Chapter 62

Chapter 62

"The new talents are back!"

"Oh my god, where is it?"

"Let's go check it out."

In the Zhengrong County School, the three students of Minglun Hall, A, B and C, all skipped classes and ran out to see the scholars who had returned.

The scholars in the first-class hall were better off. They were all congratulating their classmates for finally passing the examination and becoming scholars.

The students in Class B and Class C were all envious.

Chang Qing from the Second Class Hall, Qian Fei from the Third Class Hall, Li Ting and others just took a few steps closer and wondered whether they should salute.

Ji Yuan looked at it and said directly, "We haven't seen each other for less than two months, how come you are already so distant?"

After Ji Yuan said this, Li Tingqianfei came over embarrassedly: "Although only two months have passed, we can hear news about you every day."

Since they set out, everyone has been guessing how many people will pass the examination and become scholars this year.

After guessing for a long time, no one dared to guess more than five.

When the results of the provincial examination came out, it was really shocking, ten people!

You should know that there were only twelve candidates from Zhengrong County.

This ratio is exaggerated.

When they were selecting the top seven two years ago, countless people were vying to get in.

Now that the top 10 are selected from the 12, I don’t know what the enrollment scene will be like this year.

The performance of students taking external exams is naturally a great encouragement to everyone in the county school.

Li Ting and Qian Fei are both ready and will take the entrance exam at the end of the year.

They must learn!

After all, he is Ji Yuan’s good friend, he can’t be too bad!

We won’t talk about what happened afterwards. Most of the students didn’t know what Ji Yuan and the others were doing outside. They just felt encouraged.

The teacher and others were also pleased when they saw this.

Those who passed the exam were escorted inside, and those who failed were comforted by their classmates and friends. In short, it was time to go home.

After they have rested, they naturally have to arrange to invite the teachers and doctors to dinner. This is a necessary process.

Master Zhao was also invited over.

He is Xiao Sanyuan's mentor, so he must be present at the farewell banquet.

Dr. Luo and Dr. Yin were also guests of honor, but Master Fang didn't want to go. Ji Yuan personally prepared a banquet and sent it to him.

After several days, the excitement finally passed.

Everyone takes things like the teacher appreciation banquet very seriously.

For the rest of the time, the candidates will go home to rest and each of them will have a banquet when they return home.

This is a scholar. Those who pass the exam are scholars, and their status in the future will be different.

Ji Yuan has no other relatives, and he is mainly grateful to a few teachers.

There was no need to go to class recently, so Ji Yuan gave away all the things he brought back from the city to his friends and teachers.

The first place to go must be Mr. Fang’s.

The Zunjing Pavilion was as quiet as usual. Master Fang still disliked crowds and worldly affairs, otherwise he would not have refused to attend the farewell banquet for his teacher.

Now that it is summer, Ji Yuan specially made some iced plum soup and brought it over, holding in his hand a gift he brought back from the First Street in East City.

He even took away the two paintings that Master Fang had given him.

The gift was two sets of paintbrushes, which were very valuable in the county, but not so expensive on the First Street of East Market. The other party recognized him as the top candidate in the prefecture at that time, and even offered him a discount.

It’s okay for other things, but Master Fang really likes paintbrushes. He played with the paintbrush while drinking plum soup. When he heard Ji Yuan mention the First Street in East Market, he was quite emotional.

"That place is really nice. It has everything you want to buy and it's also a place to make money."

Speaking of making money, Ji Yuan looked over, returned the two paintings, and said, "Master, are these paintings too expensive?"

Seeing Ji Yuan's expression, Master Fang knew what was going on and said with a smile, "Although my painting skills are superb, my reputation is average. People who don't know the value of my paintings will only spend a hundred taels of silver to buy them at most."

"But if someone who knows the value of it wants to buy it, he will bid three thousand taels." Ji Yuan was still a little excited when he said this. He also went to the calligraphy and painting competition arena afterwards, and there were people below talking about the competition that happened thirty or forty years ago with great relish.

"At that time, four calligraphy and painting merchants were competing for it, and you were still painting on it. When the bid was three thousand taels, you just put pen to paper."

Counting it all, Mr. Fang was in his twenties at that time, at the peak of his youth and full of vigor, and he was also very keen on painting.

Master Fang listened and laughed: "Yes, I did it on purpose. Since someone said that I can't draw well, I'll let them see how I draw."

But after he got the silver, he traveled around the country and his name is still not well-known.

However, there are still people who know him.

Although Mr. Wu Tang did not leave many paintings, his painting skills are absolutely second to none.

Master Fang said, "You are my apprentice, and I will not hide it from you. It was almost the same situation back then. Calligraphy and painting competitions are interesting, but you also need opponents. Those mediocre people are nothing compared to me."

If someone else said this, it might sound a bit arrogant, but to Master Fang it was just normal.

As he spoke, Master Fang said, "You won the third place in the imperial examination this time, so the government academy will definitely keep you. If you study there, I will give you a lesson."

Homework?

Mr. Fang’s lessons have never been easy.

But he didn't force it. It was just that if the homework couldn't be completed, Master Fang was too lazy to teach anymore.

This time the lessons were very different.

"The assignment is to win a prize for a work that exceeds the price of Master's calligraphy and painting at the calligraphy and painting competition on the first street of East Market."

The more Master Fang talked, the more he thought it was feasible, and continued, "When the price of your paintings and calligraphy exceeds mine, you will be considered a successful apprentice."

Mr. Fang is Mr. Wu Tang.

Mr. Wu Tang was the legendary figure who sold calligraphy and paintings for more than three thousand taels at the auction on the First Street in East Market.

Are you better than him?

Master Fang said, "I know you haven't decided whether to go to the prefectural school yet. I don't care. Anyway, I have assigned this lesson."

Since the Master said this, Ji Yuan had no choice but to agree.

When his painting skills surpass those of the Master, he will have truly mastered the art.

Even if it's half the level, I don't think I will have to worry about my livelihood.

As for the two paintings, let Ji Yuan take them away.

Is he still missing his own paintings?

Take it away quickly.

After leaving Master Fang, Ji Yuan went to Dr. Luo's house.

Dr. Luo has fewer classes nowadays. He is old and spends most of his time at home resting and reading.

Seeing Ji Yuan coming, he smiled and said, "Little Sanyuan, you did well in the exam."

Ji Yuan scratched his head.

Stop shouting "Xiao Sanyuan".

What does his achievement mean in front of the teachers?

Who wasn't a talented boy back then?

After Ji Yuan came over, he first talked about his exam and then talked about the difficulties he encountered in the exam.

What he saw as a difficult point was immediately cleared up with a simple pointer from Dr. Luo.

Dr. Luo looked at him and shook his head, saying, "There are many people with my ability in the government school."

Dr. Luo has wanted to say this for a long time.

Ji Yuan and his friends came back on May 13th, and today is May 17th. You can imagine how long he has been holding it in.

"I think you have seen it in the prefectural city and at the children's examination banquet. The students in the prefectural school are all scholars, and the teacher is at least a juren."

"Not to mention there is a Jinshi here. If you go there, you will definitely benefit more."

"The teacher knows that you still have something to say to Xiao Yin. You don't have to be polite. As your teacher, he can understand you better."

Dr. Luo said a lot more, the general idea of ​​which was to let Ji Yuan have lofty ambitions, and the county school was just a small starting point for him.

Finally, he said, "Although you are a quiet kid, you value feelings. But you can't give up your bright future just because of your feelings."

He cherishes people who are good to Ji Yuan, and he will help them as long as it does not violate morality.

Of course, Ji Yuan would be the coldest person in the world towards anyone who treats him badly.

And these teachers are even more cherished by Ji Yuan.

Dr. Luo was flipping through the books that Ji Yuan had brought him. His son came over with a red envelope in his hand. “Come here, this is the red envelope for passing the exam. Don’t think it’s too little, but you have to accept it.”

Dr. Luo's son looked at Ji Yuan and couldn't help but said, "Hey, if my Luo family had a child like you, I would never have to worry about food and drink in my life, and my ancestors would wake up laughing in their dreams."

Last year, he almost disrupted his father's recruitment of students.

If he missed this, his father would beat him every day.

Xiao Sanyuan, how much smoke will come out of this ancestral tomb.

Ji Yuan held the red envelope lightly and opened it on the way to Dr. Yin's house. Inside was a silver note worth fifty taels.

This business is only available in the provincial capital.

ah?

This money can only be exchanged when you reach the provincial capital.

Ji Yuan subconsciously went back and saw Uncle Luo standing at the door. He quickly closed the door in front of him, obviously not wanting him to return.

Dr. Yin came back from the county school and saw Ji Yuan. He took him home and asked, "Why? You won't come in when I'm not home?"

Of course not. Ji Yuan took out the banknote Dr. Luo gave him and saw the name of the company on it. Dr. Yin smiled and said, "That's what I meant."

"You can't stay in Zhengrong County forever, go to the prefectural school." Dr. Yin continued, "Besides, don't delay my exam preparations."

Dr. Yin is preparing for the exam?

Ji Yuan suddenly thought that this year was the year for the provincial examination, and next year would be the year for the metropolitan examination.

Dr. Yin, Juren Yin, does need to prepare for the exam.

It was only after entering Dr. Yin’s house that Ji Yuan discovered the problem.

Dr. Yin's servants seemed to be packing up.

The gift that Ji Yuan brought to Dr. Yin was snacks from eastern Zhejiang, made by a master chef from eastern Zhejiang in the city. The ingredients and methods used were all tailor-made to suit the tastes of people from eastern Zhejiang.

Dr. Yin tasted it and said with emotion: "I originally planned to leave for my hometown after August, but now I think it would be better to leave earlier."

According to Dr. Yin’s idea, he will return to eastern Zhejiang in August to prepare for the exam after finishing teaching the Era Rites class.

In January and February of the following year, he went to the capital again with his fellow townsmen to prepare for the imperial examination in April.

Now that Ji Yuan is going to the provincial school to study, he doesn't need to stay for a long time. He can leave early and have plenty of time on the road.

Only then did Ji Yuan realize that in order to teach him, Dr. Yin had delayed his departure.

"Doctor, you, you should go first."

"By the way, you know Lord Lin. Was it originally planned that you would return home when Lord Lin left office?"

Mr. Yin knew that Ji Yuan's mind worked quickly, but he didn't expect it to work so quickly, so he simply admitted: "Yes, I was invited to teach here, and I will leave when Lao Lin's term is up."

"Old Lin is leaving this year, and I have to go home to prepare for the provincial examination. I am worried about you guys, so I decided to stay for another half a year."

When Lord Lin came to Zhengrong County, all the teachers in the county school were scholars, and none of them were particularly outstanding.

The newly transferred instructor Cheng tried his best to invite Mr. Luo to be the doctor of Spring and Autumn Annals.

Lord Lin also wrote a letter to his good friend Mr. Yin, and finally invited the two men to take charge. Only then did the county school become what it is today.

Dr. Yin said at the time that he would leave a year before the imperial examination, which was about the same time as Lord Lin's resignation.

It's just about helping.

Ji Yuan didn't know how to answer.

He received a lot of help from the teachers along the way.

Dr. Yin smiled and said, "You are only eleven or twelve years old. To us, you are a junior. You are about the same age as my son."

"This time, I can go back to see him earlier."

Dr. Yin started teaching to help his good friend and to earn money to support his family.

I spend less time with my family than with them.

So no matter from which perspective, Ji Yuan had no reason to stay in the county school.

Even the etiquette teachings that Dr. Yin had talked about were organized into notes and given to him.

"With your understanding, you will definitely understand it. If there is anything you don't understand, please write to me."

Dr. Yin even left two addresses, one was the address of his home in Yuyao, eastern Zhejiang, and the other was the address when he went to Beijing. He would stay at his relatives' home in Beijing and leave his address there.

Ji Yuan put these things away and thanked the teacher again.

He even knew that these words were too pale.

However, Dr. Yin felt that it would be an honor for him to tell others that he had such a student.

"Many scholars from my hometown went out to teach etiquette, but I was the only one who taught a young scholar. Others can't envy me."

"Well, since you have decided to go to the prefectural school, you should take care of your family affairs and the county school affairs. We will get together again someday."

Dr. Yin has an open-minded personality, and he believes that his fate with this student will not stop here.

Maybe we will both be officials in the government in the future and we will be colleagues!

Ji Yuan nodded.

He will definitely go to the provincial school.

Just like Dr. Yin said, there is no reason to stay, there is a wider world waiting for him over there.

When they returned to the county school, Ji Yuan looked at Li Ting and Qian Fei who were staring at him eagerly, and he smiled instantly and said, "Let's go. I haven't forgotten you."

This is a set of sub-books given to Li Ting. This set of sub-books will also be a must-test in the future.

Just like their final college entrance examination, an article "Mozi" was added at the end, and I think the following exams will also cover this topic.

The brush given to Qian Fei was a real purple-hair brush. It was not a high-end product, but it was something that Ji Yuan could afford, and it was absolutely authentic.

Naturally, the two of them were attracted by the item, and after looking at each other, they also gave each other a red envelope.

Forget about what the Master gave him, Ji Yuan definitely doesn’t want anything from them.

Although both families were not in financial difficulty, they still had money for the young people.

"Send me to the prefectural school later, and you two can treat me to a meal."

Li Ting and Qian Fei then took back the red envelope and said, "We will both study hard and become scholars in the future."

"Okay, I'll wait for you." Ji Yuan had no doubt.

Li Ting and Qian Fei are both very smart and hardworking.

You will definitely pass the examination and become a scholar.

In the evening, the three of them went to the Sichuan restaurant they had eaten at before. Everyone in the restaurant knew Ji Yuan, and he almost got a free meal again.

Who made Ji Yuan the third best?

They are the first three yuan in Zhengrong County.

I always get first place in every exam.

It would be good if you could show some talent.

Li Ting and Qian Fei also nodded.

Not only do they think so, their families think so too.

Li Ting's father now hopes that Li Ting will pass the imperial examination and become a scholar.

Qian Fei's family has a good relationship with Ji Yuan, so they can have a say at the chamber of commerce.

Everyone can feel this difference.

If people in the county are like this.

It was even more obvious when Ji Yuan returned to Anji Village.

Since I'm going to the provincial school, I have to deal with things at home.

When Ji Yuan talked to the teacher, the teacher nodded and said, "Okay, I finally figured it out."

"But even if you don't agree, we will still take you over."

It would naturally be better for the teachers to keep Jiyuan in the county school.

After all, given his level of intelligence, he has a higher chance of passing the next provincial examination than others.

By then, it will all be the teacher's credit.

But the teacher wanted him to go to the provincial school to learn more.

So before Ji Yuan returned to the village, he deliberately asked, "Right Instructor of the Prefecture School, do you know him?"

Teacher Cheng:?

Of course I know him.

We were classmates and worked together before.

"He said you were naive."

After saying that, Ji Yuan ran away.

This was not an attempt to sow discord. Ji Yuan could see that Teacher Cheng and the Right Instructor had a pretty good relationship.

Otherwise, the right instructor of the prefectural school would never have mentioned it in front of them.

Moreover, the Right Instructor also said this in person.

But the other party said that they probably thought Teacher Cheng was too stupid. He only knew how to teach students well in the bright moon and clear breeze every day.

Ji Yuan said this out of complete gratitude.

Teacher Cheng:?

You're brave, aren't you?!

Soon Master Guo and Master Li came to report. When they mentioned this matter, they also mentioned that Ji Yuan used the room of orchids and zhi as a metaphor.

The teacher said that he would create a room of orchids for students.

Teacher Cheng felt amused and helpless.

Of course, there is also relief.

He is not stupid or naive. He is a person who works seriously. How can others not see that?

The person who said this is a fool!

Ji Yuan started running, definitely towards Anji Village.

Come to think of it, I haven’t been back since I left in January.

So much has happened this year, it feels like a long time has passed.

Fortunately, the result is good.

Although he said he was going home, he didn't really have a home here. He did have two houses and eight acres of land.

Eight acres of land have been rented out, but there is no harvest and no income at all.

Two houses is a problem.

If a house is not lived in, it will become abandoned over time.

There is nothing much to say about Xiao Jiyuan's home; it has been abandoned for a long time.

Ji Li's family compensated him with the house, but Ji Yuan was not in the mood to live there.

Both houses need to be cleaned up.

Besides, there is one more thing to do.

I’ve said before that I wanted to help rebuild the graves of Xiao Jiyuan’s parents, and I will definitely do it this time.

In the package that Jiyuan brought back to the village, there was also a piece of clothing that he wore before he was little Jiyuan, which was also buried in it.

It's a family reunion.

Although Ji Yuan didn't believe these, he wanted to give little Ji Yuan some comfort after living his life again.

As he was thinking about this, he heard a voice from behind: "Brother Yuan? Why didn't you hire a horse or ox cart?"

Ji Yuan turned around and said in surprise, "Uncle An Wu."

The one who called him was the fifth son of Village Chief An, Uncle An.

I had helped Ji Yuan sell wild vegetables and medicinal herbs before, so that he could buy paper in the beginning.

In today's era, there is no shortage of paper, but the friendship we had back then will never be forgotten.

Uncle An Wu often runs errands for the family and often drives a ox cart out, so it is not surprising to meet him on the road at this moment.

"Come, sit on the ox cart." Uncle An Wu said with a smile. He had just returned from doing some business outside. From a distance he could see what looked like Yuan Ge'er's back. In the entire Anji village, his back was the straightest.

Uncle An Wu's eyes were still respectful. "After passing the exam to become a scholar, he refused to walk even a step. Why are you planning to walk back to the village?"

"Congratulations, you really passed the exam and became a scholar."

Ji Yuan said: "I am happy for you. I am just a scholar, how can I not walk? Besides, I don't have much money."

Before he went to the provincial capital, he had more than twenty taels of silver on him.

After going through the whole process, all the money was spent.

Fortunately, he got the first place in the Tongshi exam, and both the prefectural school and the county school gave him some money, and he also received a reward from the prefect at the Tongshi banquet.

All in all, I now have fifteen taels of silver on me.

But he still has a great use for this money.

This is also the purpose of coming back this time.

"How can that be possible? You are a scholar." Uncle An Wu didn't know what to say, "Anyway, I see other scholars don't walk."

The scholar I had the most contact with was definitely Li Yaozhong, the younger brother of Uncle An’s daughter-in-law.

Everyone knows what kind of person he is.

But speaking of it, Li Yaozhong is no longer a scholar.

Uncle An Wu didn't mention this matter. He kept asking about the Jiyuan exam and whether the city was good.

Ji Yuan answered with a smile, and the distance between them gradually shortened, which moved Uncle An Wu very much.

It is said that people become different when they achieve fame.

Yuan Ge'er from their village is not like that!

The more they talked, the closer they got to Anji Village. Looking from afar, Ji Yuan discovered that this road seemed a little different?

Uncle An Wu introduced: "This road was also built by the village. You will see later that the main road of our village is very different."

The money used for road construction is naturally earned from selling silage.

Although only the main road was built in the village, it is much more convenient.

The roads here are different from the roads in the modern sense.

After the soil is compacted, a layer of stones is laid to stabilize the road surface, and then the loess is leveled and compacted again.

The cost of materials is not much, but it is labor-intensive.

The money earned from silage is used for this.

This kind of road is countless times better than other wild roads. It may be despised in modern times, but here it is already very good.

The roads in the surrounding area are not as good as those here.

The only drawback is that building roads is really expensive, so Anji Village only built the main road, and the other roads remain the same as before.

Even so, this exceptionally neat-looking road made the people of Anji Village happy.

The road represents hope and change.

And everyone knows that if they buy silage again this year, they can continue repairs next year.

After the road is repaired, not only can it be used by our family, but we can also earn money.

The people of Anji Village are living a much better life this year.

Why?

Is that even necessary?

After tracing back to the source, it is more related to one person.

Little three yuan!

era!

So when Ji Yuan appeared in Anji Village, everyone in the village looked surprised.

"Era is back!"

"The scholar is back!"

"He's wearing the clothes of a scholar! Our Anji Village has another scholar!"

"He is the top three scholar in the imperial examination! He is the most outstanding scholar in the entire Jianmeng Mansion! Congratulations."

"They say he is the god of literature who has descended to earth!"

As everyone was talking, they couldn't help but move closer to Ji Yuan, making it impossible for him to even get off the ox cart.

Uncle An Wu simply said, "Are you going home or to Master Zhao? I'll take you there."

Ji Yuan naturally went to Master Zhao's house.

He had met Master Zhao before, but they had never had a proper private chat.

Besides, neither of his two houses was habitable.

Uncle An Wu drove the car and simply took Ji Yuan over.

All along the way, they walked along the main road of Anji Village, and people around them even said, "Jiyuan, look, is this road well built?"

"Ji Yuan, are you going to the capital city to study?"

"Brother Yuan, come to my house for dinner later. I'll kill a chicken for you."

"Is your county school recruiting students this year? Let's see how my son is doing."

The villagers were talking at once, either praising Ji Yuan or trying to take advantage of Wen Quxing's fame.

After finally arriving at Master Zhao's house, everyone reluctantly dispersed.

As soon as Ji Yuan got off the ox cart, he saw Village Chief An and Uncle An walking over quickly. The first thing they said when they saw Ji Yuan was, "Little Sanyuan!"

"Congratulations! You really passed the exam and became a scholar!"

Looking at the familiar people, Ji Yuan responded with a smile and also expressed his gratitude to them.

At the beginning of the year, Ji Li's parents falsely accused him, and it was Uncle An and Village Chief An who helped find people to testify.

Prove how he lived his previous life.

He has not had time to come back, so he must be thanked for coming back now.

Speaking of this, the two looked at each other and whispered, "You don't know yet?"

Know what?

Uncle An sighed: "Your third uncle and third aunt are gone."

What? !

The person is gone?!

Ji Yuan was shocked, he really didn't know.

"The news came last month. You were taking an exam in the capital at that time, and we thought we couldn't delay you, so we didn't tell you. We thought you would know after you came back."

Ji Yuan really didn't know about this.

"They were beaten with sticks, and they died within a few days of being on the road."

After the people died, the constables who escorted them said it was bad luck and buried them directly in the local area according to regulations. They did not even say anything about allowing the bodies to be returned to their hometown.

The detectives are on official business and they certainly can't come back just because of the two prisoners.

This can also be considered as dying in a foreign land.

In the minds of ancient people, this was one of the most miserable ways to die.

Ji Yuan said: "Ji Li didn't go to pick them up either?"

Ji Yuan didn't feel sorry for them, he just felt strange about it.

"He was doing very well in the gambling house in the neighboring Heyuan County. He was reluctant to leave, so he didn't even think about burying his parents."

"We are telling you this so that you can be mentally prepared. If Ji Li knew you were back, he would definitely make a scene."

"The house that the Ji Li family gave you as compensation, he sometimes secretly lives there."

Ji Yuan nodded: "It's okay. Now that I have achieved fame, I am not afraid of trouble."

That's true.

Uncle An, Village Chief An was relieved, but Ji Yuan said, "By the way, I want to ask a villager who is free to help me recently."

"I don't live in the house that the Ji Li family gave me as compensation, so I want to make room for it."

"But I don't have much money, so I can only demolish, not rebuild."

What does this mean? !

Uncle An and Village Chief An are both smart people.

Uncle An took a moment to react, and Village Chief An was also surprised and asked, "Just demolish? Not rebuild?"

“Yes, we will only demolish, not rebuild.”

He has no money to build a house.

Besides, he wouldn't live in that house, and he wouldn't argue with Ji Li about it.

What to keep it for?

It’s better to tear it down.

Oh, the wood from Xiao Jiyuan’s roof and the door panels need to be returned.

The rest, all demolished.

It must be demolished in a lively and open manner.

It would be best to let Ji Li know that the house is going to be demolished.

"Oh, and help rebuild my parents' graves. It doesn't have to be too luxurious, just make sure it's neat and dignified."

Ji Yuan said: "These two things are the most important for this return home."

Ji Li’s house was demolished.

Repair the graves of Xiao Jiyuan's parents, and patch up the holes in Xiao Jiyuan's house.

As for the fact that he did these things, some people would be unhappy.

Then be unhappy.

Would he be afraid of someone like Ji Li?

Uncle An and Village Chief An took a deep breath.

This is the benefit of raising good children and grandchildren.

Ji Yuan came back to rebuild his parents' tomb.

Ji Li was a man who didn't even want to collect the bodies of his parents who died in other places.

These two people have the same surname, how come they are so different!