Ning Xiu and Liu Weining returned to Jiangling on August 25.

In order to surprise his family, Ning Xiu did not send someone to deliver the letter in advance, but when he entered the door, he found that his father, mother, Qilang, and Shilang were all standing under the old locust tree in the outer courtyard, and they had obviously been waiting for a long time.

"Dad, mother, you ......"

"Haha, stinky boy, I don't know if I know Yuan in the exam, and I don't know how to call someone back in advance to report the good news. If it weren't for the officials who reported the good news from the township test to deliver the letter, your father would have been kept in the dark by you! Your father and I estimated that you would come back in the next two days, so I called a long entourage to wait at the gate of the city, and when I saw you coming back, I immediately came back to report the news. ”

Daddy Ning Liang stepped forward, patted Ning Xiu's shoulder and said with a smile: "Stinky boy, you really have two hits, your father and I never thought that your kid would be able to solve the yuan." The ancestral grave of our Lao Ning family is really smoking. ”

Ning Xiu wanted to roll his eyes when he heard this, was the dead ghost father so unconfident in him? No matter how you say it, he is also a person who can talk and laugh with Zhang Juzheng, the first assistant young master.

"Dad, son, I want to surprise you and my mother."

Seeing that his father was full of spring breeze, Ning Xiu was naturally in a good mood.

"Look at you two, patronizing and talking, the food should be cold, come to the house quickly, and talk while eating."

Ning Liu stepped forward to tuck the hair on his sideburns for his son, and said softly.

"Mother, the messenger has already left?"

Ning Xiu suddenly asked.

Ning Liu was stunned for a moment and said, "Yes, I left the day before yesterday." ”

"Mother, did you give him Cheng Yi?"

"Then how can it be less, fifty taels of silver, a penny is not a lot."

When Ning Xiu heard this, he finally relaxed a little. He was afraid that his father and mother would get used to living a poor life, and he would not be used to it when he suddenly became rich, and he still lived in the way he used to buckle and squeeze.

It doesn't matter what your family does, it's not beautiful if you treat the messenger slowly.

Although these people have a low status, they can speak with one mouth. If you offend them, add a little oil and vinegar, and say that Xinke Huguangxiang Trial Xie Yuan is an iron rooster that can't pull out a hair, and Ning Xiu can't cry to death?

"That's good. Dad, Mother, Shichiro, Shiro, let's go eat. ”

The family walked into the house and sat down around the house, and Ning Xiuzhi was full of emotion when he saw a table full of sumptuous meals.

Thinking back to a year ago, their rice jars were often bottomed out, and the changes that took place during that time could be said to be earth-shaking.

From his father's attitude towards him this time, Ning Xiu could also feel that his father really recognized him.

It's no wonder that the rise of the Ning family is entirely because of Ning Xiu, if it weren't for Ning Xiu's succession of making finger cakes, soap, cement, and glass, and getting acquainted with a group of nobles, the Ning family would probably still be worried about Shengmi.

Now that Ning Xiu understands the Yuan again, the old Ning family has infinite glory for a while, and Ning Liang's attitude towards Ning Xiu is naturally much better.

You must know that there are so many talents in the late Ming Dynasty that they are really worthless. But lifting people is completely different, those who can be lifted are the best among the scholars, and even if they can't be in the jinshi in the future, they can be a local gentleman and rich for a lifetime.

What's more, Ning Xiuzhong is still the leader of the people-Xie Yuan, which is very powerful. There are more than 100 people in one department, and there is only one Xie Yuan, so it is very face-saving to say it.

Just when Ning Xiu was in his trance, Ning Liang put a chicken leg in Ning Xiu's bowl, cleared his throat and said, "Stinky boy, you are growing your body, eat more." ”

Ning Xiu was stunned for a moment, and then his eyes turned red, and tears were about to overflow uncontrollably.

Nima, this is really the first time. Daddy actually made such a concerned move towards him, which really made Ning Xiu very uncomfortable!

In Ning Xiu's impression, his father is simply fierce and vicious, as long as he is a little unsatisfactory, he raises a wooden stick and chases him, and he wants to use family law to establish his father's authority. Why has it become so warm now......

Ning Xiu wasn't sure if it was because his family had improved or because he had learned about him, but in short, his father had really begun to care about him, and this alone was worth celebrating.

"Third brother, tell us quickly, is Wuchang Mansion fun? I've heard that there are tens of thousands of people taking the exam together, so how big does it take for a house to fit? ”

Shichiro looked at Ning Xiu expectantly, obviously very curious about the outside world.

Ning Xiu smiled and said: "There is not much difference between Wuchang Mansion and our Jingzhou, it is nothing more than the jurisdiction of the Political Division, and there are more yamen. ”

Shichiro was surprised: "I thought that Wuchang Mansion was full of carved beams and paintings." If it's just that there are more yamen, it's nothing. ”

Ning Xiu rolled his eyes and said, "You said that this is Jingshi or Nanjing." In other places, even in Jiangnan, it is impossible to carve beams and paint buildings everywhere. ”

"As for the number of candidates who participated in the township examination, there were not as many as 10,000, which was a false rumor. It's about 3,000 people. ”

Shichiro's eyes widened and said, "My good man, three thousand people is not a lot." ”

Ning Xiu explained: "The place where we took the exam is called Gongyuan, which is a large building with many dormitories built inside, and each candidate answers in a separate dormitory. ”

"That's it."

Shichiro nodded lightly: "The third brother is really powerful, more than 3,000 people can take the first place in the exam." ”

"Ahem, I'm also lucky."

Ning Xiu's cheeks suddenly turned red.

Regarding his son's modesty, Ning Liang looked unimpressed.

"What, luck? So why is it that others are unlucky, but only you are lucky? You're good everywhere else, but you're too modest. Your father and I can tell you that from now on, you can't be too modest in front of people, you have to fight when you should fight, and you must stand out when you should come out. I've heard that officialdom is a place where people eat people and don't spit out bones, and there are many bad moves. If you can't be tougher, sooner or later they will be trampled underfoot. ”

For his father's lesson, Ning Xiu had long been accustomed to it. What's more, what he said this time makes some sense, there are so many positions in the Ming officialdom in total, which can be described as a radish and a pit. If there is no one to make up for it or move it, there will be no one to make up for it. Ning Xiu didn't want to be a seven-grade county magistrate for the rest of his life, and the feeling of being a boss was too unpleasant.

"What Dad said is that my son wrote it down."

Shilang was also very interested in Wuchang Mansion, I saw him holding his chin with both hands, staring at Ning Xiu with a pair of big watery eyes, swallowing and foaming: "Third brother, can you take me to Wuchang Mansion next time you have time?" ”

Ning Xiu nodded and said, "What kind of difficult thing is this, I will bring you with me next time I go to Wuchang." But you have to be obedient. ”

He has business dealings with the Sun family, and the opportunity to go to Wuchang Mansion in the future is that it is just a gesture to bring Shilang.

Hearing this, Shilang happily threw himself into Ning Xiu's arms and said, "The third brother is the best for me!" ”

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Ning Xiu smiled and said, "They are all their own brothers, the third brother is not good to you, but to whom?" ”

After that, he paused and asked, "By the way, these days when I'm not at home, is business good?" ”

Shilang nodded and said: "It must be good to have the second uncle to take care of the restaurant over there, as for the cement, soap, and glass, the seventh brother is also very attentive, and the business is naturally not bad." ”

Ning Xiu saw that he pushed all the credit out, and quipped: "Hey, then what did my Shilang do?" ”

Two blushes immediately appeared on Juro's cheeks, and he lowered his head.

"I'm all helping Seventh Brother."

Ning Xiu patted him on the shoulder and said, "Third brother is joking with you." ”

The family talked and laughed for a long time before finishing lunch.

Ning Xiu went back to the house to rest because of the fatigue of the boat.

When he woke up at dusk, he sat up from his bed and was about to go out for a walk, when he heard a familiar voice from the courtyard.

Ning Xiu hurriedly pushed the door to look, but it didn't matter if he saw it, but he laughed straight out.

I saw Sun Wufan and Liu Ru walking through the moon gate together, and they seemed to be arguing with each other.

"Brother Sun, Brother Liu."

Ning Xiu stepped forward and took two steps, and Sun Wufan took the lead in speaking: "Ah, Brother Ning Xian, are you really in the middle of the Yuan?" ”

Liu Ru glanced at him and said, "I heard from Friend Liu, he went to Wuchang Mansion with Brother Ning Xian to participate in the township test, how can this news be wrong?" How can I listen to what you mean, I don't want Brother Ning Xian to pass the exam? ”

Sun Wufan immediately sneered at each other: "Black fat man, don't spew blood." Which ear do you hear that I don't want Brother Ning Xian to solve the yuan? It's just that Huguang is a prosperous place for culture and education, and it is not easy to move in the middle of the road, and it is even more difficult to solve the yuan in the sky. I wanted to ask Brother Ning Xian how he did it. ”

Liu Ru rolled up his sleeves and was about to fight with Sun Wufan, but Ning Xiu hurriedly rushed over to block between the two.

"What are the two of you arguing about? It's no wonder that Brother Sun was surprised, I didn't expect to be able to get the solution. ”

Liu Ru pouted and said aggrievedly: "Brother Ning Xian helped him speak." ”

Ning Xiu smiled helplessly: "I'm telling the truth." In fact, I did quite well in this township test, but I really didn't expect to be able to solve the yuan. ”

With Ning Xiu's help, Sun Wufan glanced at Liu Ru is proudly, and then said calmly: "I have long said that Ning Xian's brother is blessed, such a person will have a great future sooner or later." ”

Ning Xiu knew that Sun Wufan's so-called ability to hope for qi was not reliable at all, but he didn't demolish him, and stood there laughing and saying nothing.

No one answered his words for a long time, but Sun Wufan felt a little embarrassed.

"Ahem...... "Ahem" Sun Wufan cleared his throat and said: "Anyway, Brother Ning Xian is now a new subject in Huguang Township, and he is simply a popular student." Recently, it is inevitable that some classmates will come to visit in the same year. I'll reluctantly help you arrange it, but first of all, I'll have to ask for 20% of the gift money. ”

Ning Xiu was puzzled and said, "Brother Sun said that there are classmates who will come to visit me in the same year, and I understand this." What does the key money mean? ”

The Ming officialdom has an intricate relationship, what teachers and students, fellow villagers, classmates, in the same year.

Relying on these relationships, a new talent may get mixed up in officialdom.

Among them, classmates and the same year are the easiest to speculate.

The so-called classmates refer to those who study together, which can be official schools such as county, government, and state schools, or private schools such as Yuelu Academy. It doesn't matter what kind of book it is, as long as you have read a book together, you can be considered classmates.

As for the same year, it was even simpler. The township examination and the general examination can be said to be the same year.

Now that the Huguang Township Examination has just ended, the chief examiner Zhao Minghe has taken one hundred and forty lifters, and these one hundred and forty people are all in the same year.

Seeing that Ning Xiuzhong understood that Yuan had a bright future, it was reasonable for these people to want to visit and make friends and enhance their 'friendship'. What the hell is a gift money?

Sun Wufan stepped forward and touched Ning Xiu's head, and said with a sigh: "Brother Ning Xian doesn't have a fever either, why do you talk nonsense?" ”

Ning Xiu rolled his eyes and said, "Brother Sun, don't sell it, I'm dying." ”

Sun Wufan explained slowly: "It seems that Brother Ning Xian really doesn't know. Well, I'll make it clear to you. These classmates and Xie Yuanlang came to visit Xie Yuanlang in the same year, so it is naturally impossible for them to come empty-handed, and according to the convention, they must give gift money. ”

Ning Xiu suddenly realized.

He had only heard of colleagues who came to visit and give gifts after officials were promoted, but he never thought that his classmates who came to visit Yuan would also give gifts in the same year.

What an eye-opener!

It turns out that Sun Wufan wants to be his agent!

As soon as he thought of this, Ning Xiu felt funny. In later generations, only entertainment stars have agents, and in the Ming Dynasty, it seems that Xie Yuanlang can also have it.

"Well, I'm definitely in Gangneung these days. It's just that the classmates who came to visit the meeting are more than the same year, and the schedule may not be arranged. If Brother Sun intended to help Ning make arrangements, Ning would naturally be happy to do so. As for the sharing of the gift money, let's do it according to Brother Sun's wishes. ”

At the thought of being able to collect a lot of extra money, Ning Xiu felt very comfortable.

He is not an official now, even if he has received gifts from his classmates and the same year. I can't see that this Monkey King Fan is really business-minded, and he didn't even miss this kind of business opportunity.

Sun Wufan was overjoyed when he heard this.

He patted his chest and assured Ning Xiu: "Hehe, Brother Ning Xian is worthy of being a genius who passed the exam, and his vision is not ordinary. In this case, you can rest assured, you just need to stay in the house and do whatever you want, and the rest will be taken care of by me. I must have arranged the time for the visits of those classmates of the same year properly. ”

Ning Xiu nodded and said, "Thank you very much." ”

How many of this kind of good things come and how many come, not only can you receive gifts, but also increase your influence to play an indirect propaganda effect, why not?

Liu Ru, who had been unable to interject, was a little anxious.

He stamped his foot and said, "I can do what the dead fat man said." Brother Ning Xian, don't forget, I am the president of the Hedong Poetry Society, and most of those county school classmates have joined the Hedong Poetry Society, and my words have more weight than the dead fat man. ”

Ning Xiu almost burst out loud at this time.

Okay, this Liu Ru is not to be outdone and has started to grab business?

Sun Wufan glanced at Liu Ru is eyes, and said angrily: "Hey, black fat man, can you be a little virtuous, don't you understand what it means to come first and then come?" ”

Where would Liu Ru give in to Sun Wufan, he stepped forward and raised his neck and said, "I only know that the strong are respected." Since you don't have my resources, you should quit and let Friend Ning choose me to take care of everything. ”

Ning Xiu saw that the two fat men were fighting with red faces, and he didn't come forward to fight again, so he cleared his throat and said, "The two of you listen to what Ning Mou said." ”

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