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

This little episode did not affect the Zhang family's happy return to the village. Sitting on the mule cart, Xu's sisters-in-law discussed fabrics and clothing styles, and the atmosphere was unprecedentedly harmonious.

The men were chatting while driving the cart, and the little kids were chattering. Zhang Ping'an grabbed a handful of candy and gave them to them. The kids were so happy that they kept saying that their uncle was the best.

Before noon, they arrived in town. Li ordered her son Erzhu to drive the cart to Liu the butcher's house. Erzhu responded loudly, "Hey!"

After giving the order, Li turned around and explained to Xu and the others with a smile, "Haha, we have to bring some meat back home with us to cook. Besides, we have a banquet tomorrow, so we need to talk to Liu the butcher and arrange for one of his guys to go and butcher the pig. We'll be busy tomorrow."

Mrs. Xu agreed with what she said and nodded with a smile, saying, "Sister-in-law, you are very thoughtful. I was just about to ask the child's father to drive to my in-laws' place."

When the people from the county government went to Zhangjia Village to announce the good news and passed through the town, there was quite a commotion. In addition, Zhang Laosan and his companions came to the stall to cut a piece of meat when they went to the county town. Therefore, Liu the butcher had already known that the brother of his third daughter-in-law had passed the imperial examination and became a scholar. Such a happy event must involve slaughtering a pig and holding a banquet, and he had been looking forward to it at home.

He even felt that his decision to let Sanlang accompany his in-laws to take the exam was a wise one. Look, now among the sons-in-law, Sanlang is definitely the most favored and has the closest relationship with them. He even found a good job working in a college for Sanlang!

From afar, they saw the Zhang family driving their carriage over. Before they even got close, Butcher Liu asked his eldest grandson to watch the stall and ran up to greet them warmly, saying, "Ah, in-laws, I've been looking forward to your arrival for a long time, and now it's finally here. Two days ago, my son Sanlang came home and told me you were back, so I thought you would definitely come to me to help with the butchering and feasting. We are all relatives, so who else can I ask for?"

Zhang Laoer laughed out loud and said, "Of course!"

After the greetings, Butcher Liu patted Zhang Ping'an on the shoulder and said proudly, "Well, Ping'an, your uncle Liu was right, wasn't he? I said you could win. Look at this handsome man, so handsome! I don't know which girl will be worthy of him in the future."

Zhang Pingan bowed and smiled, then replied, "It's all thanks to my brother-in-law who accompanied me all the way to the exam, sleeping in the open and enduring hardships."

"Well, we are all relatives. Let's not talk about this. Your brother-in-law is very tough, so it's nothing." Butcher Liu smiled and waved his hand nonchalantly, then said to Zhang Laoer: "My dear relatives, you can have lunch at my place at noon. The meat and vegetables are ready at home."

"My dear relative, I appreciate your kindness, but we have to hurry back to the village. We have to hold a wedding tomorrow and time is very tight. I came here to ask you to arrange one of your kids to go to my house early tomorrow morning to help slaughter the pig. I'm sorry to trouble you with this. Also, please cut me a piece of meat for cooking when I get home," Zhang Laoer replied with a smile.

Butcher Liu's eyes narrowed with laughter, and he held his belly and said, "Okay, okay, it's not a big deal. I'll have my eldest son go there early tomorrow. Sanlang has been on a long journey, so let him rest up."

After saying that, he quickly picked up the knife and cut a piece of good meat. It was three layers of pork belly, with more fat and less meat. He tied it with a straw rope and handed it to Zhang Laoer. "I heard Daya say that Ping An doesn't like to eat too much fat. This pork belly is neither fat nor dry, which is perfect for steaming!"

At this time, Daya and Liu Sanlang heard the noise and came out with the children in their arms. Daya said excitedly, "Dad, Mom, little brother, you're back!" Then she saw Siya, Wuya, and Liuya were there and greeted them with a warm smile, "Siya, Wuya, and Liuya are all grown up girls now, and they are getting more and more beautiful!"

Daya is the eldest sister and has been kind to her younger sisters since they were young. Four, five, and six are also close to her. Upon hearing this, they smiled and replied, "Big sister, let's go to the banquet early tomorrow!"

Wuya and Liuya took out a few red hair strings from their bundle and handed them over: "Big sister, these are gifts from the embroidery workshop masters. Take them and tie Zhuzhu's hair."

Daya didn't hesitate. She took it, hugged her daughter and said with a smile, "Zhuzhu, say thank you to Auntie Five and Auntie Six."

Unfortunately, Zhuzhu was just a real child under one year old. He played with the hairband in his hand and drooled. Daya took out a torn handkerchief to wipe it clean.

Zhang Laoer took out his wallet to pay, but Liu the Butcher refused to take it. He said anxiously, "We are all real relatives. Aren't you slapping me in the face? You just think I'm giving it to Ping'an to eat. Can't I even afford to give him a knife of meat?"

Zhang Laoer said, "Let's put it this way. If you want to give it to me, you can do it tomorrow. It's a courtesy, but my family can't take advantage of you today without any reason."

Xu sat up and echoed each word, "That's right, in-laws. Let's put it this way. It's not easy for you either. Whatever you deserve is what you deserve. You must accept the money for the meat. My Ping'an is now a scholar. Yesterday, the county magistrate hosted a banquet for them at the county government office and even gave them a five-liang silver ingot as a reward."

Butcher Liu then accepted the money, but also added a few pounds of pork ribs, and said cheerfully: "You must accept these ribs. Tomorrow our family will go to the banquet early to share in the scholar's good fortune."

Seeing that she had received the money, Xu reluctantly accepted the meat bones and said with a smile, "That's great. Come earlier and I'll save a seat for you."

After cutting the meat, everyone drove back to the village.

Si Ya smiled after leaving the town and said, "Mom, the way you spoke just now was so strange. You looked even older than our grandma."

Xu said angrily, "What do you know as a little girl? Our family's status is different now. How can you continue to talk carelessly like a country bitch? Isn't this embarrassing for your little brother?!"

"The way our mother speaks is a bit like the manager of our embroidery workshop, she is neither hurried nor slow, and looks very dignified," Wu Ya and Liu Ya said secretly with a handkerchief covering their mouths.

"Fifth and sixth daughters are really knowledgeable. It's worth going to this embroidery workshop," said Mrs. Xu, touching her two little daughters' heads with satisfaction.

Seeing this, Si Ya rolled her eyes and became unhappy again. She twisted her body and said nothing. However, no one in the family would try to comfort her. Xu sneered, "Look, you've spoiled me!"

Li and Ma complimented him, saying, "It's strange to talk like that, but we all have to learn it. Respectable people always speak slowly and unhurriedly."

"That's right. When I went to buy cloth, I saw other women from respectable families in the shop talking like this, so I learned it on purpose," Xu said proudly.

Zhang Ping'an smiled and shook his head without saying anything. As long as his mother was happy, that was all that mattered.

Time passed quickly as they chatted, and in less than an hour they arrived at Zhangjia Village. At the entrance of the village, a large group of children were still playing under the big banyan tree. A familiar child saw them and shouted, "The scholar is back! The scholar is back!"