The morning sun rises, and the streets of Jingning City have been very lively, "big steamed buns, big and fragrant steamed buns," "baked cakes, baked cakes, eat a top day baked cakes", "steamed buns, steamed buns, big fat pork bun stuffing". The cries along the street started a day in the city.

Zhang Desheng carried a basket of things and walked on the street out of the city with his little third son, "Master Zhang, are you going to go far away?" An uncle who sells biscuits asked

"Uncle Zhang, morning, yes, I'll go out of the city."

"Master Zhang, you are auspicious!".

"Boss Yang, business is booming" Zhang Desheng handed over the basket to the little third son

"Master Zhang, okay," the little brother who sold breakfast greeted respectfully

"Good". "Master Zhang" "Master Zhang" "Master Zhang" "Master Zhang, auspicious" "Along the way, people continue to greet Zhang Desheng. The third son only feels that his master is magnificent, and everyone respects his master.

Zhang Desheng kept nodding along the road, took the little third son into a rice noodle shop, helped the little third son put down his back and saluted, "Boss, come to two bowls of rice noodles."

"Hey, I'll just say how to open the door today and listen to the magpie call, it turns out that Master Zhang is here, you are going to go far away?"

"Yes, last trip to the capital".

"Oh, yes, yes, you're going to Beijing to catch the exam, I wish you to go to the gold list to be titled, and pay homage to the prime minister."

"Hehe, I don't dare to think that the marquis will be blessed by the ancestors if I can pass the exam."

"Look at what you said, if you can't win, I don't think there will be a few in Hunan Province, and we have no hope in Jingning Mansion, if you become a big official, you can be better for our people."

"Thank you for your kindness, then I will lend you a good word." Zhang Desheng smiled with a smile

"Then you sit, I'll go and serve rice noodles, the mutton just killed in the morning, I'll bring you a few slices, to ensure that you dare to travel all day without feeling hungry."

"Master, didn't you go to Beijing from the north of the city? How do we go east of the city? The little third son was puzzled

Zhang Desheng smiled, "This time, I don't know if I can return next year, I want to go to worship my husband first"

"Sir?" Xiao Sanzi wondered

"Yes, my enlightenment teacher, more than twenty years have passed!" Zhang Desheng said with emotion

"The rice noodles are here," the boss enthusiastically took two bowls of rice noodles and put them on the table, "Master Zhang, don't give money to today's rice noodles, you have helped us so much before, small households, there is nothing to do, this is going to Beijing to catch the exam, I will collect your money again, and I will be poked in the backbone." ”

Zhang Desheng picked up a pair of chopsticks of rice noodles, smiled and said, "Okay, good, boss, I appreciate your kindness, go and greet the guests." As he spoke, he took a plate of vinegar and poured it into the bowl, "San'er, eat it quickly!" Hurry after eating. ”

"Yes, sir." This is the first time in his life that the third son has entered a restaurant to eat, and he also followed the example of his master, poured some vinegar into it, and ate "huh, huh..."

After the two finished eating rice noodles, Zhang Desheng took a few copper coins from his pregnancy, clicked it, put it on the table, and walked out of the city with the little third son.

Twenty miles away from the city of Linquan Town, because there is a clear spring in the mountain and get the name, the two came to the green hill next to the town, found a small lonely grave in the middle of the mountainside, the tomb is backed by the mountain and the water, it is also a treasure of feng shui. Zhang Desheng put down the basket and brushed the tombstone with his cuffs to wipe the dust off it. Beckoned the little third son to work together and pull out the weeds on the grave one by one. He took out the incense candles from the basket, put the fruits on the offerings, took out a jar of wine, placed it in front of the tomb, turned his head and said to the little third son, "San'er, take out my poetry manuscript in the cage." ”

The third son turned out a stack of poetry manuscripts, handed to Zhang Desheng, only to see that the stele was engraved with "Therefore Xiankao Liu Gongqi Jinsong Lao's Tomb" on the right side is engraved with filial piety Liu XX, Liu XX, filial piety Liu XX, the left side is engraved with the third day of May in the twelfth year of Jiaqing, died on September 16 in the fourth year of Tongzhi.

"San'er, you go down the mountain and wait for me, I'll talk to the master."

"Yes, sir." After the third son finished speaking, he picked up the cage and walked down the mountain.

Zhang Desheng knelt in front of the tomb and said while burning paper, "Master, Jin'er has come to see you, Jin'er is about to enter Beijing to take the exam, and I can't come to see your old man on September 16 this year!" This time I brought your favorite Liuyang River wine, as well as your favorite famous inscription, I asked someone to go to Xi'an Tuo, and the old ink strip of Yide Pavilion, you have never used such a good ink in your life, and this time you also used it. "I took the stack of poetry manuscripts again, "Over the years, Jin'er has not lived up to your old teachings, has been dreaming of sleep, studying hard, and practicing hard, the words have improved much compared to those years, I will give you the schoolwork, you can look at it old, and you can't get into your old eyes." He unfolded the manuscript in his hand and put it on the fire.

"You are always at ease on it, these years, your juniors are also angry, and there is a seedling of reading, I will always supervise, over time, I will also become a great talent, Jingning Mansion is still like that, not good or bad, the wine shop in the town is still open, but the wine brewed is getting more and more turbid, I'm afraid you can't drink it anymore." Back then, you gave me two cents every time, and lied to me that two cents and a pot of wine, which caused me to quarrel with the boss a few times, Yan Jixue has not been lifted this time, let me help, make an appointment with some moves, publish some articles, I think he has no intention of taking the imperial examination, and wants to be a bookseller, back then, you always said that Yan Jixue has the market spirit of a businessman, for the sake of his classmates, I promised him, you don't scold me. As he spoke, his eyes turned red, and tears welled up in his eyes.

Zhang Jin himself lost his father at a young age, was raised with the protection of his sister and mother, and was often bullied by his peers when he was young and did not dare to fight back, and did not go to school because of his poor family, so he had some inferiority complex in character. Once in Linquan Town, Zhang Jin wrote and painted in the mud against the town's signboard. Lao Xiucai, who was drinking in the town's liquor store, saw it, and Lao Xiucai bet with his friend, "This kid definitely can't write his name." When a friend saw Zhang Jin writing and painting, he didn't believe it, and the two of them made a bet on a pot of Lao Baigan brewed by the wine shop. Lao Xiucai walked out of the wine shop and asked Zhang Jindao, who was writing on the side of the road, "Child, I see that you write and paint, but you look like you, do you write your name?" Zhang Jin said no. Lao Xiucai laughed twice and said, "Okay, it's okay if it won't be, it's okay if it won't be." ”

Zhang Jin was full of questions, I can't write my name, what is this old man happy about? I saw that Lao Xiucai also squatted on the side of the road, asked Zhang Jin's name, and taught Zhang Jin how to write the two characters with a branch, Zhang Jin looked at the two vigorous and powerful characters written on the mud floor with a branch, learned his own name, and was very excited for a day.

This old man, is the old Xiucai of Linquan Town, Liu Jinsong, is knowledgeable, but also writes a good hand, because when he was young, he wrote for Lin Zeyu to be uneven, was dismissed from his reputation, and was not allowed to participate in scientific research for life, in fact, he was a white ding, and then returned to his hometown to set up a private school in Linquan Town, to teach the few children in the town for a living.

Since then, Zhang Jin has often gone to the town to listen to Lao Xiucai's lectures secretly, and Lao Xiucai will not rush people when he sees this, so for half a year. One day, when Lao Xiu finished teaching, he suddenly called Zhang Jin outside the door and asked him why he came to steal the school. Zhang Jin replied with a little blush: "I just like to listen to the old gentleman's lectures." Lao Xiucai asked again, "Since you like to go to school, why don't you let your parents send you a bundle, and you can go to school in a dignified manner." Zhang Jin said ashamedly, "The family is poor, and the family has no money." After listening to it, Lao Xiucai asked Zhang Jin to take his Taoist home to see, Zhang Jin originally thought that Lao Xiucai was going to complain to his mother, so he quickly knelt down and cried, "Old man, the kid will never dare to come in the future, please don't go to my mother." ”

Lao Xiucai helped Zhang Jin up and said with a smile, "Hahaha, boy, do you think I'm going to sue?" Don't worry, I'll go to your house and discuss with your family about going to school. After Zhang Jin entered the school, Lao Xiucai saw that Zhang Jin's family was poor, and also provided Zhang Jin with pen, ink, paper and inkstone for free, a meal a day, carefully taught his courses, and taught him the truth of being a man and doing things, which was really closer than his son, Zhang Jin was 8 years old that year.

Lao Xiucai has no other hobbies, except good wine and writing, wine is the cheapest turbid wine, but the words are first-class good words, often written on the dim oil lamp. After Zhang Jin was raised, he was often praised for having Zhao Mengfu's legacy, but Zhang Jin said that his words were less than one compared to his enlightened teacher, which was not an exaggeration. Eight years later, Lao Xiucai was seriously ill, and a month before his death, he personally went to Jingning Mansion to ask Yan Ji, a professor of Fuxue who had old friendships, and asked him to accept Zhang Jin as a disciple. Zhang Jin was 16 that year, and his sister also married He Fengkui, who worked in Hutchison Tea House, and his family situation was improved. After that, he was admitted to Xiucai all the way, and he was considered one in ten thousand among scholars, but Lao Xiucai could no longer be seen.

Zhang Desheng remembered this scene of the past, if it weren't for the kindness of the old show and the change of his life destiny, maybe his life would have ended up with a fate of facing the loess and facing the sky.

"Master, Jin'er will come to see you next year, you will always look at it with peace of mind, this time in Beijing, Jin'er should be in one fell swoop." After speaking, he respectfully kowtowed three times, stood up and rubbed his face, wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes, and went down the mountain.

"Master, here you are!" The little third son squatted under a tree, saw Zhang Desheng coming down the mountain, stood up and beckoned. "Master, are you alright?" Seeing that Zhang Desheng's eyes were a little red and swollen, Xiao Sanzi asked

"It's fine." Zhang Desheng turned around, faced Qingshan, who buried the old Xiucai, and said to the little third son, "San'er, do you know what the last words of the master were when he left? ”

The third son shook his head, "I don't know, master." ”

When the master left, he was almost speechless, and then he returned to the light, got up from the bed, took my hand and said to me, "Jin'er, you have to live well, if you die, you can't write", after saying this, the master swallowed his last breath. As he spoke, tears unconsciously flowed out of the corners of his eyes.

The little third son was also shocked, and his nose was slightly sour and sighed, "It turns out that there are still people who live not for food and clothing, but for reading and writing!" ”

"San'er, September 16 every year is my master's death day, even if I don't come back in the future, you have to bring a pot of good wine to the master's grave for me to worship and worship."

"Yes, sir." After speaking, the little third son walked to the foot of the mountain, faced the green mountain, and knelt down respectfully and kowtowed three times.

After Zhang Desheng saw that the little third son had done all this, he said, "Let's go!" Performers! ”

The two of them put their bags on their backs and cages, and walked towards the north, the sun climbed high, and seemed to be using light to illuminate Zhang Desheng's future.