The ancient farming life of liberal arts scum

In the twelfth lunar month of winter, a drop of water turns into ice.

Li Mianyan looked at the dark sky, and said worriedly: "Young Master Shen, I'm afraid there will be a heavy snowstorm later, so we can't hurry anymore, we have to find a place to rest as soon as possible."

Shen Ge had no objection, "Is Jiening City ahead? Let's go there and take shelter?"

"Yes. We'll be there in half an hour."

The carriage continued to move forward, Shen Ge huddled in the carriage, holding the small stove that had just added charcoal, almost shivering from the cold.

In recent years, the weather in winter has been extremely cold. Shen Ge didn't feel it when he was roasting at home, but when he went out, he was too cold to talk, and his hands and feet had chilblains.

Even so, Shen Ge didn't feel any hardship.It was colder here, but still much happier than the common people outside.

Along the way Shen Ge walked, it was not uncommon to see people in thin clothes shivering as they rushed along the road with their sleeves on their sleeves, the elderly and children were also unavoidable.Shen Ge even witnessed beggars freezing to death under a certain county seat.

Although Kunjiu County is also poor, it is a small place after all, and every family knows each other well, and life can always go on.The outside is much more complicated, there are rich families and poor families, many people really don't even have a way to survive, which brings a lot of shock to Shen Ge.

A group of people hurried on their way, struggling for more than half an hour, and finally arrived at Jiening City.

Jiening City is a big city, several people showed the documents to enter the city, and after paying the entry fee, they found the largest inn in Jieyang City and checked in.

"Let's have a good meal tonight. It's really hard for you to protect me all the way." Shen Ge put the things away, then turned to talk to Li Mianyan.

Li Mianyan carefully checked the corners of the room, and said: "This is our duty, how can we be worthy of Mr. Shen saying that?"

"Why can't you afford it? Brother Li, don't delay, call some brothers later, let's go to Cuihua Building to eat."

Shen Ge had already inquired clearly with the shopkeeper that the pot in Cuihua Building here is the most authentic and delicious.Order a mutton pot and warm a few jugs of good wine. There is nothing more comfortable in this weather.

Manzi ran errands to order the banquet, and when Shen Ge and Li Mianyan arrived, the pot had already started to boil.

Big chunks of mutton, good fungus, add some hot and spicy pepper, and eat with sauce, not to mention how beautiful it is.

Shen Ge personally toasted everyone, "Everyone is troubled, I won't say more words of gratitude, I will do it first as a respect."

Li Mianyan and his subordinates were quite surprised that Shen Ge, as a new juvenile candidate, could be so polite.Everyone hurriedly picked up the wine and said straightly: "Everyone is used to coming and going in the wind and rain, this is really nothing, Mr. Shen is too polite."

After drinking a few bowls of wine, everyone got closer and talked less scrupulously.

Zhang Huwei, the oldest under Li Mianyan, said: "I said earlier that I was going to Beijing, and I thought it would take me a long time to travel. I didn't expect this journey to be so fast, and I will arrive in a few days."

Li Mianyan said: "Li didn't expect that either, thanks to Mr. Shen riding a horse for a few more days."

Speaking of this, the group admired Shen Ge very much.He was young, physically weak, and a scholar. Everyone had already made preparations to wait for his carriage to slowly move forward on the road.Unexpectedly, Shen Ge didn't take the carriage a few times at all, as long as the weather was good, he would ride with them on horseback.

It's the middle of winter now, riding a horse is not as cold as usual, the cold wind is blowing through the bones, if you ride for a while, you will be completely cold.

Most people would never choose to ride a horse if they had a carriage. Shen Ge was different from everyone else. He was wrapped in a big cloak and rode on a horse for four or five days without crying out for his chapped face.

Riding a horse is naturally much faster than riding in a carriage, and the remaining carriage is empty, and the speed is also extremely fast.

Shen Ge respected them, "I can sometimes sit in the carriage to avoid the wind, but everyone is always on the horse, working much harder than me, I am really not worth mentioning."

Everyone was eating the pot, and after a while, the blizzard really fell, and large flakes of snowflakes were like cut paper, turning the whole world into white.

Perhaps it was cold, and many people came out to eat and drink to keep out the cold.

When Shen Ge and the others came, there were only four or five tables in the restaurant. After it started to snow, looking outside, there were almost no empty tables.

The weather was so cold that the restaurant lowered three door panels, leaving only a small one for people to enter and exit. The room became dark all of a sudden, but it was also much warmer.

The guy lit the oil lamps in the store, and the atmosphere in the house became more and more lively.

At this moment, someone came in from the wind and snow, his face was pale with cold, and he shivered violently as soon as he entered.Behind him was a half-grown child, also trembling, looking around with a white face.

The visitor looked left and right, and the restaurant was already full, and he searched for a long while but couldn't find an empty seat.

Shen Ge had seen him a long time ago, saw that he was tall, long-legged, and handsome, not like a villain, so he raised his hand to greet him, "Brother, if you don't mind, come over and have a glass of wine to warm yourself up?"

Shen Ge and the others sat at a big table with ten seats, and now there are six of them, and the person who brought the child could fit the table.

They approached with snow and frost on their heads.The adult cupped his hands and said: "Thank you, little brother, Yu Mou will be impolite."

Li Mianyan hurriedly sifted wine for them, and then called the waiter to come over to add more bowls and chopsticks.Relying on friends when going out, people like Li Mianyan who often go out will be able to help others when they see a need.

The visitor was not polite, let the child sit down first, then sat down and drank a few glasses of wine, and then said after a while: "It's so cold today, brother, I almost froze to death outside."

Shen Ge saw that he had no luggage and didn't look like a local, with a child beside him, so he couldn't help being curious, "Brother, are you here to visit relatives in Jiening City?"

"Don't mention it, I'm a painter. This is my little apprentice. I came to see the scenery. Unexpectedly, the more I looked at it, the colder it became. I couldn't stand it, so I had to run over to find a place to drink." The visitor looked straight at Shen Ge Waving his hand, "My name is Yu Zuimo, little apprentice Song Er, what's your brother's name?"

"My name is Shen Ge. This is Brother Li Mianyan, Lao Xu, Lao Zhang, Da Liu, and my disciple Manzi. You can call him whatever you want by Brother Yu."

Seeing that the dishes were almost eaten, Shen Ge ordered another round of dishes.

Shen Ge and Yu Zuimo ate and chatted, and after a while, they knew that he also had a reputation for raising people. He failed the Chunwei exam twice, so he simply left home to travel. He just happened to read thousands of books and travel thousands of miles. Experience, if you can't go back and take the exam again, you can pass the exam.

Shen Ge felt that it was a coincidence, and he told the other party that he was also an examiner, and now he is going to Beijing for Mingchun Chunwei.

"Brother Shen, why don't you go to Beijing again after the next year. Now that the weather is cold, you will suffer on the road."

"It's too late after the Chinese New Year. My little brother has a senior in the capital, so I happened to go there early to ask him for advice."

Yu Zuimo sighed: "Brother Shen, you have such ambitions at such a young age, and you have endured hardships, why worry about not being in a high position in the future?"

"Who knows what will happen in the future, I just want to pass the exam as soon as possible, and I will talk about the rest in the future."

The two chatted and found that they were still staying in the same inn, and they couldn't help but feel that they were destined.

On the second day, it was still snowing heavily, Shen Ge went out early in the morning and found that the snow was as deep as one's thigh.In this kind of weather, it is absolutely impossible to rush on the road. The sky wants to keep guests, so Shen Ge has no choice but to stay in the inn for a few more days.

In fact, Shen Ge just wanted to enter Beijing as soon as possible, and the time was not really rushed, so staying here for a few days was also enough.

Fortunately, the inn they stayed in was very nice, with plenty of hot water, quilts, charcoal fire, etc., knowing that Shen Ge was a juror, the shopkeeper specially gave him a lot of convenience, and Shen Ge lived here comfortably.

Yu Zuimo was bored in the inn, so he came to chat with Shen Ge. Shen Ge was busy reading, so he didn't have much time.

Seeing this, Yu Zuimo couldn't help but said: "No wonder the waves behind the Yangtze River push the waves ahead. If all the young candidates look like you, Brother Shen, why worry about not being admitted as a Jinshi?"

"Brother Yu, don't praise me. I have only worked hard in the past two years, and I have passed before."

"I don't believe this. If you muddled through before, how could you pass the exam at a young age? No matter how smart a person is, he won't succeed if he doesn't learn."

Shen Ge laughed, "Well, listen to what Brother Yu said, I am either a very smart person, or a hardworking person, no matter what, I will be very good in Brother Yu's heart."

"That is."

Yu Zuimo has a very good impression of Shen Ge. He is a painter and has a natural affection for beauties.

In this snow-stricken city, to meet Shen Ge, an extremely beautiful woman with excellent appearance, temperament and strength, Yu Zuimo couldn't resist coming to find him.

Seeing Shen Ge reading a book, lowering his brows and eyes, making his lips redder and teeth whiter and more elegant, Yu Zuimo couldn't help itching, and said, "Brother Shen, how about I draw a second picture for you?"

"What... what am I going to do?"

Yu Zuimo excitedly brought a pen and paper, "You don't need to do anything, just read your book."

Yu Zuimo used to put his hands in his sleeves, he didn't even want to show a trace of skin, but now he wants to paint, but he is not afraid of the cold at all, his sleeves are rolled up, and he directly adjusts the ink and prepares the cloth, wanting to finish it in one go.

Shen Ge saw that he was in a good posture and couldn't refuse anymore, so he let him go.

After Yu Zuimo's inspiration came, he painted very quickly. Shen Gefang read half of the book, and Yu Zuimo had finished his painting.

The ink on the painting scroll was still wet, Shen Ge glanced at it and was amazed.

The picture drawn by Yu Zuimo is quite realistic. Although it is not as clear as the photos of later generations, it is more charming than the photos of later generations. His images come alive in the words.

"Brother Yu, you draw really well."

Yu Zuimo was very proud, "That's right, I'm not boasting. In terms of figure painting, there are few painters in the world who can match me."

Shen Ge lowered his head and looked back and forth for a while, thinking that it would be great if he could draw a picture for brother Xun and keep it well.

Seeing Shen Ge staring at the painting, Yu Zuimo thought he wanted it, so he couldn't help but said very reluctantly: "Brother Shen, if you want a figure painting, I'll make another one for you? I can't give you this one. "

This is Yu Zuimo's proud work full of inspiration, and he can't guarantee whether it can reach this level again, so he is very reluctant.

Shen Ge smiled at him, "A gentleman doesn't take what others like. If it's convenient for Brother Yu, it would be great if you can draw me another one. If it's not convenient, it's okay."

"It's easy to talk about." Yu Zuimo waited for the canvas to dry, and carefully put it away, put it aside, and said while it was hot: "I'll draw for you now, brother Shen, you can read the book again."

Shen Ge followed the words and looked at the book in his hand.

The painting drawn by Yu Zuimo this time is still very exquisite and realistic, but compared to the previous painting, it lacks a sense of agility. It is a pity for Shen Ge, but he still puts the painting away and thanks him earnestly.

Yu Zuimo had painted for Shen Ge, but Shen Ge couldn't just read the book and leave him alone, so he talked about the painting with him.

After talking for a while, Yu Zuimo became more and more excited, and finally he couldn't help sighing with emotion, and said: "I didn't expect Brother Shen to be a master of calligraphy and painting. Listening to your words is better than studying for ten years."

Shen Ge hurriedly waved his hands, "I'm only good with my mouth, but it's not so good when I really draw. If I say that the paintings are good, I have to talk about my brother. His paintings are really profound and profound, and I can't imitate them."

When Shen Ge talked about Xun Feiguang, he looked proud. In his heart, his brother Xun was talented in both literature and martial arts, and he was not bad at all.

Yu Zuimo became interested, "Who is Brother Ling?"

"I can't tell at the moment. If there is a chance in the future, I will introduce you to each other."

Yu Zuimo nodded hurriedly.

On the third day, the sky finally cleared and the snow melted a lot. Although it was still cold, we were able to continue our journey.

Shen Ge bid farewell to Zui Mo and headed for the capital.

Yu Zuimo had to paint a few more paintings here, and would stay for a few more days, so he made an appointment to meet in Kyoto during the Chinese New Year.

Because it had been delayed for some time, Shen Ge didn't want to take the carriage, so he wrapped himself up tightly and rode forward.

Shen Ge not only wrapped it up by himself, but also asked Li Mianyan and the others to wrap it up together. The face was tightly wrapped, only the nostrils and two eyes were exposed, which seemed strange no matter how you looked at it.

Shen Ge himself is not afraid of being ugly, anyway, it has been wrapped up, and no one can recognize anyone, so what if he is looked at twice?

It is difficult for Shen Ge and the others to recognize themselves, but it is no problem to recognize others.

Not long after they set off, they met two people riding horses towards the road they had come from.

Li Mianyan glanced at those two people several times, and suddenly shouted: "Liu Dazhuang, Miao Wenlin!"

The two had already run a certain distance, when they heard someone calling their names, they couldn't help being stunned, and rode back again.

After Li Mianyan took off his hood, the two recognized them, and they couldn't help asking in surprise, "What happened? Brother Li, why are you here?"

"Mr. Shen is going to Beijing, I will send him over." Li Mianyan pointed to Shen Ge next to him, and then asked, "Do you have something to do?"

Shen Ge also took off the headgear, and the two of them saw clearly that under the ugly mask was a handsome young man.

Liu Dazhuang and Miao Wenlin had never met Shen Ge, but they had heard a general description of his appearance, and there were several familiar people around, so they could immediately confirm that this person was Shen Ge.

The two of them were busy immediately saluting to Shen Ge, "Master prepared some books for Mr. Shen, and the chief steward sent me to Kunjiu County."

"For me?" Shen Ge dismounted in surprise, "Can you tell me what book it is?"

The book is for Shen Ge, so it's only natural for him to read it.Liu Dazhuang and Miao Chenglin hurriedly got off their horses and took off the bundles tied to the saddle.

There are a total of five books, all of which were wrapped in layers of oiled paper. Shen Ge opened one of them, and there were some articles inside.

Shen Ge has been reviewing books these days, and one can tell by looking at these articles that they are essays written by Jinshi.These articles are beautifully written and far-reaching, and they are really rare masterpieces.

Another book was opened, and inside was a "Book of Songs" filled with annotations. These annotations were slightly different from the ones Shen Ge had come into contact with before, but all of them were exquisite.

Shen Ge carefully flipped through a few pages, and felt quite rewarding.He immediately knew that this pamphlet was probably written by someone himself to educate the children in the family, but he didn't know how it got into the hands of his brother Xun, and his brother Xun sent someone to send it over quickly.

Shen Ge let out a hot breath and asked, "Brother Xun is still in the capital right now?"

"The master was ordered to go to the south to suppress the bandits, and it has been a few days since he left."

Shen Ge was disappointed in his heart. He knew that there were wars in the north and south, but these wars were suppressed by the court. He was a small man, and he couldn't find any news after many inquiries.

The Great Yan Dynasty has a vast land and abundant resources, and people who are not in the frontier live a particularly leisurely life. Anyway, they have not yet reached the door of their house, and the war in the distance has nothing to do with them. They just do what they should do.

Shen Ge cheered up, didn't want to ask too many questions, and just said: "I'm going to Beijing now, if you two go to Kunjiu County just to deliver books for me, then you don't have to go, how about going back to Beijing with me?"

Liu Dazhuang and Miao Chenglin didn't want to make this trip even in the cold weather, they were very happy to hear that, and immediately agreed, "Listen to Mr. Shen's orders."

So the group hurriedly continued to the capital.

When staying at the hotel that night, Shen Ge opened all the books in the guest room and found a letter from Xun Feiguang.

The higher-ups didn't say anything about official matters, they only said that he was going to suppress the bandits, and it was estimated that he would not be able to come back until next summer, when the two would meet again in Beijing.He also asked Shen Ge to live in the other courtyard he had prepared during Chunwei. Although the two of them are not husband and wife, they have a relationship between master and apprentice. It is only natural that they live in his place, so Shen Ge should not refuse.

Shen Ge read the letter back and forth many times, unable to read every single word, and finally carefully kept the letter in the kit hanging around his neck.

It took Shen Ge and the others [-] days for this journey. Excluding the two days of rest due to the blizzard on the road, it actually only took [-] days, and the speed was not bad.

From Kunjiu County to Kyoto, the closer you are to Kyoto, the more prosperous it is, and even the villages beside the road seem to be more magnificent than other places.

At this time, various vehicles such as horse-drawn carts, donkey carts, and ox carts can often be seen coming and going, and there are also people riding horses, donkeys, and mules on the road.There were even people setting up booths on the side of the road to sell meals and drinks, which was very lively.

Shen Ge was dazzled by the sight, and his speed also slowed down.

He had never been to the capital, and he relied on Li Mianyan to guide him all the way.

Walking outside the capital city, the towering city walls and tall city gates are the first thing that catches the eye. When Shen Ge came close, his heart was extremely shocked.

At this moment, he deeply felt how awe-inspiring it was that people could build such a huge and heavy building in this era without large equipment.

The officers and soldiers guarding the city had a very good attitude. After carefully checking the documents of the group, they let the group enter the city without paying the entry fee.

At the feet of the emperor, everything is in order.

Kyoto is far more developed than other counties and cities, and the buildings inside are very neat and beautiful. Shen Ge even feels that these buildings are a bit beyond the times.

It has been so long since he awakened his previous life memory, and this is the first time he has seen such a neat and beautiful building, instead of the same as before, all the buildings in the city are uneven, there are high-ranking and wealthy households, and there are also rich and poor households, and the streets are often full of potholes. Not at all imposing.

Manzi was even more shocked than Shen Ge.

He was worried that his wife would suffer if he came to the capital alone, so he insisted on following, so that he could lend a helping hand if something happened.

Manzi has always been quite confident, until now, he couldn't help but feel inferior. He has too little experience, and he has never dreamed of such a beautiful and prosperous capital.Not to mention taking care of his wife, he is at a loss now, afraid that he can't even take care of himself.

Li Mianyan and the others were originally from the capital, and they took Shen Ge and the others along the same road familiarly.

Because everyone is not an official, they have to dismount and walk in the capital.Chen Ge led the horse and looked at the shops and restaurants on both sides of the road all the way, not feeling the distance at all.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, Li Mianyan brought Shen Ge to a courtyard.

In front of the yard, there was a handsome middle-aged man waiting at the gate. As soon as he saw Shen Ge and the others, he came up to him.

Li Mianyan and others saluted him first, and called out, "Master."

The man nodded slightly, took a few steps forward and smiled at Shen Ge: "Young Master Shen? I am Xun Cheng, and I will take care of you during this period."

"Hey, I'm Shen Ge, thank you, Chief Manager."

Xun Cheng took Shen Ge into the courtyard, and explained beside him: "Originally, I was supposed to pick you up to live in Xun's mansion, but the master is not at home, the old lady is here, and the house is full of people coming and going, you want to review the book, the master is afraid Sorry to bother you, so we brought you here."

Shen Ge looked at the yard from the corner of his eyes, saying that it was a yard, and it was not small at all.Pavilions, pavilions, waterside pavilions and flower ponds, Shen Ge saw at least three things. The houses were scattered among these buildings, which looked extremely exquisite.

This kind of delicacy is not the delicacy of luxury, but with a simple atmosphere.

There are still a few trees in the yard. Although the leaves on the trees have fallen, the branches are sparse and bright, which makes me feel different.

Shen Ge fell in love with this yard right away, and when Xun Cheng took him to the yard, Shen Ge hurriedly thanked him: "Thank you, Chief Manager, for your trouble."

"The master personally ordered, you can live in peace."

Shen Ge nodded.

The yard has already been cleaned and prepared, and Shen Ge will be able to live in immediately.

Xun Cheng took him to look at the left and right rooms, "The study, bedroom and guest room are arranged like this for the time being, if Mr. Shen wants to change anything, just let me know."

"Should not be. I like this place very much, especially the study."

Xun Cheng laughed immediately, "The study was laid out by the master himself when he was in the capital, if you like it, it will be worth his effort."

Shen Ge cherished the large desk with just the right height, and asked, "Has Brother Xun been in the capital these days?"

"Stayed in Kyoto for a few days, and took people south a few days ago."

Xun Cheng smiled and knew almost everything about Shen Ge.