In the seventeenth year of Hongji, I happened to be seventeen years old, and I was already a tall teenager. My grandfather said that I would only be considered an adult when I was eighteen, and the implication was that it was time for me to marry and have children. And my two sisters have already been married, both brothers-in-law are talented, full of mouths, I don't like to learn, every time they come to my house, I always hide far away, but two nephews, very cute, always shouting uncle all over the yard, pestering me to play, but unfortunately the two brothers-in-law are in the lift, and then go to the field to be an official.

My son-in-law is an official of the Ming Dynasty, my grandfather's status in the township has been promoted again, and the previous county officials have been promoted to the prefect, and they are even more favored by my family. My grandfather did not agree, saying that he was a common man, and building roads was also convenient for the villagers to walk, and he would not object, but he would never do anything to build a house for himself. When the prefect learned of this, he sent for his grandfather to be invited to him, and he did not return until the third day.

When he returned home, his grandfather was as calm as ever, and did not say a word about the meeting. Later, I learned that there was a father-in-law in the palace who wanted to see my grandfather. When the text went down to the prefect, the prefect did not dare to slack off, and repaired the house and road, which can be described as a great dedication. And although the father-in-law did not come, the prefect still took his grandfather over and gave him a warm welcome.

Suddenly, an elderly man with white hair came to my house, accompanied by two scholars, and rode a horse. When the grandfather saw this, he was rarely excited, almost overjoyed, and the elder was also very excited, and the two hugged each other, looked at each other, and entered the hall hand in hand. Then, my grandfather asked my father and others to come to see him in turn, and it was my grandfather's old friend Sun Gong, who called himself Yanbo Ke and lived on an overseas island in Zhejiang. Because I missed my grandfather, I came all the way to my house.

Both of them are in the age of sixties, and it is inevitable that they will sigh for a long time when they meet, and my father and others will go down to arrange a family banquet, while I will stay with my grandfather to serve. From their words, I learned that they were good friends, and it wasn't just the two of them, it seemed like there were four of them. Grandfather asked one by one, and Sun Gong answered one by one, and my grandfather couldn't help but sigh and said: "Creation makes people, I have been here with my family for 20 years, and I don't miss everyone all the time, and I also miss the mountains and rivers of my hometown." It's a pity that I'm not in good health and can't travel long distances, unlike Brother Sun, who has a strong body and no worries about going back and forth. ”

Sun Gong laughed and said: "Brother Zhang likes to be quiet or noisy in his life, the road is bumpy, and the pedestrians are miscellaneous, if you see it, you will be upset, and you won't go back!" ”

Grandfather smiled and said, "Brother Sun who knows me!" Jiangnan is good, the infinite scenery is in it, but it's a pity that I have a lifetime, I'm afraid it's difficult to return! ”

Sun Gongdao: "Life is like drifting, where you go, where you are home." Hey, the current Da Ming, isn't it the same everywhere! ”

The two looked at each other and laughed, and the grandfather said: "Brother Sun has traveled the world for a long time, and the customs and customs of various places are in his heart. ”

Sun Gong sighed and said, "Although I claim to be a person outside the party, I have traveled for a long time, and I can also see that people's livelihood is difficult. Although the emperor is known as a wise monarch today, the people he appoints may not be good ministers, especially those fathers-in-law, who are even more bold and swaggering to the world. ”

It turned out that Emperor Hongzhi trusted the eunuchs in his later years and went out of Beijing from time to time to do business. And these eunuchs often pretend to be in the name of the emperor to go to the local authorities to make a fortune, making the local miasma so that the people are not happy.

When my grandfather heard this, he smiled faintly and said, "The emperor of the Zhu family has always been mean and unkind, and he is not at ease with everyone, but the end is not good, so he can only trust the eunuchs." From ancient times to the present, eunuchs are autocratic, and the imperial court is inevitably corrupt. ”

Sun Gong laughed, pointed at his grandfather and said, "Brother Zhang, your heart knot still hasn't been untied!" The so-called major events of the imperial court have nothing to do with us anymore. However, I know that you have done great things! When he saw me, he said, "Look, your grandchildren have grown so big!" Are you still worried that you won't be a pillar of talent in the future? ”

Saying that, beckoning to me, I hurried over, and politely gave a salute, Sun Gong took my hand, looked up and down, turned his head, and said to his grandfather: "You and I can be described as successors, life is just like this, why bother with everything?" ”

When my grandfather heard this, he smiled unconsciously and said, "Okay, you smoker, it was you who first said that the people lived a hard life, turned your head, and persuaded me not to think about it." You're a slippery head! As for me, I really don't want my children to be officials, but I have two grandsons-in-law who have become officials, hehe, life is impermanent, and I sometimes have no choice! ”

Sun Gong laughed and said, "Of the six of us brothers, you have the most thoughts." I provoked the conversation, but I could think of it. But you are not, you are always worried about the country and the people. Let it be! Hey, forget it, don't mention this today, I'm coming to visit you, no wonder I miss you, and good wine! ”

Grandfather laughed a little and said, "You are a drunkard, you don't mean to drink, hehe, don't worry, there will be good wine to drink tonight!" ”

The dinner party was very lively, the two elders drank wine with us, and talked about the wonders of the world, and that night, my grandfather seemed to be a different person, and gradually became drunk, and talked about many things in the past. I probably know that when he was young, he lost his parents early, lived alone in the south, fortunately knew some medical skills, and at the same time, he had some friends to help the village, and his life was good, but when he was thirty years old, an enemy came to the door. He didn't want to take on the grudge anymore, so he led his family to move out overnight, so that this place was here.

Sun Gong said that the enemy was not his grandfather's opponent, with his grandfather's ability, it can be said that it was easy to get rid of the enemy, but his grandfather did not do that, so he has always wondered why his grandfather moved away, grandfather said, he has been practicing medicine for many years, he is used to seeing life and death parting, and he does not want to be an enemy of others, so he simply leaves there.

Grandfather's words, I listened to it at the time, a little skeptical, one is that my family looks very rich, but my grandfather said that friends help me, I believe this, after all, there are many outsiders who come to my house, and the other is that I think that my grandfather is low-key, so that my father, uncle and others are humble in front of outsiders, but the meaning of Sun Gong's words shows that my grandfather was very strong when he was young, which is very different from today's humility, but from Sun Gong, I see a very recognized praise!

The dinner lasted for a long time, and several of us juniors were sent back to sleep, and when we woke up the next day, the sun was very high. We came out with our hair fluffy and our eyes rubbed, only to see my grandfather in the courtyard, talking to my father. And that grandson left my house early in the morning.

Then, my grandfather told us that in a few days, we could go out for medical treatment, and the place we went to was Jiangnan. We can't help but get excited, the nature of children, naturally yearning for the vastness outside, not to mention that last night Sun Gong talked about the wonders of many places, we listened, we can't help but yearn for it.

Before leaving, my grandfather called my father into the house and talked for a long time. When my father came out, he was almost the same as my grandfather, without much to say, except that we would be outside for a long time.

And I thought it was an ordinary trip, in the bright spring breeze, goodbye to my mother, my mother's eyes were a lot more nostalgic, even a little wet, grandfather still stood under the high eaves, watching our group set off. I longed for the vastness of the world outside, but I didn't know that a few months later, when I returned home, my life would be a different story.

Since I was 16 years old, I have been out with my fathers to do the same thing, and I often come home for a long time, and when I return home, I can always eat the vinegar fish made by my grandfather. Every year my grandfather asked us to go to one place, and that was Gusu. Although we often don't understand why we go all the way there and don't treat many patients, maybe the famous doctors Xue Kai and Xue Ji are there, and my father goes to visit anyway, but the place where we live is an uncle's family surnamed Zhou. Uncle Zhou's home is next to the vast Taihu Lake, and we juniors don't want to visit famous doctors, but Uncle Zhou will always arrange someone to lead us to Taihu Lake to play, and the scenery there still makes us linger. It was a very happy time, there was no trouble of seeing a doctor, the mood was very relaxed, and there were always people who came to visit us, and my father was always very serious and even dignified. I've been craving street snacks and don't pay much attention to the words and actions of the adults, but some of the people's faces are still dimly remembered.

These people are very familiar to my father, and even to me, they are very kind, and always give me interesting things. I once asked my father, and he said with a straight face that he didn't need to know. And I just moved my mind, remembering my own family affairs, it is said that our family is a family with a foreign surname, and I only came here many years ago, although my surname is Zhang, so there are very few villagers who interact with me. I gradually became puzzled, what was going on in my family, and tried to ask my uncle, but he didn't know, but said that my grandfather had never forbade me to inquire about family affairs, and warned me not to ask more, and it would be clear in the future. I didn't know what was going on, but I didn't think much about it anymore, guessing that they were treating me well because of their father's face.

I have always grown up carefree and my family has treated me very well. It's just that every time I go out, I feel the greatness of the world and the beauty of life. And back in his hometown, it was so dull. I thought my happiness was the days when I was out and about, until one day, I realized how important home was!

And this time the days of going out were not long, and we only lasted for more than half a month in Gusu, and even without our knowledge, my father suddenly said that we were going back. Our brothers felt very strange, but the uncles were very obedient to pack their bags, and we had no reason to be disobedient, and we talked in private, and some people said that my father met a man last night, talked for a long time, and then changed his itinerary. Who could this person be? I was full of questions, but I didn't dare to ask.