The autumn wind is bleak, and the corners of the clothes of the moon lotus are swaying. After straightening the linen cardigan on the outside of her linen blouse, Yuelian picked up the basket of cakes and walked to the dock. The sackcloth-clad transporters pulled carts loaded with goods, and even though it was autumn, the sleeves of their sackcloth jackets were still rolled up high. With all their strength, the strong muscles on the men's arms were tense, and their foreheads were covered with sweat.

"Freshly baked pancakes! Freshly baked pancakes! Yuelian didn't approach these people, but stood a little away from the road, shouting at the laborers.

Next to Yuelian are other vendors, who have to rely on shouting to do business.

"Eggs! Hot eggs! ”

"Salted duck eggs! Salted duck eggs! ”

"The old wine of the Chen family! The old wine of the Chen family! ”

……

When the laborers slowed down, the hawkers' shouting became extremely hard, but no one dared to stand in the way of these laborers. Yuelian shouted for a while, then stopped and retreated a few steps behind the other vendors. The autumn wind blew, and Yuelian cut her hair and looked condescendingly at the port. The ships almost crowded the harbor, and the upright masts were like dense forests. The autumn wind is up, and the ships are about to head south. This is one of the busiest times in Quanzhou Port.

The ships were flagged with their own flags, and when they went south, the ships would form their own fleets. Different fleets, different maritime merchants, and all kinds of flags fluttering in the wind, and it takes a good eye to judge accurately. As soon as Yuelian had just distinguished carefully, she heard the sound of a gong opening the way in the distance.

The sound of the gong was obviously the movement of the officials, and suddenly the magistrates traveled, and the hawkers were much quieter for a moment. Yuelian subconsciously tightened the basket on her arm. Even if you can't sell the cooking cakes, you can still eat them yourself. If you lose the basket in the crowd, it's a big loss. After a while, I saw a group of people walking along the main road, and it was a team of officials who sounded the gong to open the way.

Yuelian looked at the man riding a horse in confusion, and heard someone next to her start muttering, "Is this someone's baby marrying?" And let the errand open the way! ”

"Probably the son of the sect is going to marry, right?" Someone next to him said with a sneer.

Hearing such accusations, a group of hawkers nodded yes. A hair cake seller said angrily in a sour tone: "Hmph, those sects occupy the forbidden army, and now they actually let the officials open the way." Isn't it impossible to do without the king's law? ”

Yuelian looked at the visitor carefully and saw that he did not tie his hair, but divided his hair into two halves, left and right, and tied a knot on the top of his head, shaped like two sheep's horns. Boys are tied up at the age of fifteen, and between the ages of nine and fifteen they wear this horned hairstyle. Confirming the appearance of this doll in red and hanging colors with everyone's confirmation, Yuelian's eyes when she looked at this child were immediately full of contempt.

"What nonsense are you talking about." The wine seller sneered in a tone full of contempt.

The surrounding vendors were stunned for a moment after hearing this, and then some people were very upset and wanted the wine seller to make it clear. Judging by the meaning of their arms and sleeves, if the uncle does not listen to him, they are probably ready to make some more drastic actions.

The wine seller looked around proudly and spoke in a deliberately indifferent tone, "Don't look at this big official's young age, he is a first-class jinshi this year." The Zhao clan, the official name is Zhao Jiaren. Don't you even read the notices? ”

After such a reminder, another hair cake seller showed a suddenly realized expression, and he said eagerly, "I have heard about this. Last fall, we took the Fujian exam, and this Zhao Daguan was admitted. Let's go out on Fujian Road to solve the test, relying on the provincial test, where is the reason. This Zhao official was only twelve years old when he was admitted to the exam, and many old scholars who had accumulated years had to sue the examiner for cheating, which alarmed the imperial court at that time. Later, when things got bigger, Fujian Lu had to invite a number of science masters to ask questions in person, and watched this Zhao Jiaren and Zhao Daguan answer. It is said that Zhao Daguan answered fluently, and the articles he made were like splendor. Only then did he serve the public. This year's provincial examination and the palace examination have passed, and the first-class jinshi ordered by the official family is pro-ordered. ”

When the hawkers saw that they were being preempted, they immediately said with a fierce attitude that they had heard about it. immediately praised this Zhao Jiaren as a literary and opera star, otherwise how could he stand out in Fujian, a region with a fierce style of scientific research. Fang Cai's contempt for Zongzi instantly turned into admiration for the Jinshi officials.

"Shall we invite Zhao Daguan to taste our craftsmanship and let him comment a few words?" The vendor selling duck eggs asked.

When a businessman who deals in food encounters this kind of street exaggeration, he will often offer the food that his shop is proud of to the senior officials, and if the senior official praises it, his value will immediately increase greatly. Although the hawkers do not have this condition, they also want to learn from the merchants who have a lot of money. It's just that everyone didn't dare, so the questions were mostly questions.

"Alas......" the uncle who sold wine sighed, "Although Zhao Daguan is very knowledgeable, he is young after all, so how can he understand the taste of wine." Wait, but I'm behind. ”

After the wine seller finished speaking, he picked up his burden and walked to a place farther away from the main road. Although the hawkers were talking lively, when they saw someone retreating, they immediately retreated. Originally, Yuelian was standing behind everyone, but she stood in the front row of everyone. The gong sounded, and a moment later the procession of the officials was in front of the hawkers.

Yuelian wanted to retreat, but there were many people gathered behind. Not only the hawkers, but also the laborers who transported the goods did not dare to block the way of the big officials, and they all went to the side of the road. People are crowded, people are crowded, and Yuelian can't retreat into the crowd. At this moment, I don't know who pushed her from behind, Yuelian was unsteady on her feet, and rushed to the road in a few steps, blocking the front of the team of arrogators on the street.

When the officer saw someone rushing out suddenly, he was stunned for a moment, and when he saw that it was a little girl who rushed out, he immediately shouted, "What are you trying to do in the way?" ”

Yuelian didn't want to deal with the government, but now, seeing the appearance of the errand officer's eyebrows and eyes, Yuelian had an idea, she raised her arm carrying the basket forward, and said with a smile: "Jinshi official, do you want to taste my family's cooking cakes?" ”

The messenger saw that Yuelian was dressed in linen clothes, wore bast shoes on her feet, and the basket she carried was also a bargain. couldn't help but sneer, "I'm going to travel all over Quanzhou City today, and I want to sell cakes, tomorrow." ”

Hearing the expulsion of the errand officer, Yuelian breathed a sigh of relief in her heart. At this time, the surrounding vendors saw that Yuelian, who looked sixteen or seventeen years old, was pushed out of the crowd by the trouble-making guy, and was rejected for selling cakes, and everyone was happy and relaxed, so they laughed out loud. Yue Lian laughed a few times, and was about to take the opportunity to retreat to the crowd. But I heard the child Jinshi wearing red and hanging colors speak: "Since you dare to stand in the way, I think it's a little different." I will buy you two loaves of bread. ”

Yuelian was stunned for a moment, and saw the little guy next to Jinshi running over and handing Yuelian a few pennies, and Yuelian had to take out two cakes from the basket and hand them to the little guy. The other hawkers were quite surprised, and generally speaking, such high-ranking officials had a good eye-catcher, and ordinary hawkers could not see their eyes at all. Seeing that the big officials bought the cakes, the others couldn't help but be moved.

"Zhao Daguanren! Please try my sweets. With a high-pitched shout, I saw someone walking briskly along the road. Everyone looked fixedly, and there were three people coming, the one at the head was wearing a silk robe, and the two people who followed were also dressed as rich families. The man on the left carried a vermilion lacquer food box, and his appearance was not ordinary.

At this time, Yuelian had already returned to the crowd again, but there were so many bystanders that Yuelian couldn't squeeze in, so she could only stand by everyone. Looking up at the young Jinshi Zhao Jiaren, Yuelian found that Zhao Jiaren pursed his lips when facing the three of them, although there was no expression on his face, the fingers exposed at the cuffs were tightly pinched together.

Yuelian frowned slightly, she didn't understand why this Zhao Jiaren official had such a reaction. Seeing him sitting on the horse steadily, there was obviously no nervousness. When Fang just opened his mouth to Yuelian, there was even a smile in his tone.

The three businessmen had stopped in front of Zhao Jiaren, they opened the food box, Yuelian wanted to see what kind of great dim sum was inside the food box, but at a glance she saw the word 'Pu' in the center of the lid of the food box. Instinctively, there was no smile on Yuelian's face, she had only sipped it recently, and her fingers were subconsciously pinched together.

It was the Pu family who offered the food, and just realizing this, Yuelian felt a strong hatred rise in her heart.

People who wanted to see the excitement couldn't help but squeeze forward at this time, which made a gap appear in the originally iron-clad human wall. Yuelian took the opportunity to get into the crowd and quickly left this lively place. Feeling the hatred in her heart, Yuelian was afraid that others would see it, so she lowered her head, carried the basket, tightly grasped the copper coins she had just obtained from the Jinshi officials, and walked quickly along the alleys with few people.

A quarter of an hour later, Yuelian arrived at the house, and when she entered the courtyard gate, she saw several people in the courtyard practicing martial arts with stone locks. Seeing Yuelian come in, the middle-aged man sitting on the chair next to him got up and said with a smile: "Is there any cake left?" They have been practicing for a long time, and their stomachs are already hungry. ”

Yuelian handed over the basket, and the men who practiced martial arts hurriedly put down the stone lock, took the basket happily, and didn't eat the food, but took out the cake and ate it.

The middle-aged man felt that there was something wrong with Yuelian, and he asked, "Have you found out the Pu family's boat?" ”

Yuelian told the middle-aged man about the number and size of the ships she saw in the port with the Pu family flag, and then told the Pu family who she had seen offering snacks to the new Kejinshi. After finishing speaking, Yuelian sighed, "Daddy." The Pu family is getting bigger and bigger, and now they are rushing to tie up with the powerful. If we wait for a jinshi from his family, we are afraid that we will not be able to move them anymore. ”

The middle-aged man said with a smile: "The wind of scientific examination in Fujian is extremely prosperous, and more than 100,000 people who take the exam every year, where can his Pu family pass the exam!" ”

Yuelian shook her head slightly, "I originally thought that it would be extremely difficult to rely on Jinshi, but today I saw someone who could be admitted to Jinshi at the age of thirteen, but I was afraid." ”

Without waiting for the middle-aged man to answer, a young man who was gnawing on a cake tried to put his tongue out of his mouth, and asked in a vague voice: "I have also heard of that new science and technology practitioner Zhao Jiaren, you saw him today, what does he look like?" ”

Yuelian's mind at that time was not on Zhao Jiaren at all, and she saw the enemy Pu family again, where could she remember Zhao Jiaren who had only met once in a turbulent mood. She thought for a while and replied, "That Zhao Jiaren has a head, and there are two eyes, a nose, and a mouth on his head. ”

The people in the courtyard listened carefully, but when they heard Yuelian say such things in a serious tone, everyone was stunned at first, and after a while, they laughed in unison, and the little nervousness that Fang Cai instantly flew out of the clouds.

A few days later, Yuelian was 'selling cakes' near the official road in the north of the city, but she saw someone riding out of the city. Each person carries a package on their backs, and among them is a doll with a horn that also rides like an adult. It looked a little familiar, but before Yuelian could identify it, the group of people had already left the city.

Whether that doll is Zhao Jiaren or not, Yuelian has no way to be sure. However, Zhao Jiaren and Yuelian had no grievances, and after a while, the matter about Zhao Jiaren was forgotten by Yuelian. She continued to sell cooking cakes, carefully observing the people and shops related to the Pu family. Revenge, this is what Yuelian cares about the most at this time.