The scorching sun is scorching, the cicadas are singing, and the city of Huangzhou (now Huanggang, Hubei) in the June day is as hot as a furnace.

It's just that the people's livelihood is difficult, even under the scorching sun, the flow of people on the street at noon is still endless, a team of barmen are shirtless, carrying a slip of more than ten mouths of brand new Liuzhou Shoumu is walking outside the south of the city, the first guide is holding a silver incense burner in one hand, and the other hand is in the bag of the body, and there are words in the mouth, and a few steps are scattered like flowers to throw out a stack of mulberry paper money with a round face and square holes.

"Wanjia is in decline!" On the street, a few old people sitting in the tea house watched the barmen go away, and they whispered, and an old man with a white beard and a soap-colored straight shirt shook his head and sighed: "Over the years, the old man of the Wan family has also been diligent and kind, repairing bridges and paving roads, giving medicine and giving medicine, and doing a lot of good deeds. ”

Another brown-robed old man said: "It is said that there are three points of danger in sailing and horses, and ten thousand grain ships are eaten and hung on the river, and it is enough to admit it, but they are blinded by oil, and they dare to identify the bandit leader. ”

The white-bearded old man listened, but he slapped the table and shouted: "The old man is wrong with this!" The rivers are not quiet, the bandits are stubborn, but the government is not effective in extermination, but what is the reason for blaming the beloved? ”

The old man in the brown robe sighed: "It's not Huashigang who is making trouble!" ”

While the old men were talking, they saw a double mule cart coming from here, and after standing firm in front of the tea house, a black-faced old man came down, the old man looked like he was over forty years old, with a square face, a goat's beard under his lips, and a linen cloth short and straight jacket, his figure was tall and strong, and the tendons and flesh of his chest and shoulders could be faintly seen under the linen clothes. Seeing that he saluted the old men first, he took down two fat mash jars from the car and sent them into the tea house.

The lady of the tea house took the car money and said to the old man: "The old man of the Huang family, your maternal uncle has sent someone to bring the news, so that you can go to the county government quickly." ”

The black-faced Huang Laoqi listened, and said with a happy face: "I take care of myself, thank you to the lady of the Zhao family!" ”

After saying that, Huang Laoqi hurried out of the tea house, and seeing his happy and hurried appearance, the white-bearded old man smiled: "To say that the disaster of the Wan family can be regarded as a great favor to this Huang Lao'er, but it is to vacate a place for his little calf to take the children's test." Look at his joyful appearance, I think that his cow's maternal uncle has already done the insurance, right? ”

The old man in the brown robe shook his head and said: "The sons and daughters in Huangzhou City are all old people who have grown up, and his cow is strange if he wants to come, the child was only weaned at the age of three, and he was still wearing cloth pants at the age of six. ”

The white-bearded old man smiled and said, "Although Huang Lao'er is illiterate, his cow's maternal uncle is someone else?" Yao Jia Saburo passed the county school at the age of seven, passed the state examination at the age of fifteen, and paid tribute at the age of twenty-two. ”

The discussion of the old people, Huang Laoqi, who went out, naturally did not hear it, so he saw him drive a mule cart to a silver building on the main street of Huangzhou, and then went out to the county government after a delay of half a sound.

When I arrived at the county office, I went straight to the side gate where the public entered and exited, and asked the door to talk with a few big money, so I squatted by the door and waited.

At this time, there were a few scholars next to him who surrounded the door and circulated the copy of the imperial palace, one of them looked at the copy of the palace and said angrily: "Last year, in October, Lu Xiang collapsed, I expect that the law of the king will no longer have a successor, and now the thief in the middle of the court is unbearable, and the traitor Cai Lian dares to order the copper coin supervisor to recast the tin money, and force the copper coin to be exercised at the same price, and those who refuse to accept it will be punished. ”

Another person also said: "It is rumored that when Chen Qian of the thief party wrote "Zunyao Collection" to criticize Wang Xiang, he sent people to Luzhou to see Lu Xiang, and Lu Xiang was angry and vomited blood, lingering on the sickbed for several months, and then he died of depression. Now is the second year of political peace, the thief party is in full swing, I see that the recasting of tin money is just a plan to throw stones and ask for directions, the world will be chaotic, what do you see? ”

Although Huang Laoqi couldn't understand it, he was secretly happy in his heart, but he was afraid that in a few years, his kid would be able to talk about the world's major events like this group of readers!

After a while, a young scribe walked out of the side door, but saw that he was wearing a crescent-colored gown, a pair of cowhide boots, and a Confucian ribbon tied around his waist. ”

"It's done!" The young scribe is Huang Laoqi's brother-in-law, surnamed Yao Mingzheng Songwen, acquaintances are mostly called Yao Jiasanlang, is now the lord of Huangzhou, Huang Laoqi called his mother and uncle is to follow the local customs to follow the child shouting, seeing him reached out from the robe pocket and took out a few documents, said with a smile: "This is a knot, a book, and a children's test, but it should be put away!" ”

Huang Laoqi trembled and accepted the paperwork, then took out a few pieces of silver from his arms and said: "Uncle Mother, if my scalper is admitted this time, I will not forget my great kindness!" ”

Yao Zheng excused himself and said: "Since it is my own family, if I say something, I will do it in the public, so let's buy more good pen and ink for my nephew!" Go Hugh! ”

After Yao Zheng finished speaking, he waved his sleeves and left, and Huang Laoqi was also happy to put the silver judgment back in his arms, led the mule cart and turned around and left. Seeing that he first went to the vegetable market and cut two catties of mutton and made a jar of mash, and then went to a famous pen and ink shop in the city, he spent the usual money to buy a tube of wolf pen, two knives of rice paper and two pieces of Huizhou tobacco and ink, and then returned home happily.

Huang Laoqi's family lives in the west of the city, although it is three thatched houses, it is also the mother and uncle who borrowed and temporarily lived in order to let the family settle down, and now there is a wooden fence in front of the thatched house, which is also regarded as having a courtyard. There are only old wife Yao's Erniang and only son Huang Niu'er in the family, originally a few years ago, Huang Lao's family was also wealthy, the ancestors accumulated 100 acres of fertile land, a foot shop, and there was a meat stall on the plate in the tile market in the city, who knew that a serious illness a few years ago, and the family was bankrupt in an instant.

Although there is still a mule cart to carry some livelihoods, the family is still surrounded by walls, but all those who have worked hard all these years have used it to redeem and sell the fields left by their ancestors.

Huang Laoqi approached his house with a mule cart, and saw a sturdy young man of twelve or thirteen years old chopping firewood in the courtyard at this time, and a woman in her forties was sitting on the side and doing needlework.

When they got closer, they stopped when they heard the woman talking, and they heard the woman say, "Mother's son! Mo Dao's ruthlessness for his mother, when your father suddenly had an emergency, looking for a doctor and medicine exhausted the family wealth, and later heard that there were masters practicing medicine in Jiangning Mansion, so he ruthlessly took out the fields and shops at home to seek medical treatment, but the entanglement was exhausted and still incurable, if it wasn't for your master to rescue, I was afraid that your old man would not be able to survive at that time, and closed his eyes early. Then your master wants to take you as an apprentice, my mother thinks about the loss and poverty of the family, and I am afraid that I will not be able to support you, so I ruthlessly let my son go with the master, who knows that I will go for six years, and when I see me as a child, I don't recognize my mother! ”