At this moment, a burst of wine fragrance came, and I saw several companions in the restaurant carrying a large basket and walking out leisurely.

Smelling the aroma, a group of beggars came out of nowhere and came up hula-la-la.

A companion scolded viciously: "These hungry ghosts, as soon as they smell it, they come out!" Let's go away first, don't stain our clothes! ”

As he spoke, he lifted the basket to the river and slammed it to the ground. The beggars rushed up.

Du Zhongxiao looked strange and asked Han Lian on the side: "Dad, is this a restaurant soup kitchen?" ”

Han Lian shook his head: "How can they have that kind of mind!" The basket was made of wine lees, and the yamen did not allow the restaurant to make vinegar, so it had to be distributed to the poor. You see, these people who come are all miserable people! I didn't have anything to eat, so I had to eat sake lees. These people have a name, they are called bad people. ”

Du Zhongxiao nodded, knowing in his heart. There are sake lees when making wine, and sake lees can be used to make vinegar. It's just that in the general county, the vinegar made from sake lees is covered by the official wine warehouse, and other restaurants are not allowed to do so. The money from the sale of vinegar has a special name, called vinegar interest money, which is an important income of the local government. At this time, the financial centralization was very strong, and the local government was generally not allowed to use the tax, and the local officials used the money.

In this era, feed technology is not good, otherwise distiller's grains can be used as feed, which is also an income. Restaurants are generally troublesome, and most of them are distributed to beggars, which can be regarded as doing good deeds.

The rich have no place to stand, and the poor have no place to stand, and they can't eat their stomachs, and this is how things in the world.

Just when Du Zhongxiao was sighing, Han Lian suddenly rubbed his eyes and said, "Hey, how does that look like Du Xiucai?" ”

Du Zhongxiao was stunned and hurriedly looked into the crowd. I saw a gray-haired, arched figure, which was his father Du Xun. His soul comes from a thousand years later, and at the same time preserves the memories of this life, how can he admit his mistake.

This time, Du Zhongxiao was not surprised. Regardless of the rest, he hurriedly rushed forward and grabbed Du Xun's shoulder: "Daddy, it's really you!" ”

The old man raised his head, rubbed his eyes, and tears flowed out of his eyes: "Da Lang, I can count on waiting for you-"

While speaking, Du Xun did not forget to grab the wine lees in the basket and cover it with his own clothes.

When Du Zhongxiao saw it, he was really a little pitiful, and the corners of his eyes couldn't help but moisten. said: "Daddy, my mother and I are living in the city now, and we are here to find you." You don't take these things, let's go back to dinner. ”

Du Xun shook his head again and again, old tears flowed, and he grabbed Du Zhongxiao's hand tightly, unable to speak.

Han Lian had no hope of drinking on credit, so he came over with a wine barrel and said to Du Xun: "Xiucai, how did you end up in this field?" I heard from your eldest man that they had received news of your coming to the county and had been looking for them for several months, but they couldn't find anyone anyway. ”

"Hey, when I was in the state city, I asked someone to bring a letter to my family, and I was going to get up and go back to the county. Who knows, all of a sudden, his condition worsened, he couldn't move, and he was delayed in the state for several months. Recently, I have barely been able to move, and I have only walked back to the county. ”

Du Xun said while not forgetting to continue to catch the lees.

Du Zhongxiao watched from the side, understanding that he had suffered too much along the way, and it had almost become instinct to get as much food as possible. silently stepped forward and grabbed his father's hand, and said, "Daddy, let's go home, we have something to eat when we go home." Leave these lees for others to eat. ”

Hearing this, Du Xun couldn't help but widen his eyes: "What did you say!" Alas, you are young and have not passed through the time when there is no food to eat. Tell you, child, you're hungry—what a bad taste! ”

Han Lian looked at Du Xun and looked pitiful. I think that when he passed the liberation test, Du Xun also had infinite scenery, and he and a few people who had developed together had a few days of wine in the county. Everyone knows that they are newly developed township tribute scholars, and they are all flattering. It was also at that time that Han Lian met Du Xun, but Du Xun didn't know him.

Unexpectedly, he left in high spirits a few months ago, but finally returned with a feather. Looking at Du Xun's appearance, Han Lian felt infinite emotion in his heart. It is said that reading is decent, but I don't know how many people are willing to study for the imperial examination after seeing Du Xun's current situation.

Emperor Zhenzong's persuasion poem: Rich families don't need to buy fertile land, there are thousands of bells in the book. There is no need to raise a hall to live in peace, and there is a golden house in the book. Don't hate to go out with no one, there are many cars and horses in the book. Don't hate unscrupulous matchmakers when marrying a wife, there is Yan Ruyu in the book. If a boy follows his life's aspirations, he reads the Pentateuch to the window.

There is a golden house in the book, and there is Yan Ruyu in the book, this sentence Du Zhongxiao was familiar in his previous life, and it is often used by adults to teach children to study hard. In his impression, the ancient scholars were all superior people, and the days of wind and snow. Now I know that books are easy to read, but it is not easy to monetize the books I read. Children from poor families can't afford to buy books, so where can they read? In this era, there was no universal school in the state and county, and those who could afford to hire a private school teacher were all wealthy families. If you want to study, you either have a wealthy family, or like the Du family, you can cultivate and read heirlooms, and have books and knowledge passed down from your ancestors. That is, if you read the book well, you have to participate in the imperial examination to realize it. The father in front of him is a living example, he happily passed the liberation test, thinking that he would be a master in the future, but he didn't want to be beaten back to his original form when he went to the provincial test in the capital. Not only did he not get fame, but he also spent all the money he had accumulated over the years and owed foreign debts.

Du Zhongxiao heard a story that a scholar in a certain state had taken the exam, but he did not enter Beijing to catch the exam. All the relatives and friends borrowed in a circle, borrowed all over the county, and only borrowed the usual money. The scholar was ashamed and angry, hung the money at the city gate, and swore that if he entered the Beijing gold list this time, he would never enter this county again in this life. didn't think he would really win, and the first thing he did was to move his household registration.

When listening to this story, everyone is talking about the warmth and coldness of people, don't slack off the readers. Now I see them down, once they win the Jinshi, they will soar to the sky, and the future is limitless. Seeing his father's current appearance, Du Zhongxiao had another thought. Perhaps, it's because the county has seen too many of these losers and no longer believes in the ethereal Kechang High School.

There are four or five hundred jinshi in each temple examination, and the number of people in each department is even higher. It seems that there are a lot of them, but compared with the nearly 10,000 people who went to Beijing to take the exam, they are a small number after all. Every year of Dabi, most of the lifters still fall to Sun Shan and return to their hometowns in disgrace. Wealthy families who have land, land and industry at home can say that Xianggong Jinshi is a decent identity, and he will not suffer a loss when he goes to the capital to take the exam. For small farmers in the countryside like Du Xun, a single imperial examination wiped out the family's wealth, and I don't know when I will be able to recover.

The sun peeked out from the horizon and painted the horizon with a layer of red.

Du Zhongxiao endured the sourness in his heart, supported Du Xun, and said, "Daddy, mom is waiting at home, let's go home." ”

"Oh, go home, go home!" As Du Xun spoke, he couldn't help but grab a few handfuls of wine lees. He really suffered too much along the way, and when he saw something to eat, it almost became instinct to grab an extra handful.

Holding his father, Du Zhongxiao said to Han Lian: "Daddy Han, it seems that 'Qixiangju' will never drink with you on credit, so it's better to go home first and then think of another way." Rest assured, there is no endless road, and I will definitely think of other ways. ”

Han Lian said with a sad face: "It has to be like this." Well, I'll go check out the other restaurants. ”

Several large restaurants have their territory in the county, and there is no confusion in which place the foot households belong to which restaurant. Going to other restaurants to see Han Lian is just talking, and nine out of ten people don't take credit.

After turning a few street corners, Du Zhongxiao helped his father back to the house he rented by the city wall.

These are two low mud houses, somewhat dilapidated. The reason why I live here is mainly because I am greedy for cheapness, and I only have a rent of six cents a day, which is not a heavy burden. In addition, there is an open space in front of the house, which can be put some sundries and the like, which is more convenient.

Mother was sewing clothes for others in the room, and heard Du Zhongxiao shouting "Mom" outside, so she hurriedly put down her work and came out to see. When I saw the person my son was supporting, I couldn't help but be startled. Rubbing his eyes vigorously, tears couldn't help but flow: "Back-back?!" ”

Du Xun looked at his wife in a daze, and only after a long time did he sigh: "Yes, I'm going home-"

Du Zhongxiao helped his father sit down on a wooden bench outside the room, and said, "Daddy and Mom sit down for a while, I'll go buy some food." ”

With that, turn around and leave. After all, there is a soul in his body that will be a thousand years later, and he can't see this kind of reunion after a long absence.

Leaving his hut, the autumn wind was blowing in his face, Du Zhongxiao took a sharp breath and raised his head in the wind. At this time, he couldn't help but want to let out a long howl, after so many days of hard work, it was finally coming to an end. It was hard to walk around in the city like this, toiling all day long, but now that my father has finally returned home, the family is reunited, and I can go back to the countryside. I still have a house and land in the countryside, although the life is as hard, but it is better to cultivate and feed myself than in the county town. With his thousand years of knowledge, he can always find a way to make a fortune.

Walking around the street, Du Zhongxiao found that there was nothing to buy. He had money to buy sheep's trotters, and after thinking about it, he finally spent 50 yuan to buy two catties of mutton, bought some vegetables, and brought them home.

In normal times, Du Zhongxiao and his mother only have more than 20 flowers a day. When my father came back today, he spent fifty or sixty dollars on meat and vegetables, which can be said to be extravagant. I have suffered so much because I see my father's appearance, and I always have to eat a good meal when I come home.

When I turned home, I saw my parents hugging and crying outside.

Du Zhongxiao coughed and said, "Daddy and Mom are talking here, I'll go and fix the meat and vegetables." ”

After speaking, a person arrived at the stove and sighed secretly in his heart. Du Zhongxiao has both memories of the previous ten years and a soul from a thousand years later, and sometimes he is confused, what kind of person he is. For a few months, it has been a bit muddy. In addition, the burden of life has been pressing on the body, which makes people breathless, and the days pass day by day.

After putting the meat and vegetables into the pot, Du Zhongxiao looked back at his parents on the other side, looked at the sun that had risen in the sky, and suddenly wanted to shout: "Who am I?" What the hell should I do? ”