Sword from the Immortal Mountain

Chapter 48: Choosing a Son-in-Law (Please collect and read)

The wind and rain were dark and gradually it started to rain heavily.

It is said that "spring rain is as precious as oil", but for those who are on the road, it has a bit of the meaning of "bitter wind and rain".

Chen Jin agreed to attend the banquet, but did not get on the car. Instead, he rode a donkey.

His decision made Brother Hu San quite puzzled, and Zhang Tong who was sitting in the car was even more confused.

Although this is an ordinary horse-drawn carriage, it is fully equipped with a brazier. The charcoal fire is lit and hot steam is rising.

Zhang Tong finally realized his wish of warming himself by the fire. He felt warm and finally came back to life and stopped sneezing.

It’s a pity that there is no water to drink.

However, it is not far from here to Hujiazhuang, and it won’t take long to get there.

When we got to the village, not only was there hot water, but there was also delicious fish and meat to eat.

Thinking of that, Mr. Zhang suddenly felt hungry and couldn't help but stick out his tongue and lick his dry and pale lips.

For this meal, he didn't have dinner yesterday and didn't eat a grain of rice this morning either.

Having said that, it wasn't all because of the sumptuous meal at the farm, but because the family was poor and the rice jar was already empty.

He passed the examination and entered the county school, but he did not become a student on government stipend, so his expenses were greater than before.

It would be really difficult if the family didn't have any industry to support their livelihood.

But there is no other way, no matter how difficult it is, you have to endure it. As long as you pass the exam, all the hardships will disappear and sweetness will come after all the suffering.

The provincial examination is held every three years, and this year's exam happens to be one of its kind, with the exam taking place in August.

After years of hard study, success or failure depends on this one move.

Thinking of this, his face became resolute.

However, soon, the tiredness and fatigue in his body made him feel weak.

Not only was he hungry, but he also felt as if all his energy had been drained from him because of the cold he had caught earlier. Add to that the smoke from the charcoal fire, and the carriage felt quite stuffy.

Zhang Tong then reached out and lifted the car curtain to let some cool air in.

He saw Chen Jin riding a donkey behind him.

The air was hazy with rain, and the young man, wearing a straw raincoat and a bamboo hat, looked carefree and aloof, as if he had made his way through the world.

Is this really a student who is out studying abroad?
Mr. Zhang felt suspicious.

One has to doubt this because Chen Jin's words and deeds are different from those of all the scholars he knows.

Judging from his age, Chen Jin had no beard and should still be a teenager;

Judging from his figure and appearance, he looks handsome and gentle.
Plus he brought his books with him, and his conversation was well-organized…

With that calm and composed demeanor, Zhang Tong originally guessed that Chen Jin must be the scion of a wealthy family, but his clothes were so simple and shabby.

There seemed to be a sword hidden in his bookcase.

But it was not a real sword, but one carved from bamboo.

It is normal to carry weapons for self-defense when you are outside the door.

They usually have short blades, which are easy to hide and use.

The Qian Dynasty stipulated that those who had achieved the title of scholar or above could wear a sword.

So Zhang Tong could carry a sword, but he just didn't need to.

Firstly, he was not a man of both civil and military talents and did not know how to use a sword; secondly, a sword was very expensive and he could not afford it.

Besides, the sword is heavy and it feels burdensome to carry on the body.

So what's the meaning of Chen Jin getting a bamboo sword?
For pretense?
It's really puzzling.

Zhang Tong looked at it again, then lowered the curtain and sighed secretly.

For some reason, he felt envious.

I envy Chen Jin for being able to travel far and study with his donkey; I envy him even more for his thin spring clothes, yet he is not afraid of the wind and rain...

People like Chen Jin will definitely live a very exciting and fulfilling life.

……

About two quarters of an hour later, the carriage stopped in front of a manor. This manor was quite large, built at the foot of a mountain, surrounded by willow trees, and had a bit of the charm of a Jiangnan water village.

Third Brother Hu got off the car, holding an oil-paper umbrella in his hand, and shielded Zhang Tong from the rain: "Mr. Zhang, why do you look so bad? Did you catch a cold and get sick?"

Zhang Tong perked up: "Maybe I was delayed on the road for too long, I'm a little hungry."

Brother Hu San smiled and said, "That's fine. I'll take you to the farm now. Although dinner hasn't started yet, we have some snacks and hot porridge ready for you to fill your stomach first."

Hearing the words "dim sum and hot porridge", Zhang Tong's eyes lit up: "Okay, thank you for your help, Third Brother."

Without saying anything more, he started to enter the village.

Chen Jin had his own servants to help take care of his donkey, and they took it to the stable to feed it.

He followed behind and observed the situation in the village.

Before coming here, I had some bad guesses about this "March Spring Flower Banquet", but now it seems that everything is normal. And Brother Hu, who was responsible for picking up and dropping off the guests, was very polite and considerate.

There were people coming and going in the village, and there were quite a few invited guests, most of whom were students wearing long robes and Confucian scarves on their heads.

They are all young and full of vigor and vitality.

Not long after, Brother Hu San brought Zhang Tong and Chen Jin into a side hall and sat them down. He said, "Please make yourselves at ease," and left in a hurry.

After Zhang Tong sat down, he immediately reached out and picked up a piece of dessert on the small table, stuffed it into his mouth, and began to devour it.

He was really hungry.

The chairs and tables in the small hall were arranged in two rows, with two people at each table. On each wooden table were tea cups and plates filled with various snacks, dried meats, and melon seeds.

Chen Jin was quite surprised to see such a scene.

As we all know, pomp and circumstance are created with money.

So far, the most grand ceremony he had ever experienced was the banquet for the gods held in Chen Liang's house.

Compared with now, it was immediately outdone.

Chen Jin actually didn't care about the pomp and circumstance. What he cared about was what was the purpose of Hujiazhuang inviting so many people to the banquet?

After swallowing three pieces of snacks, a handful of jerky, and pouring a cup of hot tea into his mouth, Zhang Tong let out a long sigh of relief and finally felt that his body had regained some strength.

He probably felt that his eating manners were not elegant, and wiped his mouth a little embarrassedly: "Brother Chen, why don't you eat? This cake is delicious."

Chen Jin asked: "Do you often attend banquets here?"

"How can that be? It's held twice a year, in March for the Spring Flower Banquet and in August for the Autumn Flower Banquet. But this August, I have to take the provincial examination, so I'm afraid I won't be able to have that meal."

Zhang Tong said this with a regretful tone.

"Is it like this every year?"

"It just started last year, and this year has just been two years."

Chen Jin thought thoughtfully: "That's quite impressive, too. Such extravagance and spending money like water."

Zhang Tong sighed, "Isn't it? Not to mention the dinner, the cost of this table of tea and snacks is almost enough for my daily food and drink for a month."

Chen Jin then asked: "So, as long as one is a scholar, he can be invited to eat?"

Zhang Tong replied: "As far as I know, most of the candidates are young students who are not ugly. As for family background, whether they have achieved academic success or not, it doesn't matter."

"Why is this?"

"I have heard that the Hu family holds two banquets every year to select a son-in-law."

Chen Jin: “…”

Zhang Tong smacked his lips and sighed, "I heard that Miss Hu is very beautiful. But there is a problem."

"what is the problem?"

"Mr. Hu has only one daughter, whom he regards as the apple of his eye, so the man he chooses must marry into the family."

At this point, Zhang Tong said solemnly: "If I am chosen, I will never agree. How can a man marry into the wife's family?"

At this point, he glanced over and said, "Brother Chen, you have a good appearance. If you are interested, you may be chosen. When Third Brother Hu saw you, he invited you warmly. There must be a reason for that."

Chen Jin said calmly: "I am not interested in marrying into the family either, let's just eat."

He reached out and grabbed some snacks of jerky and started to devour them.

(End of this chapter)