Sword from the Immortal Mountain

Chapter 117: Old friends reunite, helping others in need
Judging from the exterior style and sign of Qingyun Inn, you can tell that it is owned by the same owner as the one in Genshui County and is part of a chain.

Chen Jin was not surprised by this.

The Qingyun Inn can be opened near major examination institutes, and its strength and background are obviously much stronger than that of the "Yue Lai Inn".

Chen Jin didn't care about those things. He just came to stay in the hotel so that he could get up early the next morning and take the exam.

The carriage arrived outside the Qingyun Inn and stopped.

Chen Jin walked out of the carriage with his book bag on his back, but didn't enter the door yet.

Then the waiter pushed a person out and said, "Mr. Zhang, I'm sorry. You already owe three days' rent. You can't stay here anymore. Go somewhere else."

Chen Jin looked over and saw that this scholar was an old friend.

Zhang Tong from Sishan County.

It is not surprising that Zhang Tong appears here. He is a student studying in the county school. Although his family is not well off, he studies hard and obtains the qualification for the provincial examination.

It just looked like he wasn't in a good condition. He was wearing a long robe that was full of patches and dirty, and it looked like he hadn't washed it in a while.

He was pale and thin, with sunken eyes, his hair stuck with a branch, and his face was covered with dirt.

Looking at him, he doesn't look like a student, but more like a refugee.

Zhang Tong was kicked out in public because he had no money to stay in the hotel. His face turned red and he felt ashamed. He was about to leave when he looked up and saw Chen Jin. He cried out in surprise, "Chen, Brother Chen?"

Chen Jin said: "Long time no see, what's up?"

Zhang Tong sighed: "It's hard to put it into words."

The waiter took a look at Chen Jin and immediately waved his hand and said, "We are full. Please go to another restaurant."

Chen Jin said: "My name is 'Chen Jin', I have booked a room, please check it out."

The waiter was stunned for a moment, then he remembered something and immediately smiled: "Aha, it turns out to be Master Chen Jin, you are finally here. Please come in."

Chen Jin signaled Zhang Tong to follow him.

Zhang Tong hesitated for a moment, but finally followed.

Otherwise, where can he go after leaving this door penniless?
Living on the streets?

Or should we stay at a distant government post station?

But I have to enter the examination room tomorrow.

He really had nowhere to go.

Chen Jin first came to the counter and showed his travel permit document to verify his identity.

Upon asking, he learned that Mr. Hu had actually booked two rooms for him, both of which were upper rooms.

During the provincial examination, the room rate at Qingyun Inn was not a small amount, especially for the better rooms, which were astronomical in price.

Mr. Hu is really thoughtful.

Chen Jin immediately asked about Zhang Tong.

It turned out that shortly after Mr. Zhang had attended the Chunhua Banquet at Hujiazhuang, he set off early to the prefecture to prepare for the provincial examination.

He came from a poor family, and for the sake of this exam he lived frugally just to save money for the travel expenses.

In addition, Zhang Xiucai also received sponsorship from local gentry, among whom Hu Yuanwai gave him a sum of silver.

Of course he didn't dare to travel alone, so he paid to join the escort agency and travel with the escort team.

The journey was relatively safe. I arrived at the prefecture smoothly and stayed at the government post station first. As I was a current candidate, I didn't have to pay any money.

However, the environment of the post station is not good, with many mosquitoes and it is noisy.

The worst thing is that it is too far from the examination center, which is very inconvenient.

After calculating the time, Zhang Tong gritted his teeth and moved into Qingyun Inn.

If you don't move in now, you will have no chance because all the rooms will be full.

Candidates stay at Qingyun Inn not only for convenience, but also for the auspicious meaning of "rising to the sky".

At this point, everyone is very superstitious and even the word "fall" is taboo. They can't say it themselves and don't want to hear others say it.

Zhang Tong would not live in the upper house, but would choose the cheapest ordinary room.

The money he brought with him was not enough, and he was thinking of finding some odd jobs to do while staying in the hotel.

Unexpectedly, misfortunes can happen at any time. One time when he went out on the street, his wallet was stolen.

This made the situation even worse. Not only did the rent become a problem, but even meals became difficult to afford.

It is not easy to live in a city or a prefecture-level city, and you can hardly move around without money.

Qingyun Inn has extended the time for him because he is a student candidate, but delaying it like this is not a solution.

Zhang Tong was unfamiliar with the place and couldn't find anyone to borrow money from. If something happened to him in the inn, Qingyun Inn would be in trouble.

So today, the store decided to "invite" him out, and Chen Jin happened to arrive.

After understanding the whole story, Chen Jin asked, "Boss, if I help him pay for the room, food and drink expenses, etc., can Mr. Zhang stay?"

The shopkeeper said hurriedly, "Of course, since you have given the order, there will be no problem. Ah Deng, why don't you help Mr. Zhang move his luggage back to his room? Then prepare the food and send it over."

"okay."

The waiter A Deng quickly responded and started to work.

After hearing Chen Jin's words, he helped Zhang Tong solve his almost desperate predicament. Zhang Tong couldn't help but burst into tears. He bowed and didn't get up for a long time.

To be honest, there was no deep friendship between him and Chen Jin, it was just a chance acquaintance.

Chen Jin patted him on the shoulder and said, "Brother Zhang, go ahead. Pack up, eat well, and sleep well, and go in tomorrow morning."

"Okay, thank you, Brother Chen."

Zhang Tong said something with a sob and left in tears.

"To help others in need is indeed a gentleman's demeanor."

Some people clapped and praised loudly.

He was a handsome young man, about fifteen or sixteen years old, with a childish look on his face. He was not very tall, and he was dressed in brocade clothes, which gave him a graceful and scholarly air. He walked over and asked politely, "Are you Chen Jin, the one who wrote 'Good winds rely on their power to send me to the blue sky'?"

Chen Jin glanced at him and asked, "Who are you?"

"Boji Lane, Chen Guiwen."

"Oh, so you are Chen Guiwen."

Chen Guiwen blinked his eyes: "You are from Genshui County, and have you heard of my name?"

Chen Jin grinned: "I just came from Boji Lane."

"Ok?"

Chen Guiwen frowned.

In order to prepare for the provincial examination, he did not want to live at home, so he moved to Qingyun Inn in advance, so he did not hear much about what was going on there.

His father Chen Shizhi and other family members would never bother or affect him with those things.

After arriving at the inn, Chen Guiwen noticed a new poem inscribed on the screen inside the inn, which was the "Linjiangxian".

When Chen Jin wrote the inscription at the Qingyun Inn in Genshui County, the innkeeper thought the inscription was very good and perfectly matched the inn's sign, so he immediately reported it to the prefecture.

The boss was very impressed and ordered that this song "Linjiangxian" be used in all Qingyun Inns.

The reward of a plate of silver is really worth it.

But to some extent, it also made Chen Jin famous.

Of course, this is the only one written by Chen Jin himself, and the others are tracings and rubbings.

Chen Guiwen also admired this poem, so he asked the shopkeeper about the author's origin.

Since his identity was special, the shopkeeper did not hide anything and told him everything.

After learning that Chen Jin was the top scorer in the college entrance examination in Genshui County and would come to the prefecture to take part in the provincial examination, Chen Guiwen was waiting for him.

I haven't seen it until today.

But I didn't expect that Chen Jin actually came from Boji Lane.

Chen Guiwen thought about it and realized that Chen Jin also had the surname Chen. Could it be that he was from one of the side branches and took the opportunity to come to Bojiji Lane to seek refuge with his relatives and pay homage to his ancestors in the ancestral hall from afar?

This happens all the time.

After all, there are too many tribesmen who have left Changle Hall, over the years, generation after generation.

However, most of the Chen clan members who were separated had a strong desire to return to Boji Lane and recognize their ancestors...

Especially during the Spring and Autumn Festival, all branches of the Chen family would send representatives. They were not qualified to enter the ancestral hall, so they would kneel outside and offer sacrifices, praying for the protection of their ancestors.

Chen Guiwen has seen too much.

It’s normal to have one more Chen Jin.

Chen Jin didn't know what he was thinking about, and there was nothing to talk about, so he said he would go upstairs to the room to put his luggage, and left.

Mr. Hu booked two upper rooms, probably because he took into account that Chen Jin might be accompanied by other people, so he booked one more room in case of emergency.

It was just in time for use. Chen Jin stayed in one room and the other was given to Ye Yanke.

Watching them go upstairs, Chen Guiwen smiled and said, "It's quite interesting."

An old man in cloth appeared behind him. He looked skinny and like an old servant. He whispered, "Young Master, this Chen Jin doesn't look like a scholar from the countryside. There might be something fishy going on. We need to check him out."

Chen Guiwen said calmly: "He came from Boji Lane. If there is any problem, my father would have already started investigating."

The old man quickly flattered, "Young Master, your opinion is profound."

……

When I arrived at the room, I saw that the furnishings were elegant and it was quite quiet. It was indeed a prime room and well worth the price.

Chen Jin didn't care much about it. After settling down, he took out the Kuixing Wenhuo Lantern as usual and did his daily homework.

The night passed quickly.

I got up early the next morning and went to the examination hall.

In fact, this day was an early admission day and the exam did not officially start.

Strict searches will be carried out upon entry, and no bringing or smuggling of items is allowed.

Therefore, the swords, lamps, gourds and other items had to be left in the inn and handed over to Ye Yanke for care.

At this time, Chen Jin suddenly remembered a Taoist method called "Hu Tian Shu".

As the name suggests, after mastering it, one can open up a cave space to store all kinds of things.

The famous "The Universe in the Sleeve" is also a similar technique.

However, due to current limitations, Chen Jin is unable to revive this method. He will have to break through to the fourth level before he can master it.

At that time, it would be much more convenient to carry things with you and take them whenever you need them.

Most of the candidates staying at Qingyun Inn had gotten up. After breakfast, those who knew each other gathered together and went to the examination hall together.

Zhang Tong was naturally waiting for Chen Jin.

Overnight, he cleaned up and looked much better.

Hundreds of candidates came to the outside of the examination hall and began to line up for inspection before entering.

The whole process was orderly, but quite time-consuming.

After entering, I saw that this examination hall was much larger than the one in the county. At the gate, there was a Confucian temple, enshrining statues of sages and gods, accepting the kneeling worship and prayers of all the examinees.

Chen Jin did not join in the fun, but took the number plate and sat down according to the number on his seat.

Number 72, a small room.

After sitting down, he lowered his eyes, closed them, and waited for the exam to begin.

(End of this chapter)