The sunset is infinitely beautiful, but it’s almost dusk.
The twilight is closing, and the last ray of the setting sun is still caressing the horizon with nostalgia. The rosy glow at dusk is always like the smoke splashed by the red sun falling on the Cangshan Mountain in the west. The bare branches on both sides of the ancient road are reflected on the ground, like a rough picture
The ink and ink are freely swayed, leaving only a trace.
The 100-foot city wall of Huaining County seemed to be covered with a thin layer of gold, shining dimly and brightly in the sunset.
Behind the setting sun, a dusty young man walked, casting a long shadow under the afterglow of the setting sun. The young man was carrying a bag, his body was covered with dust, and his green shirt was stained with a lot of grass clippings. He looked up.
Looking at the nearby Huaining County, a smile couldn't help but appear on his honest face.
Hurrying slowly, we even caught a ride on a kind-hearted uncle's carriage along the way, and finally arrived at Huaining County before sunset.
This young man was none other than Zhu Pingan, who was going to the county town to take the exam. Zhu Pingan escaped from the girl's clutches and rushed straight to the county town. On the way, he met a salesman who had been to Xiahe Village to hawk in the alleys. He spent two pence to ask him to bring a baby to his family.
Apart from the message that he is fine, it can be said that Zhu Pingan has never stopped.
There is peace in all directions and peace in all directions. People are coming and going in Huaining County at this time, cars are like water, and horses are like dragons. The level of prosperity in Huaining County cannot be compared with that of the backing town.
Zhu Pingan blended into the crowd and slowly walked towards the city gate.
You have to pay a penny to enter the city, but you don't need to pay to leave the city. When it was Zhu Pingan's turn, the soldiers guarding the city saw Zhu Pingan wearing a green shirt and robe, so they asked Zhu Pingan what he was doing in the city. Zhu Pingan replied that he was participating in the boy test. Guarding the city
When the soldiers heard that Zhu Pingan was a scholar who had taken the boy examination, they immediately became very respectful. Their attitude was completely different from the way they treated the passers-by in front of them. They let Zhu Pingan enter the city without even collecting the entrance fee.
Everything is of inferior quality, only good studies can be achieved. Zhu Ping'an, who walked into the county town with his luggage on his back, once again felt the connotation of this era represented by this sentence.
Walking on the streets of Huaining County, you feel the impression of ancient times. This is a real and prosperous ancient county life, no worse than modern cities. There are two styles, one is reinforced concrete modernization, and the other is
Ancient style ink painting.
At dusk, the city is still lively and bustling. The streets and alleys paved with bluestone roads, the shops with thriving businesses on both sides, and the fashionable and clean clothes of the pedestrians coming and going perfectly demonstrate the affluence of the people living here.
Zhu Ping'an was walking here in the dust with his luggage on his back, and he really felt like a country bumpkin entering the city.
The top priority now is to find an inn, settle down, have a hot meal, take a hot bath, change clothes, and finally have a good sleep.
Zhu Pingan walked to an inn called Yue Ke Lai with his luggage on his back. The inn was a three-story building and there were many diners in the lobby. Outside the inn, a cleanly dressed waiter with a white towel on his shoulders saw Zhu Pingan.
As I walked over, the waiter greeted me warmly.
"Sir, do you want to stay in a hotel or stay in a hotel?"
"I want to stay in a hotel." Zhu Pingan replied with a naive smile.
"Okay, sir, please come in." The waiter stretched out his hand and bent down to guide Zhu Ping'an into the store. When he walked into the store, the waiter shouted loudly, "Sir, this young man wants to stay in the store."
"It's a coincidence, Mr., that our hotel only has the last low-class guest room left."
Soon, a fat shopkeeper came over. He was a fat middle-aged man in his forties with a shiny face.
"Can you please show me the guest room?" Zhu Ping'an heard from the shopkeeper that it was the worst first-class guest room. He couldn't help but think of the toilet in Stephen Chow's movie he had seen in his previous life.
Room.
"Of course, young master, come with me." The shopkeeper was very talkative.
Zhu Ping'an followed the shopkeeper and walked into the backyard. It was almost a room in the innermost corner. When he opened the door, he saw that the room only had the most basic bed and table. Although it was very clean, the lighting was not good, so he deliberately placed it in there.
Reading hurts the eyes, and Zhu Ping'an was not very satisfied with the house.
"Recently, the number of students coming to the city to take exams has increased day by day. This house is also the last one in our hotel. All the other inns in the city are almost overcrowded." Seeing that Zhu Pingan was not satisfied with the house, the shopkeeper reminded him.
"How much does this house cost? How many days do you want to live there? One or two months?" Zhu Ping'an asked casually about the price.
"One hundred cents a day for a short stay, and two taels and five cents a month for a long stay." The shopkeeper extended his palm and gestured.
Ahem, a room like this is so expensive, almost ten times more expensive than in the backing town. Although Zhu Ping'an made a small fortune today, he was unwilling to be taken advantage of. His father had to drive hard all day to make just this amount of money.
One day's rent is enough for my mother to sew her purse for two days, no.
"Sorry for disturbing you." Zhu Pingan apologized with his hands in hand.
"It's okay, young master, but you can go see other houses. If you can't find a place to live, my shop door will be open for young master, hahaha, of course, if this room is still available." The shopkeeper smiled nonchalantly.
.
"Thank you, uncle." Zhu Pingan thanked him and left Yuelai Inn with his luggage on his back.
Zhu Ping'an also encountered many scholars wearing long gowns while walking on the street. It was freezing cold, and many of these people were holding folding fans, giving them a sense of pointing out the country.
Next, Zhu Ping'an also asked about three inns, which were of different sizes. The smaller rooms were slightly cheaper, with the lower-class rooms costing 90 cents a day and renting for 22, 3 cents per month; the larger ones had a
The price is the same as Yuelai Inn, and there is another one that is more expensive than Yuelai Inn. However, unfortunately, this inn is full, and only the more expensive inn has a few rooms left, but the shopkeeper refuses to lower the price.
.
It seems that this is indeed the case in the market, and it should be the same in other inns. Zhu Ping'an is about to return to Yuelai Inn and rent out the second-class guest room. At worst, he can go outside to read.
"Is there a pig ahead?"
At this time, a familiar shout came.
Zhu Pingan turned his head and saw his uncle, who had changed into new clothes, and several other students walking towards this side.
Uncle Zhu Shouren and several other students felt much more balanced when they saw that Zhu Ping'an's body was covered in dust, his green shirt was stained with grass clippings, and his forehead was still red.
"Uncle, I still have some money left, so I'll give it to you." Zhu Ping'an said this first when he saw his uncle Zhu Shouren approaching.
Then I saw my uncle Zhu Shouren as if he had swallowed a fly.