noffsinger Chapter 420 Going to Beijing to take the exam
Chapter 420 Going to Beijing to take the exam
At the junction of Yanzhou and Jingzhou, many troops were stationed on both sides of the official road.
It snowed heavily because of the late spring cold.
Although the snow has stopped now, the road is covered with snow and the team is trapped there.
Many people built fires to keep warm on the spot. Most of them were candidates going to Beijing to take the imperial examinations. They soon gathered together and asked each other about their backgrounds.
There were two rather shabby carriages parked in the middle of the large group. They seemed to be isolated, and no one came to ask about their well-being or try to get close to them.
Two glass lamps were hung on the roof of the carriage, illuminating the entire carriage. Three people sat cross-legged around the coffee table, holding paper-thin bamboo pieces in their hands.
"A pair of sharps, only one card left."
Farmer Lan Jiu looked at the two twos in his hand and shook his head at the landlord Lin Jiaojiao.
Farmer No. 2 Lin Chun said directly: "I can't afford it."
"A four, haha, I win."
It is already early February. At the end of January, Lin Jiaojiao took Lan Jiu and Lin Chun to Qingzhou in two horse-drawn carriages to pick up Lin Yun. They drove north for thirteen days before arriving at this place.
They were supposed to reach Kyoto in three days, but unfortunately they were blocked by the heavy snow in late spring.
In another carriage, the curtains on the window near the woods were drawn. A woman was reading a book. From time to time, she heard cheers from the carriage in front. The corners of her mouth slightly raised, and she pinched the pages of the book and gently turned them.
It was not until it grew dark that she closed the book and rubbed her eyes, then she heard Lin Jiaojiao's voice outside the carriage.
"Xiao Yun has been reading all day, it's time to take a break. Come down and walk around a bit."
"I know, sister."
As soon as she opened her mouth, she found her voice was extremely hoarse, so she picked up the kettle hanging on the wall of the car and took a sip to moisten her throat.
After getting off the carriage, I saw people standing between the cars and doing stretching exercises.
"sister."
Lin Jiaojiao twisted her waist, looked up and smiled when she heard Lin Yun's voice.
"I thought you had a cold when I heard your hoarse voice earlier, but we have to stay here tonight. It's cold at night, so you should make a bowl of ginger soup to prevent colds."
They usually stay in inns, but this is the first time they have slept outdoors.
Lin Chun stood on the outer panel of the carriage and lifted the cowhide on the roof. He first took out two bundles of hay and handed them to Lan Jiu, and then took some wood and threw it on the snow.
Seeing that he had almost thrown away all the snow, he covered the snow with the cowhide again and went to the roof of another carriage to pass down the folded table and stools. Then he picked up the blue bricks at the bottom and threw them into the snow.
Lan Jiu threw the hay in front of the two horses, and the horses, which had been hungry for a day, started eating immediately.
He took the basket and went around to the back of the carriage, took out the key and inserted it into the keyhole. After unlocking it, he pulled out the cabinet like a drawer.
A large part of it is filled with fast food, including instant noodles, seaweed and shrimp soup bags, health tea bags, various dried vegetables, and there is also a compartment specifically for rice, with eggs hidden in the rice.
He first took out four eggs from the rice and put them in the basket, then took out a bag of brown sugar ginger tea and eight packets of instant noodles, and then took out a bundle of bean curd skin before locking the cabinet.
Lin Chun had already set up the stove, Lin Jiaojiao helped to bring out the pots and pans, and Lin Yun helped to light the fire.
Lin Chun placed the two pots, one large and one small, on the stove, then took the basin and went to shovel snow far away.
Lin Jiaojiao sat on a small stool, wiping the bowls with a handkerchief, but her eyes were looking at the people sitting around the campfire in front of her.
"Xiao Yun, I think the people ahead are all going to Beijing to take the imperial examination. How about I go with you to take a look after dinner?"
After hearing what she said, Lin Yun also looked up.
"No need, sister. I want to rest after dinner. I'm a little tired after reading all day. Go to bed early and I'll keep watch in the second half of the night."
After hearing what he said, she remembered that someone must be on guard tonight. Even though there were many people around, she still couldn't let her guard down.
"Okay, I'll guard the first half of the night."
Lan Jiu came over with a basket and heard their conversation, and hurriedly spoke.
"Miss, just get some sleep, and leave the night watch to me."
Lin Jiaojiao refused without even thinking about it.
"No, you still have to drive the carriage during the day, so just be obedient and have a good rest at night."
When Lan Jiu heard the word "obedient", her ears turned red. "I understand."
Then he put down the basket, took out all the eggs, put them on the stove wall, and prepared to roast the eggs.
Lin Chun also came back with a basin full of snow and poured it directly into the two pots. The snow melted in a short while.
It got dark quickly, and the four of them sat around the stove waiting for the water to boil.
Lin Jiaojiao smelled the aroma of roasted rabbit meat in front of her and she took two deep breaths.
"You know what, it smells really good when it's roasted."
As soon as she finished speaking, Lan Jiu, who was sitting next to her, stood up, and she was so scared that she quickly grabbed his hand.
"Where are you going, Jiu?"
"I will set up some traps around here to see if I can catch some game."
She knew it, so she quickly pulled him to sit down again.
"Don't go. It's dark now. There must be traps set by others around. Let's not join in the fun."
"Okay, I'll listen to you, Miss."
She held his hand and did not let go. Instead, she pulled his slightly cold hand to her waist to warm it.
The other two were no longer surprised by their occasional close contact.
It wasn't until the water boiled that Lan Jiu scratched the palm of her hand and she let go.
Lan Jiu first opened the brown sugar ginger tea bag and poured it into the small pot, then put the bean curd skin into the large pot. After the bean curd skin was cooked soft, he put all eight pancakes into the pot. Lin Chun helped to tear open the seasoning packet and pour it in.
Suddenly the aroma of braised beef wafted to the road behind.
"What's that smell? Why does it smell so good?"
"I don't know, are the nobles in front cooking something good?"
"I suddenly felt that the meat bun in my hand didn't smell good anymore."
The four of them listened to the voice coming from behind, and no one said anything, so they let this beautiful misunderstanding continue.
It happened that they were sitting between the two carriages, thus blocking a lot of sight from the front and back, and avoiding a lot of inquiring glances.
After the noodles were cooked, everyone picked up a bowl and started eating. Lan Jiu first gave the baked eggs to Lin Chun and Lin Yun, and peeled the remaining two and put them in Lin Jiaojiao's bowl.
Lin Jiaojiao took it with a smile, but when he was about to put the second egg in her bowl, she moved the bowl away.
"Ajiu, don't just focus on me, eat too."
Lan Jiu knew that she wouldn't want it anymore, so he put the egg into his own bowl.
"it is good."
Lan Jiu and Lin Yun ate one bowl and stopped, Lin Jiaojiao ate one and a half bowls, and the rest was finished by Lin Chun alone.
After Lin Chun drank the last mouthful of soup, she burped and saw Lin Jiaojiao and Lin Yun sitting opposite her looking at her. She suddenly felt a little embarrassed as she looked at the bottom of the pot where there was no soup left.
She burped again and said, "This instant noodles is so delicious, I ate it all by accident..."
Lin Jiaojiao nodded in admiration. Lin Chun must have eaten at least four packets and even drank up all the soup. No wonder he grew so strong.
She brought Lin Chun here because Lin Chun was 1.9 meters tall and had well-developed muscles, so she could do the work of three people.
Not to mention the people with bad intentions along the way, they all took detours when they saw Lin Chun, but there were also some brave people. Lin Chun jumped off the carriage and took out two butcher knives from under the carriage to intimidate them, and they were scared away without Lan Jiu having to do anything.
After all, their carriage looked so shabby, and there was no need to risk their lives for such a small amount of money.