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

"Dad, little brother, Brother Liu, Uncle Daqiang, how about we stay in the county for one night today and go back early tomorrow? It's getting late now, and I'm afraid it will be dark before we get back to town," Liu Sanlang suggested after looking at the sky.

"Brother-in-law, I thought so too. It's a good opportunity for us to visit our fourth sister's house and then spend one night in the county town," Zhang Ping'an nodded.

Liu Sanlang smiled innocently and said, "Okay, it's just that the house in the county town hasn't been lived in for a long time, so it must have been covered in dust."

Most of the people were rough men and didn't care about these things. Brother Liu smiled and said, "It's okay. When I slept on the boat in the capital before, the environment was even worse, and I still slept well."

Zhang Daqiang also agreed: "Exactly, having a free place to stay is already great, there's no need to be picky."

Zhang Laoer felt much better after getting rid of his worries. He said with a smile, "Sanlang, then you take your uncle Daqiang and brother Liu there first. Ping'an and I will go back after visiting Si Ya."

"Okay," Liu Sanlang nodded and replied, driving the mule cart away.

Zhang Laoer also took his son to the Sun family.

"Son, why didn't you go to the Sun family to ask when you came this afternoon? If they want to spend money to replace you, you have to go to the government office again to change your household registration, which is quite troublesome," Zhang Laoer asked while driving the carriage.

Zhang Pingan smiled and asked, "Dad, do you think the Sun family will spend money?"

Zhang Laoer thought for a moment and replied, "If the Sun family is willing to pay, they can definitely afford it. But I think Old Man Sun will definitely be reluctant to part with it. They are all very calculating and shrewd people!"

Zhang Pingan smiled faintly and said, "Not only that, there are too many people in the Sun family. There are more than 30 people and it's hard to tell them apart. And the most important thing is that judging from Fourth Brother-in-law's attitude last time, he wasn't panicked at all. I guess even if he goes to serve in the military, it definitely won't be his turn. If he's not in a hurry, why should we be in a hurry? Of course, we have to take care of our own affairs first."

"That makes sense," Zhang Laoer nodded. He now likes to ask his son more and more when encountering problems. Every time his son can give a lot of reasons, so all the years of studying have not been in vain.

After the father and son arrived at the Sun family, just as they had guessed, the Sun family had not yet sorted things out. Those who agreed to use silver as a replacement and those who disagreed were arguing in a mess, and old man Sun was almost pulling his hair out.

However, there is no doubt that Old Man Sun did not consider letting his eldest son and the sixth son who was the best at studying to serve in the army.

Seeing this, Zhang Laoer didn't stay long. He gave a few instructions and left.

While driving, he was still in the mood to joke: "People say that having many children brings happiness. I used to envy Old Man Sun for having eight sons, but it's hard to deal with such a situation. You are the only one in our family. I just need to raise you wholeheartedly."

Zhang Pingan was also very fortunate: "Fortunately, I passed the imperial examination and found a capable teacher. Otherwise, it would be difficult for our family to have three people go!"

Zhang Laoer laughed and said, "So what if three of you go? I won't let you go anyway. If anyone wants to attack you or hurt you, I will fight them to the death. I will tell them after I die!"

"Dad, what's the big deal about life and death? Pah, pah, pah," Zhang Ping'an said quickly.

"Ptui, pui, pui," Zhang Laoer smiled and spat a few times.

When he got home, Liu Sanlang had already cooked the meal and stewed a big pot of radish, cabbage and tofu.

"Dad, I thought it would cost a lot of money for several of us to eat out, and we wouldn't be full. There happened to be some rice and flour left at home, so I cooked a pot of rice and bought some radish, cabbage and tofu to stew. You guys can just make do with it, don't be disgusted," Liu Sanlang scratched his head and said embarrassedly.

Before Zhang Laoer could say anything, Zhang Daqiang said nonchalantly, "It's good enough to have tofu and cabbage to eat. It's pretty good. Second brother, don't blame Sanlang. I told him to do this. When you're away from home, you can save as much as you can."

Brother Liu also smiled and replied, "Yes, it's fine. Second Uncle, don't blame Sanlang."

Zhang Lao Er didn't really care about what they ate, but he was about to say a few words when he saw that there were guests. Seeing that neither of them cared, he smiled and said, "Okay, it's good!"

Zhang Pingan came forward to take a look, and it smelled quite fragrant. He couldn't help but smile and said, "I didn't expect that my brother-in-law has this skill!"

Liu Sanlang smiled innocently and said, "I also learned this after coming to the county. Sometimes Daya is overwhelmed by the three children, and I happen to come home early, so I go to help make some hodgepodge, which is edible."

A few people tried it and found it tasted good. A pot of white rice and vegetables was cooked cleanly.

Early the next morning, everyone drove back to town and arrived at noon.

"Dad, Uncle Daqiang, Brother Liu, and little brother, why don't you take a rest after lunch before leaving," Liu Sanlang greeted.

"No, I'm in a hurry to go back," Zhang Laoer waved his hand.

"Sanlang, we appreciate your kindness, but we have to hurry back. Please say hello to your father for me," Zhang Daqiang said with a smile.

A few people exchanged a few pleasantries at the door. Daya heard the noise in the yard and hurried over to open the door, saying, "You're back. Sanya refused to leave my place. She didn't go home last night and insisted on sleeping here, saying she wanted to wait for you to come back."

Zhang Daqiang was puzzled when he heard this: "What are you waiting for us for?"

Daya said helplessly, "She said that you have abandoned her family regarding the conscription and asked Dad and my younger brother to find a way to solve it."

Zhang Daqiang was stunned. "Hey! There's no other girl like this in this radius. Is she clinging to her parents? I've made a mistake in raising her!"

Zhang Laoer and Zhang Pingan also frowned fiercely.

San Ya also heard the noise at the door and ran out crying, "Wow, Dad, little brother, you can't just ignore my family!"

Zhang Laoer's forehead was throbbing with veins. How could such a thing be born? "How are we going to manage it? I told you guys before, if you don't want to go, just pay and find someone."

San Ya wiped her tears and said, "We don't have any money!"

Zhang Daqiang couldn't bear it any longer and continued, "Sanya, don't blame your uncle Daqiang for his harsh words. Once you're married, you'll be a member of the Qian family. If you have any problems, you should go to the Qian family instead of your father. Your daughters have been well-off in our village since they were young, and they've married well. Your father has been very good to you. You can't expect me to repay your parents for their kindness in giving birth to you and raising you. You can't take a piece of your own family to subsidize your husband's family!"

Daya, who was always good-tempered, was unusually angry today. She frowned and said, "I've tried to reason with her, but she won't listen. She just keeps throwing tantrums and making trouble. I'm at my wit's end!"

Zhang Pingan raised his eyes and looked at San Ya and said, "Third sister, how do you want us to help?"