Zhang Fangyuan agreed, and the couple began their search for a suitable teacher.
They first visited the city’s academies. There were several academies in the city, each with its own age requirements. Some didn’t accept children under five, while others set the minimum age at seven. The more prestigious the academy, the stricter the requirements.
After visiting several academies, they found that none would accept children as young as theirs.
With academies out of the question, they were left with two options: private tutoring or hiring a teacher to come to their home.
However, unless they were part of a prestigious family with strong connections, hiring a private tutor was nearly impossible. Tutors of high repute were not short on money and valued prestige over payment.
Given their modest standing, the Zhang family had little chance of securing a private tutor.
After much deliberation, they decided to enroll the children in a private school.
Fortunately, the Yan family, who had some experience with education, recommended a private tutor named Master Meng. A former scholar who had passed the imperial exams, Master Meng was well-versed in literature and specialized in teaching young children. He was highly regarded in the area, and many merchant families sent their children to him.
Best of all, Master Meng’s school was located in Qingshan Lane.
Excited by this news, Zhang Fangyuan and Xu He brought generous gifts and went to visit Master Meng.
“How old are your children?”
“They turned three this spring.”
Master Meng personally received the couple and served them tea. He asked detailed questions about the children.
Zhang Fangyuan didn’t get a chance to ask about the teacher’s qualifications before being bombarded with questions. However, for the sake of their children’s education, he answered respectfully.
“Three years old isn’t too young for our school, but it’s not particularly early either. It’s time to start their education. Any delay would be a disservice to them.”
Master Meng spoke matter-of-factly, showing little emotion. “How many characters do they recognize? Can they write? Do they have any particular strengths? Can they recite any texts?”
Xu He had thought Ruijin was quite advanced for his age, but under Master Meng’s questioning, he realized the child had no standout skills. He frowned and finally said, “The child doesn’t have any exceptional talents, but his memory is decent.”
“Young children are like blank slates, they pick things up quickly.” Master Meng offered no comfort. “So, they don’t recognize characters or know how to write?”
He clicked his tongue. “They’re behind. Many of my students, even younger than your children, can already read and write before joining my school. If I were to accept your children, it would take considerable effort to catch them up.”
Hearing their children being belittled, Zhang Fangyuan and Xu He felt uneasy.
“What would it take for our children to be accepted into your school?”
Master Meng didn’t answer directly. Instead, he leaned back in his chair, sipped his tea, and gestured to his butler.
The butler stepped forward to speak on behalf of his master.
“Our master’s private school only accepts exceptionally talented students from the city. As it is a private school, the number of students is limited, unlike academies that accept anyone with low standards. Therefore, the tuition fees are higher.”
“Your sons are of average ability. Under normal circumstances, our master would not accept them. However, considering the Yan family’s recommendation and the fact that we are neighbors in Qingshan Lane, he is willing to make an exception. But the tuition fee will be significantly higher than for other students.”
Zhang Fangyuan’s brow twitched slightly.
Seeing that the couple remained silent, the butler added, “If your two children join the school, they will be behind the other students. Our master will have to devote extra effort to help them catch up, which will take more time and resources. This is why the fee is higher.”
Zhang Fangyuan held back his frustration and politely asked about the tuition fee.
In addition to the basic etiquette gifts, they would need to pay fifty taels of silver as tuition, renewable every six months.
Xu He nearly jumped up from his seat. The fee was exorbitantly high. For comparison, the annual tuition at a regular academy was only about a thousand copper coins, with some even cheaper. However he still tried his best to remain calm.
Zhang Fangyuan said, “Thank you for your time. We will discuss this and give you our answer later.”
At this point, Master Meng set down his teacup and spoke. “I heard you’ve just moved to the city from the countryside. It’s understandable that such tuition fees might seem overwhelming at first. As merchants, you’re good at calculating profits. Investing more in your children’s education now will yield greater returns in the future when they achieve scholarly success.”
“Money is the least important thing. What truly matters is the prestige that money can’t always buy. Go home and think it over carefully.”
Zhang Fangyuan said nothing more and led Xu He out of the Meng residence. Both of them looked displeased as they returned home.
“We can afford the fee, but after visiting so many places and speaking with several teachers, I’ve never seen anyone charge such exorbitant prices.”
Xu He was deeply upset by the way Master Meng had belittled their children while maintaining a righteous demeanor. Scholars might have pride, but ordinary people like them also had dignity and didn’t deserve to be humiliated.
However, he couldn’t help but feel uneasy. Seeing how much more advanced Luo Yuxing was compared to Ruijin and Ruili, he wondered if Master Meng was right, were their children really that far behind?
If that's the way he talks about the babies to their parents faces just imagine how he would be with the, smh.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the updates!!!!