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

After arriving home, Zhang Laoer unloaded all the things and Xu came out to help.

Seeing the ewes, Xu was very surprised, "Oh, I actually bought one. Now we won't be short of food."

After saying that, he hurriedly led the sheep to the donkey shed in the backyard. The Zhang family had many livestock. They originally had a cow, which was given to the eldest Zhang when the family was divided. In order to do the mountain product business, the third Zhang bought a mule. Together with the donkey of the second Zhang, the family specially built a livestock shed in the backyard.

This sheep was not shy at all. After Xu put some grass on it, it lay down and started chewing it. It looked very docile.

After packing up and returning to the room, Xu began to count the things she had bought.

"Oh, this cloth is so soft, it's perfect for Ping An to make two jackets." Xu picked up the piece of sky-blue fine cloth and couldn't let it go. "I'm afraid it's not cheap, is it?"

"It's okay. What's there to worry about spending money on our son? I'm willing to spend any amount of money. This makes me feel comfortable," said Zhang Laoer with a smile.

"To show that you are capable," Xu said with a smile and a roll of her eyes.

"Then I will cut the clothes today. It's not difficult to make clothes for children. I can make them today so that the guests can wear them tomorrow. They will definitely look great," said Mrs. Xu.

"This is for you." Zhang Laoer took out the oil-paper bag from his arms and handed it over.

"what?"

"Why did you buy meat buns? They are so expensive. We already spent a lot on the full moon banquet." Xu opened the box and saw that it was a meat bun, and said with concern.

"I bought it especially for you. You haven't eaten anything good since giving birth."

"Why should it be so precious? We had to go through the same thing when we gave birth to several children in the past," Mrs. Xu still felt distressed.

"Oh, just eat it, I bought it specially for you," Zhang Laoer said anxiously.

"Okay, okay, can't I eat it? Have you eaten it?"

"No, I bought one each for you and Daya. I can eat anything, I don't need to eat this," Zhang Laoer waved his hand.

After hearing this, Xu felt warm in her heart and was a little touched. What a fool!

Zhang Pingan in the cradle next to him had been awake for a long time, but he didn't make any noise. He just looked at the ceiling quietly and played with his fingers. Who knew that he would eat a mouthful of dog food? Tsk, this father still cares about people.

The next day came in a blink of an eye. The pork delivery arrived at four o'clock in the morning, and then the whole family got up, including the older children like Daya, who had to get up to help.

Celebrating a full moon is a big event. If it is not done well, relatives and friends will laugh at you. Preparing eight tables of food is not an easy task. The vegetables and meat have to be washed, cut and fried half-cooked in advance. When the guests arrive, they can be heated up and served directly.

Today, Xu was entertaining guests, so she dressed up in a rare way. She put a silver-covered hairpin in her hair and wore silver cloves in her ears. These were her dowry when she got married. She looked neat and youthful.

The first to arrive were Xu's family. Old man Xu brought his entire family with him, wanting to support his youngest daughter and give her face on such a day so that she wouldn't be looked down upon by her in-laws.

Mrs. Xu took Xu's hand and said, "Sister, you look really young today." The other members of her family also took their seats. Zhang Laoer hurriedly served tea and water, very enthusiastically.

Xu's mother was relieved to see her daughter so energetic now, much better than before when she was so listless.

After a while, several married daughters of the Zhang family also arrived, namely Zhang Ping'an's four aunts. Each family had several children. The yard gradually became lively, and Xu walked forward to chat with them.

"Sister-in-law, congratulations! Twins, a boy and a girl, are rare. This shows that you will be blessed in the future," said Aunt Zhang, smiling and congratulating. Aunt Zhang had a round face and looked kind.

"That's true, but it's a little too late, sister-in-law. You and my second brother are not young anymore. By the time our children get married, you will be quite old," said Aunt Zhang, cracking a handful of melon seeds in her hand.

Xu was originally very happy after hearing the previous words, but when she turned around, she was poured with a basin of cold water. Her face unconsciously became stern. What kind of person is this sister-in-law?

It was a good day, so Xu forced a smile and said, "Your second brother is in good health. Let's not talk about this anymore. Have some snacks first. The banquet will start soon. Your second brother bought a lot of meat, so you can eat more later."

"There's nothing to fill your stomach here, just melon seeds and peanuts." After a while, Aunt Zhang finished the melon seeds in her hand and said coldly.

Xu: “…”, she took the polite words seriously.

"Okay, sister-in-law, you go and do your work first. We'll just have some tea here. You don't have to worry about us," Aunt Zhang said with a smile to smooth things over.

The remaining two, Second Aunt Zhang and Third Aunt Zhang, were both dull-tempered. The middle child was not valued, so they spoke little and just stood aside without saying a word.

"Oh, you've cracked so many melon seed shells, and you still think you haven't eaten enough? You're the child's aunt, so what full-moon gift did you bring today?" The cheerful voice of Mrs. Xu came from behind.

As soon as she entered the door, she saw Zhang's sister-in-law making things difficult for others. It was not easy for her own sister to get angry these days, so she had to do it herself, thought Mrs. Xu.

"What a rare guest! Isn't this Xu Erniang? You are the child's aunt, what good things have you brought?" Aunt Zhang was not to be outdone.

"Hey, it's just a silver lock piece, not worth anything. What about you?" Xu Erniang replied.

It's easy to imagine that with Zhang Xiaogu's insatiable desire to take advantage of others, she can only beg for money from her parents' home, so how can she bring anything back? After so many years of being relatives, Xu Erniang knows her too well.

"I gave all the gifts I brought to my mother, there's a basket of them. Oh, it's too hot here, I'm going to sit in the main room." Seeing that she couldn't get the upper hand, Zhang Xiaogu pretended to be very hot, fanned herself with her hands, and left.

"Pfft, second sister, why do you come just now? Where is the eldest sister?" Xu Sanniang covered her mouth and laughed. Her second sister was still so mischievous.

"Your eldest sister can't come because her mother-in-law is strict and she is a good-for-nothing. She asked me to bring it to you as a full-moon gift. It's a bellyband she made for the child herself. It's just right to wear in this weather," said Mrs. Xu unhappily. This eldest sister's life was really miserable.

Xu Sanniang took it and looked at it. She found that the bellyband was made of a piece of red cloth, embroidered with a big carp and green lotus leaves. The cloth was ordinary, but the embroidery was very delicate, which showed that a lot of care was put into it.

"It's hard for the eldest sister too, don't always blame her," said Xu Sanniang. It was her fate that made the eldest sister marry such a man.

"Well, let's not talk about it anymore. We have to be happy today. Where is the child? We should take him out to see him. The guests are almost here, and I haven't seen my nephew yet." Xu Erniang waved her hand and said, it's not time to talk about other bad things on such a good day.

"She's in the room. She's so well behaved. She's a caring child. Come on, come with me into the house," said Xu Sanniang, pulling her sister's hand and preparing to go in.