In ancient times, transportation was inconvenient and information transmission was very slow.
Several days had passed since the announcement of the results of the imperial examination. While the capital was still immersed in the glory of the number one scholar bragging about himself, most places outside the capital did not yet know the result of the palace examination. More than a hundred messengers rode out of the capital, and although they galloped, the announcement of the results of the imperial examination was still on the way.
In the southwest of the vast Ming Dynasty territory, there is a Woniu Mountain that rises from the ground and stretches for hundreds of miles. At the foot of the mountain, there is a small mountain village with beautiful scenery, nestled in the mountains and beside the water. There is a fence in front of the village, loquat trees behind the village, and melons and beans planted in front of and behind the houses.
The village is like a paradise, with Woniu Mountain behind the village and a clear stream in front of the village. The mountains are lush with trees and the water is rich with fish and shrimp. However, despite the beautiful scenery, judging from the fences, thatched houses and adobe houses in the village, life in the village is still far from being rich.
In the center of the village there is a huge old banyan tree with many branches that are winding and towering, blocking out the sun.
There are two stone tablets under the old banyan tree, one of which was built several months ago, and the other was just erected a few days ago. The marks on the stone tablets are all new ones. The old tablet is engraved with "Erected by Zhu Ping'an, a successful candidate in the Xinhai Special Examination in the 30th year of Jiajing", and the new tablet is engraved with "Erected by Zhu Ping'an, a first-place winner in the Xinhai Special Examination in the 30th year of Jiajing".
Although the palace examination results had been announced several days ago, the news had not yet reached this small mountain village, which was still reeling from the news that its local Zhu Ping'an had won the first place.
There were many people standing under the old banyan tree in the center of the village, chatting. While they were chatting, tall and strong horses pulling carriages passed by from time to time, either entering or leaving the village, in an endless stream.
"Well, this is the eighteenth carriage today. Tsk, tsk, there should be at least this many horses. It's a pity to have them pulling the carriage." An old farmer squatted on the ground smoking a pipe and knocked his pipe against a tree root. Looking at the back of a carriage entering the village, he felt a little sorry for the tall and handsome horses pulling the carriage.
"Uncle Six, that's nothing. The day before yesterday I saw two pure white horses pulling a carriage." Another villager said proudly while leaning against a tree trunk. "Uncle, I'm not bragging. One day there were a lot of people and Brother Zhu asked me to help. I went to the carriage to check. There was really not a single stray hair on it."
"The Zhu family is going to be prosperous. Ping Anlang is really promising. He is the first place winner in the exam. There is only one in the whole country. We can't even dream of it."
There was a strong dark man sharpening farm tools under the old banyan tree. He looked at the west end of the village and said enviously.
"You think too much. He is Ping'anlang. Who are you? Let's not talk about anything else. Years ago, Ping'anlang promoted Xuegu in our village. Wow, even the county magistrate praised our village, and Ping'anlang was only thirteen years old at that time." The old farmer who had been smoking his pipe under the tree roots before, refilled his pipe with tobacco, sat on the tree roots, leaned against the trunk and took a deep puff.
After the old farmer finished speaking, he received unanimous response from everyone.
"That's right, that's right. This year my kid went to Master Sun's elementary school, and our village gave him a load of millet. They said there would be another load in the summer."
"That's right. My two boys both went to elementary school and earned two loads of money each time. It saved a lot of trouble at home, and they could learn something. They may not become masters like Ping An Lang. But if they can read and count, they can get a good job in town."
Just as people were talking about it, an old farmer came from the west end of the village, followed by a big fat dog.
Seeing the newcomer, the people under the old banyan tree became more excited. The newcomer was Uncle Li from the west end of the village. Uncle Li lived next door to Zhu Ping'an and his family, and they were old neighbors.
"Uncle Li, why are you here? Why aren't you taking a nap?" A young man under the banyan tree looked at Uncle Li and asked.
"Why should I take a nap? I just lay down when a group of people came to Shouyi's house. I just wanted to take a nap when another group of people came. I had already finished dinner two days ago, but there were still people coming. I couldn't sleep at all..." Uncle Li walked over, rubbing his forehead tiredly, but his face was full of showing off, as if he was very proud of not being able to sleep.
"Hahaha, Uncle Li, why don't you switch places with my family? My family is safe and I guarantee you'll sleep well and soundly." The young man under the banyan tree joked with a smile.
"That's wishful thinking. I won't change it no matter how much money you offer. Have you seen the Juren? Have you seen the county magistrate? Have you seen the master from Anqing Prefecture?" Uncle Li asked the young man with pride, blowing his gray beard.
The young man shook his head.
"What master? I've never seen your uncle before. Let me tell you, you can see him clearly from the roof of my house. You know what, you can never learn the master's demeanor in your entire life." Uncle Li's face flushed as he spoke, and he even imitated the master's walking in a figure-eight manner. He felt as if he was possessed by the master, and was confident and composed.
"Hahaha... Grandpa Li walks like an old turtle..." A naughty kid wearing open-crotch pants under the banyan tree pointed at Grandpa Li and laughed.
In the end, he was pinned to the ground and slapped twice by his father.
"Alright, alright, just send him to school when he's old enough. Our village has an educational park anyway, and the neighboring villages are envious." Someone advised the father of the naughty kid.
"Uncle Li, I see that you don't want to change houses because Shouyi's family always sends things to your house, such as snacks and fruits. I see that you have received a lot of them." Someone laughed.
Uncle Li blew his beard and said, "Why, Shouyi's family didn't send any to your house? Didn't everyone in our village send it?"
"That's right, that's right, the Shouyi family is beyond reproach." People nodded.
After chatting for a while, they saw the big carriage that had just gone to Zhu Ping'an's house at the east end of the village came out from the west end of the village again, and the coachman drove the carriage out of the village.
The fat dog following Uncle Li couldn't help but get excited when he saw the strange carriage. His aggressiveness eased a little, and he pricked up his ears, took two steps forward on all fours, stretched his neck, and made a howling gesture.
Then
In the sight of everyone, the big fat dog was in full posture, with its neck stretched out and its mouth opened, but even with its mouth opened wide, it didn't make a single sound.
I opened my mouth and bit my teeth, but there was no sound.
After barking twice silently, the big fat dog drooped its ears and lay down at Uncle Li's feet in a shabby state.
"Uncle Li, what's wrong with this idiot in your family? In the past, you would have to call out for a long time when you saw a stranger. Why is there thunder but no rain today?" Seeing this, people couldn't help but ask curiously.
"Nothing, there are just too many people coming here lately, the dog is tired of biting and can't bark anymore."
Uncle Li looked at the big fat dog under his feet, shook his head nonchalantly, and explained. (To be continued.)