Jia Heng was not annoyed and smiled lightly and said: "The glory of our ancestors is far away. Although I am not talented, I am still willing to follow in the footsteps of my ancestors. I heard that Brother Xie is quite unique in the art of archery. If Brother Xie does not give up,
But I can give you some pointers on archery. If you can make any progress, I will thank you for your teachings."
Xie Baihu thought for a moment, then smiled and said: "Hold this knife, do you see the wooden stake over there? If you can chop it open, I will teach you the art of archery. If you can't chop it, I will teach you the art of archery."
Don’t say that I, Mr. Xie, am ungrateful.”
Saying that, he handed the knife over.
Cai Quan whispered: "Brother Dong, it's not easy...how come you still pass the exam?"
Dong Qian frowned and said, "I don't know either, let's take a look first."
Jia Heng lightly weighed the Yanling knife in his hand. The knife weighed about twenty kilograms. If it hadn't been for some effort from his predecessor, it would have been difficult to lift it.
He waved his hand and made a sword.
Just for a moment, Xie Baihu narrowed his eyes and secretly marveled. This descendant of Duke Ning Rong has long been of no use. He didn't expect such a person to exist?
Jia Heng took two steps together, raised his sword and struck with a leap. He saw the light of the sword flashing like a rainbow and slashing towards the wooden stake.
"Crack!"
A wooden stake as thick as a sea bowl is cut off from the middle, and the cross section is like a mirror, and the light can be used to discern people.
"What a great knife!"
Jia Heng blurted out his praise and felt his arms were sore. This was because he often used swords and rarely used knives. There are many differences in the way they exert force.
Xie Baihu stood up and said with a smile: "What a great skill, but I, Lao Xie, missed it."
Dong Qian smiled and said: "Brother Xie, don't underestimate me, brother Jia. I just saw him practicing swordsmanship at home. The sword light is like a rainbow, and it is impervious to wind and rain."
Xie Baihu also had a smile on his face and said: "This wooden pile is made of oak. It is more difficult to break than ordinary wooden piles. Brother Jia broke it with one blow. It was not easy. He has good skills."
"
It's not just strength, but also skill. An expert will know if it's there as soon as he takes action.
Cai Quan also smiled and warmed up the atmosphere and said, "Let's go, it's already noon, let's go eat first."
Jia Heng nodded and followed Xie Baihu into the house.
Xie Baihu lived in a three-room tile-roofed house. There was also a woman in Jingchai and a sarong in the house. She looked like thirty years old, her skin was not very good, she was tired from long-term work, and she had several children beside her.
A tiger-headed child was looking at strangers with sluggish eyes. His eyes fell on the gift boxes held in the hands of Cai Quan and Jia Heng. His eyes were shining. Behind him were two little girls with braids, looking at them timidly.
stranger.
"Go and warm up the wine." As soon as Xie Baihu entered the side room, he got on the kang and ordered the mother-in-law beside him.
The woman responded, and Cai Quan and Jia Heng handed over the wine and meat.
After a while, everyone was drinking and talking.
Xie Baihu lamented: "Why do the Jin people plunder every year in the north? They just use cavalry and shooting. I think back to the time of Taizu, when the capital camp was still chasing people to the north. How many years have passed, how many people in the army still know how to do it?"
Riding and shooting kung fu?”
Because Chen Hancheng Ming naturally faced the same problems as the previous Ming Dynasty, there were grassland border dangers externally, land annexation by the landlord class internally, and a huge civil servant group with gentry as spokesperson.
Jia Heng pondered: "What is the situation in Jiubian now?"
"What else could it be like? The Eastern Han Dynasty is in great difficulty. The general soldiers of Ji Town are unable to retreat, Beiping Mansion has been plundered all year round, and the people in the border areas are miserable." Xie Baihu said with an indignant look.
There was a trace of thought on Jia Heng's face. The world of Dream of Red Mansions will undoubtedly be a troubled time of changing dynasties. Just as "Good Song" said, if you train well, you can't guarantee that you will be a strong leader in the future. This is what Liu Xianglian and his colleagues are like.
Times will allow Liu Xianglian and others to serve as strong pillars.
Except for the troubled times, don’t think about other things.
In the first chapter of "A Dream of Red Mansions", it is recorded that Zhen Shiyin's house was burned down and he went to the farm to take refuge. The book said: "This year coincided with the flood and drought, the harvest was not harvested, thieves and thieves were on the rise, and the officers and soldiers hunted down..."
There is more record in Chapter 53. Wu Jinxiao reported, "This year's harvest is really bad. It rained from March until August. It didn't last for five days in a row. In September, there was a hailstorm as big as a bowl...
…”
Thinking of this, Jia Heng couldn't help but feel a little awe-inspiring in his heart.
Could it be the Little Ice Age in the late Ming Dynasty?
If this is the case, just passing the imperial examination and becoming an official is not enough to settle down in this world. You still need to have military power in order to live a prosperous life in this world.
A few people were talking in one side of the room, while the heated food and wine were placed on the table. Everyone was chatting and talking about what they had seen in the army and mentioned trivial matters in the capital.
At a cocktail party, the guests and hosts enjoyed themselves until late afternoon.
Jia Heng and Xie Zaiyi made an appointment to learn riding and shooting, and supported Dong and Cai, whose cheeks were red from drinking, and went home together.
When he came back, it was rare that he had to bury his injustice with Cai, so Jia Heng went back to the back room to sleep until dusk.
I prepared some hot water, washed away my alcohol smell, and changed into clean clothes.
Just as he was about to come to the study to study, he suddenly saw Mr. Cai standing at the threshold, seemingly hesitant to speak.
Jia Heng smiled and said, "Aunt Cai has something to teach me?"
There are three members of Cai's family. Although his family is poor, they actually have ten or twenty acres of land, which is cultivated by Cai's husband and Brother Cai's family.
Ms. Cai said: "Auntie has a few words for Brother Heng."
Saying that, he walked into the house.
Jia Heng smiled, picked up the teapot on the side, poured a cup of tea for Mrs. Cai, turned around and said, "Aunt Cai, you have some tea."
Mr. Cai sat on the table and said with a smile: "Brother, you are becoming more and more like an adult."
Jia Heng smiled and said, "Children from poor families have long been in charge, and Aunt Cai has watched me grow up."
Mrs. Cai held the tea, smiled and said with emotion: "If the girl is still here, I may feel so relieved."
Jia Heng sighed and said: "Mother, she has worked hard all her life, but she has never enjoyed a single day of happiness with my father and son. Alas..."
Mrs. Cai was silent. After a moment, she suddenly said: "The girl hopes that my brother will go to school. Before she left, she actually made a marriage arrangement for him."
Jia Heng said in surprise: "Marriage?"
Ms. Cai said: "This is the marriage certificate. It was decided long ago."
As he said that, he took out a wooden box from the armhole. The pear wood box was exquisitely made, with a phoenix pattern engraved on it.
Jia Heng's expression paused for a moment, then he reached out to take it, opened it, and read it, his expression becoming solemn.
"Qin Ye's daughter? Qin Keqing?" Jia Heng's face looked a little strange.
Isn’t Qin Keqing going to marry Jia Rong?
Also, Jia Rong is just sixteen years old at this moment, so she should not be married.
"It's just that with my current poor status, Qin Ye can't possibly break off the engagement. Do I still want to keep the entire three-year engagement?" Jia Heng looked at the marriage letter and looked thoughtful for a moment.
Of course, even if Qin Ye agreed, he wouldn't be able to protect a beauty like Qin Keqing if he didn't have some skills.
It is no lie that beauty brings disaster.
But let him ignore it. If Qin Keqing married Jia Rong as in the original novel, and then was stripped of her ashes by that old guy Jia Zhen, it would seem... quite uncomfortable.
"I asked your uncle to buy some gifts in the afternoon. Tomorrow, you go to the Qin family and discuss the wedding date with the Qin family." Cai said.
Jia Heng pondered for a moment and said: "Aunt Cai, our family knows our own affairs. If my family is in such a situation, the Qin family will probably regret it. If we come here, we are asking for trouble."
Cai said with a smile: "Brother, I don't know. This is what Qin Ye promised back then. How can he regret it? I will just go tomorrow. I will have my own thoughts at that time."
Jia Heng didn't know why Cai was so determined, but seeing his hopeful expression, he agreed temporarily.
