A few days after the banquet, Li Zhi arrived home. He is twenty-one years old this year, and his face is much darker and thinner after going to the provincial capital for a few months, only those eyes are still so dark.

For some reason, he seemed more calm and less verbal.

There was a lot of chaos at home, and Li Yan and his wife had to put down the topic of separating the family first. It took three full days for the third room to be sent here, and the door gradually stopped.

On the fourth day of his return, Li Dan walked into the courtyard where his eldest brother lived. There are five brothers in the Li family, except for Li Shuo, because he and Li Dan are half-brothers and blood closer, the closest is this eldest brother.

Li Dan had just returned to his hometown, and his second brother Li Jin was only two months older than him, which was the age of Sapo.

Li Shu is already ten years old, it is he who cares for and takes care of his younger brothers, and it is also he who protects Li Dan from bullying in the school.

Later, Li Zhu was sent to study at the academy in Nanchang, and Li Dan rarely saw him again. It wasn't until the year before last that Li Zhu went home to prepare for the county exam that the brothers met again.

At the beginning of last summer, Li Zhu married Zhu, and the brothers saw each other less and less. Seeing each other again this time, Li Dan felt a little strange when he stood in front of his eldest brother.

"What's the matter, you make trouble at home all day long, and you pretend to be a cat when you see me?" After Li finished speaking, the corners of his mouth showed a little smile.

Li Dan breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the familiar smile, stepped forward to salute and said, "Why is the eldest brother so black and thin, so that the younger brother doesn't recognize it?" Do you suffer a lot outside? ”

"It's a small thing to endure hardships, but it's a big thing to worry about national affairs!" Li sighed.

"Big brother wasn't like that before." Li Dan was a little surprised.

At this time, Zhu brought a little maid to serve tea, and said to him with a smile: "San Lang doesn't know, your eldest brother seems to have changed people when he comes back this time, and he doesn't talk much. ”

"Alas, those three days were really miserable!" Li Zhu shook his hand: "Don't mention it." ”

"What worries my eldest brother like this?" Li Dan thanked his sister-in-law, and after she left, he brought the conversation back to the topic.

"I have been back to my hometown for two years, who knew that this time I went out and returned to my hometown and met thieves twice, but fortunately they were all saved from danger, but it made my brother worried.

Taiping is not easy to come by, why is it starting to make trouble again now? Li Zhu said in a low voice.

"Is there any trouble?" Li Dan asked in surprise, he had been in the city for a long time and didn't know the outside world, and he didn't expect his brother to encounter thieves.

"Brother, but you beat the thief back?" He knew that Li Shu also knew some swordsmanship, so he asked.

"It's not my brother's ability. When I went, there happened to be archers, and I was quick to round up the thieves, thinking that my brother had been rescued. When he returned home, he met chivalrous men on the road to help him and turned the crisis into safety.

Otherwise, with my swordsmanship, I can resist one or two people as much as I can! ”

Li Zhi spread his hands: "I just wonder why the world has become like this now."

Later, the hero escorted me to Yugan, and after chatting on the way, I learned that a large number of internal supervisors were sent to Jiangxi to act as mine supervisors in various places, so that the mine owners and foremen opposed them, and there were even mine supervisors in Ganzhou who killed the mine supervisors and expelled the officials and soldiers.

These miners and miners who escaped from the turmoil were scattered all over the place, and many of them gathered to commit illegal acts. ”

"I see? Isn't this tantamount to rebellion, why don't the officials and soldiers suppress it? ”

"It's not obvious that there is a rebellion, it's just a robbery and kidnapping, and the number of people is only a dozen or dozen, not to the point where it is necessary to dispatch officers and soldiers, but the local arrest is not effective, so ......."

Li Zhu shook his head: "Anyway, this is not a good sign!" ”

"So my brother is worried?"

"It's more than that." Li sighed: "I went to the test this time, and I saw not only the magnificent officials in Nanchang City, but also the homeless people everywhere. Seeing the wine and meat of Zhumen, there are also beggars who are starving.

At the Luming banquet, a table of food is worth one or two or four dollars of silver, but the family wealth of a thatched house in the countryside is only 30 Renxuan Tongbao. How? I can't figure it out for my brother! ”

Listening to Li's words, Li Dan understood. This eldest brother is a young man full of ideals and fantasies.

He went out with ambition and excitement, but was poured cold water on the head of reality and returned in embarrassment.

He didn't feel that his middle move was a big deal, on the contrary, Li Shu saw the truth of the world, and recalled that he had studied hard for more than ten years but had no practical skills to save the people, and couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat, and his self-confidence turned into hesitation.

It was as if I had broken into a fog, and suddenly I couldn't find a way out or find a crossing.

"What are your plans for the future?" In order not to let Li Zhu fall inside, Li Dan diverted the topic and asked.

Li shook his head with a bitter face: "I don't know. However, when I left Nanchang, a friend invited me to Ganzhou.

That person is now the governor of Gannan Yamen as a guest, and said that he could recommend me to Governor Zeng. I haven't decided on this matter yet, and I'm still thinking about it. ”

"That's not a bad way." Li Dan patted his leg and said, "That's the governor of the boss's house, it's like a county magistrate!"

I think it's good, at least I have a little more knowledge, I know what governance is, and the mysteries of coordinating up and down, inside and outside. Then wouldn't my brother go to the college exam to take the college exam more confidently than other students?

Although the imperial court and the Son of Heaven used materials for the Holy Word, after all, it was still necessary to deal with the practice on the spot.

The elder brother is in the middle, which means that the scriptures are already the best in this province, and if you learn more practice, you will be more comfortable on the road to Jinshi. You say, don't you? ”

When he said this, he saw Li Zhu looking at him dumbfounded, and he felt that these words were a little too old. "It's really three days!

I didn't expect that the Qianmian Saburo in the uncle's mouth could also have this insight? Amazing! ”

Li Zhu shouted: "I, Li Wenzhou, have a reputation for raising people in vain, and I didn't expect to have my brother to guide me when I couldn't see the road clearly, I'm really ashamed!" ”

As he spoke, he got up and shook Li Dan to the ground: "Thank you for your brother here." ”

bluffed Li Dan hurriedly jumped up to avoid it, stretched out his hand to help him get up, and said, "Little brother said casually, why should my brother be like this?" ”

"In ancient times, there was a teacher of one word, and now there is my brother who has a word, can you thank you for being a brother?" Saying that, Li Zhu still bowed, and Li Dan hurriedly returned the bow.

When Zhu entered the door, he couldn't help but smile when he saw the two of them like this: "What's wrong with your brother?" When we met, I bowed back and forth so politely, but I really responded to the sentence 'brothers, friends and brothers'. ”

The two brothers looked at each other and smiled, and each returned to his seat.

Zhu walked to the table with the help of the maidservant and said, "There are no good things to entertain at home, but it so happened that yesterday my brother asked someone to send some plums and melons, and my uncle used some if he didn't dislike them." ”

While talking, he kept talking, took out two or three plates of fruit from the basket carried by another maidservant and put them on the table, and then he retreated, and asked someone to help him go out slowly.

Li Dan looked at her back and asked strangely: "Brother, I haven't seen you for many days, why is it inconvenient for my sister-in-law to walk, so she needs someone to support her?" ”

Li Zhu smiled and handed over the familiar Li, and said softly: "Your sister-in-law is happy." ”

"Huh? It's true? Congratulations, big brother! ”

"Well, I just left her and knew it, so as not to let me be distracted, I didn't say anything, I also came out of the examination room to listen to Dawan (Li Zhuchang followed Liu Dawan) to speak, or I rushed back in a hurry as soon as the Luming banquet ended."

"Congratulations, big brother! Does the third uncle know? ”

"I'll send Dawan to invite the doctor from Sanshengtang after lunch, and then the whole family will know."

Li Zhu pursed his lips and smiled: "Maybe when my father is happy, I will hold a wedding banquet, and you will have to run to invite the master of Hongyan Tower." ”

"This is no problem, the younger brother is going to have a nephew, and he is happy to run as many times as he wants!" Li Danji nodded as if pecking rice.

"Ha, aren't you going to beat up Master Xuezheng this time?"

"Uh......," Li Dan stuck out his tongue: "How did this matter of mine reach the ears of the eldest brother so quickly?" ”

"Hmph, good things don't go out, bad things spread thousands of miles. Do you think you don't know if you don't talk about others? Smart! ”

Li pointed at him with hatred: "San Lang, what is not lacking in this world is small wisdom, and what is really lacking is great wisdom."

If you just want to be a 'little yuanba' in this Yugan county, then you will continue to be so smart.

But if you still want to do something big, and you still want to glorify my Li lintel, you have to throw away this feeling of goodness, this kind of self-righteousness.

No matter how tall the person standing at the foot of the mountain grows, he can only see the fence in front of him over the top of everyone's heads, but the person on the top of the mountain can see the distant scenery that no one else can reach, even the mountains, rivers, lakes and marshes hundreds of miles away.

If you can wake up as a brother, why can't you wake yourself up? ”

"Brother, I'm different from you." Li Dan helplessly put aside his hands: "You all have great ambitions and are people with great ambitions.

I just just want to have a good time in this life, be a cloth cloth common man in a down-to-earth manner, and place my affection on the concubine between the mountains and rivers, and I don't plan to do anything vigorous. ”

"Hah!" Li Su laughed.

"Really! No kidding! Li Dan shouted very seriously, and he almost swore an oath. I thought about earning some money, and one day I took my family to build a few grass houses by the lake.

It's good to come to fishing, scalding wine, and eating and drinking with two or three friends. ”

"By the way, I heard that you always like to run to the kitchen and teach the calf how to cook? It is said that everyone who has eaten it is full of praise, there is such a thing? Li Zhu sighed: "The ancients are ......." ”

"I know, the gentleman is far away from cooking, right? A gentleman is also to beasts, seeing their life, and not being able to bear to see their death; Hearing its voice, I can't bear to eat its flesh. It is a gentleman who cooks far away. Li Dan said.

"Aren't you reciting it well, you can open your mouth!" Li Zhu was taken aback.

"The ancients said that a gentleman can't bear to see killing, so he cooks far away.

Brother, I dare not say whether the younger brother is a gentleman or not, I am not ashamed to kill to serve my elders, relatives and friends; And those who have to be cattle, sheep, and guineas in the reincarnation of three lives, have a reason to report this in their previous lives.

What is it for me to kill them to atone for their sins?

Even if I am reluctant to be half a gentleman, and benevolence is especially inappropriate for tens of thousands of people in the world, how can I have the strength to love the livestock that has fallen due to the evil fate of the previous life?

Forgive the little brother for being clumsy, he is really powerless! ”

"You, you're a strong word!" Li Zhu was so crying and laughing by him that he flicked his sleeves and said angrily: "Where did you come from, I have never heard of it!" ”

"Hehe, the eldest brother said that it was crooked, anyway, you are a man, you say it is crooked!"

Li Dan shook his head and said with a smile: "But the younger brother's skills are really good, do you want to show your hand tonight and ask the eldest brother to try it?" ”

"What? Saburo wants to cook? Zhu came in to refill his brother's teapot with water, and when he heard this, he was taken aback.

"Uh, I don't do it, point out to Brother Niu and let him do it!" Li Dan's eyes rolled and he hurriedly said: "Sister-in-law is inconvenient, how can I let you work?" “

Zhu's face was red, and her eyes looked at her husband strangely.

Li Zhi smiled embarrassedly: "San Lang is not an outsider, I just told him." ”

"Alas, you are ......!" Zhu snorted, covered his face with his sleeves, and turned to flee.

"Big brother, did I say the wrong thing?" Li Dan grimaced.

Li smiled and waved his hand: "Don't talk about this." San Lang, after talking for a long time, don't you really want to take the imperial examination and enter the official career like your brother? ”

Seeing Li Dan shaking his head vigorously, he had no choice but to sigh and nodded: "Okay, I don't force it." Since you were a child, you have been the most proficient at reading among your brothers, and you have a great ability to remember.

When you change your mind in the future, it will not be difficult to pick it up again. It's just that those fights and beatings must not come back in the future! ”

Li Dan got up and shook solemnly: "The eldest brother is like a father, Dan promises to think twice about his actions in the future, and he doesn't dare to upset his brother!" ”

In fact, what he thought in his heart was: Those things are already in my mind, just wake up the memory, why bother to endorse them?

The things that should be carried have been memorized well in the previous life, and Li Dan doesn't want to be a test worm if he lives again!