er a chance, as long as you teach him properly..."

Shen Zhiyan's expression hardened slightly: "I'm sorry, but here with me, whoever you are, you can learn if you want, or leave if you don't."

Ms. Wei's expression changed. She had thought that Mr. Shen, who did not charge a fee, was kind and gentle, but today she realized that he was not someone to be trifled with.

Ye Xuan's back straightened involuntarily.

Ye Daquan and his wife felt extremely embarrassed. They had already politely declined once, but Wei still came. Wasn't she just asking for trouble?

Ye Caiping said irritably, "Peng'er, take your mother home first."

Ye Peng blushed, grabbed Wei Shi, and turned to leave.

Just then, Xiao Yan brought over some tea. Ye Caiping poured a cup for Shen Manman and then handed another cup to Shen Zhiyan.

"This is chrysanthemum tea, do you like it?"

Shen Zhiyan took it, took a sip, and smiled, "Delicious."

When Grandma Ye and Madam Du saw him smile, they breathed a sigh of relief.

Surprisingly... she's quite easy to coax?

Just then, Duanwu walked in, carrying boxes of pastries.

Shen Zhiyan said, "These are some small snacks made at home. Aunt and Uncle Ye, please have a taste."

"Okay, okay."

On Dragon Boat Festival, I folded three boxes of pastries and placed them at the homes of Grandma Ye and her husband, Ye Daquan and his wife, and Jin'er and Huan'er, respectively.

Ye Caiping looked at Shen Zhiyan and asked, "Why did you come today?"

“I see that there are a lot of game in the mountains and forests around here, so I’d like to come and hunt.”

Ye Caiping exclaimed in surprise, "You, a scholar, actually know how to hunt!"

Shen Zhiyan rolled her eyes at her: "The Six Arts of a Gentleman!"

Ye Caiping suddenly realized.

Shen Zhiyan was not a weak and bookish scholar like Li Zhiyuan. He came from a prominent family and had to learn other things besides studying. The Six Arts of a Gentleman were a must.

A qualified noble young master must be proficient in etiquette, music, archery, charioteering, calligraphy, and mathematics.

Shen Manman said, "Auntie, lead the way for my father!"

Ye Caiping said, "Alright, big brother, Xuan'er, let's go with Mr. Shen."

After chatting for a while, the group packed their things and prepared to go up the mountain.

Jin'er, Huan'er, Yinhua, and Manman didn't go; the girls preferred to wander in the fields.

After they left, Old Mrs. Ye angrily went to Ye Erquan's house to find Mrs. Wei.

Mrs. Wei was sitting in the courtyard, sulking.

As soon as Old Mrs. Ye entered the room, she started yelling, "What were you doing just now? Aren't you ashamed?"

Madam Wei was startled and stood up: "Mother, what did I do? I was just trying to give Peng'er a chance. Why can Xuan'er study under such a good teacher, but Peng'er can't?"

"Speaking of which, when my younger sister found Master Shen for Xuan'er, she only pushed Xuan'er in, without thinking about Peng'er at all. If she had pushed both Xuan'er and Peng'er in back then, Peng'er would be a student now!"

As Ms. Wei spoke, she became increasingly aggrieved, and her eyes welled up with tears.

Grandma Ye nearly fainted: "What do you mean? Are you blaming Cai Ping?"

“I’m not blaming anyone… it’s just… why didn’t they go in together? Mother is biased towards the eldest son’s family and Xuan’er. When she sent one in, she didn’t even think about my Peng’er.”

As she spoke, tears streamed down her face.

"Ha... I'm so angry!" Old Mrs. Ye laughed angrily. "They're both my grandsons, who would I favor?"

"Besides, the apprenticeship process didn't go smoothly back then. Mr. Shen didn't want to take on any students in the first place, and Master Qian also said that Xuan'er had good grades and was likely to become an apprentice. If we had pushed Peng'er in as well, they might not have accepted either of them."

"Besides, Peng'er never wanted to study! Mr. Chen already said that he doesn't like to tutor people; he's open to both learning and not learning. Even if both of them had gone to jail back then, do you think he could have passed the imperial examination?"

"They said before that if Xuan'er doesn't pass the imperial examination, they won't even teach him. You need a good teacher, but you also need a good student!"

With red eyes, Mrs. Wei said, "Whether they pass or not is one thing, but they should have been sent in together back then!"

Even the usually mild-mannered Old Mrs. Ye snapped: "If you felt it was unfair, why didn't you say anything back then? You should have said something when the decision was made!"

"What happened back then? Xuan'er went to find a new master, while Peng'er stayed with Master Qian to continue his studies. If you also wanted Peng'er to find a new master, why didn't you say anything back then? Tell me!"

Mrs. Wei choked, pursing her lips: "..."

"Hmph!" Old Madam Ye laughed angrily, "You didn't say anything back then because you didn't know how much tuition it would cost to become Master Shen's apprentice again, and you were afraid of spending too much money!"

"Later I found out that Master Shen didn't have to spend a single penny, and now Xuan'er has passed the imperial examination again, and you're causing this trouble again!"

Mrs. Wei's face turned pale and then red as she was being talked to.

Old Mrs. Ye said irritably, "If you want Peng'er to study so much, then let him continue studying now! You earn more than ninety taels a month! Mr. Shen said that this old Mr. Chen Qi can treat illnesses, and he charges ten taels a month. You can afford that! Go, go, go, send it over tomorrow!"