Misty Rain of the Old Times

After crossing the mountains, passing the ridges, and going around the hills, you will arrive in Yang County.

Riding a horse through the mountains and fields, Chen Xuan was not on an official road, but it was one of the main roads between the two counties. It was considered a shortcut, but the road conditions were not good. For example, the suspension bridge where Zhu Fang and others had fought before was not convenient for heavy vehicles to pass through, so there were not many pedestrians on this road.

However, there are many people collecting firewood in the mountains and forests on both sides of the road. It is the slack season for farmers now, and winter will come in one or two months. Whether it is to store firewood for the winter or to sell it, these two critical months are crucial.

Once winter comes, the mountains are covered with snow, and collecting firewood is difficult and dangerous. People can die without firewood in winter.

In this era, poor families did not have so many warm clothes. It was normal for several families to not be able to buy a single cotton-padded jacket. If a family had a cotton-padded jacket, it would be a luxury item like a family heirloom.

Walking out of the mountains, the vegetation becomes sparse, and villages can be seen, with smoke rising in the morning sun.

The autumn harvest has passed and the fields have become barren. Occasionally, there are shepherd boys playing around. They either dig three feet into the ground to look for missed food, or carry baskets to pick wild vegetables. Children of poor families have to take on responsibilities early and are always busy.

The closer to the villages and towns, the less vegetation there is, until it is almost invisible. In this era, vegetation is the most easily accessible energy source, and it is difficult for the middle and lower classes to find substitutes. In winter, firewood is more precious than money. Sometimes the emperor even gives firewood as salary, which is more popular than money. This is how salaries are earned.

Chen Xuan passed by a field and saw a young boy riding a cow and dancing on the cow's back. The boy became reserved when he saw him.

Being able to afford a cow, it seems that this family is well off in the village, or they may be herding cattle for other families.

Chen Xuan had already passed the shepherd boy. After advancing a few dozen meters, he spurred his horse back and said with a smile, "Kid, how about discussing something with you?"

"What does this distinguished uncle want me to do?" The little child shrank his neck with a nervous look on his face. He was almost crying as he was stared at by a stranger on horseback and carrying a sword. He was ready to shout for help if he didn't agree with him.

Chen Xuan's expression froze, and he felt like he was being hit hard. "Don't be like, little brother. I'm only eighteen years old, and you actually call me uncle?"

He even wanted to spank him, but considering that people in this era got married early, Chen Xuan endured it. He pointed at the stick in his hand and said greedily: "How about giving me your stick? I'll give you a piece of candy in exchange."

The wooden stick in the child's hand was about one meter long, of uniform thickness and straight. Most importantly, it was natural. Chen Xuan had fallen in love with it when he passed by it before, so he turned around and came here to get it.

It was impossible to rob it, and no matter how greedy he was, he couldn't do such a wicked thing. He could only exchange things for it.

Chen Xuan didn’t know what others thought, but for him, a naturally straight and evenly thick wooden stick was his absolute favorite.

"Really?" The kid's eyes lit up and he drooled with greed.

Chen Xuan immediately took out a thumb-sized piece of candy, shook it, and said, "I'm not trying to trick you. Do you want to exchange it?"

"Change," the little boy said without hesitation.

Then the two men exchanged money and goods, and Chen Xuan left with the wooden stick in his hand with a happy look on his face, wielding it like a sword. At this moment, the sword on his waist worth twenty thousand taels was not as fun as this wooden stick.

The little brother took the candy and didn't let go of the cow. He drove the cow home directly, intending to share the sweetness of this pie in the sky with his family.

Both of them think they have made a profit and the other is a fool.

Chen Xuan thought that when this child grows up, he will regret it so much when he recalls that he tricked this top-quality wooden stick away with a piece of candy. In any case, if it were him, he would definitely regret it to the point of bleeding.

However, he felt a little sad in his heart. The child was too naive. It should be said that most children here were easy to deceive. If he were a bad person, he could easily trick him into selling a piece of candy.

He quickly put this idea behind him. With the top-quality wooden stick in his hand, the world was his. He was happy to encounter good things as soon as he came back.

After strolling for dozens of miles, we turned onto the official road. Yang County was already in sight. Suddenly, there were more pedestrians on the road. Most of them were villagers from the surrounding villages, who were carrying mountain products or firewood to the county town to sell for some money to supplement their family income.

The other largest group of people are scholars and wanderers. They either go to the county town in groups of three or four, chatting and laughing, or walking alone with a look of longing. It is all because of the top scorers in junior high schools that Yang County has become a short-term check-in destination.

Riding leisurely on his horse, Chen Xuan saw a half-grown boy carrying a bundle of firewood and pushing a thumb-sized branch in his hand, which was bouncing on the ground.

Seeing this, he looked at the straight wooden stick in his hand, hesitated for a moment, then put it at his waist, turned his horse's head and galloped away. Not long after, he came back, still riding on the horse, pushing a branch as thick as his wrist in his hand, and the branch bounced on the ground, making a rattling sound.

It's so fucking decompressing.

When he passed by a child carrying firewood and pushing branches, he raised his chin and tried to catch up proudly, as if to say, "Little guy, your branch is not as big as mine, you must be jealous." The child also glanced at him, pursed his lips, and silently put away the small branch in his hand. He was hit. What is there for you, a grown man on horseback, to compete with a child like me?
A few hundred meters outside the gate of Yang County, there are two construction sites, about dozens of meters apart. Carpenters and stonemasons are busy building two archways, funded by the government and ordered by the state.

Not only did Gao Jingming of Yang County pass the imperial examination, he was also crowned the top scholar in the first class. A memorial archway will be erected and a stele will be engraved to commemorate him for future generations to admire. Yang County has produced such a person, and everyone is proud and motivated.

County Magistrate Shu Yao, who was instructing the workers in plain clothes, glanced at the road and almost vomited blood. He rubbed his eyes and realized that he didn't see anything. He was completely dumbfounded, as if he had seen a ghost.

What did he see? He saw Chen Xuan, the man who had grown up with the top scholar and was as close as a brother, actually pushing a branch. The brother of the top scholar was actually pushing a branch like a child, with a smug look on his face, not caring about the strange looks from anyone around him!

How bored are you?

'This old man Chen really still has a childlike heart,' Shu Yao muttered to himself in his heart, feeling both amused and helpless. Soon he thought of something, his expression became serious and his heart tightened as he looked around.

Since Chen Xuan, who is inseparable from the top scholar, has appeared, what about the top scholar himself? Has he also returned?
If the number one scholar comes back, it will be a huge happy event for the whole Yang County, and it needs to be welcomed with loud gongs and drums. If the welcoming arrangements are not done well, the higher-ups will blame everyone and no one from top to bottom will suffer!

He didn't know that Chen Xuan had escaped from the Gao family and gained his freedom because of his cultivation. Only a small number of people in the Gao family knew about this, and it had not yet spread completely.

After observing carefully for a moment, he only saw Chen Xuan, and he felt relieved.

Riding on a horse, Chen Xuan was jumping on the ground with a branch in his hand. He did not feel homesick. With his keen senses, he quickly spotted Shu Yao among the crowd on the construction site. A trace of embarrassment flashed across his face, and he threw the branch to the side of the road without leaving a trace.

He immediately rode forward, dismounted, bowed and jokingly greeted: "The county lord is busy."

As soon as Chen Xuan said this, he saw out of the corner of his eye that the branch he had thrown away had been taken away by someone. The corner of his mouth twitched, and he thought to himself, "Fuck, I still want it. It's embarrassing to show it in front of an unfamiliar person. Put it down for me!"

Shu Yao didn't tease Chen Xuan. He smiled inwardly but pretended not to notice. He bowed and said with a smile, "Hello, Brother Chen. I'm so embarrassed. We've known each other for many years, so why bother being polite? Just call me Brother Shu. I'm not busy, so I came to check on them in case they make any mistakes."

Not to mention that Chen Xuan is now the right-hand man of the top scholar, the fact that he is Gao Jingming's study companion alone makes him dare not put on airs as the Magistrate of Daduan County. Putting all this aside, the two have had a good relationship since childhood.

Glancing around, Chen Xuan nodded and said, "Building a memorial archway requires careful consideration. If there are any errors in the specifications or styles, we might become a laughing stock with all the visitors coming from all directions."

This kind of face-saving project arranged by the court really cannot have any mistakes. Being embarrassed is a small matter, but leaving people with the impression that the work is not done seriously is a serious matter.

After a brief greeting, Shu Yao asked in silence, "Brother Chen, did you come back alone?"

It was an obvious thing, but he still wanted to ask to confirm it. After all, Gao Jingming was the focus of countless people's attention now. What if Chen Xuan just came back to inform him first? Then he would have to make preparations to welcome him.

Nodding, Chen Xuan said: "Yes, my young master has entered the court as an official and is now busy. I have nothing to do. I am not used to staying in the capital, so I just came back."

"I see. We've been on a long journey and it's already time for dinner. If you're free, Brother Chen, why don't you move on? I'll host a welcome dinner for you, how about that?" Shu Yao breathed a sigh of relief, feeling lucky that the top scholar didn't launch a surprise attack, otherwise he would have been in a mess.

Chen Xuan smiled and declined, saying, "Thank you for your kindness, Brother Shu. I haven't reached home yet. How about another day?"

"Okay, let's get together another day," Shu Yao understood. Firstly, he had things to do, and secondly, it didn't make sense for someone to go to a banquet with him without going home.

"Okay, I won't disturb Brother Shu anymore. You are busy, so I'll take my leave first," Chen Xuan said hello and left.

Watching him leave, Shu Yao wondered why Chen Xuan hadn't stayed in the capital to help with the selection of the top scholar. He quickly dismissed the thought, believing it was best not to delve too deeply into other people's affairs.

As Chen Xuan was leaving, he looked around for the person who had taken his branch. He wanted to push it home, but the person had already disappeared. The locals were so rude. It was just a branch, and they just let it go without asking if the person wanted it back.

He soon put the matter behind him and returned to his familiar environment. Everything seemed very familiar, except that there were too many unfamiliar faces on the streets, scholars, and gangsters. Tsk, if they could do some small business and get some dividends, Yang County should be able to have a good year.

After walking through the streets and alleys, Chen Xuan strolled home. He touched his belly. It was already noon and it was time for breakfast. He didn't know what the little girl was busy with. After settling down, he would definitely go to the Gao family to say hello.

When he came not far from his home, he heard the little girl Su Roujia cursing in an angry voice, which was very ugly.

"Who the hell picked up my firewood? Don't you know I paid for it to plant? Every leaf belongs to me. This is stealing. If you have the guts to take it, you should stand up and admit it. Why are you acting like a coward? Winter is only two months away. I don't need firewood. You're a jerk who gave birth to a son without skin. Don't let me know who you are, or I'll kick your door down. Do you want to take back some of your house..."

Hearing the little girl's yelling and cursing from afar, Chen Xuan's mouth twitched. "No, my little girl is so fierce! Why didn't I notice? She's quite lovely, isn't she? I'm afraid she's been switched..." (End of this chapter)