Jia Yujing of Red Mansion

Chapter 31

This old gentleman who came from afar is none other than Jia Qiong's grandfather Shen Yan.

Next year is the year of the competition, and all his students have gone to the capital to take the exams, so he also has a long period of free time.

Shen Yan thought that instead of letting his daughter travel thousands of miles to find him with several children, it would be better for him to come to the capital to see them.

So I took a long vacation and took a boat to Chang'an.

Starting from Yangzhou, we first take the Grand Canal, turn into the Tongji Canal, then pass through the Yellow River and enter the Wei River, and finally reach Chang'an.

Because traveling by water is much slower than traveling by land, it took almost four months on the road.

Fortunately, we took a boat all the way. Although the speed was much slower than riding a horse, it also avoided the pain of bumps.

Shen Yan looked at the city of Chang'an getting closer and closer, remembering the scene when he left Beijing more than ten years ago, and his little daughter who died young, his eyes couldn't help but moisten.

The oxcart drove for almost an hour before arriving at Osmanthus Alley, Ningrong Street. Shen Yan walked into the alley with his luggage.

But when he thought about meeting relatives he had not seen for more than ten years, he hesitated for a moment.

At this time, a clicking sound came. Shen Yan looked up and saw two riders walking out of the depths of the alley.

The two of them, one tall and burly, the other shorter, both wearing hats and cloaks, walked slowly from the snow.

He suddenly felt emotionally agitated and tears flowed down involuntarily.

Jia and Qiong rode up to the scene and saw an old man standing in the alley crying very sadly. They looked at each other and got off the horse together.

Xu Shan stepped forward and asked, "What difficulties did this old gentleman encounter?"

Shen Yan was resolute and quickly recovered his emotions: "I'm fine, I'm just a little sad because of the situation, which made you laugh."

Jia Qiong saw him carrying a baggage and asked, "I see you are unfamiliar, but you came to Osmanthus Alley to look for someone.

Which one are you looking for? We know everyone who lives here. "

"I'm looking for Jia Qiong, I'm his grandfather."

Xu Shan and Jia Qiong were shocked when they heard this. Xu Shan fell to his knees first.

Jia Qiong was stunned for a moment, and then knelt down as well.

"My grandson, Xu Shan, Jia Qiong has met my grandpa."

Shen Yan burst into tears again. He never expected that the two young men who were eager to help others in this wind and snow were actually his grandsons.

"Good boy, get up quickly, grandpa is really ashamed of you."

The two stood up as instructed. Xu Shan went up to support Shen Yan and said, "Grandpa, why are you standing in the alley? Why don't you go home?"

Shen Yan said: "I have just arrived, and I am a little hesitant and afraid to see you."

Jia Qiong took the baggage from Shen Yan's hand and said, "What did grandpa say? Auntie always thinks about you.

She will be very happy to know that you are here. Let's go home quickly. "

Shen Yan said hurriedly: "Okay, let's go home.

By the way, where are you two going in this snowy weather? "

Xu Shan patted the bow and arrow hanging on his horse and said, "I'm going to practice riding and shooting outside the city, and Qiu Sheng is going to take classes."

Shen Yan nodded and said: "We must persevere and never give up halfway.

You go, grandpa will stay a few more days this time, we still have a lot of time. "

Jia Qiong felt that her grandfather and aunt should be given some time alone, so she said, "It won't be too late for us to send you home first."

"Everyone in the family is okay. How are your mother and sister doing?"

"They are all in good health, don't worry."

"That's good. By the way, Qiusheng, tell the palace for me that I will go to visit my mentor tomorrow morning."

"Yes, grandpa."

Shen Yan's unexpected arrival reunited the whole family, which made Shen Biyun very happy, and the new year was also very lively.

Wang's private school has holidays from the [-]th day of the twelfth lunar month and does not start school until the first lunar month. Of course, the husband also assigned a small amount of homework.

Jia Qiong was required to submit fifteen essays at the beginning of school, one essay every three days on average, and the questions were all difficult cross-section questions specially designed by Wang Jisi.Shen Yan attached great importance to Jia Qiong's studies and read all the articles he had written before.

He was the second best in the palace examination during the Hongwu period. He also traveled around the world for ten years and taught for seven or eight years.

He is proficient in all five classics, has extraordinary knowledge, and his intellectual ability is beyond comparison with Wang Jisi.

There are many articles that Wang Jisi praised highly before, but in his opinion, they also have many flaws.

But when he thought that Jia Qiong was only ten years old, he couldn't help but sigh at his grandson's outstanding talent.

Jia Qiong has only been studying Chinese for half a year, but has made rapid progress.

Shen Yan told Jia Qiong that his article was barely good enough to test scholars.

Jia Qiong was not happy at all when she heard her grandfather's comments, but was a little disappointed.

He had been studying hard for the past six months. He originally thought that his level of writing was already very high and he would be able to pass the examination.

But now my grandpa actually said that he could only take the exam to become a scholar, so he could barely give it a try.

This was undoubtedly a blow to the head, and it put an end to his recent impetuous mood.

If an old boy like Jia Dairu, who has been taking exams all his life, knew about his mentality, he would probably be angry and scold him for not being a son of a man.

Shen Yan put a lot of effort into teaching Jia Qiong, giving guidance on everything from calligraphy to articles.

In particular, he explained to him "Spring and Autumn", which was the classic that Jia Qiong chose for himself.

Jia Qiong felt that this winter vacation was harder than usual during class, but he was also happy with it.

On the [-]th day of the twelfth lunar month, Jia Qiong dressed up and went to Ningguo Mansion to participate in the annual sacrificial event.

As a side character, he didn't have many roles. He only had to pass around the dishes, kowtow a few times, worship the ancestors, and have a meal together before returning. He was not even qualified to enter the main hall.

But because of his rise in fame over the past year, he has become a popular talent in Chang'an City.

Therefore, at the banquet after ancestor worship, Jia Qiong was placed at the main table.

This is a reflection of Jia Qiong's improved status within the Jia family. You must know that the people sitting at the main table are the leading figures in the Ning and Rong mansions and the elders of the clan.

Time passed quickly, and it was the fifteenth day of the first lunar month in a blink of an eye.

Jia Qiong felt like she was attending a super cram school. Except for New Year's Eve and the first day of junior high school when she went to various places to pay New Year greetings, she received one-on-one teaching at other times.

Fortunately, on the Lantern Festival, he had another long-lost holiday.

Every year on this day, the imperial court would fill Yuqian Street and Zhuque Street with various lanterns for the people to celebrate the festival.

In other markets, there will also be lantern markets organized by various merchants themselves.

There are also float parades, dragon and lion dances, fireworks, lantern riddles and other activities.

Sometimes the emperor would pay private visits incognito and enjoy himself with the people.

Therefore, on this day, Chang'an will become a sea of ​​joy, and the celebrations will last all night and be very lively.

Jia Qiong's family also decided to watch the lanterns together, so they ate Lantern Festival early and went out together.

The lantern market is densely populated and extremely lively. There are lamp stands set up on the street with all kinds of colorful lanterns listed on them.

Some are painted with various flower patterns, animal patterns, and some are painted with historical stories, myths and legends, each with its own artistic conception and interest.

There are also many small vendors selling goods on the street, the most popular ones selling various snacks.

There are also various small lanterns that can be portable. Shen Yan bought Xu Weirui a small jade rabbit lantern to carry.

Everyone watched the lanterns and ate various snacks.

Sometimes I guess lantern riddles and win a small prize.

As midnight approached, people began to gather at the Zhengyang Gate (also called the Meridian Gate) on Yuqian Street.

In the big square there, there will be various float performances, dragon and lion dance performances, and fireworks near midnight.

Shen Yan and Shen Biyun couldn't stand the crowds, so they led their servants home first, leaving Tian Li alone to accompany the three Jia Qiong brothers and sisters.

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(End of this chapter)