Chapter 119

In the days when Xu Yi was away, apart from Yu Qiulin, the person who often came to visit was Zhang Tiegou.

Naturally, this guy is not here to have nothing to do, he is here to study.

Although Xu Yi was not at home, he told Ah Jin to teach him the "Thousand-Character Classic" before leaving. In the past two months, he had come here to read very diligently, but when Xu Yi came back to assess him, he found that he had learned 120 Seventeen words.

Xu Yi: ...

Xu Yi was silent for a long time. Seeing his expression begging for praise, he wondered whether he was right or wrong in wanting Zhang Tiegou to become literate.

"What do you think?" Xu Yi asked him.

Zhang Tiegou pondered for a long time and said with some uncertainty: "I think my name doesn't sound good. I want to change it."

Xu Yi was surprised and said: "Because of this change of name?"

When Zhang Tiegou faced Xu Yi, he couldn't hide his words. He curled his lips, muttered, and told the matter.

It turned out that during these two months, he traveled to the county town for nine out of ten days, and met a young lady in a wine shop on East Street.

This little lady is the daughter of the owner of a wine shop. She is pretty and pretty. Now she is helping out in her wine shop. Zhang Tiegou fell in love with her when he saw her for the first time.

The little lady was no different from other women in the boudoir. She was too shy to look at people. When she met the customers buying wine in the wine shop, they all looked at her openly.

It was the first time that a rude man like Zhang Tiegou fell in love with a girl. In the past two months, he often went to his wine shop to buy drinks.

After hearing this, Xu Yi asked in confusion: "What does this have to do with your name?"

"I..." Zhang Tiegou felt depressed, pulled his sleeves, coughed and said, "The owner of the wine shop wants to give his sister I am looking for a good son-

in-law . My name is not pleasant. I am afraid that people will not consider me after hearing my name.”

The most important thing is your character. If you can win the favor of the wine shop owner, your name means nothing."

Zhang Tiegou thought slightly when he heard what his good brother said, and said quickly: "You're right, good brother, you have to help. "I, I've been to the wine shop many times, and the owner of the wine shop doesn't even look at me."

The other party naturally has high requirements for picking a suitable son-in-law, and it is not ordinary to open a wine shop on East Street. Small portal...

Xu Yi naturally didn't say this, but seeing Zhang Tiegou so excited, he became a little curious about this little lady.

Xianfu was at home today, and the two of them were sitting across from each other. At this moment, they understood each other, and Zhang Tiegou took the initiative to invite Xu Yi to buy wine at the wine shop.

Xu Yi agreed with a smile and ordered A Xu to bring the money bag.

"I'm buying wine, so I'll treat you to a drink today," Xu Yi said.

Zhang Tiegou was a generous man. When he heard that Xu Yi wanted to treat him to a drink, he happily put his arms around his good brother's shoulders and said that he would lead the way for Xu Yi.

East Street, in an ordinary alley.

At the end of the alley, there was a banner with the word "wine" written on it. As I got closer, the aroma of wine wafted in.

This wine shop is not big. There is a movable cabinet outside with some dishes and wine jars placed on it.

In front of the cabinet, there is a middle-aged man in his forties lying on a bamboo rocking chair. He has a ruddy complexion, dark spots on his temples, and a fashionable goatee. He looks relaxed and holds a cattail leaf fan in his hand. Fanning the wind, not to mention how comfortable it is.

Hearing the noise, the middle-aged man opened his eyes and saw that it was a regular customer. He immediately stood up with a smile.

"Brother Zhang, are you here to buy wine again?" the wine shop owner asked with a smile.

When Xu Yi heard this title, the corner of his mouth twitched imperceptibly.

Zhang Tiegou didn't feel anything was wrong, and smiled cheerfully: "Today my brother invites you to drink. Bring your best wine."

As he spoke, he looked inside the wine shop, but he didn't see his favorite person inside.

The smile on his face paused, and he became a little more disappointed.

The owner of the wine shop said "Oh" and his eyes fell on Xu Yi next to Zhang Tiegou. He looked around and asked, "Who is this?"

He asked, while observing Xu Yi's face, thinking to himself, this young man He looks like a talented person, and his clothes are unusual for other people. Although he doesn't appear to be rich or wealthy, he is dressed like this, and I think he has some confidence in coming to the family.

"I'm Xu Yi." Xu Yi said, "I just moved to East Street not long ago."

Hearing this, the owner of the wine shop became more enthusiastic. He invited them to take a seat and shouted inside: "Sister Meng, take two pots of the best." Here comes the wine."

After the owner of the wine shop called, Zhang Tiegou became absent-minded and looked at the curtain inside frequently.

Xu Yi knew that this "Sister Meng" was the girl Zhang Tiegou liked.

Soon, a girl wearing a hairpin, a half-arm-length vest, a purple tube top underneath, crotchless pants with slits on both sides, and a knee-length pleated skirt came out.

In the hot summer, women love to dress up in cool outfits.

Sister Meng is not only much cooler when she is dressed like this, but it also exposes two thin arms.

Many vendors in the city and the maids who work for their masters like to dress like this in summer. Everyone sees it and doesn't think it's out of place.

She wrapped two light yellow arms around her arms and brought two jars of wine in clay pots.

He was not shy when he met the appraising gazes of the guests. He walked over with graceful steps and put down the plate he was carrying.

She shouted in a clear voice: "Two officials, the wine is here."

Zhang Tiegou was stunned for a moment, and Xu Yi pushed his arm. He quickly came to his senses and said politely: "Oh, I'm here to help you, little lady."

"Well, no trouble." Meng Niangzi covered her mouth with her hands and said with a smile.

She didn't stay long, glanced at the extra person next to Zhang Tiegou, turned around and went back inside.

The owner of the wine shop said at the right time: "You two, please try my wine. This wine is not available in ordinary wine shops."

"What's so good about it?" Xu Yi asked him.

The owner of the wine shop pretended to be mysterious and said: "My uncle's family has a recipe. There are other ingredients added to this wine. You can smell the difference just by smelling it."

He helped open the lid of the pottery pot, and in a moment, there was a smell. The strong aroma of wine wafted.

The aroma of this wine is not as strong and overbearing as medicinal wine, nor is it like ordinary rice wine, and the color of the wine is also clear.

Xu Yi doesn't like to drink. Apart from medicinal wine, he doesn't know much about other wines.

On the other hand, when Zhang Tiegou smelled the aroma of the wine, he immediately said energetically: "Good wine, did this wine have other koji added during brewing?"

"Brother Zhang is indeed a wine lover." The owner of the wine shop cheered, "Not bad. I do add different kinds of koji to this wine. "

There are hundreds of kinds of koji, and each one has a different flavor. Different brewing masters will also produce different wines.

Naturally, I won’t tell others about the twists and turns and secrets involved.

However, Xu Yi could tell from Zhang Tiegou's expression that the wine was indeed quite good.

He had a quick drink. Drinking wine alone was not enough. Xu Yi also asked the owner of the restaurant to serve some delicious dishes to go with the wine.

Not long after, Sister Meng appeared again.

This time, after Sister Meng put down her food, Xu Yi asked for Zhang Tiegou: "Staff, why don't you have a serious bartender? Instead, you let your own lady serve the wine and meat?" The

restaurant owner heard this. , smiled bitterly: "Every family has sutras that are difficult to recite, and I don't want to think about it."

After saying that, he sat down, as if he was suffering a lot, and poured the wine to drink.

Xu Yi squinted his eyes, trying to see what else he had to say.

The result was good. When Zhang Tiegou heard that he was in trouble, he immediately shouted like a fool, "What trouble do you have? Come and see if I can help you."

This was what the wine shop owner was waiting for.

He said: "This matter is a long story, so I will make it short. If the two officials feel that it has offended their ears and want to talk to me, I will not say it again."

Zhang Tiegou urged: "Just say it.

" Yi: "..."

He pretended to cough, then swallowed it back.

That's all, it's a life-long matter for a good brother, so he'd better watch it for now.

This time the owner of the wine shop did not pretend to be pretentious. He said that a younger brother at home was doing business and bought a batch of goods. It turned out that the goods were inferior goods and he was deceived.

This batch of goods was piled up in my hands and could not be sold, so it could only be sold at a low price. After selling it, I lost eighty guan of silver.

Originally they just lost the money, but the family didn't give up and went to find the seller of fake goods. It turned out that the seller was rich and powerful and hired people to beat up several people who went to ask for an explanation.

When he reported it to the official, the person said that he was not the one he hired. The family could not find any evidence, so they were left speechless.

I had to recuperate when I came back, which cost me more than ten thousand dollars.

In this way, I actually paid for the dowry I prepared for my sister this year.

The news leaked out somehow, and the person who had originally agreed to get engaged actually reneged on his words and no longer wanted to get married to their family.

Since the letter of appointment has not yet been issued, this loss can only be swallowed in the stomach.

But the sister at home is already eighteen this year, so she can only come up with such a low-grade idea...

When Xu Yi heard what happened, he didn't know what to say.

Why does he feel that this story is too... coincidental.

"Shopkeeper, do you recognize me?" Xu Yi looked at him with a strange expression.

The wine shop owner said: "I have heard of Dr. Xu's name."

Xu Yi asked him again: "Did you know that I used to live in South Street?"

The smile on the wine shop owner's face paused slightly, but he quickly put it away. : "I never knew."

Xu Yi saw his reaction in his eyes.

Zhang Tiegou said angrily: "These people are really bullying others. Don't they have no laws?"

"Brother Zhang, calm down, we can't offend those people, let's forget it." The owner of the wine shop persuaded him in turn.

Zhang Tiegou was very angry, but he also knew the reason. He felt depressed, so he raised his head and drank a bowl of wine.

Xu Yi said, "It's not good for your health if you drink like this."

"I..." Zhang Tiegou was about to say something, but when he saw Xu Yi's calm face, he swallowed his angry words.

Xu Yi glanced at the wine shop owner and said, "If this is the case, wouldn't it be bad for the family's reputation?"

"As long as you treat my sister sincerely, I can tolerate it." The wine shop owner hid his face and stopped doing anything. Voice.

He endured the humiliation like this, but Sister Meng, who was standing inside, burst into tears.

She stirred up the handkerchief and wanted to go out, but she gritted her teeth and held back.

How could she not know what her father's idea was? How many times had the guest surnamed Zhang come and never seen him say these words, but today he said it, and it wasn't because of the young man next to her.

Come to think of it, Daddy is interested in that one.

But she was a young girl with serious thoughts. To be honest, that person didn't even look at her when he saw her.

Ming Ming didn't take his fancy to her. Instead, it was the man surnamed Zhang who looked blank every time he saw her, and his expression didn't seem to be fake.

Li Mengniang thought that if she really had to choose, she might as well choose such a husband.

Outside, there were no other customers in the restaurant.

Xu Yi looked at Zhang Tiegou and pulled him out: "What do you think? Do you want to marry?"

Zhang Tiegou nodded firmly: "Yes."

Xu Yi's expression moved. He didn't want to hide it, and said, "Maybe the other party doesn't care. "You, you still want to know?"

"I think." Zhang Tiegou said firmly, "My dear brother, I have never been so concerned in my life. It doesn't matter whether you scold me or think that I am not clear-headed, but every time I see her. , I'm so restless that I can't sleep well."

"Pfft."

Xu Yi was amused by his appearance, "You've become a different person now that you have someone you like." He turned to look at the wine shop and whispered. He asked, "Do you want me to come forward and ask for you? If I ask for you, I won't talk in disguise. If it doesn't work, don't blame me."

Zhang Tiegou's eyes were heavy. He thought for a moment and settled down: "Okay, I listen to you brother. If things don't work out, I won't blame you."

Xu Yi patted him on the shoulder: "I will try my best to fight for you."

The two of them returned.

Looking at the owner of the wine shop who was waiting for them, Xu Yi sat down and said slowly: "Brother Zhang and I have no close relatives at home, so we have to make our own decisions about marriage. Brother Zhang is too thin-skinned to speak up in person. Asked, so I asked for him.”

After a pause, he looked at the stunned expression of the wine shop owner and asked: "Business owner, your family wants to marry a sister, what are the rules?"

"This..." The wine shop owner was so shocked by his direct words that he didn't know what to do for a moment. How to answer.

Xu Yi laughed: "I'm being reckless, otherwise, let's invite the matchmaker to come to your door some other time, what do you think?"

The owner of the wine shop took a deep breath: "Young official, this is too sudden. I, my intention Yes..."

He hesitated for a moment, but still didn't want to give up on Xu Yi as a candidate.

This Xu Yi is so young and capable. If such a person becomes his son-in-law, it will definitely be a step up for his family.

Although he can't change his family, he is so talented, and in the future, his brother in the family will also have another connection.

The owner of the wine shop no longer hesitated and asked: "Little official, where are you? Are you attracted to my sister?"

Before he finished speaking, Zhang Tiegou looked at Xu Yi blankly: "..."

Xu Yi blinked innocently: " ..."Brother, it's not my problem.

He immediately said: "I'm here today because of Brother Zhang's marriage. Shopkeeper, don't make any jokes on me."

The owner of the wine shop laughed dryly: "I'm not joking."

Xu Yi did not respond to his words.

Zhang Tiegou gritted his back molars, blushed, and bowed: "My father-in-law, I sincerely want to marry you. I hope your father-in-law will fulfill your wish. No matter what the conditions are, I will accept them."

The owner of the wine shop was startled by him.

In the past few days, no one came to ask about his sister's affairs, but he was not satisfied with anything.

Either the looks or the conditions don't match. This iron dog is a good person, but he is a bit old and he feels that he is not worthy of his sister.

Of course, the main reason was that he felt that Zhang Tiegou had no money.

After thinking about it for a long time, the owner of the wine shop didn't say no, nor did he say yes. He just said we would talk about it another day.

So, that means there is still room.

...

Back at Xu's house, Zhang Tiegou sat dully on the steps of the corridor, whittling the arrowheads of wooden arrows with a knife.

Xu Yi sat next to him and handed him a handkerchief.

"Why are you giving me the veil?" Zhang Tiegou looked at him in confusion.

Xu Yi said: "You are about to cry, let me wipe your tears."

"..." Zhang Tiegou blushed, "I'm not crying."

Xu Yi smiled, without exposing him, and said: "What are you going to do? "

Look for my uncle. He is the village chief and has taken over this kind of thing many times. Although there are no other elders in the family, he is my uncle after all. If he agrees, it will be good for her," Zhang Tiegou said.

Although he was in a bad mood, he was not easily beaten.

He had already thought about it. He would go to his uncle when he got back and let his uncle make the decision for him, so that if Sister Meng could really marry him, she wouldn't have to be criticized.

Xu Yi felt relieved when he saw that he had an idea in his mind.

Two days later, Xu Yi received good news from Zhang Tiegou that village chief Zhang was willing to make the final decision on his marriage.

As for the matchmaker, you have to find a good one carefully and cannot be casual.

Since the matter was settled, Zhang Tiegou did not go to the wine shop to buy wine in the past two days.

They didn't know that after they left, Sister Meng knelt down in front of his father and said that she was willing to marry Zhang Tiegou.

His father scolded her for being stupid. How could she be so careless when choosing a husband? Besides, this iron dog was just a hunter. If she really married such a person, she would have a lot of hard times in the future.

But Sister Meng thinks that if she marries those scholars who talk and laugh in teahouses every day, will she be able to live a good life?

So, her father was so angry that he stopped letting her come to the wine shop and kept her at home, not allowing her to go out even a step.

...

On the other side, the day for releasing the results in Fucheng has arrived.

Xing Yuesen, Xin Shengyuan and Tao Qinghao couldn't sleep and woke up before dawn that day.

They lit lamps in the main room, looked at each other, and discussed whether to go outside the official gate to wait for the announcement of the results.

Xing Yuesen said: "There are too many people who will go. We have asked Amu and the others to guard them. If there is good news, we can know it without going there in person."

"Yeah, I think it's already crowded there .

There are people." Tao Qinghao nodded and agreed, "We can only go on the outside and can't squeeze in." He shook his fan , clapped

his hands and said, "Well, then I'll go back to the house and take a nap. " He sat back down and said, "I didn't pass the exam, but I still thought that you could pass." At the last sentence, he looked towards Xing Yuesen. Xing Yuesen, who was usually calmer than them, was also anxious at this time. He pretended to drink tea to suppress his panic. "Wait." If you win, it will be the best. Wait... "Tick-tick-tock-" The sound of dripping was infinitely amplified, and it hit the ears, making people more and more anxious. I don’t know how much time has passed, one hour, or two hours. It was already bright outside. Today, the street was much livelier than usual. From time to time, you could hear congratulatory teams beating gongs and drums... Xing Yuesen clenched his fists, closed his eyes, and then opened them quickly. At this time, there was movement outside. "You've won! The husband has won!" "The husband has won the lottery!!!" Amu's voice came from outside, and the three people sitting in the main room ran out of the yard at full speed. As soon as they opened the door, they saw a flushed Amu running forward excitedly. Seeing Xing Yuesen, Amu gasped, bowed and shouted: "Mr. Lang, you won, you won the fifty-seventh place!" "You won."

Xing Yuesen was so happy that his tense nerves relaxed and he almost lost his balance.

Tao Qinghao, who was standing next to him, quickly supported him with quick eyes and hands, unable to conceal his excitement: "Great, Xing Wu, you won!"

Xin Shengyuan happily patted Xing Yuesen on the shoulder: "Xing Wu, you really won. Let's go back quickly and tell Xu Yi the good news!"

They also received a caring letter from Xu Yi a few days ago.

Xing Yuesen came back to his senses: "Yes, I have to write a letter back."

After he finished speaking, he looked at his entourage and asked anxiously: "Besides me, how about Qing Hao and Xin Yao, can they also win?"

Amu was stunned for a moment. After hesitating for a moment, he shook his head and said, "The other two gentlemen did not make the list."

Xing Yuesen's joy decreased a bit.

Although they knew it well, they were still a little disappointed when they really knew the answer.

Soon, Tao Qinghao and Xin Shengyuan's followers also came back, and the news they brought back was the same as Amu's.

There was a candidate in their yard who passed the exam, and not long after, neighbors came over to congratulate him.

Xing Yuesen and the others were well prepared and ordered their servants to distribute congratulatory jelly beans and copper coins.

Everyone happily grabbed jelly beans and copper coins, and the official who announced the good news also came beating gongs and drums.

...

At this time, the good news letter was already rushed to Yanting County.