Zhen Fei rises up in the Red Chamber

Walking from north to south before winter, judging by the temperature, it should be getting warmer and warmer. I don’t know if there is something wrong with his body on Thursday. Zhen Hui always feels that there is something wrong in his bones. chills.Sitting on the boat, I couldn't help but suddenly thought of some words from later generations, saying that one of the benefits of dividing the sacred land of China is the heating in the north.Obviously the south is more humid and colder, but there is no way to enjoy the same treatment.Zhen Hui has been staying in the north all year round now, and he has personally experienced what the winter in the north is like. It is indeed cold, but it is all dry and cold. The snow looks thick, but it is loose, like those snowflakes on the trees , Just shake it and it will all come down, but what about the south?He remembered that the trees in his yard in Suzhou were covered with icicles.

Perhaps because he has lived in the capital for a long time, he has already adapted to the winter in the north, but when he returned to the south all of a sudden, he was not used to it.Tightening his clothes tightly, Zhen Hui didn't look at those books again, but just looked coldly at the river outside.

At this time, there was a sound from outside the cabin. When Zhen Hui heard this sound, he knew that it was the servants of the Lin family who were packing up. He would arrive in Suzhou in one day. Now is the right time to start packing. Yes, He is a servant of the Lin family. This time, Zhen Hui is not alone in Suzhou. Lin Xun also came with him. He is 15 years old this year. It is indeed time to start the exam. He planned to go to Suzhou in the next two years to take the exam. Kao, when he knew that Zhen Hui was going back, he naturally got married.Lest a person walk desertedly.

On the contrary, Lin Hai also wanted to come together. What a good story with his brothers, let Lin Houye stop him. After all, he is only ten years old, and his false age is less than eleven years old. The age is really laughable. Besides, the Lin family has already settled in the capital. For several generations, if you want a favor now, you can take the exam in the capital. There is no need to go to Suzhou again. Lin Hai's body is no better than Zhen Hui.Even though they have been recuperating for many years, they have followed Zhen Hui and they are always walking around outside and exercising a lot, but due to innate reasons, their foundation is still too poor.If you can avoid some unnecessary tossing, you should try your best to avoid it.

He got up, walked outside and knocked on the door of Lin Xun's room next door, and then he pushed the door straight in without any hesitation, they were all brothers who grew up together when they were young, with etiquette and rules, just put on a show, There is a knock on the door to say hello and tell yourself that you are coming, that's it, there is no need to wait for someone to invite you.Anyway, there is nothing to be shy about. (I'm still two kids, and I'm not a married man, so it's normal to be careless.)

"What's wrong? Isn't it tomorrow?"

Lin Xun was still studying, lying on the bed with a pale face, maybe he could not cure his seasickness, he was so sick last time when he went to Beijing from Suzhou, and he was still like this when he went to Suzhou this time, really Very fragile.But even if this is the case, this person still maintains the habit of not letting go of the book, so it is really not easy to play a nerd, like Zhen Hui, there is no way to do it.

Seeing Zhen Hui come in now, Lin Xun was still a little puzzled, not understanding why this brother came here now!It wasn't because it affected his reading, but he felt very strange, the time was wrong, it wasn't the time for eating, it was not the time for rest, and it wasn't the time for shore resupply activities.

"Don't read this book right now. They are packing their things. The boat is rocking. Reading at this time hurts your eyes the most. You don't want to squint at people in the future, do you?"

After finding such an excuse, Zhen Hui found an excuse for being lazy, and then sat down on the side of the bed, picked up the teapot and prepared to pour water for himself, but only after touching it, he realized that the water was already cold, which was also the case. But winter!Fortunately, the young servant on the side was clever, and hurriedly brought a bowl of hot tea from the copper kettle on the small charcoal basin on the other side, changed it for Zhen Hui, and put another cup for his master.

"You, there are always so many excuses for being lazy."

Can Lin Xun know what Zhen Hui is thinking?He put down the book in a funny manner, sat up, and wrapped himself in the quilt again. He was more afraid of the cold than Zhen Hui, and he didn't know what to do without the quilt now.

"Is this boring? What did you come up with again? The last time I asked me to play chess with you, and you lost terribly. The last time I did calculations with me, you won. By the way, last time It’s a poem, I won, yes, last time, you made some checkers, well, you won that one, let me figure it out, this time it’s you who made the question, tell me, what do you want to do?”

They only had two children as companions along the way, and if they didn't come up with something interesting, the journey alone could drive people crazy. There are a lot of competition methods, one time per person on average, just for fun, if there is any competitive heart, it is there, after all, it is normal for young people to be arrogant, but not too much Seriously.

"This time? This time we're better than a joke."

Zhen Hui didn't think of what to do at first, but just looked at the teacup in his hand, and suddenly thought of something he had heard before, and couldn't help but want to say it, so he followed the trend and said such a topic .

Hearing what he said, Lin Xun smiled.

"Sure enough, it was you who asked the questions. You always follow your own advantages. Among us, you are the one who knows the most and speaks the most. If you deal with it, you can directly defeat me."

His idea and statement are all right, because it was only a short while, and Zhen Hui told the famous joke: It was about a big monk and a young monk discussing the scriptures of tea, and they talked about the water for drinking tea. The great monk said that the stream in the mountain is the clearest, but the young monk said that the stream in the mountain has been eaten by countless animals, leaving behind an unknown amount of saliva. The old monk is eating the saliva of those animals, such as wild boars. Wolves, the most important thing is that there are mice, and the saliva from eating mice is still clear?

At this point, Lin Xun was already bursting with laughter, his whole body was shaking, but he was covering his mouth tightly, not wanting to interrupt Zhen Hui's joke, because he still wanted to listen to it.

Then the old monk said, there is still spring water here, and the water gushing out from the ground is naturally sweet, but at this moment the little monk said something again, he said that the water came up from the ground, and I don’t know how many lands it passed through. Some of the soil is rotting trees, some are rotten fruits and vegetables, and some may even pass through some graves. So didn't relying on the bath water of those bones?

Lin Xun already wanted to vomit, and when he talked about drinking the saliva of animals, he could still think that this little monk didn't know the truth that running water is not corrupt, and that running water is clean, so he said this. But when it comes to the bath water of this corpse, his mind is already a little confused. God knows where this underground water passes?Sure enough, there is this possibility.If so, when they were in the capital, I don't know if the well water they drank was also possible.How could this not make him sick.

And the story is not over yet, because Zhen Hui has already talked about Jiang Xinshui at this moment, and what the little monk said in his mouth is even more unappetizing, because the little monk said that he saw with his own eyes that the boatmen even put the things in the Gong barrels. They were all poured into the river, and even washed in this river. How can such water be drunk? Could it be that they pulled it out by themselves and drank it back again?

Speaking of this, Lin Xun has already vomited out, because the water he just drank is the so-called Jiangxin water, and he himself had someone drive a boat to Jiangxin to get it.Now when he thought of coming this way, he could occasionally see the figure of the servant woman washing things on the side of the boat, and he was convinced that the little monk in Zhenhui's story was telling the truth. It's disgusting.

"Stinky boy, don't you mean it?"

While wiping his mouth, Lin Xun looked at Zhen Hui with weak white eyes. Zhen Hui burst out laughing, and then said a famous modern saying:

"Don't worry, you will get used to vomiting and vomiting."

As soon as he finished speaking, he directly picked up the cup and took a sip, then praised the good tea loudly, and concluded:

"No matter where the water is, speaking of it, who can guarantee it is clean, as long as you think it's good, why think so much? That's why it's hard to say that it's rare to be confused. Well, I won again this time, so today It's time to listen to my orders one day, get up, let's go fishing at the bow."

After Zhen Hui finished speaking, he turned his head and walked out. He walked ahead, and the people behind couldn't see his face, so no one saw the longing on his face. He was using this method to prevent himself from Forget the world he once lived in.

Of course, fishing is also necessary. He always feels that Lin Xun's body is really weak, and he wants to take him to do more activities, not for other reasons, but to prevent him from being overwhelmed in the examination room in the future. Go on, and exercise yourself well.

Willing to admit defeat, Lin Xun is not a person who is used to playing tricks, so although he was a little bit unwilling to nag, he acted very cooperatively. He put on his clothes and started to go out, but when he turned his head to look at the teacup, Very tangled.How good this is, he is a little thirsty and wants to drink water!Don't look at it if you want to, but turn around and think about it, you can't live without drinking water for the rest of your life.Didn't Zhen Hui talk about himself, drinking water is drinking water, and he didn't react at all. From this perspective, he is really not as good as him.

Suzhou finally arrived. Zhen Hui and Lin Xun, who arrived in Suzhou, didn't have the time to go to too much politeness, and hurried back to their home. They are both the eldest sons of the family and have their own responsibilities. After leaving home for many years, the first The thing is to meet the family members who stayed behind, inquire about the situation in the family, and understand the changes in the family's property in the past few years.Especially Zhen Hui, he is not like Lin Xun. Anyway, the Lin family is a big family. Most of the people in the family are scholars. It is also a big family in Suzhou. Generally, there will not be too much trouble. As for the Zhen family, now It has been decades, and only Zhenhui's family has produced officials. His father is now an official in the capital. I don't know if those clansmen who came from rich landowners and small landlords have used his father's name. It's crazy, he attaches great importance to this aspect.

Thinking about how many high-ranking and rich people in the history books were dragged down by their families, and how many crimes were committed by the families of those whose homes were ransacked in the capital, he could break out in a cold sweat just thinking about it.So the first thing to do when you get home is to check, carefully check the situation of the clansmen.

Fortunately, the clansmen of the Zhen family have a dutiful patriarch, who is from Grandpa Zhen Hui's generation. He also experienced the situation when Grandpa Zhen Hui was an official, and he understands what to do as an official. What to do, although sometimes, when it comes to the clansmen, I have used the identity of Master Zhen to deal with the yamen, but most of them are not out of the ordinary.Zhen Hui can also understand this point, it’s not a bad thing to protect one’s shortcomings, sincerity is not a bad thing, he has it himself, besides, China has been a society of personal feelings since ancient times, when did there not be such a thing as going through the back door!Even in modern times, when he was a soldier, he had the privilege of going through the back door. He didn't know anyone or anything, and it was a bit difficult to become a soldier. At that time, being a soldier was already a good career choice.

Knowing that the people of the tribe are honest and responsible, Zhen Hui really put his heart back into his stomach, and finally he can sit down on his own business with peace of mind, inspect the property and so on, and send some red envelopes to the old family members who stayed behind. Zhuangtou and stewards from all over the place brought some rewards from the capital, which are rare here, which can be regarded as buying people's hearts.to guarantee their loyalty.

Immediately, there was a major matter waiting for Zhen to go back, and that was the problem of the Zhen family's house.He has not forgotten that in the original book, the house was hit by a fire, and nothing was left in the end. Although it is still far away from that time, he does not have many chances to return to Suzhou. If he does not deal with it at this time, he will I really don't know when it was done.

In the past few years, he has also thought of various methods, and finally came up with a relatively reasonable method that can be carried out smoothly.That is to find a way to expand the calabash temple next door.

Yes, you read it right, it is just expanding. In his view, the fire in the Gourd Temple can reach his own house. The reason is actually very simple, that is, the space of the Gourd Temple is too small. The space is so small. In other words, the courtyard is small, and the fire sources for burning incense are all concentrated in one place, and the main hall for worship is very close to the Zhen family. Those of the same kind could easily fall into the courtyard of the Zhen family, or even other people next door. Under such circumstances, the Zhen family is very dangerous.

But what if the temple gets bigger?The bigger the temple, the more halls there will be. If there are more halls, the worshipers will definitely be shunted away. At the same time, the source of fire can be reduced, reducing the possibility of fire. Second, even if it catches fire, It doesn't necessarily mean that the fire is on the side near Zhen's house. When the fire on the far side comes over, the firefighters may have already started to act. In this way, even if the Zhen's house is in danger, the degree of danger can be reduced. Many, even if there is a disaster, the entire Zhen family will not be destroyed.

In addition, Zhen Hui also plans to fund a pond or something in the Gourd Temple after the Gourd Temple is expanded, and bring in water. In this way, as long as the water source in the temple is sufficient, it will be possible to put out the fire immediately.He even thought of giving away a large tank in the open space in front of each hall to store water and serve as a fire source.Raising a vat of lotus flowers is actually in line with the Buddhist artistic conception. If you want to come to this temple to wish something, it is absolutely acceptable.

Of course, he can't bring up the matter of expanding the Gourd Temple rashly, and it's impossible for the whole family to be responsible. If he does this, it will be too conspicuous, and he really can't spend so much money. He is not a lot of money. Those who are in a panic, save a little if they can, so he specially invited the Lin family, and even his best friends in Suzhou in the past years, to come to worship Buddha, and then lead those friends who are about to take the county exam like him to make a wish It is said that if he can pass the examination smoothly and become a scholar, he will donate a lot of money to the temple to expand the temple and repair the halls.

At this time, making a wish and then fulfilling the wish is still very particular. It is absolutely necessary to do what you say, otherwise you will think that you will anger the gods and be condemned in the future.So Zhen Hui calculated very well, as long as three or five of these people come to pay back their vows, it is conceivable that there must be a lot of money, and then he just needs to find someone to lead the temple to talk, and talk more about the expansion of the temple. The benefit of increasing believers is that you don't have to waste your time talking, and this temple will definitely think about the expansion of this gourd temple.

On the other side of the gourd temple is his own house, which is obviously an official family. If he wants to expand, he must not make trouble for his house. He also knows that his house cannot be sold, so he can only choose two other places. One is to go backwards, and the other is to go to the other side. It is not easy to go backwards, because there is still a street behind, and the middle of the street cannot be cut off, so in the end there is only one choice, then It was the private house on the other side of the Calabash Temple. Zhen Hui knew that it was a small merchant's house on the streets of Suzhou, but it was an ordinary three-entry house.Although it is not as big as the Zhen family, but after tidying up, you can tidy up a lot of rooms, put them in the temple, and make two palaces. There is no problem, which is enough for the temple to toss.

The most important thing is that since they are businessmen, they must be profiteers. As long as the price is right, there is nothing that cannot be sold. If you sell this house, as long as the price is good, you can buy it in another place that is more suitable My house is not like my own home, my father still has to deal with such troubles as feng shui and ancestral land.In a country where they are more superstitious, if they want to come to their own house to be favored by the temple, they must be very proud in their hearts, thinking that they are blessed by the Bodhisattva, and they may be able to move happily.

As far as Zhen Hui is concerned, he has done good deeds, because if he remembers correctly, it was said in the original book that because of the fire in the Calabash Temple, nearly half of the houses on the street were burned down. It was because the fire was so intense that the Zhen family became a poor household all of a sudden.

People like the Zhen family have become like this, so it is conceivable that the next door is the same as the Zhen family, and the neighbors of the Calabash Temple are probably not much better, perhaps because they have more room to maneuver than the Zhen family. Little, what kind of bloody disaster happened, so let them move out, it can be regarded as saving their family.

Waiting for the planning of this matter to be almost complete, and when the matter was going smoothly step by step, Zhen Hui finally spent the New Year alone in this old Suzhou house.Although he really wanted to go to someone else's house to have fun, but unfortunately, as a direct son and grandson, such a thing can only be thought about, because he needs to replace his father, burn incense on the family's ancestral tablet, and needs to replace him When the father participates in the family's annual festival, he needs to go to the ancestral cemetery on the first day of the new year to visit the grave, sweep the grave, and even take the place of his father to accept kowtows from the servants who are looking after the house in his hometown. It can directly make people faint.Fortunately, after all, he is not an ordinary child who doesn't know anything, but he can do a decent job, so as not to embarrass his parents.

Such trivial matters didn't stop until after the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, and at this time, Zhen Hui didn't have time to take care of the affairs of the temple next door, because he was about to start preparing for the county examination.The lion fights the rabbit with all his strength, even though he thinks that the county test is really hard for him, but he still has to review what should be reviewed, and what should be prepared should still be prepared.

Whether it is the servants in the family or the elders in the family, at this time, they are also very caring and cooperative. Try not to bother him at all. In the words of the patriarch, this is the most likely situation of the Zhen family. As long as Zhenhui passes the exam, the opportunity to become a scholarly family and a family of Shilu, the Zhen family can proudly tell others that their family has three generations of officials and is a family of officials, which is very important for improving the status of the entire Zhen family. important.In order to change the status of the whole family, at this time, anyone who dares to cause trouble for Zhen Hui will be directly brought to the ancestral hall and severely punished.As for the reason why this is just the county examination, there is no chance for people to speak. The head of the family said that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Which high-ranking official did not start the examination from the county examination?Therefore, the county test is also very important, it is the foundation, and there is no room for ambiguity.

In order to allow Zhen Hui to concentrate on his studies, the clan even took care of Zhen Hui's life insurance, life insurance, and other miscellaneous things, and even specially invited someone to draw a topographic map of the examination room. Hui suffered a disadvantage because of the unfamiliar environment. From this point of view, Zhen Hui felt the benefits of the family for the first time.

In mid-February, finally, the gate of the county school behind the county government office opened when the sky was getting brighter. Zhen Hui took his own test basket and walked into the small test room, starting his first step toward the center. .