The driver was a middle-aged man, who was about to go out to deliver a mountain animal skin.

Zhang Ran sat alone in the carriage, holding the gray package tightly in his arms, which was the coarse cloth clothes that his mother had sewn for several days. It's not possible to go to the school to study.,But I got a school to clean and do chores.,Although I'm reluctant.,It's okay to go out to see the world.,Hey.,Who can say what will happen in the future.。 A childish face added a trace of depression and reluctance out of thin air.

The carriage was bumpy all the way, and Zhang Ran gradually dozed off.

Qingluoji is about dozens of miles away from the Gutang Mountain Range, during which the mountains are steep and the roads are rugged, if it is not for the animal power, I am afraid it will be difficult to get out of this natural cage.

"Woo——。 ”

"Here, boy, get out of the car. ”

Zhang Ran hurriedly picked up the package and jumped down, bowed deeply to the middle-aged man who was rushing to the car, and said, "Thank you, uncle." ”

"Hehe, it's okay, thank you. The middle-aged man waved his hand, and with a "driving" sound, the carriage ran into the distance.

On the official road, Zhang Ran was at a loss, not knowing where to go in the next moment, so he had to go to a crowded place. What a lively place, Zhang Ran couldn't help but marvel. Houses are dotted, shops are on the street, vendors and vendors are shouting and shouting. An enticing fragrance wafted from a shop, and Zhang Ran took a few steps forward.

"Hey, the crispy oil cake," the young junior enthusiastically beckoned Zhang Ran.

Zhang Ran looked embarrassed, blushed, and asked weakly, May I ask the eldest brother, how to go to the school. Xiao Er's face was full of disdain, Zhang Ran's appearance was no different from that of a little flower, and the patches on his robe were grinning. Following the direction of Xiao Er's finger, Zhang Ran fled in the wilderness.

The juku hall is located in the north of the market town, covering a small area, on the mottled gate of vermilion lacquer, hanging a pair of round iron rings, a few green bricks and blue tiles, and a few tall locust trees in the yard, the canopy is like a cloud, shading the tranquility and serenity here

"Zhang Ran, right," the hall steward was dressed in a dark robe, with his hands behind his back, staring majestically at the young man in front of him.

"Well, I have said in advance, I have free food and lodging here, and there is no salary, and your task is to sprinkle and sweep the courtyard and boil water and split wood, can you remember clearly?" the steward instructed uneasily.

"Yes. ”

"Oh, by the way, someone will bring the food. ”

The steward nodded with satisfaction, he was a little strange, whose child would beg someone to come here to suffer, the steward was really puzzled.

In the corner of the courtyard wall, Zhang Ran found a place to stay, and in the cramped room, there was a wooden board called a bed, and a ball of broken cotton wool curled up in a corner. I put down my package, went to the storage room next to it, found a broom, and thoroughly cleaned the place where I wanted to stay, and laid out the things on the bed, and cleaned up, and the ink in the room became darker. Half an hour later, the servant brought a bowl of coarse hard rice with a few pickles on top.

This is how Zhang Ran's life began.

Before the hour came, Zhang Ran cleaned the leaves in the courtyard, and the bricks with bruises were as clean as new, and the tables and chairs in the study room were wiped black and translucent with rags, and the dust was not stained. When it was almost noon, Zhang Ran boiled the tea early, and when he was free, he went to the nearby forest to collect firewood, and then stacked it neatly in the storage room and took it as he needed. When I saw Zhang Ran, the steward always looked like he was smiling, and he was diligent with his hands and feet, yes, it was really good.

Zhang Ran didn't care, this kind of work was really not worth mentioning to him.

Duanmu Jin, finally saw him, he was dressed in a new green robe, standing out among more than a dozen teenagers. Zhang Ran wanted to say hello, but Duanmu Jin pretended not to see it, and talked and laughed with other teenagers. Zhang Ran blushed and walked away in a daze. After all, he is not a person all the way, he is just a handyman, and Duanmu Jin is to read and write.

"Tianxingjian gentleman is constantly striving for self-improvement...... The terrain is good, and the gentleman carries things with virtue......"

In the study room, Mr. was explaining loudly, and after a while, there was the sound of the ring ruler tapping on the desk, sometimes mixed with Mr. loud scolding, and after a pause, a burst of reading sounded.

Zhang Ran didn't understand, but felt that the sound of Mr. talking about the book was better than the dingdong of the mountain stream spring and the song of the birds in the shade of the trees. The words of the gentleman were all in his ears, and although he did not understand the meaning, he was still satisfied in the end.

"Where did you come from, I'm afraid it's crazy," a young man looked at Zhang Ran maliciously, his face full of disdain.

"Poor place, this is the place where you poor boy can come," said another young man, pretending to be sympathetic, and his face was distressed.

Zhang Ran didn't come to life, his eyes looked elsewhere and ignored it.

A short and fat young man in brocade raised his fist at Zhang Ran, his face was purple, and he shouted: "Raised by a son of a bitch, if you dangle in front of the study house next time, be careful that Lao Tzu smashes your dog's head." ”

Zhang Ran has an attitude of calming things down, and he doesn't want to conflict with these gentlemen, but now it's okay, but something happens. Zhang Ran clenched his fists, but he still forcibly endured this evil spirit, the situation is stronger than people, if he knew about it, would he still have the opportunity to stay in the school? Zhang Ran was sure of this, and there was no doubt that the steward had gained a lot of benefits in the hands of these rich people.

"Howling loudly, what kind of manners, knowing etiquette and knowing shame, how did you learn it?" the gentleman frowned and walked this way. The teenagers are not afraid of the sky or the earth, but they are afraid that the husband's ring ruler will bite the palm of their hand. Hulong, all of them hid in the library.

Mr. with a wide robe and big sleeves, a tall and thin figure, looked at Zhang Ran kindly, and said softly: "Child, you like to read?"

Zhang Ran was nervous, quickly knelt down, and said, "Excuse me, sir." ”

Mr. stretched out his hands, pulled Zhang Ran up, and smiled, "It's okay."

"That's it," Mr. squinted his eyes and pondered for a while, then took out a booklet from his big sleeve, handed it to Zhang Ran, and said, "If you can memorize the words on it, I promise you to go into the library to listen to the lecture, are you willing?"

When Zhang Ran heard this, tears welled up in his eyes, leaned down and took the pamphlet handed by his husband tremblingly. It's worth it, poverty, humiliation, these are really nothing. What the gentleman left for himself is hope.

In the following days, Zhang Ran began to fight for his life. Day and night, cloudy, rainy and snowy, wind, dew and frost, Zhang Ran desperately carved these words into his mind. In his spare time, Mr. also pointed out the reading and meaning of Zhang Ran's words. Spring goes to autumn, and Zhang Ran has gained a lot. Mr. often twists his beard and smiles, and his son can be taught.

finally has the opportunity to enter the bookstore, of course, the premise is that the work he does cannot be left behind, this is the foundation of his life, Zhang Ran can still see it clearly.

The teenagers watched in amazement as Zhang Ran sat at the back of the study room, his face full of incredulity, and there was a commotion all around. The gentleman snorted heavily, and then everyone quieted down and continued to listen to the gentleman's lecture.

Zhang Ran gradually became familiar with this world, the original ignorance disappeared from this young man, and he vaguely saw the word fate, no matter what, these two words should be firmly held in his hands. I learned from Mr. that in the entire Hengshan Empire, if a person wants to have a good future and make his family live a good life, he should seek fame and become an official, so as to live up to the good life of a man. Zhang Ran thought so.

Three years are about to expire, and there is still a month left, Zhang Ran is almost 13 years old, and Zhang Ran has grown a lot taller. is still the slightly tight gray robe, or the immature and thin little face, Zhang Ran at this time seems to have a different temperament from others, and there is a smell of books between his gestures, calm and indifferent.

The Tongsheng test is the lowest level of the Hengshan Empire's entry selection exam, only after passing this initial level, next, you can further study in the highest school in Gushan City, and after surviving, you can go to the imperial capital Hengshan City to participate in the unification of the whole empire, if the article is excellent, His Majesty the Emperor will grant an official position in court, and at that time, fame and wealth will be at your fingertips. Zhang Ran fell into a long and wonderful reverie.

Mr. went to Gushan City Academy, because there were less than two months before the children's examination, he had to get the documents for the children's examination, and he could not enter the examination room without the papers, and the time to go back and forth was at least 3 days. After almost three years of part-time work and study, Zhang Ran has been in a tense state, almost never going out, and he has not visited this lively big gathering. A wry smile appeared at the corner of Zhang Ran's mouth, it was time to fulfill the agreement with the Sheng Yong brothers.

From north to south, I kept asking on the way, and finally found it.

The two enthusiastically pulled Zhang Ran into the rest room of the blacksmith shop, and Zhang Ran looked at the two brothers with a smile. If it weren't for the familiar memories of those years, they would almost be unrecognizable, and the immature children have grown into burly and fierce young men. After a warm hug, they recounted their experiences in the past few years, and said that they sighed for a while, but fortunately, everyone was in a good mood.

Before parting, Zhang Ran asked, "You don't plan to go home." ”

"My father said that if the apprentice is dissatisfied with the three-year apprentice, he will not be allowed to go back, and if my father asks what he has learned, I will have no shame. Sheng Hua was quite entangled.

"Brother, isn't it almost three years, Dad won't say anything. Sheng Yong comforted.

Everyone said okay, and when the time comes, we will go back together.

The gentleman finally returned, and when he saw the joy on his face, it seemed that things were going well. Open the pale yellow hard-faced paper, which has the seal of the university, as well as the signature of the gentleman and the name of the candidate, there is no mistake at all. Zhang Ran glanced at the companions who had gotten along with him in the past few years, and it could be seen that everyone was very excited, especially the young man in the brocade robe, with a face that was determined to win. Duanmu Jin's performance was very casual, just looking at Zhang Ran, but his face was complicated.

Zhang Ran cherished the text into his arms and pressed it with his hand.

Will Zhang Ran succeed?