In ancient times, transportation was inconvenient and information transmission was very slow.
It was said that it had been a few days since the results were released, and while the capital city was still immersed in the glory of the number one scholar boasting about the street, most places outside the capital did not know the results of the palace examination. More than a hundred messengers riding out from the capital, although
Work hard, and the results of the announcement of the results are still on the way.
In the southwest of the vast land of Ming Dynasty, there is Woniu Mountain rising from the ground, stretching for hundreds of miles. At the foot of Woniu Mountain, there is a small mountain village with beautiful scenery surrounded by mountains and rivers. There is a fence in front of the village and a wall behind it.
Loquat trees, melons and beans are planted in front of and behind the house.
The village is like a paradise, with Woniu Mountain behind the village, clear streams in front of the village, lush trees on the mountain, and abundant fish and shrimp in the water. However, despite the beautiful scenery, judging from the fence walls, thatched houses, and adobe houses in the village, life in the village is relatively rich.
It's still far away.
There is a huge old banyan tree in the center of the village, with many branches, winding and towering, blocking out the sky and the sun.
There are two stone monuments under the old banyan tree. One was built several months ago, and the other was just erected a few days ago. The inscriptions on the stone monument are all left by new carvings. The old one is inscribed with "Jiajing"
The new monument is inscribed with the words "Zhu Ping'an, a member of the Xinhai Enforcement Committee in the 30th year of Jiajing".
Although it has been several days since the palace examination results were released, the news has not yet reached this small mountain village. The small mountain village is still immersed in the news that its own village, Zhu Ping'an, will become a member of the Yuan Dynasty.
There are many people standing under the old banyan tree in the center of the village, chatting. While they are chatting, from time to time, tall horses pulling carriages pass by, either entering or leaving the village.
Continuously.
"Well, this is the eighteenth car today. Tsk tsk, this horse deserves at least this number. It's such a shame to pull a cart." An old farmer squatting on the ground to smoke dry cigarettes knocked the pot of his pipe against the roots of a tree.
Looking at the back of a carriage entering the village, I felt a little pity for the tall horse pulling the carriage.
"Uncle Liu, what's this? The day before yesterday I saw two big horses with pure white fur pulling a cart." Another villager leaned against a tree trunk and showed off. "Uncle, I'm not bragging to you. There are many people on that day.
, Brother Zhu asked me to help, and I went to the carriage specifically to see it. There is really not a single hair on it."
"The old Zhu family is going to be prosperous. Ping'an Lang is so impressive. There is only one Huiyuan in the country. We can't even dream of it."
Under the old banyan tree, there was a strong black man polishing farm tools. He looked at the west end of the village and said with envy.
"You are overthinking. I am Ping'an Lang. Who are you? If you don't want to talk about anything else, let's talk about Xuegu, which Ping'an Lang recommended to our village years ago. Tsk tsk, even the county magistrate has praised our village.
Ping'an Lang was only thirteen at the time." The old farmer who had previously been knocking the pot of his pipe under the root of the tree put a new pipe of tobacco leaves, sat on the root of the tree and leaned against the trunk and took a nice puff.
After the old farmer finished speaking, everyone responded unanimously.
"That's right, that's right, my boy went to Master Sun's school this year, and our village gave him a load of millet. He said there was still a load for him in summer."
"No. My two boys have both gone to elementary school, and they have received two loads at a time. The family has also saved a lot of things, and they can learn some things. They will not be able to become a big man like Pian Lang. If they can read and count, they can also be in the school.
Got a good job in town."
Just as people were talking about it, another old farmer came to the west of the village, followed by a fat, fat dog.
Seeing the visitor, the people under the old banyan tree became energetic. The old farmer who came was Uncle Li from the west end of the village. Uncle Li's family lived next door to Zhu Ping'an's house, and they were old neighbors.
"Uncle Li, why are you here? Why don't you take a nap?" There was a young man under the banyan tree, looking at Uncle Li and asked.
"Why are you taking a lunch break? As soon as I lay down, a group of people came to Shouyi's house. Just when I wanted to take a nap, another group of people came to Shouyi's house. I had finished dinner two days ago, and there were still people coming.
Well, I can't sleep at all." Uncle Li walked over, rubbing his forehead a little tiredly, but with a showy expression on his face, as if he was too proud because he couldn't sleep.
"Hahaha, Uncle Li, why don't you switch your home with mine? My home will be peaceful and I will ensure that you sleep well." The young man under the banyan tree joked with a smile.
"It's a beautiful idea. I won't change it no matter how much money I give. Have you ever seen the master who held the title of Juren? Have you ever seen the county magistrate? Have you seen the eldest gentleman from Anqing Mansion?" Uncle Li blew his gray beard and rushed with a proud look on his face.
asked the young man.
The young man shook his head.
"I've never seen this great old man. I'm telling you, sitting on the roof of my house, you can really see it. Don't tell me, you can't learn from this great old man's demeanor in a lifetime." Uncle Li said.
His face was glowing red, and he even learned to walk two steps. He felt like he was possessed by the old man, and he was looking forward to it.
"Hahaha, Grandpa Li is walking like an old bastard." A naughty kid wearing crotchless pants under the banyan tree pointed at Uncle Li and laughed.
In the end, his father pushed him to the ground and slapped him twice.
"Okay, okay, just wait until you are old enough and send him to school. Anyway, our village has a school valley, and several neighboring villages are so greedy that they are dumbfounded." Someone advised the naughty child's father.
"Uncle Li, I think you don't want to change houses with me because the Shouyi family always sends things to your house, such as snacks and fruits. I think you have a lot of them." Someone laughed.
Uncle Li blew his beard and said, "Why, the Shouyi family didn't send it to your house? Didn't everyone in our village send it?"
"That's right, that's right, but the Shouyi family has nothing to say." People nodded one after another.
After chatting for a while, I saw that the large carriage that had just gone to Zhu Ping'an's house at the east end of the village came out of the west end of the village, and the driver driving the carriage drove the carriage out of the village.
When the big fat dog following Uncle Li saw this unfamiliar carriage, he couldn't help but get excited. The momentum of the raging dog also eased. He raised his ears and took two steps forward on his four legs. He stretched out.
It grew its neck and adopted a howling posture.
Then
In the eyes of everyone, this big fat dog had a full posture, its neck was stretched out, and its mouth was opened. However, even when the dog's mouth was opened wide, it did not make a sound.
Open your mouth and bite, but there will be no sound.
After barking twice silently, the big fat dog drooped its ears and lay down at Uncle Li's feet.
"Uncle Li, what's wrong with this idiot in your family? In the past, a stranger had to be called out for a long time. Why is it that it's thundering but not raining today?" When people saw this, they couldn't help but ask curiously.
"It's nothing, it's just that there have been a lot of people coming recently, and the dog is tired from being bitten and can't bark anymore."
Uncle Li looked at the big fat dog at his feet, shook his head indifferently, and explained. (To be continued.)