Chapter 878 Examination begins
"Big brother... okay, let's... go catch... catch the loaches..."
This song is most beautiful when sung by a childish voice.
On the official road outside the mighty city, Li Shushen, who was on his way, heard this childish voice, and couldn't help but slow down and look towards the source of the sound.
I saw a little girl holding a small wooden stick and kicking her buttocks up the small **** beside the official road.
Perhaps she was tired from climbing, so she stopped to sing a few words after climbing a few steps.
The singing was a bit choppy, as if I was trying to stretch my voice.
Li Ming had never heard this kind of music before, and thought it was a slang song unique to Liangzhou. He simply stopped and said to Ma Tian beside him:
“I didn’t expect that this Liangzhou folk song sounds a bit interesting, but the accent is very weird. I have never heard it before in this journey...”
As he spoke, he turned to look at Ma Tian.
However, he saw that the other party was stunned. He stood there in a daze, seeming to be thinking about something.
“Brother Youchang, what’s going on? Why do you look so ugly?”
Li Ming also said that the other party was too tired from traveling all the way, "Wuwei City is ahead of us. After we arrive, we should rest for a few days..."
After Ma Tian woke up with a start, there was a slightly panicked look on his face.
This is the first time Li Ming has seen him lose his temper like this since he met him.
Seeing Li Ming looking at him worriedly and curiously, Ma Tian forced a smile:
“Hearing this song, I couldn’t help but think of some old things, which made Shu Shen laugh.”
“An old story? Maybe when I was young, I came to Liangzhou and heard this song?”
Li Ming couldn't help but asked doubtfully when he saw Ma Tian's appearance.
Ma Tian shook his head and denied, "Have I ever been to Liangzhou?"
Then he pointed to a small **** not far away, "But the song that the girl sang, although the pronunciation of the song is not very clear, I have definitely heard the rhyme of the song."
Li Ming also looked at the girl who had climbed to the top of the hill and said in surprise:
"Is there still this thing? Could it be that this girl is the queen of an old friend from childhood?"
When Ma Tian heard this, his expression changed greatly.
But before he could speak, the **** the **** had probably realized that the two of them were talking about themselves.
Immediately, I used the wooden stick in my hand to hum and perform a few tricks, and it turned out to be pretty good.
At the end of his momentum, he pointed at the two people and shouted:
“Who are you? Tell me your name quickly!”
Li Ming saw this interestingly. He took a few steps forward, raised his head slightly, and found that although the girl's clothes did not look too complicated, the corners of the clothes swayed, and there was a faint texture of fluidity.
He was horrified, knowing that this girl's family background should not be underestimated.
After careful observation, I saw that there seemed to be a figure moving behind the hillside. It looked like a girl's servant or something.
After making this discovery, he gave up the idea of teasing the girl and immediately raised his hand:
“We are scholars who went to Wuwei to take the exam. When we heard the young lady singing, we lost our composure and caused any offense. Please forgive me.”
His words seemed to be addressed to the girl, but in fact they were addressed to the people behind her.
When the girl saw him like this, she blinked and then scratched her head with her hands, as if she didn't know how to answer.
At this moment, a woman’s angry voice was heard from afar:
"Feng Xiaoniang! You are running around again, don't you think I won't tell your mother to go!"
When the girl heard this voice, her face suddenly changed. She didn't care to talk to Li Ming, she quickly turned her head and shouted:
“I’m not running around! I’m scouting for the enemy!”
As she spoke, she climbed down the hillside on her hands and knees and disappeared behind her.
At this time, Ma Tian hurriedly walked to Li Ming, pulled him forward and said in a hurry:
“Uncle Shen, hurry up!”
Li Ming asked in surprise while being half-pulled forward by Ma Tian:
“Why is You Chang so out of sorts?”
"I think the girl just now has a very complicated family background. You and I are away from home, and we are new to Liangzhou. It is better to have less to do than to have more to do."
"Right…."
As the two of them talked, they quickened their pace and rushed towards Wuwei City.
After they had walked a certain distance, the voice of the Zhang family’s young lady suddenly sounded from the place where they came from:
"Enemy? What kind of enemy? You don't learn well at a young age! I think you are the enemy!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Xiaosi was seen sneaking Feng Shuangshuang out from behind the **** while scolding him.
Feng Shuangshuang’s short legs kept dangling in mid-air and shouted:
“I didn’t run around...”
Then he stretched out his hand and pointed at the two figures in front of him who were about to walk away, "Look, aunt, those two people just talked to me!"
Zhang Xingyi looked in the direction she pointed, but she couldn't help but be a little stunned after taking a glance:
Why does the figure in front look familiar?
Shuangshuang took advantage of Zhang Xingyi's distracted moment, twisted his body, broke free from her hand, and ran away.
Zhang Xingyi was furious, and the thoughts that had just surfaced were thrown to the back of his mind: "Don't run!"
How could Shuangshuang listen to her?
He turned the small **** on his hands and knees, kicked his short legs, and stumbled towards a certain rescuer.
It was spring and the flowers were blooming, and there were many wild flowers and weeds outside the official road.
Feng Shuangshuang was young, and she was not afraid of being hung up by her clothes. She just ran into the wild and disappeared.
But Zhang Xingyi was wearing a long skirt and did not dare to walk over like her.
She stamped her feet and shouted anxiously behind her:
“There are worms in the grass, be careful!”
Then he cursed at his entourage, "What are you still doing? Hurry up and catch up!"
Not far behind the official road, there is a small, nameless river that goes westward and flows into the mighty moat.
A curtain was built around the river, indicating that the female relatives of wealthy families were out for a spring outing.
Behind the curtain, green smoke was still curling up.
Zhao Guang was humming an unknown song and busy beside the grill. It was obvious that he was in a good mood.
Sitting next to him was Huang Wudie, whose mouth was full of oil and kept putting food into his mouth.
“This is mushy, the fire is too much, please be careful next time.”
Huang Wudie’s mouth was stuffed with the roasted meat, and she even didn’t forget to comment on it.
“Oh, okay, okay, I’ll pay attention to this.”
Zhao Guang looked at Huang Wudie from time to time while flipping the grilled fish and barbecue in his hands, with a silly smile on his face but tenderness in his eyes.
Guan Ji, who was sitting not far from the wind and basking in the sun, saw the loving look of the two of them, and made a "snap" in disgust, turning over on the lounge chair.
Feng Yong, who was sitting next to her, smiled and said:
“It turns out that only after we get married can a man truly grow up.”
Having been used to Zhao Guang's unreliability, Feng Yong was a little surprised to suddenly see him as a family man.
Huang Wudie’s ears were sharp, and when she heard Feng Yong’s words, she loudly answered:
“Brother, after you got married, you have been living with your husband and your wife, and you have several children. You certainly don’t know the pain of our separation.”
After Zhao Guang got married, he and Huang Wudie have been spending less time together and more away from each other in the past few years.
Seeing that Guan Ji is pregnant with her second child, not to mention Huang Wudie who has always been unwilling to lag behind, even the Zhao family is probably worried.
So now Mr. Zhao is going to Nanxiang to recuperate, and Liangzhou has stabilized.
After Huang Wudie returned to Hanzhong and arranged for Mr. Zhao and his wife, he came to Liangzhou to meet Zhao Guang.
This is also a good thing.
"Don't talk nonsense! How can we say forever? At the beginning, we were separated for more than half a year?"
Feng Yong retorted.
After the White Disaster, spring plowing came again. The spring plowing finally passed, and it seemed that spring was almost over.
Catching the tail of this spring day and stealing some free time, Governor Feng took his whole family out to play.
Huang Wudie rolled her eyes after hearing what he said. She didn't know if she was choking or something.
At this moment, a small figure suddenly broke in from outside the curtain.
Shuangshuang originally wanted to run to his master.
But when she saw her mother beside you, she decisively turned around, ran to Huang Wudie, and shouted, "Aunt Huang!"
When Huang Wudie saw Shuangshuang, his eyes immediately lit up. He threw away the barbecue and hugged Shuangshuang: "Hey!"
At the same time, he kissed Shuangshuang's face several times, and Shuangshuang's little face was immediately covered with oil.
Although Huang Wudie and Guan Ji didn't get along, they loved the children Guan Ji gave birth to.
Just like now, Governor Feng wants to go fishing in order to relive the leisurely days of the past.
Ah Chong was also forced to hold a small fishing rod and sit upright next to the adults to learn fishing.
Because my mother-in-law said, this is about cultivating one’s moral character.
Seeing his son constantly glancing towards his sister with an envious look, Governor Feng wanted to let him play.
But the world is huge and pregnant women are the biggest. Now even Huang Wudie dare not stimulate Guan Ji.
How could Governor Feng dare to express his opinion on Sanniang’s godson?
So I can only let my son suffer.
At this moment, Zhang Xiaosi came back angrily and complained to Feng Yong:
“Brother-in-law, don’t just look at Ah Chong, but also discipline Shuangshuang, otherwise she will become a crazy girl!”
How old is the child?
Ah Chong is already suffering enough, why do you want to make more trouble?
Feng Yong asked lazily:
“What’s the matter?”
"Look at what happened to her clothes? How can she still look like a girl in the wild?"
Huang Wudie took a look, quickly put both of them on the ground, and then whispered something in her ear.
Both nodded, halted their horses, suppressed their blushes, and prolonged their voices, imitating Zhang Xiaosi and shouted:
“Brother-in-law!”
This sound can stir up a hornet's nest.
Governor Feng jumped up immediately.
Guan Ji turned her head suddenly and stared over there.
Zhang Xingyi's little face suddenly turned blood red, and she subconsciously stamped her feet: "Brother-in-law, look!"
Governor Feng’s mouth twitched:
You added fuel to the fire on purpose? He's usually so smart, but now he's a pig teammate?
Only Ah Chong was so frightened that he could no longer hold the fishing rod in his hand, and looked at his parents and aunt with a confused and frightened expression.
Huang Wudie laughed, picked up both of them, turned around and ran away.
“Zhao Erlang, come here!”
Governor Feng rolled up his sleeves and said, "How long will it take to bake? I wonder if your sister is hungry?"
Zhao Guang looked at Huang Wudie who was no longer around, then at his brother who was looking at him angrily, his sister who was staring at him coldly, and his little sister who was staring at him through gritted teeth...
The sun was clearly shining brightly, but he suddenly felt very cold.
“It’s really a bit chilly! Liangzhou is very different from Shu.”
Sichuan people have already put on thin shirts at this time, but in Liangzhou, they still need to add an extra robe.
When the steward who received the two people heard Li Ming’s words, he couldn’t help but smile and asked:
“Is this your first time coming to Liangzhou, sir?”
“Yes, I originally set out in September last year, but I unexpectedly came to Hanzhong. News came that heavy snow had blocked roads in Liangzhou, so I had to wait until spring started.”
Martin continued:
“I heard that there was a snowstorm in Liangzhou last year, and the price of food in Shu also increased!”
“I haven’t returned to Shu for two or three years!”
The steward was actually from Shu. Hearing what Ma Tian said, he seemed to start chatting:
"That's right. The white disaster in Liangzhou last year was indeed serious. In recent years, food prices in Shu have rarely risen so high."
“Hey, what if those barbarians were lucky enough to catch up with Feng Junhou as the governor of Liangzhou?”
“Even if the food is at a high price, it must be transported from Shu to rescue people first. Otherwise, I don’t know how many people will die in previous years.”
“It would be great if Liangzhou could produce as much grain as Shu…”
As the steward said, he handed two pieces of paper to the two of them: "Here, fill them in first."
“What is this?”
“Do you understand the registration form? Can you write?”
It is indeed the place where King Feng Gui is in charge, and it has a very Nanxiang style.
The two of them, who had spent a lot of time in Nanxiang, suddenly had the same feeling.
“I understand, I will definitely do it. Who dares to take the exam if I don’t know it?”
Ma Tian rushed to finish the answer, and then whispered to Li Ming: "The exam has begun."
Li Ming is a little confused.
Martin did not elaborate, but just asked:
“May I ask if you have pen and ink?”
“Yes, there are pens and ink on every table over there.”
This is a place specially used to receive exam participants, with several rows of desks arranged.
There are high tables and low cases, chairs and kneeling cushions. It seems that the Liangzhou Governor's Office paid great attention to this aspect and took into account the different habits of scholars in different places.
After the two found a seat and sat down, Li Ming glanced at the steward.
Seeing that the other party was already holding a book and reading it by himself, he lowered his voice and asked:
“Brother Youchang, the test you just mentioned...”
Martin shook the registration form in his hand: "Although there is no threshold for the exam, this is the invisible threshold for the exam. Only those who can read and understand the words and write can participate."
Li Ming suddenly realized.
He was still thinking that the Liangzhou Governor's Office wanted to use this thing to find out his own details.
Think about it, the world has been in chaos for decades, countless people have fled into hiding, and the household registration system has long been corrupted.
How can people like Feng Gui Wang expect to rely on this to understand who the visitors are?
After the two of them finished writing, the steward took the registration form and looked at it carefully, and couldn't help but admired:
“This word is really good!”
He stood up and became more enthusiastic than at the beginning: "This is the number plate. If you two go out and turn left, someone will arrange it for you."
As he spoke, he handed over two signs with "Ding 43" and "Ding 44" written on them.
“In the next three months, you two will officially enter the examination class. If you can pass these three months, you can enter the next stage.”
The steward said with a smile.
Ma Tian tried to find out: "What are the exams for these three months? Can you tell me?"
“Well, someone will arrange it.”
The manager was joking, but refused to explain clearly.
Just when he saw his accommodation, Li Ming couldn't bear it anymore:
“Um...the two of us live in the same room?”
When the waiter who brought the two of them heard this, he immediately became happy:
"Two people? Sir, how can such a big house only accommodate two people? This is a four-person room. If anyone comes again in the future, four people will be accommodated."
"What?!"
Although Li Ming has endured hardship compared to the direct descendants of the Li family, he can still be considered to have endured hardships.
But in terms of accommodation, I never thought that I would live in the same house with others for a long time, and there were still four of us.
Perhaps seeing some reluctance on Li Ming’s face, the waiter added another sentence:
“This gentleman, this house is actually pretty good.”
"You two must have heard that Liangzhou suffered a major disaster last year. People's livelihood was difficult and the government was short of money and food."
“But even so, we provide free accommodation to the scholars who come from all over the world. All the food and food used are the people’s fat and the people’s anointing!”
Hearing that the waiter actually said these words, Li Ming's face felt hot.
Looking at the back of the waiter who had finished lecturing him, Ma Tian smiled thoughtfully: "It's a bit interesting."
“Shu Shen, it’s better to be at home when you are away from home. Especially in this provincial governor’s office, this is the first time since the Han Dynasty that there has been a public examination to select talents.”
"How to take the exam and how to choose are all unknown. We should be cautious in our words and deeds. Just like living in this house, it is also part of the exam."
“Is this considered a test?” On the second day, Li Ming pointed to everything in front of him and asked Ma Tian tremblingly, “Youchang, are you sure we are not here as coolies?”
The following are free of charge:
A few days ago, a comrade-in-arms suddenly came over. To be honest, I never thought that some comrades-in-arms would remember me.
I haven’t had any alcoholic beverages in the past ten years, and I have broken the rules these days, so I haven’t updated them in the past few days.
The reason why I drank too much was not because of anything else, but on the birthday of my motherland, I suddenly discovered that I actually had such an experience when I was young and passionate.
Hope that the motherland will always be prosperous and strong, and the people will always be peaceful!
I hope that when I become an old man, I can see with my own eyes the great rejuvenation of the nation!
Because of this, I feel that even though this life is wasted in other aspects, it is mediocre.
But at least he did something meaningful!
(End of this chapter)