Chapter 707: The Canal is Frozen
Sun Shan also gave some persimmon leaf lard paste to He Shujun and others.
As a result, several people said righteously to the man, "You old dog, why do you need these women's things? Do you want to be a sissy?"
Being a man should be cool.
The most fragrant smell is masculine!
Sun Shan was very upset and decided to block out their words.
They don't use it, use it yourself. Don't need it, save it.
But in the end, it was not saved. The He family's cook thought it was useful and introduced it to the maids, and Sun Shan gave it to them very generously.
It’s better not to be too fussy about this small amount of money. He’s eating and living at the He family, and the He family hasn’t complained to him.
What's more, these moisturizers have no added chemicals and have a short shelf life, so they need to be given to people quickly to avoid them going bad.
It’s mid-December now, and the Chinese New Year is getting closer and closer.
Sun Shan stayed at the He family all day long, reading rare books and secret scrolls, and occasionally went out with He Shujun and others to attend poetry gatherings.
It’s just that Sun Shan listened a lot and had very few opportunities to perform on stage.
No, it should be said that there is not, he is the most suitable person to be a listener.
After attending several poetry gatherings in the capital and witnessing them, Sun Shan stopped going and studied at the He family with peace of mind.
More and more candidates are coming to Beijing from far away.
My eldest cousin said that the capital city did not become deserted despite the colder weather, but became more lively instead.
The emperor issued several directives to strengthen the security of the capital, fearing that someone would take advantage of the situation and disrupt the law and order of the capital.
The busiest person is the Nine-Gates Admiral. My cousin said that he was so busy that smoke came out of his head and he didn't even have time to drink a sip of water.
There are many people in the capital, so there are many disputes. There are endless cases to be judged every day, keeping all the officials busy and whispering to each other.
Sun Shan also felt the hustle and bustle of the capital. There were so many candidates that he could meet scholars wearing long gowns wherever he went.
Sun Dali and Sun Dingnan also said that they had seen all the juren masters they would need to see in their lifetime, and any scholar they could pick up could be a juren master.
Especially when working at the dock, there was so much luggage that could not be moved at all.
Gui Ge'er curled his lips and secretly glanced at Sun Dali and Sun Dingnan.
He silently rolled his eyes: What's so good about other scholars? If you want to see something, look at the scholar from our Sunjia Village.
What other scholars think is none of your business. Only the scholars in Sunjia Village care about the rise and fall, honor and disgrace of Sunjia Village.
Humph, Sun Dali and Sun Dingnan really have no vision and can't find the key point.
Of course, I only dared to think about these words in my heart, especially Sun Dali, who was not only Guiger's uncle, but also his cousin. I dared not offend him.
A few days later, another son of the He family came. He was a juren who had just passed the imperial examination.
At this time, he arrived at He's house exhausted. Sun Shan and others went out to greet him. They saw that his face was frosted and he was shivering from the cold.
Suddenly he sneezed several times in succession and coughed a few times.
Sun Shan, He Shujun and others quickly jumped away, fearing that they would be infected by him.
The He family's youngest brother was only 18 years old, and could be considered a young genius. His face turned red, and he said embarrassedly, "Brother, I'm sorry, I didn't want to do it either, but I really couldn't help it."
After saying that, he sneezed a few more times, and Sun Shan and his gang hid even further away.
He Shujun looked at him from afar, "Brother, why did you take so long to get to the capital? The river is almost blocked by snow."
Speaking of the frozen river, the promising young He family member started to cry and said aggrievedly: "Brother, the road is too difficult to travel. There are too many boats, and the canal is frozen. We can't travel by boat. We have to get off the boat and take a car to travel by land. We hurried and hurried to the capital."
When Sun Shan saw his cousin He's sad face, he felt sad for him silently.
It's really hard to take part in the imperial examination.
The He family's servants quickly brought charcoal to He's younger brother, and made him drink three bowls of ginger soup in a row before they stopped.
The frozen canal that He Zudi mentioned generally refers to the Beiyun Canal, which is a large river from the capital to Zhigu.
Every winter, a thick layer of ice forms due to weather conditions, making it impossible for ships to move.
Of course, the canals in other sections of the route were also frozen, and the river surface was frozen, so boats could not pass.
The famous Jiangnan talent Wen Zhengming set out from the capital by boat and headed south along the canal. However, the canal froze as soon as he arrived in Shandong. He was not able to return to Suzhou until the ice melted in the spring of the following year.
During this time, he wrote "Northern Wind": "Du Ling cannot protect himself in his own room, but he wishes the world to be happy."
If the river has not completely frozen, you can use a pickaxe to break the ice and clear the river to allow ships to pass.
If they were unfortunate enough to encounter a freezing period, the canal boats would have to be stranded on the Grand Canal and would have to wait until the ice and snow melted the following year for a rest before they could set off again.
Therefore, if you travel along the canal, you have to choose the right time, otherwise you will be trapped in it and unable to get home.
It seems that He's cousin set out late, encountered the canal frozen, and was forced to stop at Zhigu. In order to take part in the imperial examination next year, he had to disembark and travel by land in the cold wind and snow.
Poor kid, he's so cold that he looks like a monster. So pitiful.
After He's cousin finished drinking the ginger soup, Mrs. He immediately arranged for a doctor to come.
The conclusion is that the body has caught a cold and has a chill, and may have a fever later.
After hearing this, Minister He and the old lady immediately put He's cousin in a lonely corner, and told Sun Shan, He Shujun and others not to get close to him to avoid being infected.
Wind-cold can be severe or minor.
A strong person can be full of energy the next day after drinking ginger soup.
People with weak bodies may not get better even after taking medicine and may be sick for eight or ten days, or even a month.
Minister He and the old lady were still worried, so they made Sun Shan and his companions drink a large bowl of ginger soup before they let them go.
He Shujun frowned and said painfully, "I shouldn't have come to see my cousin if I had known. I had to drink ginger soup, which is really too hard to drink."
Sun Shan said seriously: "Brother Jun, you are wrong to say that. This is the love that Grandma shows us. Even though the ginger soup is spicy, it tastes sweet."
He Shujun had seen people flattering others, but he had never seen one so shamelessly flattering. He rolled his eyes repeatedly and disdained to associate with Sun Shan.
As a result, the next day Sun Shan enjoyed two big fat chicken legs alone. The cook said that the old lady had asked her to make them specially for Sun Shan. Only Sun Shan understood her good intentions.
After hearing this, He Shujun and others immediately ran to the inner courtyard to apologize and beg for forgiveness from the old lady, vowing not to disappoint her again.
Sun Shan happily gnawed on the big chicken leg, adding ginger and scallions to it. It turned out that chicken was indeed the most delicious meat in the world.
Sun Shan was chewing a chicken leg when Gui Ge'er ran over and said, "Brother Shan, Master Zhu sent you a letter."
Sun Shan was stunned for a moment, and stopped eating the chicken leg. He quickly asked, "Master Zhu? Is that Zhu Pengyun?"
Gui Ge'er nodded eagerly, "Yes, it was Young Master Zhu, and his servant came to deliver a letter. He also said that their young master also went to Beijing to participate in the imperial examinations, but he came late and only arrived yesterday."
Sun Shan was delighted. He didn't expect that Zhu Pengyun also passed the exam. It was really cause for celebration.
Gui Ge'er added, "Master Zhu's servant saw me, put down the letter, and hurried back to the guild hall. Master Zhu came late, and many things were not bought yet, so he had to go back to help. Master Zhu lives in the Bamin Guild Hall."