In the seventh year of Hongwu, the ships of the Qinhuai River wharf came and went, and the crowd was shoulder to shoulder, and I did not know how much prosperity was at the beginning of the founding of the country, and the crowded wharf could no longer bear the increasing number of cargo ships. It was heard that the Marquis of Jiang Ning, who hardly participated in politics, also impeached the prefect of Ying Tian for his laziness and incompetence, and suggested that the imperial court build a larger pier between the new city and the old city.

Before the end of the year, I heard that the wharf had been built, and I heard that Jiang Ninghou and his old man sold land and shops, and made a lot of money. In the past two years, this uncle likes to build houses everywhere, so that the prices of stone, wood, and lacquer in the city have increased, but it has also fed many people.

An ordinary cargo ship slowly docked at the wharf, and a small scholar got off the ship with a burden, turned around and saluted the merchant man above, "Thank you for taking care of a few uncles along the way, so that you can come to Yingtian safely." ”

The merchant at the bow of the ship solemnly returned the salute, "I don't want to thank the little minister, the Xinghua County Government also gave us money, you can go to the Royal Academy at such a young age, and you will definitely be prosperous in the future, and it is our honor to have a little ride with you." ”

"Xiao Ke hasn't entered the Royal Academy yet, but he just came here to take the exam."

"Hey, Xiao Xianggong doesn't know anything, as long as he is recommended by the yamen, he can pass the test nine times out of ten."

"Then thank you Uncle Jiyan, does Uncle know how to get to this mountain?"

"At this time of year, the academy sends a boat to pick up students to the academy!" The merchant looked around on tiptoe and stretched out his hand, "There is a boat with an apricot yellow flag in front of it that is the ship of the Royal Academy, hurry up." ”

The young man thanked him again and walked towards the canopy boat not far away, a figure suddenly stopped in front of him, looking at the other party who looked like a green skin, the green skin danced at his eyebrows, and mysteriously revealed half of the book from his sleeve, "Little scholar do you want it, I am here to be the true handiwork of Uncle Guo." ”

The young man's face was full of joy when he heard this, "Is it really the true work of Uncle Guo?" ”

"It's like a fake! I can show you two pages to see if it's true or not. Qingpi secretly turned two pages in his sleeve, this trick is very good, those boys and brothers saw which one is not a bloody silver.

But the little scholar in front of him only glanced at it, his face turned red, and he ran away. Qingpi took out the booklet and flipped through it, except for two pages with paintings of the Spring Palace, the rest were blank paper.

"Is it a flaw? Well, it must be that this little scholar has no hair and doesn't understand the affairs of men and women. ”

The young man ran to the side of the canopy boat in one breath, and waited until his breath was even, and then said to the boat: "May I ask if this boat is going to the Royal Academy?" ”

A young man of fifteen or sixteen years old with a dark face and a scholar's uniform was sitting on the bow of the boat picking his feet, and he put the dead skin that had been buttoned off to his nose and sniffed it, and when he heard someone ask, he raised his head and showed a mouthful of snow-white teeth, "That's right, I'm going to the academy." ”

But when he saw the other party's appearance, he asked suspiciously, "Are you going to the academy to take the exam?" ”

The boy nodded and replied, "Exactly!" ”

"I'm afraid I can't pass the exam at such a young age, so I'm going to run for nothing." The guy shook his head and sighed and took the pen and paper, and when he saw that the ink on the pen had dried, he stretched out his tongue and moistened it with saliva, so that his mouth was full of ink, and his snow-white teeth turned black, looking very funny, "What's your name?" How old is it? Where did it come from? ”

"My name is Wu Fuzhong, I am eleven years old this year, and I am from Xinghua County, Taizhou Prefecture."

"Oh, Wu Fuzhong, eleven years old, Xinghua County, Taizhou Prefecture." The guy muttered while writing on the paper with a brush, "I'm only eleven years old, I'm too young, I won't be able to pass the test." ”

It's just ten words, and it occupies the whole paper, and the words are written crookedly, not to say, and three are wrong. Wu Fuzhong looked at it on the side, and said in his heart: "You can be admitted to the academy like this, why can't I." ”

After the guy finished writing, he put the pen and paper aside, "Hurry up and get on the boat, it's still quite cold today." ”

"Thank you, brother!" Wu Fuzhong thanked him, raised his feet and jumped onto the boat, who knew that his feet slipped, and his body was planted straight towards the Qinhuai River, and there was a strong force behind the collar tightened, and he pulled it back.

The black-faced guy patted Wu Fuzhong on the back, "You are too young, if you fall into the river on this cold day, you will definitely get a cold, maybe you will die." ”

"Thank you, brother, I haven't asked for the name of brother." Wu Fuzhong thanked him again.

The black-faced guy returned the salute clumsily, and patted Wu Fuzhong's hand with his big foot, "What is there to thank for the matter of the number one." Don't call me Brother Tai anymore, I'll call you An Gouzi...... No, no, it's An Huzi, and I can't forget my former name. ”

An Huzi grinned, revealing his black and white teeth, he raised his eyes to look at the sun, "You rest in the cabin for a while, and when it is noon, we will sail back to Fangshan." With that, he continued to pick his feet at the bow of the boat.

Wu Fuzhong smiled and sat back in the boat quietly to close his eyes and recuperate, but his stomach screamed uncontrollably, and he reached out and touched the dry food bag on his waist, but it was empty.

"Hungry, huh? This one is up to you! An Huzi took out something from his arms and threw it over, Wu Fuzhong subconsciously caught it, it was an egg, and it had a faint body temperature.

Wu Fuzhong handed the egg back, "Thank you Brother An, the younger brother can't eat the egg." ”

"What's wrong? But don't you like my hands that have picked my feet? Ha ha...... It's okay, you just peel the shell. ”

Wu Fuzhong stuffed the eggs into An Huzi's hand, "Brother An misunderstood, the younger brother really can't eat eggs, otherwise he will get sick." ”

An Huzi scratched his head in confusion, "Get sick after eating chickens?" I've never heard of such a strange disease, and when I was sick in the past, I would be cured by eating a chicken, so shouldn't you be polite to me? ”

Wu Fuzhong shook his head, "The little brother is so hungry that he can't do it, and he will never be polite to Brother An." ”

An Huzi said with a regretful face: "Then you are really unlucky, each person in the academy has to give out a chicken mile every day, it seems that you can't eat it." Since you are hungry, let's go back to the academy now, just in time for lunch, the academy's food is delicious, and it is full, and I have been able to accumulate food in the cafeteria for the first time. ”

An Huzi said and went to untie the rope tied to the shore, but Wu Fuzhong said worriedly: "Isn't it a bit inappropriate to just pull me alone and leave now?" ”

"It doesn't matter, there are very few people who come to register for the exam in the spring, otherwise I wouldn't have been sent to guard alone, but in the autumn it is really a lot, and I have to pull more than a dozen boats a day, and I have to send more large board trucks......"

"Let's go!" An Huzi poked it on the shore with a penny, and the canopy boat went off the shore......