Traveling during the day and staying in a hotel at night.
It was the tenth day of October when Su Liang and Ning Jing arrived in Pingbeicheng with their children, and there were only five days left before the provincial examination.
Pingbeicheng is the largest city in the northern part of Qian Kingdom.
Just after noon, people were coming and going at the city gate, which was very lively.
I was tired from playing and slept soundly in the car.
Su Liang wore men's clothes early in the morning and put on makeup carefully. He looked like a young boy.
She opened the curtain and took a look outside. The towering city gate was much more majestic than that of Bei'an County.
There was a routine inspection at the city gate, so Su Liang hid Zheng'er wrapped in a blanket behind her so that no one could see her.
Ning Jing was wearing a straw hat and dusty coarse clothes. He said he was sending his son from Beiqing County to take the exam.
At that time, the four people said that they originally wanted to send Zheng'er to Pingbeicheng to be looked after by the fourth lady of the Li family who was married here. The four people who were let go knew that Su Liang and Ning Jing would come, and someone might intercept them here.
"It's a boy and a girl with a three-year-old child."
"The two men are not from Bei'an County."
The two soldiers whispered to each other and quickly let him go.
…
After entering the city, Ning Jing and Su Liang did not go to the inn, but first looked for Fang Ya to buy a house.
At this time, the money Su Liang earned from Mu Luo came in handy. She had no plans to withdraw money using the sign given by Yan Yu for the time being.
Su Liang, who was bold and aggressive, chose and bought a quiet house in the center of Pingbei City under Fang Ya's enthusiastic introduction.
Fang Ya was left to handle the transfer of ownership and taxes at the government office. In order to save trouble, he was given a lot of extra money.
The house is neither big nor small, and has everything it needs. Someone has been cleaning and maintaining it before, so it is very clean.
For safety reasons, Su Liang and Ning Jing still lived in the same courtyard.
The two of them brought their own bedding and just needed to buy some kitchen utensils to stay there.
Zheng'er finally had a place where he could run freely. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared. After a while, he ran out on his own without looking for him. He happily played hide-and-seek with Su Liang and Ning Jing. Sometimes they would cooperate with him, and sometimes they would know it. Where is he? I deliberately don't look for him.
"How many days are left, are you going to Qianshan Academy?" Su Liang asked Ningjing.
As the head of the Bei'an County College Examination, Ning Jing could study at Qianshan Academy before the township examination, but he gave up at that time.
It should be okay to go now. Maybe there will be some focused tutoring before the exam.
"I'm not going." Ning Jing said.
"Okay. You keep an eye on me at home while I go out to buy pots and ingredients." Su Liang said.
Zheng'er saw Su Liang going out and followed him out. Ning Jing called out to him, so he turned around and ran back, throwing himself on Ning Jing.
All the things in the carriage were unloaded, and Su Liang drove out onto the street alone.
Today coincides with Qianshan Academy's hiatus, and there are many scholars wearing the same gray and white uniforms of the academy on the street.
Su Liang met the top three candidates in Bei'an County's college entrance examination, and they were shopping together.
If Ning Jing appeared, they would definitely recognize him at a glance.
Su Liang first went to buy all the pots and pans she needed, and also bought a lot of food and meat. Then she went to a clothing store to buy new clothes for her, Ning Jing and Zheng'er.
Seeing a small red satin hat with a small furry ball on it, hanging in the most conspicuous place in the store, Su Liang let it be taken off without asking the price. She thought it suited Zheng'er very well and it didn't matter if it was more expensive.
Passing by a bookstore, she went in and picked out a bunch of miscellaneous books that she had never seen before, and put them all in the carriage.
As the Provincial Examination approaches, the bookstore has a special shelf selling bookcases, which can be carried or carried on your back. They are made of various materials, and some of them look very high-end.
Su Liang saw some scholars carrying it on the street. Thinking that now that he was rich, Ningjing didn't have to carry a basket like he did when taking the college examination, so he went over to ask for the price.
The clerk saw that Su Liang was not short of money and highly recommended the most expensive one, but she liked another one with lighter materials and more reasonable internal design, so she bought it.
Su Liang went shopping all the way and returned home with a full load. When she got home, she received a warm bear hug from Zhenger Xiao Baozi.
Seeing Ning Jing holding the book box and frowning slightly, Su Liang quickly said, "I know it's not as good as your own, but I don't have time now, so just make do with it."
Ning Jing cleaned all the kitchen utensils he bought, held Zheng'er in his arms and lit the fire, while Su Liang cooked a sumptuous dinner.
Originally, she thought of just steaming minced meat and egg custard for Zheng'er, but thinking that Ning Jing would definitely ask "Can't adults eat it?", Su Liang made three portions.
Zheng'er's belly was bulging after eating, and Su Liang rubbed it gently for him. He narrowed his eyes and smiled in comfort, shouting, "Uncle Ning...Auntie..."
Later it became, "Uncle...Aunt Ning..."
…
When buying the house, Su Liang took a fancy to the large open space in the back garden, which could be used for martial arts training.
She got up early in the morning and went for a run. After the run, she did a set of boxing and sword practice, and her talent was just bright.
Ningjing heated up the hot water and walked back quickly when she heard Zheng'er calling someone in the room.
Su Liang felt that if Ning Jing had a child in the future, he would be an extremely good father.
…
Although they came to the big city, Su Liang and Ning Jing temporarily resumed their life style in Sujia Village. Except for having many children, everything else was the same.
When Ning Jing came, she brought some basic carpentry tools, found ropes and wooden boards, and built a small swing for Zheng'er in the courtyard, with a fence to prevent him from falling.
After listening to Su Liang's description, he made a pile of bricks for Zheng'er. Each one was polished and was exquisite except for being painted.
So, it was a clear afternoon, the sun was shining brightly, there were many building blocks piled on the stone table in the courtyard, and there was a fat doll dressed up in plump clothes and wearing a cute little red riding hood.
Ning Jing sat next to him, playing with blocks with Zheng'er.
Two people, one big and one small, worked together, and every time they formed a shape, Zheng'er would shout "Auntie" across the room, making sure to let Su Liang see it.
The window was open, and Su Liang, who was sitting in the room reading a book, smiled and gave a thumbs up, saying, "Zheng'er is great!"
Zheng'er imitated Su Liang's example, gave Ning Jing a thumbs up, and said with a smile, "Uncle is great!"
Su Liang chuckled, "Ningjing, it's your turn to praise me."
Ning Jing looked at Su Liang and said calmly, "Read well."
Su Liang: ...I'm already playing with my children with building blocks, why are you pretending to be cold? It's true.
…
Ning Jing hasn't gone out since she entered the city. When buying things, Su Liang dressed up as a man and went out, and she never took her children out on the street.
They didn't know that in the past few days, in addition to being watched at the city gate, there were also people searching every inn in the city. But whether it was "a man and a woman" or "a man and a woman taking care of the child", which instructions should be followed to find them?
, and no trace of them entering the city was found.
On October 14th, Ningjing must go out.
All scholars who will take part in the provincial examination tomorrow need to report to Qianshan Academy and get a sign. If there is no sign, they will not be able to enter the examination hall by then.
"Go on your own." Su Liang said.
Ningjing would have attracted attention because of his background and taking part in the imperial examination with the title of Crown Prince of Beijing. If people see him with women and children by his side again, very outrageous rumors may spread.
Ning Jing carried the bookcase Su Liang bought for him, which contained water and Su Liang's delicious homemade snacks.
It was originally made for Zheng'er as a snack. The child can't eat much, but Ning Jing likes it very much.
Zheng'er thought that Ning Jing was leaving and not coming back, so she hugged his legs and wouldn't let go.
Su Liang tried to coax him, but it didn't work either.
Ning Jing picked up Zheng'er, looked into his eyes and said, "You are at home."
Zheng'er didn't care what he said, she hugged his neck tightly and wouldn't let go. If she tried to pull away, he would just scream.
Ning Jing put down the bookcase and found the backpack that Su Liang had bought yesterday to put things in. He wiped it clean with a damp cloth, put a small blanket inside, then put Zheng'er in and closed the lid.
Zheng'er thought she was playing hide-and-seek with him, so she poked her head out with the lid on her head and smiled happily.
Su Liang held his forehead, "Are you sure you want to carry him to the academy? It's hard not to be discovered."
Ningjing took out the things from the bookcase and put them into the backpack, carrying it on her back, with her little head on the lid, stretching and retracting, having a great time playing.
"Don't come out unless I call you." Ning Jing turned around and said.
Zhenger chuckled.
Su Liang thought to himself, it would be strange if he could understand, remember, and follow the instructions...
But even if they were discovered, there would be no serious consequences, so Su Liang would just let them go.
Watching Ning Jing take Zheng'er out of the door, Zheng'er stretched out his little hand and waved goodbye to Su Liang, as if to say: "I'm going to play with my uncle!"
…
There were many carriages parked at the foot of Baiyun Mountain, and the road was blocked.
Ning Jing was alone, carrying a backpack and walking up through the crowd.
"Master Ning!"
Ning Jing heard the voice and ignored it because the voice was unfamiliar. He was not the only one whose surname was Ning.
The footsteps were quick and someone was chasing after me.
It was an old man with neat clothes and shrewd eyes. He stopped Ningjing and asked politely, "Is the young master from Bei'an County?"
Ningjing stopped and did not answer.
The old man announced his family name, "I am the shopkeeper of Yonglong Embroidery Shop in Pingbeicheng. The owner's surname is Yan."
Ning Jing then spoke, "What's the matter?"
"Is it Mr. Ning?" the old man said with a smile. "The head of the family sent a letter last month, saying that her friends Miss Su and Mr. Ning would come to Pingbeicheng and asked me to buy a house specially to entertain them. Someone had been sent to the city gate in advance.
I waited upstairs and didn't see when the young master came. I thought that the young master would come to the academy to report today, so I came here to wait."
"How did you know it was me?" Ning Jing asked.
The old man smiled and replied, "The master of the house sent a portrait with the letter to prevent us from recognizing the wrong person."
"Thank you. There's nothing I need to worry about at the moment." Ning Jing said.
"I wonder which inn the young master is staying in? The house is ready and ready to stay at any time," the old man said.
"Someone will go to Xiuzhuang to look for you tomorrow." After Ning Jing finished speaking, he continued walking up.
The old man thought for a moment and felt that tranquility meant that he didn't need it today and would talk about it tomorrow. He had no choice but to go back.
Ning Jing did not doubt that this was the person arranged by Yan Yu. Because those people who wanted to cause trouble in the dark did not know the relationship between Su Liang and Ning Jing and Yan Yu.
Ning Jing walked down a small road to a place where no one was around and called out softly, "Zheng'er."
Zheng'er, who was obediently staying in the backpack, got the signal, stood up with the lid on his little head, grabbed the edge of the backpack with his little hands, and looked at the completely different scenery in the mountains with his little face in amazement.
This is the game that Ningjing and Zheng'er agreed upon. You can only come out by calling his name, and you can go back if you pat him on the back.
Qianshan Academy appeared in sight, Ningjing patted the basket on his back twice, then sat back obediently, and moved the lid with his little hands to seal it tightly.
"Master Ning!"
A scholar from Bei'an County stood at the entrance of the academy, saw Ning Jing from a distance, and shouted loudly.
Instantly, it caused a commotion.
Although Ning Jing has never been to Qianshan Academy before, everyone in the academy knows him.
Because he was the first scholar in the history of Qianshan Academy to receive free admission but did not come.
You must know that this academy is famous throughout the Qian Kingdom, and many students from other places have tried their best to obtain admission qualifications but cannot find a way.
Many people asked the three scholars from Bei'an County about Ning Jing, but two of them said they didn't understand. The one who was at the head of the case with Ning Jing said that Ning Jing was very arrogant because of his backing.
As a result, Ning Jing's reputation as "arrogant" spread. Coupled with his life background, some people who only knew his name but had never met him spread many rumors.
The most outrageous thing is that rumors are secretly circulating within Qianshan Academy that "Ningjing is the male favorite of Xing Yusheng, the crown prince of Beijing."
Ning Jing, the "celebrity", immediately became the center of attention as soon as he appeared.
When he walked to the entrance of the academy, two scholars with registered residence in Bei'an County came up to say hello, as if they were meeting fellow villagers.
But they only met on the day of the college examination and later on the day Mu Luo invited guests.
In fact, Ningjing saved their lives, but they didn't know it.
Ning Jing just nodded and asked where they were reporting.
The two of them had already taken the sign and took the initiative to take Ningjing there.
Along the way, everyone attracted attention.
After today, after seeing Ning Jing's true appearance, the rumor that he was the favorite of a certain prince was mentioned again because he was so good-looking...
Checking in is very simple, just confirm your identity, get your exam badge, read the exam precautions posted next to it, and you’re good to go.
Ning Jing took his own sign, thanked the two scholars who led the way, and was about to leave when a scholar ran over, "Where is Mr. Ning Jingning? The dean asked him to come over!"
For a moment, the eyes of the people around him changed when they looked at Ning Jing.
Under the attention of everyone, Ning Jing carried a basket on his back and followed the guide through most of the academy, arriving at the entrance of a quiet and small courtyard.
"Master Ning, please come in." The person leading the way left after saying this.
Before entering the door, Ning Jing patted the basket on his back twice more to remind Zheng'er that it was hidden.
As soon as he stepped into the small courtyard, a light green figure ran over, and his crisp voice revealed unconcealable surprise, "Brother Jing!"