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

The next morning, Zhang Laoer packed his bags and prepared to go out with Zhang Laosan and others. They had been there many times, and their family members were not particularly worried, but they were still reluctant to let them go.

Daya and the others were chattering around Zhang Laoer, and Dahe and the others were also chattering around Zhang Laosan. Zhang Laoer just said a few words to be good and that was all he said. He was never talkative in front of his daughters. Zhang Laosan was more patient with the children and coaxed them, "I'll bring you something delicious when Dad comes back. Don't make trouble and be obedient at home."

Zhang Laoer finally took his son in his arms for a few times before reluctantly leaving the house.

Zhang Ping'an also raised his hand and waved. This father was really good to him and he was lucky.

More than a month passed in a flash, and when Zhang Laoer and his companions came back, it was almost the beginning of winter. Zhang Laoer and Zhang Laosan looked much darker and looked very tired, but there was a smile in their eyes.

Zhang Laoer also gave Zhang Ping'an a red tiger-head hat and a pair of tiger-head shoes. The workmanship was very fine, and they were inlaid with a circle of white rabbit fur. There was also a rattle, which was the first toy Zhang Ping'an received. Several sisters at home often used the rattle to tease him.

Xu felt very distressed and often went to the market to buy some meat to improve their meals. As a result, Daya and the other girls had some fat on their faces. Xu took the opportunity to tell the children about the difficulties of life and how hard their parents worked to support the family. They should not forget their family when they grew up. Daya and the other girls nodded repeatedly and rushed to say that they would be the most filial in the future. Xu nodded with satisfaction after hearing this.

Such days were undoubtedly happy. Zhang Laoer no longer went to Ezhou Prefecture to work. He just went to the market in the nearby town to sell bamboo utensils. There was nothing bad to worry about, and the New Year was approaching soon.

Zhang Laoer was going to the market for the last time to sell the goods stored at home. As the New Year was approaching, everything would sell better than usual. He could also buy some New Year goods and then prepare for the New Year while hibernating. It was the most relaxing time of the year for a farmer.

When Zhang Ping'an heard his parents talking while eating, he knew that it was the last time they would go to the market before the New Year, and his eyes lit up.

It has been half a year since he came to this world, but his range of activities is still limited to the Zhang family's courtyard. At most, he can go to the door. It is when Xu is chatting with people at the door that he holds him. He can't go further than that.

Generally, Xu didn't visit other people's homes. Before she gave birth to a son, she had quarreled with many gossipy women in the village and their relationships were not good.

She even refused to take him to the fields, fearing snakes and insects. In the countryside, one could easily stumble upon one of these if one wasn't careful. Xu still remembered stepping on a snake when she was about to give birth, which frightened her greatly.

Zhang Ping'an has grown a lot in the past six months. He can already eat complementary foods, such as egg custard and rice porridge, and he has been drinking goat milk all the time. He is now very strong and his arms are powerful. There is no trace of the thin figure when he was just born.

Now when Xu has to leave for something, she must ask her daughter to look after her son. Now that her son can roll over and crawl, and the bed is not big, she is afraid that her son will climb out of bed and fall, which would be terrible.

But Zhang Ping'an was really curious about what the market was like in ancient times, so he had to go this time. Zhang Ping'an clenched his fists!

In the morning, as soon as Zhang Laoer loaded the bamboo basket, straw hat and stools onto the cart, Zhang Ping'an started crying, making Zhang Laoer think that his son was not feeling well. After all, he had been very well-behaved since he was born. However, after he was picked up, Zhang Ping'an kept pointing at the donkey cart and crying.

At first, Zhang Laoer didn’t understand. After going back and forth a few times, Zhang Laoer tried to put his son in the car and found that his son stopped crying immediately.

Now he understood what the little guy meant, and Zhang Laoer was at a loss whether to laugh or cry.

It was still cold, so they definitely couldn't take the child with them. Xu forced her son down, but after that, his little voice burst into tears. He hadn't cried like this since he was born, and the couple was heartbroken.

Quickly put it back in the car.

The crying sound also attracted Zhang. After asking about the situation, she didn't take it seriously. She said she had never seen such a wonderful child and thought the child was just spoiled.

But the couple couldn't bear to let their child cry like this because they loved their own child.

It would be too late if they delayed any longer. Finally, Xu and Zhang Laoer decided that if they really couldn't do it, they could just go to the market together and just consider it a wasted day.

Xu found a large quilt at home and wrapped her son up, then put a hat on him, leaving only his eyes exposed from head to toe. Then she got on the donkey cart with Zhang Pingan. The donkey cart had no shed, so Xu sat with her back to it to block the wind for Zhang Pingan, and Zhang Laoer also deliberately slowed down the speed of the cart.

It was already a little late when he slowly arrived at the town. The place where Zhang Laoer usually set up his stall was occupied by others, so he could only go to a more remote location.

After unloading and arranging all the things, Xu pulled a bamboo chair and sat down with the child in her arms. Zhang Ping'an twisted his neck and stretched it out hard, which made Xu angry and amused. She said angrily, "You annoying guy, finally you get what you want, don't you?"

Zhang Pingan grinned.

Twisting my neck around, I could see people coming and going in the market. Most of them looked relaxed. It seemed that the country was well governed. There were all kinds of things being sold on the streets, people selling vegetables, food, and sundries, including home-woven cloth. The basic needs of food, clothing, housing, and transportation were all met.

Fried dough sticks, steamed buns, noodles, steamed buns, and spicy soup were all sold there. The aroma was so strong that Zhang Ping'an's mouth was watering. It had been a long time since he had eaten anything flavorful.

After more than an hour, Zhang Laoer sold three or four winnowing baskets, all of which were used to dry glutinous rice cakes for the New Year. After thinking for a while, he said to Xu, "Sanniang, you watch the stall first. I'll go buy some things."

After saying that, he strode over to a bun shop in the distance and bought two meat buns. They were big, affordable, and still piping hot. After buying them, he came back and handed one to Xu.

Xu took it and complained, "Why waste such money?"

"After we sell the things, we still have to go buy New Year's goods. I guess we won't be back until the afternoon. Let's eat something to fill our stomachs first," Zhang Laoer said with a simple smile, without making any argument.

After saying that, he pulled the bun skin in his hand and gave it to Zhang Ping'an to eat, coaxing him, "Come on, son, eat buns!"

Zhang Ping'an wrapped it with his two small front teeth and tasted it. It was very soft and tasted like white flour, a little sweet.

But he wanted to eat meat, so he stopped eating after a few bites and pointed at the filling of the buns.

"Son, you want to eat meat, right?" Zhang Laoer understood.

"Ahhh", that's what it means, Zhang Pingan is happy.

"No, son, you can't eat meat yet. It tastes strong. If you really want to eat it, ask your mother to go home and mince the meat and steam it for you." Zhang Laoer was not reluctant, but he was mainly afraid that his son would feel uncomfortable in his stomach after eating it.

I won't give you anything no matter what.

Zhang Pingan was anxious. Who could understand him? He had been eating bland food for half a year, mostly drinking milk, and now he couldn't hold it in anymore. He was making sobs in his mouth that he was about to cry.

In the end, two words came out of his mouth in a hurry, "Here, sizzle"!

Zhang Laoer thought he was hallucinating, and Zhang Pingan was also surprised. He was stunned for a while before realizing that he seemed to be able to speak.

I immediately gave it a try, "Squeak, squeak!" My saliva started to flow as I spoke. It was the teething season and I couldn't control it!

"Here, sizzle!"