Chapter 274 Chapter 274 Well-deserved Little Three
On the day Xu Yunfan and his companions returned to Beijing, everyone from the Qin family came to see them off.
The children of Qin'an had tears in their eyes. Xu Yunfan almost spurted out his earwax while crying while hugging Sandan and other friends. He Weichen had stayed in the village for more than half a month, and now he was leaving. He was reluctant to leave.
Xu Yunfan didn't feel too sad about the parting. In a few days, Qin's people would come to Beijing to attend his wedding. Wouldn't he be able to see them then? There was no need to be sad.
After returning to the capital, Qin Qingfeng's family and the Fang family went to Yunrun Restaurant. Xu Yunfan booked a large private room at Yunrun Restaurant and invited several families to have a meal together.
At the dinner table, Xu Yunfan had a box brought in. "Father-in-law, Brother Fang, Nineteen and Run'er are getting married. Do you have anyone you'd like to invite? Here are the invitations I prepared. Do you think they're enough?"
Fang Peizhou walked over to take a look. "Wow, Yunfan, how did you make this invitation? It's really grand."
As he spoke, Fang Peizhou flipped it open and took a look. His eyes almost popped out of his head. "This... Jin Mo?"
Gold ink is something equivalent to red paper with three books, and ordinary people are generally reluctant to use it.
When the others heard the sound, they put down their chopsticks and wine glasses and came over to take a look. Wow, the festive red invitation card was written with golden words, which was dazzling.
"Yes, this is a once-in-a-lifetime event, how can we not order something good? Father-in-law, do you think so many invitations are enough?" Xu Yunfan asked.
"That's enough, that's enough." Qin Feiyu looked at it again and again with great satisfaction, and asked in a low voice, "Can I send some to him?"
Xu Yunfan knew who this "he" was referring to as soon as he heard it, "Of course it's possible."
Xu Yunfan thought, the more people came, the more gifts he would receive, so who would be dissatisfied?
"Yunfan, do you have any money?" Second Master Qin looked at the huge box of invitations. How much gold ink would Xu Yunfan have to buy? That stuff is not cheap.
Xu Yunfan rolled his eyes and said, "I still have some. I haven't spent all the pocket money Run Ge'er gave me."
Upon hearing this, not only the Second Lord Qin, but even Qin Run himself became suspicious. He remembered that the silver he gave Xu Yunfan for pocket money was only a dozen taels.
Fang Peizhou didn't think too much about it. "Oh, by the way, I have a pair of real dragon and phoenix candles. They are very beautiful. If you haven't prepared them yet, come to my place and get them."
Xu Yunfan: "I'm ready. Also, I've chosen the Food City as the wedding venue. There's plenty of space there, so we can have as many tables as we want. Father-in-law, Grandpa, do you think this is okay?"
In the Great Yan Dynasty, it was customary for the man's family to host a wedding banquet. However, Qin Run and Xu Yunfan's situation was special. Xu Yunfan said it was marrying into the man's family, while Qin Run said it was marrying into the man's family. They disagreed, so Qin Qian simply ignored it. Since Xu Yunfan wanted to hold the banquet at the Food City, that was fine. Moreover, Xu Yunfan didn't let them have any say in the venue's layout. "It's all fine. You young people have your own ideas. You can do whatever you want."
Xu Yunfan said sweetly, "Grandpa, you are so kind. I like you so much. Come, I'll toast you a glass."
Qin Qian was a little overwhelmed, "You kid, why are you so... I'm getting goosebumps." Although he said that, he felt very sweet in his heart, as if he had eaten honey.
…
On the sixteenth day, nine "strange" carriages lined up in an orderly manner and entered the city gate.
Seeing such a novel carriage, the pedestrians on the street made way and whispered to each other while pointing at the Qin family members sitting in the carriage.
There is no way. This kind of carriage is called a carriage, but there is nothing covering the sides. So it is not a carriage. If the garbage cart in front is not a horse, then what is it?
Of course, this is not the strangest thing. Other carriages can only seat three or four adults, but the carriage they saw now can seat... one, two, three... a total of sixteen people. There are four people sitting in a row of seats in the carriage, and there are a total of four rows of chairs.
It was the first time for Old Qin and the others to come to Beijing, and everything they saw was really strange to them. However, they did not dare to look around carelessly, for fear of being laughed at and bringing shame to Xu Yunfan.
Sandan and the others, who were held in the arms of their parents, did not have the sensitive thoughts of the parents. They looked around and cried continuously.
The several military attendants who were riding on horseback were still on high alert even after entering the capital. The people nearby wanted to get closer but did not dare to.
There was a sound of bells in the distance, and everyone looked in the direction of the sound, "Look, it's Xu Xiucai coming."
Xu Yunfan is now a well-known figure in the capital.
This person not only shone brightly in the teacher's competition, but also won the first place in the academy examination, crushing all the other candidates.
No matter what candidates were previously favored by others, even if they graduated from the Imperial College, no matter how talented they were praised, they had to stay away from the peerless genius Xu Yunfan.
Although Xu Yunfan had taken the county and prefectural examinations in Yiping Prefecture before, and now he has won the first place, many people call Xu Yunfan the "Little Sanyuan". However, some people have different opinions on this.
When he returned to Beijing, Xu Yunfan once again clearly saw what "power" was.
For other people, especially students who are taking the imperial examinations, it would be very difficult to transfer their household registration, or even not allowed. But when Qin Feiyu stepped in, an exception was made.
The candidates in Beijing all felt that it was unfair. Some people recognized Xu Yunfan's score of third place, while others did not.
Those who agree with him say, "Could the county and prefectural exams be harder than the imperial examinations? Xu Xiucai topped the imperial examinations. Even if he wasn't in the capital, could he have done worse than the others in the previous exams?"
"That's not necessarily true. As the saying goes, even the wisest can make mistakes. The last question of our Jingcheng County Examination is not easy. Xu Xiucai has never taken the test, so it's hard to say how strong he is."
In this regard, the two sides argued endlessly, and even some teachers from academies and the Imperial College spoke out, but they still could not reach a consensus on their ideas.
There was no other choice but for the Hanlin Academy to take action.
Zheng Ke immediately wrote a letter to the prefect of Yiping Prefecture. Within a few days, the examination papers of the Qingling County and prefectural examinations as well as Xu Yunfan's answer sheets were all posted on the red list posting places in various places in the capital.
Originally, according to the rules of the imperial examination, this action should not have been carried out. According to the rules, even if the test papers of the candidates have been corrected, they should be put into boxes and sealed again for three years after the candidates' rankings are calculated. But now the people, students, and teachers have different opinions on Xu Yunfan's first-place result, and the Hanlin Academy has to take action.
Guards would take turns guarding Xu Yunfan's test papers every day to ensure that they were not damaged.
In response to this, all the students, candidates, and teachers went to watch, and even some ordinary people who could barely read went to join in the fun.
Even though they could not recognize many big characters, when they saw Xu Yunfan's handwriting, they still felt that it was neat and flowing, and beautiful no matter how they looked at it. It was just an ordinary word, but when written by Xu Yunfan, each word seemed to be given life. The calmness and sharpness of the pen strokes showed the boldness and unrestrainedness of the person who wrote the paper.
The entire answer sheet was neatly written, without any corrections at all, and was unusually clean.
"Noodles without salt, noodles without words, without shame. It's originally noodles with clear soup, only when tears fall into the bowl do I feel the saltiness..." A man muttered the answer about "noodles" written by Xu Yunfan. Somehow, his eyes were blurred with tears and he felt inexplicably sad.
It is true that the examination questions in the capital are usually more difficult than those in other prefectures, but that does not mean that the examination questions in other prefectures and counties are necessarily easier than those in the capital.
Just like the exam questions in Qingling County this year, the last question is enough to defeat 30% of the candidates. Even the candidates in the capital would probably not be able to figure out the intention of the person who set the question.
But no matter what "side" it is, Xu Yunfan wrote about it. With just a few words, he expressed the sadness of countless people.
Even so, he won the title of county chief, which was well deserved.
After this, Xu Yunfan's reputation became famous and he was a confirmed top three scorer, and no one dared to question him anymore.
Because of the appearance of Xu Yunfan, the circle of candidates in Beijing is "turbulent". Those who were previously considered to have the greatest chance of winning the first place are now in a difficult situation. Because of the appearance of Xu Yunfan, all the self-righteous speculations of the candidates have become muddy and unclear, and it is no longer possible to determine who will be the first place next time.
Xu Yunfan's reputation was so great that most people had heard of him but had never seen him in person. Not only could they not see him, but even on the day the results were announced, the official who came to announce the good news did not see Xu Xiucai.
Now that Xu Xiucai had finally appeared, everyone looked at Xu Yunfan, some even pointed at him, "Look, that's Xu Xiucai, child, I don't expect you to pass the imperial examination like Xu Xiucai in the future. My only requirement for you is that you look half as good-looking as Xu Xiucai. If you look like him, I won't be able to beat you if you do something wrong in the future."
The child in the woman's arms was embarrassed, but his mind was clear. "But mother, how I look is your and father's responsibility, isn't it? I'm not good-looking because you..."
The child howled before he finished speaking. The sound was so shrill that Xu Yunfan turned his head to look. The people around him thought he was looking at them and laughed at him one by one.
Xu Yunfan's mouth twitched, and he rode his bicycle faster.
"Finally, I saw Xu Xiucai go out. Where is he going?"
This question didn't need an answer, because soon, several strange-looking large carriages drove up ahead. Their scholar Xu braked and said to the military attendant in front of them, who was standing tall and proud, with a bow in one hand and the reins in the other, and a quiver on his back, "Xu Liu, take the people to the farm first. Someone will be there to entertain you."
Without waiting for Xu Liu to respond, the children held on Aunt Qin's laps began to shout. Some shouted loudly, while others were unclear, but Xu Yunfan could hear them clearly. They were shouting, "Brother Xu, Xu Guo, Brother Xu..."
As they shouted, they didn't know why the children started crying.
Seeing this, the people from the Qin family secretly shook their heads and sighed. At this moment, everyone was excited to see Xu Yunfan, but the child's aggrieved crying in their ears also made people feel sad and lost about the possibility of separation in the future.
"Oh, what's wrong with the monkeys? Are they being bullied by the Bull Demon King?"
The picture book story of "Journey to the West" that Xu Yunfan brought out was very popular among Qin's children.
The Monkey King in the picture book was so cool that he swung his golden cudgel so well that it almost left afterimages. During that period, almost every child of the Qin family had a wooden stick in their hands and would turn it left and right whenever they had nothing to do, but they could never turn it fast enough. Xu Yunfan demonstrated it several times himself, and the children clapped and shouted excitedly.
Xu Yunfan got along well with them, and seeing them again after some separation made the children who missed Xu Yunfan so much cry with joy but also feel aggrieved.
Although they are young, they are old enough to know things. They can understand things just by hearing a few words here and there. In the future, their brother Xu and his family will not be able to return to the village often. From now on, they will be people from two different worlds.
When the children thought about not being able to meet such a good big brother and several friends often in the future, their suppressed emotions burst out all at once when they saw Xu Yunfan.
"Brother Xu will never come back. We can't play with him anymore. I feel sad."
"Mom, I don't want Brother Xu to come to the capital. Let's take Brother Xu back."
"Brother Xu, can you please go back with us and take Brother Run and the others with you?"
The children chattered back and forth, making Xu Yunfan feel heartbroken. Standing beside the carriage, he watched Sandan reaching out to him for a hug. He couldn't help but sigh and took him from Qin Erfulang's arms. "Okay, don't cry anymore. An'er and the others have been waiting for you for a long time. Brother Xu will take you to the farm to play, okay? Don't cry anymore."
Xu Yunfan refused to answer the children's other questions in an evasive manner, but Xu Yunfan's words made the children look forward to it. They suddenly forgot their sadness and leaned forward to talk to Xu Yunfan and asked him what he was riding.
The group chatted with Xu Yunfan in a flurry and headed towards the farm in a lively manner. After leaving the city, everyone noticed that the road leading to the farm was decorated with LEDs by Xu Yunfan, Qi Xiu Ze and several other free laborers. Other outsiders might not understand what these things were, but the Qin family's people had seen them and naturally knew clearly.
Not only on the road, but also the food city that Xu Yunfan mentioned was hung with light strips and rows of lanterns.
Inside the restaurant that was being used as the wedding venue, Xu Zhifeng heard that Qin's people had arrived and couldn't help but pout, "If I had known earlier, I should have waited to come with Qin's people."
He arrived in Beijing earlier than the Qin family. In the first two days, Lin Xiaoran and the others took him out to play for a few days, and then he has been busy for more than ten days. He was making balloons and cloth flowers, and was extremely busy.
"Okay, talk less and work more. Yunfan's wedding is the day after tomorrow, so we have to hurry." Qi Xiu Ze was also tired, but for the sake of his brothers, he had to do anything for them, so this little thing was nothing.
Xu Yunfan settled Qin's people in the staff dormitory building, and before he asked anyone to arrange food for them, Fang Zixi sent someone over.
The servant dismounted and ran all the way to the dormitory building, barely catching his breath, "Master Xu, Fourth Master Fang asked you to return quickly."
"What's wrong? But what happened to Brother Fang?"
"No, it's the Minister of Works who's here."
Fang Zixi was checking the accounts at the restaurant when Lord Qin sent someone to call him back, saying that a distinguished guest had come. When he got back, he saw that it was Lord Qi, the Minister of Works, who had arrived.
The Minister of Works was a first-rank official and the highest official in the Ministry of Works, one of the six central ministries. He was in charge of national affairs such as military farming, water conservancy, civil engineering, engineering, transportation, etc.
Xu Yunfan was puzzled: "Why did he come to see me?" It seemed that he didn't know this person and they didn't have any business dealings.
The servant reminded him, "Master Xu, have you forgotten about Prince Xu's work on irrigation and water conservancy in Qingyang County? This was actually a joint effort between Master Qi and Prince Xu. Later, Prince Xu installed seven windmills in Qingyang County."
Xu Yunfan understood the rest of the words without the servant saying anything more. It was because of the waterwheel that Lord Qi noticed him.
Several carriages entered the city today, and I'm afraid that someone with ulterior motives has already reported it to Lord Qi.
Helplessly, Xu Yunfan could only ask Xu Liu and others to arrange food, and wait for the Qin family to put away their luggage before eating. After saying a few words to Qin Lao and others, he had to rush back.
Just as Xu Yunfan expected, Lord Qi did come regarding the waterwheel and carriage.
Lord Qi looked at the handsome Xu Yunfan and couldn't help but feel secretly satisfied. He had heard a little about Xu Yunfan earlier because of the teacher competition, and the children in his family had exaggerated what they said about him.
They said Master Xu was stunningly beautiful, good at singing and dancing, and could ride horses and shoot arrows. Most importantly, when he fought with a martial arts servant, he defeated him with just a few backflips.
When Lord Qi heard this, he thought the children were exaggerating and took it as a joke.
Now seeing Xu Yunfan, Lord Qi thought to himself that some of what the children said was actually true.
Xu Yunfan is indeed a very handsome man. No wonder his daughter goes to Yunrun Restaurant every now and then, hoping to meet him at first sight.
Xu Yunfan felt his scalp tingle when he was stared at. He couldn't help but ask, "Master Qi, why are you here today?"
It was rare for him to speak so seriously. Xu Yunfan felt a little awkward. "Is it because of the water truck?"
"Yes, but not entirely." Lord Qi said, glancing at Xu Yunfan.
Xu Yunfan: “…”
If it is, it is; if it is not, it is not. But it is not entirely yes. So is it yes or no?
"Oh, I'd like to hear more about it."
"I heard that the carriages that entered the city today were yours."
Xu Yunfan raised his eyebrows. He was afraid that he had not just heard about it, but had asked someone to find out clearly long ago. It seemed that the other party came today not only because of the waterwheel, but also for his carriage.
"Yes, I wonder who Master Qi is?"
Lord Qi took a sip of tea before he began to talk. He was talking about how he was responsible for something as the Minister of Works, and how much Xu Yunfan's waterwheel could solve the problem of farmland irrigation. Also, if this horse-drawn carriage could be used for transportation, it would be a good thing for both the country and the people.
As the Minister of Works, Lord Qi cares about the people, so he came in person with the intention of buying the drawings from Xu Yunfan.
Xu Yunfan already has experience in dealing with these officials. After all, Jing Mingze, Zheng Ke and the others are all high-ranking officials.
After seeing off Master Qi, Xu Yunfan, beaming, wandered in from the doorway and into the kitchen. "Run'er, what are we having for dinner today? Shall we celebrate tonight?"
Qin Run turned his head and looked, "Master Qi is gone? Did he come to see you to tell you something good?"
Xu Yunfan: "It's a great thing. He wanted my blueprints, and I can't let him get them for free, so I cooperated with him. Do you think this is a good thing?"
Qin Run didn't ask any more questions and agreed immediately, "Okay, let's celebrate tonight. What do you want to eat?"
Xu Yunfan immediately mentioned a few hard dishes, and after Qin Run nodded in agreement, he happily served the dishes.
At dinner time in the evening, everyone from the Qin family came over.
Because Qin Run is getting married but is not yet listed in the Qin family tree, Lord Qin plans to take him and several other children back to his hometown. The Qin family's roots are there, and the graves of their ancestors are also there. He wants to take Qin Run and his children back to visit the graves.
Of course Xu Yunfan couldn't go. If he went, who would take care of the other things?
Except for Qin Feiyu, Qin Qian, Qin Kun and others, all the Qin family members have left.
The father-in-law and son-in-law who were left behind lived together, planning to get by for a few days.
Xu Yunfan gets up early every morning, exercises, and then rides his bicycle out to buy food.
Surprisingly, Xu Yunfan hadn't left the house yet this morning when Qin Feiyu came in with a lunch box.
Xu Yunfan knew that Qin Feiyu did not return home last night, and he didn't know what he did outside all night, but they were all adults, and Qin Feiyu was an elder, so Xu Yunfan didn't want to ask too much. There was nothing wrong with keeping silent when it was not right to ask.
While having breakfast, Xu Yunfan glanced at Qin Feiyu.
There was fatigue between Qin Feiyu's brows and his face looked a little haggard. When he was eating, he seemed to be enduring something and looked like he couldn't eat.
Although the food outside is not as delicious as Qin Run's, Xu Yunfan has suffered a lot and can eat it. Qin Feiyu is a general after all. If he can eat it, this person should not find it difficult to swallow.
Just as Xu Yunfan finished his thought, Qin Feiyu could no longer hold it in. He vomited on the spot and ran out quickly before the contents of his stomach came out.
Intermittent vomiting sounds were heard.
Xu Yunfan was worried and didn't care about drinking the porridge. He quickly stood up and asked, "Dad, what's wrong with you?"
Qin Feiyu had vomited out everything he had just eaten. His face was pale, his nose was running, and tears welled up in his eyes. He said, "Yunfan, I feel uncomfortable."
Xu Yunfan took a few steps forward, holding Qin Feiyu's shoulders with one hand and helping him to straighten his back with the other. After taking a look at the vomit on the ground, his eyes couldn't help but fall on Qin Feiyu's fair neck. It should have been fair, but now there were a few strange red spots.
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