Song Fang's first lesson, the teacher explained a word to them: elegance.
The teacher said, elegance is in the bone, an embodiment of inner beauty and temperament.
A pretty girl may not necessarily be elegant, but an elegant girl always seems especially beautiful.
The teacher also said, a beautiful appearance can add to elegance, but it does not take up the whole; a girl's elegance can be cultivated through continuous learning later.
In Hongwen Academy, whether it is studying, or the classes on tea, incense, flower arrangement, and painting, students are taught to be well-read while also learning how to become elegant girls.
...
Before going to Beijing, Song Fang was either working in the fields or around the stove every day. For farming families, the most important things are food and clothing, everything else is nonsense.
But now, she has heard a fresh word: elegance.
