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

If it were in the past, Liu Sanlang would feel extremely embarrassed when hearing this.

But now that he has seen more, he gradually understands that no matter how close brothers are, they each have their own family, and comparison is the norm. Each family just needs to live their own life and act according to their conscience.

Fortunately, the Liu family didn't do anything too dirty, they were just trivial matters. Liu Sanlang and Daya were both open-minded and didn't care.

They said they would cook some delicious dishes, but since it is a national mourning period and meat cannot be eaten, the best two dishes are just scrambled eggs with pickles and a bowl of stewed tofu.

Although the management in the countryside is not strict, no one would dare to violate it rashly.

Butcher Liu said, "Everyone, eat. Don't be shy. Treat it like you're at home. Don't be shy. This is a national mourning, so there won't be any special dishes."

Zhang Laoer replied with a smile: "Sorry to bother you, my dear in-laws, this dish is quite good. More than ten years ago, we couldn't just eat scrambled eggs at home!"

Butcher Liu's wife laughed and said, "That's why they say things change over time. My dear, your family is getting better and better now. We can't compare to them!"

Then he sighed, "Last winter should have been the best time for business, but there was this epidemic, and a lot of pigs died. Not only did we lose no income, but we also lost a lot of money. Now that the epidemic has finally passed, it's a national mourning and we can't eat meat, so the meat is even harder to sell. No one has much money. Sigh, our lives are so difficult!"

Butcher Liu interrupted his wife and said, "You talk too much, go and serve the dishes."

After saying that, he asked everyone to continue eating.

Because we had to rush to Xu's house, the meal was finished quickly.

Before leaving, Xu whispered, "Daya, when you're free tomorrow, bring the children home to play. We'll be staying for a few days this time, and your grandparents will definitely have a feast. You can come and have something good to eat too."

Daya'er smiled and said, "Okay, I understand. I will take Sanlang and the child back tomorrow."

"Uncle Liu, sister and brother-in-law, we're leaving now," Zhang Pingan said goodbye.

"Hey, go slower on the road!"

The family drove to Xu's house again. Xu's house was on the edge of the town, not far from Liu the butcher's house.

When passing by the bridge, Zhang Pingan suddenly smelled a burst of fragrant oil. He couldn't help but sniff and wondered, "What smells so good?"

Xu peeked out, sniffed, and said with a smile, "It's Cao's Roast Chicken at the bridge head frying some sashimi!"

As she spoke, she couldn't help but sigh, "Their roast chicken is the best. Before I got married, your grandfather would occasionally buy one for us to share when his business was good and he took on a big job. I haven't eaten it since I got married!"

"Cao's roast chicken, I remember it now," Zhang Pingan said with a smile. "I remember when Jinbao and I were in school, we went to town to buy pens, inkstones, and paper. Jinbao's father spent half an hour haggling with the bookstore owner until he got the 20 cents off. Then he brought Jinbao and me here to buy half a roast chicken. It's been so many years."

Wuya, Liuya and Xiaohu were all envious after hearing this.

Zhang Ping'an then lifted the curtain and said to his father, "Dad, let's go buy some fried seeds. We can take half to grandpa's house and take the rest back for grandpa and grandma to try."

Zhang Laoer nodded when he heard this and parked the car in front of Cao's Roast Chicken.

After getting off the car, Zhang Pingan discussed with his father, "Dad, both our families have large families. How about buying six catties, three catties for each family? What do you think?"

"Okay," Zhang Laoer replied, turning to the boss and saying, "Six pounds of seeds, please."

The boss was still the same boss as before, but he was obviously much older, with a lot of gray hair. However, his personality was still the same. He smiled and said, "Okay! I have two pounds fried already, and the remaining four pounds need to be fried now. You have to wait a while!"

"Okay," Zhang Laoer nodded.

The boss moved quickly, calling his son to help him. While he was working, he chatted, "Are you guys back from the county town?"

"We are back from the provincial capital. More than ten years ago, I brought my son to your house to buy roast chicken, but I remember that you didn't sell fried snacks at that time," said Zhang Laoer with a smile.

Boss Cao shook his head and smiled helplessly, "Business is tough. We can't even sell roast chicken right now, so we have to find a way to sell some fresh food. We have to get through this year."

After a while, the fried seeds were ready. After draining the oil, Boss Cao skillfully wrapped them in oil paper and handed them over.

After paying the money, Zhang Laoer gave the things to his son to carry, and then drove to Xu's house.

Because the Xu family held a funeral before the New Year, the couplets were originally white, so there was no need to change them specifically.

After Xu went forward and knocked on the door, it was her eldest sister-in-law, Xiao Yu, who came to open the door. Seeing everyone, she couldn't help but said in surprise: "When did you come back? Come in!"

After everyone sat down, Xiao Yu hurriedly made tea for them. After hearing the noise, Xu Youde and Xu Youcai also came over from the shed in the backyard, covered in sawdust.

Stand under the eaves and pat yourself clean before coming in.

Xu Youcai greeted with a smile: "Brother-in-law, when did you come back?"

Zhang Laoer placed the prepared gifts on the Eight Immortals Table before replying, "We arrived in the county town yesterday, but didn't have enough time to return, so we stayed overnight. We returned to town early today. Oh, and we couldn't get back for our parents' death. This is the funeral money, please accept it."

Xu Youde didn't refuse and accepted it. This was all normal human interaction. Then he asked with concern: "Let's have dinner here tonight. How many days will you stay at home this time?"

"Probably five or six days. Ping'an still has to go back to the school to attend classes," Zhang Laoer replied in a deep voice.

After taking a sip of tea, Xu continued, "We have to rush back to the village today. Time is running out. Let's skip dinner and burn some incense for our parents first!"

"Okay," Xu Youcai replied, "Third sister, I'll go get you some incense."

Zhang Ping'an followed his parents to the altar in the main hall. There were six or seven tablets on it, and the one in the front was for Old Man Xu and Old Lady Xu.

Zhang Laoer, Xu, and Zhang Pingan each lit a stick of incense and kowtowed.

Xu's eyes were red again, and she didn't know when she would come back to pay her respects next time.

When they came out after the worship, Xu Youde grabbed Xu and said sternly, "Why did you give so much money? Life is hard to come by. I know my brother-in-law is making money with his business now, but when he's away from home, his expenses are high. Don't be so extravagant, otherwise even a mountain of gold and silver will be eaten up."

Xu didn't know how much money was given, and looked up at Zhang Laoer in confusion.

Zhang Laoer said in a deep voice, "Brother, two taels isn't too much. When our family was one month old, our father-in-law and mother-in-law gave us a silver bracelet worth one tael. They also helped us a lot in our daily life. We won't be home often in the future, so we can't help you much. I know everyone is having a hard time now, so you must accept this money."

Hearing this, Xu advised, "Brother, just accept it!"

Zhang Ping'an also followed suit.

Xu Youde hesitated for a moment and then said, "Third sister, brother-in-law, if you really want to help, why don't you let our youngest child come with you to the capital to help out, just like Xiaohu. We don't ask for wages or anything, just to help him find a future. Do you think it's okay?"