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

Zhang Laoer asked Xu to scatter some candies to the children. Xu came back this time with a proud look on her face and was not stingy. She grabbed a few handfuls of candies from her cloth bag and scattered them, making a group of children so happy that they squatted down and picked them up everywhere.

After the clever ones finished picking up the candies, they followed the mule cart back to Zhang's house. Xu grabbed another handful and waved her hand, saying, "Don't ask for any more. I'll give you some candy at the banquet tomorrow."

When the children saw that they couldn’t get any more, they left tactfully, knowing that there would be more tomorrow anyway.

Only the Zhangs and Dazhu were home now. Seeing everyone coming back, Zhang helped the trembling old man out and said, "You're finally back. There was an earthquake two days ago, and I was terribly worried at home."

Old man Zhang was already over sixty years old, and his back was severely hunched from long hours of farm work. Seeing everyone coming back, he looked around in the crowd and called out, "Is he safe? Is my grandson back safely?"

Zhang Pingan stepped forward and held Old Man Zhang's other arm, saying with a smile, "Grandpa, I'm back! I'm here!"

Old Man Zhang patted Zhang Ping'an's hand, wiped his tears and said, "It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back. Smoke is rising from our Zhang family's ancestral graves!"

Zhang glanced at Old Man Zhang and said calmly, "I didn't see you taking care of anything when the children were at home."

Old Man Zhang didn't know if he was hard of hearing or what, but he didn't respond. He just said, "Come inside and talk inside. Dazhu's wife should hurry up and cook."

Yingniang murmured "hmm" behind the crowd, then went into the kitchen. Li sighed and said nothing.

Seeing this, Mrs. Xu said, "With such a large family like ours, Yingniang can't handle it all by herself. Erzhu's wife, Dahe's wife, and Erhe's wife, you all should come and help. You have to be a little discerning in front of the elders. I remember when I gave birth to my son Ping'an, he was still working in the fields!"

Ma nodded in agreement, "That's right, they've enjoyed a life of luxury since they married into our Zhang family."

After entering the house, Zhang Pingan took out the tobacco and ox horn comb he had bought in the provincial capital and handed them to Old Man Zhang and Mrs. Zhang, saying, "Grandpa, Grandma, I was in a hurry to come back from the provincial capital this time and didn't buy anything, but I figured the tobacco there must be better than here, so I brought some for you, Grandpa and Grandma, and this ox horn comb. I heard that combing your hair often can help you live longer."

Zhang smiled and said, "You are so thoughtful. Don't spend too much next time."

Zhang Laoer continued, "When we were staying in the provincial capital, the innkeeper gave us a jar of daughter's red wine because Ping'an passed the imperial examination. I plan to bury it in our yard and wait until Ping'an's son passes the imperial examination to dig it out and drink it."

"Oh, this is a good idea. Then our family can be said to have passed down the tradition of farming and studying," Zhang nodded with a smile.

The whole family gathered together to chat, it was more lively than the Chinese New Year.

Zhang Laoer did what he said. He picked up a shovel and dug a hole in the yard to bury the wine. Zhang Laoda and Zhang Laosan helped move the things from the car into the house. As soon as they finished, a group of people came home, including men, women, young and old. They all knew that the Zhang family had returned to see the scholar.

Zhang Lao Er sat among the men, while Xu Shi sat among the women. They were showered with compliments and were so happy they couldn't tell east from west. They didn't feel tired anymore. Xu Shi grinned and said proudly, "You don't know, when Ping An was little, a monk came to stay at our house and read his fortune. He said he was the reincarnation of Wen Quxing, and that he would take the imperial examinations and become the top scholar in the future."

This frightened a group of ignorant women who were stunned: "No wonder, I knew this child was extraordinary since he was young!"

"That's right. My Ping'an has been very smart since he was young. After the wedding banquet, we will go to the provincial capital," Xu pretended to show off casually.

As expected, there was another wave of exclamations: "Sanniang, you are really amazing. You can actually go to the provincial capital. You are so blessed!"

It was much the same over there. A group of men, munching on sunflower seeds, sighed, "I've always said Second Brother is blessed. A few years ago, someone secretly cursed your family, saying they were doomed to die out if they couldn't give birth to a son. I cursed back, saying other people's sons were still around, so why rush?"

Zhang Laoer felt very relieved to hear this. Although he knew that the words were exaggerated, as everyone in the village had been talking behind their backs in the past, he was now proud of himself. Moreover, he had gained a lot of experience and gained a lot of knowledge. He knew that other people in the village would not be able to compare to his family in the future, so he didn't care anymore.

Zhang Ping'an was caught by several aunts, who insisted on holding the child and touching his hair, saying that he wanted to get some cultural grace. He looked very embarrassed and his hair was a mess. In the end, he was rescued by Xu.

"Stop touching me randomly. My elegance can't be revealed, do you understand? If you continue like this, I'll chase you away with a broom!" Xu's dignity only lasted for a moment. Seeing her son being held by several women and having his hair touched, she quickly put her hands on her hips and yelled.

The women looked embarrassed after being yelled at and walked away with their children in their arms.

By this time, lunch was ready. Zhang stood up and said, "Alright, alright, everyone go home. We're going to eat. We can talk after dinner. I'll have my eldest daughter-in-law fry a pot of peanuts and boil some water for tea. We can all have a good chat. Tomorrow we'll have a buffet."

Everyone praised after hearing this: "Old lady, you are so generous! Let's come back after noon and help clean up the mess."

Time was tight at noon, so Yingniang only cooked five or six dishes. However, the portions were large, and Zhang Ping'an thought they tasted pretty good.

The children ate a lot of cakes and candies on the way. This time the meal was finally harmonious, not like a war as Zhang Ping'an remembered.

After the meal, Zhang did what she said and asked Li to take out half a bag of peanuts from home, fry them in a large pot, and boil a large pot of water. Although Li felt distressed, she also knew that this courtesy could not be omitted.

After saying this, Zhang asked everyone to stay. "Don't leave yet. Let's talk about the rules for the tax-free land under Ping'an's name. The elders and the village chief will definitely ask about it when they come over. We need to discuss it among ourselves first."

Zhang Laoda said reluctantly, "Mom, I heard from my second brother that Ping'an only has 20 mu of tax-free land in his name. We have 40 mu of land at home, and it's not enough. Do we still need to share it with the clan?"

Zhang didn't expect anything from her eldest son. Upon hearing this, she simply said, "What do you think?"

Zhang Laoer said in a deep voice: "Dad and Mom, you two can make the decision on this matter. I have no objection."

Zhang Laosan nodded and said, "Me too."

"Since you all said so, then I will tell you the result of the discussion between your father and I. We will give 5 acres of the 20 acres of tax-free land to the clan, and the remaining 15 acres will be used by us. The second son's family will get 8 acres, and the eldest and third sons' families will each get 3 and a half acres. Is that okay?" Zhang looked up at her sons and asked.

Li smiled and said, "Listen to mother."

Zhang Lao Er and Zhang Lao San also nodded and said, "Okay, Mom's arrangement is very good."

Ma muttered in a low voice, "Our family hasn't even been divided into households." She felt that her share of tax-free land was a little too small. Even if she had half an acre more, the annual tax would still be enough.

Zhang Laosan really didn't expect his wife to be so stupid. He quickly interrupted her, saying, "What are you talking about?"

Zhang scoffed at the words and said, "If you have the guts, have your son take the exam to become a scholar."