The seventh day of October is the beginning of winter.

As the saying goes, the water begins to freeze at the first moment; the ground begins to freeze at the second moment. Here in Beizhili, it has begun to turn cold and freezing, especially in the early morning. Farmers who previously took a shortcut to cross the water barefoot now mostly choose to cross the water on a bridge.

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Of course, there are differences between north and south.

There is still residual heat in the south, the air is cool and cool, and there is little rain and dryness. It is a good time to go sightseeing.

In the north, it is gradually getting wintery, and the feeling of desolation is gradually rising.

Pedestrians traveling from south to north during this season have a particularly clear sense of the climate differences between the north and the south.

A horse-drawn carriage with the yellow flag "Ministry of Rites Examination" was driving slowly on the official road.

This yellow flag is a sign of entering Beijing to take the exam, and it is called a bus. The chief secretaries of various places will issue silver coins and fire tokens to the examinees. The fire token can borrow carriages at the stations along the way.

There will be an examination in February, which means that there are still more than a hundred days until spring.

Walking in winter is inconvenient and you are also susceptible to wind and cold.

I arrived in Beijing too late in the spring to review the past and learn the new.

Therefore, going to Beijing to prepare for the exam in this late autumn has become the choice of most candidates.

At this moment, the sky has not yet appeared, and the road is very dark.

A morning breeze blew by.

Li Kun, who was driving, couldn't help shivering and tightened his clothes.

It stands to reason that since he came to Beijing from Henan, the climate should not be much different, but he clearly felt that the further north he went, the harsher the weather.

Maybe...it's because he is already thirty-eight years old and no longer suffers from the cold. Li Kun touched his beard and sighed.

It's a pity that the bus you can borrow at the post station with a fire license is only a horse-drawn carriage, and there will be no post staff to drive you there.

If I had known earlier, I would have waited until it was clear and warm before going out.

Li Kun thought wildly and whipped the horse twice with a whip.

The morning light is dim, the chill gradually subsides, and it becomes cool and comfortable.

There were gradually more pedestrians and carriages on the road.

After all, it is the border of Northern Zhili. Many people go out to cut wood and work in agriculture early in the morning, and even more people go up the mountain to pray to gods and worship Buddha.

The frame is noble and luxurious, and the style is extraordinary. The traffickers and foot soldiers have a hard burden and are rickety and ragged.

Li Kun took both of them into consideration, shaking his head and sighing frequently.

Just when he was thinking a lot, someone suddenly blocked his way.

"Sir, could you please do me a favor?"

Li Kun reined in the reins and looked toward the roadside.

I saw a large carriage stuck on the side of the road, and the driver was looking sad.

In front of Li Kun was a man in Confucian attire, holding out his hand to show off that he was the one blocking the car.

He was in his early twenties, with a fair face, fluttering clothes, and a more handsome manner.

It can be said that it is graceful and graceful.

Seeing his extraordinary appearance, Li Kun didn't dare to ask for help at his age.

He quickly got out of the car and said, "I don't dare to behave like a gentleman. I wonder if you have any advice?"

He did not identify himself.

When going out, caution comes first.

The visitor returned the greeting sternly: "I cannot address you as Your Excellency. I am just a gentleman, Gu Xiancheng. I am treating you like a gentleman."

After Gu Xiancheng returned the gift, he gave a helpless smile and explained the purpose of his visit: "I am just like a gentleman, and I am here to take the exam in Beijing."

"The carriage and horses were bumpy along the way, and due to neglect of maintenance, they accidentally broke down on the side of the road."

"But I have made an appointment with my friends again to host a banquet for me today. If I delay, I'm afraid my friends will be unhappy."

"That's why I dare to disturb you, gentleman. I beg you to take me with you."

After hearing this, Li Kun breathed a sigh of relief.

It's easy to say that he's not a knight-errant.

Such a trivial matter, coupled with the fact that it was all a move, and his demeanor was so outstanding, Li Kun didn't reject it very much.

However, he still had the last bit of caution.

He took out the fire token from his arms, showed it to Gu Xiancheng, and said enthusiastically: "It's just a matter of behavior."

"I am Xia Lv Kun, whose courtesy name is Shu Jian. He is from Ningling County, Henan Province."

When Gu Xiancheng saw this, he also understood the meaning. He was asking him to confirm his identity.

He immediately took out the fire sign from his arms and said with a smile: "That's a coincidence. I am originally from Wuxi, and I am the third in the family. My cousin is Uncle Shi."

Bo Zhong Shu Ji, both of them are named Dai Shu, which basically means the third son in the family.

Li Kun took the fire sign from Gu Xiancheng and took a closer look. It was indeed the logo of the Chief Secretary's Yamen, and he felt relieved.

He immediately smiled and said, "Uncle, please come to the car and I will drive."

Once you have informed me of your name and identity, you don't have to be so polite as a gentleman.

Gu Xiancheng quickly declined: "Yu Li, it's me who is disturbing Brother Lu and causing trouble."

"As a matter of fact, Brother Lu has looked after me for fourteen years, so I should treat him as a brother."

"In terms of both emotion and reason, I should be the one driving the car for Brother Lu."

When Li Kun saw his handsome face and full courtesy, he couldn't help but feel good about him.

He immediately smiled and said: "Since we are traveling together, we might as well drive together."

The golden mean can always persuade people.

Gu Xiancheng was immediately grateful and turned back to tell the coachman to guard the carriage and wait for someone to come to his aid.

Then Li and Gu got on Li Kun's carriage together, one on the left and one on the right.

The horse received two whips, snorted twice in dissatisfaction, and the carriage began to move slowly again.

Li Kun's legs were hanging outside the carriage and he was sitting sideways.

Gu Xiancheng sat cross-legged, took off his official hat, and arranged his hair that was a little messy after dragging the carriage.

"By the way, Brother Lu, why did you call yourself Lu when we announced your surnames, but the surname on this fire sign is Li?"

Gu Xiancheng asked casually.

It’s not that I suspect I’ve been deceived. After all, I’ve been shown the fire sign, so there’s no need to be secretive.

Just a little curious.

After hearing this, Li Kun just shook his head and sighed: "It's a long story."

Gu Xiancheng became interested.

He looked at Li Kun curiously and said with a smile: "Such a good time and autumn atmosphere are just for killing time."

He could tell that Li Kun was just sighing, not that there was any inconvenience.

Sure enough, after hearing this, Li Kun sighed again, and then said: "My sixth generation ancestor, whose name is Lu Heisi, was born in the late Yuan Dynasty."

"Study less, understand the truth clearly, work hard in Xin'an, and make garden irrigation a career."

"After the war broke out, my ancestor always had economic ambitions, so he joined Taizu..."

Gu Xiancheng listened with great interest to Li Kun's family story, interjecting from time to time to ask for details.

"... After the war, Taizu rewarded my ancestor for commanding thousands of households, gave him a pound of silver, and asked him to restore his family."

"Unexpectedly, something unexpected happened when the decree was issued."

When Gu Xiancheng heard this, he couldn't help but look strange, obviously he had already made a guess.

As expected.

Li Kun sighed three times and said: "The end of the edict is: Lao Li, the vegetable grower in Shuinan Village, admires this."

"Surprisingly, 'Lu' was recorded as 'Li'!"

Gu Xiancheng suddenly coughed twice.

This was a bit rude, so Gu Xiancheng quickly covered his mouth with his sleeve to cover it up.

After he calmed down, he said: "It turns out that he is the founding hero of the country. It is really disrespectful."

Immediately he asked curiously: "Then your ancestor didn't argue for this?"

Li Kun shook his head: "According to the inscription on my ancestor's epitaph, at that time, the black men were arguing about their surname. Taizu threw a pen and said, let's take the surname Li Huhu."
To be continued...