According to the request of Li's letter, Shen Xi should return to Ninghua County as soon as possible to prepare for the annual exam, and in the middle of the first month, Shen Xi had just celebrated the Shangyuan Festival with his family, so he had to leave with Shen Mingjun to return to Ninghua.

This year, the lights were put on on the Shangyuan Festival, and the old and young inside and outside the pharmacy all wrote their wishes as hoping that Shenxi could take the high school test.

Shen Xi knew that this was "forced" by the old lady and Hui Niang to do this, and there were few women and children in the family who could write, so they all let Shen Xi do it for them anyway, in front of Zhou and Hui Niang, they dared to say that they hoped to find a good husband to marry in the coming year?

In the past, Hui Niang always talked about the marriages of the five maids around her, but now the pharmacy is busy with foreign affairs, and she can't take care of it, even if Xiu'er and they are all seventeen or eighteen years old or even approaching twenty years old, she still hasn't married them as promised.

Xiaoyu and Xiu'er can still endure loneliness, Lu'er and Hong'er are two years younger, and they don't feel anything, but Ning'er, with a sense of unwillingness from the bottom of her heart, always wants to find an opportunity to fly on the branches and become a phoenix.

Shen Xi took the ardent expectations of the three families and embarked on the return journey back to Ninghua, this road Shen Xi walked several times and was already very familiar. Also returning to their hometown were Song Xiaocheng and his wife and a few brothers from the Carriage and Horse Gang.

Su Lian just gave birth to a son, and Song Xiaocheng rarely got busy with the carriage and horse shops and boats at the beginning of the year, so he took his wife and son back to his hometown and relatives.

When he returned to Ninghua County, Shen Xi immediately became the focus of the family's attention.

In the first year, Shen Xi still came back as a child, only a year, Shen Xi became a talented man, and Shen Xi was only twelve years old after the New Year, even if Shen Mingwen, the pillar of the Shen family, was not eligible to take the county exam at the age of twelve, but now Shen Xi has not only passed the county exam, but also passed the county, government, and hospital three exams, and the Tingzhou Mansion has won the first test. Second in the hospital examination.

No matter who thinks of it, Shen Xi's future future is not under Shen Mingwen.

"Shichiro, when you come back, you have to study hard. This year seems easy, but it is not to be slack. It's best to be able to replenish and regenerate at one time, and after that year you will be able to replenish and regenerate. The old lady Li smiled from ear to ear in front of the neighbors who came to visit and send him off, but she didn't forget to remind Shen Xi.

Even when Shen Xizhong was talented, she was not as proud as she is today, and being able to bring her baby grandson back to show off in front of her neighbors is what the old lady has been looking forward to.

This made Shen Mingwen's wife Wang very unhappy: "Mother, look at what you said, maybe Qilang still wants to supplement the birth of the Emperor at one time." Why do you come back from the autumn exam? ”

This sounds like a good thing, but when she said it in Wang's yin and yang weird tone, anyone who listened to it knew that she felt awkward. In the past two years, she has a husband but is widowed, and she has a lot of resentment in her heart, but now the old lady likes this baby grandson more than his husband, where can she be angry? She thought to herself: "My man has taken the township exam a few times, and now his life is stable, how can you, a little kid who has just passed the exam, compare?" ”

But thinking that Shen Xi was going to take the annual exam with her husband, it was not a good feeling in my heart.

Li's face straightened: "Speak well." Shichiro is naturally the best if he can lift people at one time, but if he can't win, there will be opportunities in the future. Women. What tongue to chew? ”

Wang also knew each other, and hurriedly saluted: "Mother, I was wrong." ”

Li Shi was not surprised, and continued to say to Shen Xi: "Your eldest brother is married, your father and mother are back, but you are too busy with your studies to take care of it, and now you are coming back and going inside to see your eldest brother and sister-in-law." ”

Only then did Shen Xi remember that there was actually an extra woman in the family, that is, Shen Yongzhuo's wife who had just married less than a year ago, that is, the former Miss Lu family.

Shen Xi went to the east wing of the middle courtyard to see this "sister-in-law". If you want to say that the posture is actually like that, the face is round. The bridge of the nose is not high, but the skin is fair. According to the current aesthetic standards, she is a beauty.

Now Shen Yongzhuo is twenty years old, but after passing the county exam, his family still has great hopes for him. After all, compared to his father, Shen Yongzhuo is not inferior, but dwarfed by Shen Xi, but no one is a prodigy, right?

"When you come back, study with your eldest brother, go out and walk around less, and in two days, let your uncle come out to teach you knowledge."

The Li family is very proud, the Shen family is two talents, and there is no need to expect Shen Mingwen to be promoted alone in the future, the Shen family's hopes have increased greatly, but she dotes on her eldest son more after all.

After all, the eldest son was cultivated by the Li family, and the credit for cultivating the younger grandson, although she wanted to remember it on herself, she felt a little guilty, if it wasn't for Shen Mingjun and his wife who sent Shen Xi to school behind her back, Shen Xi might have gone to work in a big family like his brother by now.

Not enough, in Li's opinion, even if Shen Xi wins the show, it is only appreciated by the examiner, and he must be far behind Shen Mingwen, who has been studying for many years, in terms of talent, and it is appropriate for Shen Mingwen to come out and teach Shen Xi's knowledge.

……

……

When Shen Xi returned to Ninghua, the person he wanted to see most was actually Wang Lingzhi, but after he came back, he was locked in the courtyard and "studied hard behind closed doors", and never found a chance to sneak out.

At the end of last year, Wang Lingzhi, who was about to turn 14, wrote to Shen Xi in Fucheng, in addition to asking him for "martial arts secrets", but also telling him that he was going to participate in this year's martial arts township test.

Shen Xi knew that this kid was determined to follow the martial arts, and Shen Xi was still very supportive of this, Shen Xi wrote out the military books he knew, such as "The Art of War", "Sun Bin's Art of War", "Wu Zi", "Liutao", "Wei Xuanzi", "Sima Fa", "Taibai Yin Sutra", "Tiger Sutra" and other military books in accordance with the way of martial arts cheats, and let people send them to Wang Lingzhi for the exam.

Shen Xi hopes that if he joins the court in the future, he can have more good brothers like Wang Lingzhi by his side, one scholar and one martial arts, complementing each other.

At the end of the first month, the annual examination time is officially announced.

Ninghua County's annual examination is scheduled for the fourth and fifth days of the first month of February, and although the examination period is two days, it can actually be completed in one day, and the time when the case occurred was the sixth day of February.

Time seems to be very tight, this is also Fujian to learn Su Kui to be busy with the annual examination in various prefectures and counties, but also to go back as soon as possible to prepare for the autumn township examination, usually the township examination year meets the annual examination, everything will be simple and fast.

On the thirtieth day of the first month, Shen Xi finally met his uncle Shen Mingwen, whom he hadn't seen for more than two years.

Shen Xi originally thought that Shen Mingwen was studying in the backyard, and he must be skinny and haggard after two years, but when he saw Shen Mingwen walking in front of him with a rich face and a fat belly, he couldn't recognize that this was the one who was determined to fall out with his family at the beginning. An uncle who pursues his own happy life.

The Shen family's family situation has improved, and the Li family has not made much improvement in terms of diet, mainly because the old lady insists on "success by diligence and thrift, and failure by luxury". Even if she has spare money to eat and wear, she must remain simple, but she has a completely different attitude towards Shen Mingwen, her precious son. Delicious food and drink for Shen Mingwen, even the best pen, ink, paper and inkstone, and the mother and son living in the big house are also very good, which is in stark contrast to the other rooms.

In this way, Shen Mingwen, who eats well and is still inactive, was raised as a fat man by the old lady, and Li was very satisfied with this, thinking that Shen Mingwen was "rich and noble". The future is limitless.

Even the Wang family said in private: "Look at the little man, there is no wealth in the cheeks of the sharp-beaked monkey." The reverse means that her husband is "rich and powerful."

In the past two years, Shen Mingwen can only come out of the room for a few days in the scientific examination and the annual examination, and he used to go from the countryside to the county seat, plus the journey, he can still breathe fresh air outside for a few more days, but now the Shen family has moved to the county seat, and he has to go back to the room to study just after the exam.

However, for a few days before and after the exam, the door will not be locked, if the old lady is gracious. will also reunite Shen Mingwen and his wife, but they must be in the room, and they must not take a step beyond Lei Chi.

Shen Mingwen and Wang are like cowherds and weaver girls. Only by waiting for a specific day can they be reunited, Shen Xi thought of a chubby cowherd and a philistine weaver girl in a dark room "meeting on the magpie bridge", and the strong sense of the picture made Shen Xi feel a chill.

“…… This year's exam is a test of four books and five scriptures, do you know? ”

Shen Mingwen obeyed the old lady's will to tutor Shen Xi in his homework, but when he said it, no matter how he listened to it, it seemed that he thought that Shen Xi was an ignorant child.

Shen Xi nodded honestly: "Got it." ”

Shen Mingwen let out an "oh". As if wondering why Shen Xi knew such a major secret, he thought for a moment. Then he asked, "What is your scripture?" ”

"Spring and Autumn." Shen Xi replied again.

Shen Mingwen was a little impatient when he heard it: "Why do you learn "Spring and Autumn" at a good end? There are too many books to learn, what is "Zuo Biography". "The Legend of the Ram"...... Have you read all of these? ”

Shen Xixin said that this is not nonsense? I'm fucking admitted to the student exam and come back, if I haven't even read these basic books, your fame as a talent is blown by the wind? But he still nodded seriously: "Hmm." ”

"Oh, I learned a lot at a young age, and this is a fuss with eight shares...... Did you learn too? ”

Shen Xi nodded again.

Shen Mingwen frowned: "Since you have learned everything, you can read the book yourself, and I will go to the courtyard for a walk......"

Shen Mingwen looked very perfunctory, Shen Xi glanced at the courtyard, and probably knew what was going on, it turned out that the Wang family took advantage of the old lady's inattention and came over to bring food to Shen Mingwen, and the two entered the next room together, and then some discordant voices came.

It's over, it's over...... The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl took advantage of the Queen Mother's inattention and secretly had a private meeting......

Even Shen Yongzhuo, who was studying with Shen Xi, was a little red-faced when he heard it.

Fortunately, it didn't take long for Shen Mingwen to return to the room in disheveled clothes, and the Wang family hurriedly packed up his clothes and went out of the yard. Shen Xi couldn't help but speak: It's so fast!

Shen Mingwen came back, sat upright, and drank a cup of tea like an official who came to inspect: "Xiao Qi, I heard that you did well in the exam, and I published an article, how about you and Da Lang together?" ”

Shen Xi said: "Please give me a question." ”

Shen Mingwen muttered: "I want to think about it, just this question, 'learn and learn it, don't you also talk about it'?" Have you read the sentences in the Analects? ”

Seeing Shen Xi nodding, he glanced at his son again, "What about you, Dalang?" ”

Shen Xi really didn't know why Shen Mingwen was pedantic and wooden to such an extent, such a simple sentence in the "Analects" had been memorized by children who had been enlightened for a few days, and Shen Yongzhuo had passed the county exam, how could he not know? And this topic, when you think about it, it is not very nutritious, think about the question of the Gaoming City Government Exam "Learn and learn it, there are bandit gentlemen", only four words of difference, how can the difficulty of the question increase several times?

Shen Xi and Shen Yongzhuo are no strangers to this question, after all, they have done this question at the same time in the government exam, so the two began to answer the question.

Shen Mingwen sat there, looking a little tired, and actually leaned on the back of the chair and fell asleep.

Shen Xi was writing, and Shen Yongzhuo had some doubts about solving the problem and undertaking the topic, so he couldn't help but poke his head to look at Shen Xi's answer sheet. Shen Xi didn't hide it, and after half an hour, Shen Mingwen woke up, and at this time, Shen Xi and Shen Yongzhuo's articles were written.

"Oops? Good writing, uh...... Make do with it. Shen Mingwen read Shen Xi's article first and left a simple comment. After reading Shen Yongzhuo's article again, he praised it greatly: "Da Lang, your article is very good, very good." ”

Shen Xi couldn't help but glance at it, and couldn't help but sigh, Shen Yongzhuo's sentence was still copied from him. If you want Shen Mingwen to become a school official, it must be "virtuous and not avoiding relatives"!

************

PS: The third update!

After today, I will get off the new book monthly ticket list, and the Son of Heaven weakly begged for automatic subscription! Boom! (To be continued.) )