Damn it, I'm in the garbage book I wrote

Chapter 284: Just a Scholar
This year's New Year's celebration was probably the quietest for Xia Lin in recent years. There were only three people in the courtyard. Narcissus cooked a few dishes and bought some pastries to celebrate the New Year.

It snowed in Changsha today. It was extremely cold outside, but it was still warm in the cottage. Xia Lin finally got out the stove for heating, but just to be on the safe side, he still left the window half open. After all, he and Lao Zhang almost died in their hometown last time, and he was still somewhat frightened.

The sound of firecrackers had already rang out one after another before dinner. I lay on the bench and watched the CCTV Spring Festival Gala year after year. Narcissus fried cabbage with lard by the stove and added some soaked mushrooms. Although it was a simple vegetable, the fragrance wafted from far away.

Old Zhang was sitting at the table writing couplets. This kind of thing could only be done by Old Zhang. In previous years, the Spring Festival couplets he wrote on the day of his residence would be secretly torn down on the morning of the first day of the New Year and would never see the new year's sun.

Besides, isn't Lao Zhang's worth getting higher day by day? Every day, there would be a group of people rummaging through garbage in his backyard. If they could find a few pieces of calligraphy manuscripts, they would be regarded as treasures. If they could find a half-finished peony painting, that would be incredible...

It is said that the price of a peony painting by Lao Zhang has been raised to twenty taels of silver, and it is a waste painting. It would be a fortune to ask him to paint one. After all, Lao Zhang has a strange temper. As long as he is not willing, no one can help him. Even if a powerful official comes to ask for a painting, he will have a cold today and his hands will hurt tomorrow, and he will definitely not want to paint a complete one.

"Hey, Lao Zhang." Xia Lin turned his head and asked, "You are almost thirty years old, don't you plan to find a partner?"

Old Zhang was playing with his inkstone. He looked up after hearing Xia Lin's words: "Twenty-five, I'm only twenty-five. I'm only four years older than you."

"Twenty-five is not young anymore, and I'm married. Do you have any problem with that? I have the prescription from the Medicine King. How about I give you a few pills to try?"

"I am full of vigor and vitality, so why do I need those dirty things?"

Old Zhang sneered: "As for you, you are already like this at such a young age. I'm afraid you are doomed in the future."

"I'm sure I won't stop. I'm just afraid that if you hold it in for too long, you'll end up with a nest of toads. So, is there anyone you like? If so, tell me. From princesses to whores, I'll settle it for you."

Old Zhang shook his head gently, "Not really. Ever since my engagement was broken off a few years ago, I've been thinking about it. You kept talking about life, and I was thinking, what exactly is life supposed to be? Getting married, taking the imperial examination, getting promoted, getting rich, having children, achieving success, growing old, and being buried, it seems like everyone in the world spends their lives like this. So let me ask you, do you think life is just an exam paper?"

"Yes and no, this question is too deep for me. You know me. I'm fine with small talk, but if you discuss life with me, I can't give you an answer."

"You say so, then if a test paper comes with a set of answers, then what is the meaning of the test paper? If you say no, then since life is not a test paper, why does it need answers? I think life should be a vast world, with towering mountains on the left, boundless grasslands on the right, the vast sea in front, and my hometown with smoke curling behind. I can go anywhere, I can't decide where I die, but I can decide where I live. If everyone in the world knows that this is the only way to get through, then who knows the majesty of the mountains, wilderness, and endless blue waves?"

"Is this why you don't look for a pussy?"

"Not really. The main reason is that I don't know what I want. I pick and choose randomly, which hurts others and myself. I can still regret hurting myself, but I don't know how to make up for hurting others. In the end, I will be confused and at a loss as to what to do in middle age. Looking at the restless room, it is better for me to wander around alone. It can be regarded as a kind of mercy."

Xia Lin didn't say anything, he just turned over and continued to watch the Spring Festival Gala. At this time, the young actor had already entered the studio, and in Lao Zhang's opinion, his behavior was just like he was holding his broken paperweight and staring blankly, and occasionally he would laugh like a fool.

Soon the food was served. Xia Lin put away his phone and went into the house to get a jar of wine. When he was about to share the wine with Lao Zhang, there was a knock on the door.

Narcissus quickly got up and opened the door. As soon as the door opened, she heard Master Lin's powerful voice outside: "Hello, Master's Wife!"

After that, he walked in with his newlywed wife. They were carrying large and small bags in their hands. As soon as they came in, they knelt down with a plop: "Mr. Zhang, Mr. Xia, happy new year."

"Oh." Xia Lin hurried into the house, wrapped some copper coins in red paper and handed them to the couple, but when he turned around, he found that Lao Zhang had already prepared it.

"Why are you two here when you're not at home for the New Year?" Old Zhang raised his eyebrows, "And you brought so many things with you."

"Father said that teachers are like relatives. We have already had lunch at home, so we should bring something to have dinner with the teacher."

Narcissus quickly stood up: "I'll go make a few more dishes."

"Thank you for your hard work, Master's wife."

The married young master seemed like a completely different person from the inside out, and Xia Lin simply removed the food on the square table and replaced it with a round tabletop, placing the wine and meat on it, which immediately created a lively atmosphere.

"Now that you have a family, you must work hard in the exam after the New Year. If you pass the exam and become a scholar, you can take the exam for a juren in two years."

Old Zhang patted the young master on the shoulder and said, "We can't teach you for a long time. When it comes to studying, it's up to you to decide."

"Sir, I understand everything. I was confused before, but now you two have enlightened me."

As they were talking, there was a knock on the door again. This time it was not Narcissus who went to open the door but the young master who quickly got up and opened it.

"Haha, you idiot, you actually dare to be one step ahead of me?"

It was clear from the sound of the person before the voice that it was Wu Ning. The phrase "never having peace" is so appropriate to describe her.

"Gentlemen, here I come." Wu Ning sat at the table carelessly: "What delicious food do you have today? Oh... they are all my favorites."

Xia Lin and Lao Zhang also handed her a red envelope. At this moment, Xia Lin asked, "Is there no banquet at the county governor's mansion?"

"Yes, I did. I sneaked out because it was too noisy. I don't like that place. It's full of pretentious people. It's not interesting. I'd rather come here and eat the food you two gentlemen have."

Narcissus quickly brought the extra dishes to the table, and the original group of three expanded to six, making the small room quite lively.

"Oh, I was wondering why this room wasn't cold. This little stove is really exquisite." Wu Ning was halfway through her meal when she noticed the charcoal stove in the corner of Xia Lin's room. She reached out her hand and felt the warmth that made her happy.

"Alas, my house is big and empty. A few days ago, an aunt was poisoned to death by fire while warming herself by the fire in the house. Now my father doesn't allow us to light a charcoal fire in the house. It's very cold."

There is certainly no such thing as carbon monoxide poisoning now, but this person is not stupid. He said that fire poisoning is actually referring to carbon monoxide. It is estimated that a few days ago, a relative in the family closed the doors and windows and killed himself. Now the whole family in their family is forbidden to use carbon fire.

Come to think of it, it’s so cold and there’s not even a fire in the house. Even the richest people can only shiver to keep warm.

"Mr. Zhang, my father said that you should be going back soon. He heard that the officials who came back to visit their relatives in Beijing talked about you, saying that the higher-ups planned to reinstate you in the spring. So what should I do after you leave..." "Yes." The young master also hurriedly asked, "Then what should we do?"

"All good things must come to an end. You should study hard. If you pass the imperial examination, we will have plenty of opportunities to meet." Xia Lin said with a smile, "After the Chinese New Year, Mr. Xia will probably go to Beijing to serve as an official."

"Okay!" Wu Ning clapped his hands, "Then I'll go with him."

"Nonsense!" Lao Zhang rolled his eyes at the side, "How shameless."

"What's the point of being decent? I don't want to be stuck in this small place anymore. What's the point of following my master to the capital to study? At most I can give birth to a child for him. It's just a small matter. Besides, if I stay here, I will be married off soon. It's boring."

Lao Zhang took a deep breath and said, "At one year old, you learn to talk, and at a hundred years old, you learn to shut up. You should learn to shut up."

Hahahaha... Xia Lin was laughing so hard. Just listen to what these words are. He, Zhang Zhongchun, Zhang Dapao, was actually trying to persuade others to shut up.

Oh... It is true that every evildoer will be punished by his own evil. Wherever there are poisonous snakes, there must be an antidote within seven steps.

"Sir, I am not kidding. I have made up my mind. If you won't let me go with you, I will go secretly, leaving a letter saying that I will follow you and begging all the way to the capital. Oh, I don't know what kind of things my pure and beautiful body will encounter along the way. It's a bit scary to talk about it."

Xia Lin was slapping his thighs and laughing so hard that his legs turned red. Lao Zhang took a deep breath and said, "I advise you not to be too outrageous."

"That's not outrageous. First of all, I have never been a disciple of Lin Yang, so I am not much different from you. Secondly, I have my own body, and as long as you can get the pass, I have it. Thirdly, don't you have someone by your side? If something happens in the capital, we can discuss it together, and it won't do you any harm."

Wu Ning was like a dog-skin plaster that could not be removed once it was applied. At this moment, Lao Zhang pointed at Xia Lin and asked, "Why don't you run with him?"

"Him? No way. Although his talent is more outstanding, I have no way to deal with him. He is mean and mean, and his methods are also dirty. No way, no way. A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall. I choose the one who is easy to bully."

“Hey hey hey hey!” Lao Zhang was immediately dissatisfied: “What do you mean by easy to bully? I’m easy to bully? You don’t know how powerful I, the Luoshui Killing God, am.”

"Okay, okay, just promise me that I will go to the capital with you. I won't treat you unfairly."

When these words were spoken, it felt like something a bully would say after he had raped another girl. The tone and demeanor were exactly the same.

"Do you have any tricks to tell me?" Lao Zhang said to Xia Lin, "Tell me and I'll spare your life."

"Hey, what can I do? If either side has any shame, this kind of thing won't work. Butler, neither of you has any shame."

When Wu Ning heard this, he raised his head proudly.

"I don't mean to praise you." Lao Zhang slapped the table and said, "I don't agree with this."

On the third day after the Chinese New Year, Lao Zhang was summoned back by an order, saying that he had been promoted to a scholar, compiled by the Hanlin Academy, and awarded the status of Jinshi.

He thought he would have to wait a few days but did not expect the order to come so quickly. However, this was not difficult to answer, because the Hanlin Academy was a new academy and now served as an institution for the palace, housing talents in literature, classics, divination, medicine, monks, painters, and chess. He was the person strongly recommended by Yu Shinan, the world's number one calligrapher, and Yu Shinan was a person of status and background in the court.

It just so happened that the Hanlin Academy was established. What problem could there be for a person who was praised by Yu Shinan as a master of both calligraphy and painting to enter the Hanlin Academy?
So Lao Zhang was summoned away.

Xia Lin personally escorted him to the Shili Pavilion, with Young Master Lin standing beside him.

Want to know where Wu Ning is? Wu Ning is standing next to Lao Zhang in men's clothing, waving goodbye to Xia Lin and the others. Lao Zhang couldn't persuade this snotty lady, so he could only take her with him.

"Sir, can I still see Mr. Xia?"

Master Lin asked with tears in his eyes, "I can't bear to leave him, and I can't bear to leave you either."

"Silly boy." Xia Lin patted his head. "If you pass the exam, you can see me. If you pass the exam, he will write a memorial for you. Do your best!"

"Ah."

Lao Zhang finally left. Actually, Xia Lin was reluctant to let him go, and Lao Zhang was even more reluctant. Although he was still cursing when he left, Xia Lin actually cried when she saw him. She didn't look back because she was afraid of being laughed at by the beast Xia...

Originally, one was in Hongdu and the other in Fuliang, and they could be seen every now and then. Now one of them stayed in Changsha, and would at most return to Fuliang, while the other had gone to the capital, thousands of miles away.

It's hard to see each other again this year.

It's really sad. The two have known each other for almost ten years. Xia Lin was only twelve years old when he came to this world. At the age of twelve, he couldn't even register his household registration. If he wanted to register, he could only be a slave. If it weren't for Zhang Zhongchun, even if Xia Lin had supernatural powers, he would still be eating slop in Luoyang.

If ordinary people want to succeed, they need more than just talent.

"Let's go." Xia Lin said to Master Lin with his hands behind his back, "Scholar, you should be fine. Next year's Juren will depend on your ability. If you pass the exam, I'll wait for you in Hongdu."

"Yes! I will definitely pass the exam."

Xia Lin didn't say anything but chuckled. "Before I leave, I'll leave you a set of exam manuals. Just follow the instructions above. As long as you don't bring any with you, I guarantee you'll pass. But don't let this thing leak out, or you'll be in trouble."

"Thank you sir..."

Seeing that the young master was getting better little by little, a person suddenly popped up in Xia Lin's mind: "I wonder how Xiao Chenzi is doing recently."
-
I've been accompanying my kids these past two days, so I watch it about three times a month, but it's still not enough. Sigh... I'll be back home early tomorrow morning, so it's time for another double update.

(End of this chapter)