The Little First Grand Secretary in My House Chapter 260:

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The subscription ratio of this article is ≥50% and can be read normally, otherwise it will be delayed for three days, and the replenishment can be done immediately. She breathed a sigh of relief and said: "I want this package of clothes from Shopkeeper Shen, and I will give you the money right now." ”

"Are you rich now?"

Of course she has money, Zhao'er now has more than two taels of silver in total, and Su Lan just gave her another five taels, which is naturally enough.

At the same time, Shen Ping laughed and said, "Well, I forgot that you came here after visiting her. She wouldn't take advantage of me." The words were very low, almost mumbling. Zhao'er only looked at the clothes and didn't hear clearly.

"I'll find a guy to call a car for you. Even a little girl like you can't transport these things."

"Thank you, Shopkeeper Shen."

After sending Zhao'er off, Shen Ping turned around and entered the **** shop.

Although he is named the third shopkeeper, he is not the third shopkeeper of this store, but the third shopkeeper of the entire "He Rongsheng". It is only at his deliberate request that he will be permanently stationed in Xia County.

Shen Ping is a son of the Shen family. His father is the chief manager of the Shen Mansion, and he has been working with the third young master Shen Fu as a boy since he was a child. When he reached adulthood, he was released and became a shopkeeper.

"If she comes again next time, just do as I told you before."

"Yes, shopkeeper."

*

Just after noon, the waiter Ah Cai came to deliver food to Xue Tingyan.

Boss Chen said it was a simple meal, but in fact the food was not bad, with meat, vegetables and soup. Xue Tingyan knew that Boss Chen was taking care of him deliberately. How could anyone hire someone to copy books and take care of tea and meals, and the wages they paid were not low.

It was because he understood in his heart that he did not refuse verbally. In this case, refusing would preserve his character, but it would seem too petty and pretentious.

It can only be repayment in the future, Xue Tingyan thought lightly in her heart.

After dinner, when the waiter came to clear away the dishes, he said he could rest for an hour. There is a royal couch available in this room. Of course, you can also go to the front and read a book to pass the time.

In fact, the last sentence is the key point. Xue Tingyan was not pretentious. After cleaning her hands, she went forward.

This store may not seem big, but it has a lot of books of all kinds, ranging from rural adventures to books about the imperial examinations. Among them, there are many books about the imperial examinations.

Since the previous dynasty, the imperial examination has used the eight-legged essay as the standard style. The standards are strict, and there are even restrictions on the length of sentences, the number of words, the rhyme and rhyme, and even the scope of the questions.

The title of the eight-part essay comes from the Four Books and Five Classics. It consists of eight parts: breaking the topic, carrying the topic, starting to talk, starting, starting the part, middle part, back part, and closing part. It seems rigid and rigid, but in fact it is difficult to write a good eight-part essay well. not easy. If you really think that just reading the Four Books and Five Classics is enough, you are wrong. Not only do you need to know astronomy and geography, but you must at least be involved in all aspects before you can write a good article that is full of flowers and colorful and meaningful.

In that dream, Xue Tingyan won the Jinshi with the 21st place in the second class, and was admitted to the Hanlin Academy through the imperial examination. He was actually sent to an official position in a place where nothing matters.

Xue Tingyan pursed his lips slightly, feeling that he had thought too much. After all, he was not even a child now, so he should think about the present.

So, without thinking too much, I took out a book from the bookcase and started reading quietly.

During this period, customers came to the bookstore to sell some pens, inks, paper and inkstones, or to buy books, which always interrupted Xue Tingyan's reading.

Boss Chen saw this and said: "Brother Xue, you can take the book to the back and read it."

Xue Tingyan looked at him in surprise: "This..."

"It doesn't matter, I won't miss this volume for you."

Xue Tingyan was silent, bowed deeply as a courtesy, and then went back.

At this glance, he lost track of time. When Xue Tingyan woke up, he heard Boss Chen talking outside, and at the same time, he heard Zhao'er's voice.

"Where did you get this big bag of stuff?" Boss Chen looked at Zhao'er in surprise and asked for the bag at her feet that was much bigger than her.

Zhaoer was sweating profusely and said: "Uncle Chen, I got it from the county, and the guy from the car dealership also helped me drop him off at the intersection, and then dropped me off. I originally wanted to tow the car away. The horse is OK, but I think my brother is still here..."

Boss Chen laughed and called to the waiter: "Ah Cai, come and help brother Zhao'er carry the things in." Then he said to Zhao'er: "Come in, have a drink of tea and rest before leaving."

"Uncle Chen, how can you be so embarrassed?"

"You were not polite when you were bargaining with me, but now you are more polite." Boss Chen pretended to stare.

Generally speaking, Boss Chen is an elegant yet humorous person.

Xue Tingyan also came out to help and asked: "What's in it? Why is it so heavy? Where did you get it?"

Not to mention how heavy it is, Ah Cai tried several times but failed to lift it, so it could only be lifted by three people.

"I got it from the **** shop. If I can sell this bag, I will have enough money to send you to Qinghe Academy."

Before Zhao'er realized that he had let something slip, Xue Tingyan did. He glanced at Boss Chen. Zhao'er also understood what he said at this time, and looked at Boss Chen with some guilt: "Uncle Chen, I will explain to you later."

She was a little anxious, so she picked up the big bag and carried it on her shoulders without letting the two of them help. The big bag weighed her down, but she managed to stand still, and she quickly carried the things inside.

Ah Cai praised: "Look, she is not strong, but she is so powerful."

Here, Xue Tingyan looked at the back and tightened the corners of his mouth, while Boss Chen's eyes darkened.

Xue Tingyan looked up at Boss Chen and walked towards him.

……

Zhao'er found a place to put down his big bag, then went to wash his hands and face and tidy up before being led by Ah Cai to see Boss Chen.

Zhaoer felt a little guilty when he saw Boss Chen. But she didn't plan to continue to lie to Boss Chen, because Boss Chen was a good person. Not to mention the benefits he had given her before, Zhao'er couldn't continue to deceive her because he asked the little man to copy books for such a high price, and he also asked him to read here and take care of the food at noon.

Actually, Zhao'er didn't lie, but she concealed her gender, and the so-called work was just collecting vegetables, selling them, and making purses.

"Uncle Chen..."

Boss Chen sighed and waved his hand: "Okay, you don't have to say it anymore. It's really difficult for a girl like you."

Zhaoer looked surprised, his round eyes widening.

Boss Chen smiled slightly and said: "Your little husband has already told me everything."

"He, what did he say..." Zhao'er stammered, still a little in disbelief. Because she knew that the little man always cared about face and had many things on his mind. He didn't like to mention that she was his child bride and the Xue family's troubles in front of outsiders.

"I've said everything that needs to be said." After a pause, Boss Chen asked: "Looking at how surprised you are, is this still a secret?"

Zhao'er smiled awkwardly and hesitated: "Not really, it's just that he is young, and the people in our village are very annoying. There are always people who make fun of him by saying that I am older than him, and that my wife coaxes men."

The same sentence has different feelings in different people's hearts.

Boss Chen couldn't help but want to laugh, but Xue Tingyan outside had mixed feelings in her heart.

That’s why she always calls herself sister, so in the dream, when he reaches his age, she doesn’t want to marry him. Or did he ignore her wishes and marry her by force on the orders of her parents?

She actually understood her awkward mentality. He told herself not to care about other people's words, but she cared about them in her heart. Therefore, even if the two of them got married, they would not be able to make a case for each other.

She actually knows everything, but she relies on him for everything! Follow him!

While my mind was churning, the topic changed inside.

"I just heard you say that you plan to save money to send him to Qinghe Academy?"

Zhao'er nodded and saw a strange look on Boss Chen's face. She couldn't help but ask, "Is that school good?"

"We are taking the path of opportunism and it will not last long."

Although Zhao'er didn't quite understand what he said, he also knew that it wasn't a good word.

"If you want to help him find a good book school, I have a recommendation. But..." Boss Chen suddenly sighed: "Come on, you don't understand even if I tell you, let's talk about this later. ”

Zhao'er nodded blankly.

It was already too late to meet later, and the two planned to return to Yuqing Village.

Because that big bag of clothes was too much and it would attract people’s attention when taking it back, Boss Chen asked Zhao’er to temporarily store the clothes in his shop. Anyway, there were a few vacant rooms at the back of the shop, so he could just find a place. Let go.

The two of them took a car back to the village. Because the time had passed, only the ox cart could be used, so the two of them sat on the ox cart and bumped back.

Halfway along the road, a mule cart was heading here.

The driver was a man, dark-skinned and tall. As I got closer, I could see his appearance clearly, and I saw that he had thick eyebrows, a straight nose, and a very heroic look. His sleeves were half rolled up above his elbows, showing the muscles in his arms, which made him look powerful at first glance.

Xue Tingyan saw the person coming as soon as he passed by, and his pupils immediately shrank.

He glanced at Zhao'er beside him and felt relieved when he saw her head half lowered.

But the visitor still saw them, his eyes lit up, and he shouted: "Zhao'er."

Zhao'er looked over and smiled immediately: "Brother Jiang Wu, where are you?"

Jiang Wu tightened the reins and stopped the mule cart.

"I'm going to town, are you going back? Get off the car, I'll take you off."

Zhaoer hesitated and said: "Don't you still want to go to town? Anyway, we are already in the car, so you should go and do your own business."

"I have nothing to do. I just went to Lao Li's place to have a look. Originally, my father said he would go tomorrow and buy some things on the way back. It doesn't matter whether we go or not. Come down quickly, this car is slow. You bump, my cart is faster." Jiang Wu said to Zhao'er with a smile, but he didn't realize that the owner of the cart had a dark face.

Seeing this, Zhaoer jumped down from the cart without letting the owner of the cart stop. After taking two steps that way, I remembered that I had forgotten the person.

As she asked the owner of the oxcart to stop the car, she said to Xue Tingyan: "Come down quickly, let's take Brother Jiang Wu's car back." Her beaming look showed that she was in a good mood.

Xue Tingyan's face looked a little ugly. He glanced at Zhao'er before slowly getting out of the car.

The two got on the mule cart, and Jiang Wu drove the cart to Yuqing Village.

"If I had known that you were coming to the county today, I would have asked you to help me get my things back. Brother Jiang Wu, let me tell you, I have found a business, and this business can make a lot of money. I must be alone. No, how about we form a partnership and pay half the money?"

This is not the first time Jiang Wu has done business with Zhao'er. To be honest, Zhao'er used to collect vegetables and sell them in the town, and Jiang Wu helped her a lot.

Zhao'er can collect as much food as she can from another village by herself. Besides, she doesn't have a car, so it's inconvenient to go back and forth. But the Jiang family has a car, and their ancestors were Orion hunters. With this unique craftsmanship, the Jiang family lives a very comfortable life.

Normally, the men of the Jiang family do not farm. The more than 20 acres of land in the family are rented out. They only make money by collecting rent and hunting with the men in the family. But hunting doesn't happen every day, so Jiang Wu has a lot of free time when he's not in the mountains, so he helps Zhao'er collect vegetables and so on. It's said that they will split it half and half, but Jiang Wu doesn't want to ask for the money every time. .

"But let me tell you first, if you don't pay for it, I won't do this business with you."

"Uncle Chen knows the owner of Qingyuan Academy?" Xue Tingyan asked curiously seeing Boss Chen being so indignant.

Boss Chen stroked his beard and said, "I'm ashamed to say that I was a classmate with him when I was young. It's just that I wasn't good at school and only passed the examination as a boy student, while he was a scholar in one fell swoop and was still a junior student. It's a pity that he had bad luck. , he has been unable to pass the examination and wasted many years. He has no intention of starting a career, so he returned to his hometown to inherit his father's career of teaching and educating people."

"The bad luck won't always happen." Xue Tingyan said.

If he remembered correctly, when Lin, the director of Qingyuan Academy, finally passed the exam three years later, the whole village was in a sensation. Gao Youzhi, the director of Qinghe Academy, was so angry that he almost vomited blood. . At that time, he was planning to leave Qinghe Academy and go to the Shen family to study, but he happened to hear something about it.

Boss Chen thought the young man was just comforting him, so he smiled and said, "I accept your good advice."

Xue Tingyan did not hesitate, and bowed his hands and said: "Thank you, Uncle Chen, for the advice, but there are still some trivial matters at home that have not been dealt with. When everything is in order, I will go to the Qingyuan Academy to study."

"Why don't you worry about being implicated and hindering your reputation?" Boss Chen asked curiously.

"How can you talk about fame and fame when you haven't entered school yet? Besides, the imperial court has always attached great importance to recruiting talents. If he is really talented, Magistrate Hu will not dare to stop him too much."

"I can't tell you have high ambitions. Well, since you dare to go, I will definitely recommend you something. Although my classmate is stiff and dull and not good at speaking, his knowledge is first-class. . I don’t dare to preach to a person who can promote people to become scholars, but it’s no problem for a scholar.”

"Then thank Uncle Chen first."

*

For several days, Xue Tingyan and Zhao'er both left early and returned late.

Someone from the Xue family asked twice and heard from Zhao'er that he should take Xue Tingyan out to get some fresh air so as not to get suffocated. The people in the big room showed contempt, and Mr. Xue couldn't help but shake his head. After that, no one asked any more questions, and most of them knew in their hearts that Xue Tingyan was destined to lose. Maybe the two children in the second room are smart, so they run around and play instead of reading.

You must know that even people as qualified as Xue Juncai read books at home for many days to prepare.

In a blink of an eye, the five-day period has arrived.

This day is no different from any other day.

Farmers are always busy in the morning. After a night, they have to take care of all the livestock and eat for the whole family. After breakfast, the men have to go to the fields, while the women do housework at home.

If there is any difference, it is that Xue Juncai had two more poached eggs in his bowl than the others at breakfast.

Due to Mr. Xue's beating some time ago, Mrs. Zhao no longer dares to hold an open fire and open a small stove for the people in the big house these days. Today, seeing that the life is unusual, she can't help it.

Originally, Xue Tingyan didn't have any. It was Yang who saw that her father-in-law looked bad, so she took the initiative to ask Zhao for two eggs and put them into his bowl.

Xue Tingyan wanted to recruit one of them, but he didn't want to, but unfortunately he couldn't defeat him.

Two people were talking to each other in a low voice for an egg. Mr. Xue above had a particularly heavy look on his face.

But this is how life is for country people. No matter how heavy your heart is, your livelihood cannot be left behind. Especially when it was time for spring plowing, Mr. Xue took his two sons to work in the fields for a while and did not come back until three o'clock in the morning.

The news about the competition between the two children of the Xue family has spread throughout Yuqing Village.

There are people who say weird things, but most people can still understand what Mr. Xue did. It's not easy for country people to make a little money. No one's money comes from the river. If there was a way, no one would do this.

Knowing that today is the official day, I let the children at home watch in the village. Seeing someone coming to Zheng Lizheng's house, these stupid kids ran into the fields, shouting from a distance, "Someone is coming to Zheng Lizheng's house." The adults stopped planting, so they picked up their hoes and hurried back.

Not long after, the large courtyard of Zheng Lizheng's house was filled with people, and more villagers were pouring in.

The courtyard was full of noise, and everyone was gossiping and talking about today's incident.

In the room, Zheng Lizheng was talking to a middle-aged man wearing a scholar's shirt and a Pingding scarf.

This person was born with a long and thin face, his complexion was a little pale, and his eyes were slightly swollen. His appearance is not that good, but his status seems to be extraordinary, and he is actually sitting in the main seat.

Zheng Lizheng could only sit aside.

There is a certain temperament in his gaze that is different from ordinary people. This person is none other than Qiao Xiucai, a well-known scholar in the surrounding villages.

Zheng Lizheng had thought about it long ago. On the Xue family side, Xue Qingshan came forward to invite someone. If it was not what he expected, the person who invited him should be his father-in-law Yang Zhong. Yang Zhong was just a boy, so he would invite a scholar.

Firstly, it seems that he is selfless, and secondly, it is also a good time to show his prestige.

"Mr. Qiao, you have tea, I will order someone to hurry you up."

Qiao Xiucai waved his hand nonchalantly: "Don't worry."

Just as he was talking, there was a noise outside, but it was Patriarch Xue who came with his people.

However, it was not Chief Xue who headed the group, but an old man who was over fifty years old. This old man was of medium height and dressed the same as Qiao Xiucai. He was also wearing a scholar's shirt and a plain scarf on his head. It was obvious that even if he was not a scholar, he was still a boy.

Sure enough, when Qiao Xiucai saw the old man, he stood up from his chair and bowed in salute.

"I never thought it was Senior He. It's so polite to be born late."

"No need to be polite, sit down quickly."

This He Xiucai is the person invited by Patriarch Xue to host this competition.

Zheng Lizheng was right. Xue Qingshan did plan to invite his father-in-law at first. Unfortunately, this matter was rejected by the Xue clan leader.

Clan Chief Xue also just realized that Xue Qingshan was so stupid. They said that one should not avoid relatives when promoting talents, but this is not the way to do it. This is not open to criticism. Since he felt that he was sure to win, there was no need to let others take advantage of the situation, so he took over the matter.

He knew in his heart that the person named Zheng would not miss the opportunity to show off, and if he came forward to invite someone, he would definitely be a scholar. He originally planned to invite Xiucai Qiao, but he arrived a step too late, so he had to delay the invitation and invite Xiucai He.

After showing courtesy to each other, the two scholars sat down on the main seat.

Zheng Lizheng and Patriarch Xue sat beside him.

"Let Brother Li Zheng worry about it."

"Don't worry, don't worry, I am the leader here. How can I not show up if something happens in the village."

After a lot of back and forth, it seems that the words are pleasant, but there is a sharp edge hidden in the words. During this period, several old men walked in from the outside, but they were several village elders from Yuqing Village. Mr. Xue, Xue Qingshan and others also came.

There is another uninvited guest, Xue Qingshan’s father-in-law Yang Zhong.

Yang Zhong is in his fifties and has a chubby body. He does not look like a scholar, but more like a fat landlord. As soon as he came in, he came close to Qiao Xiucai and He Xiucai. Unfortunately, these two scholars were reluctant to pay attention to him. They chatted with him for a few words before going to sit down aside.

Xue Qingshan sat at the end with him.

The father-in-law and son-in-law can be regarded as a good figure. The people who can sit here are all highly respected people in the village. But because of their status as a child, they can sit in the hall. You must know that even Mr. Xue does not have a seat and can only stand. next to.

"I wonder if the real master is here?" He Xiucai asked when he saw that almost everyone had arrived.

Clan Chief Xue looked at Mr. Xue, and Xue Qinghuai on the side said hurriedly: "Come on, come on."

Just as he was talking, the villagers blocking the door made way for two teenagers to walk out of the crowd.

Both these two young men were dressed in short brown clothes, and it was obvious at first glance that they came from poor families.

The leader was handsome and handsome, with a slender figure. Although his clothes were simple, he had a graceful demeanor. The one at the back is half a head shorter than the one in front. His body seems a little weak and he seems to be a little introverted. His eyes are always half lowered, as if he is afraid of strangers.

But when the two came to the hall and were scrutinized by everyone, they got some clues.

The older man's appearance is not bad, but he always pulls his sleeves intentionally or unintentionally, as if his clothes don't fit. But the younger one has been standing in a neither humble nor arrogant manner. The half-cast eyes not only do not make people feel contempt, but also feel that the younger generation should respect their elders.

Therefore, it seemed that the older one was looking directly into everyone's eyes, which was a bit too abrupt. It is good to be confident, but when younger people face their elders, a humble and respectful attitude is indispensable.

All this happened in an instant. Qiao Xiucai and He Xiucai, who were sitting in the main seats, made their initial judgments about these two young people.

"Student Xue Juncai, student Xue Tingyan, have met all the elders."

He Xiucai nodded. While Qiao Xiucai nodded, he curiously asked: "Ting Yan? Does this name have a meaning?"

Xue Tingyan was stunned for a moment, then Fang Zuo bowed and said: "崴, it means following the tradition. The student's great-great-grandfather was also a student member, and the biggest regret in his life was that he failed to pass the examination. Although my Xue family came from a poor family, However, generations have not forgotten their ancestors' wishes. While settling down and settling down, they have always been committed to making the children of the clan read, read and understand the principles of life.

"It should be noted that if you read more, you will have a sense of beauty in your heart and a spirit of poetry and calligraphy in your belly. The younger generation adheres to the last wishes of their ancestors. Although they are young and not knowledgeable, they have great ambitions and hope that one day they can continue the path traveled by their ancestors. And keep going."