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

As soon as the hour of Chen passed, villagers came to help. The Zhang family's own tables, chairs and benches were definitely not enough, so they borrowed a lot from other families in the village. It was August now and the weather was good these days. The yard was too small, so the banquet was set up directly on the rice field at the door.

The main people helping to welcome the guests today are the two brothers Zhang Lao Da and Zhang Lao Er, plus the scholar Zhang Ping'an. Zhang Lao San is eloquent and was arranged to receive guests in the yard. Erhe, who has studied for a few years, was arranged to take the gift list at the door. Everyone in the family, from the oldest to the youngest, was wearing brand new clothes today and looked very energetic.

Jin Bao came to the feast with his grandparents and parents. He wanted to chat with Zhang Pingan, but when he saw that the Zhang family was busy, he couldn't help but complain, "Pingan, you are so busy!"

Zhang Pingan was also helpless: "Go to the yard and have some snacks first. The banquet will start soon. I will come to your house to play with you after the banquet tomorrow."

Jinbao then went to the yard in a bad mood.

The first to arrive were Erya's family. The two villages were close together, and Brother Liu Da and Brother Liu Er were carrying gifts galore. Zhang Lao Er quickly took them and politely said, "You guys are here so why are you carrying so many things? It's such a waste!"

"Hahaha, congratulations, we come here to have a banquet today to share in the scholar's good fortune. It's not wrong to bring gifts. This is the rule of our ancestors, and etiquette cannot be abolished," said Brother Liu with a loud laugh.

"You are so thoughtful. Come in and have some tea," Zhang Laoer said with a smile as he welcomed them into the yard. They would have to wait a while before the banquet.

The next to arrive were Daya and Sanya's families, each of them carrying a lot of gifts in their hands. Sanya, in particular, was extremely proud. Most of the gifts this time were prepared by her mother-in-law, Mrs. Qian. Ever since her younger brother passed the imperial examination, the attitudes of the two elders had become much better, and they were no longer as partial and fearless as before.

"Little brother, you look really energetic today," San Ya praised after handing the gift to her father.

Zhang Pingan smiled and replied, "Third sister, you look very pretty today. Come in and have some tea. Mother has prepared a lot of snacks. Eat some to fill your stomach first."

Daya was holding her daughter Zhuzhu in her arms, and two boys were running around in circles beside her. She was very busy. "Little brother, I'm going to take the kids in first. We can have a good chat after the meal. These boys are making me dizzy."

"Okay, big sister, you guys hurry in first. Don't be polite. Mom has prepared some food inside. Give some to each of the children to fill their stomachs first." Zhang Ping'an stepped forward to help pull the two boys apart and pretended to scold them, "Go in and get some food from your grandma. If you make trouble again, you'll be spanked!"

Donkey Egg and Cat Egg listened to their uncle very much. After hearing his words, they promised: "Uncle, we will listen to you and won't make trouble again."

Zhang Pingan then smiled and said, "Be good, come in quickly!"

"They just listen to you," Daya chuckled, then led the two children into the yard.

Butcher Liu originally wanted to chat and build relations with Zhang Laoer outside, but as more and more customers came and Zhang Laoer was unable to greet them all, he had no choice but to follow them into the yard, sighing in his heart that the Zhang family was really on the rise.

Mrs. Xu, Mrs. Xu II, including Old Man Xu's family, arrived one after another, as well as Zhang Laoer's four biological sisters. In fact, as they got older, Zhang Ping'an's aunts had been visiting her aunt's family less and less in recent years. Unexpectedly, they all came this time.

Erhe looked at the meager thirty-cent gifts given by his aunts, and then looked at the dozen or so people coming to each family for the banquet. His eyes twitched, thinking that this banquet was really a waste of money for his grandmother's family!

Seeing that the guests had almost arrived, Zhang Laoer turned around and went in to discuss with his parents whether to start the meal. Those who arrived early were close relatives and villagers, all waiting for breakfast with empty stomachs. Those who were more distant would not come until noon.

As soon as he entered the courtyard, he saw Xu, speaking with great joy among the other women. Everyone around her was praising her. Zhang Laoer ignored him and went straight to the main hall to ask his mother, "Mom, do you think it's time to start the feast?"

Zhang looked at the sun and nodded, "Let's start the feast. Everyone has come here early this morning and is waiting for breakfast!"

Although the first meal was breakfast, the menu arranged by Zhang Laoer was not sloppy at all. Not only were the dishes rich in oil and water, but they were also cooked with dry rice. There was also wine on the table for the men. Every dish was cleared away at a speed visible to the naked eye as soon as it was served. Everyone who came to the banquet praised the Zhang family for the dignified banquet. In addition, Zhang also invited a craftsman to play gongs and drums on the side, and the scene was more lively than the wedding of an ordinary family.

There were too many people, so one group had to eat until the next group finished and it ended almost at 9:00 a.m. In fact, it was not a formal buffet, but it was very grand in the farmer's house.

After the meal, people did not leave, but gathered in groups of three or four to chat or play dice, waiting for the lunch meal.

Just after noon, a horse-drawn carriage suddenly drove up from the village entrance. Seeing the many tables set up in front of the Zhang family's house, which were obviously for banquets, it drove straight towards the Zhang family. The driver, who looked like a servant, stopped the carriage with a "whoosh" and got out to ask, "Excuse me, is this the residence of Mr. Zhang Ping'an, the newly promoted scholar this year?"

The villagers who were watching nodded and shouted, "Yes, this is Mr. Zhang's house."

The coachman, seeing he had found the right person, hurriedly took the gift down from the carriage and stepped forward to greet Zhang Laoer and the others, saying, "I am from the residence of Mr. Fan in the county. My master is unable to come today due to some matters, so he has sent me here to present a gift and congratulate Mr. Zhang on his passing the imperial examination."

Zhang Laoer looked at the gift box in the servant's hand, which was obviously worth a lot of money, and was at a loss as to whether to keep it or not.

Seeing this, Zhang Pingan stepped forward and said with a smile: "Thank your master for me. When I return to the county, I will go to the South City Chess Academy to play chess with him."

After he finished speaking, he took the gift and placed it on the gift table. Erhe took note while shouting, "Mr. Fan from the county seat sent two gifts!"

After hearing this, the villagers exclaimed, "This is incredible! Even the successful candidate has come to congratulate us! I wish we had such a promising son!"

Someone nearby spat, "How can you send your son to school when you can't even fill your stomach? Stop daydreaming."

Just as he finished speaking, another carriage drove up in the distance. Lin Junhui lifted the curtain and got out of the carriage and said with a smile: "Ping An, your house was really hard for me to find. I asked people for directions all the way here and almost went to the wrong place!"

"Brother Lin, thank you for your hard work. I didn't expect you to come here in person and make my humble home more glorious." Zhang Ping'an was really surprised. He thought that Lin Junhui was just talking at the time, so he quickly smiled and bowed to welcome him into the yard.