Du Xun got the news of Li Dui's return to his hometown, so he hurried back to Linying County. I have suffered countless hardships for more than a year, and a very important reason is that I have no one to support me. If there is such a person as Li Dui, what is the Wu family that shows off its might.

Near the county seat, the green trees and red flowers on both sides of the road, the clear water of the Yingshui River not far away, countless water birds are flying, Du Xun is infinitely emotional.

Unconsciously, twenty or thirty years have passed, and now he is middle-aged, and after the precipitation of time, the boy only has good memories left.

Xuzhou is located in the Central Plains, and the five dynasties of the late Tang Dynasty have been in turmoil for more than 100 years, and there are no big families anymore. In the entire Linying County, except for a few village pedants to teach a few naughty children, there is no school, and it is even more impossible to talk about the ethnology of the big clans. has always been literate, and there are only seven or eight families who have passed down poetry and books. The ancestor of the Li family was a jinshi in the Tang Dynasty, and the Du family was a jinshi and the first in the Later Jin Dynasty, but the officials were not big, and they did not leave much family business, and the biggest property was to leave the tradition of reading. Du Xun still remembers that Li Dui walked more than ten miles with his brother to his house to borrow books. At that time, they were both teenagers, and they often studied together and had a good time.

Thinking of this, Du Xun sighed. When we studied together, I didn't think that when I really embarked on the road of the imperial examination, I realized that I was far from Li Dui. Li Dui successfully solved in his twenties, went to high school in one fell swoop, and gradually distanced himself from himself. The year before last, I also successfully solved it, I thought that I could be like Li Dui, a high school jinshi, and since then I have jumped out of the dragon gate, but I know that it will become a disaster in the end.

The most difficult thing for people is self-knowledge, and this is especially true for learning. went to Kaifeng Mansion to participate in a provincial test, and Du Xun knew how far he was behind. When Benshu issued the release test, he had Li Dui's recommendation, and he thought that the general sentence at that time was to give face.

After entering the city, Du Xun passed through the city and went straight to the place where Du Zhongxiao was studying.

When his son entered the house, Du Xun saw that there was "Etiquette Rhyme" on the bookcase, and next to it was Du Zhongxiao's manuscript, and nodded: "According to the usual practice, it will be time to solve it again in the coming year, and now is the time for you to work hard." I was punished three times, and there is no hope for the imperial examination in this life, so you don't waste the light. ”

Du Zhongxiao Gong claimed to be. This is the practice of these families, how can there be a person in the family who works hard in the imperial examination, and it has been passed down from generation to generation. The father worked hard, and the son focused on supporting the family. When the son reaches adulthood, the father has little hope, so the son takes over, and the father concentrates on supporting the family. After several generations of hard work, there will always be a person with a decent talent, and he will change his door from then on.

Many of the jinshi of this era came from such families, and the smaller the place, the more so.

Du Zhongxiao picked up the "Rhyme of the Ministry of Rites" and said: "This is a new rhyme book issued by the imperial court, and Li Guanren specially brought it back to the township and gave it to the children of the clan. The last time I visited, I was appreciated by the officials, so I brought it back and asked me to record it first. ”

Du Xun picked it up and looked at it a few times, and shook his head: "The ministers of the DPRK and China also don't understand the difficulties of us rural scholars, and a rhyme book has also been changed back and forth. There are not many changes, and there is no mistake in the slightest, which is really annoying. ”

The new rhyme book is different from the one he used in the last scientific expedition, although it has not changed much, but it has to make the reader spend a lot of energy to get used to it.

Du Zhongxiao said: "Not really. The new rhyme book was repaired by Neihan Ding Xianggong, with more annotations and narrow rhymes, which is actually much more convenient. ”

Du Xun said with a smile: "Now that you are engaged in the industry, if you think it is good, then it is good." Last time I fell in the capital, although I suffered some hardships, but I have also left this sea of suffering, which may not be a blessing. In the past few months, I have also thought that I have not succeeded in my career, one is limited by talent, and the other is that my family has no money and too little knowledge. Now that we have some money, you can't afford to repeat the mistakes of the past. It is rare for Li Guanren to return to his hometown and save his relatives, this is a rare opportunity, and my son must not miss it. Officials are busy with affairs, if you go to ask for advice from time to time, it will be annoying to people, do you know? ”

Du Zhongxiao was a little strange: "If I don't go to Li Guanren more to ask for advice, where will there be any chance?" ”

Du Xun said with a smile: "After Li Guanren is provincial, he will go to the capital to serve in the imperial history platform. Now we don't have to worry about eating and drinking at home, and we can still get out of the money evenly, and then you will go to the capital with Li Guanren to study. There are people in the capital to take care of it, so there will be no mistakes, and it is the right thing to have more knowledge. In our rural area, a rhyme book is very precious, and when it comes to the capital, this kind of book is not everywhere. ”

Hearing this, Du Zhongxiao couldn't help but be stunned, he really hadn't thought about this festival.

Du Xun said with emotion: "In the previous imperial examinations, one of the five or six people in Kaifeng Mansion was the first, which is unmatched by other places. Needless to say, there is a lot of people there, but the breadth of knowledge is not comparable to other places. Reading, being able to communicate more with peers, is better than reading to death. There are no connections in the capital, and it is in vain to go, and it is different to have Li Guanren to take care of him. My son, who is Li Guanren now? You just go to him every day, and how much kung fu does it teach you. It's better to go to the capital and let him introduce you to some young talents, which is more useful. ”

Du Zhongxiao nodded again and again, but his father was thoughtful. Now Li Dui is in a high position, and he can't spare time when he returns to his hometown and province, how much energy can he have to guide himself. If you can follow you to the capital, not to mention how many friends you know, you can buy more books related to the imperial examination in the capital, and you will have infinite benefits. This is not only for himself, but also for future generations, and even for the whole Linying.

Seeing that his son understood what he meant, Du Xun said: "It's good that you understand my hard work." Now pack up, I have a gift here, and go with me to Li Guanren's Village. I met him as a teenager, but I hadn't seen him for nearly twenty years, and now his status is very different. If my family pesters Li Guanren, I will be looked down upon. Only let him introduce people, and with the entry into Beijing together, it's okay to say. ”

In the living room of Lijiazhuang, Li Dui and Du Xun were chatting about the youth, and Du Zhongxiao stood aside respectfully.

After talking about the past, Li Dui sighed: "Back then, we were at the age of Ling Lang, full of spirit, but when we returned to our hometown, we had already lived more than half of our lives, and we no longer had the same vigor as before." Thinking about it, life is like a dream, and it has been many years since I was in a trance. ”

Du Xun sighed: "In the past twenty years, officials have become important ministers of the court, but I have achieved nothing, which is really ashamed to say." I have no hope in this life, so I can only hope for my son. I hope he studies hard and doesn't want to be like me anymore. ”

"Brother Xian has a good son, I see that he has been studying these days, and he has already entered the path, and he will definitely be able to go to high school in the future. - By the way, the people who are slightly better at reading in this county, in addition to Ling Lang, there are also members of the Wu family of 'Qixiangju'. It's just that I heard that their family has some trouble with you, and I don't know why? ”

Du Xun said lightly: "It's nothing, it's just that my family is downcast and bullied by a big family." ”

Li Dui nodded: "I heard that it is the same. Recently, the Wu family has asked someone to look for me, but I haven't seen me. Listening to the meaning of other people's words, the Wu family wants to solve it next year. Alas, this little man's external character is so unbearable, if we let such people in our county take the imperial examination, we are afraid that we will be laughed at in the future. Now it is not as detailed as before, and the laws of the imperial examination are becoming more and more detailed day by day, as if such people can not enter the Shilin. If it is reported, the person who protects it will also be affected. A few days later, I met with the governor of this state, and I must mention that I should not let such people pollute the atmosphere of Shilin. ”

Du Xundao: "The official is the imperial history, so this kind of thing is naturally unaccustomed to it." I am a small people, and I have seen a lot, but I will not go to my heart. When you are down, you are bullied, and you know it in your heart. Fortunately, the state and county officials are promoted, and now the family business is rough and secure, and they are not subject to these idleness. How to deal with the Wu family, I have my own official laws, and I am a small person who is not good at interjecting. I only hope that the officials will remember the past, and after returning to Beijing this time, they will be able to take care of the children. He is not as good as an official, his talent is limited, if he is only in Linying County, his knowledge is limited, he is afraid that his future will be delayed. After a few days, I prepared some entanglements, followed the officials to the capital to study tours, and came back to prepare for a few months. That's the right thing to do. As for the Wu family, the villain is just ambitious, but I don't think about him. ”

Li Dui nodded again and again, and Du Xun's answer was exactly what he wanted. If Du Xun bit the Wu family because of his own relationship, it would make Li Dui look down on him. In life, there are many such things, and it is the right way to afford to let go.

It's just that Du Xun is not the kind of generous person, but after the ordeal, he has become sleek. He knew that according to Li Dui's character, he was of no use to the Wu family, so it was better to beg him to bring his son. As long as his family business is up, he will take revenge on the Wu family at that time, and he will not do whatever he wants. Li Dui is an imperial historian, and he pays attention to his family, so it is impossible to help himself deal with other families.