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

"Well, yes, he is the cousin of Professor Han from our provincial school. He was the one who introduced me to him. Professor Han plans to take me to visit his house tomorrow," Zhang Ping'an nodded and replied.

Zhang Laoer walked around the main hall, rubbing his hands together, and said excitedly, "This...this is something most people can't even reach. What kind of gift would be best for a visit? Something too light won't do; it won't seem sincere enough."

Mrs. Xu didn't understand this either, and hesitated, "We can't afford anything too expensive. Oh, it's really frustrating!"

Seeing his parents so excited that they didn't know what to do, Zhang Ping'an smiled and said, "Dad, Mom, it's not that serious. I think the most important thing is whether I can catch her eye, not what I bring. She's a juren, and from a family of scholars, so she must have seen all sorts of good things. I think I should just follow normal etiquette and bring two boxes of good snacks."

"That won't work?" Zhang Laoer hesitated.

"Don't worry, it's nothing." Zhang Ping'an comforted him. Seeing his parents so nervous, he calmed down instead. He didn't want the whole family to panic.

So, after school the next day, Zhang Ping'an took two boxes of snacks and followed Professor Han to Mr. Han's house. Mr. Han's house was only two streets away from the government office. The neighbors on both sides basically worked in the government office, so the roads were particularly wide and clean, and very quiet, making it a suitable place to live.

The doorman knew Professor Han and led the two of them directly to the study. Then he went to inform Mr. Han. A servant brought in two cups of tea and then quietly left. It was obvious that he was well-trained.

After a while, Mr. Han came in with his hands behind his back. He didn't look much like Professor Han. He had a typical square face with deep wrinkles between his eyebrows. He seemed to have a very serious personality and liked to frown.

Zhang Pingan was the first to stand up and bow. Han Juren waved his hand and said, "Sit down and talk!"

Professor Han stroked his beard and greeted with a smile, "Brother Zizhan, you're a very busy man. How have you been lately?"

After sitting down, Han Juren also smiled and replied, "I can't help it. I can't compare to you, Zijing, who has so much free time. The government school is about to close for the New Year holiday, right?"

"It will be soon, probably in six or seven days," Professor Han replied with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Han Juren sighed, "Time flies! Another year has already passed without me noticing!"

After the two exchanged pleasantries for a while, Han Juren got down to business: "Is this the scholar you mentioned to me, the one you wanted me to take as your apprentice?"

Professor Han put down his teacup and said with a smile, "Exactly!"

Han Juren's eyes were sharp as he asked, "Oh? Since you're the one who made the introduction, I guess he must be quite knowledgeable. Confucius said, 'I have never seen anyone who loves virtue as much as he loves beauty.' What does that mean?"

Zhang Ping'an had been following the conversation. After bowing, he replied in a deep voice, "This sentence comes from Chapter 15 of the Analects of Confucius, 'Duke Ling of Wei.' It literally means, 'I have never seen anyone who loves morality as much as he loves women.' The context for this sentence is that when Confucius was traveling around the various states, he encountered Duke Ling of Wei traveling with his wife, Nan Zi. Confucius was disgusted by this and said this. In essence, Confucius was expressing his dissatisfaction with Duke Ling's behavior and believed that those in high positions should pay more attention to moral cultivation rather than indulging in women. By contrasting 'love of virtue' with 'love of women,' he emphasized the importance of a gentleman's moral cultivation."

Han Juren nodded without comment and said, "Zijing, you guys should stay here for dinner tonight. We still have time, why don't we play a couple of games of chess?"

Professor Han narrowed his eyes and smiled, "Okay, let Ping An play two games with you today. He's quite good at chess."

"OK." After Mr. Han asked his servants to set up the chessboard and chess pieces, Zhang Ping'an sat opposite him and the two began to play chess.

Han Juren played the black pieces and Zhang Pingan played the white pieces. At the beginning, both of them played quickly, going back and forth. Han Juren looked relaxed. Gradually, the speed of both sides' moves became slower and slower, and both of them looked uneasy.

Professor Han jokingly said, "Haha, Brother Zizhan, you've met your match this time. Every time I played against you in the past, you completely destroyed me."

Han Juren smiled and said, "Stop teasing me!"

This game of chess lasted for nearly half an hour. In the end, Han Juren narrowly won by two pieces. The three of them then moved to the flower hall to eat. Han Juren smiled and said, "Talented people emerge in every generation. The young are really formidable. I had a great time playing chess today."

Scholars are reserved, especially people like Han Juren who are obviously serious and cautious in doing things. Therefore, Zhang Pingan did not mention anything about becoming his disciple. No matter what the final result is, Professor Han will definitely tell him.

After the three of them sat down, the servants began to serve the dishes. Although there were only three people eating, Mr. Han did not neglect them. He served more than a dozen dishes one after another. The dishes were all very exquisite and were of the standard for entertaining guests.

Han Juren greeted them, "It's just simple food. Please forgive me if I'm not very attentive. Come and try my chef's cooking."

Professor Han laughed and said, "That's not neglect at all. It's much better than eating in the cafeteria at the prefectural school."

Professor Han was not a reserved person. The three of them ate while chatting, and they ate very slowly. They finished eating after the hour of Xu. After Zhang Ping'an said goodbye to Professor Han, he took Professor Han's mule cart home.

"How do you feel?" Professor Han asked with a faint smile in the car.

Zhang Pingan thought for a moment and replied, "Mr. Han is very knowledgeable and a bit serious, but he actually has an open-minded and relaxed personality."

"My cousin is very knowledgeable, but he has a common problem in our family: he is too upright, so he is frustrated in officialdom. Although he didn't say it explicitly just now, I can see that he admires you very much," Professor Han said slowly.

Zhang Pingan hesitated for a moment and asked, "Will someone who is too flexible offend Han Juren?"

"Being flexible doesn't mean doing bad things. As long as we have our bottom line and principles, that's enough. We were educated in our family from a young age and can't change," Professor Han said calmly. "If it weren't for this, the people in our family wouldn't have such a bumpy career path."

Zhang Pingan remained silent upon hearing this. Studying and being an official are indeed two different things, just like in modern times. Academic qualifications are just a stepping stone to gain more opportunities than others, but future development depends on how one behaves and deals with others.

Soon the mule cart arrived home. Zhang Ping'an jumped off the cart, said goodbye to Professor Han and went home. As expected, the lights in the main room were still on, and neither Zhang Laoer nor Xu was asleep.

"What's wrong, son?" Xu asked anxiously. Although she was a country woman, she knew how important it was to have a good teacher.

Although Zhang Laoer didn't say anything, the anxiety in his eyes and brows was exactly the same as Xu's.

Zhang Pingan sat down before saying, "Dad, Mom, I just visited Mr. Han's house today and had a simple meal. Mr. Han didn't give me a clear answer, but I guess it will be in the next three or two days. Professor Han will let me know when the time comes."