The Eighteenth Century of Xuyang in the Red Chamber

Qiu Wei is in August, but Xu Yang and Xu Mo plan to set off on July [-]th, so they have to adapt to the environment a few days in advance!Two days before departure, Hong Xiuquan and Ai Daling came to Xu Yang for a trip. Hong Xiuquan did not joke this time and asked Xu Yang to pay for it. A classmate loves him, so he decides to treat Xu Yang with money out of his pocket to give Xu Yang a lottery. Maybe he will be admitted by luck?Xu Yang was furious, this man's mouth is too much!So he went forward and put his arm around Hong Xiuquan's neck and pressed it to the ground. Hong Xiuquan was at a disadvantage, so he started to fight with him, one said that one was an iron rooster, the other said that this one was a poor man, give me a punch. Kicking you, although it is a playful play, but it is very hot in July after all, and after a while, both of them were sweating.

Seeing that they had had enough tossing around, Aidaling slowly came over and stretched out his hand to drag them away: "You two rich men, stop pretending to be poor, and let me, a real poor man, be the host today and come to my house for dinner. I asked your sister-in-law to start the preparations early in the morning. It is estimated that it is almost ready now. It just so happens that you two also help to do some work to dig out the wine that was buried the year before last. It is a good wine brewed by your sister-in-law. "

Hong Xiuquan and Xu Yang were very happy, Mrs. He's craftsmanship is not so good!It's just that Ada loves his daughter-in-law very much, and rarely bothers her, but she is as close as Xu Yanghong Xiuquan, and at most one or two times a month will have the opportunity to go to the tooth festival.Not to mention that there is actually wine brewed by Mrs. He herself!Alas, Adaling has been blessed for several lifetimes in exchange for such a good wife, it's really enviable and jealous!Thinking of Mrs. He's craftsmanship, the two stopped arguing and happily rode to Ai's house. Poor Ai Daling, who was the strongest but rode an old donkey. Of course, the donkey was even more pitiful. It's going to be as big as Adaling!But the donkey is practical, Adaling can ride it when shopping, and can pull a cart when delivering goods for Mrs. He!

Not long after, the three of them arrived at Ada Ling's small courtyard.Mrs. He was drying the quilt in the yard. When she saw them coming, she smiled and said, "I heard that Brother Xu will go to Nanjing to take the Juren exam in two days? My Darling said early in the morning that he would invite you to come over for a drink and practice it. It’s time for you guys to arrive, come in quickly, the meat and vegetables are all ready, I’ll make two more stir-fries and everything will be ready! I don’t know a few words, but I can see that Brother Xu’s character is rare, he must be able to pass the exam Xie Yuan is back!" Xu Yang blushed immediately, hurriedly bowed to Mrs. He and hurried into the main room, but heard Hong Xiuquan yelling that he must not be lazy, come out quickly to dig wine, otherwise he will not be given a drink , but had no choice but to put on a red face and come out to dig a hole with Hong Xiuquan Ai Daling...

Aida Ling's family rented a small single courtyard, with three small rooms, one main room and two side rooms, and there was not much space for the upper yard. Fortunately, Mrs. He tidied it up neatly, Standard playboys like Xu Yang and Hong Xiuquan would not feel that they have nowhere to go when they come here as guests.

Although the three of them are all scholars, they are also in good health who exercise regularly. After a while, they brought out a few jars of wine and carried them to the outside of the kitchen to put them away. A few plates of food were served, and a jug of new wine was quickly filled up with the three of them, saying: "Eat slowly, I will take the time to send over the stewed meat from Muxiyuan!" After finishing speaking, he went out. The old donkey's braying came from outside the door.

Hong Xiuquan made a look of horror: "I say Darling! You can earn 20 taels of silver every month to retouch your pen, and your sister-in-law is so capable. You have some savings over the years, right? Just buy a horse, it's not enough It’s okay to buy another donkey! Look at this, but if you go out to ride a donkey, the sister-in-law will have no animals to deliver the goods, and she will wait for you to come back! Besides, look at how old your donkey is, it’s a long time ago It's time to change!"

Xu Yang understood very well: "If you raise another donkey, what do you ask your sister-in-law to feed it? There is no place to put it. Although this old donkey is old, it has developed feelings. You see, although it works hard, it still cares. I really haven’t given up on the pick. But if Brother Ai buys another one, the old donkey will be sad and can’t move immediately! At that time, there will still be only one donkey that can be used, and it’s a waste of money.”

Aida Ling was also amused when he heard Xu Yang's explanation: "You still know that my old black will be sad! But it's true, old black has been with me for ten years, and I can't bear him. But pulling a cart with it is really too much torment for him, let’s buy a mule and deliver it to my wife! I’ll take Old Hei to live in the school stable.”

Xu Yang immediately sprayed: "You have to raise Lao Hei to the stable!"

Aida Ling looked confident: "That place was originally for us to store our means of transportation. Horses are fine, why not donkeys? Donkeys are much easier to serve than horses."

Hong Xiuquan laughed: "I'm sorry for Old Hei. Compared to living in Chongya and carrying you all day, I think he would rather pull a cart!" Before he could finish speaking, he was violently suppressed by Aida Ling.Xu Yang was knocked down with a smile, and sure enough, one thing falls one thing, no matter how poisonous the peacock is, it must be possible to be overwhelmed when it meets the black-faced god who can defeat the enemy with pure force.

Two days later, Xu Yang took Xu Mo on the road to Nanjing, but instead of going directly to Nanjing, he took a boat to Zhenjiang first. It took only a day or two from Yangzhou to Zhenjiang, which was really convenient. Yang has been there several times, and she is used to walking, so Mrs. Xu is not worried at all.But this time with Xu Mo, the child looked pampered, Mrs. Xu didn't dare to be careless, so she sent a few more people to follow.

The main purpose of going to Zhenjiang is to let Xu Mo visit his hometown. Xu Ziqing’s relationship with his hometown has eased a lot in recent years. Not as cautious and panicked as in the past, Xu Mo's arrival was still warmly welcomed by everyone.Xu Mo was only over one year old when he left Zhenjiang, and at that time his father took his eldest brother to Beijing. Mrs. Xu was worried and took his mother and two other brothers to live with her, so there was no one in the village. I met Xu Mo.Xu Mo's exquisite face, which is not as annoying as his father's at all, is very advantageous. He is originally a kind-hearted person, and Xu Yang's popularity is even better, so everyone entertained them very warmly. The two of them will have an exam in a few days, and in all likelihood they will be dragged by everyone to stay in the village for a few more days.

After paying homage to their ancestors and stopping for a day, the two hurried to Nanjing.Fortunately, Steward Liu arrived in Nanjing more than ten days in advance, and rented a small courtyard not far from the examination room, tidying it up so that the two young masters could have a comfortable environment for the examination.Nanjing is not far from Yangzhou, and there is not much difference in the climate. Xu Yang has nothing to do with it, but Xu Mo's appetite is not very good. He has really struggled for the past two months.Fortunately, there is still half a month before the exam, and I have basically recovered before the exam.

In fact, Xu Yang himself really has no hope for this Qiu Wei, he is really just a companion, of course, it is very important to feel the atmosphere of Qiu Wei.

But after the three-day exam, Xu Yang really wanted to curse: Which bastard came up with such a bad idea?For three days, I ate, drank, and slept in such a small cubicle with air leakage everywhere. The night in the eighth month of the lunar calendar is already quite cold, okay?Eating dry food and drinking water all day and being frozen, even a man of iron can't stand such a toss!This means that one's own health is good, and it is really unbearable to change others.

Xu Yang is really a crow's mouth, good things don't work and bad things work.He himself was fine, but Xu Mo, who was obviously not as healthy as him, collapsed as soon as he came out. He was young, and he had to travel two thousand miles to take the exam. After barely resting, he continued to torture him For three days, it would be strange not to be sick!Xu Yang was desperate to find a doctor for him, only to find that there is a shortage of doctors in Jinling now, and all the decent ones have gone to see the doctors who are leaving the show. Xu Yang is going crazy. Damn, how old was Jia Zhu before he died?I almost lost my life with a cold!If Xu Mo could do something because he couldn't invite a good doctor, he would regret it to death!Finally, I finally remembered that in the same year as my uncle, the governor of Liangjiang, Ming Sheng, was working in Nanjing, so he hurriedly sent a post to meet him. When he talked about the situation, Ming Sheng was also in a hurry. Who didn’t know that Xu Ziqing cherished his youngest son the most, and Xu Yang begged him. If something happened again, I would have no face to see him after that day.He hurriedly arranged for a good doctor to show Xu Mo. After a checkup, although there was no serious illness, it was really too much trouble, and he needed to rest... One delay and two delays, and the two did not return to Yangzhou until two months later.

At this time, the grades came down early, Xu Mo became the youngest candidate in the undergraduate course, and also the youngest Yayuan in Jiangnan in these years, and Xu Yang failed the ranking without accident.The two returned home and hurried to see Mrs. Xu. Mrs. Xu was so anxious to wait for the child that her mouth was full of foam. Now that she saw her son and nephew who had lost weight like herself, she didn't care who passed the exam and who failed. They all hugged each other and cried for a while: "Your father and your uncle are bastards! You have to torture the child like this to be reconciled..."

Lin Daiyu was also waiting for others to die of anxiety. This time when she met Xu Yang, her taunting skills were completely turned off, and she only shed tears and said, "Brother, you should also take care of your health in the future! Fame and other things are secondary, and your body is the most important thing." important."

Xu Yang was so moved that he hurriedly handed over the handkerchief to wipe his sister's tears, and laughed at himself that he was rough-skinned and thick-skinned so he could handle all kinds of troubles, so he wouldn't worry his sister!Seeing that Lin Daiyu was still crying, she promised a bunch of messy things to make Daiyu laugh.Alas, I'm really depressed, why did I accidentally become a sister-in-law?

Naturally, Daiyu also had to visit Xu Mo, after all, he was seriously ill, and he had to congratulate him for winning the Yayuan!Unexpectedly, Xu Mo's face is not as thin as usual, and his face turns red when he sees Daiyu. A person who behaves very generously on weekdays doesn't know where to put his hands and feet when he is in front of Daiyu!It only made Daiyu dumbfounded, and she didn't dare to visit him anymore, she secretly complained to Xu Yang: "Who is the girl between me and my senior brother!" Xu Yang was very unkind in front of Daiyu He laughed a lot, and then ran to laugh at Xu Mo face to face.

Xu Mo stayed in Yangzhou until November, and when he fully recovered, he left and returned to Beijing. Mrs. Xu simply asked the housekeeper to take care of him along the way, just in time to bring the New Year gifts for his younger brother and cousin to Beijing.

Along with Xu Mo, there were Ai Daling and a few others from Yangzhou, but this was Daiyu's idea to Xu Yang.Because Chunwei is in February of the next year, it will take a month or two for the Juren in Yangzhou to rush for the exam. Everyone must start in the first year. This is really hard work!It's just a long journey, not to mention that it may not be possible to find a suitable place to live in the capital: how many people in the country take the exam?Besides, how many of them went by themselves?I read that Juren’s family background is mostly good, and they often take the exam alone with several people accompanying them. The inns in Beijing are full at this time, and the surrounding temples and Taoist temples will be full, and many people are looking for folk houses to stay. manual labor!

When Xu Yang just returned to Yangzhou, one day when Xu Yang was chatting with Daiyu, he mentioned this matter, and he sighed: "Brother Ai said a while ago that he would buy a donkey for his daughter-in-law, but he didn't. Going to Beijing, his family is not considered rich, not to mention the travel expenses. At this time, the accommodation and food in Beijing are very expensive. How can Mrs. He be willing to buy a donkey? I really want to help, but I don’t know how to do it properly! Ai Although my brother is an open-minded person, but taking money dryly always feels that it is of little use. He is used to being frugal. In recent years, his family has become more and more prosperous, so it may not be because of the lack of money... It's just, it's just... "

Xu Yang scratched his head and didn't know how to describe it, but Daiyu immediately understood what he meant: "You mean, Ai Ju people are not richer than the other families, and everything in Beijing is expensive now, you just gave him some I am afraid that if he enters Beijing, he will not be willing to spend a lot of money, and he will suffer some punishment. Are you afraid that his poor clothing, food, housing and transportation will affect the exam?"

Xu Yang nodded again and again, but saw Daiyu burst out laughing: "You are so stupid at reading! You write a letter to Dad and ask Ai Ju to live with us in Beijing? A few days ago When I received a letter from my family, Aunt Meng told me that she had cleaned out the two small courtyards facing the street, and planned to let some Juren from our hometown live in the exam! Although Ai Ju is not from Suzhou, but After all, they are all from Jiangnan, so to speak, they are Dad’s alumni, and they have attended Dad’s classes, so they are considered half-students! Wouldn’t it be nice to live in our house?”

Xu Yang was stunned, hey, is this still possible?But I felt a little awkward: "Isn't this too much trouble for Uncle and Aunt Meng..."

Daiyu pretended to be angry and said: "What are you talking about at this moment, is it troublesome or not! Then I invite a group of classmates to play at home from time to time, is it also troublesome to my aunt? Humph, I regard this as my own home, you don't think it's my home. Make it your own home..."

Xu Yang was so dizzy by this talk about your family and my own family, he repeatedly begged for mercy: "Little sister, take a break, drink some water, speak so fast, be careful not to choke! You know I don't understand these things... I'm not I heard it seems that people are taboo to deal with officials when they go to Beijing?"

Lin Daiyu couldn't laugh or cry: "What a mess, my father is not the examiner for this period, what are the taboos? If you are an official in Beijing, if you are not poor, how can you not take care of your relatives and fellow countrymen who come to Beijing to take the exam? This is also a favor ah!"

It was only then that Xu Yang came to his senses. Chinese people in this era value human relations more than later generations!Whether it is a fellow countryman or a classmate, it is considered a relatively close relationship when you go outside, and it is absolutely impossible to turn a blind eye when you meet outside.Not to mention a student like Aida Ling who has listened to Lin Ruhai's class for a few days?Strictly speaking, almost all the Chongya graduates who went to rush for the exam this year could barely be regarded as Lin Ruhai's students. If they haven't listened to his class, they are still juniors and alumni? !

It should not be too late, candidates for the exam will be on their way one after another, so Xu Yang rushed to discuss this matter with Ada Ling.Or say that Ada made this person open-minded!He didn't twitch at all, he just said it was very good, thanked Xu Yang first, and then asked: "There are more than 30 people from Chongya who went to Beijing this time, a dozen of them have places to go to, and how many others are there?" We don’t care if we don’t know each other well. There are three or four people who are close to you and me. They wanted to go to Beijing with me to find a place to live. I wonder if there is room in Mr. Lin’s house? If so, it’s better to arrange it together! Otherwise, it is not beautiful to say that one favors one more than another.”

Xu Yang laughed: "That's exactly what I mean! It's just that I'm not as familiar with them as you are after all, so it's inappropriate to speak rashly. Please ask Brother Ai to go and ask with me!"

Aida Ling naturally had nothing to say, so he rode an old donkey and took Xu Yang to visit one by one. As expected, two of them were very grateful and agreed without saying a word, and the other was a little embarrassed, but when he thought of Such an opportunity only once in three years, this is not the time to be thin-skinned!It's no wonder that there is no good place to live and the status of the exam will not be affected, not to mention that the ultimate goal of the imperial examination is not to be an official?If there is a chance to get close to a second-rank official, a fool would push it away!So he was a little polite, and then he blushed and agreed, naturally thanking him again and again.Of course, it is still the same sentence, like things gather together and people are divided into groups, and those who have a close relationship with Xu Yang will not have such fake and lofty goods.

Xu Yang went home and told Daiyu that Daiyu thought it was okay. She had taken a walk around her house in Beijing when she left Beijing, and she knew that there were two small courtyards in the house that opened to the outside. There are more than a dozen rooms in each courtyard including the main and wing rooms, which are very spacious and bright, and the distance from the main courtyard will not affect my father's daily life.There will be no more than ten candidates from Suzhou to vote for. After all, no one can go directly to the second-rank official's house to climb up with fellow villagers if they are not relatives or relatives!Arrange four people to go here. It doesn't matter if you bring a few more servants. Anyway, they are rushing for the exam, and they are not relatives. Everyone arranges a yard... It is already very good to have a clean and comfortable place to wait for the exam!

So Xu Yang and Daiyu wrote letters to Lin Ruhai, clarified the matter, and arranged for the letters to be sent to Beijing before these people set off.I told Xu Mo about it again, and Xu Mo was very happy. When he came, he had been on a boat for forty days and was almost suffocated!Now that I have a companion who is also a juren, I can talk about poetry and painting along the way, it couldn't be better!