Tang Dynasty: The seventh rank of official residence, and you will be given the Ten Thousand People

"Xiao Shi? What a pretty name."

As the door closed, the light in the thatched cottage suddenly dimmed, and Fan Xin smiled and closed his eyes.

Early the next morning, when the sun was shining on her cheeks, Xiaoshi came back from outside carrying an old hen.

There was a hint of exhaustion on her pretty face, and she snorted angrily when she saw Fan Xin looking at her.

"You're lucky. The landlord gave me an extra ten coppers today, and I'll stew the hens later."

"It seems that the landlord treats you well." Fan Xin said with a smile.

Hearing this, Xiaoshi curled her lips in disbelief.

"He's just an old man with a human face and an animal heart. It would be unlucky not to mention him."

Throwing the hen into the boiling water pot, Xiao Shi stretched tiredly.

He turned his eyes to Fan Xin.

"By the way, why are you lying by the river? Did you commit a murder and escaped?"

Fan Xin was startled and said amusedly.

"Strictly speaking, I was fighting with someone, and I jumped off the cliff when I ran out of moves."

Xiao Shi showed an expression that was indeed true, rolled up her sleeves and plucked the chicken feathers while saying.

"Looking at how miserable you are, you probably killed someone. Aren't you afraid that I will hand you over to the government in exchange for a reward?"

"Don't be afraid, I believe the girl is not that kind of person."

"Your mouth is quite sweet." Xiao Shi chuckled, threw the prepared hen into the pot, sprinkled a handful of salt on it, and closed the lid.

After stewing for about two hours, a pot of fragrant chicken was brought to the table.

Fan Xin endured the pain and sat up from the bed, holding the wooden pole to the table and sat down.

He sniffed it eagerly.

"This old hen is so delicious when stewed."

"Wait a moment, my brother will be back from the academy soon."

Xiaoshi sat on the chair, smoothed her hair on her forehead and said with a smile.

Fan Xin was startled, put down his chopsticks and said in surprise.

"You have a younger brother?" During the past two days, he thought the woman was alone.

When mentioning her younger brother, Xiao Shi rarely smiled.

"Yes, my brother has studied in the Imperial College for ten years and will take the official examination in a few days."

Fan Xin could tell that the woman was really happy.

In fact, it is not difficult to understand that under the system of selecting talents through the imperial examination, once you become an official, your family will be through it all.

It's understandable that women feel proud.

While the two were talking, a young man wearing a Confucian shirt walked in from the door.

Seeing a man appear at home, his face sank slightly and he said displeasedly.

"Sister, didn't you tell me to stew a chicken for me? Why is there an extra man in the house?"

Xiaoshi seemed to be particularly concerned about her brother's thoughts and explained quickly.

"Don't get me wrong, Xiao Ci. I picked this young man up halfway and kept him at home for a while to recover from his injuries."

"Really?"

The young man glanced at Fan Xin and saw that he looked like he was still seriously injured, and his expression softened slightly.

"Hmph, I'll write you this once!"

Xiao Ci snorted, sat at the table and began to eat happily.

Fan Xin frowned, but he was an outsider after all and didn't say anything. He scooped two pieces of chicken with a spoon and put them into Xiao Shi's bowl.

This girl is good at everything, but she has wronged herself too much. She has been hungry for two days and can only drink soup.

Seeing this scene, Xiao Ci's eyes flashed with disgust.

Put down his chopsticks and said.

"Sister, the gentleman from the Imperial College has said that the exam will be held in half a month, and all the graduates who pass it will be able to get at least a ninth-grade official."

"Hurry up and take out two copper coins. I will go back and give them to the sir in a moment and ask him to help me with the examiner."

"What did you say, two copper coins?" Xiaoshi was startled and said anxiously.

"Xiao Ci, you know the situation of our family. We have lost our land since our parents left. Where can my sister get two copper coins for you..."

Before Xiao Ci could finish speaking, Xiao Ci interrupted impatiently.

"Okay, don't complain about poverty to me here. Don't you have a good way of making money?"

"Don't think that I don't know what you are thinking. I just want to see how good-looking this guy is."

"Let me tell you Li Xiaoshi, the reason why I am looked down upon by others in the Imperial College is all because of you!"

After saying that, Xiao Ci opened the door and ran out, leaving the pale-faced Xiao Shi standing alone.

Cold tears flowed silently down her cheeks.

"So I'm so miserable in your eyes, haha, okay, I'll help you raise tuition."

Xiao Shi wiped her tears, looked at Fan Xin with empty eyes, and left the thatched cottage.

Looking at her helpless back, Fan Xin couldn't bear it. He wanted to follow her out for a look, but his body couldn't move.

In the end, I could only sit on a wooden bench and wait for Xiaoshi to come back.

Although he was a little tired of cleaning the dung bucket, Fan Xin felt that he relied on his hands to earn money and had nothing to be ashamed of.

That young man named Xiao Ci went a little too far.

It wasn't until the moon was high in the sky and a touch of fish belly white appeared on the horizon that footsteps could be heard outside the thatched cottage.

Then the door opened, and a beautiful figure staggered in.

Seeing Fan Xin sitting on the stool, he was slightly stunned, as if he didn't expect that someone was waiting here.

"It's almost dawn, why aren't you sleeping yet?"

"I saw that you looked wrong when you went out, and you were a little worried, so I waited for a while."

Xiaoshi was silent for a moment in the darkness and sighed.

"Go to sleep, I'm fine, I just cleaned a few more dung buckets."

After saying that, he crossed Fan Xin and walked to the bed and lay down with him on his back.

There is a faint smell of alcohol in the air...

It was already noon when Xiaoshi woke up from her sleep, and a plate of hot egg sauce was placed in front of her.

"Did you do this?" There was a hint of disbelief in his tone.

"When I was a kid, my family couldn't afford meat during the festival, so we used egg sauce instead. How about you try it?"

Fan Xin handed Xiao Shi a pair of chopsticks, and the latter whispered thank you, picked up a pair of eggs, put them into his mouth and chewed them.

Her beautiful eyes lit up slightly in approval.

“Great craftsmanship and delicious!”

"If it's delicious, just eat it all. There are two eggs left in the basket."

An hour later, Xiaoshi patted her belly with satisfaction and glanced at the sun.

"You recuperate at home first. I'll go do some work in advance and come back with some medicine for you in the evening."

After a few days of getting along, the relationship between the two became much warmer.

Seeing that Xiao Shi was about to go out again, Fan Xin hesitated and took out a copper fish charm engraved with the word "Yan" from his arms.

"You wait a moment. You can take this sign to a pawn shop later. The copper coins you get in exchange should be enough for your brother's schooling tuition."

"Sir, you..."

Meeting Fan Xin's deep eyes, Xiao Shi's pretty face turned slightly red, she lowered her head and took the copper fish charm and said with a twist.

"Thank you for that. I will redeem it for you when I make enough money."

After saying that, she turned around and ran out of the thatched cottage. For some reason, she didn't dare to look directly into this guy's eyes.

With a feeling of anxiety, Xiao Shi went to the pawn shop on the street and handed the copper fish talisman to the shopkeeper.

“Shopkeeper, could you please help me find out how much this brand can be worth?

"Bring it here and let me see!" At first, the old shopkeeper didn't take it seriously. How could a poor family have anything valuable? "

However, when I took it over and saw it, I was almost scared to death, and my legs were weak. "Girl, you said you want to pawn this thing?"

The shopkeeper swallowed his saliva and asked in disbelief.

With his years of vision, he could tell at a glance that the material of this fish charm was a bronze from the Western Zhou Dynasty that was more than a thousand years old from the Tang Dynasty.

A truly priceless treasure is considered a national treasure even now.

To put it bluntly, whoever owns this thing will become the richest man in Lanzhou in an instant.

Therefore, there was a tremor in his tone.

Seeing the pawnshop owner sweating and his voice trembling, Xiao Shi's heart skipped a beat.

This thing could not have been stolen by that young man through murder and robbery.

If that's the case, it's over.

"This thing from the shopkeeper was pawned by a good friend of the little girl. Is there any problem?"

"Ah, no, I'm just asking casually, how much money do you want to bet?"

After calming down, the shopkeeper coughed and asked with a smile.

For pawn shops, they only recognize items without asking their provenance, as long as they are genuine.

What's more, his son-in-law is Lanzhou Sima, who dares to cause trouble for him?

Xiao Shi secretly breathed a sigh of relief in her heart, as long as it wasn't stolen through murder and robbery.

So he carefully stretched out three fingers.

"Three thousand strings?"

The shopkeeper took a breath and looked at Xiao Shi in disbelief.

He was prepared to ask for 300,000 guan for such a national treasure, but he didn't expect that the woman in front of him only wanted 3,000 guan.

When Xiao Shi saw that the other party had misunderstood her meaning, she quickly explained.

"Shopkeeper, you misunderstood, I said San Guan!"

The shopkeeper's...

Out of the conscience of a businessman, the old shopkeeper really couldn't bear to charge such a precious treasure for three times the price.

So he sighed and said.

"Girl, it's already the cold winter season. I see you are still wearing thin clothes. I guess your family is not rich."

"Let's do this. I'll give you some more. How about a total bid of three guan and one penny?"

Xiaoshi was overjoyed and quickly took the pawn tickets and copper coins from the old shopkeeper, thanked her and walked to the drug store.

With the money, she could finally pay for the repair costs for her brother.

Watching her disappear at the end of the street, the old shopkeeper's expression changed. Just as he was about to close the door, a woman carrying a small basket walked into the pawn shop.

"Lanzhi, why are you here to deliver food in such a cold weather, where is Feihong?"

Seeing his daughter come in, the old shopkeeper pushed away the abacus and walked out.

"Oh, don't mention it. Feihong hasn't been home for half a month. He has been busy in the Yamen all day. I heard that King Fan Xin of Yan died for his country, and everyone is paying tribute."

"King Yan Xin? Are you talking about Fan Xin, who loves his people like his own son and is known as Qingtian?"

The old shopkeeper was startled and asked in surprise.

"Yes, in order for the Tang Dynasty to regain its territory, King Yan led 20,000 iron troops to guard the isolated city and fought hard for half a month with 180,000 Tibetan soldiers."

"In the end, only a few thousand Tubo people were left and fled in panic. In order not to be captured, he led the remaining men to jump off a cliff and die for the country."

The woman named Lanzhi sighed and took out two dishes of side dishes from the small basket.

"Dad, please eat quickly. My daughter has to visit the governor's wife later to see if Feihong has a chance to become the governor of Lanzhou."

The old shopkeeper raised his eyebrows when he mentioned the business, and said doubtfully.

"Didn't we pay Governor Duan 500 copper coins last time? Why haven't we let go yet?"

"Originally, five hundred copper coins were enough, but who knew that a man named Yu Wen was killed on the way. It is said that this man is the godson of Yu Sanxing, the leader of the Imperial Guard."

"Even the governor is in trouble. My daughter is just doing her best to obey fate."

Seeing his daughter's gloomy look, the old shopkeeper's face became uncertain.

There was someone in the court who wanted to be an official. For him, a businessman, his son-in-law was his only supporter.

If he fails to become a Changshi, not only will his previous efforts be in vain, but it will also be a matter of whether he can gain a foothold in Lanzhou in the future.

After thinking about this, the old shopkeeper gritted his teeth and said.

"Dad has a solution for this. Call Feihong back tonight, and we'll go visit Governor Duan together. Dad won't believe that with such a valuable treasure, Feihong can't become the governor of Lanzhou!"

……

At night, the cold wind blew into the thatched cottage through the window paper, and Fan Xin coughed twice due to the cold.

After taking a look at Xiaoshi who hadn't come back yet, Fan Xin sat up from the bed, held the wall and went to the stove to light the firewood.

As the fire burned stronger and stronger, it finally became warmer inside the thatched cottage.

Crunch!

The door was pushed open, and Xiaoshi walked in with her arms wrapped around her chest and trembling.

There is a layer of white frost stuck to the eyebrows.

"Huh, it's so cold that I'm going to freeze to death. Here are the herbs for you."

Pour the herbs into the earthen jar, Xiaoshi scoops out a ladle of cold water from the water jar and pours it in.

Then she sat next to Fan Xin and warmed herself by the fire. Under the faint bonfire, her little face suddenly turned red.

"Thank you so much this time. If it weren't for your help, I really don't know what I would have done."

"This is the remaining eight copper coins after deducting the repair costs. You can keep it."

Looking at the white little hands in front of him, Fan Xin smiled and shook his head.

"I have to trouble you to take care of her for a few days, so you should keep the money."

Fan Xin did not tell Xiao Shi the true value of the copper fish charm.

Because no matter who takes advantage of this brand, it will eventually come back to him.

Xiaoshi hesitated for a moment, nodded and put the money into her small purse.

"Deposit these eight cents with me first and keep them for you to buy medicine."

Speaking of this, Xiaoshi stroked her hair in front of her forehead in embarrassment.

"By the way, you look like you've studied. Can you accompany me to Hongwen Hall tomorrow to give Xiaoci a gift?"

"That's where scholars stay. I'm afraid I'll make a joke and embarrass Xiao Ci."

Fan Xin thought about it and realized that it was really not good to stay in the thatched cottage all the time. It was time to go out and do some activities.

"Okay, tomorrow Fan will accompany you to the Hongwen Hall, just to see the level of my Datang students."

"That's great, thank you Mr. Fan!" Xiaoshi said happily.

After taking the decoction, Xiaoshi told Fan Xin some precautions in Hongwen Hall so as not to offend the officials there.

Finally, Fan Xin gave up after seeing that he couldn't stand it anymore.

One night passed, Xiao Shi got up early and steamed two large pancakes mixed with rough flour, and urged Fan Xin to get up to eat.

After breakfast, Fan Xin freshened up and walked out of the house on crutches.

Xiao Shi was stunned when she saw Fan Xin's appearance.

俊！

What a handsome young man, with a calmness between his brows.

Although he was wearing coarse linen clothes, he had an extraordinary bearing.

"Ahem, Miss Shishi, it's getting late, we should go to Hongwen Hall."

"Ah! Yes, let's go."

After coming back to her senses, Xiao Shiqiao blushed and walked towards Hongwen Hall holding Fan Xin's arm.

At the same time, he secretly thought in his heart.

"Although this guy has no money or power, he is not as good as the scholars from the Imperial College."

"But he looks quite handsome. I wonder if he has a sweetheart..."

(End of this chapter)