Chapter 47: Little Yan Goes to School

Chapter 47: Yan Fengan Goes to School

On the twentieth day of the first month, Yan Wangchun and Yan Fuqiu harnessed the family's ox cart, and the two brothers were going to take Yan Fengan to the academy together.

Yan Fengan couldn't stop worrying about his young husband. Although he had already talked endlessly the night before, he still held Wen Xi's hand as they were leaving and urged him: "While I'm away, when you go out to work, try to stick with Sister-in-law and Brother Jin as much as possible—don't go off on your own. When you go to town to do business, if Sister-in-law and Brother Jin are busy, you can take Shen Yun with you instead."

"Doing too much embroidery will strain your eyes. It's fine during the day, but don't do it at night when the light is dim."

"No matter what happens outside, it has nothing to do with us. Don't get involved."

Hearing all his reminders, Wen Xi nodded, his eyes red, and said, "I know."

"If you're scared, prop a stool against the bedroom door at night..."

The Yan family nearby heard this and couldn't help laughing. Chen Lanfang teased: "You're the one leaving for school—why does it sound like Xiao Xi is the one leaving? With all of us here to keep an eye on him, what do you have to worry about?"

He Jin also laughed: "That's right, Third Brother. Xiao Xi isn't a kid anymore. He gets all of that."

"Go to school and don't worry. As long as I and Xiao Jin are here, we definitely won't let any of those shady types outside mess with him."

Li Wan understood that Yan Fengan was worried about another clueless person like Zhao Shoutian showing up in the village. Even though she thought he was overthinking it, she still seriously promised him.

The family loved Wen Xi for Yan Fengan's sake and genuinely doted on him. With them looking after him, Yan Fengan could focus on his studies at the academy without worry.

After bowing deeply to his parents, Yan Fengan climbed onto the ox cart.

When they entered the county town, the three brothers first went to Baoning Hall to get a certificate of recovery from Yan Fengan's old doctor.

Every student who had taken leave due to illness needed two documents to return to school: one was a letter from the village head confirming the recovery, and the other was a certificate of recovery signed by the doctor himself.

Yan Fengan had already gotten the village head's letter from Zhao Gengnian; all he needed now was the doctor's certificate.

Knowing why he was there, the doctor at Baoning Hall first took his pulse. Seeing that his pulse was steady and strong, with no problems, he took a slip of paper stamped with his personal seal out of a drawer, wrote "Chronic illness cured; may return to studies," and handed it to him.

Yan Fengan took it with both hands, folded it carefully, tucked it into his sleeve, and thanked the doctor.

With these two documents, getting back into school wouldn't be a problem.

After leaving Baoning Hall, the three brothers drove the ox cart toward the academy.

Lingyun Academy was in a quiet spot, outside the county town. After leaving through the south gate, you had to go another two or three li along the main road.

As the county's biggest academy, Lingyun Academy was well located even though it wasn't in the city—facing south with a low hill behind it and a long river in front of it. A pavilion stood in the middle of the river, where students loved to gather to recite poetry and discuss literature.

The familiar place and familiar scenery brought back memories of spring outings to admire flowers and autumn views of the water and sky with his old classmates. To those classmates, he'd only been away for half a year, but he knew it had actually been several years since he'd last set foot here.

Yan Wangchun handed him his bundle and book box and patted his shoulder: "Me and Second Brother have everything at home covered. You don't need to worry about anything."

His eldest and second brothers were both dependable men who could handle things. Yan Fengan nodded to them, said a few more words, then carried his book box into the academy.

School had only been open a few days, so not many students had shown up yet. Yan Fengan first went to the dormitory in the east wing, found his room, and put down his luggage.

The dormitories were all shared rooms for two, and his roommate was a student named Fang Mutian.

As it happened, Fang Mutian was also from Yongning Town, from Fengping Village, which was pretty close to Daoxiang Village.

Yan Fengan looked around and saw that aside from some dust, the room was neat and tidy, which told him Fang Mutian was someone who liked things clean.

He had more important things to do right now, so Yan Fengan didn't bother wiping down the dust right away.

He first took the letters from the village head and the doctor to the supervisor's office to check back in. Supervisor Liang noted the time he checked back in and said matter-of-factly: "Since you took your leave, both the county school's stipend and the academy's living allowance have been stopped. According to the rules, students on long leave have to pass an exam to get their benefits back. If you get first class in next month's annual exam, the academy will give you the full half-year stipend as back pay. If you rank below third class..."

Supervisor Liang stroked his beard, leaving the sentence unfinished, though the meaning was clear.

Yan Fengan knew these regulations well. He made a bow to Supervisor Liang: "This student understands. Thank you for the reminder, Teacher."

Supervisor Liang waved his hand and said no more.

After checking back in, Yan Fengan went to pay his respects to the academy head. Over the years, his grades hadn't been outstanding at the academy. Though he was a xiucai, at least half of the county's xiucai studied at Lingyun Academy—he wasn't particularly notable here. The academy head's attitude toward him was lukewarm, and after a few casual words of advice, he dismissed him.

Leaving the head's residence, Yan Fengan looked up at the sky and took a deep breath. Only after meeting these two important figures of the academy had he truly resumed his studies.

With only a little over a month, he didn't know whether he could actually achieve a good score on the annual exam.

He knew very well that whether he could or not, he had to work diligently and strive for first class. Without the stipend and living allowance, all his daily expenses at the academy would come from his own pocket. Though he had earned some silver last year, with only money going out and none coming in, it would eventually run out.

The one saving grace was that as a xiucai, he no longer had to pay tuition each year—otherwise, that would be another significant expense.

Sharpening the axe won't delay the woodcutting. Even if he needed to study seriously, he first had to ensure a good learning environment.

Yan Fengan first took his musty-smelling bedding outside to air in the sun, then rolled up his sleeves and swept the dirt from the floor with a broom. He drew water from the well and wiped the dust from both his own and Fang Mutian's desks.

Fang Mutian arrived at the academy two days later. He had studied at the academy for two years and had just passed the xiucai examination the previous year. His scholarship was solid, and he was a very amiable person.

Upon entering the dormitory and seeing the spotlessly clean room, Fang Mutian froze for a moment. After a brief hesitation, he looked at the new person in the room and said, "You've recovered from your illness?"

Yan Fengan was holding a book. Hearing this, he smiled slightly and replied, "Yes, I'm well enough to return to school."

Although the two had shared a room before, they hadn't interacted much. After saying this, Fang Mutian only gave an "Oh" and said no more.

It was Yan Fengan who started the conversation again: "I heard that Brother Fang passed the xiucai examination last year. Congratulations!"

Fang Mutian scratched the back of his head somewhat sheepishly: "Just luck, just luck. Didn't you pass the xiucai examination long ago? I'm much later than you."

Yan Fengan shook his head and affirmed him: "As long as you pass, it's never too late. Though I passed a few years earlier than you, I had to take half a year off due to illness and fell behind on quite a bit of coursework. I'm afraid I don't even have half of Brother Fang's literary talent now. Since we'll be sharing this room, if I encounter questions I can't solve, I hope Brother Fang won't hesitate to offer his guidance and discuss them with me."

Hearing these words, Fang Mutian felt even more uncomfortable. The two had shared this dormitory for so long, and Yan Fengan had never once looked at him properly, rarely exchanging even a few words.

This man, though born into a farming family just like him, was extremely proud. Aside from showing some courtesy to those classmates with connections, he was dismissive toward everyone else.

For the past two years, Fang Mutian had grown accustomed to his ways, keeping a respectful distance. But today, Yan Fengan had not only voluntarily cleaned up his space but also spoken so tactfully and pleasantly—this behavior was truly surprising.

Could it be that because he too had passed the xiucai examination, Yan Fengan's attitude had done a complete turnaround? That seemed a bit too pragmatic.

Fang Mutian's mind raced with thoughts, but he said aloud: "Brother Yan is too polite. I wouldn't presume to offer guidance, but we can certainly exchange ideas and discuss things."

"Good." Yan Fengan said no more and turned back to his book.

In the days ahead at the academy, he would be sharing this room with Fang Mutian, so it was necessary to build a good relationship with him.

Not necessarily a deep friendship, but at least he wouldn't find himself isolated and without allies at the academy. As for the other classmates, he truly had no energy to engage with them for now.

...

After Yan Fengan left for the academy, the person most unaccustomed to it at home was Wen Xi. During the day, with so much to do, he had no time for idle thoughts. But at night, lying alone in bed, he would toss and turn for a long while before falling asleep.

More than missing Yan Fengan, he was filled with worry.

He was the only person in the world who knew what Yan Fengan had been through. The person who had occupied his body was so different in temperament—so arrogant and cold, so sharp-tongued and mean in the village. It was hard to imagine he wouldn't be the same way at the academy.

What if he offended others and made a bunch of enemies for Yan Fengan?

Wen Xi truly feared that those people would gang up on him, push him out, talk trash behind his back, and deliberately make things hard for him.

His husband was gentle and even-tempered—how was he supposed to deal with all that hostility?

At the thought of all this, Wen Xi felt like he couldn't breathe, a heavy weight pressing on his chest. He hugged Yan Fengan's pillow, his little face all scrunched up, and it took him a long, long time to finally fall asleep.

When he woke up the next morning, He Jin noticed his dark circles and teased him with concern, "Why do you wake up with bags under your eyes every day? Is it because Sanlang isn't home that you can't sleep?"

Wen Xi hesitated for a long moment before murmuring, "I wonder how he's doing at the academy—can he adjust?"

He Jin chuckled. "You two really are newlyweds, worrying about stuff like that. Sanlang's not new to school; what's there for him not to get used to?"

Li Wan, overhearing their conversation, added, "Sanlang has been going to school in the city alone since he was ten. He's spent almost as much time at that academy as he has at home, so he shouldn't have any trouble adjusting. Don't worry, Xiao Xi."

Wen Xi didn't respond. There were some things his family just didn't get, and he couldn't exactly explain them, so he could only quietly chew on it by himself.

Seeing he was still a little down, Li Wan's heart softened and she said, "If you're really worried about him, you could write him a letter and ask."

He Jin turned his gaze to Li Wan and said, half amused, half exasperated, "Sister-in-law, are you serious? The county seat's so close that Xiao Xi could go see Sanlang and be back in a day. Why go to the trouble of writing a letter?"

Li Wan sighed. "It's not easy for us country folks to make a trip into town. If you ask me, a letter's better."

Wen Xi immediately shook his head. "My husband's got so much schoolwork to catch up on; I shouldn't bother him."

Though he still felt some worry, he figured that Yan Fengan, being so gentle and smart, would surely get along with his classmates. Even if there were some misunderstandings at first, sooner or later those people would see how great he was.

...

Just a couple days into February, the village head led the county yamen runners from door to door to collect taxes. Every year around this time, life for the villagers got the toughest.

After all, having to hand over all those copper coins for nothing—who could be happy about that?

Wen Xi had been scared of these yamen runners since he was a kid. As a child, he didn't understand what taxes were; he just knew that every time these men showed up, his parents would start fighting, and after arguing, they'd take it out on him, grabbing his arm, calling him a worthless good-for-nothing, and then giving him a beating.

It was clearly the law, but Wen Xi couldn't figure out why they blamed him for it.

According to the dynasty's laws, kids aged seven to fourteen only had to pay a tax of twenty copper coins a year.

But for those twenty coins, Wen Xi got a beating every single year. Even though they knew full well they couldn't get out of paying, Wen Shishan and Li Qiaozhen deliberately dragged their feet, instead making him cry, kneel, and beg in front of the yamen runners before they'd grudgingly hand over the money.

Once he turned fifteen, no matter the gender, the poll tax went up to a hundred twenty coins per person.

That hundred twenty coins, Wen Shishan and Li Qiaozhen were even less willing to pay. But as Wen Xi grew older, he did so much work around the house that he saved them a lot of trouble. A hundred twenty coins a year was way cheaper than buying a servant.

The couple planned to keep him for a few more years, and when he turned twenty—when unmarried women and gē'ers got hit with a single tax—they'd marry him off to some family for a bride price and be done with him.

In past years at the Wen house, whenever the yamen runners came to collect taxes, Wen Xi wished he could just hide himself away. This year, seeing them again, maybe with a bit more confidence, he didn't feel as scared.

The Yan family had ten people in total. Tao'er and Tiezhu weren't yet seven, so they were exempt from the poll tax.

Of the remaining eight adults, Yan Fengan was a xiucai, so he was exempt from the poll tax and corvée labor, and one family member could enjoy the same tax break as him. That meant six people in the household actually had to pay the poll tax.

At a hundred twenty coins per person, the poll tax came to seven hundred twenty coins total. Add the two hundred coin household tax, and that came to nine hundred twenty coins.

For a big family like the Yans, the fixed two hundred coin household tax was actually a good deal—way more economical than a small household with just two or three people.

After figuring out the poll tax and household tax, they still had to add the corvée commutation fee.

According to the dynasty's laws, all able-bodied men aged twenty to fifty had to do twenty days of unpaid corvée labor away from home.

The work included fixing river embankments, building city walls, constructing palaces, and hauling grain—hard, exhausting labor that also came with some risk of death.

Luckily, the authorities weren't totally rigid about it. If you didn't want to serve, you could pay to get out of it. By paying a commutation fee of two thousand coins a year, the authorities would hire someone else to take your place.

Yan Shichang had done corvée labor in his youth, so he naturally preferred to spend the money rather than let his kids go through that.

He could use Yan Fengan's tax exemption for himself, then pay two thousand coins each for Yan Wangchun and Yan Fuqiu.

Add that to the poll tax, and the family owed a total of four thousand nine hundred twenty coins this time, which came to nearly five taels of silver.

Before the new year, Chen Lanfang had been happy that the family had finally saved up some silver again, so they'd been less careful with food and clothes. Little did she expect that as soon as spring came, expenses would come pouring in.

Luckily, the family wasn't in dire straits; otherwise, facing such a big expense would've been really worrying.

Later in the day, Zhao Gengnian arrived at the Yan household with the yamen runners.

These runners were usually short-tempered and impatient when collecting from other households, but at the Yans' they were a bit more restrained.

Besides the fact that Yan Fengan was a xiucai, it was also because the Yan family had a good attitude—they paid promptly every time without making a fuss.

Having just watched several scenes of crying, cursing, and kids getting beaten elsewhere, the runners found the quiet Yan household a relief to their ears. The lead runner, Officer Ma, said politely to Yan Shichang, "Carpenter Yan, how many able-bodied men do you have this year? Paying or serving?"

Yan Shichang replied, "Same as always—paying."

After he spoke, Chen Lanfang brought out four taels of silver and nine hundred twenty copper coins strung together.

The runner counted the coins several times, and once he confirmed they were correct, he was about to mark the Yan household as settled when Officer Ma spoke up again: "Your household's tax payment this year doesn't seem quite right."

Yan Shichang said, "We calculated it clearly. What's wrong?"

Officer Ma glanced at the tax list and explained, "According to the court's laws, any household with a xiucai can exempt the xiucai himself and his spouse from taxes. In previous years, Xiucai Yan wasn't married, so you registered your own name, and the county didn't quibble. But now that he's married with a husband at home, registering your father instead would violate the regulations. The county office likely won't accept it."

Yan Shichang had been afraid they'd bring this up. He smiled ingratiatingly, "We barely scraped together the money at home. Officer Ma, could you perhaps make an exception? Let it go this year, and next year we'll definitely follow the rules."

Officer Ma shook his head with a troubled expression. "It's all written on the list. How dare I alter it privately? If I don't follow it, the shortfall comes out of our own pockets. Carpenter Yan, don't make things difficult for us."

Chen Lanfang said with a grimace, "So you mean we have to pay an extra two thousand coins this time?"

"That's exactly right."

From the conversation between the family and the runners, Wen Xi understood: Yan Shichang, being under fifty, could originally rely on his xiucai son Yan Fengan for tax exemption. But now that Yan Fengan was married, that exemption couldn't be transferred to him anymore. If he didn't want to serve corvée labor, he'd have to pay the two thousand coins like Yan Wangchun and the others.

Such was the law. Though he knew this had nothing to do with him, Wen Xi still felt a twinge of unease.

Spending such a large sum unexpectedly—not just his in-laws, but even he felt the sting.

Chen Lanfang and Yan Shichang negotiated with the runners a bit more, but seeing there was truly no room for compromise, Chen Lanfang reluctantly brought out another two taels of silver.

Wen Xi had suffered greatly over taxes since childhood. He didn't want his family to be upset over those two taels, so after the runners moved on to the next household, he took two taels from his own money box and secretly handed them to Chen Lanfang and Yan Shichang, murmuring, "Father, Mother, let me cover the extra two taels."

Yan Shichang pushed the silver back. "What are you saying? How could we let you pay for this? Who gets exempted is decided by the law, not by us. Spending money for peace of mind—we'll pay what we owe."

Seeing Wen Xi's cautious demeanor, Chen Lanfang said patiently, "Your father and I feeling the pinch over two extra taels of tax is only natural, but this has nothing to do with you. Don't take responsibility onto yourself. Even if Feng'an had married someone else, we'd still have to pay this money."

Wen Xi said, "I know. I just want to share the burden for the family."

His thoughtfulness warmed Chen Lanfang's heart. She patted his hand and said, "You and Sanlang are both good children. When he went off to school this time, I offered him money and he wouldn't take a single coin. His daily expenses in the city are far greater than ours. You two should save your own money well—it's good to have some set aside for emergencies."

Though he'd long known how kind his in-laws were, seeing them so understanding still moved Wen Xi deeply.

The more they loved and indulged Yan Fengan, the more conflicted Wen Xi felt. After mulling it over, he finally asked the question that had been weighing on his heart: "Father, Mother, since Feng'an passed the xiucai exam, have you noticed he's been a bit different than before?"

Hearing this question, Yan Shichang and Chen Lanfang both froze for a moment. Chen Lanfang furrowed her brow and said, "Different how?"