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

The departure time was too tight and there were too many things to do, so Xu asked the father and son to go to the homes of Madam Xu Da and Madam Xu Er to explain the situation, even if it was just to make some preparations in advance. It was impossible for them to go with them, as they had families to support, and it wouldn't be easy to leave!

"Mom, I thought about what you said. We are all relatives, so it's only right for me to tell them. It's late today, so I plan to go to Luo Fuan's house first, and then go to my aunt's and second aunt's house tomorrow morning," Zhang Ping'an replied.

"Oh, okay," Xu wiped her tears sadly. She couldn't help crying when she thought about leaving her hometown.

When Zhang Ping'an went to Luo's house, it was almost dark. After knocking on the door for the nth time, he saw a surprised expression on the other side.

"Ping'an, why are you here? Didn't you go back to the provincial capital?" Luo Fuan asked in surprise.

Zhang Pingan walked in without any further ado. He explained the situation and finally said, "Whether you leave or not, let's not talk about that for now. At least you should make some preparations in advance. Go ahead and get busy. I'm leaving first."

"Oh, that's not the case," Luo Fuan said anxiously.

Zhang Pingan patted Luo Fuan on the shoulder and said nothing more. That was all he could say. He couldn't say anything more.

Watching Zhang Ping'an coming and going in a hurry, driving away in a mule cart, Luo Fuan stood at the door in a daze for a long time.

The Zhang family did not have a pleasant dinner today. Except for Zhang and Zhang Ping'an who looked relaxed, the others had gloomy faces and did not speak.

After finishing her meal, Zhang sat aside and smoked, not caring at all what others thought.

In the end, it was Zhang Lao Da and Zhang Lao San who lost their temper first. After finishing their meal, they sat over and asked, "Mom, are you really leaving? You're so old, what are you doing?"

Originally, the two men thought that Zhang was so old that she would not dare to leave without the first and third wives. Unexpectedly, Zhang packed her bags in the afternoon and asked Dazhu and Yingniang to kill more than 20 chickens in the house and marinate them with salt, saying that she wanted to smoke them into jerky.

They also asked the butcher to come and collect the pigs tomorrow. It was obvious that they were serious about it, and the two families could no longer sit still.

"Do you think I'm joking?" Zhang turned her head and said lightly.

"But our two families will not leave," said Old Man Zhang angrily. It was agreed that the old couple would live with the eldest wife, but now his mother wants to live with the second wife. Isn't this a slap in his face!

"I said, it's up to you," Zhang's expression remained unchanged.

"Mom, are you really willing to leave these grandchildren and great-grandchildren at home? If you leave, it will be difficult for you to see them in the future." Zhang Laosan wanted to impress Zhang with family affection.

"They are not my children. Whoever gave birth to them should take care of them. The children I gave birth to have grown up and started their own families. I have a clear conscience," Zhang said calmly.

The two of them talked until their mouths were dry, but Zhang remained indifferent.

No one slept well that night. The next morning, after getting up and having breakfast, Old Man Zhang was the first to start packing up.

"Dad, you're leaving too?" Boss Zhang asked in shock.

Zhang Laosan rushed over upon hearing the noise, frowning as he watched all this, veins throbbing on his forehead.

"Your mother is determined to leave, so I have no choice but to go with her." Old man Zhang was also depressed, but there was nothing he could do. If his wife left, what would be the point of being left alone? He had no choice but to go with her.

"Dad, you and mom are not young anymore. I'm not cursing you, but if something happens to you on the road, you won't even be able to return to your roots," Boss Zhang continued to persuade.

Old man Zhang waved his hand and said, "There are many fallen leaves in our Zhang family. We don't need one more like me. If you don't want to come back, then don't come back. It's up to you where you die!"

"Dad," Zhang Laosan shouted.

At this moment, Old Man Zhang seemed to have suffered from hearing loss again. He continued to pack his clothes, pipes, tobacco and other small items as if he didn't hear anything.

The first and third wives just watched Old Man Zhang pack up his things.

Zhang Ping'an went to his aunt's and second aunt's house early in the morning. He didn't know what was going on at home. To be honest, the two families were not close to each other. After explaining the situation to them and asking them to make preparations early, Zhang Ping'an prepared to go back.

Second Lady Xu's family has always lived a prosperous life. Now she has six or seven grandchildren, and her mentality is good. Although she felt a little sad when she heard her sister's family said they were moving, she was also very open-minded. "You guys are just overthinking it. This hasn't even happened yet, and you've bothered to make this special trip. Okay, I'll keep an eye on it. Don't worry, take care on your own journey."

After that, he put a large oil-paper bag of broad beans fried for his grandson at home and stuffed it into Zhang Ping'an, saying with a smile: "Save it for when you have nothing to do on the road. It tastes pretty good!"

"Second Aunt," Zhang Ping'an said sadly, "I don't know when she'll be back. This is a New Year's red envelope that I, as your cousin, gave to the children in advance."

After saying that, he handed over a red paper bag. Madam Xu pinched it and realized it was silver. She refused to take it, but after some pushing and shoving, she finally accepted it.

The man in Madam Xu's family is useless. Over the years, the family has become penniless and can barely make ends meet.

Zhang Ping'an also gave a red envelope. He knew that his uncle and his uncle's mother were not easy to get along with, so he gave it secretly without anyone knowing.

Mrs. Xu was reluctant to take it at first, but Zhang Ping'an was firm in his attitude, and Mrs. Xu was afraid that the noise would be too loud and would attract her husband, which would cause a bad scene, so she accepted it.

"Alas, I don't have anything good to give you, but we have a kind of powder made from poplar seeds that is very effective in stopping bleeding. You will inevitably encounter some bumps on the road, so I'll pack a bag for you as a backup," sighed Mrs. Xu.

Zhang Ping'an nodded and did not refuse, otherwise his aunt would be upset again.

When Zhang Ping'an returned home, he discovered that his uncle and third uncle's families had also started to pack up their things, and it was obvious that they were going to leave together. His grandmother was really good at predicting things!

The village chief, Uncle Changqiang, was anxiously walking around in the yard, and Xiaohu also came over.

Seeing Zhang Pingan coming back, the two immediately stepped forward and asked anxiously, "Pingan, what's going on? Why are your whole family leaving so suddenly? I'm so panicked!"

"Brother Ping'an, don't you want me anymore?" Xiaohu asked with a sad face.

"My father should have told you the general situation," said Zhang Pingan.

"I know, he said that, but do we have to leave? And we have to cross the river so far? There is no need. Our ancestral heritage is here," Zhang Daqiang said anxiously.

"No matter what, even if we don't leave, Uncle Daqiang and you guys still have to make preparations in advance to avoid being caught off guard." Zhang Pingan was also helpless and comforted Xiaohu a few more words.

By the afternoon, the house had been almost packed up, although the first and third wives still looked unhappy.

After dinner, Zhang called her three sons to her bedroom. Zhang Ping'an guessed that they were dividing the money from selling the land.

"I asked Ping'an to sell his land in exchange for this silver," Zhang said first.