Hurrying and hurrying, they finally came to the state city. Because of the guidance of the county professor, the three of them walked very clearly towards a large mansion in the city.

The three of them tidied up their clothes in the car, waited for the coachman to park on the horse, and Zhu Fuzi took the lead in delivering the name post. After that, the three were quickly let in, led by a servant in front and followed closely behind by the three.

After turning around, I came to a hall. In the hall, a handsome middle-aged man, dressed in brocade clothes, sat in the hall and read. This person is Caizhou Tongju, who was born in the family of the official eunuch, and is a second-class jinshi, and now he is already the deputy second in the state and a member of the party.

After the three of them finished saluting, the eldest brother handed over the letter prepared in advance in his arms, and then opened his mouth, "Meet Master Gu, the villain is the messenger next to Professor Lu, listen to the professor's arrangement today, and lead the scholar to meet the adult." With that, he stepped aside.

"Oh, I seem to have seen you, I remember your surname is Lu, and it seems that you are related to Professor Lu, right?" , Gu Tongju put down the scroll and asked casually while reading the letter.

"Yes, yes, good memory"

"Which one is Zhu Sheng, please introduce the situation of the trial students", after reading the letter, he put the letter aside and continued to ask.

"Lord Yu, the trial student's surname is Li Mingzhongming, twelve years old, his father died early, he was raised by his widowed mother, studied the Nine Classics, and has now passed the county school entrance examination. Because the family is poor, my mother is sick from hard work, and she needs medical nourishment, which costs a lot of money, so I ask for a recommendation to accompany her in the house," Zhu Fuzi said respectfully and carefully.

"Okay, I'm tired of Zhu Sheng, try to come forward", after listening to the introduction, I took care of the situation and straightened my body a little. After all, it is more than enough for county students to be their son's companions.

When Li Zhongming heard the words, he stepped forward and saluted again.

Seeing the young man standing in front of him, his posture was very pleasing to the eye, and he said with a smile: "Wait for the specific content, there is a housekeeper to discuss with you, I only ask you to be cautious in your words and deeds, and keep your mouth shut." Okay, let's take them down to find a covenant. ”

After saluting, the three of them went down to the hall and followed their entourage to meet the housekeeper of the Gu Mansion. After Steward Gu learned of the intention, after a polite salute, he clearly explained the meaning of the Gu Mansion, "Li Sheng, although you are a companion, but the mansion only wants to set up a binding note with you. In addition, you can take three days off a month, and you can only go out of the house to rest after three months. And during the study period, you have to abide by the rules of the house. But the house can give you seven times a month, and the four seasons clothing will also be prepared for you......"

After some words, Li Zhongming felt that he was not very restrained, and when he heard the number of moons, he was quite satisfied. In general, the conditions of the Gu Mansion are not harsh, on the contrary, they are a bit favorable. When he finally heard that he was going to enter the house today, Li Zhongming still answered, "Steward Gu, I can draw the seal today, but there is one more thing, please forgive me." Can the kid be allowed to officially enter the house the day after tomorrow? The boy also needs to settle his mother in the family. ”

Steward Gu thought for a while, then nodded and agreed, and said that he would arrange a carriage to accompany him back together, so that he could carry his belongings and enter the mansion faster.

The next step was the agreed documents, the signed words, the fingerprints, and after a lot of effort, the three documents were soon completed. Li Zhongming also invited Zhu Fuzi to be a Chinese person, and the three witnessed, each holding a document.

Knowing that Li Zhongming's family was poor and his mother needed decoction to serve, Steward Gu also paid the first month's envelope in advance. After Li Zhongming thanked him repeatedly, the three of them withdrew from the Gu Mansion.

When I came, it was a carriage, but when I came back, there was an extra one. Zhu Fuzi couldn't help but sigh along the way, Gu Fu treated people thoughtfully and acted magnificently. The eldest brother also praised that Li Zhongming was valued by the Gu Mansion and would definitely be able to achieve great things in the future, and asked him to remember his hard work today in the future.

The same road, when you come, you feel heavy, and the future is unknown. But when I returned, not only was my heart relaxed, but the sorrows at home were also dissipated. Even the carriage back seemed to be much faster.

Along the way, I didn't stop all the way, and finally returned to Dali Village before dark. Before separating from the poor brother, Li Zhongming gave him 300 yuan as today's hard work. Even today's coachman paid an extra 30 yuan for his labor. For Zhu Fuzi, Li Zhongming didn't do much, but said that he would visit again tomorrow, and he had something to entrust, so he sent Zhu Fuzi home, so he hurried home.

Riding in the carriage and returning home, Li Zhongming settled the coachman Gu Sange slightly, and then came to visit his mother, and told Li's mother the ins and outs of today. Mother Li listened to the matter, and when she knew that her son was about to enter the state capital to serve as a servant, although she was not selling herself as a slave, she thought that the county students who had just been admitted could not start their careers with peace of mind, but went to serve others, and her heart suddenly felt a burst of sadness.

I looked at my mother's eyes moist and full of tears. Li Zhongming immediately understood what his mother was thinking, and comforted: "Mother, don't worry about me, be happy for me." What a rare opportunity for you to be able to enter the House of General Judgment and enter the house to study. You think what a great opportunity your son will not have to worry about food and housing in the future. You can also get a salary of seven times a month, what a beautiful difference. In short, mother don't cry, be happy for me. ”

"And mother, I'm going to leave home and enter the state city now, leaving you alone, I'm really not at ease. I intend to entrust you to the care of Zhu Fuzi's family, and I will send back five yuan of my salary every month and hand it over to Zhu Fuzi as the cost of taking care of you. What do you think? ”

"Zhongming, I can take care of myself at home alone, you don't have to worry about me."

"Mother, this is not only for you, but also to repay Zhu Fuzi for his hard work in cultivating and taking care of me in the past four years. After all, Zhu Fuzi, as my teacher, has always taken good care of me. Even when it comes to companionship, he runs up and down for me. I also have to find a way to repay it in order to compensate for it. ”

Listening to her son's thoughts, Mother Li recalled that in the past four years, Zhu Fuzi had taken care of her son and worked hard, and she should repay the Zhu family well, so she no longer insisted and agreed with Li Zhongming's approach.

Seeing that his mother agreed to his approach, Li Zhongming hurriedly introduced Gu Sange to his mother, telling that Gu Fu valued him in order to reassure his mother's heart.

Knowing that there was a visitor, or someone arranged by the Gu Mansion to accompany Li Zhongming back, Li's mother let go of her heart a little more, and told her son to entertain her well.

Li Zhongming listened to his mother's words, specially cooked rice today, bought a lot of meat and poultry from the neighbors, and spent a lot of effort to make a sumptuous meal.

Inviting his mother and Third Brother Gu to sit down, Li Zhongming still kept talking, first, to attract his mother's attention and stop worrying about his own affairs. Second, I am about to enter the Gu Mansion, and I hope to learn some specific situations of the Gu Mansion from the mouth of the third brother Gu, so that I can act well in the future.

In this way, in this small farmhouse courtyard, there is no red tape, no strict rules, and no high and low. Some are just small talk in a farmer's house, and the conversation is more about asking for advice on life experience and unmeasured expectations for life.

There is no staggering, but in the back and forth, the relationship between each other has gradually become familiar from strange. It may be intentional contact with each other, but there is also the attraction of human charm.

A meal is gradually coming to an end in your words and my words. Li Zhongming put Gu San in a good place to rest, sent his mother back to the room, and began to clean up the cups, plates and bowls. After cleaning everything up, Li Zhongming began to put away the books and items he would carry tomorrow.

Knowing that the rules of the high-ranking family are strict, Li Zhongming did not carry too many things, but only prepared to carry some daily clothes and paper and pen for daily use. In addition to this, there are also books that I have copied myself.

Everything is ready, it is already dark. Li Zhongming returned to the room, thinking back on the past few days, feeling that life is impermanent, but also feeling the importance of reading.

If I hadn't been admitted to the county students, would I have been able to pass the test so smoothly today? Li Zhongming gradually fell asleep in this deep thought.