During the reign of Emperor Zhenzong of the Song Dynasty, there was a young man named Liu Gui in Chenjia Town. His ancestors were all farmers for three generations. He had several acres of thin land at home. Although he was not a landlord, he had no worries about food and clothing.
But when he arrived at his father's generation, he cooperated with others to do business, and was deceived by a traitor and lost a lot of money. His father was frowning all day long, and finally died of depression. He and his mother Liu Wang were left in the family, and his family was extremely poor.
Liu Gui is even thinner than ordinary people, but he loved studying since he was a child. After studying for more than 20 years, he is full of knowledge, but he just couldn't pass the exam level and couldn't even make it to a scholar in the end.
His mother Liu Wang advised him: "Son, although studying is good, getting fame and fortune is not the only way out. Perhaps other things are more suitable."
But he couldn't let go of the arrogance of a scholar and was unwilling to continue to get fame and fortune.
Reading requires a considerable fee, so he went to the collection to help people write for a living.
Although Liu Guiren is poor, he is upright and never lie, so he has a good reputation.
He has few close friends, and his only friend is Zhang Xiucai. Both of his parents died and he depended on his grandmother since he was a child. He taught a few children to study in the market, and could only have three meals of food and clothing.
The two of them usually have some spare money, so they go to the tavern in the town to have a drink and tell each other about their sadness.
, and Zhang Xiucai is also a filial person. He buys meat and fish for Liu Wang to taste during the holidays.
Seeing that the county town was holding the examination for recruiting scholars again, Liu Gui entrusted his mother to Zhang Xiucai for taking care of him.
soon came out, and Liu Gui lost his reputation again. This time, Liu Gui himself was also discouraged. He thought that he had read the Book of Sages for so many years, but he had not yet won the exam for fame. How should he explain to his mother?
Just as Liu Gui was sitting by the lake and was melancholy, his neighbor Aunt Deng rushed to him and said in a hurry, "Agui, why are you still here? Why don't you go home quickly? Your mother..."
Liu Gui saw her panic and asked hurriedly, "What's wrong with her?"
Aunt Deng said, "Your mother has been working with me and she is doing well. When it's time to noon, she faints on the road. You might as well hurry back and take a look."
Liu Gui hurriedly returned home. As soon as he entered the house, he was startled and saw his mother lying on the bed without a bloody face. He invited a doctor to treat it, but he could not find out any condition and asked him to hire a famous doctor.
Liu Gui was in a dilemma at this time. The silver he earned for writing letters to others on weekdays was enough for his daily expenses. The excess was spent on studying, so he had no money to hire a famous doctor.
Just when he was puzzled, someone knocked on the door quickly. When he opened the door, he found that it was Zhang Xiucai with a panic look on his face.
Liu Gui said in confusion: "Brother Zhang, why are you so panicked?"
Zhang Xiucai said: "Brother Liu, you have to help me."
Liu Gui was shocked and said: "What's wrong?"
Zhang Xiucai hesitated and told the matter. It turned out that when Zhang Xiucai's parents were still alive, they were family friends with Boss Chen, a tavern in the neighboring county. Later, they made a doll kiss , and they got married when their children grew up.
Later, after Zhang Xiucai's parents died of illness, although Boss Chen had not seen him for many years, he did not dislike his poverty and even sponsored his studies. ”
Liu Gui: "This is a good thing, so what's the difficulty? "
Zhang Xiucai: "It's hard to do it. The wedding date set by Boss Chen and my daughter is coming. Boss Chen wrote to me and said that he would take my daughter to marry me soon and ask me to marry him. I have never met that girl but I have no feelings for her. Moreover, I have long been interested in it. She married her in the provincial capital after I got fame and fortune. How could I let her down? "
Liu Gui said: "But then Boss Chen is kind to you. If you let him down like this, if others know about it, your reputation will be over. "
Zhang Xiucai said: "So after thinking about it these days, I have come up with a way to save me, but I need Brother Liu, you can help me.”
Liu Gui asked: “What is the method? "
Zhang Xiucai said: "I have never met the Chen father and daughter, so I don't know what the two sides look like. Only this jade pendant is used to testify. If you have this jade pendant, then Boss Chen might think it is you, so you can see if you can..."
Liu Gui understood what Zhang Xiucai meant, and he immediately refused, "Huang Miu, this is absolutely not possible. "
Zhang Xiucai was also anxious. He pulled his bag and took out a few taels of silver from it and said, "This is twenty taels of silver, a gift from Boss Chen. I know you are in urgent need of money, so you can help me this time. "
Liu Gui said: "How does this make me bear the infamous?"
Zhang Xiucai cried and begged: "I know that your character values reputation, but think about it, now that your mother is seriously ill and you are penniless, what can reputation help you? "
said that, he took out ten taels of silver from his bag and said, "This is my savings over the years. I originally wanted to keep it for the provincial capital to take the imperial examination. If you help me, I will leave it all for you. I will find another way to take the imperial examination. "
Liu Gui was soft-hearted. He felt that what Zhang Xiucai just said was not without reason. He had been pursuing fame for so many years and could not get anything. Even when I was sick, I couldn't afford a penny. What is the meaning of fame to him? Thinking about the friendship with Xiucai in the past few years, Liu Gui sighed: "Forget it, you keep these silver. If there is anything, I will take it. "
Zhang Xiucai was overjoyed and insisted on leaving silver. Liu Gui refused. He knew Zhang Xiucai's condition and didn't know how to save the money.
But Zhang Xiucai said that these silver was not for Liu Gui, but for the aunt to treat her. After saying that, he left without waiting for Liu Gui to react. When Liu Gui came back to his senses, he saw Zhang Xiucai when he chased her out.
Liu Gui saw this and went to the county town to ask the doctor to treat my mother, and then returned the silver to Zhang Xiucai the next day.
Fortunately, Liu Wang's family had a cold and was old. As long as he has a little condition, he will be fine, and he will only charge half a tael of silver as a medical treatment.
The next morning, Liu Gui brought the remaining silver to Zhang Xiucai's house and was about to return it to him. Unexpectedly, Zhang Xiucai went to the provincial capital to take the exam overnight. He had to save the silver and return it to him when he came back.
When he turned around and was about to go home, he saw a middle-aged man coming towards him, followed by a young woman.
The middle-aged man said, "This little brother, I am here to find Zhang Xiucai. Do you know where to live? "
Liu Gui said: "He is my confidant. He went to the provincial capital to take the exam earlier. What's your business going to him? "
The middle-aged man said, "My surname is Chen, I live in Linxian . I am a family friend of the Zhang family. In the early years, the two families have made a marriage agreement. Now they send their daughter to fulfill their engagement. "
After hearing this, Liu Gui thought that what should come will come, so he invited the woman in Chen's to his home. He could not lie, so he had to tell the whole story.
Chen's father said, "What a boy from the Zhang family. I'm treating him like this. Since he has broken his engagement, it's really outrageous. "
At this time, the young woman cried and said, "Dad, what should I do? This regret of marriage will spread. How can I be a human being in the future? "
Chen's father said angrily: "Since that's the case, let's sue the official. I will ruin the Zhang family boy and see how he takes the exam. "
Liu Gui heard that he helped Zhang Xiucai plead and said, "Uncle Chen, my brother has no choice but to let Miss Chen down. In this way, all the gifts you gave before will be with me, and I will return them to you. Please remember that my brother is young and ignorant, so he will spare him. "
After saying that, he gave the thirty taels of silver left by Zhang Xiucai to Father Chen.
Father Chen snorted coldly and said, "Do you just want to forget it like this? "
Liu Gui said: "Uncle Chen, what do you want to do to resolve this matter. "
Chen's father said, "Since you have received this silver, you will marry my daughter on behalf of the Zhang family boy, otherwise I will go to the government to complain and see how you end up. ”
Liu Gui was speechless. Thinking about it, there was really no other way, so he had to agree.
Liu Gui said, "I need to tell my mother at home about marriage so that we can make arrangements."
Chen's father said, "Okay, in those three days, you will get married."
Liu Gui told me after sending away the Chen father and daughter. I was very happy after hearing this and arranged some arrangements. Fortunately, the money left by Zhang Xiucai was enough, so he held a glorious happy event.
After passing the door, Chen Nu discussed with Liu Gui. Chen's father was old and didn't want him to work too hard. It would be better for us to help manage the tavern at home.
If Liu Gui had thought he was a scholar in the past, he would definitely not be able to let go of his arrogance and do business. However, Zhang Xiucai reminded him after saying something, so he had no scruples and agreed to help take care of it.
I didn't expect that Liu Gui was not good at taking the exam for his reputation, but he was good at doing business. Within a year, he made the tavern business very well and hired a friend.
, and Chen's daughter is also a smart person. She not only takes good care of her mother-in-law Liu Wang, but also gave birth to a daughter a year later, and Liu Gui's family's life has improved.
Until five years later, Zhang Xiucai returned to the town. It turned out that he was a Jinshi in high school and had been working in the Beijing department. This year, he was appointed as the county. He married a daughter from a wealthy family a few years ago.
When Zhang Xiucai returned to the town, he came to see Liu Gui specially.
Liu Gui saw that he has achieved success and fame, and couldn't help but sigh: "You have achieved this achievement, it's worth it. I accepted this marriage on your behalf. Looking back now, since this matter can help you and change my destiny, otherwise I wouldn't let go of the airs of scholars, and I might have starved to death on the streets long ago."
Zhang Xiucai just smiled but didn't say anything. At this time, Liu Gui's mother, Liu Wangshi, walked out and said to Liu Gui with a smile: "Son, there is something that my mother has never told you. In fact, Zhang Xiucai didn't make a marriage for her back then. Everything was going on. It was all for your mother's arrangement."
Liu Gui said in surprise: "What's going on."
Liu Wang said: "You were obsessed with the imperial examinations back then, and you couldn't put down your airs and found another way out. For your mother, you were worried that your failure in the imperial examinations many times would make you discouraged and do stupid things, so you had to collude with Zhang Xiucai to act in a scene to deceive you, otherwise you would not have the day you are today."
Liu Gui said: "Then father-in-law and my wife are also involved?"
This is Liu Gui's wife who came out of the inner hall and laughed: "My family and your family were indeed the same back then. Family friendship, but I have never met you. My father is not a person who loves the poor and loves the rich. As long as the other person has a good character, he will always be the first day. We deliberately went to Zhang Xiucai's house to test you that day. It was because you were upright and not cheating, and you also have a good reputation among your neighbors. So I decided to marry you."
Liu Gui said: "That's a coincidence. If I was sick at that time, I was short of money, otherwise I might not agree."
Zhang Xiucai said: "No such a coincidence. When you went to take the exam for fame and fortune for the last time, when I went to take care of the aunt, the aunt discussed with me. You can't let you delay this way, otherwise it will ruin your life."
Liu Gui then suddenly realized, "I always thought I helped you, but I didn't expect that my close friend helped me, as well as my mother and wife. You have suffered over the years. It's really pitiful to all parents in the world. I have such a good friend and a good wife for me. What else can my husband ask for?"
From then on, Liu Gui's family also lived happily and happily, and they also made profits from operating a tavern, which was mostly used to help poor villagers in the town.
