The dishes and wine were quickly presented, and Shen Fu personally opened the altar, poured a full glass of wine for Xi Gang, and then talked while drinking and eating.

"Sir is so old, why is he still obsessed with the imperial examination?" Shen Fu took advantage of the wine and slowly asked the doubts in his heart.

Xi Gang listened to it and pondered for a long time before he said with a shameful face: "The young man is poor, he thinks he is full of knowledge, and he hopes for the imperial examination in order to change his family situation. ”

Shen Fu hugged his fists, indicating that he did not look down on him, and said with words: "Cao Cao once said that Lao Ji is a long man and has ambitions for thousands of miles; The martyrs are in their twilight years, and their hearts are strong. Mr. is a little older, but the ambition is not old, as long as the kung fu is deep, the iron pestle can also be sharpened into a needle! ”

Xi Gang didn't care, and said with a smile: "I've lived for most of my life, and I've thought it through, fame and fortune are all things outside the body, and I will never be satisfied, it's time to wake up, I can't die on a road, I have to think about how to live!" ”

"Listen to what Mr. said, are you going to continue the exam?" Shen Fu was a little disappointed.

Xi Gang regurgitated the road of the imperial examination in the past 30 years, and couldn't help but feel sad in his heart, sighed, and said: "As the saying goes, three hundred and sixty lines, the line is the champion, I have come to the end of the imperial examination, since I have not seen the light until now, why not die in the heart of the Yellow River?" The general rule changes, change is saved, maybe I can develop in a different way, I can't say! ”

Shen Fu listened carefully, feeling very uncomfortable, so he personally sent a glass of wine to his mouth.

Xi Gang saw that he was stunned, and asked casually: "Looking at the son's style, the family should be very generous, why are you also worried about the imperial examination?" ”

Shen Fu listened and let out a long sigh: "Sir doesn't know, my father has a good character and has always disciplined me very strictly, especially in the manipulation, not only to quantify it regularly, but also to submit it to him for approval." Just because I can't make good articles, my father often points at my nose and scolds, saying that I am dyed with a square scarf, and I can only do official articles, and I don't know how to be flexible at all! ”

"What Ling Zun said is not bad, when writing articles, you have to be different, and you can't stick to the rules, but where is the room for people to play in the current eight-strand rules and regulations?"

Xi Gang couldn't help but sigh when he thought of tying his hands and feet when he was composing.

"The son is still young, seeking fame, but he is not in a hurry at this time, he must learn more and practice more, so that he can wear the water and stone in the future and become the top of the list!"

Shen Fu came to his senses and raised his glass to toast.

Xi Gang gladly accepted it.

Chen Yun was sitting next to him, and he couldn't help but smile when he saw that the two of them had gone from flaunting each other to strengthening each other.

After the meal, Shen Fu called to Xiaoye, a cousin, to settle the bill, and chatted with Xi Gang for a while, before going up to the top floor to look at the surrounding landscape, and then walked out of Yuepeng's store with his front and back feet.

Out of the restaurant, the noisy street market was lively, and Shen Fu still had to buy pen, ink, paper and inkstone, so he had to take out a few taels of silver from his money bag and give it to Xi Gang as a thin gift.

Xi Gang never thought that the heavens would descend on the nobles, and there were many good things, and he was so grateful that he said: "I am ashamed of this gift, but it is disrespectful!" ”

Shen Fu saw that he was gracious and affectionate, and said: "Farewell today, I don't know if he can see him in the next year, I hope we will meet next time, and we will each have a good time!" ”

Xi Gang stood in the tuyere, his thin face carved with knife-like wrinkles. After listening to Shen's heartfelt wishes, he smiled and nodded, then tightly grasped the silver in his hand, flashed into the warm and cold spring light, and walked down in despair.

Shen Fumu sent Xi Gang away, turned around and asked Chen Yun, "Are you tired?" If you're tired, let's find a teahouse to take a break, and if you're not tired, let's hurry up and go to Mobaoxuan! ”

Chen Yun knew that he lacked the four treasures of the study, and the corners of his mouth raised: "Although I am already a little tired, I can still hold on!" ”

"Hold on?" Shen Fu said quickly, "I won't force you!" ”

Chen Yun saw that he was still serious, but smiled and said, "Teasing you, are you still serious?" As soon as he finished speaking, he put down Shen Fu, who was blindfolded in his mind, and walked away with brisk small steps, "What are you still doing there stupidly, hurry up and keep up!" ”

Shen Fu smiled, walked up quickly and grabbed Chen Yun's cuffs, and pulled hard in the opposite direction.

"You're on a fork in the road, obviously you're going this way!"

Chen Yun smiled and sighed: "How can I compare to you, this area, you don't know how many times you have visited, I'm afraid that which way any store is facing, you are Yemen Qing'er!" ”

"I'm very familiar with this area!" Shen Fu was unceremonious, and followed Chen Yun's words and said, "But if you want to say that I even know where someone's door is facing, it would be a bit exaggerated!" As you know, my sense of direction isn't very good! ”

Chen Yun replied with disgust and said with a smile: "That's right, one year, you ran blindly outside Qingxi Village to play, but when you came back, you forgot the direction and were trapped in the wild forest all night!" ”

"That time scared my mother half to death, my grandfather also organized dozens of people to go out to find you, I'm glad I was clever and found you first!"

Scenes of the past come to mind, full of ups and downs, and all tastes.

Shen Fu smiled and said nothing, staring at Chen Yun who was talking eloquently, while holding Chen Yun's jade hand tightly, for fear that he would be careless, and let go of each other's hands.

Soon arrived in front of Mo Baoxuan, the couple restrained their smiles in time, and crossed the threshold with high feet and low feet.

The shopkeeper 'Porcelain Rooster' had just finished entertaining a middle-aged uncle, and when he saw that the person who came was a young man, he thought that he could knock on a stroke, so he greeted him with a spring breeze.

"This son, come in and have a look?"

Shen Fu hummed softly, and calmly pulled Chen Yun in.

Seeing that the two refused to talk, the porcelain rooster used his brain a little, and hurriedly followed behind and gushed introducing: "Son, do you want to buy a pen?" I have a complete range of goods in this store, the most authentic is the lake pen, what sheep hair, wolf hair, and purple hair, if you don't like the lake pen it doesn't matter, we also have Taicang, Houdian, Changkang, Wengang brush! ”

Shen Fu saw that the porcelain rooster kept boasting about his goods, and couldn't help but say: "I don't lack pens, I just want to buy a spindle of ink, and then buy an inkstone!" ”

"Childe said it earlier!"

The porcelain rooster smiled treacherously, and a hint of gloom floated through his eyes.

"We have pine smoke ink, tung smoke ink, lacquer smoke ink, oil smoke ink, not only black as lacquer, but also condensed for a long time, many sons come to us here to buy!"

The porcelain rooster smiled while leading Shen Fu and Chen Yun to the inkstone, and said: "Childe may wish to choose an inkstone first, and then choose a piece of ink, and then try it in the small shop first, if you find that the inkstone is not fast, and the graphite is not black, then the signboard of the small shop is for you to smash!" ”

Shen Fu's face was serious, and he silently chose his favorite inkstone from the shelf, and then carefully held it in front of his eyes to inspect it.

I saw that the inkstone was different in shape, but the color was as natural as it was. Shen Fu liked it very much, and impatiently tested the smoothness of the inkstone. It's slippery to the touch. Shen Fu knocked a few times towards the edge of the inkstone lightly. Its sound is like a tile. Shen Fu was overjoyed, put the inkstone in the palm of his hand and weighed it, and finally decided to buy this inkstone.

When the porcelain rooster saw that the customer had caught a glimpse of the goods, he couldn't help but come up and flatter him.

Shen Fu didn't bother to pay attention to it, and walked to the graphite stall.

"Childe might as well take a look, these are Huimo, all of them were shipped from Huizhou Mansion not long ago, and now the market has not opened, the price of this thing is not expensive, but it will take a few months, then no one can say the momentum!"

The porcelain rooster said with a smug face.

"The villain just took Hui Mo and studied an inkstone, if the son wants to gain more knowledge, he might as well sit over there with the villain!"

Shen Fu was calm-headed and said, "Okay! ”

As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Fu gave Chen Yun a look without hesitation, and Chen Yun saw through his mind at a glance and followed with a smile.

In the blink of an eye, the porcelain rooster hurriedly led the couple to the red sandalwood bookcase, and said with a smile: "Son, please take a seat!" ”

Hearing this, Shen Fu fluently pulled out the chair under the red sandalwood case, and then sat down very calmly.

Chen Yun's face was a little thinner, and he was embarrassed to ask the porcelain rooster for another seat, so he could only stand on the left side of the bookcase.

The porcelain rooster didn't care about the couple's actions, but hurriedly brought an inkstone and sent it to the top of the bookcase very carefully.

Shen Fu took it lightly and put it in the center of the case to observe it carefully, and the color was black and fragrant, so he praised: "It's really good!" ”

The porcelain rooster smiled silently, lifted a page of rice paper from under the pastel water-glazed paperweight at the head of the case, and slowly handed it to Shen Fuyan's door.

Shen Fuzheng had the intention to splash ink, so he took it from the porcelain rooster, and then spread out the rice paper under the case, slowly lifted the Zihaohu pen, dipped it in the inkstone, and moved it to the corner of the inkstone.

Chen Yun didn't care about how Shen Fuzi was written, but he saw a bean green glazed carved lion candlestick standing on the left hand side of the red sandalwood bookcase, and there was a bronze gilt silver inlaid turquoise incense burner under the candlestick, the right side of the incense burner was the glaze red secret pavilion, and on the right hand side of the bookcase was an imitation of the official kiln peach-shaped water Cheng, the left side of the water was a green and white glazed lotus pod water injection, and the lower left position of the water injection was a black lacquer ivory carved plum blossom pen holder, and the pen holder was a blue and white red color cloud pattern boat-shaped pen wash to the left, which was all the same and looked very solemn.

The porcelain rooster's face was as usual, and while turning the crystal inner painting Tanhua and the first wrench, he observed the momentum of Shen Fuyun's pen.

In the blink of an eye, Shen Fu put down his pen, revealing a comfortable look of being finished.

The porcelain rooster immediately leaned over, smiled and took away the rice paper with the words written in front of Shen Fuyan's door, and then examined it carefully. Seeing that the stroke was tactful and round, and the gesture was fresh and elegant, the porcelain rooster smiled heartily and boasted: "Childe has good penmanship!" ”

Shen Fu said modestly: "Where is my good penmanship?" It's obviously your ink good! If the paper is like paint, it is worthy of its name! ”

The porcelain rooster saw that there was a play, so he hurriedly struck while the iron was hot, and said: "That is, this Hui ink is light, grinding and clearing, smelling and sweet, hard as jade, and silent, if the son likes it, you may wish to come and visit it often in the future, and the contemptible people will definitely give you special offers!" ”

Shen Fu nodded yes, indicating that he wanted to buy Huimo, but the porcelain rooster didn't know how many ingots he wanted to buy, so he got closer and asked: "Childe also saw it, the contemptible people didn't deceive you, this thing is indeed a high-quality product, do you want to buy more?" ”

Chen Yun saw that the porcelain rooster began to sell, and was worried that the silver in his pocket was not enough, so he pretended to cough and reminded Shen Fu to have a snack.

Fortunately, the two of them had a good heart, and after Shen Fu heard Chen Yun's deliberate coughing sound, he hurriedly looked at the porcelain rooster, and said resolutely: "Take a tablet and try it first, if the ink has been very good in the back, then I will definitely visit here next time!" ”

The porcelain rooster was stunned for a moment and said with a smile: "Okay! Turning his eyes, he asked again: "Childe doesn't look very old, and he should still be preparing for the autumn festival." What is missing in this article, and it can't be missing paper, I don't know if you still need paper? ”

Shen Fujing and the others packed Huimo, completely ignoring the promotion of porcelain roosters.

The porcelain rooster refused to give up, and said with a smile: "We have here, there is rice paper, bamboo paper, Xuande paper, Songjiang Tan paper, as well as side paper and moss paper from South Vietnam, Korean paper, Lijin paper, mirror flower paper, snow paper from Dongwei, Fengshu paper, and Western gold paper, mica paper, and leaky flower paper, see if you want to ......"

"Don't!"

Shen Fu saw the little guy coming over with a brocade box, so he interrupted the malicious sale of the porcelain rooster, and then smiled with a sunny face, leaking a mouthful of bright white teeth.

"Rest assured. If this ingot ink is used satisfactorily, then it will definitely be patronized in the future, and I will also help you introduce business! ”

The porcelain rooster is also a veteran in the business, he is well versed in the truth that the fragrance of wine is not afraid of the deep alley, and he no longer advertises it in person, and turns his head to greet a flattering little guy, so he sends Shen Fu and Chen Yun out, and laughs again, revealing a mouth full of yellow and oozing teeth.

Out of Mo Baoxuan, the sun had already set a few minutes, and five or six scholars in their early years walked through the middle of the road with a smile.

Chen Yun dodged sideways, caught a glimpse of Shen Fuqi's calm mind, and said busily: "This store is really good at doing business, fooling people to buy things one by one, it's really embarrassing not to buy it!" ”

Shen Fu said with a smile: "Don't look at this shopkeeper's pot-bellied, he is the most shrewd person on this street!" Speaking of him, it's also extremely interesting! ”

Chen Yun's curiosity was unprecedentedly high, staring at Shen Fu intently, with the expression of moving the bench to listen to the play when he was a child.

Shen Fu said with a smile: "What about him, he was originally a low-class household in Huizhou, a poor and white family, ten years ago, in the famine year, he left his hometown in order to make a living, and went to Suzhou as an apprentice, which is also considered to be his talent, with his own diligence, starting from scratch, accumulating wealth, and opening shops." Now on this street, he is second to none! ”

"But this man has a very ugly nickname!" Shen Fu turned his eyes to look at Chen Yun, "Because of excessive searching, he refuses to give alms to temples and porridge factories all year round, and the locals look down on him, and they jokingly call him a porcelain rooster, taking his meaning of not pulling out a hair!" ”

"Porcelain rooster!"

Chen Yun shook his head and said with a smile: "This is an appropriate image!" ”

The two were talking and laughing, and suddenly saw Pingshun leading Ruiyun to run, so they looked at each other and smiled, and stood still waiting for them to approach.

"Master, it's not early, it's time for us to go home!" Pingshun looked at Shen Fu with an inquiring look, "Mrs. is still waiting in the house!" ”

Shen Fu groaned slightly, and ordered, "Let's go!" As he spoke, he held Chen Yun's hand tightly.

Pingshun caught a glimpse of the newlyweds interlocking their fingers, extremely affectionate, and couldn't help but glance at Ruiyun who was silent and quiet next to him.