The difficult path of cultivation for a grassroots female practitioner

As for how to learn the local language, Xiao Han has come up with the most cost-effective self-study method after being here for such a long time.

That is to buy a children's enlightenment book, and then pay someone to explain the pronunciation and meaning of each word in it. She will then translate the same words in modern simplified Chinese and pinyin below.

She only needs to practice the common words in the enlightenment textbooks at home until she can read and write each word, and she will basically no longer be illiterate.

With this plan in mind, Xiao Han took advantage of the free time in the afternoon when there were no customers and went to the bookstore on the street.

Walking on the street, Xiao Han saw that all the pedestrians spontaneously left the middle road empty in the center of the street. Now he finally understood why.

It turns out that the empty middle road is reserved for monks to walk.

Because of its special geographical location, Lingyun City is located on the outskirts of the Ten Thousand Mountains where cultivators gather. It is a city independent of the mortal kingdom and not inhabited by cultivators.

But because it is located on the edge of the fairy mountain, there will always be monks passing by occasionally.

For these unrestrained and destructive monks, ordinary mortals could only show respect. Therefore, it became an unwritten rule that the middle of the main road in the city was reserved for monks to pass.

Lingyun City is very prosperous because of its fertile surrounding land and convenient transportation located between the mortal kingdom and the fairy mountain. It often attracts wealthy people who want to seek immortality and longevity.

But if ordinary children in Lingyun City want to become officials, they need to transfer their household registration to the nearby territory of Southern Jin.

It’s just that few people leave Lingyun City.

After all, this was a city where a cultivator was the city lord, and taxes were relatively low, so whether it was farming or working, it was easy to support oneself. Therefore, Lingyun City was very strict with mortals from outside.

With a pass from the Southern Jin Kingdom and money, you can stay at an inn or rent a house. But if you want to become a local of Lingyun City, you need to spend a lot of money.

Although the locals rarely left to take the imperial examinations and become officials in the Southern Jin Kingdom, there were still private schools and academies here. After all, Lingyun City needed people to manage it, and if you wanted to be a manager, you had to be able to read and write.

Xiao Han found a bookstore, walked in and asked, "Are there any books for children's enlightenment here?"

The waiter immediately brought a book and handed it to Xiao Ha, saying, "Sir, are you looking for a book for your child's private schooling? This book, 'Reading Words and Understanding Their Meanings,' was recently compiled by Mr. Gu, an old tutor in Lingyun City. It has now been approved by the City Lord's Mansion and is being vigorously promoted as a children's enlightenment book."

Xiao Han took it and flipped through it.

In fact, the numbers one, two, three, four, up to ten, are very similar to modern simplified Chinese numbers. Some characters are also very similar to modern simplified Chinese characters, but whether they have the same meaning will have to wait until she learns them to find out.

"how much is it?"

Xiao Han asked nervously. She didn't have much money and didn't know if it would be enough to buy this book.

The waiter said, "One ounce and two cents of silver."

One tael and two qian of silver is equivalent to twelve hundred copper coins, so Xiao Han's savings are enough.

Following the principle of saving every penny, Xiao Han immediately said, "If you buy this book, can you give me some paper?"

The waiter took out a dozen or so sheets of ordinary paper and handed them to her, saying, "This new book isn't expensive, so we can't give you much else."

Xiao Han took the paper and pointed at the cheap-looking paper lying there and asked, "How much is this?"

The waiter took a look and said, "That's a defective product from the papermaking process. There are some smudges when writing. If you want it, I'll give you a roll of paper for fifty coins."

A piece of paper can hold about a hundred sheets, which is more than enough for Xiao Han to practice calligraphy.

Anyway, she had no intention of practicing calligraphy, but she had accumulated a lot of goose feathers from the geese slaughtered in the restaurant, which she could use to make goose feather pens.

I bought paper and an ink stick, the cheapest kind, but I didn't buy an inkstone.

She doesn't want to write formal and beautiful calligraphy, so why does she need so many formal things? She can just find something that can be used to grind ink instead.

The total cost of books, paper and ink was 1,280 wen.

Xiao Han took these things back to Liuxianlou and immediately asked Aunt Liu if there was any private school teacher living near the restaurant.

She planned to find a private tutor to be her tutor. He would only need to explain the words in the book once, and after she made marks, she could study at home.

Aunt Liu glanced at her and suddenly pulled her to a corner mysteriously.

Xiao Han followed her to a secluded spot in the backyard, puzzled. Could it be that asking about a private school teacher was something that couldn't be done in public?

Aunt Liu looked around to see if there was anyone around, then she asked slyly, "Tell me the truth, did you hear that Private Teacher Liu's wife died, so you fell in love with him?"

Xiao Han was suddenly at a loss whether to laugh or cry. Ever since she was able to communicate with these aunts, these aunts knew that she was not married, and they had tried to match her up with someone countless times.

It's a pity that she had no intention of getting married and having children in this strange world, and she found excuses to refuse them all.

"No, that's not what I meant."

Xiao Han hurriedly explained.

However, Aunt Liu didn't wait for her to explain her intentions. She immediately patted her arm and said, "Don't be embarrassed. Although you are still a pure and innocent girl, you are still too old and have no family to rely on. It is difficult for you to find a good, unmarried young man of the same age. This tutor Liu and my head of the family can be considered relatives. We know each other well. He is only a dozen years older than you, so it is not bad."

Xiao Han felt very uncomfortable immediately. It turned out that she, a girl who was only twenty years old, had been thrown into this strange time and space, and was only worthy of being the second wife of a widower who was ten years older than her and whose wife had died and who probably had a lot of children?

"Aunt Liu, I'm not looking to get married. I'm looking for a private tutor to teach me how to read."

Aunt Liu was stunned for a moment, then said, "Why do you want to learn to read? Do you want to go out and be a housekeeper?"

Xiao Han nodded immediately and said, "Yes, yes, I just want to be a housekeeper in the future."

This is a good excuse, and it allows her to learn to read with a legitimate reason.

Aunt Liu continued, "Then it would be a good idea for you to ask Teacher Liu to teach you how to read. It would be a good opportunity for you to get to know each other better first."

Xiao Han frowned and asked, "Are there no other private school teachers nearby?"

Aunt Liu said, "I don't know anything else. Among the people I know, only Teacher Liu is a private tutor in the Jiang family school."