As soon as the sky turned white, Mrs. Lin got up. She saw that Wufan was no longer at home. She thought that the little monk was not a mortal. After silently thanking her, she walked alone towards Zhangjia Town, which is thirty miles away. , today she will give the medicinal herbs to Mr. Zhang.
Three days ago, the village had already given it away once. However, due to the situation at home, old lady Lin had to go on the road alone. There were only a few men in the village, and they were responsible for daily hunting, so no one could accompany her.
Thirty miles is not far. If there are horses, it can be reached in less than half a day. But for old lady Lin, this trip may take a whole day. The autumn exam Wu Yun will be leaving soon, the day after tomorrow at the latest.
Along the way, Mrs. Lin's face was full of worry. When she was counting the herbs before going out, she found a few broken herbs. She was worried that she would not be able to raise enough money for her son to take the exam, and time would not allow her to go there again. Ventured into the mountains.
On the muddy official road, except for the old woman Lin, there was no passerby, which made this old figure look so lonely and great.
In the forest on the left side of the official road, Wu Fan followed the old woman Lin unhurriedly, holding in his hand a few herbs he picked when he went out of the mountain.
There were stops and starts along the way, and it was not until the afternoon that Wu Fan followed the old lady Lin to Zhangjia Town.
The town is not big, with less than two hundred households, but it is very lively. Before entering the town, you can hear the cries of various vendors.
The entire town is in the shape of a "pin", with a stone-paved main road leading directly to Zhang's Mansion at the top, where the medicine hall is located. Next to Zhang's Mansion on the left and right sides are militia groups voluntarily organized by the townspeople to maintain public security in the town. , the houses of the rest of the townspeople are arranged on both sides of the main road.
Only then did Mrs. Lin breathe a sigh of relief. Regardless of her tired body or her hungry stomach, she headed straight for the Zhang Family Medicine Hall. At this time, there were two long lines in front of the medicine hall. One team is for treating patients, and the other is for delivering medicinal herbs like the old lady Lin.
There were a lot of people queuing up, but the villagers were very disciplined and the medicine shop clerks were fast. The whole queue was not slow. In less than a quarter of an hour, it was Old Lady Lin's turn.
"Aunt Lin, you're here again." Seeing that it was Mrs. Lin, the waiter's face became more enthusiastic, and he took the bamboo frame and tapped it lightly: "Aunt Lin, you are already so old, you should rest. Rest."
After many years, the clerk knew why Mrs. Lin worked so hard, and did not persuade her too much. After all, this year was also the last chance for the Wu family scholar.
"Yeah yeah……"
Mrs. Lin looked awkward and uneasy at this time, staring closely at the clerk. When she saw the clerk putting the broken herbs aside, she suddenly begged: "Li Erlang, can you see if these herbs can be used first?" Take it away, and after tomorrow, I will go into the mountain again to replenish it. Is it possible?"
The clerk Xiao Li is also a little embarrassed. He also knows that Aunt Li does not ask for much, but the Zhang family medicine hall has been losing money every year. Most of the herbs sent by the villagers are used by the villagers themselves, and there is hardly any surplus. They can barely maintain the Zhang family. livelihood.
It's not that he doesn't want to accept the herbs at the original price, and the extra money won't embarrass the Zhang family for a while. It's not that he doesn't believe what Mrs. Lin said. Mr. Zhang is a kind man, so he doesn't take any money, and he can let the villagers use the herbs as a deduction. But there has never been such a backlash.
Life is not easy for villagers and elders. Once this happens, if everyone comes to the Zhang family for trouble, the Zhang family will not be able to cope with it.
Villagers from all over the country are very aware of this situation, and no one has ever made such a request. It has always been the Zhang family who said that medicinal materials are worth as much money as they are worth.
Seeing that the waiter was in trouble, Mrs. Lin knew that she had said the wrong thing, so she hurriedly said: "It's my fault, just take it as much as you deserve. I hope Zhang Mansion can open the door early tomorrow morning."
"Okay, Aunt Lin, if you come again, just knock on the back door." After collecting the herbs, the waiter handed over two taels of silver and two steamed buns along the way. He knew that Aunt Lin had not had lunch yet.
"Thank you Li Erlang... thank you..." Old Mrs. Lin did not refuse, but she was really hungry and flustered. After thanking her repeatedly, she took the money and steamed buns and left.
Without stopping for even a moment, Aunt Lin ate her steamed buns and hurried back. Perhaps she was anxious for her last two taels of silver, and her pace was a lot faster in her old age.
Just after old lady Lin left and went up the official road, a man from the back door of Zhang's mansion chased after her on a fast horse and shouted from a distance: "Aunt Lin... Aunt Lin..."
"Chen Erlang, why are you here?" Seeing another clerk in the Medicine Hall, Mrs. Lin quickly stopped and went to greet him.
Turning over and dismounting, Chen Erlang took Mrs. Lin's hand, handed over two taels of silver and said, "Master has remembered how much the medicinal herbs you have sent over the years are worth. Knowing that you still had two taels of silver left, he ordered me to Sent to you."
"It can't be done, it can't be done... Mr. Zhang is a kind man, but my old lady can't do this." Old Mrs. Lin quickly took back her hand and refused to take it back at all.
In the medicine hall, she said those words in a moment of impatience, and she still regrets it now.
Chen Erlang smiled naively, took Old Mrs. Lin's hand again, squeezed it tightly and said, "Mrs. Lin, just accept it. Over the years, the herbs you have sent are the best. There has never been anything like this." After so many losses this time, I know that you must be in danger when you go into the mountains this time, and I also know that you will definitely go into the mountains again to collect herbs when you go back tonight..."
Forcibly putting the two taels of silver into the hands of old lady Lin, Chen Erlang got on his horse and said with a smile: "Master said, he lent you these two taels of silver first. It won't be too late when Wu Shu goes to high school after his birthday. Master Let me also bring you a message: if Erlang of the Wu family becomes an official in the future, I hope he will be an honest official and benefit the people."
"drive!"
With a loud shout, the horse galloped away, leaving only the old lady Lin crying with joy.
It wasn't until dark that Mrs. Lin returned home. Seeing that her son was still reading, she couldn't help but feel a little more proud, and hurriedly went to prepare dinner.
"Amitabha!"
On the mountain, looking at the weak candlelight, Wu Fan felt more enlightened.
Returning to the town again, Wu Fan came to the door of Zhang's house, but did not go to see Zhang Dashan. He just handed a few herbs and an amulet he picked to the servant at the door, and told him that he must hand them over with his own hands. In the hands of Mr. Zhang.
Then, under the shocked eyes of the servants, Wu Fan disappeared into the forest in a few moments.
The amulet is not a precious thing in the world of cultivation, but for mortals, the spiritual power in it can protect people's safety and longevity.
Although they have not met each other, what they saw today is that this good man deserves the love and respect of his fellow villagers and elders, and Wu Fan also feels that this amulet is worth giving.
Time passed slowly, and in a blink of an eye, it was time for the autumn exams. Thousands of scholars from all over the country gathered in the bustling capital. Some were only eighteen years old, taking exams for the first time, while others like Wu Yun were taking exams for the last time.
Perhaps this time he has accumulated enough knowledge. From the county examination, the government examination, the college examination, and the general examination, Wu Yun has made great progress all the way. It can be said that he has exceeded his expected goal. As long as he passes the last round of the palace examination, he will have He has no chance to compete for the top three, but no matter what, he is already qualified to be an official.
At this time, Wu Fan had already left the country. After several months of traveling, he had seen a lot of worldly things. The restless mind when he first went down the mountain had also disappeared. He had experienced more vicissitudes of life and felt more stable.
From the beginning of helping the villagers who were living in hardship, to the end, Wu Fan also began to try to teach people about Buddhism. When he talked to them, he was also talking to himself. Every time he explained Buddhism, he would have different insights and understanding of Buddhism. The understanding is also constantly improving.
In this way, Wufan lectured and understood the Dharma all the way, carrying out his own experience in the world of mortals.
On the other side, one month later, the imperial court released the results, and with the blessing of heaven and earth, Wu Yun, the top three in high school, was awarded the title of bachelor by the Holy Emperor himself, and was responsible for compiling historical records.
However, in the main hall, Wu Yun publicly rejected the conferment from the current emperor, which made Long Yan furious. If the prime minister hadn't begged for mercy, he would have been executed immediately.
But even so, the Holy Emperor was still displeased. If Wu Yun couldn't give a reasonable explanation, he would still be punished.
In the end, Wu Yun had to explain the situation at home, saying that he did not want to enjoy the glory and wealth by getting the fame, but only wanted to remember his fellow villagers and go back to benefit the people.
Remembering that Wu Yun devoted himself to serving the people, the Holy Spirit, although still angry, no longer embarrassed Wu Yun, so he gave him an errand as a county magistrate and asked him to return to Caoshan County.
Caoshan County has ten towns and hundreds of villages under its jurisdiction. It is said that it is not large, but there are tens of thousands of people. It may be said that it is large, but they are all poor people. Compared with those wealthy counties, ten or one hundred households may not be able to survive. Comparable to other people's homes.
It took more than two months for the news about Wu Yun High School to reach Zhangjia Town. On the same day, Mr. Zhang ordered someone to deliver the great news to Mrs. Lin's home.
However, just as everyone was eagerly waiting for Wu Yun to return home in glory, an order from the magistrate of Caoshan County was handed over to Mr. Zhang.
After Wu Yun left the capital, he rushed to Caoshan County non-stop and took up his post directly. He had not picked up his mother at home for two months, let alone returned home in fine clothes.
Two months later, the first thing he did when he took office was that Wu Yun ordered a 30% tax increase, starting with wealthy merchants, to build roads between towns and villages and towns, and strengthen the relationship between caravans. of liquidity.
As soon as this order came out, the wealthy merchants from all walks of life were extremely dissatisfied, but they did not dare to say anything. After all, this was a good thing for the people. In the end, it was the rich people like them who really benefited.
After several arguments and bargaining to no avail, the wealthy merchants had no choice but to pay, including the Zhang family in Zhangjia Town.
However, no one knows that this is just the beginning, the beginning of a nightmare!
