Upon hearing this, He Jiuniang became interested: "Is the Kang Xiucai you're talking about Mr. Kang from Songhe Academy?"
"Yes, yes, it's Mr. Kang! Mr. Kang's literary talent is well-known, but it's just that heaven is jealous of his talent, preventing him from taking the imperial examinations. Besides teaching, he also sends some calligraphy and paintings to our bookstore to sell!"
The young waiter's face was full of regret when he talked about Scholar Kang, and he seemed to feel sorry for Scholar Kang.
He Jiuniang nodded and said to the children, "How about we give this fan to Mr. Kang as a gift for your apprenticeship?"
Lei Zi was stunned when he heard the price. Why would a fan cost so much?
Now that I hear it's going to be given to Mr. Kang, I find it even more unbelievable.
Jiezi asked with some confusion, "Didn't Third Aunt take a jar of honey with her to give to Mr. Kang when she left this morning?"
The honey was brought back by the men when they went up the mountain to cut timber these past few days. There was quite a lot of it, and the children in the family love to drink it. He Jiu Niang remembered that Mr. Kang seemed to have been coughing a lot, and thinking that honey could soothe his lungs, she brought him a jar.
In those days, school teachers were highly respected, and the Lu family also approved of this.
What the child didn't understand was, if they were already going to give Mr. Kang honey, why did they also have to give him such an expensive folding fan?
He Jiuniang patiently explained, "The honey is a token of our family's goodwill to Mr. Kang, while the folding fan is a gift from you three students to your teacher as a formal apprenticeship ceremony. They are different."
The young waiter chuckled and flattered, "Madam is truly talented!"
Lu Laoda felt increasingly ashamed. He knew nothing about it, and if he had brought the children to school alone today, he would have made a fool of himself.
Lei Zi understood, but he also knew that the so-called apprenticeship ceremony should have been a gift they prepared for their teacher themselves, but...
He looked at He Jiuniang with some difficulty: "But Third Aunt, we don't have that much money, we can't afford it..."
He Jiuniang rubbed his head: "I know you don't have money, so naturally your third aunt will buy it for you. Just consider it a loan from your third aunt. You can pay your third aunt back when you grow up and earn money."
"Uh-huh!"
The three children nodded repeatedly, their faces beaming with smiles. They would definitely repay their aunt in the future!
The young waiter, who was listening nearby, realized that the three children did not seem to be the lady's children, but her nephews. She was so generous to her nephews; she was such a kind person!
The trip to the bookstore cost a total of fourteen taels and one hundred cash. The clerk, seeing that they had bought a lot, gave them a discount and rounded it down to fourteen taels of silver.
He Jiuniang gave the money and left with a group of people.
After the young shopkeeper warmly saw them off, he kept clicking his tongue. Sure enough, you can't judge a book by its cover. He had thought that since they weren't dressed very well, they probably didn't have much money. But it wasn't easy for them to send all three of their children to school. He never expected them to buy a twelve-ounce folding fan so readily.
The young man felt that he had been narrow-minded.
After buying these things, we had to take the three little ones to school. There was a sixteen or seventeen-year-old servant at the school gate who was there to greet them. We could go in using the names and addresses we had filled out when we registered.
Mr. Kang is not in good health and has not made an appearance yet. Two or three servants have been hired to take care of things in the courtyard.
There were quite a few students, some of whom hadn't paid their tuition fees yet, and their parents were queuing up to pay.
Once the three children had paid their tuition, they didn't need to worry about these things anymore. He Jiu Niang and Lu Lao Da, along with the other children, went to the backyard to meet Kang Xiucai, introduced by a servant.
Kang Xiucai, dressed in a blue robe, sat under a tree reading a book, his brow slightly furrowed, as if he always had a deep sorrow that he could not shake off.
He Jiuniang couldn't help but feel sorry for him. In this era, there were very few people who could study and achieve good grades, but he was unlucky enough to fall seriously ill. It was hard not to worry.
She did want to help Kang Xiucai figure out what illness he had, but her medical skills were still unknown, and she couldn't easily reveal her identity. Besides, Kang Xiucai looked pretty good at the moment, so he shouldn't be in a critical condition yet.
Let's wait a little longer!
Kang Xiucai also saw them and got up to walk towards them.
Because He Jiuniang enrolled three children at once, Kang Xiucai was deeply impressed by her. He recognized her at a glance, smiled, gave a scholar's bow, and said, "These must be the three children of Madam Lu's family. Please come and sit in the room in the front yard. I will be there in a moment."
He Jiuniang smiled with narrowed eyes, and then the three children, led by Leizi, stepped forward and bowed respectfully as He Jiuniang had taught them on the way, saying, "Hello, Mr. Kang!"
Kang Xiucai nodded in satisfaction. Before he could speak, Lei Zi respectfully presented the folding fan to him and said, "Sir, this is a gift from the three of us students to formally become your disciples. Please accept it."
Kang Xiucai was somewhat surprised. No student in his primary school had ever given a gift to a student to formally become a teacher. It wasn't that the students were stingy, but rather that they were completely unaware of the existence of such a gift. After all, they were all from ordinary families and went to school only to study and practice writing, not to pursue officialdom. Naturally, they were unaware of such etiquette.
The requirement for a formal apprenticeship ceremony is generally found in larger academies, followed by prefectural schools. He himself was admitted to a prefectural school, which is why he prepared a formal apprenticeship ceremony for the teachers there.
Moreover, he could tell at a glance that the fan ribs were made of top-quality rosewood, and were quite valuable.
Students presenting gifts to their teachers as a sign of respect and affection is a tradition that has never been broken. Kang Xiucai accepted the gift generously, and upon opening it, he was surprised to find that it was his own painting. He couldn't help but burst out laughing.
"Thank you for your thoughtfulness. I appreciate it very much."
Kang Xiucai truly loved it; the landscape painting on the fan was his favorite. Previously, the school had been closed and there was no income. He also needed to see a doctor and buy medicine, so he had no choice but to sell the paintings, including this landscape painting.
Unexpectedly, it came right back to me after all these twists and turns.
He said gently to the servant beside him, "Go and fetch my few Huzhou brushes and give them to them."
Naturally, one should reciprocate a gift received. Although he had prepared many calligraphy brushes to give to each child, due to limited resources, he could only buy the most common and cheapest kind from the bookstore, which could not be compared with Huzhou brushes.
The servant went to fetch it, and Kang Xiucai personally presented it to them, saying, "This was given to me by my teacher when I was studying at the prefectural school. I am now giving it to you in the hope that you will also be able to pass the prefectural school exam and achieve academic success in the future."
"Thank you, sir!"
The three children took it, and were very happy, glancing at He Jiuniang and Boss Lu with a sense of accomplishment.
Old Master Lu then realized what was happening, took a small jar from his basket and handed it to the servant beside him, saying politely, "This is wild honey collected from the mountains. It has the effect of moisturizing the lungs and relieving coughs. It is a token of our family's goodwill. Please accept it, Mr. Kang."
Yes, He Jiuniang taught him these words on the way. After He Jiuniang came in, she tried to speak as little as possible and give the stage to them.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com