"Look, my dear brother, this is the article that the foolish brother wrote with all his heart and soul according to the eight-legged method."

Li Hanzhang, who had disappeared for a month, happily found Ju Ming and brought the article as if he were offering a treasure.

Bai Chongyan stood beside him, his face full of joy: "Brother Kezhen and I went through the Jinshi's articles in the past ten years and specially selected those with the characteristics of eight kinds of writing to study. After a month of concentrating on the appreciation, we finally gained a lot."

These two gentlemen actually went to study eight-part essay.

Zhu Ming took over the article written by Li Hanzhang and just started reading it when Li Erlang started talking eloquently.

Li Hanzhang said: "Most of those outstanding Jinshi eight-part essays have one thing in common. That is, between the same part, the sentence patterns should be alternately long and short, and the pens should be scattered and complementary, just like the imperial examinations in the past. This way of writing,

It is the most powerful one, and a few words can move mountains and oceans."

Bai Chongyan added: "Among the eight parts, the strands can be opened and closed. Either you want to rise first, suppress first, or you want to suppress first, rise first, or you want the thesis to be reversed first, or the antithesis to be corrected first."

Zhu Ming suddenly felt guilty. If this thing spreads, I am afraid that all candidates all over the world will have to write the eight-legged essay.

It was a literary style that countless candidates in the Song Dynasty had summarized over a hundred or two hundred years. They directly formulated detailed templates for classic articles. When entering the examination room, you only need to fill them in according to the routine - it depends on who can do it best.

Li Hanzhang said: "After only one month of research, we have achieved such a harvest. In two years, when we get to Bianliang, we will be able to make a blockbuster success!"

Bai Chongyan also gained confidence in taking the Jinshi examination and said, "Thank you so much for your guidance, I will definitely be rich in rewards in the future!"

"I dare not take credit." Zhu Ming responded modestly.

After chatting about eight-legged essays for a while, Bai Chongyan asked: "Is your father at home?"

Ju Ming said: "I went up to the mountain to cut trees. I invited a few tea farmers to cut down the trees on the ground and dry the wood in the shade."

Bai Chongyan said: "My father has something to invite me."

"Is it okay to come back to your house tomorrow?" Zhu Ming asked.

Bai Chongyan said: "Of course you can, it can be done in the morning or in the afternoon."

Li Hanzhang also sent an invitation: "In one month's time, it will be my father's birthday. Brother Juncai and I will go back to Yangzhou together. Why don't you go to Yangzhou City with me? With my great talent in mastering the Three Classics, I'm here."

Yangzhou Academy will definitely shock the world."

"Let's go next time. I'm very busy this year. After all, I haven't even repaired the hut yet." Zhu Ming declined politely.

Li Hanzhang cupped his hands and said, "Then I will be in Yangzhou City, waiting for my dear brother to come to you sooner or later."

After sending these two people away, Ju Ming went back to the house to get the harness.

The bridle is made of cooked sheepskin. Of course it would be better to use cowhide, but that stuff is not easy to buy.

The mouthpiece and stirrups are directly made of mulberry sticks.

The saddle is the shabbiest, made of softened linen stuffed with reed flowers and sewn together like a pillow. This kind of saddle will make your buttocks hurt after sitting for a long time.

After equipping Cornucopia with the complete set of harness, Zhu Ming climbed onto the horse with a bamboo whip in hand.

He didn't dare to ride too fast, firstly because his skills were not good, and secondly because the roads in the village were narrow, so the speed was just like riding a donkey.

Ju Ming inquired about it and found out that masters of horseshoeing could only be found in the county town.

But this official horse cannot enter the city, so for the time being, we can only make do with it, and don't use up its fleshy hooves too much.

After not walking far, I met a villager and greeted him with a smile: "Is Zhu Xiucai going up the mountain?"

Ju Ming said: "Go up the mountain, Uncle Zhou just came back?"

The villager said: "Look at the wheat in the field and figure out when it will be harvested."

"Then you go well." Zhu Ming said.

It is now the fifth month of the lunar calendar, and it is time to harvest the wheat. After harvesting the wheat, it is time to hand over the summer grain.

The summer grain for the fifth-class households is one piece of silk from seven households.

From the first to fourth class households, it is not that simple. They must pay according to the number of acres. If the family does not have enough money, they can sell the wheat themselves. The big landowners can take advantage of the small people through the money and grain exchange business.

Sometimes, after the people had just exchanged wheat for money, they suddenly said that they would give silk or grain instead this year... This situation was extremely common, and the government and the gentry played together.

The wheat fields in the whole village are already green and yellow, and the waves of wheat are swaying when the mountain wind blows.

Ju Ming rode his horse on the mountain road, feeling indescribably comfortable. Unfortunately, when he reached a steep place, he had to dismount and lead him.

These days, Cornucopia often walks on mountain roads, and the good-looking Hehuang horses are almost turning into mountain horses.

I walked slowly to my home in the forest, and there was a piece of land where the trees had been cut down and were being leveled for building a house.

Zhu Guoxiang is directing the logging, and the wood is stacked one by one.

There was also some wood that was sawed into short pieces.

Ju Ming pointed to the sawed wood and asked, "What are these used for?"

"Growing mushrooms," Zhu Guoxiang took out a cloth bag, "These are the wild mushrooms I picked. You can take them back to make strains. Many chemicals are not available, so you can only use local methods, and the effect will definitely not be that good."

Ju Ming suddenly became interested and asked: "When will the Ganoderma fungus be prepared?"

Zhu Guoxiang said: "I haven't found mature Ganoderma lucidum yet."

Ju Ming looked at the cleared piece of land: "This place is quite far from the water source. After building a house and living in it, life may be a little inconvenient."

"I have no choice, this is the most suitable place," Zhu Guoxiang said, "If it doesn't work out, I'll stay at Mrs. Shen's house for two more years. As for this place, it is specially used to grow mushrooms and Ganoderma lucidum."

After explaining the matter to the woodcutter, the father and son led the horse down the mountain.

When passing by a corn field, I met several tenant farmers working.

In more than a month, the corn seedlings have grown to 80 centimeters tall, the sweet potato seedlings have been cut, and the newly planted beans have begun to sprout.

It's a prosperous scene, and there is hope for a bumper harvest this year.

Zhu Guoxiang said: "The planting area is too small, and corn must be pollinated manually, otherwise the yield will be greatly reduced."

"When the time comes, I will be busy again." Zhu Ming has experienced firsthand that farming is really tiring.

…

eight days ago.

Zhang Guangdao and Bai Sheng escaped by boat with their children.

They didn't dare to row upstream because that was Xiabai Village. If the novices took action and there were pursuers behind them, they would be blocked from both ends.

You can only go downstream.

After night falls, it's dark.

The two rowed to the other side, abandoned the boat and ran up the mountain. The bandits searched behind them for a while, and finally gave up the pursuit.

When the temperature cooled down at night, Zhang Guangdao took off his clothes and wrapped the child. The wound on his right rib finally stopped bleeding.

After finally staying up until dawn, Bai Sheng asked: "Is Brother Zhang Wu going somewhere?"

"No." Zhang Guangdao shook his head sadly.

Bai Sheng sat on the ground slumped: "I have nowhere to go."

Two grown men, holding a one-and-a-half-year-old child in their arms, were sitting in the forest, feeling lost.

The world is vast, where is their shelter?

Frustrated for a long time, Zhang Guangdao began to mutter to himself: "We can't go to Xiabai Village. Bai Zongmin is too close to Yang Jun. He will definitely arrest us. The nearest village downstream is Heiyangba. It takes a long time to take a boat, and it takes a long time to get there.

I don’t have any acquaintances either. I’m injured, so I’m afraid I won’t be able to stay, but Mr. Chen there recognizes me. Let’s continue into the mountains. There are still some runaways in the mountains. Let’s ask for some food for the children first.”

Bai Sheng was surprised and said: "Where are the runaways in the mountains? Brother Zhang Wu even knows about this?"

Zhang Guangdao sighed: "I have been selling salt with Brother Yao (Yao Fang) since I was fourteen years old. We have traveled all over the country. The official inspections want to catch us, and the big salt lord can't tolerate us.

Each person can carry twenty or thirty kilograms of private salt on his back, go into the ravine and sell it to those who have escaped from the household, but he can't make much even though he works very hard. To be honest, his life is not as good as that of a tenant farmer in the countryside."

"Brother Zhang Wu is very capable. When I was fourteen, he was still herding cattle in the village." Bai Sheng said with admiration.

Zhang Guangdao said: "Don't call me Brother Zhang Wu from now on. I am the third eldest brother in the family, and Zhang Wu is the seat of Heifeng Village."

"Then I'll call you Brother Zhang." Bai Sheng changed his words.

Just as he said this, the child in his arms burst into tears.

Zhang Guangdao stood up and said, "The child is hungry again. Hurry up and find some food."

The two of them walked hungry for a full day, and finally arrived at a refugee settlement in the mountains before dark.

There are only seven or eight families living on mountain spring water, reclaiming wasteland and servicing some barren mountainous areas.

Just like an old horse knowing its way, Zhang Guangdao soon came to a house, knocked on the door and shouted: "Uncle Du, I am Zhang San, who sells salt."

The door opened quickly, and a young man came out: "Brother Zhang, my father has been dead for two years. If you don't come to sell private salt, we runaways in the mountains can only go to Baishitou to buy salt. The salt there is

Not to mention it was more expensive, and it was very difficult to walk all the way. My father broke his back while going down the mountain, and the family had no money for medical treatment...My father, my father refused to eat and starved to death, saying that he would not be a burden to the family."

Zhang Guangdao was silent when he heard this.

The young man said, "Come in quickly. The baby is crying so much. I'm afraid she's starving."

After staying here for one night, Zhang Guangdao felt that this was not the solution.

The refugee in the mountains was too poor, and he didn't have much money with him. He couldn't always rely on the poor for financial support.
To be continued...