The meeting ended. It was exactly 12 noon. The crowd in the Qushui Pavilion dispersed.

Ye Jiaolang followed the mountain chief Zhang Anbo to his outer study. The study is elegant and cold. An old servant came in and lit a charcoal basin and poured hot tea.

Zhang Anbo, the chief of the mountain, was a kind old man, dressed in a dark blue crane, sat in the couch chair, and said with a smile: "Today's cultural meeting is really exciting. Jia Huan has a good essay and two good poems, which can be floated in a big way! ”

Ye Jiaolang is a middle-aged man in his thirties, dressed as a scribe, with a gentle smile, and said: "If it weren't for the mountain chief's insistence that the academy literary society does not talk about eight shares, but only talks about righteousness and reason, it would be difficult to have the grand occasion of today's literary meeting!" ”

Mountain Chief Zhang Anbo laughed proudly, twisted his beard and said, "What can I mean by talking about Shiwen?" The academy examines the school system every month, and the first place is Gongsun Liang's stinky boy. Wentai, courtesy to others, must have something to ask. ”

Ye Jiaolang smiled and said, "Mountain Chief, Jia Huan has not yet been admitted to the Inner House, I want to beg the Mountain Chief to allow him to participate in this year's Wanping County County Examination." ”

Mountain Chief Zhang Anbo said in surprise: "Why should Wentai be in a hurry to let the disciple go. With this child's talent, he will hone his eight-strand skills for a few more years, and the small three yuan can be expected. It's also a good story! ”

Tong Sheng won the first place in the county examination, the government examination and the hospital examination of that year, and was called "Little Sanyuan". Lianzhong Township Trial Solution Yuan, Hui Examination Yuan, and Palace Test Champion are called Lianzhong Sanyuan.

For more than 200 years in the Ming Dynasty, only the first auxiliary merchant and merchant pavilion in the Chenghua period had this honor. This is the highest achievement of the literati imperial examination. Since the founding of the Emperor Zhou Dynasty, there has not been a person who has even won the three yuan.

Ye Jiaolang shook his head and sighed softly, "Lin Zixiu (Lin Juren) talked to me in detail. He was born in the Rongguo Mansion and was in a poor situation, and was restrained by his mother in the mansion and lost his freedom. Therefore, he was angry and read. He only wants to be brave and diligent in the field. ”

The mountain chief Zhang Anbo understood the world and understood it as soon as he heard it, and sighed: "No wonder you can write the words of heavy snow pressing green pines at a young age?" "Poetry can be bestowed, and there has been no shortage of prodigies since ancient times. But hardship and hardship can sharpen people even more!

Mountain Chief Zhang Anbo pondered for a while and said, "I promised." "He doesn't like students reading for fame. But it's not a conformist rot either. There are exceptions, and there are extenuating circumstances.

Ye Jiaolang got up and thanked him.

Zhang Anbo, the chief of the mountain, said with a smile: "The scientific field is like a battlefield: one blow, then decline, and three exhaustion." Therefore, the academy has set the rule that only the disciples of the inner house can end up. There are exceptions, and there is no need to stick to them. ”

At this time, the old servant came and asked where to set the meal. Mountain Chief Zhang Anbo said with a smile: "Wentai has a good amount of wine, so accompany me for a few drinks today." ”

Ye Jiaolang smiled in a good mood and said, "The elder gives, I don't dare to resign." ”

…

…

On the way back to the dormitory, Jia Huan and Gongsun Liang, Luo Xiangyang, Qiao Rusong, and Pang Ze got to know each other. With a face like a crown of jade, the handsome and dashing Gongsun Liang led everyone to dine together in the canteen of the inner house.

Chen Jiayun and Jia Huan had a bad relationship, and they couldn't see him in the limelight, so they found an excuse to leave with a cold face. They didn't go with them. Wei Yang was arrogant and unsociable, and went back to the dormitory. He was born in a family of eunuchs, and he didn't care if he offended Gongsun Liang, a child.

The college canteen is not a modern school canteen, but a small courtyard. In the main hall, there are round tables and benches. Ten people share a table, and after they are seated, the chef and the cook will serve a large bowl of five dishes and one soup. The steamed bun tube is enough to eat.

Only the disciples of the Inner Houses are eligible to come to the meal. The disciples in the outer house are all brought to the lecture hall by Saifu, and each of them takes a food box to eat.

When Jia Huan, Gongsun Liang and the other five arrived at the cafeteria, there happened to be two tables of disciples from the inner house who were eating together, and they all smiled and greeted each other. The news that Jia Huan became the head of the hospital has long been reported. Everyone stood up one after another to salute and get to know each other.

"I've seen the head of the Jia Academy."

Jia Huan arched his hand and said: "Jia Huan has seen all your classmates!" ”

Gongsun Liang introduced Jia Huan one by one. Among them, there are three people who are more outstanding in speech and demeanor: Liu Yichen of Daxing County, Zhang Sishui of Yongqing, and Yao Wei of Tongzhou Tongzhou, who have not yet passed the county test.

Luo Xiangyang, Qiao Rusong, and Pang Ze are all disciples of Neishe, and they are all familiar with everyone. After a lively scene, Jia Huan and the five sat down at the round table on the left side of the corridor. Several of them participated in the academy literary meeting, and there were meals left in the cafeteria.

The chef brought it to five dishes and one soup: a bowl of green vegetables, a bowl of pickled vegetables and dried radish, a bowl of scrambled eggs with chili, a plate of roasted fish, and a bowl of tofu. The soup is a four-joy meatball soup. The staple food is a large plate of white noodles and meat buns.

Jia Huan had eaten a boxed lunch in the academy for almost two months, and he had already eaten "vomiting blood", and when he saw that this was not a sumptuous meal, his appetite immediately increased.

Jia Huan looked at Gongsun Liang. It means asking him if he can start eating. Among the people, it is natural to take Gongsun Liang as the leader. Gongsun Liang is the kind of person who is extremely brilliant in the crowd: his bearing and personality are excellent.

Gongsun Liang was dressed in a white shirt, warm as jade, and said with a smile: "Senior Brother Jia doesn't have to look at me. The disciples of the academy are respected as the head of the academy. Of course, I suggest Senior Brother Jia wait a little longer. ”

Luo Xiangyang, Qiao Rusong, and Pang Ze all laughed.

Jia Huan felt strange in his heart. At this time, the chef brought a plate of Dongpo meat over and asked with a smile, "Who is the head of the courtyard this year?" "Because it's a round table, there is no seat for the Eight Immortals Table. The chef couldn't tell the difference.

Gongsun Liang smiled and pointed to Jia Huan, who was short and had a pheasant face, "Fat uncle, this is Jia Huan, the head of my academy this year." Ya name, Jia Qingsong. ”

The fat uncle smiled and nodded, and put the Dongpo meat with bright red color and mellow flavor in front of Jia Huan, "This is yours." "It's six pieces in total. Crispy and not broken. Just looking at it makes people salivate.

Looking at the oily braised pork, Jia Huan swallowed hard. He kind of understood why Gongsun Liang asked him to wait. It turns out that the head of the hospital also has such a gourmet benefit. If you have braised pork to eat, of course, you have to eat braised pork first.

Wendao College only has a two-day monthly holiday. In normal times, students are not allowed to go out. Pity him, he has money and nowhere to spend it. In the past few days, my stomach has been empty of oil and water. A plate of braised pork is now equivalent to a person who has just come out of the desert and sees a bottle of mineral water.

"Everyone, please."

"Jia Yuan, please."

Everyone laughed, picked up chopsticks, and began to enjoy the "food".

…

…

After the January meeting on the 28th, the name of Jia Huan, the head of the Xinhai Academy, spread all over Wendao Academy.

Jia Huan walked on the way to the Jiazi lecture hall in the outer house, walked on the cobblestone path to read in the morning among the trees of the college, and walked in the corridor of the dormitory at night, and often met his classmates to greet him.

It's really easy for him to recognize: a pheasant with a green face, a thin boy is both.

"Jia Yuan is the best."

"Hello this classmate." Greetings like that, and then introduce each other, make small talk, and say something of admiration and admiration. Approximately similar to the novelty of watching monkeys in a zoo. Or talk about a few lines of poetry and ask him to help comment on a few sentences to become famous; Or someone asks a little difficult question. Jia Huan handled them one by one decently.

The days went by so quickly. On January 30, the College held its monthly examination. Three people, including Wei Yang, a prodigy in the first class of the outer house, were admitted to the inner house. Jia Huan's ranking has risen from 29 12 days ago to 25.

Gongsun Liang, nicknamed "Gongsun Long", still firmly occupies the first place in the academy. This is already the first place in more than a dozen consecutive exams. Very scary school bully. A few days ago, if the "January Literary Meeting" was to test the time, the head of the academy would be Gongsun Liang. All the disciples of the academy will bow down.

Jia Huan is still under the guidance of Ye Jiaolang, training in the sea of pre-exam questions. Ye Jiaolang had already told him that he had received permission from the mountain chief to allow him to participate in the Wanping County County Examination on February 26. The guarantee of exam registration, Ye Jiaolang will help him deal with it in the near future.

On February 7, in early spring, the willows spit out their teeth. At noon, the warm sunlight fell on the eaves of the A-shaped lecture hall of Qingyun Temple. The spring is cold.

Carrying a load full of food boxes, Saifu stopped in the cloister. Students who got out of class came to pick up their meals.

Jia Huan got the honor of being the head of the academy, but he thought it was too troublesome to go to the canteen. I'd rather hurry up and finish eating in the cloister and go back to reading. He loves good food, but he is not a man who can't bear hardship.

"Classmate Jia, wait!" When Jia Huan was about to receive a "boxed lunch" from Zhaifu's hand, he stopped Bazhou Yi Junjie, who was waiting on the side.

Yi Junjie is tall and burly, and the stubble on his chin has grown a little longer, and he has become more and more bearded. The physiognomy is very distinctive.

Yi Junjie smiled and called Jia Huan out of the cloister to avoid Zhaifu. Several classmates came over to say hello with a smile. Yi Junjie explained: "Classmate Jia, today a few of my classmates gathered together to congratulate you on winning the title of head of the academy. ”

Jia Huan refused politely: "How can you teach your classmates to break the bank?" Another day. ”

For those who live in the house, the college will give 1 yuan of silver every month as a fee. It is worth about 150 copper coins. It has a lot of purchasing power in the small town of Dongzhuang. The white-flour steamed buns in the town are soft and delicious to resist hunger, and they only sell for 2 yuan each.

However, the life of a homeless life is very poor. There is no monthly silver to receive. Paper, pen and ink, oil lamps, candles, charcoal, etc. are also consumed every month. He is mainly supported by his family. Jia Huan knew the hardships of studying, so how could he be embarrassed to ask them for a treat.

A classmate advised: "Don't shirk your wishes. We often borrow your candlelight to read. I should thank you. ”

Jia Huan smiled, "The academy can only go out when it has two days off every month." It's only the seventh day of the new year, and even if you want to invite me, you don't have a place. ”

Several classmates laughed.

Yi Junjie smiled mysteriously and said, "Don't worry, there is wine and meat in storage." Come with me. ”

With the confusion in his heart, Jia Huan followed a few people out of Qingyun Courtyard with a smile and walked towards the back door of the academy.