Until the door of his house, the family affection between his uncle and nephew still warmed Li Xu. My uncle's family is similar to his family, and they all belong to the last branch of their own family. The land in their own name was very small, and the rent they collected from the tenants each year was barely enough for the family to chew. As for the other expenses to deal with the government and the daily arrival of the clan in the clan, they have to rely on some other livelihoods. The Li and Zhang families are both big families that have gone through a hundred years and are known as etiquette heirlooms, so business is the most despised profession in the clan, although many of the elders in the clan take filial piety from the hands of business children every year.

Compared with the past of his uncle's family, the Li family's family is slightly better. This is due to the fact that Li Xu's father, Li Mao, has a strong body and can speak a few Turkic words, and can follow the caravan to and from one or two times a year. Cattle and sheep are cheap over there, and tea and linen are scarce, and you can earn a lot of copper money at a time. It's just that in recent years, the trade routes to Saishang have become more and more unsmooth, and the bad news of the loss of people and money has spread every month. Fortunately, Li Mao has been running on the trade route for some years, and he is all with big caravans. He is also a straight man, and he can also have some friendship with the Hu tribes along the way, so the business can still be maintained, and he can take out some surplus money for his son to go to the official school.

"Second young master, are you back, how many times has the master come to the door to ask?" From afar, the housekeeper Li Zhong greeted him. While helping Li Xu pull the mount, he complained quietly. He has been following behind Li Mao since he was a child, and now he has all the positions of housekeeper, nurse, chief attendant and tent by himself, so he is not too polite to speak to the little master.

"My dad is back? When did it arrive? I just came back from my uncle's house today with some wine and food, so I asked Uncle Zhong to take it to the kitchen, let Aunt Zhong warm it up, and count it as the dust washing banquet I held for my father! Li Xu patted the back of the mule and ordered with a smile. Aunt Zhong is the wife of the old housekeeper, and like the housekeeper Uncle Zhong, she also has the duties of the cook on the "Li Mansion", the personal maid of the lady, and the nanny of Li Xu. Ordinary Li Mao is ethereal, there are only two Li Xuniang and the housekeeper couple in the whole family, and there is more family affection between the master and servant in addition to etiquette.

"Are you going to loot your uncle again? was known by Mrs., and had to nag again! Alas! I told you young master a long time ago, your mother's uncle is not easy, this world is not as good as day by day, people's stomachs are not full, where do you get the spare money to go to him to drink wine and eat meat......"

Uncle Zhong, the housekeeper, unloaded the wine and meat from the mule's back, and went out into the yard with a chatter. Li Xu stuck out his tongue at the back of the old housekeeper, led the blue and white mule to the backyard stable, tied the reins, added fodder to all the livestock, and replenished the well water. After tidying up everything, he changed into a short coat for home wear and came to the main room to meet his father.

The dried muntjac meat and miscellaneous vegetables that Li Xu handed over to the housekeeper had been neatly cleaned up by Aunt Zhong and his mother, and they were sorted into four side dishes and placed on the table. Li Xu's mother doesn't like to drink, not the New Year's Festival, and the housekeeper Uncle Zhong is not good at the master's table, Li Mao drinks alone, and he is drinking so much that he is boring. Finally saw his son finally enter the door, raised his glass and shouted loudly, "Xiao Xuzi, come here, talk to Dad." As far as you kid knows, it hurts, count the day your father comes back to knock your uncle's bamboo bar! ”

"Not serious!" Li Zhang took a sip of dissatisfaction and put down the needlework in his hand.

"No, the gentleman in the official school said, wine, wine can mess with people's character, mess with people's character!" Li Xu looked at his mother's face and made an excuse to prevaricate his father's invitation. The Adam's apple that had just grown on his neck rolled involuntarily, making a clear "grunting" sound.

"Forget it, don't pretend. The wine worm that has been held in the arms of the old lady since he was a child and sipped the chopsticks, it is difficult not to let you drink. Just drink more, so as not to delay the endorsement at night! When the Li lady heard this, she glanced at the child lovingly and whispered.

"Hey! Thank you! Thank you Dad! Li Xu waited for his mother's promise, took three steps and made two steps to his seat, took the wine jar and sifted it himself, raised it, touched his father's wine cup, and then continued to raise it between his eyebrows to salute his father, and then drank it all.

"Good boy, just looking at this drink, it's our Li family's seed!" Li Mao praised with a smile, and his face was full of love. In late spring, the caravan went north, and in early autumn, it rushed home. I worked hard all the way in order to be able to sit at the table with my wife and children and eat a stable meal. After three months of not seeing him, his son's head has jumped up again, but his wife looks more haggard, and the wrinkles between the corners of her eyes and cheeks confirm the hardships of life when the man is not at home.

"Dad has been working hard all the way on the saddle horse, and I would like to express my heart to my father with this lamp. I wish my father a long and healthy life, and the business will get better and better! Li Xu picked up the wine jar and poured it for his father. The wine that my uncle had made by the secret method looked very thick, and in the faint light of the oil lamp, it swayed like a warm piece of amber. This reminded him of the afternoon, and when his father put down the pottery pot, he said while sifting the wine: "I passed by my uncle's inn today and helped him clean up." He's very quiet there! ”

"That is, now the people have little money in their hands, the government levies a lot, the trade routes are withering, and the inn is naturally not patronized. Occasionally, he went to order two dishes, and they were all masters who he didn't dare to ask for money. And ordinary people, who has the money to eat and drink from him! Father Li Mao sighed lowly, not knowing whether it was for his wife and brother or for himself.

Life is getting tougher, and people who do business are always the most keenly aware of the changes in the world. During the Kaihuang and Renshou years, the emperor was not so wise and powerful, and he couldn't write good articles, but the leather goods and livestock he got back from outside the fortress were always able to get out of his hands quickly. And now it is the year of the great cause, and it is said that it is a big business, but it takes three times as much effort to do goods from the market by yourself. It also takes three times as much effort and time to sell the goods that are brought back from outside Cyprus without sacrificing the cost.

"Then you are still cheeky to take food from your uncle's house, when you go to the official school next month, remember to bring a long shirt to your uncle by the way, my mother just made it this spring, and I originally wanted to wear it for you in winter. Anyway, looking at your long body, I can't wear it! Li Zhang listened to her husband and son talk about her mother's family, put down her chopsticks, and said in a low voice.

The festive atmosphere in the room was washed away by the trivialities of life, and the husband and wife, father and son were silent. The embarrassment of the Zhang family is clearly there, and the situation of the Li family is only a little better than that of the Zhang family, even if the Li Zhang family wants to help the family a little more, they can't squeeze out too many things.

"Smack!" The wick of the sesame oil lamp exploded, spitting out a boss spark. Li Zhang took the opportunity to cut the lamp grass and left the dining table, and the moment he turned around, he gently rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand.

"Okay, what are you sad about. Thirty years in Hedong and thirty years in Hexi, who knows when Brother Baosheng's luck will turn back! Li Mao knocked on the table with chopsticks and said with some dissatisfaction. Seeing that his wife lowered her head and didn't talk, her heart softened for no reason, and she said loosely: "I brought a cow and three thin horses back this time." The skeleton can still be seen, and the cattle will be tamed by someone to be familiar with the plough stick, and this winter will add more material to the horse, and it will be sold at a good price in the spring. When the time comes, borrow some capital from Brother Baosheng, let him hire a good cook, and then go to the county to invite Old Master Yang to write a piece and hang it in the hall, maybe he can transfer gas! ”

"That's good, but will we have enough money to do the goods next year? The second brother of Guan Zongci recently came to ask when you can come back to discuss adding incense money to your ancestors next year. Xuzi's books are well read, and the year after tomorrow, the county recommended Xianggong to go to the capital for the exam, only two places, and there is no money ......to pay for it" Li Zhangshi heard that her husband decided to help her mother's family, and she was grateful, but she remembered a lot of troublesome things in her own house, and began to feel pain about money again, and she chattered about it, and she didn't say whether she agreed with her husband's arrangement for a long time.

As the last branch of the clan, he was ostracized by the clan. The husband was forced to live and became a businessman, so that the elders of the clan grasped the handle. If everything is not well done, Li Xu's dream of entering the capital for the exam will come to naught. Although the current Shengshang has repeatedly emphasized that the township tribute sent by the counties (Note 1) should be based on merit, if the students are not useful, the magistrate must be held responsible. But those who don't have the word 'shell' will never be able to use the top of the wealth with the word 'shell', and Shanggu County is so big, how can the outstanding person in the official school be one of his own family.

"I've already prepared the incense money, and Second Brother Ruomu came to look for me, just to take advantage of the autumn breeze when I come back." Li Mao explained by calling the words of his own brother. "As for the Xuzi exam, when I took the exam the year after tomorrow, I could only apply for the Ming Jing (Note 2), and if I passed the exam, I would only be a local official. It is better to wait a few years, and after the crown (Note 3) is added, go directly to the Jinshi examination, and at least make a county order after coming out. Once you win, it will be regarded as a green smoke coming out of the grave of our old Li family! ”

"But I've heard people say that twenty old Ming Jing, fifty young Jinshi! Although the Jinshi can be a big official, a few can be admitted. How can it be as good as the examination of the Ming Sutra, once you can put a county and a household trough, you don't have to stretch out your own hands, and there will be 100 hangs of Shutan money sent to the door every year," Li Zhang argued in a low voice. This method of selecting talents based on knowledge regardless of family background has made many small families like the Li family see the hope of changing their living conditions. Although the chances of winning the award are very slim, before entering Beijing, it is necessary to raise the threshold for officials at the county and county levels. But after all, the opportunity is seen, unlike in the previous dynasty, when the children of non-wealthy families had no possibility of becoming officials.

There are many types of exams in the capital, but the most popular ones are only "Ming Jing" and "Jinshi". The reason for the popularity of the former is that it is relatively easy to get the exam, and you can pass by memorizing a few books designated by the government. The latter, on the other hand, is because once it is examined, it is immediately famous all over the world, and the future suddenly becomes limitless. Others, such as Ming Calculation, Ming Shu, etc., because of the high threshold and few outlets, there are few students who basically care.

"It is precisely because it is difficult to take the Jinshi exam that there is a future!" Li Mao took a sip of wine, and his emotions gradually became excited. "Xu'er reads so well, if it's really high school, those brothers and sisters-in-law in the clan, who would dare to let us pay more incense money. Zhao Ergou and Yang Bald in the yamen, which one dares to come to the door to bully us! ”

"Then you have to pass the county school first, although Old Master Yang appreciates our Xu'er, but he doesn't care about anything. Although Master Liu, who is in charge, promised to help us, he is a person in officialdom after all, unlike a businessman, who spits and foams and smashes a pit! (Note 4) "When it comes to his son's future, Li Zhang's vision is always more unique than that of her husband. Master Liu, who is in charge of the county school, has always been famous, and when he puts away the money, he does not refuse, and when it comes to doing things, no one can tell what principles he has in his heart.

"No, it won't!" Under the urging of alcohol, some sweat gradually appeared on Lao Li Mao's forehead, and he muttered: "Master Liu took our Turkic horse last year, but he is only four years old!" He can really just eat without pulling, and he doesn't look at the face of the monk to see the face of the Buddha, how can Xu Er say that he is also a registered disciple of Old Master Yang. Speaking of this, he turned his head to Li Xu and asked a little anxiously: "Before I left, I asked you to ask the master to give me a watchword, did you ask him?" Did he promise to give you the words? ”

Li Xu's age is far from being as old as the weak crown, and it is too early to ask for someone to take the word at this time. But that old master Yang is a famous man in the local area, and he took the word, which means that he has the name of master and apprentice. In the future, even if others want to belittle Li Xu, they must first consider his master's feelings.

"Pleased, the master gave the word Zhongjian. A few days ago, he taught everyone to write a policy theory, and he criticized my strategy with the words 'righteous and reasonable, and knowledgeable', and asked me to read it to all my classmates! Li Xu interjected on the side. He didn't quite understand the difference between "Ming Jing" and "Jinshi", and his biggest ambition was to be a household slot, so that his parents and uncle could live a stable life without being bullied for a few days. I just feel that if I can take the exam a few years late, I can help my mother take care of the family business more, and second, I don't have to let my father always give gifts to Liu Xueyu. All of my classmates know that Liu Xuexue only accepts gifts and does not do things, only his fathers are real, and they always take the initiative to send them to the door to be deceived by him.

"Zhong Jian, I don't know which allusion comes from. This Master Yang ......," Li Mao's frowning brows stretched slightly. The fact that the most learned local master Yang was able to personally give his son words shows that the old man has recognized the status of master and apprentice with Li Xu. Although this title was relied on by the Li family, with this relationship, Li Xu was recommended by the government with a little more hope. As a dutiful father, Li Mao always spares no means to prepare for his son.

"Take the good wine that your uncle gave your father last time, your mother has never been willing to open the altar and send it to the master another day! By the way, by the way, take some mushrooms and dried game for your uncle. Although it's a drop in the bucket, I can finally put together a dish on the table! Li Mao hesitated for a moment and commanded in a low voice.

"Alas!" Li Xu happily agreed, and suddenly remembered what his uncle had asked him to do, and whispered: "What uncle urgently needs is not rare flavors, my uncle asked me to ask you today, saying that if you come back, help him find two raw cowhides." If there is no cowhide, horse skin and donkey skin will also be enough, he is willing to pay the right price to buy it, and the government is in a hurry! ”

"I have ready-made leather goods in my hands, so I don't need to go to other people's houses to buy them. It's just that the good government suddenly wants to bring leather goods? ”

"By the way, Uncle Zhong said that Zhao Er, the head of the county a few days ago, came to the door and asked when you would be back, saying that we have to hand over five raw cowhides to the government this year. Uncle Zhong begged him for a long time, only to change it to three, and when he left, he also carried two Luhua chickens! Li Zhang's family heard his son talk about raw cowhide, and also remembered the extra-tax tax levied on his family, and reported to her husband in a low voice.

"Five raw cowhides? What kind of crazy son is this Zhao Ergou, what do you want so many cowhides for? Could it be that someone died in the county lord's house, and he needed to wrap the body! Li Mao slammed the table and cursed hatefully.

Suddenly, both husband and wife turned white, you look at me, I look at you, and there is fear in my eyes.

Although both of them came from small families, they were more or less literate, and the story of the horse leather shroud is familiar. Shanggu County is close to the border, and the government collects raw cowhides on a large scale, in addition to preparing armor for the soldiers on the expedition, what else can it do. But at present, the foreign states around the Great Sui Kingdom that can be subdued have already surrendered, and the only one who dares to make trouble is Goryeo. In the eighteenth year of the emperor's reign, Yang Liang, the king of Han, and Gao Xi, the marshal, once led more than 300,000 horses on an expedition to Goryeo, according to the emperor himself, the final result was that the king of Goryeo bowed down to his ministers, but less than 3,000 of the 300,000 heroes of the Eastern Expedition could come back. Among the 290,000 heroic souls left in a foreign land, there is Li Xu's brother Li Liang.

At that time, Liang'er had just tied her hair, and she had the same figure and face as Xu'er......

Note 1, Xianggong, that is, to lift people. The Sui Dynasty pioneered the imperial examination system, stipulating that the localities recommended talents to the central government, and the central government hired them based on the results of the examination. In the fifth year of Emperor Yang's great cause (609), he issued an edict to the counties, "to learn well, talent and skill; Strong and strong, super equal; Be diligent and prudent in officials, and be able to manage political affairs; Integrity, do not avoid the strong four imperial examinations"

Note 2, Ming Jing, Jinshi. At the beginning, there were many subjects in the imperial examination, including Ming Jing, Jinshi, Ming Law, Ming Zi, etc. The most popular in the Sui Dynasty are the Ming Jing and Jinshi, which are recorded in official documents.

Note 3, crowning, in ancient times, men twenty lines of crown salute, means adulthood.

Note 4, spitting and foaming and smashing a pit, the northern vernacular, refers to people who have faith in their words, and what they promised is like a stone on the ground and can never be taken back.