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

While Zhang Ping'an was eating, he had an idea in his mind. He had to go out with his parents this time, otherwise even if he was ten years old, his parents would still treat him as a child.

"Ping'an, Ping'an, I'm done eating, let's go out and play together," Jinbao walked in and shouted.

"Jinbao, come in and sit down. Why don't you rest at home for a while? It's so hot at noon," Xu called.

"Aunt, I'm not sleepy and don't want to rest. My grandma fried some twisted dough sticks these two days. I brought one for Ping'an to eat. It's sprinkled with sesame seeds. It smells so good!" Jinbao said after sniffing his nose.

Zhang Pingan glanced at his good brother, who was quite loyal and always remembered to bring him any delicious food. However, he looked at his good brother's black fingers, which were greasy because he was kneading the fried dough twists, and he wiped his nose with his hands from time to time. Well, he really couldn't eat it!

Jinbao is the only child in the family. He has only one older sister. His parents run a small business in the town. The old lady loves her grandson very much and always keeps him by her side, never letting his parents take him to the town.

Any delicious food at home is eaten by him first. In addition, he lives in a good environment and is well-fed, so he is plump. He is a little stupid, but very obedient. He is the same age as Zhang Ping'an. Since the two of them started playing together, he almost regards the Zhang family as his second home.

Mrs. Xu was quite happy, as her son got along well with his friend. Fried dough sticks were really a precious thing these days. What kind of family could afford to fry something like that?

"Come here, Jinbao, come here, auntie will give you a piece of mung bean cake," Xu waved to Jinbao enthusiastically.

She is not the kind of petty person, and only when there is give and take can there be long-lasting relations. Grandma Jinbao is also a very powerful person in the village. She regards her grandson as her own eye. If she knew that he was always taking advantage of her grandson, she would definitely make a fuss!

As she said that, Xu got up and went to the room to get two pieces of mung bean cakes, giving one to Zhang Pingan and Jinbao respectively. Even her own daughters couldn't eat them. The older ones were okay, but the fifth and sixth daughters were so greedy that they couldn't move their eyes away, but they knew they couldn't accept them, so they didn't ask for anything.

Mung bean cakes are not a very good thing, but they are rare in farmers' homes. Zhang Ping'an felt a little uncomfortable and sour because he always enjoyed special treatment at home.

"Jinbao, give the fried dough twist to my sisters and share them. We can just have the mung bean cakes. Let's put them in our pockets and eat them when we're hungry when we go out to play," said Zhang Ping'an.

"Ah, but Ping'an, this is what I brought for you. I want to eat the mung bean cake now," Jinbao licked his lips and said. He was a little reluctant to eat it, and his mouth was also greedy.

Xu also said, "You can eat it by yourselves. Your sisters are old enough and don't need to eat it. Remember not to go to the waterside."

"Oh!" Zhang Ping'an responded, thinking, forget it, I'll just secretly take the fried dough twists home for my sisters to eat. There's no way I can explain it to my mother.

"Let's go, Jinbao," Zhang Ping'an called out, taking the fried dough twist from Jinbao and putting it in his pocket.

When Xu saw this, she went to the kitchen and cut half a piece of oil paper to put as a pad to prevent the clothes from getting dirty.

As usual, the two of them went to the big banyan tree at the entrance of the village, where it was less hot with the tree blocking their way.

"Jinbao, how did you get to town before? I wanted to go to town but my parents wouldn't let me," Zhang Pingan said helplessly.

"My grandparents always took me there before, riding in a bullock cart!" Jinbao said as he ate, his mouth full of snack residue.

"Have you been to town recently?" Zhang Pingan asked.

"Ping An, do you want to go to town? I don't know if I've been there recently. You should ask my grandma, but it seems like I haven't been there for a long time."

"Yes, I'm about to get moldy staying in the village. I went there once when I was less than one year old, and never went there again after that"!

"Molded? How could it be moldy when the sun is so strong? If it's moldy, just put it in the sun to dry." Jinbao scratched his head, not understanding.

"Pfft... I can't explain it to you clearly." Zhang Pingan was amused. "Anyway, if you go to town next time, remember to tell me in advance."

"Well, okay!" Jinbao nodded heavily in response.

"Okay, let's stop talking about that and go catch cicadas!"

Since he was over three years old, Zhang Ping'an has been thinking about what he should do to improve his family's life. He also wanted to do something that was not unusual for his age. The ancients were superstitious, especially in the village, so it was even more difficult for them to accept new things.

After thinking for a long time, I felt that I had to find some things to sell in the village first. According to my memories of my previous life, I knew that cicada shells, snake skins, honeysuckle and other things could be sold.

Some old people in the village would pick some honeysuckle and make tea to drink, which can relieve internal heat, but there is no one to pick and sell it, so I have to find a chance to go to the town to ask if it is possible.

This year, Zhang Ping'an has picked a lot of fruits while playing, and begged Xu to help dry them in the shade and put them away. As long as Zhang Ping'an doesn't play naughty and go to dangerous places, Xu is happy to cooperate with such small matters.

Snake skins and cicada shells are very light and don’t weigh much. Even after collecting them for a whole summer, they still weigh less than three kilograms. It can only be said that they are better than nothing.

Jinbao is Zhang Ping'an's biggest helper, and he doesn't want these things.

"Jinbao, if this can really be sold for money later, I will buy you some candy," said Zhang Ping'an.

"Yeah, okay, can this really be sold for money, Ping An?" Jinbao said as he was looking for cicada shells. The child had sharp eyes and the two of them found quite a few in a short time.

"It should be possible. Didn't we fry cicadas and eat them before?"

"Oh, but there's only the shell left, no meat." Jinbao didn't quite understand, but Ping'an was smarter than him, so he just did whatever he said.

"Just give it a try," Zhang Pingan replied.

"Hehe, yes", Jinbao said with a silly smile, "Ping'an, do you still want to eat the fried dough twist? If not, can you give it back to me? I want to eat it."

Zhang Pingan frowned, "You're dreaming. Have you ever stopped eating? Your stomach is still full, and you're still eating? All this is given to me, so it's mine. I can't take it back!"

"Okay~" Jinbao said dejectedly. In fact, he was either hungry or greedy.

"Hurry up and find more, then we'll go to my vegetable garden to pick some cucumbers to eat"!

"Okay!" Jinbao immediately came back to life.

It's really easy to coax him, except when he meets me. If he meets other aggressive kids, he will definitely be the target of bullying. Zhang Pingan smiled helplessly.

After half a day, it was not so hot anymore. A group of children came under the banyan tree, and Jinbao's heart began to stir again.

"Ping'an, let's play hopscotch or Gobang. Look, I've found so many cicada shells. I'll give them all to you," Jinbao said with a smile as he came over to offer his treasures.

"Okay, I'll go home first to put the things down and then come over. When I get here, we'll play hopscotch together." Zhang Pingan thought about it. He has been busy for most of the day. You can't become a fat man in one bite. You have to cherish your childhood and play when you should. There are still many things to worry about when you grow up. There is no need to rush!