"Hey."
After stepping into Ding's mansion, the face of the Minister of Rites became even more joyful, and he was walking towards a pavilion in his mansion with a smile on his face.
It was just built there. After the great flood in the capital, the mansion was also burned down. Ding Liu used all his silver to buy a better mansion.
Not only is the mansion more grand than before, but he who likes raising birds has also built a pavilion. The pavilion is so well decorated that it can be said that even ordinary people cannot live in such a pavilion.
By coincidence, Ding Liu's first lady came over at this time. After seeing the smile on the master's face, she asked curiously.
"What happened to me today that makes me so happy?"
Hearing his wife's question, Ding Liu happened to have nothing to do, so he said: "Isn't it the imperial examination soon? Then I can make a small fortune."
After finishing speaking, Ding Liu looked at Madam Zheng with a proud face.
No one is happy to hear that they can make money, and the wife is no exception: "That's right, the master is really smart."
Thinking about his bird, Ding Liu smiled slightly and looked at Mrs. Zheng: "Okay, I have to go see my bird."
"good."
I saw Master Ding Liu walking towards the pavilion over there.
Speaking of pavilions, Ding Mansion built several, among which the master’s is the largest. After all, they have to raise birds.
The master's pavilion can only be entered by him or the housekeeper, not even the main wife, the concubines and children at home.
The pavilion is very large, with all kinds of green plants hanging down everywhere. It can be said to be extremely beautiful.
There are also several cages for different bird species.
As soon as Mr. Ding came in, he looked at his favorite bird, took a small medicine spoon, and added food to the small bowl in the cage.
This bird has red feathers, a golden beak, and red feet. Looking at such a beautiful bird, no wonder the master likes it.
On the other side, the Gongyuan in Nanning Prefecture City has just opened its door.
It should be said that the first test was supposed to be completed yesterday, but it was not until today.
It is said that this is done to prevent candidates from cheating by entering the examination room the day before and leaving the examination room the day after the examination.
Among them, your whole body will be searched before entering the exam. Only food, pens, ink, etc. can be brought in. Others are not allowed to be brought in. After the exam, the examiner will order someone to collect the answer sheets and check everyone one by one. The identity of the examinee must be compared with the one on the answer sheet to prevent anyone from falsifying or using someone else's name. Finally, in the middle of the night, the examination sheet will be handed over to the provincial government officials to escort it to the capital. No mistakes can be made during the process.
On the day when the answer sheets were collected, the candidates were unable to leave the examination room and had to stay in a small room while the yamen officers searched them carefully. This extended to the next day.
After leaving the Gongyuan, Chen Ziyuan looked at the people who were walking around talking about the examination. He raised his head and looked at the warm sun in the sky. He recalled what he looked like during the examination. Suddenly, Ziyuan was secretly pleased with himself.
"Hello."
With these words, Chen Ziyuan regained his complacency and looked at the man who walked over and was a head taller with a puzzled look on his face.
"Are you here to take the provincial examination too?"
Looking at his appearance, he was a little taller than himself, and his beard had grown a little, but it was not obvious. He had a thin figure, holding a pen, a bottle of ink in his hand, and then a small bowl with a corner missing. The bowl was clearly visible. There are still traces of ink staining.
Ziyuan nodded and looked at the strange man.
"Do you think you can pass the exam?"
Chen Ziyuan continued to nod, looking at him with a somewhat puzzled look.
"I don't believe it. After all, you are so young, and there are many people who are over thirty years old and still come to take the exam."
When the strange man said this, Zi Yuan's confidence was shaken.
"Let's take a walk together."
After hearing this and thinking about what Uncle Xu said, Chen Ziyuan asked curiously: "Is your home over there too?"
The man shook his head: "My family is not from here, but I have met you."
"Have you seen me?" Chen Ziyuan asked.
The man nodded. I saw you at the inn that day. You stayed with a man who was dressed very strangely. He also had a long knife, right?
Now that he already knew, he didn't look like a bad person. Thinking about what Uncle Xu said, Zi Yuan made up a lie: "He is my father."
"Your father?" The man was surprised.
"My father was burned by a fire when I was young. He was afraid that others would laugh at him, so..."
The two of them were walking on the streets of Nanning Fucheng. The story Zi Yuan compiled was so wonderful that it moved the man beside him to death.
After chatting for a long time, the man introduced himself: "My name is Lin Baiyang, what's yours?"
"My name is Zhang Ziyuan." Ziyuan replied with a pen, ink and inkstone in his hand.
"Your name is similar to that of my father. If my neighbor hadn't told me, I wouldn't have known about it. My father didn't want to give birth to me at first, but he gave birth to me anyway. At that time, my father was a good drinker, so he asked me if he didn't have money. My mother wanted me, but my mother didn’t beat my mother. After I had some, my father decided that I raised him in vain, and I couldn’t give him endless money at once, so he gave me Lin Baiyang. In other words, Raised in vain.”
Zi Yuan laughed when he heard what Lin Baiyang, who was older than him, said.
"How old are you?" Zi Yuan asked curiously.
"I'm seventeen, what about you?"
"I'm ten years old."
Hearing Ziyuan's age, Lin Baiyang, who was seven years older than him, was a little surprised: "You took the provincial examination so soon, it's really amazing. Were you forced by your father?"
Zi Yuan shook his head: "I want my parents to change their lives, stop selling steamed buns, and have fun all day long."
Hearing Ziyuan's words really made the seventeen-year-old Lin Baiyang envious: "My father always forced me to pass the civil service examination to lighten the burden on my family. When I was fourteen years old, I took the provincial examination once, but failed. , this is the second time, if I don’t hit again, my parents will scold me again.”
Seeing Zi Yuan, who was seven years younger than him, not asking any questions, Lin Baiyang continued to talk about his own hardships: "When I was three or four years old, my father asked my mother to sell the three sheep raised at home. In order to read to me, I took the county exam when I was five years old. I failed that time, but passed it when I was six years old. Then there were the government exams and the college exams. Among them, I failed twice in the government exams and four times in the college exams. , I won the exam later, and when I was fourteen, I caught up with the triennial provincial examination, but unfortunately I didn’t pass.”
Listening to Lin Baiyang's words, ten-year-old Chen Ziyuan felt pity for him but didn't know how to comfort him.
"You took the provincial examination when you were ten years old. You must have been very smart in the past, right?" Lin Baiyang looked at Chen Ziyuan with envious eyes.
Zi Yuan was said to be shy: "Thank you sir for your good teaching."
"Where are you from?"
"Xitong County."
"I am from Nanwang County, and you are from Lin County."
At this moment, Chen Ziyuan, who had very sensitive eyes, saw the scene in front of him.
I saw a person walking out of a room in a hurry, putting a piece of light yellow paper in his clothes and quickly put it away, then smiled and walked away quickly.
Although he was only ten years old, his eyes were telling him that something was wrong, but he was not sure if it was true.
"Is that person buying test questions?" Zi Yuan asked Lin Baiyang at the side.
Lin Baiyang, who hadn't seen that scene, didn't know if it was true. Looking at Zi Yuan's eyes, and then looking in the direction Zi Yuan was looking, he saw nothing unusual.
"Did you read it wrong? Besides, buying and selling test questions is a serious crime. Whoever dares to sell them will also buy them."
Listening to Lin Baiyang's words, Zi Yuan's thoughts immediately changed, as if his ears were telling him that what he saw with his eyes may not be true.
Seeing Zi Yuan stop walking, Lin Baiyang on the side said: "Let's go, you must have seen it wrong."
After Lin Baiyang said another word, Zi Yuan just started walking towards the Xilai Inn.
Perhaps it was because he had few friends. Seventeen-year-old Lin Baiyang admired Zi Yuan very much and seemed to have an urge to make friends with him.
At this time, the seventeen-year-old Lin Baiyang finally stopped. Seeing the Xilai Inn approaching, Lin Baiyang said: "Shall we... be friends?"
Lin Baiyang looked at Chen Ziyuan with a hopeful face.
Listening to Lin Baiyang's words, Zi Yuan stopped. Looking at Lin Baiyang's impatient face, Chen Ziyuan agreed: "Okay, then let's be friends."
When he heard Ziyuan agreed, Lin Baiyang laughed happily and swore: "Today, I, Lin Baiyang, and Zhang Ziyuan have officially become friends who share blessings and hardships, and are the best friends."
Hearing that Lin Baiyang had his name wrong, Chen Ziyuan wanted to correct it but didn't dare.
Uncle Xu once said that if you say the name Chen Ziyuan in front of people you don't know, there will be disaster.
Thinking of this, Zi Yuan had no choice but to stop correcting him. Anyway, the name used in the exam was not his real name.
After taking the oath, Lin Baiyang looked at Chen Ziyuan who had not taken the oath, and said with a smile: "Ziyuan, it's your turn. Take an oath, and we will be the best friends from now on."
"Okay." After agreeing, Ziyuan swore an oath: "I, Zhang Ziyuan, am Lin Baiyang's best friend today. I share the blessings and hardships."
Seeing Zi Yuan finish his vows, seventeen-year-old Lin Baiyang teased Zi Yuan with a smile: "Now I'm in trouble, can you help me?"
Ziyuan didn't think much and responded: "Help! Just say it."
"My father always likes to drink and gamble. The family owes a lot of debt. Can you...?"
Upon hearing this, Ziyuan hesitated. After all, at the age of ten, there was no money to help him even if he wanted to.
Seeing Zi Yuan's hesitation, Lin Baiyang decided not to tease him anymore, and said with a smile: "It's okay, I'm just teasing you. You are only ten years old, how can you help me with money? Let's talk about it later."
Zi Yuan nodded and watched Xilai Inn getting closer and closer. Zi Yuan asked his friend Lin Baiyang who had just announced his friendship beside him: "What number do you live in?"
