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

After class at the academy the next day, Master Lin instructed: "This time, the academy has organized students from the middle and outer dormitories to go together to the provincial capital for the exam. Now the world is not as peaceful as before, and it is safer for everyone to travel together. Gather at the city gate at noon the day after tomorrow morning. Don't miss the time. If anything happens, just find the leader, Master Yang."

Master Yang is the martial arts master of Qingsong Academy, and the only martial arts master. It is said that he used to be a centurion in the northern border military camp. Later, he was injured and returned home, and was assigned to the academy. It is considered a very good place to go.

It would be the best to travel with my classmates from the academy and chat with them along the way.

When he returned home in the evening, he could smell the aroma of stewed chicken before he even entered the door. It seemed that the family had killed another chicken. Zhang Pingan shook his head helplessly and laughed.

"Dad, brother-in-law, you're back. Did you have a good journey?"

Zhang Lao Er nodded and said, "It's okay. It's okay to drive slower."

Liu Sanlang could only smile and greet his brother-in-law. After so many years, his stuttering problem was still the same, so he didn't speak easily.

Zhang Ping'an looked at his elder brother-in-law, who was more than ten centimeters taller than when they got married, and felt extremely safe. Being strong also meant eating more. It was only after they got married that he found out that his elder brother-in-law had to eat three large bowls of rice for every meal, and still he was not fully full. When they got engaged, he was just pretending, for fear of scaring everyone.

At this time, Xu came out to invite everyone to eat first. In the past few years, she had also understood her eldest son-in-law's appetite. She didn't even take a bowl, but directly took the stewing casserole and filled a bowl of chicken soup with rice. "Sanlang, eat as much as you can. Don't go hungry. We still have to rely on you when we go out. The father and son can't lift anything with their shoulders or hands, so they can't do it!"

"Thank...thank...mother," Liu Sanlang quickly stood up and took the casserole.

"By the way, Dad, Master Lin said today that the roads are not very peaceful right now. The academy has organized the students from the middle and outer dormitories to travel together and gather at the city gate at noon the day after tomorrow. There are seven families in total. Then yesterday, the Li family next door also came to say that they wanted to travel together. They don't have any elders to accompany them. If Li Mingxuan sets out alone, it probably won't work. After all, he is only fourteen or fifteen years old." Zhang Pingan told his father what had happened in the past two days.

Zhang Lao Er nodded and said, "Okay, then let's take the Li family kid with us. We should set off early the day after tomorrow. We must not keep others waiting. This is the most appropriate arrangement for the academy, and it also makes me feel more at ease. Aren't the students in your upper dormitory going with us?"

Zhang Pingan shook his head: "The students in Shangshe have either already obtained the title of Tongsheng and will go directly to take the college entrance examination, or they have already gone to the provincial capital. After all, they are much older than us and have more connections."

Zhang Laoer nodded and understood.

"Brother-in-law, is everything okay at home? You've been with us in the provincial capital for so long this time, so family matters must have been delayed for a long time," Zhang Ping'an asked.

Liu Sanlang put down the clay pot and stammered, "Very...very...very good. No...no...nothing is wrong."

Among all his relatives and friends, only Zhang Ping'an could patiently listen to Liu Sanlang finish a sentence, so Liu Sanlang was quite willing to talk to this brother-in-law.

"That's good. When you come back from the capital, bring back some new things for Donkey, Cat, Pig, and the others," Zhang Ping'an said with a smile.

Liu Sanlang scratched his head, laughed a few times, and continued eating.

Zhang Laoer continued, "Your eldest sister is living a good life. She is smart and sensible. I am not worried about her. But your third sister is living a miserable life. She is in chaos after the family division. This time when I went back to town, I heard that your third brother-in-law and his wife set up a stall at the market to sell chicken and duck meat. It would be fine if they were doing business properly, but after they bought the slaughtered chickens and ducks from the villagers, they used some method to inject water into the meat, so the weight was not right. They have to argue with others every day, and they don't even admit it when others make trouble for them."

Zhang Ping'an was stunned for a moment. Is there stuffed meat so early? My third sister would never have thought of it. It must be the idea of ​​my third brother-in-law. This third brother-in-law is a talent!

"It's not a big deal that the couple hasn't had a child. It would be best if they could go see a doctor in the county or provincial capital to find out the problem and prescribe the right medicine," said Zhang Ping'an.

Mrs. Xu nodded with a bit of worry: "Let's talk about it after you finish your exam. Your fourth sister has to tell her about it quickly. There's no time to delay. The family will be worried."

Zhang Lao Er calmly replied, "I have my own plans."

Mrs. Xu liked to add more water when stewing chicken, and there was still a lot of chicken soup in the pot. Zhang Laoer saw that his eldest son-in-law put down his chopsticks after eating only two pots of rice, and knew that he must be restrained and not full, so he said to Mrs. Xu: "Pour out the chicken soup and remaining rice in the pot and give them to Sanlang, he has a big appetite."

"Hey," Xu got up to serve the rice.

Liu Sanlang stood up to refuse, but was pulled to sit down by Zhang Laoer. In the end, he had to finish three large pots of rice. In the past two years, Liu Sanlang could only eat a full meal when he came to his wife's house. The Liu family had many people and they had not divided up. Sometimes his brother and sister-in-law would complain if he ate too much.

After dinner, Zhang Ping'an went to the next door and knocked on the door to reply, saying that they would set out at noon the day after tomorrow morning and everyone could go together. Li Mingxuan bowed and thanked him, but didn't say much. Zhang Ping'an didn't care. Anyway, as long as he had a clear conscience, it was enough.

The day of departure arrived in a flash. Zhang Laoer and Zhang Ping'an were both worried about the two women at home. Zhang Laoer carefully reminded them, "Don't open the door when we're not home. I've already filled the water tank next door. It's enough for them and their son to eat for a few days. If anything happens, go to Jinbao's grandma. If it's a big problem, go to the academy to find Master Ping'an or Master Luo. They will help. We will be back in a few days, so don't worry."

"Oh, I get it. Let's go, let's go. Don't keep Ping'an waiting too long. After all, I have lived in the countryside for so many years. I know everything. I am not that weak and fragile lady." Xu cried and laughed, waving her hand to let them leave quickly.

Zhang Laoer saw that Xu had locked the door, then he drove the mule cart slowly towards the city gate.

It was just getting light when we arrived at the city gate. Not long after, all seven families from Qingsong Academy who had set out together arrived.

Master Yang still had that carefree look, but his eyes were sharp, and it was obvious that he had been in the army before. When he glanced at Liu Sanlang, he was surprised at first, and then his eyes lit up. "Wow, what a great physique you have! It would be a shame if you didn't join the army!"

In fact, let alone Master Yang, everyone was surprised when they saw Liu Sanlang for the first time. At that time, the average height of men was about seven feet, and Liu Sanlang was nine feet tall, making him very eye-catching when walking in the crowd.

Even Lin Junhui couldn't help but come over and whispered, "Zhang Ping'an, where did you find this escort? I'll hire him next time too."

Zhang Pingan couldn't help laughing and said, "He is my brother-in-law!"