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

Yuan Ziang whispered, "If you trust me, I'll go home and ask my father to get you some help. He's the mayor of the East Market. Although he's not a high-ranking official, he's in charge of food and drink. He knows a lot of restaurants and won't let you down on the price."

It would be best if someone could act as a matchmaker. Zhang Pingan patted Yuan Ziang on the shoulder and replied, "Why should I be worried about you? I'll have to trouble you and your father for this matter. I will definitely reward you handsomely after it's done."

"Hehe, just wait for news," Yuan Ziang said with a chuckle.

After a while, Professor Han came in to teach, and the two of them sat up straight and listened to the class.

After returning home from school at 5 p.m., Zhang Ping'an told his parents about his desire to sell his family's property. Zhang Laoer agreed and nodded, saying, "We can't do this business ourselves, but selling the recipe can earn us some money, which is great."

Xu cried all day and all night, her voice still hoarse, but she was still concerned about the money, so she said, "It's good to sell it. It's unexpected money. If you save more money, you will have more money to study in the future."

Since no one in the family objected, Zhang Ping'an felt more at ease doing this.

Yuan Ziang's father really had a lot of connections. The next morning, when he was going to the prefectural school, Yuan Ziang came over and whispered, "Ping'an, my father said there's a liquor store in the East Market that specializes in liquor and wants to buy me. Don't use the bottle of liquor you brought today to wipe the table. I'll take you there after school this afternoon to meet the store owner and talk face to face. If you feel it's inconvenient to go alone, you can bring your father along."

"So fast," Zhang Pingan said in surprise. He really didn't expect that Yuan Ziang's father was so efficient.

Yuan Ziang had a hint of pride on his face. "Although my father is not a high-ranking official, he has a lot of connections when it comes to food and drink. When the city was closed, the officials in the government office who were much higher-ranking than my father even sent people to my house to ask my father to prepare food for them!"

Zhang Pingan nodded when he heard this. He understood that the county magistrate should be in charge now.

"Then after school, take a detour to my house and bring my dad with you. After all, my dad is the elder, and it would be most appropriate for him to go together," Zhang Pingan thought for a while and said.

"Okay, take my car," Yuan Ziang nodded in agreement.

Today is a rare warm sunny day in winter. When the two of them got out of school, the sun was still hanging in the sky, which made them feel much brighter. After taking Yuan Ziang's mule cart home to pick up Zhang Laoer, the three of them went straight to the East Market.

About two hundred meters away from the entrance to the East Market is the Street Office, where the mayor has his office. This matter is led by Mayor Yuan, and it has been agreed that they will discuss it here in a while.

After meeting Mayor Yuan, Zhang Pingan couldn't help but sigh at the power of genes. The father and son were so alike, from their eyes and eyebrows to their hair, they were practically cast from the same mold. However, Mayor Yuan had been immersed in officialdom for many years, and his eyes were full of wisdom and shrewdness. Upon seeing Zhang Laoer and his son, he greeted them warmly and said, "Oh, you came quite quickly. I'm sorry for not welcoming you. Come and sit down!"

The mayor has a separate office area with three suites inside and outside. The outermost one is the reception area, the middle one is the office area, and the innermost one is the lounge.

After they sat down, City Magistrate Yuan continued, "My son has roughly explained the situation to you. The one who wants to buy my house is a liquor store in the East Market under my jurisdiction. Their own liquor making skills are average, and they have always relied on buying from others. Now they want to buy a recipe to make it themselves to reduce costs and pass it down to the family. Their sales volume is not very large, so there is no interest involved."

Zhang Ping'an bowed and said, "Thank you, uncle. I heard from Brother Yuan that you are very thoughtful."

Zhang Laoer also clasped his fists and said solemnly, "Thank you, Mayor Yuan, for your trouble!"

"Haha, the two kids are classmates and have a good relationship. It's no big deal to do them a small favor. I've sent someone to call Boss He. He will be here soon. You can have some tea first," Mayor Yuan greeted with a smile.

After a while, Boss He arrived. He was a thin middle-aged man, dressed like a typical businessman. After exchanging greetings, the two sides sat down to discuss the details of the transaction.

Boss He smiled and said, "This matter is led by Mayor Yuan. I have the utmost confidence in him. However, business is business, so I still need to take a look at the product first."

"That's what I should do," Zhang Laoer nodded and took out a small jar of white wine he had just brought from home.

Boss He has been in the liquor business for decades, and he's an expert at judging whether something is good or not. He took out a small wine glass from his arms, poured a small cup, sniffed it first, then took a sip and tasted it, smacking his lips and saying, "It's spicy and quite strong."

Zhang Laoer explained: "This has been repeatedly refined and has a high purity, so it's spicy."

Boss He nodded, put down his glass, and asked, "How much do you want to sell it for?"

Yuan Ziang had already informed Boss He about the price in advance. Boss He's psychological bottom price was about fifty to one hundred taels. He could just bid a higher price when bidding. It was a businessman's habit to bargain no matter how low the price was. Otherwise, he would feel that he was at a disadvantage. So he might as well bid a higher price so that there was room for negotiation.

"Two hundred taels," Zhang Laoer said.

Sure enough, Boss He shook his head and said, "It's too expensive. Although this wine is good, there's room for improvement. The current spiciness isn't suitable for local sale. We can make wine at home, but our skills are average. That's why we wanted to buy a good recipe and make it ourselves, but if the price is too high, my small business can't afford it."

This result was within the expectations of Zhang Laoer and Zhang Ping'an. The Yuan father and son were in no position to speak, so they just drank tea on the side. The two sides went back and forth for a long time, and finally agreed on one hundred taels of silver, to be paid in two installments. Boss He immediately sent someone back to get fifty taels of silver. The two parties wrote a deed, and Zhang Ping'an wrote down the production method and the points that needed attention one by one and handed it to Boss He.

It was already getting dark, and after the handover was completed, Boss He said goodbye and left first. Zhang Laoer had already discussed with his son and decided to give 30% of the proceeds from the transaction to the Yuan father and son as a broker's fee. He had to be willing to give, as there was gain only when there was giving. Who knows, in the future his family might have to rely on the other party.

After some hesitation from City Magistrate Yuan, the other party finally accepted it. City Magistrate Yuan said with a smile, "I heard from my son that Ping An is very knowledgeable. Come to our house more often in the future. In a dozen days, it will be my son Ziang's birthday party. Ping An must come to the party then to make it lively and lively."

Zhang Pingan smiled and replied, "This time, it's all thanks to Uncle Yuan. I will definitely go to Ziang's birthday party."

"Okay, okay," Mayor Yuan said with a big smile.

Only then did Zhang Ping'an say goodbye and leave with his father.