Chapter 37: She Can Write Nine Characters Now!
Yuan Ye returned to Aragiko Castle with A Qing. First, he went to “check on the patients” and saw how Maeda Toshihisa was doing. He found everything to be normal, with no signs of fever, suggesting the surgery was successful and wouldn’t keep him at Aragiko Castle for too long.
Since there was no issue, he exchanged a few pleasantries with Maeda Toshiharu and went to the room assigned to him to rest. The maidservants of the Aragiko Maeda Family also brought dinner, showing decent hospitality.
After Yuan Ye and A Qing finished their meal together, he took out all the books and began to read them carefully by lamplight.
Of course, the first thing was to relearn characters, starting with Kana.
Japanese Kana is named in contrast to Chinese Characters, referred to as “true names.” Any characters that simplify Chinese strokes or alter their form to represent pronunciation are considered Kana. Also known as “onnade” (women’s hand), they were primarily used by women.
Initially, one sound was typically represented by several Kana characters. It wasn’t until 1900 that Japan unified them into forty-eight characters, creating the Gojuon chart, which officially became part of modern Japanese.
Therefore, even if you know modern Japanese, transmigrating to five hundred years ago would make you semi-illiterate, as you wouldn’t recognize or be able to write a large number of Kana characters.
Fortunately, Yuan Ye had obtained textbooks and began to pore over the Manyoshu, as most Kana originated from Man’yōgana. By mastering the Manyoshu and then reading books like the Waka Collection and the Iroha Classification, he would have a basic understanding.
He sat there for a good part of the evening without moving, concentrating intently, memorizing carefully, and taking notes for future quick reference. Only when his eyes started to feel a little uncomfortable did he stretch and notice A Qing sitting in the shadow of the oil lamp, staring blankly at the books on the low table.
“Um… you should go to sleep first!” Yuan Ye reminded her, indicating that there was nothing else to do and she could just go to bed without waiting.
A Qing’s gaze shifted to him. After a moment of hesitation, she lowered her eyelids and gently shook her head. She had promised to protect Yuan Ye and would do her best to fulfill her duty as a guard without slacking off.
Was she unwilling to sleep?
Yuan Ye couldn’t understand what she was thinking. He also felt it was a bit early to sleep, but she just sat there blankly, and seeing her made him uncomfortable. No modern person could sit still for hours; they would usually be considered torture and would have secretly pulled out their mobile phones to scroll endlessly.
He himself couldn’t stand sitting idly for even half an hour, so by extension, he felt A Qing must dislike it too.
After a moment of hesitation, he pushed the books forward and asked, “Do you want to read? There are some story collections here too.”
A Qing looked up at him, then down again, and said nothing. However, after a moment, perhaps feeling that the distinction between master and servant meant it wasn’t appropriate to remain silent, she softly said, “I can’t read.”
“You can’t read at all?” Yuan Ye remembered that A Man knew some characters and had assumed A Qing could also recognize a few.
A Qing lowered her head again, looking at the ground, and remained silent.
“Then… shall I teach you to read?” Yuan Ye was tired of reading and wanted a break. He thought it would be a good opportunity to teach A Qing to read and prevent her from sitting there uncomfortably.
A Qing remained still with her head down. Yuan Ye thought she didn’t want to learn. She slowly crawled on her knees to the side of the low table and began to stare at the table again in silence.
So, she was willing to learn?
His impression of her was that she was a “strange, a bit stubborn child.” Yuan Ye had somewhat adapted to her personality and didn’t mind. He reached out and picked up a Fudoki.
This book recorded the place names of various provinces and counties in Japan, along with brief commentaries on local customs. It was often used as an introductory reading text for literacy, similar in nature to China’s “Hundred Family Surnames” and “Thousand Character Classic.” The Fudoki primarily used Chinese Characters. Mastering this book and then the Manyoshu would be an introduction to classical Japanese.
He opened the book from the beginning and read the first two sentences, totaling nine characters, without dwelling on the meaning of each word. He just wanted her to know they were place names for now, which was sufficient.
Then, he pulled over a piece of paper, took some cinnabar from the medicine box, and copied these nine characters in large script several times, having her trace them with ink. This was to unite mind and body, strengthen memory, and enable her to read and write.
However, A Qing had more experience stabbing people with a naginata than writing with a pen. But she didn’t ask; she just lowered her head and tried to learn on her own. She initially gripped the pen tightly, then recalled and tried to imitate Yuan Ye’s usual posture, switching to holding it with three fingers.
“Hold it like this, and lift your wrist too…” Yuan Ye actively guided her, helping her hold the pen correctly. He also comforted her, “It will feel a bit awkward at first, but you’ll get used to it if you persevere.”
A Qing nodded gently, held the pen properly, traced a character, then tilted her head to look at him, silently asking if her posture was correct.
Yuan Ye was slightly taken aback. He had never looked closely at A Qing’s face up close before. After all, this “strange, a bit stubborn child” usually kept her head down. But now, with her head tilted, her slender eyebrows and oval face, illuminated by the soft lamplight, were like an ink painting on warm jade.
At the same time, her delicate eyes sparkled under the oil lamp, her eyelashes fluttering with a hint of confusion. She was actually quite… pretty.
Well, if she were willing to change her ancient boyish hairstyle, untie the little topknot in the center of her head, and wear long, dark, flowing hair, along with an ancient lady’s attire, she would undoubtedly be a refined, elegant, and beautiful young lady of a noble household.
He had never noticed before; A Qing was actually a beautiful young girl. He wondered which beast would benefit from her in the future.
A Qing was not surprised to see Yuan Ye lost in thought. Yuan Ye was usually like this, occasionally falling into a daze. She was quite used to it. She tilted her head again, her eyes filled with even more confusion.
Yuan Ye snapped back to reality and quickly had her trace the characters again, making sure she understood the stroke order. Then he nodded, “That’s right. Read it silently in your mind while you trace. After tracing, continue writing below. It’s okay if it’s not perfect, as long as you don’t write it incorrectly.”
A Qing nodded gently and then obediently followed Yuan Ye’s instructions, beginning to read silently and trace carefully.
Yuan Ye watched for a moment, corrected a few small mistakes she made, and then left her to it, returning to his books.
He sat there for another good part of the evening. Only when the night was deep and quiet did he put down his book. He then turned to look at A Qing and saw that her expression was still serious, her gaze still focused, and she was still practicing those nine characters!
Yuan Ye greatly admired her seriousness and felt she was truly diligent. A Qing’s personality was completely different from A Man’s. A Man, after eating, would usually think about sleeping or wander around town; she had nothing to do with the word “effort.” But A Qing was different. She was either diligently practicing martial arts, her forehead beaded with sweat, or actively helping Yayoi with chores, appearing very diligent.
Yuan Ye felt that it was just her misfortune to be born in this terrible era. Otherwise, with her diligence and talent, she would have been a top university student, or at least a solid one!
Of course, that would be if she were born in a good region. If she were unlucky enough to be born in a less fortunate place, her prospects would be much lower, perhaps even a private institution.
“Alright, let’s stop practicing for today. We’ll continue learning tomorrow!” Yuan Ye reminded her that it was time to sleep, otherwise, she might not be able to wake up in the morning.
A Qing looked up at him, nodded gently, and then looked at the paper in front of her, feeling a sense of joy in her heart.
She knew how to write nine characters now!
…
The night passed without incident.
The next day, when Yuan Ye opened his eyes, it was already broad daylight. He had slept quite late the previous night, so he naturally woke up late. By the time he woke up, A Qing had already risen and brought him hot water and a cotton cloth.
“You don’t have to do this,” Yuan Ye said politely. After all, A Qing wasn’t a real maidservant, and her situation was slightly different from Yayoi’s. Yayoi worked as a little maidservant daily, and he had paid for her with rice and cloth, essentially purchasing “room service,” much like staying in a hotel. However, A Qing was the sister of A Man, a “righteous warrior,” and was more of a guest.
He didn’t want to mention that unfortunate bet; it was just a joke. Yuan Ye was always clear-headed and had never intended to truly treat A Qing as his subordinate.
As he politely declined, A Qing looked up at him, shook her head gently, indicating it was fine, then dipped the cotton cloth in hot water, wrung it out, and hesitated about how to apply it to his face.
“I’ll do it myself!” Yuan Ye quickly took the cotton cloth, not wanting her to ponder further. She was clearly not suited for this kind of work, and a hot towel on his face would be unbearable for his skin.
As he was busy washing up, Okumura Iefuku appeared at the doorway, smiling and asking, “Lord Yuan Ye, did you rest well last night?”
“Thanks to you, I rested quite well,” Yuan Ye said, quickly finishing washing his face and extending a polite gesture. “Lord Okumura, why have you come? Please, have a seat inside!”
He was just being polite, but he didn’t expect Okumura Iefuku to actually enter. It seemed he had something to discuss. Okumura Iefuku indeed had something to say. He entered, sat down, glanced at A Qing without much hesitation, and then, with a serious expression, asked him, “Lord Yuan Ye, do you have any thoughts about entering service?”
