NO.1

There was a Fuzhou man named Wang Youling. His father was a man who had been sent to Zhejiang Province. He had lived in Hangzhou for several years without any good job. An old illness, depression, death in a foreign land. With little money left behind, Wang Youling had to take the coffin back to Fuzhou to collect some money. Besides, he had no friends or relatives to rely on in his hometown, so he had to live in another country with his mother.

The situation is not good, and unaccompanied, Wang Youling mixed very not like, every day in the "plum tablet" a tea shop poor bubble, a pot of "Longjing" bubble into boiled water also reluctant to go, at noon four money to buy two pancakes, is a meal.

The sight of a man of thirty, down-and-out and listless, was repugnant. He had a big frame, and his eyes were always upside down, which made him even less loved.

The only exception was a young man in his 20s whom Wang knew only as Xiao Hu. Xiao Hu has a pair of eyes that can be taken care of in all directions, plus a smile that is always open, and a "universal", so very popular. However, Wang Youling had only a casual acquaintance with him, and could not understand his status. Sometimes he was rich, sometimes he seemed to be very poor, but at any rate he was always dressed to the nines, as on this early summer's day. He wore a long gown of fine white summer cloth, starched to a crisp, with woven silk jackets and trousers, white bamboo socks, and black satin shoes with double beams. Compared with Wang Youling's patched green cloth gown, Xiao Hu can be said to be a "childe".

He is interested in making friends with Wang Youling, Wang Youling is ashamed of oneself, lightly refused to close with him. That afternoon, there were a lot of tea guests. Hu and Wang Youling "shared the table". He went to play two games of chess and came back grinning and said, "Wang Youling, go, go. A bowl is the local dialect of Hangzhou, which means to go to a small hotel to have a drink.

"Thank you. It doesn't cost anything."

"It's my treat. Look!" He opened his handkerchief bag, which contained two dozen pieces of silver. He smiled proudly and said, "The first set is' double chariot wrong ', the second set is' after the horse's gun ', and the third set is' forced palace '. Otherwise, I will win."

In order to warm hospitality, Wang Youling followed. All the way to "City God Mountain" - "Mount Wu Ma first peak" Wushan, picked a can look at the lights of the empty place, while drinking wine and chatting.

When the wine was half full and the gossip was almost finished, Hu suddenly raised his voice and said, "Wang Youling, I have a question that I have been wanting to ask you for a long time. I think you are not a man without ability, and I also know something about the "sackcloth phase method". I think you are a noble person. Why do you incubate the tea shop all day long?"

Wang Youling shook his head, came up with a piece of Chenghuang Mountain famous oil cake, slowly biting, eyes looking at the distance, is the kind of speechless lonely.

"What am I supposed to say? Wang Youling turned and stared at Hu, as if she wanted to quarrel with him. "Doing business requires capital, and being an official also requires capital. What do you say without capital?"

"An official?" Hu was surprised. "How? You, like me, have never even "studied" before. You are a blank. Where do they come from?"

"Is it not possible to donate a class?"

Xiao Hu Muran. Some look down on Wang Youling in my heart. There are no more than two cases of official donation, one is to do business to make a fortune, rich but not expensive, indeficiency, donate a good reputation to improve the value, like Yangzhou salt merchants, each is to spend thousands of silver to donate to the road platform, that can be called brothers and brothers with local officials, equal, otherwise it is not "Mr. Jinsoji", education in the court, to kneel down to answer. Another is the son of an official's family, who also reads well, but it is bad luck. After three years of big ratio, he has failed to win the title again and again. When he is old and his family is also difficult, he must think of a way to make a living. Like Wang Youling, young, should work hard, from the right way up to curry favor, not this picture, and the situation and poor food and clothing, but wishful thinking to donate class, is not futile?

Wang Youling saw what he was thinking. With a few glasses of wine in his stomach, he was not as calm as usual. "Xiao Hu! "I'll tell you something," he said. "Believe it or not, my late father donated a salt ambassador for me."

Hu was the most alert. One look at his face told him it was not a lie. He laughed and said, "Ouch! Disrespect, disrespect, the original is the king master, has been even the name of the name called you, do not know not guilty."

'Don't mock me! Wang Youling said with a wry smile, "To tell you the truth, unless it is you, I will never say it in front of others, because it will make people laugh."

"I'm not laughing at you." "But I don't understand one thing. Since you are the salt ambassador, we have dozens of salt farms along the coast of Zhejiang Province. Why don't we fill the vacancy for you?"

"You know one, you don't know the other."

Donation officer just donate a virtual title, with a license issued by the Ministry of Chancery, obtain the qualification of a class of officials, if you want to fill the vacancy, will be reported by the Ministry of Chancery, known as "for", and then distributed to a province of candidates. Wang Youling has not yet "offered", where to talk about getting the vacancy?

After explaining the procedure of filling the vacancy, Wang Youling said, "What I mean by 'capital' is that I want to go to the capital to make contributions. If circumstances were better, I would like to donate."

"To what 'group'?"

"Donate to a magistrate instead. Salt ambassador is eight products, prefecture is seven products, change to donate not much money. The way out is very different."

'Why?

"The salt ambassador works on the salt farms, and does well, but it's not interesting. Although a county magistrate is small, a county's father and mother officials, can kill people can also live, can do a good cause."

These two words made Hu awestruck and wiped away all the feelings he had had about looking down on him. "Besides, after all, the magistrate is an official of the seal, not a salt ambassador. He is always mixed up in talking about it, and he is also a mixed up in donating to the class. Being a 'kowtow' everywhere is not suitable for my temperament."

'Yes, yes! Hu kept nodding, "Then, how much 'capital' is enough for you?"

"Five hundred and twenty silver."

'Oh! Xiao Hu no interface, Wang Youling no longer mention, five hundred and twenty silver is not a small number, Xiao Hu will not have, there is not willing to borrow.

When it was dark, Wang Youling pushed a cup of wine and left him, saying, "Tomorrow afternoon, I'm still waiting for you here. You come!"

"What's up?" Wang Youling slightly surprised, "Why not say it now?"

"I have a little errand to ask you, which I have not thought of at the moment. Let's talk about it tomorrow afternoon. You must come. I'll sit here and wait. Be there or be square."

Seeing what he told her, Wang Youling agreed. The next afternoon, according to the appointment arrived, there was no sign of Xiao Hu. The cost of making a bowl of tea was a waste to Wang Youling, so he walked along the mountain road. There were several temples on Cheng-Huang Mountain. In front of the temples were people who played tricks, played boxing and sold plasters, and played chess. There were plenty of places where people could spend their time without spending money. He stood here for a while and took a look at the other side. When he reached the red Sun, he began to walk back to his original place, but still did not see Hu.

It's a "be there or be square" date. Wang Youling felt in a dilemma, not only his broken promise, to wait, the sky has been twilight, dinner has no landing. After staying for a long time, the more anxious he became, he stamped his foot and walked down the hill, thinking to himself: Tomorrow when I see Xiao Hu, I must say something to him! It's not as if he didn't know his situation. He had to calculate before he ate a bowl of tea. Why bother?

After a few steps, I heard someone calling behind me, "Wang Youling, Wang Youling!"

Turning around, it was Xiao Hu, holding a towel bag in his hand, running breathless and sweaty. Seeing his face, Wang Youling was half angry and asked, "Why did you come here so late?"

'I know you've waited long, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Hu smiled with relief. "It's all right. It's not too late. Come, come, sit down and talk."

Wang Youling did not know what he meant. Silently followed him to a seat under a cupboard and made two bowls of tea. Xiao Hu looked at the passers-by with a look of restlessness, holding the towel bag tightly in his hand.

"Little Hu! Wang Youling could not help asking, "You said you had something to ask me. Tell me!"

"Open it so no one can see it." "He said in a low voice, handing the towel package to Wang Youling. He turned away from the passers-by and looked quietly. There was a stack of silver bills and some pieces of silver, about a dozen or so.

'What's the matter?

"That's how you get paid to be an official."

Wang Youling was stunned. Her heart turned sour and her eyes were hot. She tried to hold back her tears and put her towel bag on the table, but she didn't know what to say.

"You'd better count it. One of the three hundred and twenty is "Dadeheng" in the capital of the bill, not to admit the person, you must beware of disappointment. And I've changed you a few bits and pieces of paper, all of famous' sizes, 'which will go all the way." Hu said: "If not for the change of the ticket, I would have come."

Here Wang Youling came up with a sentence: "Xiao Hu, why do you treat me so well?"

"Friends! Xiao Hu replied, "I see you like a tiger falling into the sun, a hero at the end of the road. I can't say how sad I am. I must help you so that I can sleep."

'Alas! Wang Youling, after all, could not help but two lines of tears, implicated constantly.

"Why, why? That's not manly!"

This sentence is very good comfort, but also very good encouragement, Wang Youling gathered away tears, and fixed his mind, only to think of one thing, friendship so far, received the overwhelming favor of people, but he knew nothing about his name, background, isn't it ridiculous?

Then he asked slightly embarrassed, "Xiao Hu, have you not consulted the father yet?"

"My name is Hu Guangyong, the character is Xueyan, how about you, what's your tuba name?"

"My name is Xue Xuan."

"Snow Xuan, snow Rock!" Hu Xueyan read it to himself twice, stroked his hands and smiled: "Very good, the voice is very close, like a person. You call me snow Rock, I call you snow Xuan."

"Yes, yes! Snow Rock, I will ask you again, my dear."

Hu Xueyan smiled and refused to say more: "A little bit of a thin harvest, there is nothing to talk about. Let me ask you, Xue Xuan, when will you start?"

"I dare not delay. The room is arranged slightly, always in three or five days to start. If all goes well, I'll be back by the end of the year. Xueyan, I must find a way to distribute them to Zhejiang, so that you and my brothers can be together."

"Very good." Hu Xueyan's "great" has become his mantra, "We'll meet again here the day after tomorrow. I'll give you a farewell dinner."

"I must come."

On the third day, Wang Youling came just after lunch. He wore an estimated clothes shop bought Zhi Luo long shirt, bright yarn jacket, holding a handle "Shu Lian Ji" famous "Hang fan", tea, etc., until the dark Hu Xueyan disappeared, no place to find, had to wait.

The weather is hot, Chenghuang Mountain to drink tea and cool, an endless stream. Wang Youling looked at every passer-by, her neck sore, but she could not see Hu Xueyan.

Wang Youling was driven away only after the customers had dispersed and the tea shop closed its stall. He had already hired a boat and could not wait until 5 o 'clock the next day. But he could not see Hu Xueyan and say goodbye.

Shortly after Wang Youling went north, the political situation in Zhejiang changed: Governor Chang Dachun was transferred to Hubei, and Governor Huang Zonghan of Yunnan was transferred to Zhejiang. Before his appointment, Chun Shou, a banner man known as "the Department of Fan" and "the Department of Fan" by the common people, was in charge.

Huang Zonghan Shou Chen, Fujian Jinjiang people. He is Daoguang fifteen years B is not the Hanlin, this list of talents Ji Ji, department Yun very long, that year, Xianfeng two years, when to the governor there are three, Guangdong Ye Mingchen, Jiangxi Zhang Fu, when to two products of the big member He Guiqing, Lu Xianji, Peng Yunzhang, Luo Tong Yan, and Hangzhou Xu Naizhao, and his brother Xu Naipu, when the cabinet bachelor.