The snow was falling just like yesterday, drifting in the air and covering the vast fields with a blanket of white. The willow trees outside were covered in ice and snow and were covered with icicles, which looked like silver bars hanging on the trees. It was a spectacular sight.
"Brother Yang, you don't have to send me off anymore."
Zhu Ping'an rode on his horse and waved goodbye to Yang Dacheng's family who were waiting for him at the roadside at the village entrance.
"My benefactor, please stay for another day until the snow stops, and then you can continue your journey. We are really grateful to you for what happened yesterday. You are our family's savior. Please stay for a few more days until the snow stops, and then you can continue your journey. You are in such a hurry to leave, but you think that my family has not taken good care of you."
Yang Dacheng's family tried hard to keep Zhu Ping'an and thanked him from the bottom of their hearts. If it weren't for Zhu Ping'an, their family would be in great trouble. Huang Cuandian's ruthless style would definitely make the Yang family separated. It was because of Zhu Ping'an's help that the Yang family was spared. Huang Cuandian was also stripped of his student status by the county magistrate, and then all the crimes he had committed in the past were verified one by one and he was put in jail. As for the other officers, they were given different punishments according to the severity of their crimes, so that the Yang family had no worries.
"I'm grateful that Brother Yang stayed overnight yesterday. Today we have to get on with our journey. The journey to the capital is a thousand miles and the exam is approaching, so we can't stay any longer." Zhu Ping'an refused with a silly smile on his face while riding on horseback.
"Big brother, I also want to study and take the imperial examination."
The naughty kid following behind Yang Dacheng looked at Zhu Pingan and shouted loudly.
"Haha, okay, then I'll wait for you in Beijing." Zhu Ping'an turned around and smiled, then bowed and said goodbye to Yang Dacheng's family.
In the heavy snow, a rider rode north along the official road and slowly disappeared from the sight of Yang Dacheng's family.
"This is our Zhu family's benefactor. I will ask an artist to draw a portrait of him later, and burn incense to express my gratitude during festivals."
Yang Dacheng looked at Zhu Ping'an's departing figure and said to his wife beside him.
Zhu Ping'an, who was walking north along the official road, suddenly sneezed, rubbed his nose, and felt a little puzzled.
The heavy snow continued to fall for another day and night. Zhu Ping'an traveled during the day and found a place to stay at night. He would continue on his journey the next morning. Of course, he would leave more than ten coins for the people he stayed with before leaving.
On the third night, he stayed at the post station in Shucheng County. With his status as a juren, Zhu Ping'an was able to stay and eat for free at the post station for one night. The post station had standards for reception, and the standard for receiving a juren like Zhu Ping'an was only average. However, thanks to the cold winter, there were few people. The post station still received Zhu Ping'an beyond the standard, with dinner of one meat, one vegetable and one soup, accommodation in a single room, and hot water for Zhu Ping'an to bathe in.
After taking a hot bath, Zhu Ping'an felt like a new person, and all the fatigue in his body was swept away.
It had been several days since Zhu Ping'an had read by lamplight at night. He felt embarrassed to bother the host when staying at a village house, and oil lamps were very economical to use. So when staying at a village house, Zhu Ping'an would go to bed early, and gave up the habit of reading by lamplight that he had maintained for many years.
There is no need to worry so much at the post station. After tidying up the table, I lit the oil lamp. However, no matter how bright the oil lamp was, it was not as bright and incandescent as modern fluorescent lamps. It was only a dim yellowish light.
However, the dim oil lamp and the faint scent of ink are a perfect match. It makes people sink into it.
First, I wrote down the little things I had experienced during the past few days, just as a travel note, so that I could tell my mother about it when my parents asked me about it when I got home. After writing the travel note, Zhu Pingan selected a book from the books he brought, "Collected Annotations of the Analects of Confucius", and put it on the table to read.
"The Master said: 'A gentleman seeks the Way, not food. If he tills the land, he may starve; if he studies, he may be rewarded. A gentleman worries about the Way, not poverty.'"
"The Master said: 'A gentleman does not seek to be full when he eats, nor does he seek to be comfortable when he lives. He is quick to act and cautious in speech. He follows the Way and is upright in his conduct. He can be said to be studious.'"
... ...
The universe is vast in words, and the days and months are long in literature. After a tiring journey through the wind and snow, reading at night with a candle is also a kind of enjoyment, which can quench your thirst for writing and relieve your fatigue.
In the middle of the night, I turned off the lights and went to sleep, having a sweet dream all night.
Further north of Shucheng County is Lu'an County, which is under the jurisdiction of Luzhou Prefecture.
Zhu Pingan had breakfast at the post station early in the morning before setting off on his journey. After walking for about three hours, he entered Lu'an County. Lu'an County belongs to Luzhou Prefecture, where there are many mountains and hills. There is a section of the road that is inaccessible by official roads, so Zhu Pingan had to drive his horse along the dirt road, which is sparsely populated.
Zhu Ping'an passed through a low mountain area at noon, roasted some dried meat for lunch, and drank water from the gourd kettle he brought with him. After lunch, Zhu Ping'an continued on his horse, hoping to see human habitation soon.
“Hehe…”
Not long after riding, Zhu Ping'an saw a huge black wild boar weighing about 300 pounds looking for food here and there at the foot of the mountain. It must be because of the heavy snow in the past few days that the wild boar must have starved.
When Zhu Ping'an saw the wild boar, he became alert.
Although pork is always served on people's tables, you should be more careful when you encounter wild boars in the wild. Wild boars move very quickly, and their tusks can easily knock down a tree as thick as a bowl. I have read the news before and know that wild boars are omnivores. When they are hungry, they will attack people. I have also seen many tragic incidents of wild boars attacking and even eating people in the news before.
The mountain was blocked by heavy snow, and this starving creature didn't know what to do. A big guy weighing more than 300 pounds was much more difficult to deal with than a wild wolf. Even hunters needed three or five people to dare to hunt a wild boar, so Zhu Ping'an was more vigilant.
On the one hand, we should be wary of wild boars, and on the other hand, we should be wary of the stupid Shamatte.
Sure enough, the wild boar, which had been searching everywhere but couldn't find any food, saw Zhu Ping'an and the Shamatte dark horse, and then rushed over regardless.
Zhu Ping'an was prepared. He pulled the reins of his black horse and rode in an arc to avoid the charge of the wild boar.
After missing the target, the hungry wild boar went crazy, pricked up its ears, stood up its fur, and let out a howling sound at Zhu Ping'an, then chased after him aggressively.
The mad wild boar is quite fast, especially in the mountains, where its home advantage makes it even more powerful.
Looking at the mad wild boar, Zhu Ping'an calmly rode his horse up a hillside, then made an arc and accelerated downhill.
The wild boar was already fast, and now it was running even faster downhill, and it was about to catch up.
At this moment, Zhu Pingan pulled the reins, and the Shamatte Black Horse made a sharp turn, and a large rock suddenly appeared in front of it. The wild boar was chasing downhill too fast, and it couldn't stop at all, and it didn't have time to turn, so it just hit the rock straight away.
Hearing the earth-shaking roar, Zhu Pingan felt a little annoyed.
Uh, wild boars can’t think of riddles.
More than ten minutes later, Zhu Ping'an rode the Shamatte black horse along the mountain road again. The difference from before was that the Shamatte black horse was pulling a simple sled made of branches, and a black wild boar was lying on the sled.
Zhu Ping'an didn't expect that the collision just now would become the eternity of the wild boar, which was a completely unexpected gain for him.
In line with the principle of not wasting anything, I had no choice but to accept its meat. (To be continued.)