"Hey, old man, have you heard about this year's Beginning of Summer Poetry Festival? Because King Qing paid tribute to a nine-leaf white orchid a few days ago, His Majesty set the tone for this poetry meeting."
"What kind of poetry meeting?...What kind of tune?"
Looking at the officials who were setting up the Lixia Poetry Festival not far away and some people who had applied to the government or were recruited, a young man in ordinary clothes sat idle at the table and looked at the middle-aged man who was cleaning the table for him. , talking quietly to himself,
"Eh? Didn't you see it? All the notices have been posted in the west of the city. The name of the poetry meeting at the beginning of autumn was changed to Bailan Meeting, just to celebrate. It is exactly the same as the Longzhi Meeting a few years ago. , the Longzhi Festival was grand at that time, and it will happen again this year!
This time, the theme of the Lixia Poetry Festival is flowers and seasonal medicinal plants. Look, doesn’t this correspond to the Bailan Festival at the beginning of autumn? "
Stopping what he was doing, the middle-aged man who had just asked the question folded the rag and raised his weather-beaten face, still confused, because these poetry gatherings in the capital had nothing to do with someone like him who came from Bingzhou. For people, it really doesn't matter how long.
He had also never heard of it.
"Then, what does this Laozi Poetry Club have to do with us?"
The middle-aged man asked calmly, wiping his hands on his waist skirt.
As soon as the young man heard this, he knew that this middle-aged man must be a foreigner. He immediately got excited and talked eloquently:
"Of course! For example, if you write a good poem, wouldn't you be able to rise to great heights in the future? Moreover, as long as you are willing to work hard and have some brains to give good ideas to the official who arranges the poetry meeting, then you Think about it, aren't you a refugee? It won't be a problem to establish yourself in the capital. You have to seize such a good opportunity. Look at the restaurant where you work. His family is famous for its reputation on Longzhihui. Those who make a fortune from a good poem must seize this good opportunity!"
Establish a foothold in the capital? The middle-aged man smiled bitterly and did not refute the young man's beautiful thoughts. He just continued to lower his head and said no more.
If it were so easy, then this young man would not talk freely in front of him. He would have become the person he said was so prosperous, and he would be the same person as the shopkeeper now.
Besides, it doesn't matter if he gets a foothold, his family almost all starved to death in this famine, and he just wanders aimlessly in the capital to barely survive.
To live and then die peacefully is the final vision for middle-aged people.
It was just before that I heard that the Censor had sent Liu Shangshu to jail for embezzling famine relief money, so I felt a little bit of comfort.
"I said you, old man, are really boring."
When the young man saw that the middle-aged man did not speak anymore and continued to lower his head and work on what he was doing, he suddenly felt that it was boring. After sighing a few times, he quickly ran next door to discuss the poetry meeting with other heirs.
"Boring? Sigh..."
Looking at the bustling streets in the capital, the middle-aged man couldn't help but recall the devastated Bingzhou, the dim yellow land with not a single blade of grass, and the old tears couldn't stop rolling down his eyes.
…
In the yard, Zuo Ning gently squeezed the smooth shoulders of Shen Luan who was holding him on his lap. His whole body was limp and he looked sleepy and unable to cheer up. His starry eyes looked at some poetry collections compiled by Shen Luan on the table. A sad look on his face.
"Good lady, please spare me. I really can't do anything about this. I'll just escort you to the poetry meeting when the time comes. Why do I have to go there myself?"
"Niaoniao! Miss Gu, don't be soft-hearted."
In the yard not far away, Lu Shuihan was holding a long spear in his hand. As always, he woke up early in the morning and began to carefully deduce the methods of his marksmanship, looking for the one that best suited him. Zuo Ning had already Zuo Jiaji taught him some of the most suitable moves for him. Since he had been asking about guns in the world for so long, it was time to calm down and study them. As usual, her white hair was tied up high and combed into a high ponytail, showing off her heroic temperament.
Gu Lingyun, who was sitting on the other side of the table, holding pastries in one hand and waving a fan gently in the other, smiled and looked at the two people who had been married for a long time, with a look of envy flashing under his eyes.
She looked at Zuo Ning, who had a beautiful face, and said with a smile:
"That's not okay, Mr. Zuo. Who was the one who boasted yesterday that if he didn't win, he would devote himself wholeheartedly to studying the poetry collection today? You must be willing to accept defeat."
When he mentioned yesterday, Zuo Ning was speechless. He had never thought that the three beautiful and elegant girls in front of him would secretly join forces to punish him and perform a good job on him.
Just play cards, why do you do so many bells and whistles? No matter who I partner with, I still don't win. That means I lose a lot and don't win a lot!
Finally, it was almost time to go to bed. Shen Luan, who was under the quilt, looked at him on the bed with his head up and staring blankly at the ceiling with a depressed expression. Then he couldn't help it anymore and accidentally laughed. At this time, Zuo Ning suddenly realized Suddenly he was speechless.
Then, amidst Shen Luan's exclamations, there was a scene of causing a scene in the Divine Bird Palace, and today Shen Luan is now weak, weak, and weak all over.
Shen Luan still hasn't fully come to her senses yet. She gently kicked Zuo Ning with her plump and well-proportioned calf to express her dissatisfaction, but said nothing. She leaned on her husband's arms without saying a word.
Lu Shuihan, who was "forced" to listen all night because of his intention and the wing room was right next door, looked at Zuo Ning who was now tenderly serving his wife. There was a little fear in his eyes, but he insisted that the dead Taoist friend should not die the poor Taoist, and he would be worried tomorrow. The thoughts of tomorrow's worries are still raging now.
Gu Lingyun, who didn't know the truth, didn't know anything, but she was a little envious of the warm scene at this moment.
"Next week is the Beginning of Summer Poetry Festival. Mr. Zuo, you have to work hard. At least you have to say a sentence yourself, otherwise it will be too embarrassing."
It was really shameless to read out a reply. Zuo Ning smiled helplessly, hugged Shen Luan with one hand, picked up the poetry collection with the other hand, and once again forced himself to read these things that were a bit boring for him. "verse".
"By the way, it seems that Zhou Yan took the initiative to arrange the poetry meeting this time, right? He suddenly jumped out after so long? Could it be that I guessed wrong?"
However, after watching it for a while, his thoughts drifted away again.
