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

"Sister, are you and your family leaving, or are the whole family leaving?" Zhang Ping'an asked.

"The whole family is leaving," Daya replied, "We packed up our things yesterday!"

After saying that, he frowned and said, "San Ya is also here with me. The couple came over yesterday afternoon and insisted on sleeping here at night, saying they were afraid we'd leave them behind."

"Okay, I got it! Big sister, there are many of us, so we won't sit inside. Dad has gone to my uncle's house to call them. Grandma asked us to buy some salt and common medicinal herbs when we get to town. Let's go shopping first, and then we'll set off together after we come back," Zhang Pingan nodded.

"Then I'll buy some more for my family," Daya thought for a moment and called Liu Sanlang over.

So every family sent one person to go to the grocery store and the clinic to buy things, and to help mail letters. There was a post house in the town that specifically helped deliver letters.

"Ping'an, come here," Zhang waved as she lifted the burlap curtain in the car in front.

"Grandma, what's wrong?" Zhang Pingan stepped forward and asked.

"Send a letter for me too," Zhang said, taking out a letter from her arms.

After Zhang Pingan took it, he saw the address and recipient, "Zhang Xueli Daoqi," written in small, flowery calligraphy on the envelope. Both were surnamed Zhang, and he couldn't help but ask, "Grandma, who is this? I've never heard of them."

Zhang replied calmly, "It's your great-uncle. He used to run an escort agency in town, but when his business got big he moved to the county. We haven't been in touch since I got married. I thought about it for a long time yesterday and decided to write him a letter!"

"I understand. I'll ask the post office to deliver it urgently," Zhang Ping'an put the letter in his arms.

"No need, just send it as usual," Zhang replied, then lowered the curtain.

Salt was a very precious commodity at that time. Buying too much at one time might attract the attention of the store owners, so everyone went to several grocery stores to buy it.

Jinbao bought a lot of snacks and preserved fruits. In his words, "It's been such a tiring journey, so of course I have to eat more sweets."

There wasn't a trace of nervousness on his face, and he looked more like he was getting ready to go out for a trip.

"Fools have their own luck," Zhang Pingan sighed in his heart.

I bought the medicinal herbs from Dr. Dou, a familiar doctor at Tongxintang in town.

"Doctor Dou, please give us some commonly used prescriptions, mainly for use on the road, in case of emergency," Zhang Ping'an said with a smile.

Doctor Dou hadn't seen Zhang Ping'an for a long time, but he had heard that Zhang Ping'an had passed the imperial examination at such a young age. No one would dislike such a diligent and studious young man with an academic title, so he had a good impression of Zhang Ping'an. He smiled and said, "Okay, how many of you are there? How long will the journey take? Are there any children coming with you?"

Zhang Ping'an did a rough calculation in his mind and replied, "There are 76 people in total, including more than a dozen young children and the elderly. It will probably take more than ten days to travel. Anyway, let's grab as many as possible and prepare!"

"So many people!" Doctor Dou was startled, then frowned and said, "You have both elderly and children here. Are you moving? But I don't remember there being so many people in your house."

Zhang Pingan didn't hide it. After a moment's consideration, he replied, "Not only our own family, but also some close relatives and friends, we are planning to cross the river and live in Yuezhou in the south."

"Why is that? I heard from your third uncle before that you were studying well in the provincial school, so why did you go to the south?" Doctor Dou asked puzzledly. It was very rare for a family to move in that era.

"It's nothing. I can still go to school in the south. It won't affect me. The main thing is that I feel that the south is more stable," Zhang Pingan smiled.

"Do you have any news?" Doctor Dou asked tentatively.

"No, just intuition," Zhang Pingan waved his hand.

But these words made Doctor Dou even more uneasy. He had studied in a private school for one or two years and opened his own clinic. He had more experience than others and knew that smart people would not do something unreasonable for no reason.

But the other party was unwilling to elaborate, so Doctor Dou did not ask any further questions and prescribed seventy or eighty prescriptions.

Jinbao and Liu Sanlang had a bunch of medicine bags hanging around their necks and in their hands.

"Don't underestimate the number of prescriptions. In fact, each person only has one pair. If you have a headache or a fever, you will feel that it is not enough," explained Doctor Dou. He was afraid that the Zhang family would think he was taking advantage of the opportunity to rip them off and make money.

"Doctor Dou, I understand. I know your character very well," Zhang Ping'an nodded and smiled, and paid the money readily. They would go back and divide the money into parts and calculate the details, and each family would contribute their share.

When we returned to Butcher Liu's house, it was still early. Uncle Xu and his family had already arrived, but Uncle Xu was nowhere to be seen.

Everyone discussed it together and decided to leave at lunch time. At that time, most people would be eating at home, and the weather was cold, so there would be few people on the streets and it would not be so conspicuous.

Butcher Liu was a shrewd man. He already had two mule carts at home, one for collecting pigs in the countryside and the other for delivering meat. Yesterday, he hurriedly bought a big blue mule and also equipped it with a carriage.

Including the butcher Liu's family and the uncle Xu's family, there were a total of thirteen cars. They set off in a mighty procession at lunch time and headed towards the provincial capital.

You can't enter the county town, you can only take a detour. Maps of that era were military secrets and ordinary people had no access to them. You could only identify the direction and ask for directions as you walked.

Zhang Ping'an had been to the provincial capital several times. He had a good memory and knew the approximate route, so he was not in a hurry. He calculated the time and was sure that he could reach the vicinity of the county town before dark.

Zhang Laoer listened to his son's advice and made a lot of bamboo whistles before setting off. He gave one to each person so that they could blow the whistle when necessary.

Each family also bought a gong at the grocery store, so that the sound can be transmitted farther and louder. It can be used to warn each other and to drive away wild animals.

Everyone agreed not to stop on the road and to rest for the night when they reached the vicinity of the county town. The security around the county town would be relatively better.

Zhang Laoer and his son, together with Liu Sanlang, had experience in traveling long distances, so they were in charge of the accommodation arrangements along the way.

When they had circled the county town about seven or eight miles away, Zhang Ping'an saw that it was getting late, so he blew a bamboo whistle, meaning to stop and rest.

Everyone got off the car and started to make a fire to keep warm and cook. They had to drink some hot water to warm themselves up.

Ma and her two daughters-in-law were gathering firewood nearby, complaining, "You don't want to sleep in a warm bed, but have to suffer the hardship of sleeping outdoors in this desolate wilderness."

The two daughters-in-law looked at each other and didn't say anything. It's no use complaining now!

Zhang Pingan didn't care what other people thought. He didn't have the energy to calm everyone down. He was drawing a simple map according to the route he remembered, marking the villages and water sources, calculating the daily driving time and distance, and looking for a suitable place to camp and rest.

"Let's eat something first," Xu called out. She simply cooked the dry biscuits and minced bacon together. It was very convenient and fragrant.

"Coming," Zhang Pingan replied.

At this time, the sound of wheels rolling on the snow came from not far away. It sounded like there were at least three or four cars. Everyone stopped eating for a moment, and the women held their breath, not daring to make any sound.

Butcher Liu had many able-bodied men in his family, and they were brave enough to kill pigs all year round. They all took out pig-killing knives from the cart, and Liu Sanlang even took out a bow and arrow, his eyes fixed on the front. Only then did the others react and took out the hatchets, hoes and other things they had prepared.

For a moment, the only sound in the forest was the crackling of firewood.

"Whoa!" When the other party got closer, he also saw everyone. He was probably frightened to see someone in the woods ahead, so he quickly stopped the carriage.

Zhang Ping'an took a closer look and found that it was an old acquaintance!

What a thousand-year-old fox, with a very sharp nose!