The scholar who taught the sisters was himself no more than a son of a farmer, who had sat for the imperial examination for over a decade, forever remaining a mere Scholar, unable to forever rely on his family to finance his examinations.
The teacher was already married and had fathered two daughters. It was said that the Ye family hired him to earn money to supplement his household income. Even when he returned home in the evening, he continued his studies and did not give up on his dream of passing the imperial examination.
The teacher, a man from the neighboring village surnamed Chen, traveled to and from work early in the morning and late in the evening. The two villages were not far apart, and this job offered him a stable position, with eight days off each month. Teaching hours were one and a half hour in the morning and one and a half hour in the afternoon, making it a truly desirable job that he pursued with great vigor.
