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

"Uncle Fu, have you found out where is the best place to take a boat?" Zhang Ping'an was most concerned about the issue in front of him.

Doctor Fu didn't hide it and said, "We can't go to the provincial capital. The wealthy families are very smart. They all take boats to the provincial capital and then cross the river to the south. So now the government has banned large ships from carrying passengers to Yingzhou. The ferry has been requisitioned by the army. We have to go west along the Han River and find some small docks to take a boat!"

Zhang Pingan nodded and said, "No wonder, I just saw some people heading west."

Doctor Fu also noticed this. "That's why I came to discuss this with you. We have to set off quickly. We can't rest any longer. We have to travel overnight. Otherwise, there won't be enough boats for so many of us. And more and more people will know about this!"

"Okay, I'll tell my family and pack up and leave now," Zhang Pingan also agreed, the sooner they leave the better.

Doctor Fu finished explaining the situation and went back.

After Zhang Pingan finished explaining the situation to his family, Qian Yongde suddenly appeared from nowhere, squatted behind the car, lifted the car curtain like a thief, and whispered, "Ping'an!"

Zhang Pingan looked around and saw no one was paying attention to them, so he whispered, "Come up and talk!"

Qian Yongde then quickly got into the carriage and sat down. After drinking a glass of water, he began to complain: "Ping'an, you don't know how hard it was for me to follow the ground all the way. I lay in the pits and hid under the dead leaves for fear of being discovered. I didn't dare to breathe. I wanted to pee on the way but I held it in for an hour..."

"Third brother-in-law, let's get to the point. We don't have time," Zhang Pingan knocked on the table.

"Oh," Qian Yongde reluctantly stopped talking and got down to business. "I didn't hear it clearly, I just got the general idea. The city seems to be under very strict control now. They don't allow people to go out casually. They say that wealthy families want to make donations or something, and there's something about the princes fighting for the throne. I don't understand all this, but I heard the key points of the last few sentences clearly. The other party said that we can walk eighty miles west to Tangkou Ferry to find Tang Lao San and take a boat to the provincial capital Yingzhou."

"Eighty miles, that's not too far. Thank you for your hard work, brother-in-law. Don't tell anyone else about this," Zhang Ping'an instructed.

After saying that, he took out a satin down vest from the bag in the carriage and said, "Third brother-in-law, haven't you always said that you are weak and want this down vest? We have been through a lot of hardship along the way. I thought you need this coat more than me. Since you helped me with something today, I will give it to you!"

Qian Yongde smiled brightly upon hearing this, rubbing his hands and saying, "Hey, Ping An, you're too polite. We are all relatives, but since you're so sincere about giving it to me, I can't refuse. I'll accept it!"

"Well, we're leaving soon, so you should go back and pack your things," Zhang Pingan smiled.

"Hey," Qian Yongde replied, and immediately took off his outer clothes, put on his down vest, and then put on his outer clothes again before going back.

Seeing this, Xu couldn't help but mutter, "Lazy people poop a lot. I haven't seen anyone for a long time, but now I'm so eager to leave!"

It was already early February, and the snow had almost melted. The group slowly headed westward, relying on the moonlight and the lanterns hanging on the carriage.

Fortunately, the official road was easy to walk on, and the group did not stop. By dawn the next day, they had walked nearly 30 miles. The mules and horses were extremely tired, so they had to stop to rest for a while, and also to make a fire and have breakfast.

Doctor Fu's message was timely. By then, they had already distanced themselves from the other convoys and no longer saw the one or two hundred vehicles in front or behind.

While Xu was making a fire and cooking breakfast, Zhang Ping'an went to see Doctor Fu again. It was obvious that this old fox didn't tell the truth yesterday. He probably saw that there were more people on his side and wanted to have some companionship to give him courage, so he told some half-truths, hoping to get rid of him when they were about to reach the ferry.

Now the initiative is in the hands of Doctor Fu, so Zhang Pingan can no longer wait for the other party to come to him.

"Good morning, Uncle Fu. Did you sleep well last night?" Zhang Ping'an greeted with a smile.

"It's impossible to sleep well in a carriage, but you have to make do when you're away from home," said Doctor Fu with a dejected face. He had never been so embarrassed before. Several generations of his family had worked in the medical department. They were not rich, but they had never suffered any hardship.

Brother Fu Da and Brother Fu Er are still very young, so they look pretty energetic.

"Uncle Fu, you are experienced. Which ferry do you think we should go to?" asked Zhang Pingan.

"There are actually many small ferry crossings along the Han River. Many small villages have ferries that make a living by transporting goods and people. However, they are not as wide and stable as the docks in the city. We are now going upstream, and the water will be faster. As long as we pay, there will definitely be people willing to do it," replied Doctor Fu.

Zhang Pingan nodded. "I know that. What you said makes sense. So I'm thinking that Brother Fu and I will go ahead and ask around in the villages along the way. What do you think?"

Doctor Fu twirled the jade ring on his thumb without saying anything. After a moment's silence, he smiled and said, "Of course it's done. I'll have to trouble you, nephew!"

Zhang Pingan smiled and said, "It's not hard. We are such a close relationship. It would be best if we could help each other and get to Yingzhou safely together."

"My dear nephew, you are right," Doctor Fu nodded with a smile.

After returning to his own team and finishing breakfast, Zhang Pingan walked over to sit next to his brother-in-law and whispered, "Brother-in-law, I'll take the Fu family's carriage and go ahead to explore the road ahead to see if there's a suitable ferry that can take us. You stay in the team and pay attention. First, be on guard against bad guys, and second, keep an eye on the Fu family's movements. Don't let them slip away on their own."

Liu Sanlang nodded, a little worried: "Then it's okay for you to go with Boss Fu, right? Or find someone to go with you?"

"Don't worry, I'll let Brother Dazhu go with me. Besides, I have the medicine in my hand. If something really happens, we don't know who will get into trouble in the end," Zhang Pingan narrowed his eyes.

"Okay, you have always been smart, so be careful," Liu Sanlang said with concern.

Zhang Ping'an nodded and went to his uncle's house. Although Dazhu was gentle and lacked ruthlessness, he was an adult male after all, and he did farm work all year round and was quite strong. After comprehensive consideration, Dazhu was more suitable. After all, the team could not be short of people.

After explaining the purpose of the visit, Dazhu nodded and said, "Okay, I'll go with you."

When Aunt Li saw this, she wanted to say something but hesitated. In the end, she said nothing and just sighed.

Dazhu took a hatchet from the car and put it on his waist, then went to the Fu family with Zhang Pingan.

Seeing this, Jin Bao couldn't help but ask, "Where are you going? Take me with you!"