As soon as Xia Chun said this, Qiu Guoxiang glared at him fiercely, so frightened that he swallowed the second half of the sentence back. Qiu Guo smiled at Shu Yan, "Shu Xiaolang, don't be modest, your Shu family is in Ruyin, although it is not a wealthy family, but it is also a gentleman of generations, so that Dr. Zu Shu is highly respected, Ling Zun is full of economy, determined to cultivate and study, but he has the people in mind, in order to save our people in Ruyin from the flood, he led everyone to spontaneously protect the berm, unfortunately and Ling Tang both sacrificed their lives, and I have heard of your deeds more than once before." ”

"The previous is the past, the minister of state knows the past, but you don't necessarily know the current one, it's even more rare, on the day Dr. Shu died, there was a family surnamed Han in Shujiazhuang, who had a good relationship with Yan'er's family, and someone died that day, but that family was already poor, and there was only a child left, in the face of the funeral, the relatives and friends of that family refused to take out the money, but Shu Yan took out all the money of his family, divided it into two, and used half of each of the two families. Afterwards, the Han family wanted to repay the money, but the Han family couldn't get a penny, Yan'er, not only didn't want him to pay back the money, but also raised the child for three years in vain, taught the child to read, and trained the child to become an adult, and the two of them were coarse and coarse at home, and An An kept filial piety for three years......

Qiu Guoxiang said: "This is really rare, in today's world, whether it is the son of a wealthy family or the people in the market, it is rare to be able to keep filial piety for his parents for three years, let alone for his grandfather." At your young age, it is a time when you are lively and restless, in the past three years, can you stand this kind of hardship and not be moved by the outside world? ”

Shu Yan smiled and replied: "Doesn't the prime minister hear that Yan Hui Youyun, 'A spoonful of food, a scoop of drink, in the alleys, people are unbearable, and they will not change their pleasures.'" 'Yan Hui can be so pure and have few desires on weekdays, I naturally don't dare to compare with Yan Hui, but I have been filial piety for my grandfather for three years, and I should always be able to bear it! ”

"That being said, there's not much that can be done. However, what I appreciate most is not how filial you are to Ling Zu, but that you treat your family's Xie Lao Cangtou as your own grandfather to support and send him to the end, which is unheard of since ancient times. Shu Xiaolang, you are talented and outstanding in benevolence and filial piety, so this time we have to recommend you for our filial piety in Ruyin! ”

"Raise me for filial piety?" Although Shu Yan asked rhetorically, after these words just now, he also guessed in his heart, but he didn't have this preparation at all.

Xia Tingchang hurriedly said: "Yes, silly boy, it's not you, who else, even the assassin Shi Gong wants to lift you!" ”

Pavilion Chief Xia knew that he was going to raise filial piety again this year, and Yan'er's age was enough this year, so he looked forward to the expiration of Shu Yan's filial piety period every day, because he knew that Shu Yan would never agree to the filial piety period. No, Shu Yan had just passed the period of filial piety, and Pavilion Chief Xia came to Qiu Guo to get along and recommend him. In fact, even if he didn't come, Qiu Guoxiang would invite Shu Yan, because Shu Yan's reputation had long worn out his ears, not only that, but even Shi Gong, the state assassin, personally mentioned to Qiu Guoxiang that "there is a Shu Yan in Ru County, how good is it, and it should be recommended".

Shu Yan thought, I said that Xia Ting Chang was in a hurry to drag me here, why did he not leave this topic since he entered the door, it turned out that this was the case.

His first reaction was not to agree, as he had done three years ago. Because the current road to advancement is controlled by the wealthy nobles, and the people of the Hanmen Shu clan enter the official career, they have to see their faces and suffer their discrimination, and the reason why my grandfather returned to his hometown is not only because he is dissatisfied with the usurpation of power by the Sima clan, but also because of this reason. He had the heart to refuse, but suddenly remembered the instructions of his grandfather and Gonggong Xie before his death, and recalled that since he had learned a lot of economy, he really should not follow himself to bury the countryside, but should have the people of the world in mind. If you really can't display your ambitions at that time, you can't hide in the court, and it's not too late to hide in the wilderness at that time.

Although he made up his mind, he couldn't help but be humble again: "Prime Minister of the country, I am not weak in my youth, and I am only shallow in learning, how can He De be this important name?" I'm afraid that when the time comes, I won't be able to do what the court wants, and I will live up to the cultivation of the prime minister, and it will affect the minister of the country. ”

Qiu Guoxiang shook his head and smiled: "If the person who is lifted is not qualified, the owner will be affected, this is the rule of the court, how can I not know?" It's just that I am very relieved of you, and I, Ruyin County, are counting on you to add glory, so don't shirk anymore, if you resign, you won't give face to the people of the county. In this way, Zhu Xiaolian is still a while away from entering the Beijing Strategy, and it just so happens that I lack a literary peng, so you will come to me to do a literary book tomorrow. ”

After hearing this, Shu Yan just wanted to agree, but he remembered one more thing: "Our Ruyin is not an ordinary county now, but a feudal country, do you want to ask the king of Ruyin first?" ”

"Hahaha, Shu Lang, how do you know, our King Ruyin is only nine years old this year, this fief is just a name, where will he take care of these things, he and his mother and concubines only enjoy the taxes of the county, and don't care about other things, so here I am completely in charge of the Taishou and can do the Lord's."

Shu Yan no longer shirked, thanked Qiu Guoxiang, and went back with Xia Tingchang. When he got home, Shu Yan cleaned up the house, but there was nothing to clean up, there were only a few old clothes, a few strings of five baht, and a little food in the house. After Shu Yan finished cleaning up, he went to his parents and relatives and friends to say goodbye, and everyone was happy for Shu Yan, saying that he was expected to be like this, and it should have been like this a long time ago. After he came to Ruoxin's house, he couldn't help but tell Ruoxin, it was nothing more than not to waste his studies, waste the fields and so on.

In the end, he entered his neighbor Shu Xiaoliu's house, and Shu Xiaoliu let him in. Shu Yan said to Shu Xiaoliu: "Sixth uncle, please have one more trouble for you. ”

"Hmm, what's the matter?"

"Please, help me take care of the house."

"Well, why are you going to go far away?"

"It's not that I'm going to go far away, it's the county where Qiu Guoxiang wants to promote me as filial piety, and I'm going to the county tomorrow to do literature."

Shu Xiaoliu didn't know what literary Peng was, but he knew filial piety, it was a good name that no amount of money could buy, and when he became filial piety, he was not far from being an official, he hurriedly took Shu Yan's hand and said: "Yan'er, oh no, virtuous nephew, I said that today Xia Tingchang urgently asked you to do something, it turned out to be for this." I'll just say, your family has a good reputation for generations, since I was a child, I have seen you different, a hundred times better than your father, today it really came true, for our Shu family to glorify our ancestors, even I have light. ”

Shu Yan said with a smile: "Sixth uncle, filial piety is filial piety, and you may not be a big official." ”

"Haven't you already done some literary work?"

"Literary Peng is just a small official in the county, not a big official."

"I don't understand that, in short, if you enter the county, even if you enter the official career, it will be different from us grass people." At this time, Shu Xiaoliu's two sons, Da Nu and Ernu, ran in, and Shu Xiaoliu said to them, "Hurry up and salute your brother." ”

The two children said, "We meet him every day, what kind of etiquette do we do?" ”

"Two bastards!"

"Yes, the younger brothers are right, their own brothers, they meet every day, what kind of etiquette do they do?" Shu Yan saw that the two children were disgraced and ruffian, so he asked, "What books do my younger brothers read?" ”

Shu Xiaoliu said: "What book to read?" How can there be money for them to study! Running around outside every day, not learning well. ”

Shu Yan also knew that these two children misbehaved, there were too many children like this in the village, and there were too few children like Ruoxin who were studying, Shu Yan couldn't be comforted for a while, but silently remembered it in his heart.

"Sixth uncle, my family's dozens of acres of land will also be handed over to you, and the annual harvest can also be subsidized for your family."

"How's that going to work? In the past five years, you have spent so much hard work, and finally hope that the tree will be bigger and there will be a harvest, but let me pick up the ready-made! ”

"It doesn't matter, you have a lot of family, you spend a lot, I'm alone, I don't need much money, besides, I'm a small official in the county, and I get some money to cover my own expenses."

Shu Xiaoliu agreed, and Shu Yan said goodbye. He stood in the courtyard of his house and looked around, there was nothing of value in the courtyard compared to the house, only the two flowers in front of the window that made him worry. These two flowers and plants are in full bloom, one pink and enchanting, and the other light blue and quiet. Shu Yan is not a person who likes flowers and plants, but he has been raising these two flowers for three years, taking care of them every day, and every spring when the flowers bloom, he rejoices, and when the flowers fail, he follows the sadness. In these more than 1,000 days and nights, every time I encountered depression, loneliness, and longing, I can't remember how many times I silently whispered to these two flowers and complained to my heart. These two flowers are the two flowers that Zhixin picked for him before parting on the Shangsi Festival three years ago, one is peony and the other is orchid.

"Alas, you have been gone for three years, otherwise, now that you and I are adults, it should be the time for the 'hand of the son'....... You once said, 'If you are in a different room, if you die, you will be in the same cave', but we have not been able to live in the same room, and I can't even find you when I die...... Even death is not the same acupuncture. ”

Tonight is the middle of the month, and a bright moon hangs in the sky, reflecting the two flowers more delicately. In this haze, Shu Yan found that the peony in front of him suddenly turned into Zhixin, and said to him vaguely: "Brother Yan, life and death are broad, talk to Zicheng, hold the hand of the son, and grow old with the son." This is our agreement, it will not change, I am your wife! ”

A gentle breeze blows, and a faint fragrance drips into the nose. Shu Yan was stunned, it turned out to be an illusion, the flower is still a flower, where is the shadow of Zhixin. Under the moon before this flower, Shu Yan stood silently for a long time, and in the end he still couldn't give up and decided to take the two flowers away tomorrow.

The next day, Shu Yan got up early, first put incense in front of the spiritual seat of his grandfather, parents, Father-in-law Xie and others, put some fruits on the table, and then prayed silently: Grandfather, Father-in-law, Father, Mother, and descendants of the unscrupulous descendants hereby tell you that the spirit of the heavens is here. Yan'er is now held up as filial piety. Ah Weng, Ah Mother, although you two elders have never had such expectations for me, but I know that you are willing to do the same as your grandfather and Gonggong Xie, although I am not determined to do this, but I have read so many books, and I have the history of the state and the promotion of the county and the state, I can not live up to the expectations of the people of Ruyin. Those of us who are from the Shu clan must be suppressed by the people of the Shi clan, and I am only for the people, and I will never fight with the people of the wealthy families, nor will I join them in the same stream...... May you know in the spirits of heaven.

When he had finished praying, he took up his hoe and dug down the two flowers, and dug up two large lumps of soil so that no roots were exposed, and then he put them in a cloth bag, and then he took up his luggage and went to work.