Chapter 771 Fan Long

On the 20th day of the twelfth lunar month, it snowed in the capital.

The floating snowflakes fell from the sky one by one, and soon covered the red glazed tiles of the Ziwei Palace with a layer of white gauze.

The snow fell in the evening, and the people were surprised and happy.

It had been many years since we had seen such large flakes of snow.

The children no longer felt cold, and they came out of the warm house and ran to the street, raising their hands high. Soon, a handful of icy and soft snowflakes gathered in their palms.

"So white!"

The children in Yongtongfang exclaimed repeatedly, and their little hands holding the snowflakes were frozen red, but they were reluctant to put down the snow.

The sky in the evening was originally dim.

When the snow fell, it seemed that the sky and the earth were covered with a layer of light, bright and shining.

However, this light was false, and it was suppressed by the night in a short while.

But the child still refused to go home, until the parents and grandparents of each family shouted three times and four times, then he threw away the snow water in his hands that had already melted, ran home with a laugh.

The alley suddenly became deserted. Sanlang and Si Niang, who were not afraid of their father's discipline, squatted on the roadside to play for a while, and then turned back to the porridge stall.

The scholar in gray and old clothes walked into Yongtongfang with a heavy book box on his back. He walked and looked around, and saw two children not far away, and shouted in surprise:

"That child! That child!"

The twins stopped and turned to look over.

The night was mixed with the curtain of white snow, and the front was not very clear, only a gray shadow was seen.

Sanlang subconsciously hid behind his sister, tugged at Si Niang's clothes and whispered, "Is it a ghost?"

Si Niang was too lazy to roll her eyes at her little brother, and answered loudly, "Who is that person in the distance? Why are you calling us?"

She seemed to be fearless, and dared to speak loudly in the lonely alley. I'm afraid that even if there were real ghosts, they would be scared away.

Sanlang looked at the back of his sister's head with beautiful double buns in admiration, and kept thinking in his heart: What would I do if I didn't have my sister.

The scholar got a response, quickened his pace and broke through the hazy snow curtain to the brother and sister.

Sanlang breathed a sigh of relief, and a skinny uncle came.

"Excuse me, young lady, do you know where the Qin Mansion is?" The old scholar bowed and asked kindly.

Si Niang raised her eyebrows, and her smart eyes swept him up and down, and she already understood in her heart.

"Uncle, are you going to stay at the Qin family?" she asked.

The old scholar was overjoyed, "Yes, yes, that's right!"

Recently, many people have entered the city. He queued outside the city for a whole day. Fortunately, the city gates were closed in the evening and he entered the capital city. Otherwise, he would have to sleep in the wilderness outside the city tonight.

It was cold in the twelfth lunar month, and it was not comfortable to freeze people's hands and feet.

He wanted to stay in the inn in the small town under Nanlouguan, but he was short of money and could not afford the high room fee.

As soon as he entered the city, he asked the street vendors where there were cheap places to stay in the city.

Unexpectedly, the vendor saw that he was really poor, raised his hand and pointed to the southeast of the city, and said:

"Qin Dadongjia opened a free porridge stall in Yongtongfang. You can try your luck there. I heard that there are free accommodations specially prepared for you scholars who are taking the exam."

As the vendor said, he praised Qin Dadongjia for his kindness.

The old scholar had never encountered such a lucky thing before, so he didn't believe it too much. But it was getting dark and snowing, so he had to try his luck.

But most of the places in the capital looked the same. He asked and walked all the way, and it took a lot of effort to enter Yongtongfang.

This place was not what he thought.

I heard from the vendors that the Qin family was a big merchant in the northwest. Why did he get more and more remote the further he walked?

The houses around were also low and dilapidated. The old scholar suspected that he might have been cheated.

But he couldn't think of what he could be cheated of in his condition, so he went deeper with doubts.

Hard work pays off, and he finally met two children.

Sanlang and Si Niang led the way, and the old scholar followed them all the way to the deepest part of Yongtongfang, and finally saw a long banner with the words "Qin's free porridge stall" written on it.

The porridge stall distributes porridge twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening.

It has been closed now.

Dalang was leading Ma Yang and Shitou to clean the stove and was about to close the stall and go home.

The lights were on in the courtyard. The original hall was all filled with desks, and candles were lit on the desks. Dozens of people were reading with their backs to the door.

There were several charcoal pots burning in the house, so it was not cold even when it snowed.

The houses on both sides of the courtyard were all turned into large bunk beds. All candidates who came to Beijing to take the imperial examination only needed to use local identity documents to confirm their identity as candidates. No matter what your status was, whether you were poor or rich, you could stay for free.

Only one thing, not a grain of food, a mouthful of water, a piece of charcoal, or a quilt was wasted.

In just three days, all the candidates who lived in the alleys in Xicheng moved in.

Everyone followed the rules set by the great host Qin and took turns to be on duty.

When not on duty, they would review their lessons in the "self-study room" prepared by the host.

Grateful for the Qin family's kindness, and in order to live up to the kindness of the host family, the candidates studied harder.

Because of the good atmosphere, many candidates with decent economic conditions also moved here.

Consciously paid the room fee just to find a quiet place to study.

The old scholar stood outside the door, looking at the sound of reading coming from the courtyard, and opened his eyes in disbelief.

Si Niang stared at this person, Sanlang ran to the shed and pointed to this side with his eldest brother.

Dalang put down the rag in his hand, walked over with the momentum of the host, and asked skillfully: "Have you eaten?"

The old scholar turned around and shook his head awkwardly at the heroic young man who asked, "Not yet."

Si Niang introduced: "The Qin family is my uncle, and this is my eldest brother. My parents went home for something. We will leave after we clean up the stove."

The old scholar realized that the twins were from the Qin family.

There was one bowl of porridge left, and Dalang picked it up. While motioning the old scholar to follow him into the courtyard, he went to find a brazier and put the bowl on the side to heat it.

"But you haven't found a place to stay yet?" Dalang asked.

The old scholar's name is Fan Long.

He nodded honestly, because he heard that there was a free place to stay here.

Dalang asked him to show his identity documents.

Confirming that this person was a candidate, Dalang took him to the west wing and chose an empty bed for him.

A Niang locked the backyard and left only the room at the entrance as a common bed.

One room slept twelve people, and the other rooms were full, only the west wing had a few vacancies.

Dalang told Fan Long the rules here. Seeing Fan Long said he knew and promised to follow them, Dalang pointed to the hot grain porridge beside the brazier and said, "Remember to eat."

"If you don't know anything, go ask Uncle Ma Yang. He's on duty here tonight."

After giving instructions, Dalang called his younger brothers and sisters and drove home with Shitou.

But he didn't know that as soon as the brothers and sisters left, Fan Long brought the hot thick grain porridge and drank it while asking Ma Yang, who had locked the door and entered the yard, about their family.