Although the Chinese-style scholars of Qiuyu are respectfully called "masters" by the newspapers, in fact, they can only be regarded as having the qualifications to enter the office, and if they want to become a real "official master", they must go through the examination before they can be awarded the official. Therefore, the "test" is the jump of the "Tian Shelang" to the dragon gate of the "Tianzi Hall".

The examination presided over by the Ministry of Rites and held in Beijing was scheduled for the ninth day of February of the following year in the township. Therefore, Weng Junding, who made an appointment with Chen Wenqi to go to Beijing together, came to Chenjiazhuang on the day of the Lantern Festival.

The Spring Festival coincided with the visit of the same year, Chen Wenqi and Chen Ruishan and his wife were naturally very happy, and specially invited Chen Nansong, the bigwig of the clan, Chen Wenqi's enlightenment teacher Chen Yangshan and others, to feast and entertain Weng Junding.

At night, the square in front of the Chen family ancestral hall is lit up with lights, and the people surnamed Chen follow the traditional customs, and the night of the Lantern Festival is usually to sing and dance the dragon here, enjoy the moon and watch the lanterns.

Weng Junding accompanied Chen Wenqi to the Chen Family Ancestral Hall, which was already full of people and very lively. The old people blessed each other, the young people chatted with each other, the girls dressed to compete for beauty, and the children frolicked and frolicked. In the square, there are not only regular teams performing the local popular Huangmei opera, but also the clansmen showing their skills and making fun of the juggling, the most eye-catching is of course the dragon lantern dance and the colorful lotus boat.

"Cailian ship—"

"Yo yo. ”

"Sharp at both ends—"

"Hey. ”

"Sister sits in the middle—"

"Ahh ”

"Handsome guy, what-"

"Paddle - yo yo, ho ho hey, handsome guy pulls - rowing. ”

Every time the rowing youth sang a word, the people watching around responded in unison with "yo yo", "ya ho hi" and "ya er yo", and there was a chorus of singing and laughter in front of the ancestral hall.

The clown who cranked the shabby pu fan and followed the stern of the Cailian boat to make jokes, recognized that Weng Junding next to Chen Wenqi was a guest who was about to enter Beijing for the examination, and pulled him to the side of the Cailian boat, and the rowing young man opened his mouth and sang:

"Cailian ship—"

"Yo yo. ”

"The four horns—" (E. e, pronunciation of "horn" in the Eastern Hubei dialect)

"Hey. ”

"Congratulations to the guests—"

"Ahh ”

"Ascend again—"

"Paddle - yo yo, ho ho he, go to the department again - row. ”

Weng Junding was so embarrassed that his face was red, and he hurriedly waved to everyone in the Quartet to congratulate the New Year.

Chen Wenqi led Weng Junding to watch around, walked to the lantern riddle in the corner of the square, only to see the lantern hanging high here, the palace lamp, the yarn lamp, the chandelier have everything, the painted characters, landscapes, flowers and birds, fish and insects are lifelike, there is a small note hanging on the tassel of each lantern, there is a lantern riddle on it, if someone can guess it, then take off the note, go to the organizer to tell the riddle, receive the gift of snacks or trinkets.

Weng Junding has been a little indescribable weird feeling all the way, at this time I saw the lanterns here, yellow, green, blue, purple colorful, but I don't see the most popular red, and the tassels fluttering under the lanterns are not the usual red tassels, so it is clear that the weird feeling lies in the color. He looked around, and saw that although the people, especially the women, had new clothes and shoes, which were beautiful and colorful, none of them were wearing red clothes, and even the women's heads were tied with no red silk ribbons.

Weng Junding couldn't hold back the strong curiosity in his heart, and quietly pulled Chen Wenqi to a remote place, and said: "Brother Chen, there is an inquiry about something below, and I am afraid that it will involve the privacy of your family, so I don't know whether to ask or not?"

Chen Wenqi said with a smile: "Brother Weng Nian, but it doesn't hurt to say it. ”

"I just asked casually, if it is a matter of your family's secrets, Brother Chen doesn't have to be embarrassed, just don't say it. Weng Junding still added cautiously.

Chen Wenqi nodded.

Weng Junding hesitated for a moment, did not ask directly, pointed to the lantern hanging high, and said cryptically: "Brother Chen, please look, the lantern in Guizhuang seems to be not quite the same as the lantern elsewhere." ”

As soon as Chen Wenqi heard it, he understood what Weng Junding was going to ask, so he directly said what he wanted to ask: "Brother Weng Nian, why don't you have to ask why there are no red lanterns?"

"Exactly, exactly. Not only lanterns, but also the nobles did not wear red clothes. Why is that?"

Chen Wenqi was about to speak, when he suddenly saw several teenagers in the village coming in a crowd, and said to Chen Wenqi: "Brother Wenqi, you are a great solution and a great talent, please help us refer to the details, let us go and ask for a lottery." ”

"You group of Wulang gods, all of you are drunk, what do you want to 'see'?" Chen Wenqi scolded with a smile.

Although the reputation of the legendary Wutong God is a bit bad, the local adults often call the children who like to play in groups "Wulang God" with a doting tone.

"Well, that's it, we can't even think of it if we want to break the skull, so we think of you. Several teenagers pinched two notes in their hands, which turned out to be lantern riddles.

Chen Wenqi was afraid of snubbing the guests, and secondly, he wanted to try Weng Junding's ability to guess riddles, so he pointed to Weng Junding and said to the teenagers: "I only know how to play happily on weekdays, but at this time, 'I hate less when the book is used'? ”

Weng Junding knew Chen Wenqi's thoughts, and without waiting for the teenagers to speak, he reached out and took the note in their hands, and said to Chen Wenqi: "Let's guess first, if you really can't guess, then ask Brother Chen for advice." After speaking, I opened a note, and saw that there was only one word on the riddle, "Hui", prompting "type a four-word common phrase".

Weng Junding thought for a while, and then said to the teenagers: "The riddle of this lantern riddle is 'extraordinarily generous'. ”

When the teenagers saw that Weng Junding didn't seem to think about it, they guessed the riddle, and they admired it, but they still had some doubts, how could the word "return" be "extraordinarily generous"?

Weng Junding saw that they didn't seem to believe it, and added: "You see, the word 'Hui' is composed of two mouths, one large and one small, and the 'mouth' can also be seen as a square, and the big square outside the small grid is not 'extraordinarily generous'?"

The young people listened to Weng Junding's explanation, and then they were impressed.

Look at the second note, which reads: The entry is all about playing the crown (guess the word).

Weng Junding was afraid that the young people would not be puzzled by the mystery directly, so he said in detail: "The 'bullet crown' should take off the hat, the "guest" took off the hat is 'each', and the 'entry' is inside the door, so the riddle of this lantern riddle is the word 'pavilion' of the pavilion. ”

The teenagers were overjoyed, and they were busy returning the note, and they ran to "color the head".

For Weng Junding's agile thinking, Chen Wenqi was also amazed in his heart, no wonder that the township test was able to enter the "Five Classics", it is indeed not in vain.

After the teenagers left, Chen Wenqi took the initiative to pick up the interrupted topic and said to Weng Junding: "Brother Weng Nian asked about the lanterns and the color of his clothes, which is indeed related to the clan rules of my clan. The sound of firecrackers and gongs and drums here is too loud, so why don't we go back to the house and talk to you carefully?"

Chen Wenqi was willing to tell him, and Weng Junding couldn't wait to solve the mystery of the color immediately, and nodded again and again.

As soon as Chen Wenqi and the others arrived home, Mrs. Wen immediately brought two bowls of steaming Lantern Festival. After wandering around outside for more than an hour, at this time, a bowl of glutinous rice balls was in the stomach, not only the stomach was full, but also the cold was greatly reduced, and the whole body was comfortable.

Chen Wenqi sent Weng Junding to the guest room, and after a few gossips with him, he turned the topic to red.

"Brother Weng Nian's question, although it is the privacy of our village, it is not a secret that is not enough to communicate with outsiders, and most of the foreigners in the surrounding villages know it. Chen Wenqi held the conversation like this, the purpose was to eliminate Weng Junding's guilt.

As soon as Weng Junding heard that this was not a secret, he urged Chen Wenqi to speak quickly.

"This matter has to start with the distant ancestors of our own clan. Chen Wenqi picked up the teapot on the table, poured two cups of tea, handed one to Weng Junding, picked up another cup of tea and took a sip, and then said: "The ancestor was originally from Luoyang. In the 14th year of Tang Xuanzong Tianbao, An Lushan, who was also the envoy of Fanyang, Pinglu and Hedong Towns, united with the leaders of Tongluo, Khitan, Murwei, and Turkic tribes such as Shi Siming, and raised troops in Fanyang under the pretext of 'worrying about the danger of the country' and crusading against Yang Guozhong with secret edicts. At that time, it was the late period of the "Kaiyuan Dynasty", and the peace was long, and people did not know the soldiers. After a long period of time, the soldiers of the imperial court had lost their battle formations, and their swords and guns had entered Kuma and put them in Nanshan, so how could they have the strength to contend with them? In just 35 days, the eastern capital of Luoyang was lost. After An Lushan captured Luoyang, he indulged his subordinates to kill people and set fires and rob property in the city, and the people of Luoyang were unbearable and fled with their families, and the ancestor Yuan Huigong was one of them. After escaping from Luoyang, the villagers fled in all directions, and Yuan Huigong went all the way south from Luoyang, preparing to cross the Yangtze River south to Lingnan for refuge. When passing through here, Yuan Huigong saw that this place has mountains and rivers, the climate is pleasant, and the land is fertile, the rain is sufficient, and it is especially suitable for farming, so he decided to settle down in this place, and the family lives that idyllic life together. ”

Chen Wenqi said a lot in one breath, and he may feel a little dry mouth, so he stopped and took a sip of fragrant tea. Weng Junding listened attentively, and did not disturb him, waiting for him to continue.

Since then, more than 100 years later, the descendants of Yuan Huigong have multiplied to nearly 200 people. Among the seventh generation of descendants of Yuan Hui Gong, an ancestor named Deshao thought that the people here are prosperous and the grains are abundant, which can be said to be a treasure land of feng shui. Why is there no one living in such a good place? So the Duke of Dessau invited a feng shui master from Jiangxi, who was said to be very famous at that time, to find out the feng shui of this place. The feng shui master stayed here for three days and two nights, looked at it from far and near, and finally told Dessau that this was a 'shrimp field'. Feng Shui masters told Dessau that people are usually looking for a place to live in the best feng shui in order to become a big official and make a fortune in their family, so the 'shrimp land' is not favored. However, shrimp are particularly adaptable, and because of their own weakness, they have no quarrel with the world, and there are many fewer disasters. Therefore, although it cannot produce emperors and generals like the land of tigers and dragons, the feng shui of 'shrimp land' is abundant food and clothing, prosperous people, no disasters and no difficulties, and peace for all ages. As soon as the Duke of Dessau heard this, how many families in the world could be rich and noble? As long as there is no worry about food and clothing, no illness and no disaster, and the family is safe and sound, it is better than anything else. So he thanked the feng shui master heavily, and then explained to the whole clan the 'feng shui' that his clan relied on for survival. Since then, 'red' has inadvertently become a taboo for the clan. ”

"I see. After listening to Chen Wenqi's introduction, Weng Junding suddenly realized, "Is this 'taboo' a family rule or a general custom of your family?"

Chen Wenqi thought for a while, shook his head and said: "Because the shrimp is red, the people of this clan will avoid red intentionally or unintentionally. ”

"Since there is no hard and fast rule, hasn't anyone ever broken this custom and worn red clothes for hundreds of years?"

"At least I've never heard of it. ”

"Brother Chen, have you ever thought about breaking this custom?" asked Weng Junding with ulterior motives.

"Me?" Chen Wenqi was stunned for a moment, and then said: "No, since it is the custom of my own clan, and this custom is harmless, then why should I be unconventional and cause the unhappiness of the clansmen?

"That might be a deal. Have you ever thought about it, if you go to the capital like this, Brother Chen not only has the name of the wild goose pagoda, but also dominates the front, and now the emperor not only wants to give the big red robe, the big red top to wear, but also to wear it to fight horses and parade in the streets. At that time, I don't know how the old brother should deal with himself?"

Chen Wenqi smiled dumbly: "Brother Weng Nian is really whimsical, you say that this champion is home-raised? If you want to reach out and take it?

Although Weng Junding said it in passing, it was not impossible, but it did not attract Chen Wenqi's attention, so that he was later imprisoned, which is a later story.

"Although there are many people who read poetry and books, there are not many Xie Yuan, who are talented. Like our huge Huguang Province, there were 79 people in the township test last year, but Xie Yuangong only had one brother. ”

Although the examiner pays attention to the smooth sentences and appropriate content in the reading of the papers, after all, it varies from person to person, 'looking horizontally at the side of the ridge into a peak', how can there be a reason that Xie Yuan is much higher than other people of the same year? Just like Brother Weng Nian's literary talent, he is ashamed of himself. Chen Wenqi is low-key, and when he heard Weng Junding talk about himself, he hurriedly opened the topic: "Let's not talk about this, when it comes to the entrance examination in Beijing, it is less than a month away from the entrance examination, does Brother Weng Nian plan to travel nearby for a while and then take the 'bus' to Beijing in Wuchang City, or will he accompany him to enter Beijing on his own?"

Since the beginning of the Han Dynasty, the imperial court has the tradition of sending people to Beijing with public cars and horses, although in the following more than 1,000 years, the dynasties have changed frequently, but the tradition of sending the examination by bus has continued to this day, so Chen Wenqi has this question.

"It's better to read 10,000 books than to travel 10,000 miles. If Brother Chen is interested, why don't we go together, walk for a while, and then hire a carriage to enter Beijing when we get tired one day?"

"Brother Weng Nian has this Yaxing, and he sacrifices his life to accompany the gentleman. In that case, let's leave tomorrow, Brother Weng Nian will go to bed early, and I'll go to prepare the luggage. After Chen Wenqi finished speaking, he said goodbye to Weng Junding, went to his father's room, and left for Beijing tomorrow, and went back to the room to pack up.

However, they said that Chen Ruishan and Wen heard that Chen Wenqi was going to leave for Beijing tomorrow, so how could they go to bed peacefully at night? The couple lit candles and were busy packing up the things they were going to bring tomorrow. Mrs. Wen took out a needlework basket and hurried to finish the soles of the leather boots for Chen Wenqi; "The poor guests are rich and entangled", Chen Ruishan was thinking about how to let his son take the whole thing, although there is no shortage of this bit of silver at home, but if the two with silver are both large and heavy, they are also very eye-catching; "Daming treasure banknotes" were not very popular as early as the orthodox years, and some large pawnshops issued "meeting tickets" Circulation could not be guaranteed, thinking that it would be better to bring gold, so in addition to leaving a little scattered silver for Chen Wenqi to use on the road, Chen Ruishan exchanged the gold of the neighbor's house with silver overnight and put it in Chen Wenqi's package. After doing this, Chen Ruishan suddenly remembered something, and said to Wen, who was bowing his head to the bottom:

"you, take out that package. ”

When Wen Shi heard this, he stopped the needlework in his hand, got up and lifted the futon on the bed, opened the top cover of the sleeping cabinet, took out a small blue printed package from it, handed it to Chen Ruishan, and asked casually: "What are you doing with it at this time?"

Chen Ruishan opened the package, took out a hollow phoenix jade from it, held it up to the candle and looked at it carefully, and said to his wife: "My son has grown up, and he will go outside tomorrow. ”

Mrs. Wen nodded, and then said without worry: "In case this ornament is ...... by someone."

Chen Ruishan knew what Mrs. Wen was worried about, and without waiting for her to finish speaking, he took her words: "I naturally understand Madame's thoughts, how can the mood of being a husband be the same? Moreover, my Chen family has been governing the family with morality and faith for generations, and has never done anything deceitful. If we deliberately conceal it, although no one knows the secret, but 'the whispers of the world, the heavens are like thunder, the dark room is deceitful, and the eyes of the gods are like lightning', how can we be worthy of admiration? If we let Qi'er wear it on our bodies now, if it can be met by the old master, and thus solve the mystery of Qi'er's life experience, and reunite his flesh and blood, wouldn't it be a merit for us?"

"I know it all. It's just that I thought that if that day really came, our son, who had been raised with hard work, would recognize his ancestors and return to his ancestors, leaving us two lonely old people, and it would not be a good feeling in my heart. Mrs. Wen couldn't help choking up as she spoke.

"Okay, okay, isn't Qi'er by our side well?" As soon as Mrs. cried, Chen Ruishan's heart was also sour, and he hurriedly said comfortingly: "Besides, I don't know what happened back then, otherwise his father and mother would not have abandoned him." Despite the discomfort, I still hope that they can be reunited. We have also tasted the pain of losing a child, and that taste is truly unforgettable, and we will never forget it for the rest of our lives. ”

Just as the husband and wife were sighing, there was a knocking sound of "tuk tuk" outside the room, Chen Ruishan opened the door, and Chen Wenqi stood outside the door in the costume of a long journey.

It turned out that the sky was twilight, and a new day began.

Mrs. Wen secretly wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, beckoned to Chen Wenqi, and said, "Qi'er, it's so early? Come in." ”

Chen Wenqi walked up to her mother, saw that her eyes were red, and she was reluctant to go far away, so she hurriedly comforted: "Mother, Qi'er has only been out for three or two months, and when the trial is finished, Qi'er will go home to accompany her father and mother for a lifetime." ”

"Look at what you kid said. When the child grows up, he will always leave his father and mother, and leave his hometown, how can he guard his father and mother for the rest of his life? It's just that no matter what happens in the future, don't forget the father and mother who are leaning against the door in Chenjiazhuang. After that, his eyes began to damp again, so he hurriedly turned his head away.

In order to ease the atmosphere before leaving, Chen Wenqi deliberately said to his father and mother lightly: "If Qi'er is lucky enough to be a scholar, no matter where she is an official, she will definitely take her father and mother to spend her old age in peace." ”

"My mother won't go, first, it's hard to leave my homeland, and second, so as not to annoy my daughter-in-law. Mrs. Wen slowly regained her composure and said half-jokingly.

"Mother, look at you, what are you talking about?" Chen Wenqi blushed suddenly.

"Your mother, you dream of holding your grandson. Chen Ruishan walked over and said with a smile.

"Dad, you are the same as your mother. Chen Wenqi said embarrassedly.

The family of three talked and laughed, and the atmosphere was really much more relaxed. Seeing that the sky was already bright, Chen Ruishan said to Mrs. Wen: "Madam, please go and prepare breakfast, and I will talk to Qi'er for a while." ”

Mrs. Wen agreed, and went to the kitchen to make a fire and cook.

Chen Ruishan picked up the jade on the table, handed it to Chen Wenqi, and said: "Qi'er, if you wear this jade, it can protect you from turning evil into good fortune and auspicious in trouble." ”

Chen Wenqi took the jade bi and asked, "Daddy, did you buy this jade bi?"

"It's not. ”

"That's the ancestral one, right?"

"Hmm——,mmmm. Chen Ruishan nodded vaguely.

Chen Wenqi wondered how it came into such a shape, like half of the heart, and he held it in his hand for a long time, and then carefully wore it around his neck.

Chen Ruishan took out another booklet, stuffed it into Chen Wenqi's bag, and said to Chen Wenqi: "Qi'er, when you fought with Shan Xue that day, your skills were still slightly inferior. As the saying goes, the fist is not separated from the hand, and the kung fu taught by your master cannot be left behind, and you must practice diligently. This booklet was accidentally obtained by Daddy, and it may be of benefit to you if you take it with you and refer to it in your free time. ”

The child remembered. ”

"This time the Beijing will test, and there are many talents. Daddy only says one word, don't be empty-eyed, and don't be arrogant, as long as you do your best, whether it's a prosperous or famous grandson, your father and mother are proud of you. The rest of the words, my father told you before the township test last year, so I won't say much. Your mother's meal should be ready, go and call you the same year, and we'll eat together. ”

After breakfast, Chen Wenqi and Weng Junding put on their luggage packages, said goodbye to their parents and fifth uncle, and went out to look west. He hadn't gone far when he heard shouts behind him, so he stopped and looked at the road. I saw the fifth uncle rushing over, panting and saying, "Qi'er, go slowly, uncle, his old man has something to say to you." ”

When Chen Wenqi heard this, he hurriedly turned around and returned to the original road, and met his uncle Chen Nansong, who was supported by his father, at the head of the village. After Chen Wenqi gave a big salute to his uncle, he said respectfully: "Wenqi did not dare to say goodbye to his uncle for fear of disturbing his uncle's purity. What is the teachings of my uncle, Wen Qi is here to listen. ”

Chen Nansong trembled and handed a letter to Chen Wenqi in his hand and said: "Wenqi, since our Chen family moved south to this place, although the people are prosperous and well-fed, no one can seek fame. Your entry into Beijing today to take the entrance examination, whether it is Chinese or not, is the glory and pride of our Chen family. Chen Nansong glanced at Weng Junding, who was standing aside, and then said: "The old man is not afraid of this guest laughing, if he is lucky enough to pass the test and win the champion, you will open it and look at it; ”

After listening to his uncle's words, Chen Wenqi understood in his heart, carefully stuffed the envelope into the package, and then said to Chen Nansong: "Wenqi will do his best to live up to his uncle's love." After that, he gave Chen Nansong, his father and the fifth uncle a deep sigh, and turned around and walked west with Weng Junding.