Lin Fu, Zhou Pu and others walked to Zhao Hu's house at the west end of the village.
Zhao Hu is the eldest in the family, and he has three younger siblings, all of whom have grown up. The old house has only three thatched houses plus a dormitory and a livestock shed, which is not enough to house the whole family. Fortunately, he has been in the rural camp for the past two years.
After saving some money, his family built a new courtyard next to the old house. The three rooms are all made of blue bricks, with newly-pasted window paper. The scent of tung oil still lingers on the door and window purlins. There is a sunbath in front of the house.
In the corner of the yard, there is a vegetable patch, a chicken and duck kennel, and a kennel. The native dog raised by Zhao Hu smelled the smell of strangers, rushed out of the kennel in the corner of the yard, and barked at Zhou Pu and Chen Enze,
After being kicked by Zhao Hu, he screamed and put his buttocks against Zhao Hu's feet to please him.
The entire courtyard is half an acre in size. Although it cannot be compared with the wealthy families at the east end of the village, the new courtyard is quite eye-catching at the west end of the village. When the courtyard was first built, Lin Fu and Lin Jingzhong joked with Zhao Hu that just because of this house
You can find a good wife.
"Brother Huzi has chosen Hongying, the daughter of old man Guo from Xialin Village. If you go to Jiangning to take the exam, my aunt will ask someone to arrange marriage. That's what they want there too. But a few months ago, Brother Huzi came to the countryside camp.
Let’s not talk about regrets.” Lin Jingzhong talked about Zhao Hu’s sadness.
Zhao Hu, however, didn't care and said, "What do you mean I've fallen in love with you? It's all my mother's worry. Not to mention pulling her down, I still think his daughter's face is pockmarked."
When Lin Jingzhong mentioned this girl, Lin Fu had also seen her. There were a few white pockmarks on her face, but they were not obvious. In other words, she looked more playful. Although she could not compare with Su Mei, Xiaoman or Qi Madam.
She is also a pretty girl.
Lin Fu knew that Zhao Hu had a tough mouth, so he lightly punched his shoulder and said, "Is this girl interested in you? Do you want me to ask Madam Seven to help you find Old Man Guo's family to marry you again?"
Lin Jingzhong also felt that Lin Fu's return this time was a little different from before. In the past, Lin Fu would never take the initiative to take Zhao Hu's matter on him. It was not that the relationship between the three of them was not good, but that Lin Fu was born with a weak temper.
, timid and afraid of getting into trouble, he is timid when asking for his own affairs, so how can he take other people's affairs into his own hands? Just now, Lin Fu refused the seventh lady's kindness in arranging Zhou Pu's uncle and nephew on the street, which he had not done before.
What happened? Lin Jing thought in the center: Maybe because he was admitted to the Juren Examination, Lin Fu also felt that his status was very different from before. There was no need to be timid in doing anything anymore. Maybe it was because of the encounters he had encountered in the past ten months.
The encounter with a bandit exposed him to the world.
Zhao Hu didn't expect to be so detailed. When he heard that Lin Fu was going to ask the Seventh Lady to marry him, he was a little shy and said: "What are you talking about? Let's settle down first and find a place to drink." What was Lin Fu thinking?
The candidate who passed the new examination gave the east wing room to Lin Fu to live alone. "If you sleep here, you will have to trouble Brother Zhou or the little guy to squeeze into the west wing room with me." He shouted towards the yard of the old house next door, "Mei Zi,
Meizi, your scholar brother is back and is staying with me temporarily. Come over and help clean up..."
Lin Fu said that he, Zhou Pu and Chen Enze could just squeeze into the west wing, but how could a dove occupy the magpie's nest?
Chen Hu insisted: "You will be the master of the people's education from now on. No matter how familiar we are, we can't break the rules."
Lin Fu sighed slightly in his heart, not knowing whether it was better to persist or not to persist.
Zhao Hu's sister Chunmei is a sweet-looking girl with dark skin. She looked over the courtyard wall from half a height, holding an embroidered cloth in her hand. When she saw Lin Fu and others standing in the courtyard, she said happily: "That's really it.
Brother Xiu Cai is back! My brother just asked someone to send a message to my mother to see Mrs. Seven, saying that you are back. I still don’t believe it... Do you want to live in my house first? Just wait, I will come and help you clean up the house.
"
At this moment, someone outside the courtyard shouted: "Zhao Hu, Zhao Hu, Lin Xiucai, are you here?"
Lin Fu and Zhao Hu walked to the courtyard wall and saw a young man wearing an evergreen coat walking from the edge of the field. He saw Lin Fu and Zhao Hu sticking their heads out from a distance.
Then he said: "Xiucai, I have found you. I heard that you are back. Please come over. I chased you from the end of the village to the west end of the village. If I had known that I would go this way, I would have led a horse out..."
This young man's name is Gu Changshun, and he is a close confidant of Lin Tingxun, the head of the Lin family.
"You follow Changshun to see the master first," Zhao Hu said, "We will clean up the room, and we will entertain Brother Zhou." Lin Jingzhong said, Lin Fu coming back alive and facing Shanglin Village is a big event for the Lin family.
No wonder the head of the family hurriedly came over to summon him for a meeting after hearing the news.
"Don't clean up the room. When I came out to report the news, the master didn't know that Lin Xiucai had decided to give the house to Lin Guisheng's family to live in. But the master said that the scholar passed the examination and could no longer live in the broken kiln house at the end of the village. Nanxi
There is an empty house in Yuanzi, and the master has already sent people to clean it up," Gu Changshun said, clapped his mouth again, "Look at me, I am still a scholar, I call you a scholar, it is time to call you master," he said
After saying that, he raised his hand to Zhou Pugong and said, "This is Mr. Zhou who helped Lin Xiucai? My master also invited Mr. Zhou to come over and thank him in person. If you have any luggage, please tell Zhao Hu and Xiaowu directly
Send her to Nanxi Plateau, where Guiniang will help clean up."
Although Lin Jingzhong is also a child of the Lin family, he is a side branch after all, and he has not been able to obtain any honors. He only works as a cashier in the warehouse. His status in the Lin family cannot be compared with that of Lin Tingxun's close associates. Gu Changshun is also very smooth when he calls him; in Lin Jing Center
Although there is some dissatisfaction, it will not be shown.
In the past, Lin Fu would have been flattered, ecstatic, and immediately carried away with his pride. He followed Gu Changshun to the mansion and ran to Lin Tingxun to thank him.
In Shiliang County, there are many mountain villagers who don't know about the county magistrate Liang Zuoren, but very few people don't know about Lin Tingxun, the head of the Lin family. In the past twenty years, Lin Tingxun has been the unequivocal owner of this land. Every time a new county magistrate of Shiliang County is appointed,
When he took office, the first thing he did when he took office was not to ask about people's livelihood, but to deliver a message to Lin's house to pay a visit. As soon as Lin Fu came back, Lin Tingxun wanted to see him and asked him to move into the house at the head of the village. In Shiliang County, in
Shanglin Village, in the Lin family, what an honor this must be.
Lin Jingzhong didn't care about Gu Changshun sending him to attack, and he and Zhao Hu were happy for Lin Fu: "Look, as soon as you come back, something good will come to your door - that house in Nanxi Plateau, it's really
Exquisite and beautiful. The second young master took a concubine and planned to place her there. As a result, the second young lady kicked the woman out of Shanglin Village, and the house has been empty. I didn't expect that I would be able to let you live in it----I will definitely do it in the future.
I will respect you more."
Lin Fu knew that the house in Nanxi Yuanzi was not big, but the garden was very exquisite. He had passed there before, and he had imagined when he could live in such a house and have no regrets in his life. However, when Lin Tingxun handed over this house
When the house was presented to him, Lin Fu had no special feeling at all. He looked calmly at Gu Changshun in front of him. He was twenty-seven or eight years old, with a thin body but a shrewd face. He stood there respectfully. No one else
Don't forget that before he went to Jiangning to take the provincial examination, Gu Changshun was no more polite to him than he was to Lin Jingzhong.
"Don't bother me. It's good for me to stay at Zhao Hu's house. Zhao Hu doesn't mind adding three more sets of dishes and chopsticks. Just wait for us for a while. After we finish packing these things, I'll go with you to see the master." Lin Fu said calmly.
Gu Changshun, Lin Jingzhong, and Zhao Hu changed their expressions upon hearing this. Zhou Pu smiled and pulled Chen Enze to take the package and pack it in. He had no way to get involved in this kind of thing.
Gu Changshun's face turned ugly. He had no idea that Lin Fu would reject the master's kindness. He was stunned and didn't know what to say. Lin Jingzhong and Zhao Hu didn't know what medicine Lin Fu had taken wrong.
In front of Gu Changshun, Lin Jingzhong tried his best to wink at Lin Fu. Zhao Hu directly pulled Lin Fu aside and lowered his voice: "You didn't take any wrong medicine, right? My doghouse is nowhere comparable to Nanxi Plateau."
Your house? Are you worried that Jingzhong and I will look at each other and feel uncomfortable? Don’t worry, we will only be happy for you!"
"I have my own plans when I come back this time," Lin Fu comforted Zhao Hu. Lin Jingzhong didn't want Lin Tingxun's confidant Gu Changshun to hear anything, so he lowered his voice and said, "I will take Brother Zhou to see the family head first, and I will come back later to tell you in detail.
…”
Zhao Hu and Lin Jingzhong didn't know what Lin Fu had in mind. They never thought that Lin Fu could have any opinions on his own. Seeing Lin Fu's resolute attitude, they felt very anxious. They took his hand and wanted to go inside to discuss things with him.
Speak clearly, lest he say the wrong thing when he goes to see the head of the family, and a good thing turns into a bad thing.
Changing other people's impressions of oneself cannot be achieved overnight. Zhao Hu and Lin Jingzhong also had good intentions. Lin Fu could only smile helplessly and said to Gu Changshun: "Please wait in the yard for a moment..." First, he followed Zhao Hu and Lin Jingzhong.
Got a room.
After entering the room and seeing Zhao Hu, Lin Jingzhong was eager to persuade him not to do something stupid. Lin Fu said with a smile: "How could Lin Tingxun be nice to me for no reason? It was just to see that I passed the exam and it was of some use, so I gave him some
The good thing is, I hope I can be a chess piece in my hands from now on..."
"How many people do you know who are eager to be our chess pieces?" Lin Jingzhong urged anxiously, "Brother Huzi was kicked out by the township camp. Don't look at the indifference on Brother Huzi's face, but he has some regrets in his heart - the whole township camp is not
Are they all just pawns in the hands of my family? Although you can get an official position in the county if you win the election, but without the connections of my family to help you move around, even if your quota is reported, you will have to wait until the Year of the Monkey and the Horse to find a real vacancy.
Is it on you? In the past two years, I have been working in the warehouse, and I have finally understood it and accepted my fate! You said that you are usually soft and arrogant, but how come you have become aloof in your bones this time?" He then thought about something.
Seeing this incident, his eyes lit up. He grabbed Lin Fu's shoulders excitedly and asked, "Do you want to enter Yanjing to take part in the examination?"
Although the candidates who pass the exam are qualified to be officials, they have to report to the Xuanfu Envoy Office and wait for the vacancies to be filled. Those who are lucky enough to fill the vacancies after a few years are usually only minor local officials and minor officials. Juren's background
The promotion path for government officials in China is very narrow. Being able to become a seventh-grade county magistrate before old age is already smoke rising from the ancestral grave. There are also many people who have been promoted for half a life and still cannot get into an official position.
The gentry family not only had classmates, but also had powerful connections in the officialdom in the same year. The people in this dynasty themselves had many political, cultural and economic privileges. With connections and these privileges, they could live a prosperous life. However, no matter whether they were officials or not, they had many privileges.
, everyone has to hang out in the local area and cannot fight against the local wealthy families. Most of them will even take the initiative to protect the subordinates of the local wealthy families and collude with each other.
Lin Fu was originally a member of the Lin family. Even though he had been scorned by his family in the past, didn't he have to look forward to everything? Lin Jingzhong has become more pragmatic in the past two years. He knew that even if Lin Fu passed the examination and wanted to gain a foothold in Shiliang County, he would still have to move on.
It depends on my family's attitude, unless Lin Fu is determined to go to Yanjing to take part in the examination.