Chapter 265 Li Xinjun
On this side, Huang and Su were entertaining the officials, while over in Zhangzhou Prefecture, Sun Shan was drinking tea in a teahouse with his new friend Li Xinjun.
Three days after the two men parted at the Hairpin Flower Banquet, Li Xinjun came to visit, and Sun Bomin was flattered to receive him.
Seeing that Sun Bomin was uncomfortable, Sun Shan went to a teahouse with Li Xinyun to meet him.
After ordering a pot of Zhangzhou black tea, everyone leisurely got to know each other and deepened their friendship.
Li Xinjun was cheerful and asked in a nonchalant manner, "Brother Sun, where are you going to school?"
Li Xinyun was a native of Zhangzhou Prefecture and had been studying at the Zhangzhou Prefecture School.
Sun Shan already had an idea about this problem. He wanted to go to a college in Guangzhou Prefecture to study. It would definitely be better than the one in Zhangzhou Prefecture, after all, it was a school under the provincial government.
But I am also worried about not being able to find a good college and that the tuition fees are high.
For a kid from the countryside like him, cost is a big problem. Not to mention whether there is any college that will accept him, the cost alone is enough to make Sun Shan suffer a lot.
I don’t know if there is any college that provides free education. I’ll have to ask my cousin about this.
Sun Shan was an honest child, and he answered honestly, "I don't know. I haven't made up my mind yet."
I can't just say I don't want to go to the provincial school. What if there is no college in Guangzhou that accepts me? I will have to go back to the provincial school in shame.
After hearing what Sun Shan said, Li Xinjun understood that the implication was that if there were better colleges available, he would not come to the provincial school.
If I had no place to go, I would definitely say I was studying at the provincial school.
Li Xinyun smiled and said, "Well, after I pass the exam and become a scholar this time, I will have to continue studying in the prefectural school next spring."
Sun Shan understood that Li Xinjun meant that he would continue to study at the provincial school and had no plans to go to school anywhere else.
According to Li Xinyun, he had been studying in the provincial school from the time he was in elementary school until he passed the imperial examination to become a scholar.
As for why primary school students can go to the provincial school, it is entirely because the provincial school needs to generate income.
The academic atmosphere in Zhangzhou Prefecture was not very strong, so there were not many students, and more teachers from the prefectural school could be used to teach other students.
Also, because the academic atmosphere was not popular, financial allocations were not much, and the government recruited students from the common people in order to increase income and subsidize professors.
The fact that Li Xinyun was able to study in the provincial school only shows that his family had a certain level of strength.
Sun Shan nodded and said, "It's good for Brother Li to study in the prefectural school. It's close to home and he can go home anytime. It's troublesome for us out-of-town students to go anywhere. We have to climb mountains and wade through rivers. Alas, before we even get to the college, our bodies fall apart."
After hearing this, Li Xinjun burst into laughter and asked jokingly, "Brother Sun, I really admire you. You were so seriously ill, but you could still stay in the stinking cell for three days and still pass the exam to become a scholar."
Sun Shan also smiled and said, "Ayun, you can just call me Ashan. Hey, I don't want to be sick and take the exam. Before I entered the examination room, I was thinking, I have finally come here, I will not be willing if I don't pass the exam. Who knew I would be assigned a bad number, oops. Don't mention it, luckily we are drinking tea today, not eating."
Recalling the days when everyone spent together in the stinky cell, Li Xinjun trembled all over and shrank timidly, not at all like a sunny and cheerful boy.
He said fearfully, "Ashan, the provincial examination will last for 9 days. Oh my god, we will have to eat, drink, defecate and urinate in there for 9 days. When I think of this, I tremble all over. What if we are assigned to the stinky number? It would be worse than death."
Not only Li Xinjun was afraid, Sun Shan was also afraid. When he said this, Sun Shan got goose bumps in broad daylight.
The bitter face said: "Ayun, don't say that, we won't be so unlucky."
Then everyone changed the topic, and Li Xinyun introduced to Sun Shan the students who had made the list.
Among the top 7, 5 are from the prefectural school, and the other two are from other counties.
The first on the list, Lu Yuming, was a student at the provincial school and was born into a family of officials. Li Xinjun did not say what he did specifically.
Li Xinjun whispered, "I heard that Lu Anshou will go to Guangzhou Prefecture to study, not to the prefectural school."
Sun Shan opened his eyes wide, feeling envious. As expected, a family of "officials" found a good job so quickly.
Oh, it seems that Case Leader Lu is not only capable himself, but his family is also capable.
After talking about Case No. 1 Lu, Li Xinyun introduced other scholars to Sun Shan one by one.
Sun Shan was extremely impressed. Li Xinjun was a know-it-all. He knew the information of every student so quickly.
Sun Shan asked a very stupid question: "Ayun, you are really amazing. You know the situation of every scholar so well. You also know my situation, right?"
Li Xinjun was embarrassed for a moment, then nodded and said, "My uncle works in the government office, so he knows every scholar well."
Sun Shan understood immediately that Li Xinjun also had connections in the government.
No wonder he knows the situation of each scholar so well.
The two chatted from noon to afternoon, and they really hit it off right away, becoming more and more excited the more they talked.
From the conversation, Sun Shan realized that Li Xinyun was a simple and kind-hearted young man. No wonder they got along so well; this is called "birds of a feather flock together."
When the sun was about to set, Sun Shan said goodbye to Li Xinyun.
We also agreed to meet again when we are free.
When Sun Shan returned to the gate of the Hong family courtyard, he was captured by Hong Dalang before he even stepped inside.
It turned out that Hong Dalang and Hong Erlang had returned from their business trip to Guangzhou.
As soon as the two brothers Hong Dalang entered the Hong family compound, they were told by Hong Chengcai who came in a hurry that one of Hong Xiucai's students had passed the exam to become a scholar.
Hong Dalang and Hong Erlang were shocked. They never thought that their father was so capable that he could even teach a scholar.
The two brothers Hong Dalang would never believe it.
But Hong Chengcai swore that eyes can't lie.
When he learned that it was Sun Shan, the short and thin boy with triangular eyes, who passed the exam to become a scholar, he was even more unconvinced.
Hong Dalang's wife was sewing a scholar's uniform for Sun Shan. She rolled her eyes at Hong Dalang and his brother and said, "Look at what I made. A scholar's uniform!"
He snorted coldly and ignored the two brothers.
Hong Dalang had no choice but to believe it. After all, his wife sewed clothes herself. She was the kind of person who usually wouldn't even sew socks, but now she was sewing clothes. She must be an important person.
The scholar is worthy of her effort.
So the two brothers Hong Dalang asked their servants to keep an eye on Sun Shan to see when he would come back.
As soon as he came back, Hong Dalang came out to catch Sun Shan.
Sun Shan looked at Hong Dalang in confusion and asked, "Uncle Hong, what happened to you? When did you come back?"
You're back, so why are you clinging to me so tightly?
Sun Shan couldn't stand Hong Dalang's fat body and struggled hard to break free.
Not only did he fail to break free, the chubby Hong Erlang also joined in and tightened the grip on Sun Shan even tighter.
Hong Dalang asked excitedly: "Shanzi, did you really pass the exam to become a scholar?"
Hong Erlang copied and pasted: "Shanzi, did you really pass the exam to become a scholar?"
Sun Shan wanted to nod, but the restraint was too tight and he could not move, so he continued to struggle desperately.
The two brothers held Sun Shan tightly, as if to make sure that Sun Shan was the real Sun Shan and that Sun Shan had truly passed the examination and become a scholar.
In the end, he was rescued by Hong Xiucai who came after hearing the news.
When Hong Xiucai saw his beloved disciple being tightly restrained by his two good-for-nothing sons, he hurriedly shouted, "What are you two doing? Let Shanzi go."
When the two brothers heard their father's voice, they jumped away reflexively. They were too excited just now and really didn't believe that their father could teach a scholar, so they came to confirm whether Sun Shan was a real person.
After confirming that Sun Shan was a real person and that he had really passed the examination to become a scholar, he said with shining eyes: "Shanzi, you are amazing. You studied under my father who couldn't teach a scholar, but you actually passed the examination to become a scholar. I admire you so much!"
Needless to say, he was severely beaten by Mr. Hong.
When Hong Chengcai saw his father and second uncle being beaten to death by his grandfather, he patted his chest and said to Sun Shan with lingering fear: "Ashan, I now know that my grandfather loves me and has never hit me."
Sun Shan:.............
Well, compared with the two brothers Hong Dalang, Hong Xiucai is indeed full of love for Hong Chengcai.