Returning to Zhiyu Pavilion, Ye Yunniang asked Li'er to wake her before noon.
"Of course, sister," Li'er agreed.
Shortly before midday, Li'er roused Ye Yunniang. "Sister, wake up—it's time for lunch."
Li'er brought the midday meal, and after eating, Ye Yunniang took some silver with her and headed to Xiaosong Residence.
The courtyard of Xiaosong Residence was modest, with three main rooms and one side chamber each to the east and west.
As she entered, the sound of reading drifted from the eastern and western side rooms.
A little girl of seven or eight skipped up to Ye Yunniang, tilting her head. "Are you here to enroll?"
"Yes," Ye Yunniang replied.
"How many months do you want to sign up for?"
"Two months, for now." Unsure how long she would remain in the Jiang household, Ye Yunniang decided to start with two months to learn basic characters.
"Follow me." The girl led Ye Yunniang to the eastern chamber of the main house. "Grandmother, a sister is here to enroll—for two months."
"Come in," came the voice of Nanny Kong.
"Greetings, Nanny Kong. I am Ye Yunniang, here to learn to read." Ye Yunniang bowed and stated her request.
"My daughter will be your instructor. In the first month, she will teach the Three Character Classic and Hundred Family Surnames. The second month covers the Thousand Character Classic and arithmetic. If you wish to learn something else, you may request it," Nanny Kong explained the curriculum.
"I’ll follow the instructor’s lessons," Ye Yunniang said, making no additional demands.
"Good. Two months will cost two taels of silver. Books, brushes, ink, and paper must be provided by you—though we can supply them if needed."
Ye Yunniang handed over eight taels—two for tuition and six for the texts and writing materials.
Three months of her wages, gone in an instant. She sighed inwardly—education was costly indeed.
Carrying her new books and supplies back to Zhiyu Pavilion, Ye Yunniang was met by Li'er, who carefully took the books from her.
Noticing Li'er’s reverence, Ye Yunniang spoke again. "Li'er, why not join me? I could lend you the tuition."
Li'er shook her head firmly. "Thank you, sister, but I want to save for it myself. I’ve already put aside one and a half taels—soon, I’ll be able to study with you."
Ye Yunniang didn’t press further.
Back in her room, she took out a sturdy piece of coarse cloth and sewed a book bag to protect her texts.
The brushes, ink, and paper were arranged carefully on her desk.
On her day off, well-rested, Ye Yunniang shouldered her book bag and hurried to Xiaosong Residence—
For her very first literacy lesson.
The maids of the household studied in the western chamber of Xiaosong Residence.
Seven or eight desks filled the room, each seating two.
The front six desks were occupied. The girls glanced at Ye Yunniang as she entered, then returned to their reading, writing, or silent recitation.
Ye Yunniang took a seat at an empty desk in the back.
She pulled the Hundred Family Surnames from her bag and placed it gently on the desk, waiting for the instructor.
Kong Ci was a woman nearing forty. Unlike the stern-faced Nanny Kong, she wore a bright smile and spoke crisply—a lively, efficient presence.
Stopping by Ye Yunniang’s desk, she asked, "Are you Ye Yunniang?"
Ye Yunniang stood nervously, stammering, "Y-yes, M-m-master."
"Sit, no need to be tense. I’m hardly a master. The old mistress arranged this out of kindness, so you could learn to write your name and read your indenture. Just call me ‘Auntie,’ like the others."
"Y-Yes, A-Auntie." Ye Yunniang tried not to be nervous, but her voice betrayed her the moment she spoke.
Auntie Kong Ci handed her a sheet of paper divided into small squares.
"Here is your name," Kong Ci pointed to the three characters at the top—"Ye Yunniang."
Ye Yunniang stared at the characters, mesmerized.
So this was how her name was written.
"As the wet nurse for the Sixth Young Master, you have every other day off. Counting by the month, you’d only attend class 15 times, making the tuition fee less cost-effective. I’ve adjusted your lessons to be counted per session instead.
One tael of silver for 30 sessions.
Since you can’t write yet, each time you come, you’ll press your fingerprint into one of these squares.
By next month, you must learn to write your name. Then you’ll sign instead of using fingerprints." Kong Ci brought out an ink pad and guided Ye Yunniang to press her thumb onto the first square.
After collecting the attendance sheet, Kong Ci began the lesson.
"Open the 'Hundred Family Surnames' to the first page. Repeat after me: Zhao, Qian, Sun, Li, Zhou, Wu, Zheng, Wang."
Ye Yunniang followed, "Zhao, Qian, Sun, Li, Zhou, Wu, Zheng, Wang."
"Good. Next line: Feng, Chen, Chu, Wei, Jiang, Shen, Han, Yang."
"Feng, Chen, Chu, Wei, Jiang, Shen, Han, Yang," Ye Yunniang repeated.
...
Kong Ci had Ye Yunniang recite these 16 surnames 20 times before leaving her to practice while she instructed others.
An hour later, Kong Ci returned to Ye Yunniang’s desk. "Do you remember them?"
"I do," Ye Yunniang answered firmly, though her heart wavered.
"Good. What does this character say?" Kong Ci pointed to the first surname.
"Zhao," Ye Yunniang recalled clearly.
"And this one?" Kong Ci indicated the third.
Silently reciting "Zhao, Qian, Sun, Li," Ye Yunniang answered, "Sun."
"How about this character?" Kong Ci tested another.
Ye Yunniang mentally ran through the list—Zhao, Qian, Sun, Li, Zhou, Wu, Zheng, Wang, Feng, Chen, Chu, Wei, Jiang, Shen...
"Shen!" she declared emphatically.
"Correct. You’re remembering well," Kong Ci praised.
"It’s because you teach so well," Ye Yunniang replied modestly.
"Since this is your first lesson, reciting in order is fine for now. But next time, I expect you to read any character I point to immediately." Kong Ci raised the bar.
"Yes, I understand." Ye Yunniang nodded. She would memorize them diligently.
"Good. Your lesson is over for today."
"Thank you, Auntie." Ye Yunniang rose, bowed, and took her leave.
On her way back to Zhiyu Pavilion, she kept murmuring the 16 surnames under her breath.
"Zhao, Qian, Sun, Li, Zhou, Wu... Zhao, Qian..."
Li'er was waiting at the crossroads near Zhiyu Pavilion. Spotting Ye Yunniang, she hurried over and took the book bag, slinging it over her own shoulder.
"Sister, I prepared a gift for your first day of lessons!" Li'er tugged Ye Yunniang toward Zhiyu Pavilion.
Outside Ye Yunniang’s room, a square sand tray—one foot in length and width—sat on the corridor. Filled with fine sand and accompanied by a slender wooden stick, it was Li'er’s thoughtful tool for her to practice writing.
Many servants in the estate used sand trays to learn characters before progressing to paper.
Ye Yunniang grasped Li'er’s hand. "Let me teach you to read too, alright?"
"Teach... me?" Li'er’s eyes widened.
"Mm, today I learned the first sixteen surnames from the 'Hundred Family Surnames,'" Ye Yunniang said as she opened her book bag, took out the book, and turned to the first page.
Ye Yunniang pointed at each character one by one, teaching Li'er how to pronounce them.
Li'er's voice trembled as she softly repeated after Ye Yunniang. At first, her reading was hesitant and stumbling, but gradually it grew clearer and louder.
Li'er kept staring at the sixteen characters, reading them over and over.
Meanwhile, Ye Yunniang traced the first surname, "Zhao," in her mind, repeating the strokes again and again until she had memorized every detail of the character.
