Transmigrating to the Qi Family - Chapter 109

Jiang Miao is a bit tempted. The Imperial Academy is the highest institution of learning in the Liang Dynasty. The old scholar who retired from there would be equal to a professor in his previous life. With someone like that helping the two children with their early education, wouldn’t their knowledge increase rapidly?

“Mu’er should be fine, but can Xiao Shitou go? Aren’t all the students at the Imperial Academy from powerful and influential families?” Jiang Miao is a bit worried. Mu’er comes from a Duke’s family, so he can naturally study there. But Xiao Shitou is just a commoner. What if they don’t accept him?

“The students eating in the large dining hall are mostly from poor families. The Imperial Academy used to only admit children from noble families, but after the late emperor ascended to the throne, the rules changed. Without genuine talent and knowledge, no one can pass the entrance exams, not even nobles or royals.”

It seems the late emperor values talent quite highly. However, while Jiang Miao has confidence in Xiao Shitou, he’s only been studying for a few months. It is unlikely for him to catch up with those children who have been studying since childhood, right?

And then there’s Mu’er. He still stutters when he speaks. Can he make it?

Jiang Miao puts all his doubts on the table, and Pei Che smiles, “The primary school behind the mountain is not to be confused with the Imperial Academy. It’s just a place for the officials’ children to study conveniently. So, attending primary school doesn’t guarantee a future spot at the Imperial Academy.”

“Oh, I see,” Jiang Miao replies. “Where do they stay when they study? They can’t be taking carriages back and forth every day, right? Even if there’s a place for them to stay, they’re still so young; they might not be used to it. Maybe it’s better to find a nearby private school.”

Seeing Jiang Miao hesitating, Pei Che hurriedly says, “There are many vacant courtyards in the back mountain. As long as outsiders pay, they can live there. You can stay with them when the time comes.”

“How much do they have to pay?” Jiang Miao’s radar immediately switches on.

“A year… twelve taels.” Pei Che directly knocks off a zero, fearing that if he doesn’t, Jiang Miao won’t accept it.

“How big are the courtyards?”

“For a family, it shouldn’t feel crowded.”

“That’s pretty affordable. Is this a benefit for students like you?” After all, when he was renting the Bai family’s courtyard, it cost him 500 wen per month.

“Sort of…” Pei Che forces a couple of awkward laughs. “Think about it, the scholars at the Imperial Academy are very knowledgeable. Those private schools outside have teachers of varying quality. Instead of going through the trouble of finding a good one, why not just go to the Imperial Academy? By then, I can live with you all as well.”

Jiang Miao does some quick calculations in his head. “True, if you move in with us, you can cancel your dorm. By the way, how much do they charge you for the dorm each month?”

Pei Che gives a number against his conscience, causing Jiang Miao to sigh in amazement at how good the benefits at the Imperial Academy are. Truly, people who excel at studying can save money wherever they go.

Jiang Miao remembers that in his old neighborhood in his previous life, someone became the top scholar in the city and received all kinds of rewards, amounting to around 100,000. It is enough to cover four years of future tuition. At the time, he was envious—if only he had studied harder.

“By the way, how much is the tuition to study there?”

“Don’t worry, it’s not expensive,” Pei Che dares not say, afraid of startling Jiang Miao.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Miao is quite generous on this point. “As for tuition, it’s fine if it’s a bit pricey, as long as they can learn well.”

Pei Che remains silent. He has a feeling that if he reveals the tuition fees, Jiang Miao’s attitude will change.

Since they have already reached a consensus and Pei Che’s body has recovered, the next morning, he gets on a carriage and heads to the Imperial Academy to handle the enrollment of the two children. Jiang Miao, on the other hand, is responsible for convincing Pei Mu to accept the fact that he is going to school.

Naturally, Pei Mu is not on board with this. The last time he went to study with Xiao Shitou, he sat there not understanding anything, leaving a deep impression on him. As soon as he hears about going to school again, he begins to pout.

Jiang Miao can’t let it slide. He feels that this child is actually very smart. No matter what you teach him, he can master it after being shown just once. Such a gift would be wasted if he stays at home.

So Jiang Miao puts in great effort, describing the joys of studying in a very appealing way. However, the more he talks, the more resistant Pei Mu becomes, even pretending not to understand again. Jiang Miao’s face darkens, and the atmosphere seems to freeze. He rarely loses his temper with the two children, but it isn’t unheard of.

…

Earlier in the season, when watermelons have just come into season, Jiang Miao buys some for the children to eat. After chilling the watermelons in the well, they are cool, sweet, and delicious—so good that they are beyond description. Xiao Shitou has never eaten watermelon before, and Pei Mu, who has been deprived of such luxuries by Xing’er, doesn’t have much of an impression of the fruit either. But after tasting it, the two are amazed, treating it like heavenly fruit, wishing they could eat watermelon for their daily meals.

When it comes to food, Jiang Miao is an expert, and naturally, he won’t allow them to develop a habit of binge-eating a single food. Once Jiang Miao puts his foot down, the two little ones are cut off, and even the doting Steward Wu doesn’t dare secretly give them watermelon. At most, when slicing the watermelon, he sneaks them bigger pieces.

Jiang Miao chooses to turn a blind eye to these small gestures. Eating is fine as long as it isn’t excessive.

Just when he thought he had control over the situation, one night, both children ended up with stomach aches at the same time.

Jiang Miao wass frantic. He has taken care of these two for so long, and they’ve never gotten sick before. How could they suddenly have stomach trouble?

With the curfew in place, he couldn’t rush out, so he had no choice but to knock on the next door to seek help from Ji Qing.

Ji Qing checked their pulses and looked at their faces before concluding that they had an upset stomach from eating too many cold foods.

Jiang Miao carefully recalled the recent meals and post-meal snacks and fruits he had arranged for them. He then came to the conclusion that these two kids had most likely been sneaking extra food.

Under Jiang Miao’s persistent questioning, the two kids finally confessed. It turned out that Xiao Shitou had used his pocket money to buy snacks, hid it in his school bag, and secretly brought it back to share with Pei Mu in their room.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Miao finally understood why their appetites had suddenly decreased over the past couple of days and why Xiao Shitou no longer came straight to find him after school as usual.

Jiang Miao managed to hold back his temper at the time. After carefully taking care of both of them, he gave each a spanking, confiscated all of Xiao Shitou’s pocket money, and put it into a bamboo piggy bank, forbidding him from using any of it to buy snacks for a month.

The two, after being spanked, cried their hearts out. For the next few days, probably fearing that Jiang Miao no longer liked them, they became overly eager to please, following him around, helping with chores. Their efforts to curry favor made Jiang Miao both angry and amused.

…

After the last incident where Jiang Miao loses his temper, Pei Mu learned that whenever Jiang Miao’s face darkens, it means he is close to exploding.

He doesn’t dare pretend not to understand anymore. Feeling aggrieved, he looks at Jiang Miao and says, “Brother Miao, I don’t want to… go to school.”

Jiang Miao takes a deep breath and forces a smile. “So, are you going to school, or should I hire a teacher to watch you study all day long, every day?”

Pei Mu freezes. He hadn’t known that was an option. The thought of a teacher being around all the time, forcing him to study, makes him feel miserable.

“Have you thought about it?”

Pei Mu lowers his head. “Will I be with… Xiao Shitou?”

“Yes, every morning, Brother Miao sends you and Xiao Shitou to school together, and then brings you back home for lunch at noon. After resting a bit, you’ll head back, and in the afternoon, I’ll bring you home again.” Jiang Miao tries to make him understand that they’ll still have plenty of time at home.

“Alright…” Pei Mu finally gives in.

Jiang Miao pats his head and smiles, saying, “Good boy. Only by studying can you understand the world and, in the future, earn a lot of money to support yourself.”

Fueled by Jiang Miao’s gentle smile, Pei Mu’s resolve is reignited. “In the future, I’ll earn money for Brother Miao to spend!”

With Pei Mu agreeing, there is no issue with Xiao Shitou either. After all, Master Yu is no longer teaching and the private school is closing.

When he hears they are going to study at the Imperial Academy, Master Yu is first shocked, then nods knowingly. Jiang Miao is too approachable, and his mannerisms haven’t changed from before, often making people forget that he is actually the wife of the heir to the Duke of Zhongguo’s household.

Two days later, the private school officially closes. Xiao Shitou gives Master Yu some snacks made by Jiang Miao, and, along with his classmates, they all cry until their eyes are red.

Meanwhile, Pei Che has handled everything on his end and sends someone to inform them that they can pack up and head out.

Early the next morning, Jiang Miao gathers their belongings and takes Xiao Shitou and Pei Mu to the Imperial Academy.

Outside the mountain gate of the Academy, Pei Che has already been waiting for them. When he sees them approaching, he leads them down a small side path that goes directly to the back mountain.

The back mountain is large, filled with lush greenery and numerous courtyards. Each door has a conspicuous wooden plaque indicating the identity of the household, just like modern-day house numbers, so people won’t get lost. Stone paths weave between the courtyards, with the stones in the middle of the path polished smooth from years of footsteps, while the ones on the sides, untouched, are marked by the passage of time.

As Jiang Miao walks on the path with Xiao Shitou and Pei Mu, he doesn’t pay much attention to the details. He just knows that these stone paths can massage your feet, like the ones often found in parks, where older people love to walk back and forth.

“This is the place.” Pei Che pulls out a key and unlocks the door.

This is a small courtyard facing south, looking very clean and tidy at first glance. Jiang Miao walks around and, from his observation, notices that there are three main rooms, with a kitchen and an outhouse on either side. Next to the kitchen is a woodshed for firewood, and beside the outhouse is a small vegetable patch, overgrown with weeds.

After Steward Wu and his team organize their belongings, he reluctantly leaves, feeling a bit worried about whether Jiang Miao and the others can settle down well here.

“I’ll take you to see the schoolhouse,” Pei Che says, leading them outside. They turn several corners before finally arriving at a courtyard with open gates.

Inside, faint sounds of reading can be heard, and with some effort, they can even see the shadows of the classrooms.

“I’ll take you to see the schoolhouse,” Pei Che says, leading them outside. They turn several corners before finally arriving at a courtyard with open gates.

“Come in, please. Master Tan has already spoken to me. He asked you to wait in the study while he finishes today’s lesson with the children and then comes over.”

“Thank you for guiding us,” Jiang Miao replies.

The former scholars of the Imperial Academy have a study that is quite extraordinary, filled with the scent of books, with walls adorned not just with landscape paintings but also various calligraphy pieces. This makes Jiang Miao, who feels he reeks of copper, a bit anxious.

Pei Che smiles at him and begins to introduce the origins of the items hanging on the walls. As Jiang Miao listens to Pei Che recounting the stories behind them, he unknowingly becomes immersed in the atmosphere, and his tension gradually fades away.

Not long after, the sound of a bell ringing, “Ding ding ding,” signals the end of classes. Master Tan enters the study, and he certainly looks the part. He isn’t very tall, has a youthful face despite his white hair, and his long white beard makes him resemble a mythical immortal, quite distinctive.

Besides, he is quite humorous, chatting with the two children and making them laugh heartily. It is clear that he has a good understanding of how to interact with children.

Watching from the side, Jiang Miao finally feels relieved.