The journey of the only child of a peasant family to take the imperial examination

Zhang Laoer was extremely concerned about his son's exam. In fact, it was still in time for him to go back and get it after the Chinese New Year, but Zhang Laoer had the farmer's mentality ingrained in him that things should be done as early as possible and there was no habit of procrastination.

Moreover, if it snows during the New Year, the roads will be very difficult to travel. This year, his son's academy courses are very heavy. Students taking the county exam have to attend classes until the day before New Year's Eve, and then continue classes in advance on the second day of the first lunar month. So Zhang Laoer plans to stay in the county town for the New Year this year and let his son prepare well for the exam.

Early the next morning, Zhang Laoer returned to Zhangjia Village.

I am used to taking this route, and I often transport medicinal materials between the county town and the village.

Xu also specifically asked them to bring as much thick bedding, food and firewood as possible from home. The only bad thing about living in the city is that you have to spend money to buy everything, which makes people feel sad.

After arriving in the town, Zhang Laoer went to his eldest son-in-law's house to buy two pounds of meat to take home as an additional dish. He definitely couldn't cook by himself.

Seeing his relative's face glowing with joy, Butcher Liu couldn't help but ask with a smile, "Hey, what's the good news?"

Zhang Laoer tried to be humble and said, "Nothing much. Ping An will take the county exam next February. I came back to get him a household registration card so that he can go to the county government office to register. I think there's a five-person marriage or something like that later on. I don't understand it either. Anyway, the teacher at the academy is waiting, so I have to come back quickly to take care of this with him."

Butcher Liu was immediately surprised and asked, "Ping'an is only 12, isn't he? He's already taking the county exam at such a young age?"

"Well, only the top three students in the outer dormitory of the academy can take the exam. He happens to be third this time. The teacher thinks it's okay to give it a try," Zhang Laoer nodded and replied, feeling very proud of his son.

Butcher Liu was a smart man. Although he wasn't optimistic about his future, he still complimented him, "I knew Ping'an was a smart kid. He even got third place in a college as big as the county. That's really impressive! This kid will definitely have a great future!"

After saying that, he quickly cut a piece of meat for Zhang Laoer and gave him two pounds of meat bones. After Zhang Laoer took it, he weighed it and estimated the weight, then put down 30 coins and caught up with the mule cart and left.

Butcher Liu was not polite. This was the good thing about his relative: he didn't take advantage of the family and he didn't ask for extra money. The Zhang family had been getting better and better in recent years, and it was a good decision to marry the third daughter-in-law.

After returning home, Zhang Laoer handed the meat to Zhang Shi and told her about Zhang Ping'an's exam. Zhang Shi was a quick-witted person and did not delay. She went to the bedroom to find the household registration card and handed it to Zhang Laoer, saying, "Remember to keep it safe and return it as soon as possible after use."

"Mom, I know," Zhang Laoer nodded.

"Among my three sons, I always thought that you might have the worst life in the future. After all, you gave birth to so many daughters in the past few years, and your life was not happy. Your relationship with Xu was also average. It was hard to have no one who understood you and talked to you. I didn't expect that among you three brothers, you are the one who lives the best life and has the longest vision. You will be safe and sound in the future. The good days for you and Xu are still to come, better than your father and me." Maybe Zhang was old, and she babbled a few words seldomly. She was not a talkative person at home.

Zhang Laoer was a little touched. He knew that among the three sons, he was the least important in his parents' hearts, but now, among the three sons, he was the only one recognized by Zhang and lived the best life.

"Don't worry, mother. Once I've established myself in the county, I'll bring you and father to live there. By the way, we won't be back for the New Year this year. The roads are difficult, and our homework is heavy. When Da Ya, Er Ya, and San Ya return to their parents' home on the second day of the New Year, please help entertain them," said Zhang Lao Er. He took out half an ounce of silver and handed it to Zhang. "You and my father shouldn't be too hard on yourselves."

Zhang took the silver, waved her hand and sighed, "Don't worry about me and your father. Our lives are almost over. We live well in Zhangjia Village. We have enough food and drink. You just need to take care of yourselves." After that, she went to pick vegetables under the eaves.

After resting at home for a night, Zhang Laoer rushed back to the county town early the next morning. His car was full of firewood, food, bedding, and vegetables picked from the vegetable garden. Zhang also gave him a small jar of sesame oil, which made Zhang Laoer flattered.

When Zhang Ping'an came back from school, Zhang Laoer had already arrived home, his face red from the cold wind.

Seeing his son return, Zhang Laoer said, "I've already got the household registration card. When you go to the academy tomorrow, ask the other students when they're going to register. We can go together then, so we can discuss anything if anything comes up."

"Dad, I've already asked today. One of my classmates' family will make arrangements for him, so he won't be coming with us. Ayuan said his father will come over after he finishes his work in the next two days. Uncle Liu seems to have also rented a room near the academy. Let's go register together on the eighth day of the first lunar month." Zhang Ping'an replied.

Zhang Laoer felt at ease knowing that his son was always reliable.

During the Chinese New Year, Wuya and Liuya also went home on vacation from the embroidery workshop. They had been there for a few months, and their temperament had changed a lot, visibly. They no longer looked like country people at first glance, but now they looked more like city people.

"Where did you get those hairbands on your head?" Si Ya looked at the red and green hairbands on her two younger sisters' heads with envy.

Wu Ya and Liu Ya have become more generous after working in the embroidery workshop for the past few months. Upon hearing this, they replied, "These are the gifts from the masters in the embroidery workshop. They are all made from leftover scraps. Fourth sister, we brought a few for you too. Here."

As Wu Ya spoke, she took out the hairband from her bag and handed it to her sister. After Si Ya took it, she felt ashamed of the jealousy she had just felt.

This was the first time the family celebrated the New Year in the county town, and Mrs. Xu prepared a grand New Year's Eve dinner. On the first day of the New Year, Zhang Laoer took his family to the City God Temple to burn incense, praying for his son to get good grades in the exam and for the safety of the family.

On the second day of the Lunar New Year, Zhang Ping'an went back to the academy to attend classes. There were only three students in the outer dormitory, making the entire outer dormitory seem deserted. Jinbao went back to Zhangjia Village with his grandparents to celebrate the New Year just after the holiday. Zhang Ping'an was not used to the lack of a companion. Jinbao was like his shadow. The two had been together for more than ten years and rarely separated.

In a blink of an eye, it was the eighth day of the first lunar month. Liu's father brought Liu Shengyuan to Zhang's house, and the two families went to the county government office to register together. Zhang Laoer arrived in two quarters of an hour driving a mule cart.

It's not even the fifteenth day of the first lunar month yet, so there are few people on duty at the county government office. However, the receptionist at the etiquette office is quite friendly. After Zhang Laoer and Liu's father helped hand in the household registration card and the academy certificate, they filled out a form containing the candidate's name, age, height, skin color, whether he has a beard, and other information. After checking that everything was correct, the person at the etiquette office stamped it and handed it back, and the registration was considered successful.

The remaining students would return to the academy to find their teacher, who would arrange for five classmates to form a bond and then find a student on government stipend to act as a guarantor. Students had to pay a premium, usually one to two taels of silver, so if they could pass the exam to become a student on government stipend, the premium alone would provide a considerable annual income, allowing them to live quite comfortably.