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

Time flies, and it is August in a blink of an eye. Zhang Pingan has grown a lot in this month. He is no longer as thin and small as when he was just born. He has become fair and tender, and his eyes can see people clearly.

Because he was fed well and Xu took good care of him, every time he peed or defecated, she would wash his little bottom with a fine cloth before changing him into a diaper to prevent him from getting prickly heat and to keep his bottom clean and refreshed. So Zhang Ping'an didn't find wearing diapers uncomfortable, and on the contrary, he was quite used to this kind of life as a baby.

A completely healthy body, full of energy, and a chance to start life over again.

When Xu was holding Zhang Ping'an in her arms and enjoying the cool air in the yard, Zhang Ping'an could see countless bright stars above his head. Under the blue night sky, it was really like what was painted by Van Gogh.

The sound of frogs croaked in the distance.

He doesn't have to think about anything or worry about anything. There are people to protect his entire world. He is completely relaxed. This is something Zhang Pingan had never experienced in his previous life. He had to rely on himself when he was in the orphanage. He used to envy children who were loved by their parents.

Thinking of this, Zhang Pingan grinned. God was still very kind to him.

"Mom, look, my brother is smiling," Erya was catching fireflies with a palm-leaf fan and happened to see Zhang Pingan grinning.

The baby's body control is not very good now, and he drools when he smiles. Hearing Erya say this, Zhang Pingan immediately shut his mouth.

"Hey, why aren't you smiling?" Erya walked over.

"All children are like this," Xu said gently, holding a palm-leaf fan in her hand to drive away mosquitoes for Zhang Ping'an. There are a lot of mosquitoes in the summer.

Erya was unwilling to give up and insisted on making her brother laugh like he did just now. Her brother looked so handsome when he laughed that she couldn't help but tickle his armpits with her hands.

This time Zhang Pingan really couldn't bear it anymore, it was too itchy.

Zhang Pingan was tickled so hard by his sister that he grinned. Xu Shi also had a happy smile on her face as she watched the siblings interact.

Seeing her brother so cute, Erya felt even happier and kept teasing him.

Just then, a firefly flew over and landed in front of Zhang Ping'an. He stared at the glowing little insect with curiosity, his eyes wide open. Seeing this, Erya gently caught the firefly in her hands and placed it in front of her brother.

Zhang Ping'an stretched out his little hand and carefully touched the firefly. The firefly was frightened and flew away. A trace of disappointment flashed across Zhang Ping'an's eyes, but his attention was quickly attracted by other things.

Daya is learning to lace. She is already 9 years old and has to start learning needlework. She also has to look after Liuya in the cradle. Liuya has not been valued since she was born and is a little invisible. Only Daya pays more attention to her. Sanya, Siya and Wuya just know how to play crazy.

This is indeed a lively big family, Zhang Pingan thought.

The night breeze blew, bringing a touch of coolness. The family sat together, enjoying this peaceful and beautiful time.

"Sanniang, I've almost finished the household chores and paid the taxes. Ping'an's full moon banquet is the day after tomorrow. I have to go to the market in town tomorrow to buy some food and wine. I'll also buy a few feet of fine cloth to make clothes for Ping'an. I'll also look for some ewes and bring back one if I find one suitable. As for the others, if you want to buy anything, tell me and I'll bring them all back," said Zhang Laoer as he worked in the yard.

Because of the busy farming season, Zhang Laoer hasn't made bamboo strips for more than a month. Now that he has some free time, he quickly takes the time to split some bamboo strips and slices for use.

The first time Zhang Ping'an saw Zhang Laoer making bamboo utensils in the yard, he really thought it was magical.

The bamboo, which is as thick as a bowl, must be split into two halves first, and then split into strips as wide as soybeans. These thin strips must be split horizontally again to become thin pieces of bamboo, which are then polished and woven. A winnowing basket slowly takes shape as the fingers fly, and all this depends on a bamboo knife and a scraper.

The split bamboo strips are very sharp and can easily scratch your hands and make them bleed. Even though Zhang Laoer is a mature craftsman and his hands are covered with calluses from work, he still can't avoid occasional scratches. It's very hard work, but you never hear him complain about being tired.

After watching the whole process of making the bamboo, Zhang Pingan had some admiration for his father. Although his father was patriarchal, he was a very responsible man. Supporting a family was not an easy task.

"I don't have anything special to bring. You can buy whatever you want. Remember to bargain. It's a pity that Ping'an is too young and I'm worried. Otherwise, I would go to the market with you," replied Xu.

"Okay, I'll buy it then," said Zhang Laoer.

"Dad, I want to go too. Didn't you say last time that you would take me to the market?" When Daya heard that they were going to the market, she hurried over and said.

Children all like to go to the market. Even if they can’t buy anything, it’s fun to watch the excitement.

"Dad, I want to go too," Erya and Sanya heard and hurried over, clamoring to go.

"Why go out? Stay home. There are plenty of beggars out there," Mrs. Xu scolded. "Kids are just causing trouble."

Daya and the others were very disappointed when they heard this, but Xu was too fierce, so they didn't dare to make trouble anymore.

"Let Daya come with me. She can also help me watch the car," said Zhang Laoer.

"Then let Daya go," Xu thought about it and agreed.

"Why can my eldest sister go but I can't?" Erya and Sanya were not convinced and said angrily with pouts.

"If you keep saying that, I will beat you up and make you suffer for two days, right?" Xu directly suppressed them with force.

Early the next morning, Zhang Laoer drove his donkey cart and took Daya to the market.

First, go and order meat from the butcher. It's too hot and the meat can't be kept, so he can only ask the butcher to send someone to deliver it early tomorrow morning. This butcher is familiar with Xu Erniang's husband Wang Fugui. After all, they are in the same industry, so he can give an acquaintance price. If it weren't too far from Wangjiawan and he was afraid of troubling others, Zhang Laoer would have ordered it directly from his brother-in-law Wang Fugui.

The full-moon banquet was planned to have eight tables; with relatives and the leading men in the village coming to attend, eight tables should be enough. Zhang Laoer planned to buy 20 kilograms of meat, order a pig's head to be braised for a cold dish, and two pig's trotters to make soup. With the chickens raised at home, it would be a very respectable feast.

"Brother, it has to be delivered early tomorrow morning. We can't delay the chef's cooking," said Zhang Laoer after paying the money.

"Haha, okay, you can rest assured about my work. Everyone in this episode knows that I, Old Liu, am reliable. The meat is fresh and cheap. What's more, we are acquaintances, so you can rest assured," Butcher Liu promised, patting his belly.

After buying the meat, he had to buy wine. Meat and wine were the biggest expenses for a banquet. He then went to the grocery store to buy oil and salt. Then Zhang Laoer went to the cloth shop to buy a few feet of cloth.

As soon as Zhang Laoer entered the cloth shop, he fell in love with a piece of sky blue fine cotton cloth at first sight. The color was light and clean, and it would definitely look good on his son.

"Sir, you have good taste. This is made of the finest cloth. It is breathable and comfortable to wear, and the color is also neat. Many scholars like to wear robes of this color." The shopkeeper had a sharp eye. He saw at a glance that Zhang Laoer did not look like someone who would wear such fine material. He must have bought it for his children, so he said with a smile.

"How much is it per foot?" As expected, Zhang Laoer was very interested.

"30 wen per foot," the shopkeeper replied with a smile.

"So expensive?" Zhang Laoer was surprised.

"Sir, this cloth is shipped from another prefecture. The shipping fee is not low, so it will definitely be more expensive. Why don't you take a look at this? This is the fine cloth woven locally, and it only costs 20 wen per foot," the shopkeeper introduced with a smile.

Zhang Laoer took a look and found that the local cloth was darker in color. After thinking for a while, he gritted his teeth and said to the shopkeeper, "Give me the two-foot one for 30 wen, and the three-foot one for 20 wen. Also, do you have any fine cloth for making mosquito nets for babies in cradles? I want some too."

"For children, this kind of fine gauze is suitable. It is not woven so densely, is more breathable, and is cheaper," the shopkeeper introduced another kind of brown gauze. He was also afraid that if he bought too much at once, it would be too expensive and Zhang Laoer would not be able to afford the price.

In the end, he spent 200 coins on buying cloth, and he spent almost one or two taels of silver at the market today. Even though Zhang Laoer didn't care much about money, he still felt heartbroken, and his desire to make money quickly deepened.

On the way back, they would pass by a place where livestock were sold. When Zhang Laoer first arrived, he thought about buying something else, so he didn't go shopping. Coincidentally, there was a newly-born ewe there today. After haggling over the price for a long time, the sheep seller finally insisted on 800 Wen and refused to lower it. This was a rare opportunity, so Zhang Laoer bought it directly.

Sheep are also important assets. When they run out of milk, they can be sold to a butcher. When the sheep were loaded onto the donkey cart, Zhang Laoer was so happy that he thought his son was lucky.

Daya also touched the sheep happily, and from now on her younger sister would also have goat's milk to drink.

The cattle and horse market was very close to the edge of the town. If they walked a little further, they would be out of the town and go straight home. When Zhang Laoer was driving the cart, Daya looked back reluctantly several times.

Noticing his daughter's eager look, Zhang Laoer thought for a moment, walked to the bun shop across the street, and bought two meat buns.

The buns made in the shop were very good, each one was as big as a man's palm. Zhang Laoer handed one to Daya and wrapped the remaining one in oil paper and put it in his arms.

"Dad, take a bite," Daya said, taking the bun and raising her hand when she saw that her dad hadn't eaten the rest.

"Dad doesn't want to eat it, so you eat it. But don't tell anyone else when you get home," Zhang Laoer instructed.

"Yes, Dad, I know," Daya nodded, and then she started eating. When she took a bite, gravy came out. Daya felt so happy that she squinted her eyes in enjoyment.

This time I went straight home without any delay and arrived in less than an hour by donkey cart.