39. The Song Brothers, Yingxing and Ying-sheng

Yang Fan, of course, would not eat garbage.

He was in his room, eating egg-fried rice made by Xiangyi, accompanied by a plate of smashed cucumbers.

It was the first time Xiangyi had learned that a cucumber could be prepared this way. After washing it, she simply smashed it, sprinkled it with minced garlic and salt—the salt the master brought back was truly excellent, as white as snow—then drizzled it with hot rice vinegar and a pinch of sugar. The aroma was intoxicating. She had secretly tasted a piece; it was delicious.

Mr. Liu, the accountant, stood to one side, reporting the accounts to Yang Fan. Zhao Fu had already taken care of things; Mr. Liu’s meal had been prepared and sent to his room, complete with a small bowl of meat, which left him very satisfied.

"I’ve been thinking that our financial records need to be clarified," Yang Fan said as he ate. "For finances, three people will be primarily responsible. I will handle approvals, and you, Mr. Liu, along with your apprentice, will be responsible for bookkeeping. I’ll provide you with a new accounting method later; you must follow it, or I won’t be able to make sense of the records."

"Understood, Master," Mr. Liu and his apprentice, Li Fang, nodded in agreement.

"Xiangyi, you will be the cashier," Yang Fan said with a nod. "A cashier manages the money. I’ll give you the key to the iron safe, and you will be in charge of all incoming and outgoing funds. Remember, you must see the receipts before making any payments. There must be signatures or fingerprints from the relevant personnel involved in the process."

"Master, I... I am illiterate. I cannot read the receipts," Xiangyi said, feeling both honored by the important task and anxious that she might fail because she could not read.

"Ah, I see," Yang Fan realized he had been too presumptive, forgetting that only his personal servant was literate. Financial work certainly required literacy. "Let’s do this: we will hire a scholar, start a primary school ourselves, and write our own textbooks. We won't teach the Four Books and Five Classics; we'll just focus on the thousand most commonly used characters."

There were at least a hundred children in the courtyard, and even the apprentices were in their teens—all at the perfect age for schooling. Since they couldn't do much besides eat and play, it would be better to send them to school. At least they could learn to read and perform simple arithmetic, which would prove useful to him in the future.

Yes, that’s the plan. The financial system will stay as it is for now, with me overseeing it. Children under five will go to kindergarten, and those over five will go to primary school. Apprentices and craftsmen will attend night school. Everyone must learn to read.

If the housewives can manage their chores, they should learn to read too. Let them study once their housework is done so they don't spend all day gossiping about the "unspoken stories" between the master and his maids.

Once the children are in kindergarten and the factory has a cafeteria and a laundry, the women will be fully liberated and can be assigned work—perhaps in textiles or packaging for our products.

It is entirely possible for women to handle assembly line tasks; look at how many female workers there are in factories nowadays. Human resources must be managed meticulously. Every one of these three hundred people must be put to good use; even if they cannot make money for me now, they must be capable of doing so in the future.

Mr. Liu hesitated, as if there was something he wanted to say. Seeing his reluctance, Yang Fan asked, "Is there something on your mind, Mr. Liu?"

"Since you wish to start a school, Master, you will need good teachers. I have a friend, and his brother, who failed the imperial examinations in the capital and are currently staying at the home of another acquaintance of mine. Both are provincial graduates (*juren*) and men of great talent. If you are interested, I can introduce you."

"Provincial graduates? If they failed the exam, shouldn't they be lingering in the capital? Why have they come to Zunhua?" Yang Fan asked, finding it strange. "And here, I am only teaching young children to read and workers to be literate. Would a provincial graduate even be willing to come?"

"These two are somewhat unique," Mr. Liu said. "The elder is named Song Yingsheng, and the younger is Song Yingxing."

"Wait, did you say Song Yingxing?" Yang Fan’s mind raced. Wasn't that the author of *Tiangong Kaiwu* (The Exploitation of the Works of Nature)?

"Yes, they are very talented, but their luck has been poor," Mr. Liu sighed.

He explained that the brothers were from Jiangxi. In 1615, Song Yingxing and his brother traveled to Nanchang for the provincial examinations. Out of over ten thousand candidates, the 29-year-old Song Yingxing placed third in the province, and his brother placed sixth. They were the only ones from Fenxin to succeed that year, earning them the title "The Two Songs of Fenxin."

Encouraged by their success, they went to the capital that autumn for the metropolitan examinations, but failed. Determined to try again, they studied at the ancient White Deer Grotto Academy, led by the famous scholar Shu Yuejing. Despite thorough preparation, they failed again in 1619—the last examination held during the reign of the Wanli Emperor—and continued to fail throughout the Tianqi era. Currently, they were staying in the capital to prepare for the Chongzhen era examinations, hoping for better luck. Because Song Yingxing had a deep interest in various handicraft technologies, they were currently staying with a friend of Mr. Liu, investigating iron smelting in Zunhua.

Yang Fan did not know that the brothers would fail once more during the early Chongzhen years and finally give up on the imperial examinations, returning to Jiangxi for good. There, Song Yingxing would devote himself to researching industrial and agricultural technologies, eventually writing *Tiangong Kaiwu*, the great encyclopedia of the seventeenth century.

"What does your friend do?" Yang Fan asked.

"He sets up a stall on the street to tell fortunes and writes letters for people. He is also surnamed Song, a distant relative of the brothers."

"Well, let's go see them after I finish eating. Since he is literate, if his level is sufficient, he could perhaps join us as a teacher for the children." In truth, Yang Fan lacked confidence in provincial graduates, especially someone as legendary as Song Yingxing, and he didn't hold high expectations.

At that moment, Xiangying walked in and said, "Master, a little chubby boy is here to see you. He says he is your friend, surnamed Wei."

"Haha, so it's that kid. Let him in," Yang Fan smiled. He had been so busy lately he had nearly forgotten about him.

"Brother Yang, you're not very loyal! You promised to come see me, but I haven't seen your shadow in days." The voice arrived before the person. The chubby boy was as familiar as ever. "Hey, egg-fried rice! Great, it's my favorite. Give me a bowl, too!"

"What egg-fried rice? You mean this? Xiangyi, bring Young Master Fugui a bowl."

"What is this? Let me try." The chubby boy picked up a chopstick of smashed cucumber and put it in his mouth. "Wow, delicious! Fresh and crunchy. What dish is this? I never knew cucumbers could be made this way."

"It's called smashed cucumber, a cold dish."

The egg-fried rice arrived, and the combination with the cucumber was perfect. "Oh, delicious, truly delicious!" the boy exclaimed, eating with gusto.

"Where do they live?" Yang Fan asked.

"Right in Stone Lion Alley, not far from here."

"Alright, let's go take a look. I am quite interested in this provincial graduate who loves the study of industry and agriculture."

"Eh, Brother Yang, what provincial graduate? I'm coming too! I'm coming too!" the boy said, his cheeks bulging with rice and cucumber, his words muffled and unclear.