After Xiuxiu left, Old Lady Ye and Madam Du were so angry they almost fainted.

Ye Caiping told them to go back to their rooms to rest and asked Jin Hua, Yin Hua, and Jin'er to fan them.

When Old Man Ye and Ye Xuan and the other men returned from the fields, they were surprised to learn that Ye Yong's marriage had fallen through after they had only been working in the fields for a short while.

While helping Ye Caiping scoop water to make hot and sour soup, Ye Daquan grumbled and cursed.

Ye Bajin came to pick him up. After Ye Daquan got into the oxcart, he kept cursing as he drove away.

Ye Yong didn't return until after lunch. He carried a large bundle of firewood on his back, but he didn't say a word. After putting the firewood down, he locked himself in his room.

Ye Caiping stood at the kitchen door, looking at his tightly closed door, feeling somewhat worried.

This is a bit difficult.

She wanted to help the two young people get what they wanted, but the woman's family situation was complicated.

Moreover, she had never really met Hu Xiuxiu and knew nothing about her character.

She needs a couple of days to assess the other person's character.

“Auntie…” Ye Xuan walked over, looking embarrassed.

"What's wrong?"

"We've come into the mountains." Ye Xuan was somewhat embarrassed. His elder brother's marriage had turned out so badly; he shouldn't be thinking about studying at a time like this.

But Zhao Jinshan came and wouldn't leave no matter how hard they tried to shoo him away.

Ye Caiping followed his gaze and saw a boy of about fourteen or fifteen years old peering through the door. He was wearing a beige long robe, was handsome and relaxed, and was looking at her with starry eyes.

Ye Caiping's lips twitched as he stared at her, and she laughed, "Are we going into the mountains? Come on over."

"Thank you, Aunt Ping!" Zhao Jinshan excitedly jumped in.

Ye Caiping coughed lightly. As a scholar, wasn't this boy a bit too lively?

"Xuan'er, take him to the main room. I'm going to find your grandparents and mother."

Ye Caiping arrived at the Du family's room.

Du lay listlessly on the bed, Jinhua fanning her. Upon learning Ye Caiping's purpose, she said:

“I’m just a peasant woman, and I don’t know anything about the process of going to school. I’ll have to trouble Xuan’er’s aunt and grandparents with this matter.”

"Alright!"

When they arrived at Old Lady Ye's room, she gave the same explanation.

Ye Caiping then spoke with Old Man Ye in the main room, talking to Zhao Jinshan. The second wife, Jin'er, and Huan'er sat to one side.

"I heard from Mother that Aunt Caiping is going to find a tutor for Second Brother Xuan. Hehe, I didn't expect Aunt Caiping to be so nice, she doesn't resemble Second Brother Xuan at all... Hmm!"

Before he could finish speaking, Ye Xuan covered his mouth and glared at him.

Ye Caiping: "..."

Goodness, it seems Ye Xuan has spoken ill of her to Zhao Jinshan quite a bit in the past.

Ye Huan'er and Ye Jin'er swung their legs and burst out laughing.

Ye Caiping coughed lightly: "Where did you go to school since you were a child?"

Zhao Jinshan said, "When I was a child, I attended the elementary school in town. My second brother, Xuan, also studied there. Unfortunately, he only studied there for three years before giving up."

“Elementary schools teach until the age of twelve, and the tuition fee is only two or three hundred coins per month.”

"After the age of twelve, one can take the county school exam, which is government-run. Unfortunately... well, I didn't get in. I had to find a private school myself."

"The private school I'm attending is in town, called Qingfeng Academy. Well, although it's called an academy, there are only five or six students. My teacher is an old scholar who is over sixty years old and very knowledgeable."

“The tuition for a regular private school is a little over one tael a month, and for a good one it's two taels. Of course, there are also bad ones, which only cost a few hundred coins. But those who are over twelve and want to continue their studies are all aiming for the imperial examinations, so naturally they have to find good schools.”

Old Man Ye said, "The Qingfeng Academy in the mountains is quite good, isn't it? It costs two taels a month. I didn't expect the Tie Niu family to be so capable."

“My situation is a bit special…” Zhao Jinshan scratched his head and laughed, “Many years ago, when the teacher came here to play, he twisted his leg. Fortunately, my father found him and carried him back to town.”

"The teacher knew I was studying but hadn't passed the county school exam, so he let me study with him... for free."

Ye Caiping understood.

At the same time, we also learned that the education system of the Great Zhou Dynasty was quite comprehensive.

Children as young as twelve could take the county-level exams, and these schools were half the price of private schools. This demonstrates the importance that this dynasty placed on cultivating talent.

Ye Caiping asked, "Besides Qingfeng Academy, what about other private schools?"

"There are only two academies in the town, one is Qingfeng Academy, and the other is Zhulin Academy. But the founder of Zhulin Academy was a student who had only completed the preliminary examinations, so he is not as good as the one in our academy. As for the county, I don't know."

Hearing this, even Old Man Ye knew he shouldn't go to the Bamboo Grove Study.

Ye Caiping asked, "Has your Qingfeng Academy ever produced a student who has passed the imperial examinations or become a scholar who has passed the county-level examinations?"

“We had a student who passed the imperial examination several years ago, but there hasn’t been any news about it since. My tutor says they’re counting on us.” Zhao Jinshan sighed and shook his head.

"He's too ambitious. We're all the leftovers from the county school. The last student who passed the preliminary examination was lucky. How can he expect to rely on us?"

Ye Jin'er and Huan'er both laughed when they heard this.

Ye Caiping coughed lightly: "Has that study ever produced a student who has passed the imperial examination?"

"No!"

Ye Caiping had already made up her mind, and looked at Ye Xuan: "Xuan'er, what do you think?"

"I'd like to visit Qingfeng Academy first."

Where is Peng'er?

Ye Peng, who was sitting to the side, scratched his head and said, "I'm the same as my second brother."

Yeh Tsai-ping also meant the same thing:

"As Jinshan said, those who attend private schools are the ones left over from the county school, but the teacher can still teach a student, so he must have some skill. The most important thing for you now is to strengthen your foundation, so it would be good to go and see him."

Zhao Jinshan's eyes lit up: "Great, Second Brother Xuan, we can go to school together like before."

Ye Xuan felt a surge of joy and nodded, "Mm."

"Going into the mountains, what time do you go to school tomorrow?"

"I have a day and a half off, and I have to go back to the academy at Chenshi (7-9 AM) tomorrow morning. I'll come find Aunt Caiping and the others then!"

"good."

After agreeing on a time, Zhao Jinshan went back.

That evening, Grandma Ye and Madam Du finally recovered.

Upon learning that she was to visit the Master the next day, Madam Du took Ye Xuan's hand:

"Put your brother's affairs aside for now; your studies should be your priority. I'll go with you tomorrow morning."

"Thank you, Mother."

At dinner time, Ye Yong, who had locked himself in his room, finally came out.

He remained calm, as if nothing had happened.

This made Mrs. Du and Old Lady Ye even more worried.

"Yong'er...are you alright?" Madam Du asked.

"No." Ye Yong picked up his chopsticks and forced a smile. "I'm perfectly fine."

Du: "..."

She would rather he didn't smile.