Xiaoyaoshanjun

Chapter 27 Pretending to be magnanimous

At the end of the month, the two set off with the examination certificates issued by the county government and left the city gate escorted by Dou Niang, their three children and neighbors.

Tian Buli pushed the two-wheeled cart and said with a smile: "I heard that it takes two days and one night to get to the capital. The exam will take another ten days. Counting the days for the results to be released, we estimate that we will not be back until May."

Mr. Sick nodded and said, "Yes."

Tian Buli smiled and said, "We are traveling during the day. I heard there are shops where we can rest. Sir, if you think about something happy or an article, the time will pass quickly. I will also talk less, so we can save our energy for the journey."

"Okay!" Mr. Bing smiled and bowed to express his gratitude.

Food, accommodation and lodging are all expenses along the way, as well as the examination writing materials, paper and inkstone, and application fees, plus travel expenses and some other expenses. Most families have only one person coming out to take the exam.

The county government did provide buses, so more than a dozen students could take the exam together.

However, if there are too many people, the expenses will be high. Scholars care about their reputation and cannot save money on food and accommodation. It is better to travel alone to save money.

Mr. Bing's health had indeed improved a little, but he was still not as good as an ordinary person. Tian Buli was worried and did not dare to let him travel alone.

The car was filled with eggs, fermented tofu, honey water, wine, steamed buns, and bedding.

Mr. Bing was lying on the cart, covered with a quilt to rest, while Tian Buli pushed the cart quickly forward on the road.

He had good physical strength and endurance. It hadn't rained for several days in April, so the road was easy to walk on. He soon left the county.

Others rode donkeys, horses or walked, but since Tian Buli was a time traveler, he did whatever was easiest.

If you encounter a pothole on the road, just push it hard over it. It is definitely easier to lie down than to sit on a donkey or horse, as it avoids the bumps.

The weather has been good in the past two years, and April is the busy farming season. Every household is busy planting beans. This place is close to the county town and the provincial capital, so there is no need to worry too much about bad guys appearing here.

We walked faster on the way and arrived at the hotel where we were originally going to stay that night at noon.

Tian Buli just walked over and didn't care. Anyway, he had bedding and food, and getting to the provincial capital earlier could save him two or three days' hard-earned money.

Mr. Bing was shaken badly by the cart, and he stopped and started frequently. Every time he had a good rest, Tian Buli would run quickly.

At around five or six in the afternoon, the two of them walked around the foot of a mountain, crossed more than a dozen wooden and stone bridges, and arrived at the territory of Qitian Mansion.

It was already dark. In the distance there were towns and farmlands on the hillside. As the sun was setting, there were a few inns and teahouses on the roadside, as well as a few low houses along the roadside.

"Sir, we have reached the territory of Qitian Prefecture. It will take another four or five hours to reach the city. Let's find a place to rest for the night."

Tian Buli didn't want to spend money either, but if he didn't stay in the store and stayed outside, he would easily be questioned by the villagers and passers-by on the road, which would only cause trouble.

The sick man came out from under the quilt, looking pale and weak.

"Finally here, is there any water?"

Tian Buli quickly took some water from the basket and gave it to him to drink. The bumpy journey was definitely not good for the patient.

The sick man took the gourd and drank water. After resting for more than ten seconds, he felt much better and slowly got off the cart.

Tian Buli found an ordinary shop, and the sick man behind him slowly caught up with him. After walking a few steps, he felt much more relaxed.

After entering the door, you will see a main room with six or seven tables. It is not too big, nor too small, and it looks like there is a yard inside. It is a bungalow hotel converted from an ordinary house.

"Would you like to stay in the hotel or have a meal?" The shopkeeper was keeping accounts at the counter. When he saw the two of them, he casually greeted them.

Tian Buli went over quickly and said, "We're staying in a hotel, one room. There's a cart outside. Can we park it in the yard? There's not much cargo on it, just a quilt for the journey."

Shopkeeper Ma looked up and down at the sick gentleman behind Tian Buli, and seeing that he was a poor and sick scholar, he opened his mouth in annoyance.

"Six hundred coins a night, food and drink are extra."

Tian Buli said hurriedly: "Boss, can you give us a discount? We don't have enough money."

Shopkeeper Ma raised his eyebrows and cursed fiercely, "That's the price! Get out if you don't want to stay! I'm telling you, if you leave this way, no other store will accept you! There are strong men out there at night now, so you better think about it carefully!!"

Tian Buli wanted to burn down the store, but that might be a bit too much.

The shops nearby must be full of people. If I hit one, I would cause a group of people to come out. Besides, I still have to take the exam, so there is no need to get bloodstained. "Boss, don't be angry. Stay, we'll stay in the hotel."

Tian Buli paid the money with a smile, and then helped the sick man to the dirty, leaky hut in the yard.

The hut was a little smaller than the one at home, with leaky windows. There was only a smelly quilt and a wooden table, chairs and benches in the room.

Tian Buli carried the bedding into the house and spread out his own bedding.

"Sir, you should have a good rest. I am strong and I still have to watch over the cart. I will rest at the door tonight. We will leave tomorrow morning."

Mr. Bing sat on a long bench, looking at Tian Buli who was making the bed, and thought about the attitude of the shop owner towards them just now.

"Alas... I am so useless. If I had achieved fame, this wouldn't have happened."

Tian Buli said with a smile: "What's the big deal? Even if there is a great judge, he won't care about such an ordinary thing on the roadside."

"There's no need to tell anyone about this. It would make us look like we're too serious."

"We are all small people. We don't need to care about the potholes on the road. Once this matter is over, let it go and just look at the smooth road ahead."

"Think about the exam, read a book if you have nothing to do. I'm tired after a day, so I'll take a break. There's no point in paying attention to this, it will only increase your bad intentions."

Tian Buli has calmed down and will definitely not stay in this shabby hotel a second time.

"You are so magnanimous, my benefactor." Mr. Bing sighed again, "When I was young, I learned some martial arts and didn't know how high the heaven was. I quarreled with someone over a prostitute and caused my family to be destroyed."

Tian Buli turned his head and looked at Mr. Bing. "Speaking of which, Mr. Bing never told me about this matter. Who killed Mr. Bing's family? Was it someone from the county?"

"Alas..." Mr. Bing sighed again, "I asked the county magistrate about this matter last time, and he said he would help me investigate it. This matter has nothing to do with you, my benefactor, and I don't want to think about it again."

"Sir, stop sighing. Eat something. You still have to live tomorrow. Go to sleep after you have a full stomach. This way you will have the strength to get out of this terrible situation."

Tian Buli peeled the eggs he had cooked in the morning and handed them to Mr. Bing. He ate some dry food himself and then went to the door to guard the broken car.

Mr. Sick couldn't sleep, so he picked up the book and continued reading.

Both of them were dressed shabbily, but Tian Buli was not good-looking, more like a young servant, while Mr. Bing looked elegant and had a morbid temperament, more like a scholar.

They must have been staying in a shabby inn, but luckily both of them were very poor and had the candidate badges given by the county on them, so the inn owner didn't dare to kill them for a wooden cart.

However, he has a lot of guts and courage to do other things.

Early in the morning, Tian Buli checked out and left.

"Boss, the deposit has been returned."

"What deposit? You dare to ask me for a deposit? You threw my best quilt on the floor and made it dirty. I'm giving your master face by not asking you to pay me! Get out now!"

Tian Buli was so angry that he wanted to hit someone, but when he saw the boss's family eating nearby and the sick man who couldn't run away, he finally endured it.

"Sir, we are in the wrong, let's go." Tian Buli turned around to comfort the sick man and escorted him out of the black shop safely.

The two of them drove away from the black shop within a hundred meters. Mr. Bing said with emotion: "I didn't expect that we would encounter such a thing when we came out to take the exam."

Tian Buli smiled and said, "Sir, don't be so aloof. Scholars can also be bullied."

"Without power and influence, even a scholar can't do anything."

"Everyone respects scholars because scholars may become officials, not because scholars are knowledgeable and well-mannered."

"Sir, you should get to know more people in the future. Reading can make a living, but mere rote learning is not good. This is what our county master said. You really need to learn more from people like them."

Mr. Bing nodded and said, "What the benefactor said is true. Just like what the benefactor said, reading thousands of books is as good as traveling thousands of miles."

"Haha!" Tian Buli said with a smile: "Let's go! The past is gone with the wind! Why should I care about the shabby shop and the shabby people behind me!"

Tian Buli was no longer angry and smiled generously.

(End of this chapter)