Chapter 63 The Six Arts of a Gentleman
When Wen Yongman heard this, his eyes lit up: "Do we need to learn horse riding in private school?"
Wen Zhenyi nodded seriously: "The Six Arts of a Gentleman are very important to you in the future. Regardless of whether you will pass the imperial examination or not, they will affect your entire life."
"Sister, do you know which six arts they are?"
"Li refers to etiquette, which includes five types: auspicious ceremonies, auspicious ceremonies, guest ceremonies, ominous ceremonies, and military ceremonies. Music refers to the six types of music, namely the Dashao, Dafu, Dawu, Xianchi, Daxia, and Yunmen Dajuan. She refers to the military archery technique, which includes the five types of shooting: Baishi, Canlian, Shanzhu, Xiangchi, and Jingyi."
"Yu refers to the skill of driving carriages and chariots, which is divided into five categories: Minghe Luan, Zhushuiqu, Guojunbiao, Wujiaoqu, and Zhuqinzuo. Shu refers to calligraphy, writing, and literacy. Shu, also known as Shushu, refers to calculation and mathematical measurement."
Wen Yongman was stunned, and so was Wen Yongnan. They looked at Old Man Wen and Wen Chengwen, who had attended a private school at home. "Grandpa, Dad, are you right?"
Wen Chengwen scratched his head: "If you didn't tell me, I would have forgotten. I learned so much in the private school."
Old Man Wen smiled and stroked his beard: "It really makes me miss it! I was the best at imperial studies in the private school, but in the blink of an eye, decades have passed."
Grandpa Chen Hanxing and his grandson had already arrived when Wen Zhenyi mentioned the Six Arts. When they heard what she said about the Six Arts, they both showed surprised expressions on their faces.
How could this girl from the Wen family know so much?
"Han Xing, is it true that Wen girl can't read?"
Shen Hanxing was also a little confused now, and he himself was not sure whether she was really illiterate: "Grandpa, you asked me, but you asked the wrong person."
When Old Man Wen saw Mr. Shen coming, he said, "Now that you're here, we're going back."
Ma Yinghe walked over to Old Lady Wen and asked, "Mom, what do you think?"
"I think what Yi Yi said is unreasonable. It's not a bad idea to let Xiaonan and Xiaoman go to school for a few years. Men still need to gain some knowledge and experience."
"But the cost of private school is not low."
"My family can still afford it now. If private schools didn't prohibit girls from studying there, I would also like to let Yi Yi go."
Ma Yinghe looked at Wen Zhenyi with some regret: "If Yiyi were a boy, he would probably be better than many people."
"Girls are also good. Let her live a carefree life. I want to stay with her for a few more years." Old Mrs. Wen said with a smile.
"I think so too. I don't want her to get married so early."
Shen Hanxing handed the food box in his hand to Wen Zhenyi: "You don't have to cook for me today. I know you are going to Mr. Cheng's house for dinner."
Wen Zhenyi reached out and took the food box: "It's too easy to cook for you alone. You only eat so little."
Shen Hanxing smiled and said, "My appetite has improved recently and I eat more than before."
"real?"
Shen Hanxing nodded seriously: “Really.”
Old Man Wen and Scholar Shen got on the oxcart. "Brother Shen, I'd like to ask, how much is the monthly tuition for sending our two grandsons to a private school?"
"It's six qian of silver a month, and that includes the books, brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone. It's hard to say what the cost of those things is. If you take the cheaper option, the monthly tuition plus the books would be a little over one liang of silver. If you take the more expensive option, it might be two liang or more."
Old Man Wen lowered his head in thought. According to the family's current income, it was enough to send the two children to private school.
Shen Xiucai looked at him and asked, "Do you want to send Xiaonan and Xiaoman to a private school?"
Old Man Wen nodded and said, "Yes, I want to send it to you, so I want to find out the current tuition fees for the private school."
Scholar Shen smiled and touched his chin. "The tuition in town now is one qian of silver more expensive than when I was studying there. The private school in the nearby village is much cheaper, about three qian of silver a month."
"If I were to send him, I would only send him to a private school in town. He can learn a lot there. I'll have to trouble you to take good care of him then."
Shen Xiucai smiled and waved his hands: "Even if you don't tell me, I will pay attention to it myself. But the private school in town is more expensive than the one in the village, so you have to think carefully."
"Of course I've thought about it. You can learn the Six Arts in the private school in town, but you can't learn them in the private school in the village."
Shen Xiucai smiled and nodded: "That's true, there's nothing you can do as a censor in Murakami's private school."
"That's right, so let them go to town. You've already bought the cows, but you're still reluctant to part with the reins?"
The two of them burst into laughter.
Wen Zhenyi looked at the two old men who were smiling happily: “Grandpa Shen seems to be in a very good mood.”
"Every time he comes back to the village, he feels much better."
"Is today a day off?"
"Tomorrow, Grandpa doesn't have classes today, so we came back early."
"Then I'll come find you tomorrow after I close the stall."
Shen Hanxing didn’t do what he thought: “Do you want to learn calligraphy?”
Wen Zhen nodded: "Yeah."
"Okay, I should be home tomorrow."
The ox cart soon arrived at the entrance of the village. The Wen family's location was closer to the entrance, while the Shen family's location was closer to the center.
The Shen family got off the ox cart at the entrance of the village, and the grandfather and grandson walked slowly home.
When Old Lady Wen and the others returned home, they saw that the sheets hanging out to dry were not dry yet, so they simply sat in the yard to enjoy the cool air.
Old Man Wen looked at the people in his family and said, "I just asked. The monthly tuition is six coins of silver, not including the cost of books, pens, inkstones, and paper."
Old Lady Wen calculated in her mind: "I can roughly calculate the cost of pens, ink, paper and inkstone, but it's difficult to calculate the cost of books."
Ma Yinghe frowned: "Books are very expensive!"
"The cheapest book might cost a few coins, and that's if it's not copied very well. A well-copied book might cost more than one ounce of silver."
Wen Zhenyi sighed deeply. He said that labor costs were always expensive, no matter the era. There was no such thing as cheap. "No matter how expensive it is, you still have to study. That's the value of knowledge."
Old Man Wen and the others looked at Old Lady Wen, waiting for her decision.
Old Lady Wen looked at Wen Zhenyi: "Yiyi, are you really going?"
"Go, why not?"
Seeing her persistence, Mrs. Wen made the decision: "Okay, let's go."
Wen Yongnan thought for a moment and said, "Grandma, why don't you let Xiaoman go? It's good for me to help out at home at my age."
"What's so good about it? You should go too. It would be good to study for a few more years and broaden your horizons."
Wen Yongnan had no choice but to agree: "We can just buy one book and copy it ourselves when we get home."
"Your handwriting is far worse than mine, an old man. Aren't you afraid that you won't be able to recognize it after you copy it?" Old Man Wen said with some disgust.
Wen Yongnan looked somewhat helpless. His family had always been frugal with paper before, and they didn't have much money at that time.
Wen Zhen smiled and said, "Brother, you should practice more in the future. Don't worry about not having paper. I can make money."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
