Early the next morning, gongs and drums were beating on the wharf at the entrance of the county school, colorful flags were flying, and ten people wearing square hats, brocade robes, and carrying big red flowers walked on small boats surrounded by hundreds of county scholars.

The northern Zhongbang pays attention to riding horses and quaming streets, while there are not so many horses in the south of the Yangtze River, and it is not good to ride donkeys to Kua Street, so they adapt measures to local conditions and change to boating.

The ten boats were also decorated, dressed in red and green, looking particularly grand and festive.

The lifters carrying big red flowers stood at the bow of the boat, the small boat moved slowly, and dozens of musicians on a large boat in front beat gongs and drums, suona and noisy, attracting all the people in the city to both sides of the river.

Tens of thousands of people on both sides of the river greeted each other, cheers and blessings continued to sound, and many people threw copper coins into the boat, wanting to share the luck of lifting people.

Fanning's boat was in the third, but a flag was planted in his boat, with a line of large letters, 'The boy tries to be the leader', and under the wind of the river, the flag hunt is unfurled, which is particularly eye-catching.

Fanning is indeed the most concerned by the people of Wu County, from the head of the county to the head of the tribute priest, he has become the focus of public opinion in Wu County again and again, and he has become a role model for all parents in Wu County to educate their children, and all parents hope that their children can be like Fanning.

Fanning thanked both sides, and threw the copper coins from the shore, and clanked them on the deck, and after less than two miles, the copper coins had already spread a thin layer on the deck, and the rowing captain was so happy that he could not close his mouth, and although these copper coins were thrown to the lifter, they were ultimately his own.

The boat ride on the river did not end until noon, and after the people had eaten lunch, they set off for their hometowns, and they were greeted with a celebration at the village level, which was both a great honor, but at the same time a drunken pain that was unbearable for everyone.

That night, Fanning got very drunk and was carried back to his home by two descendants of Jiangwan Village.

Two days later, the celebration of the exam finally came to an end, and life returned to peace.

Early in the morning, Fan Ning paced back and forth in the small courtyard with his hands in his hands, during this time his heart was quite chaotic, all kinds of affairs were piled up in his heart, and he needed to calm down and sort out his thoughts.

He needs to go to Wujiang to visit Zhu Yuanfu, whether it is to thank him or to invest in the future, he must visit the Zhu family, not wait for Zhu Yuanfu to visit him.

Fan Ning calculated the time, he was going to return to the county school the day after tomorrow, and he would leave for Wujiang early tomorrow morning.

He also wants to talk to his second uncle Fan Tiege about Tian Huangshi, and expand Tian Huangshi's career as a strange stone museum, and the specific things must be handled by the second uncle, and he can only help in the general direction.

Fan Ning has always been a little worried about Mingren and Mingli, these two people are more frizzy, and they don't have the energy to control them, so they still have to be helmed by the second uncle.

I'm going to talk to my second uncle about this matter today.

Then came the preparation for the imperial examination in the next three months, and two days ago Su Liang invited him to Beijing to prepare for the exam, which made Fan Ning quite tempted.

In fact, the county school has not played much role in his improvement, and he really needs to consider a different environment.

If you really want to enter Beijing, then before entering Beijing, you need to arrange all kinds of things properly.

When Fan Ning lowered her head and pondered, the little maid Ah Tao walked in with a bowl of tea and a smile.

"Little official, there are actually four of them outside!"

Fan Ning was stunned, took the tea bowl and asked, "What are the four?" ”

"Four matchmakers! Since the day before yesterday, the matchmaker has poured to the door, there are a bunch of them every day, the eldest lady is going to be annoyed to death, I don't want to see them, they just stay at the door and refuse to leave, just after dawn, there are four matchmakers sitting at the door waiting, it is said that there are also from Changzhou County. ”

Fan Ning also had a big head for a while, he had just gotten the tribute scholar, if he was admitted to the Jinshi, how would he get it.

If he still has a trace of nostalgia for his hometown, then Ah Tao's words have become the last factor that prompted him to make up his mind to enter Beijing.

"Enter Beijing!"

At this moment, Fanning made up his mind.

.........

Fan Tiege wears an octagonal hat and a dark brocade robe, his body is relatively rich, his smile is kind, and he is completely a big shopkeeper with a lot of bearing.

In the past two years, Fan Tiege has also been quite famous in Mudu Town, everyone calls him Fan Da Shopkeeper, and he is also a squire in the town, and many residents in the town will ask him to help mediate when they have disputes.

He is kind and kind, and has won the respect of most of the small traders in Qishi Lane, and in the past two years, he has also collected a lot of famous stones, and managed the Qishi Museum in an orderly manner.

After listening to Fan Ning's narration, Fan Tiege said in a slow tone: "I also heard Mingren and Mingli talk about this matter a few days ago, the two of them are indeed not reading materials, and it is also good for them to let them go out for a walk, but I don't understand a little, how you are going to sell Tian Huangshi is going to be sold, just put it on the counter to sell, or do you plan to sell it after processing?" ”

Fan Ning shook his head, "Don't be in a hurry to sell first, stock up first, and hoard a lot of rough stones, but the second uncle has to make two preparations, the first is that the second uncle should recruit two jade carvers as soon as possible, and prepare to expand from Taihu stone to carving ornamental stone; Second, after the opening of the Beijing Strange Stone Museum, Tian Huangshi can be put on the shelves in the capital. ”

Opening a store in the capital is the established policy for next year, and the strange stone museum has accumulated tens of thousands of profits in the past two years, and has the conditions to open a store in the capital.

Once the Beijing Strange Stone Pavilion opens, Fan Tiege will enter Beijing as a big shopkeeper, and Pingjiang Mansion will recruit another shopkeeper.

Fan Tiege nodded, "I have asked someone to find the store in the capital, I plan to go to the capital next spring, if everything goes well, I will strive to open the store before next summer." ”

"I'll leave everything to the second uncle, including Tian Huangshi's affairs, and please ask the second uncle to bother more."

Fan Tiege said with a smile: "Since the investment in the Huangshi vein has become a mine under the Strange Stone Pavilion, I plan to recruit a few deacons to be responsible for the entire business, including mining, transportation, storage, carving, etc., all of which need to be specially responsible, those two guys are relatively young and can't afford such a big burden, let them run more errands and hone for a few years." ”

"This is up to the second uncle to decide, if there is anything difficult to do, you can ask the Zhu family for help, they have a silver mine and a tea shop in Fuzhou, they have been operating for many years, and they are more familiar with the situation over there."

"I know, you can rest assured to go to Beijing to catch the exam! I wish you all the best in the world. ”

Fan Ning explained to the second uncle about Pan Yulang's side again, and then he said goodbye and left the Strange Stone Pavilion.

........

Fan Ning planned to enter Beijing in advance to prepare for the exam, and received strong support from her parents, although Zhang Sanniang was a little reluctant, but for the sake of her son's future, she still took the initiative to support her son's entry into Beijing.

Fan Tiezhou also decided to let the apprentice Aqing be Fan Ning's scholar and accompany him to Beijing to take the exam.

That night, Zhang Sanniang packed up her son's clothes, Fan Ning was going to Wujiang tomorrow, and after returning from Wujiang, he set off directly from Wuxian County to Beijing, and did not return to Jiangwan Village.

"Ning'er, you should take a boat into Beijing!"

"Mother, of course, I will take a boat into Beijing, it has been arranged, Li Dashou's family will sail, and his father will prepare a passenger ship of 500 stones, which should be more comfortable."

"That's good, yesterday your Grandpa Shuigen was still asking, do you want to take his boat into Beijing, his boat is too small to fit a few of you, and there are scholars!"

When his mother talked about the scholar, Fanning said to his father who was sitting on the side: "Daddy, forget about Aqing, he is so thin, where can he pick up the bookcase and luggage box, after arriving in the capital, I will hire a porter." ”

Fan Tiezhou said with a smile: "This tells Ah Qing that he must be so anxious that he will cry, he wants to go to Beijing to play, how long has he been looking forward to it." ”

"I'm going to Beijing to prepare for the exam, how can I have time to take him to play? Bringing him to Beijing will affect my preparation for the exam! "Fan Ning didn't want to take Aqing into Beijing, he felt that he was a burden.

Fan Tiezhou nodded, "Then forget it, when your second uncle enters Beijing next spring, it will be the same if you take him there, and I will prepare some travel medicine for you, and it will be convenient on the road." ”

"Thank you, Daddy!"

"Silly boy, what's there to thank for, by the way, before you leave tomorrow, it's best to say hello to grandpa and grandma, especially if you are grandma, she heard that you won the top prize, and she went to Lingyan Temple to give you a wish."

Three black lines appeared on Fan Ning's forehead, and he hurriedly said: "Daddy, you make it clear to Grandma that you are not the champion, you are the first Gongjushi, and you want to be laughed at by others." ”

"It's the same for them, last time you took the first place in the county sergeant, she also thought that you were the top student in the exam, so don't care about such a trivial matter."

Fan Ning was helpless, so he had to smile wryly and nodded.