Chapter 2283: Acceptance

Chapter 2283: Acceptance

Upon hearing that he was accepted, Chang Jiayi secretly breathed a sigh of relief and quickly asked, "What about my daughter?"

"The academy will provide dormitories for each employee. For individuals, there will be four people per room, and the rooms will be relatively spacious. For those with families, a separate room will be assigned, but it will be smaller. Later, after the recruitment is complete, someone will take you to see the accommodations."

Chang Jiayi's eyes brightened, "Thank you, County Princess Lu."

"Alright, it's still early. Take your little girl around, there's tea and snacks outside, and you can have something to eat so that she won't go hungry."

"Thank you."

Chang Jiayi left, and Shu Yu turned her attention to the other young scholar.

This older scholar was in his fifties and had reportedly been taking the imperial examinations for over thirty years without success.

He himself had given up on the idea of passing the exams a long time ago, but his family disagreed. In his earlier years, when the family was well-off, they could afford it. However, as their fortunes declined and his wife passed away, his family blamed him for his lack of ability. Despite his age, they believed he should have accomplished more besides his education.

This old scholar had been studying for many years, but he had no natural talent for it. That's why he hadn't achieved the rank of a successful candidate in all those years. He had no choice but to memorize and copy texts tirelessly. Doing so had caused his hands to develop tough calluses, but it had also resulted in beautiful handwriting.

After writing so much, not only were his hands hardened, but his handwriting was also exceptionally neat, almost like it was printed.

Considering this, Shu Yu thought that he might be suitable for copying and transcribing texts at the academy in the future.

The old scholar said that he didn't have any innate talent for studying, which was why he had to resort to rote memorization. In his younger days, his family had high hopes for him despite his lack of talent, and he had to rely on sheer determination. He often copied books and texts to learn.

Shu Yu had noticed his impressive handwriting, and she couldn't help but think he would be a good fit for copying texts at the academy.

After this, Shu Yu continued to interview several more candidates, both literate and illiterate. Most of them were men, and only a few women looked quite uneasy, hinting at some regret for coming here.

However, one of the women demonstrated exceptional cooking skills. The academy had a cafeteria, and there was currently a head chef, but they needed additional kitchen staff.

This woman used to work as a cook in a wealthy household, and her culinary skills were top-notch. Shu Yu thought about it and realized that while the cafeteria could serve the students with fixed meals, there might also be opportunities for orders. If she wasn't comfortable working here, Shu Yu didn't mind hiring her for her own workshop.

The recruitment process proceeded systematically. Besides recruiting for the academy, Shu Yu also had her eyes on a few candidates she intended to persuade to join her workshop.

As for the Peach and Plum Hall on the other side, it was bustling with activity. Meng Yunzheng and others stood outside the hall and reiterated the admission requirements to the candidates.

"This enrollment is open to students aged five and above. The elementary class starts at the age of five and ends at the age of sixteen."

These requirements were primarily due to the fact that five was the right age to start education. Any younger, and it would be more like taking care of children rather than educating them. As for ending at sixteen, that was because sixteen was the age when young men were eligible for marriage. Of course, it was never too late to start studying, but if someone started their education at such a late age, it indicated that their family circumstances were not ideal. By the age of sixteen, they had already become a family's strong labor force and might have even married and had children. While studying was fine, they would only begin to fulfill their responsibilities at home, which could be too late to pursue further education. If such a student put their own pursuit of knowledge above their family responsibilities, Meng Yunzheng was not inclined to admit them.