Clara happily folded the signed contract and tucked it away.
With Lester handled, she turned to the three boys. "The Ding family is building a clan school for their kin. It should be completed by the end of the year. Once it opens after the New Year, I'll find a way to get you boys enrolled."
"But it's quite far. Adam and Ben will go first. Chad can wait another two years until he's a little older."
"And Deb, don't be discouraged. Once your father finishes studying, we'll start lessons at home too."
Deb asked curiously, "Mama, why can't I go to the clan school with my brothers?"
Before Clara could answer, Lester chuckled and patted her on the head. "Silly girl, when have you ever heard of girls going to school? A good girl should be gentle and quiet, learn needlework and cooking. Your father will find you a good husband in the future."
Deb instinctively frowned. She didn't like how her father said that—but she was too young to explain exactly why. Still, she persisted.
"Why can't girls go to school?"
"Because the schoolteachers don't accept girls," Lester replied.
"Why don't the schoolteachers accept girls?" Deb asked again.
Lester hesitated, clearly thinking hard, then concluded, "Because girls don't need to study or take the exams."
Deb opened her mouth to keep questioning, but Lester quickly made a hushing gesture, realizing she was leading him into a corner he couldn't talk his way out of.
Deb furrowed her soft brows like two tiny caterpillars, puffing out her cheeks in frustration.
Thankfully, her three brothers were quick to comfort her, and her cheerful energy soon returned.
Clara, however, fell silent for a long time before finally sighing. She pulled out the nine books she'd borrowed from the Ding family and laid them in front of Lester.
"Your top priority now is to copy these books. Once you're done, I'll return them."
"And listen—don't ruin them. If you smudge a single page, I'll chop your hands off," she warned dangerously.
Lester asked weakly, "Then what about the farm work?"
"Starting tomorrow, your only duties are to cook three meals a day and copy those books."
This arrangement was temporary, of course. Clara would adjust it depending on the situation.
She herself was busy, needing to draw up a comprehensive study plan for Lester's return to the academy.
Studying wasn't just about opening a book and reading whatever came to mind—it had to be strategic.
They were already starting late, so there was no time for leisurely learning like younger students.
According to Clara's plan, Lester would take the county-level exam by next March.
There weren't strict requirements for taking the county exam, but its contents had always centered on the Four Books and Five Classics.
So in a sense, it was a basic test of foundational knowledge. Passing it was the ticket into the real civil service track.
As for what came after—well, first things first: get those books copied.
The academy had books available, but not enough to hand out full sets to every student. Anyone who wanted to study at home had to buy their own or borrow and copy them from the bookstore.
Outpacing your peers meant putting in the extra time—and having your own books was essential.
Especially in Lester's case. Clara needed to give him extra help if he was going to compete with students who'd been reading for years.
With that in mind, she wasted no time assigning new duties to everyone in the household.
From now on, everyone would wash their own clothes. Chad and Deb were still too young, so Lester would wash theirs.
As Lester was cutting paper in preparation for copying, he grumbled, "Why don't you wash them instead, darling?"
Clara cracked her knuckles loudly. "No reason. If you don't like it, go ahead and die."
Lester dared not speak further. In his heart, the little man inside him howled at the heavens: "Is there no justice left in this world?!"
Clara saw that he was cutting the paper crooked and promptly kicked him. "Be careful! You think paper grows on trees?"
Lester bit his lower lip, his eyes brimming with tears. He slowed down, focused harder, and didn't cut a single sheet crooked again.
Clara rolled her eyes. "Unbelievable. This man really needs a daily beating to function. Look—he's perfectly capable."
She cleared her throat and continued assigning tasks.
Everyone had their share of housework now. That left only the water mill and feeding the chickens.
She paired the kids into teams—big ones with little ones—to fetch water from the waterwheel each evening. If the waterwheel broke, she'd fix it.
Dishwashing and chicken-feeding also rotated weekly, with teams alternating.
As for her, Clara took on the two vegetable plots in the front yard, the newly reclaimed patch behind the house, and the remaining fieldwork.
There wasn't much to do in the fields now. The rice was in its stable growing phase; as long as water levels were maintained, it would be fine.
Their field sat close to the river, so irrigation was easier than most. She just needed to check on it daily, pull a few weeds, and keep an eye out for pests.
Once the tasks were assigned, the six-person household got to work.
Clara would head to the fields after her morning workout. By the time she returned, Lester would have breakfast ready.
The six of them ate together. Then Adam and Deb cleaned the dishes and left them to soak in the big basin—saving them for a wash after dinner.
Lester used the cleared table to begin copying the texts.
His handwriting was atrocious, but still a bit better than Clara's—and he could write in small script.
Clara had thought they could both copy the texts to speed things up.
But unfortunately, her hands couldn't manage the tiny characters. So she gave up and went to cut paper instead. Once done, she harvested vegetables for dinner, cleaned them, and left them by the stove for Lester to cook.
Since the chef was now preoccupied, lunch was kept simple—leftovers from breakfast in a light soup or tossed with noodles.
After a one-hour nap, everyone resumed their work.
At this time, Clara and the kids were relatively free, so she picked up an illustrated primer and began teaching them the basics.
Ever since learning they might have the chance to attend school, the four siblings had clearly taken their studies more seriously.
At the family meeting, Clara had explained the benefits of passing the civil service exams. They now knew that literacy wasn't just about learning to reason or do arithmetic—it could change their lives.
Passing the scholar's exam meant exemption from taxes and forced labor.
Passing the provincial exam meant honor and prosperity for the whole clan, with gifts of land and money pouring in. Fine clothes, good food—no worries.
And passing the final imperial examination… that meant becoming an official. No longer mere farmers, but respected members of the scholar-gentry.
The first class in the hierarchy of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants.
Clara told them plainly: whether or not they reached the top, studying well was their only path to change their fate.
Among the kids, Ben had always been the most calculating. Once he realized this was a good deal with no downsides, he forced himself to memorize the texts—even though he disliked learning.
Soon, Clara discovered he had a real talent for studying. So much so that it made Lester worry he might get outshone by his own son.
(End of Chapter)
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