Finally, Du Fu put down his chopsticks, wiped the wine on his mouth, looked at Wang Yuan with misty eyes and said, "Little Brother Wang came to visit and comfort me when he heard the news that no one won the spring election." ”

Wang Yuan nodded lightly and said: "That's true, the Pear Blossom Poetry Club will say goodbye, and I have encountered a lot of things myself, so although I want to come to meet Brother Du, it's a pity that I can't help myself." This morning, I heard about the selection of Yicai, and remembered that Brother Du was also in the selection, so I hurried to visit Brother Du. ”

Du Fu smiled and said: "Thank you, in Chang'an City, only you still remember me Du Fu, you are the first person to visit me." ”

Wang Yuan said: "This time things are a little strange, with Brother Du's talent, how can he fail to try again and again?" Li Linfu presided over this spring election, there must be a cat, the old thief is jealous of the virtuous and jealous, he does not understand poetry and literature, and he does not let talented people enter the office, I am very angry when I hear it. ”

Du Fu sighed lightly and said: "Hey, Du is already disheartened, and he has the ambition to serve the country, but he has no way to serve the country." Little Brother Wang can also see my current down-and-out appearance, but I feel guilty that my wife and children are not even able to eat and dress me with me. ”

Wang Yuan raised the wine bowl and said: "Brother Du, don't be discouraged, life is unpredictable, and there may not be no chance." ”

Du Fu smiled sadly, drank half a bowl of wine, and said in his mouth: "The holy dynasty is virtuous and virtuous, and the grass is unrelievable." Life has its own destiny, and Yu Hu is not gentle. A lifetime but a meagre, fifty inches. Decline should be abandoned, and poverty should be slandered. ”

Wang Yuan smiled and said, "Is this Brother Du's new work?" It seems that it is indeed sad and indignant, and the mood is desolate. ”

Du Fu smiled and said: "Yes, the mood is indeed very low, Li Linfu said 'wild and virtuous', and all of us thousands of people will go home." The future is bleak, and I really don't know what the future holds. ”

Wang Yuan said: "What are Brother Du's plans?" ”

Du Fu said softly: "I don't know, I may still have some poetry names in Chang'an, maybe I will find another opportunity to submit papers, maybe I may sell literature and write, or I may leave Chang'an City with my wife and children to return to the countryside to farm." Anyway, I don't know what to do right now. ”

Wang Yuan said: "Brother Du, you stay in the capital, I'll think of a way for you." ”

Du Fu smiled: "Is Little Brother Wang going to introduce me to Li Shizhi?" Then forget it, I once served for Li Linfu at the Pear Blossom Poetry Society, how could Li Shizhi allow me. I know that Li Shizhi is a person, he is not very powerful, I still don't want to be boring to myself, so as not to let you be reprimanded by him. ”

Wang Yuan said with a smile: "I am no longer in Li Shizhi's mansion, and I will leave Zuo Xiang's mansion after the Pear Blossom Poetry Meeting." ”

Du Fu was surprised: "What? Isn't Li Shizhi very good to you? ”

Wang Yuan said with a smile: "It's a long story, let's talk to Brother Du slowly in the future." Don't hide it from Brother Du, I have just been summoned by His Majesty today, and His Majesty has already planned to summon me to the Hanlin Academy as a bachelor. ”

Du Fu was startled, almost knocked over the wine bowl, and said in amazement: "Is there really such a thing?" ”

Wang Yuan nodded and said, "I don't want to show off in front of Brother Du, but this is true, so I just said that people's encounters are unimaginable." Before, like Brother Du, I was still looking hard, but the opportunity came in an instant. ”

Du Fu said happily: "Congratulations, how can I have the slightest jealousy, I am really happy for you, at least let the world's corporal see that there is still a chance to enter the court." It's no wonder that your poetry is far better than mine, and you should have today. It's just that I don't understand, since you left Li Shizhi's mansion, you had the opportunity to be summoned by His Majesty and conferred the position of Hanlin Bachelor? ”

Wang Yuan said: "It was recommended by Yang Zhao, so I had a chance." ”

Du Fu frowned and said, "Yang Zhao? The cousin of the concubine, is it Yang Zhao? ”

Wang Yuan said: "It's him." ”

"How is this possible? Didn't he collude with Li Linfu? You failed Li Linfu at the Pear Blossom Poetry Meeting, he was very angry, how could he agree to Yang Zhao recommending you? ”

Wang Yuan smiled: "This is the subtlety, it's still a long story, but the matter here is really not as simple as you think, so I won't say much about it today." I came to see Brother Du today to know what Brother Du's current situation is. If Brother Du has a way to do it himself, I won't talk much, if Brother Du has no way for the time being, I suggest that Brother Du stay in the capital to find an opportunity, and I will also find a way for you here. I am afraid that there is no chance to pass the scientific examination, and if you want to enter, you must find another way, otherwise there is really no hope. ”

Du Fu said: "Little Brother Wang originally took pity on me, I think forget it, or I can figure it out by myself, but it really didn't work, so I left the capital with my wife and children, and I was also disheartened." Besides, if you want to help me, you must also take advantage of the Yang family. I don't have a good impression of the Yang family. The Yang sisters are arrogant and lascivious. Yi, relying on nepotism to ascend to power, is the type of person I am most dissatisfied with, how can I be favored by them? ”

Wang Yuan smiled and said: "Brother Du, I know that you have strong self-esteem, but don't forget your retribution, you want to do something for the people of the world, and you can't do it for the people when you go home to farm." ”

Du Fu shook his head and smiled bitterly: "I can't protect myself, what else to talk about." ”

Wang Yuan Zhengse said: "Don't think so, otherwise you will read the poems in vain." Besides, don't talk about it, let's just talk about my sister-in-law and the two children, I said abruptly, even if you don't have the heart to benefit the world, don't you want your sister-in-law and the two children to live a better life in the future? Can you bear to let them suffer forever as you wander from place to place? If I were you, I would never be so ruthless. ”

Du Fu drank silently and was silent.

Wang Yuandao: "I have always thought that my Datang scholars are so ambitious, such as you and me, we both feel that we have to do a great career, but we can't calm down and do things in a down-to-earth manner." Xunzi said: If you don't accumulate steps, you can't reach thousands of miles, and you can't accumulate small streams to become rivers. Although scholars should have the ambition of serving the country and benefiting the people, they must first put aside their arrogance and realize it step by step. For example, let your life be worry-free first, benefit the people around you first, and then think about the things behind step by step, and even sometimes sacrifice self-esteem for this, because you want to achieve the ultimate goal. ”

Du Fu frowned, as if he was a little moved by Wang Yuan's words. The pragmatism in Wang Yuan's mouth was the first time Du Fu had heard such words, and he had never thought of it.

"May I take the liberty of asking, Brother Wang, what is your retribution?"

Wang Yuan smiled: "My retribution is not as big as Brother Du, I actually just want to be a person who can control my own destiny." I don't like to be manipulated by others, I don't want to be a dust in the wind, I don't want to be someone who can't help myself. ”

Du Fu was stunned and said, "Do you control your own destiny?" How can this be done? ”

Wang Yuan said: "How can you not do it? Three months ago, I was still a workshop in Yong'an Fang, and after many coincidences, many choices and efforts, I also made some progress. At least I'm not the one in Yong'an Fang who can even call and drink. Even today, many people can't breathe at me. Isn't this part of your own destiny in your hands? Maybe you think that I am attached to Yang Zhao, which you can't bear. But in fact, it doesn't matter who you are attached to, the important thing is that I don't think that I will do anything bad by relying on him, which is called taking advantage of the situation. Today's Datang, if you want to be alone out of the sludge and not stained, then you can only go to the mountains and forests to live in seclusion for the rest of your life. ”

Du Fu nodded slowly and said: "That's right, it's the first time Du has heard such remarks, and I have to say that Little Brother Wang knows more about current affairs than Du." ”

Wang Yuan smiled: "I don't want to be like this either, I also want to enter the government through my own ability, and then achieve my goal." But is this possible? Not to mention that you are full of poetry and books, but you have repeatedly failed. Even if it's a person like Li Taibai, what is the final result? If you think that Taibai is willing to leave the capital and is willing to send love to the landscape, then you are wrong. To put it mildly, he thought that His Majesty was wise, hoped that the government would be clear, and hoped that he could change all this through his own actions, but how could he do this? Leaving Chang'an, although his name is still clear, he has written countless admirable poems, but what is the use of this? Can it benefit the people? Can it change everything he can't get used to? Therefore, although I admire Taibai, I do not agree with his approach. ”

Du Fu fell into deep thought, drank a sip of wine in his mouth, and finally got drunk. When Wang Yuan got up slowly, Du Fu was already drunk and closed his eyes and lay on the desk, Wang Yuan didn't want to disturb him, and slowly came to the house. In the simple hall, there was a small table with roast goose beef and other things brought with them, and the two children ate them with relish, and their mouths were full of grease stains. Du Fu's wife, Yang and Li Xin'er, stood aside and looked at them with a smile.

Seeing Wang Yuan coming in, the Yang family hurriedly saluted, looked at Du Fu who was lying drunk outside, frowned, and said: "The husband is really rude, why did he sleep in front of the guests, and the slave went to wake him up." ”

Wang Yuan waved his hand and said, "Let him sleep, Brother Du is too tired, it's rare to get drunk." It's time for us to go, so we won't say goodbye to Brother Du. ”

Yang hurriedly said: "Why did you leave?" ”

Wang Yuan said: "It's too late to close the door and it's troublesome, and my sister-in-law told Brother Du that he came to look for me when he thought about it." I live in the southeast corner of Jing'anfang, a single family, and I can see it as soon as I go. ”

Yang said: "The slave remembers." ”

Wang Yuan glanced at Li Xin'er, Li Xin'er reached out and lowered the money bag from her waist, stuffed it into Yang's hand and said, "Sister-in-law Yang, here is ten yuan of money, keep it for the children to buy some food, and make a few new clothes for the whole family." ”

Yang panicked and excused himself: "No, no, can't this be?" If the husband knew, wouldn't he have to scold the slave to death? ”

Wang Yuan said: "Stay, don't shirk, you don't have to tell Brother Du." This is my gift to my two children. Tear a few clothes for them, you and Brother Du also pull a pair of clothes, buy some rice and grain, at least you can deal with it for a few months. You don't think about adults, but also look at children, how can children not eat their stomachs when they are so young. If you refuse, you will look down on us. ”

Yang has a simple temperament, stammering and not knowing what to say, tears fell from his eyes.

Wang Yuan leaned over and touched the heads of the two children, got up and said goodbye. When you go out, you can see the dazzling spring light, a few birds on the jujube tree jumping and chirping, the bees around you buzzing and flying, the spring light is smoking, everything is so beautiful. Du Fu was sleeping on the table, even in his sleep, his dark face was full of sadness, and his two eyebrows were twisted together, and he didn't seem to be able to relax.

Wang Yuan sighed secretly, walked out quickly with Li Xin'er, and left slowly.