The last large academy in the city is called Diling Academy, which means outstanding people, earthly spirits.
The land of the academy belongs to the Long family, a wealthy businessman in the city. It was originally a large garden for his family.
The ancestors of the Long family built the academy with the original purpose of cultivating various talents for their own use. However, as time went by, things became more and more complicated, and the academy was no longer under the control of the Long family.
However, he still has a good relationship with the Long family and enjoys a good life in this city.
Most of the people who study there are craftsmen who want to learn their skills. Officials are mainly those below the seventh rank, masters, scribes, etc.
In other words, the students inside all have their own things to do, so they don't pay much attention to them, so they stay quiet.
At the same time, since the academy teaches many miscellaneous subjects, there must be many miscellaneous books, and people will point at them when reading them.
Very good, it’s him.
…
After solving the big problem and feeling happy, I decided to go to the night market.
When I went out, I saw people fighting, and looking at the clothes, I thought it was an academy.
Don't look too much, just avoid people.
There was a lot of food at the night market, but unfortunately I couldn’t hold it in my stomach.
The silk and bamboo on the market were quite tempting, but as I didn't want to cause any trouble, I finally chose the teahouse.
After asking about the price, I was told that the private seats on the second floor cost one tael per person and came with tea, melons and fruits.
The tables in the first row, second row, third row, and three rows of main tables all cost five taels of silver each, and they also come with tea, melons, and fruits.
The side tables are all five pieces of silver, and there are no gifts.
A bench seat costs 50 cents, and a standing ticket costs 20 cents.
The two asked for a side table and ordered tea, melon and fruit for one penny.
The storyteller is talking about pirates today, which is quite new to the two of them.
After listening to three paragraphs, the two of them threw eight pieces of silver on the stage.
When I went out, I found some scholars fighting. They were probably drunk and jealous.
Don’t watch much, go back and wash up and go to bed.
…
the next day.
Yamazaki went to Diling Academy to register and paid for the miscellaneous fees. The tuition was too expensive for ordinary people, costing one hundred taels of silver per person per year.
But it’s actually not too expensive, equivalent to half a year’s salary of a formal craftsman.
If you really have no money and want to learn, after being tested by the teacher and confirmed to have craftsman talent, you can sign a contract and pay back the money slowly after you complete the course.
It's just that because there are so many people, there is no courtyard for people to live alone, they are all shared accommodation.
Listening to the admissions officer's explanation, Yamazaki pondered and asked, "How many people are sharing a room?"
"Usually there are eight people. Do you want to apply for eight places and occupy eight positions?" The old gentleman was not stupid and reacted immediately.
"That's right, there's no rule saying it's not allowed."
The old gentleman tugged at his white beard and thought for a while, "There really is no such rule. If you are willing to pay, it should be no problem."
"I also brought eight horses with me. Do you think you can find one with a stable, or allow me to build one temporarily?"
"As for the horses," the old gentleman turned over, "you can leave them with the horse master. They need horses for teaching and will take care of them."
"Okay, how much will it cost?"
"How many horses are there?"
"The eight horses are all of average quality."
"There is no charge for keeping horses, but it costs money to raise horses. They don't need to be taken out to run. They don't need to feed them with refined grains every day. Food is eight cents a day, plus serving them. After a year, you see, the total is four hundred taels."
Is that much?"
"Okay, then plus sixteen people in two rooms, that's two thousand taels."
"Sixteen people?"
"My sister and I have a room each."
"Okay, what do you want to learn?"
"Paint, no, carve."
"There is additional cost for engraving jewelry. Identifying gemstones is also a science, which requires additional money. You need to bring your own tools and materials."
"Just ordinary carving will do."
"Usually they are carpenters and masons. There are many girls and boys, so it is difficult to arrange them."
“What subjects are coeducational?”
"There are almost the same number of men and women as jewelers, calligraphers, painters, shopkeepers, accountants, cooks, gardeners, etc. There are more brocaders than women, but there are basically no men in embroidery."
"Forget it, let's learn painting."
The old gentleman noticed it and said, "You are not here to study seriously, are you?"
"Yeah." Yamazaki nodded, "Do you want to take it?"
"Take it, there's a business where you get free money, why not take it."
"That's good. I'll help arrange the dormitory too, so I can get in more easily."
"Okay, how about the calligraphy and painting academy?"
"Can."
…
Calligraphy and Painting Academy.
Yamazaki took a tour and looked at the paintings and calligraphy on the wall. The corners of his mouth twitched and he felt ashamed.
"Well, I'd better change it to another one. This place is too elegant and cannot be touched by ordinary people like us."
"Of course you can, I will show you around."
"Then it will be hard work."
…
After walking around, we saw the carpenter's courtyard full of cabinets, the masonry courtyard full of stone statues, the brocade courtyard hung with cloths of various colors, and the embroidery courtyard hung with embroidered clothes that were three cents more beautiful than paintings.
The boatman's yard smells of tung oil, and the chef's yard sells salted fish and bacon. Then, with the smell of cooking all over my body, I go to the gardener's yard and wash away the smell with the fragrance of flowers and plants there.
Yamazaki looked at these and was a little confused whether he was out of date or whether this place was too weird.
In the end, I decided to go back and ask Shan Dai for her opinion.
Thinking about it, I said goodbye with shame, and left in a hurry as if I was running away.
My only thought is that luckily I haven't paid yet.
…
Restaurant.
Yamazaki put on middle-aged clothes and returned to the yard. He found that Shandai was not there, and immediately knew that she had gone to hang out in a memorial arch or some other place.
I asked the waiter and found out that there was a big archway nearby.
Yamazaki hurried over to look for someone, but couldn't find anyone at first glance.
I was having a headache when I suddenly found someone who looked like her. If I took a closer look, I saw that she was really standing at the Pai Gow table, with one foot on the bench and pushing Pai Gow with a golden sword.
I didn't recognize her at first because she is also middle-aged now.
Including her, there were six people at the card table, two young men in Jinyi around 20 years old, two Jinyi merchants in their thirties or forties, a big man in Jinyi with a knife, and an old man in Jinyi smoking a dry pipe.
The bets were not big, but not small either. The six families piled up more than a thousand taels of silver, and the bets from the surrounding areas were similar.
Yamazaki was also speechless. He woke up and did not eat in the restaurant. He came here to have fun. It is understandable and he also understands that it is enjoyable to end it in person, but is it necessary to play such a big game?
However, it is difficult to get off the horse at this time, so we can only wait for the game to end.
…
Open the cards.
A strong man with a sword and a young man in rich clothes lost. They were unlucky and lost all four two-pair cards.
None of the remaining four people can kill each other and make a peace.
Then continue to come again and continue to pile up silver until it reaches about two thousand taels.
It was a tie again, the cards were reshuffled, and another round came, and a merchant was eliminated.
Shandai's opponents are still a young man in Jinyi, a businessman in Jinyi, and an old man in Jinyi.
Shandai was so happy that she finally spotted Yamazaki and suggested that it be over and they should go home.
Others won't do it, let alone those who watch the excitement.
Shan Dai simply withheld the cards and refused to play, losing the money of those who bet on her.
In this round, she lost more than 300 taels. Including the loss of more than 200 taels, she lost a total of more than 600 taels.
But before, she won a game of 700 taels, and overall she made a small profit of dozens of taels.
Yamazaki nodded with satisfaction. He was able to leave as soon as he could, which meant that he was not trapped in it.