Chapter 226 The New Lord of Pingshan Seal (Part 1)
At the end of February, in early spring, the south of the Yangtze River is in the south, no longer than the north, and spring comes earlier. At this time, the thin ice formed in the river has begun to melt, and the entire earth is slowly recovering.
In many places in the south of the Yangtze River, when this comes, you can see tender green grass buds in the mountains.
The plants and trees are growing fast. Today, they see tender green buds, and the mountains will be full of green after a while.
Baiming Mountain is located in a corner of the south of the Yangtze River. It is not close to Jinling. It belongs to a small county town, and is also called Baiming, Baiming County.
This county has a large population, but probably Baimingshan has always been a spirit of earth and absorbed all the nutrients. In the past few hundred years, there have been no famous talents in this place, and most of them have been mediocre all their lives.
However, in the past two years, Baimingshan, which has had a beautiful environment, the trees withered and animals died strangely, which made many families who rely on their backers sigh secretly.
Many hunters and mountain people gradually moved, hoping to make a living by making a living.
Moving is not a trivial matter, not everyone has the ability to move another way, and not everyone can leave their hometown.
In a small mountain village several miles away from Baiyang Mountain, no one who lives there chose to move away.
They have lived here for generations. Even if they are poor, they can barely survive by relying on the few acres of thin land they have saved at home and with some other income.
If you leave here and go elsewhere, you may not be able to live a better life.
Moreover, the neighbors and neighbors get along well, but they really can't bear to live in the countryside for many years.
"Zhang Huan, are you going to chop wood again?"
As soon as the day was dawn, many people in the mountain village worked early, even if there were a few acres of thin land, all year round, everyone still had to do some craftsmanship to maintain their lives. The expenses in all aspects were really great. Which family did not have a wedding or funeral?
By then, I was afraid that the accumulation of several years would be spent, so I had to be thrifty and thrifty.
Zhang Huan is fifteen or sixteen years old. Although she is pretty, she is quite strong. She catches a few miles every day and goes to Baiming Mountain to chop firewood. Some are for home use, and some are for sale in the county town. Some are bought by the wealthy family for fire use, which can also subsidize some household use.
Zhang Huan has been smart since childhood and is diligent. He also followed an old man to attend school. This is quite famous nearby. He was just fifteen or sixteen years old, and many people were asking about it. However, his family lives a little poor, and his parents are not in good health. There are still a few younger brothers and sisters below, which is really not wealthy. Therefore, no one has come to protect the media. Otherwise, with his conditions, someone would have come to him.
When he talked to him, Aunt Wang from the same village, Zhang Huan smiled and greeted him: "It turns out it is Aunt Wang. I'm going to chop wood. Aunt Wang is this?"
"Oh, wasn't my third boy who took a job in the county? Aunt, I'm going to see him." Aunt Wang said with a smile.
Her third son is a promising person. Although he is young, he is sweet-mouthed and knows how to do things. Last time he asked someone to find a job in the county town, it really happened. Even the shopkeeper praised the child for being promising, and maybe he could make a fortune in the future!
When it comes to this, Aunt Wang feels very comfortable.
Zhang Huan knew what she was thinking, and smiled and responded a few words, which made Aunt Wang's face smile more and more.
"You kid, you look like you have a promising prospect. Go back to the county town to find a job? Now Baimingshan is not as good as before. You will only become more and more embarrassed when you rely on the mountain to eat. You kid, you look like you are sensible. You will definitely have a promising prospect when you go to the county town." Aunt Wang said kindly.
Zhang Huan said with a smile: "I have also considered this matter. It is becoming increasingly difficult to continue living in Baimingshan to support my family. However, I still have to discuss it with my parents before making this decision."
Aunt Wang nodded repeatedly after hearing this: "What this is said is that your child is filial..."
Then I looked at the sky again: "It's getting late, and my aunt has also gone into the city, so you can go early and come back early."
After leaving the entrance of the village, he met some acquaintances. Zhang Huan greeted them very politely and walked out of the village for a while. He gradually disappeared from the road, so he started to hurry up.
There are ridges across the fields, and there is a pond far away. This pond ends with a stream. There is a mountain in the distance, which is Baiyang Mountain.
Chopping wood is simple and it is also a matter of experiencing patience.
Zhang Huan's family is poor. Although he has a sister above him, he has married a long time ago. At home, he is the eldest son. He has helped his parents to subsidize the family income since he was a child. Even so, he can only barely make up a few people for their lives.
"Go to the county town?" The words were repeated softly, and the young man's pretty face was filled with a hint of distress.
It’s not that I have thought about this, but my parents are better at passing this level, but my teachers are really hard to deal with.
The teacher didn't know who it was, but when he arrived in seclusion in this village, he saw Zhang Huan being smart when he was a child, so he accepted his disciples and taught his knowledge. Since then, Zhang Huan works at home and goes to the teacher's house to study when he has time.
The teacher not only didn't want money, but when he saw that he cooked some pickled fish and bacon, he also gave it to him. He packed it home and handed it to his mother.
It has been eight years in the blink of an eye. Zhang Huan was reading and understood clearly in his heart.
This is the teacher's great kindness, but he understands that some of the teacher's talentedness has delayed his future due to unhappiness in health, and all his ambitions have fallen on him.
Even though he was poor since childhood, the teacher insisted on accepting him and refused to accept him a penny. How much rice and grain can I get from the usual holidays?
The teacher recreated his kindness and had high expectations for him, so he really didn't dare to mention it.
"Tell me well with the teacher, the teacher shouldn't stop him, right?" But when he thought of the situation at home, he made up his mind and convinced himself.
Just thinking about it randomly, I felt that I had to take a long journey, and this day seemed much shorter.
Looking up at the mountain in front of you, Zhang Huan, who had lived here for many years, couldn't help but sigh.
What happened to this mountain?
Even though my ancestors have lived in the area for generations, I have never seen any changes in the mountains. Why did Xiao Bai suddenly become like this?
Squeezing the sigh in his heart, Zhang Huan put down his pick, held the machete in his hand, and began to do the work.
Although he is young and literate, he has some skills in farm work, especially in chopping wood. He is very familiar with cutting wood. It is just that he has cut all the firewood in less than a short while.
At this time, he was already a little thirsty. After walking for several miles, he cut so much firewood. He was already tired and licked his dry lips. Zhang Huan felt a little smoke in his throat.
Not far ahead, there was a stream. Zhang Huan was thirsty, so he put the machete aside and walked over with bare hands. He first washed his hands on the stream, held the water in his hands, and swallowed it in one mouthful.
It was early spring, and the stream was cold and it was really cold. Zhang Huan took several sips, wiped his mouth, and prepared to go back with the firewood on his back.
But after taking a few steps, something raked his feet.
"What is this?" Zhang Huan raised his feet and looked down. His eyes lit up. He bent down and picked up something.
This one looks like an ancient seal, crystal clear and beautiful, but it is just tossed and turned in your hand. The words below have been erased and there are some cracks.
He wanted to give up, but was a little reluctant, so he simply wiped it and put it in his arms.
It was just a small piece of ancient seal, and I took it back to press the book.
In this way, carrying two large loads of firewood, the young man walked towards the mountain village.
It was a few miles away, but it was not close. When I reached the entrance of the village, the young man's pretty face was already sweating again.
"Zhang Huan! Zhang Huan! Why did you come back?" As soon as you entered the village, you met a boy of the same age and a boy with a very good relationship with him. As soon as you saw him, you immediately shouted: "The village has spread, and the King of Chu will be promoted to the Jinling King... Ah! Yes, it's the imperial examination! You have to choose someone with ability to become an official! Everyone says that you are a talented man in our village. If you go to the exam, you will definitely be able to get back with a good reputation!"
The words of the young man from the Xie family made Zhang Huan stunned: "The King of Chu has held the imperial examination?"
It has been ten years since the last time Dayan opened the imperial examination.
Now that the King of Chu who occupied Jinling really started the imperial examination, he wanted to select capable scholars...
I just don’t know what my parents and teachers would think... Thinking of this, he thanked me, so he hurried to the house with firewood.
As soon as he arrived at home, his parents were talking about this matter. When he saw him come back, Zhang's mother brought water to him and washed his hands. She asked about the situation today and asked carefully: "My son, have you heard about the imperial examination?"
Zhang Huan said hurriedly: "As soon as I entered the village, I heard about it, is this true?"
"It's true, Aunt Wang came to say it myself. I heard that the public list has been posted in the county town, and the rumors are very popular. This time, I heard that anyone who knows literacy, regardless of their identity, can go there, just register."
"Now there are many people who know how to read, and they all want to try it. My son, you know what you read and write. Usually, the teacher says you are already a scholar. If this continues, will you bury you? Do you want to give it a try?" Zhang's mother asked.
This is mainly because the teacher sighed from time to time, saying that the imperial examination will not be conducted now, otherwise at least he would be a scholar. This made Zhang's mother remember it in her heart. When she heard it, she couldn't bear it.
"Dad, mom, son of course wants to go...but...it's just...it needs to be mentioned to the teacher to see what he thinks." Zhang Huan hesitated for a moment and said.
After hearing this, Zhang's father and mother Zhang looked at each other.
Zhang's father also agreed with his son's decision and said, "This is the right way, so after you have dinner, you can go there and listen to his opinion."
"Yes!" Zhang Huan responded.
After entering the house first, it was narrow but had several books. Zhang Huan took out the ancient seal, stroked it a few times, and sighed, "Your seal, I don't know which official's seal was now my."
Chapter completed!