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

"We're going to do something with Brother Fu, and you stay here with your brother-in-law and the others. We'll be back soon," Zhang Ping'an waved his hand. Two people were enough, and having more people follow would only cause trouble.

Jinbao pouted, unhappy: "I'll go with you and help you!"

Grandpa Jinbao said from the side: "Jinbao, don't make a fuss, they are going to do serious business."

"Yes, son, don't run around," Jin Bao's mother also said, raising her chubby arm and rubbing her son's head.

Jin Bao then said unhappily, "I understand!"

Zhang Ping'an brought Dazhu with him, and the two of them got on the Fu family's carriage. The horses ran much faster than mules. Brother Fu also brought a guard and a coachman.

The car drove forward for about twenty miles before we saw a village nearby.

"Go in and ask," Brother Fu ordered.

The driver turned the cart into the village as instructed. The first family after entering the village had only three or four adobe houses and a small courtyard surrounded by a wooden fence. In the courtyard, several women were sitting on small benches mending fishing nets, occasionally scolding runny-nosed children to stop making trouble. There was also an old man with a red nose weaving a fish basket.

After the car stopped, several people discussed it and Zhang Pingan jumped out of the car to question him.

"Old man, I am passing by here and would like to ask for directions. Is it convenient for you?" Zhang Pingan said with a smile and bowed.

The old man saw the carriage stopped at the door and the people getting off were very respectably dressed. He knew that they were not people he could offend, so he replied politely: "Young man, ask me, I will tell you what I know."

"Excuse me, where are the nearest ferry crossings to the provincial capital, and how do I get there?" Zhang Ping'an asked.

The old man put down his half-woven fish basket, stood up, opened the gate, and said, "Come in and sit down and talk. There are five or six ferries near us, but they are not big, not as spacious as the one at the provincial capital's wharf. There are no large ships, only small boats for fishing. Occasionally, we take a few people to the provincial capital, or go to the market in the nearby villages. If you want to take a boat to the provincial capital, it's best to go to the provincial capital's wharf. There are large ships there, and it's more comfortable."

"Old man, we came here from the provincial capital. The city is under strict control now. People are allowed to enter but not leave. Moreover, the boat fare is expensive. There are quite a few of us, so we thought of finding a boat nearby to take us to the provincial capital. The price is negotiable," Zhang Pingan continued after sitting down.

He took a handful of candy from his arms and handed it to the children in the yard, smiling slightly, "Uncle treats you to some candy, it's very sweet!"

A few little kids looked over with their big black and white eyes, as if they wanted to take it but didn't dare to.

Zhang Ping'an directly stuffed the candy into the pocket of the leading child.

Touching the candy in his pocket, the older child's first reaction was to run out, with his younger brothers and sisters following behind him, calling him brother.

The oldest woman didn't care that the guests were still there. She dropped her fishing net and chased after him, shouting, "Big Dog, come back here! If you dare to eat this bag of candy today, I'll show you how I'll deal with you!"

The older child, named Da Gou, was probably still young and afraid of being beaten, so he was soon dragged back by his grandmother by the ear. The old woman used her free hand to pick the candy out of Da Gou's mouth and scolded him, "You short-lived little bastard, how dare you steal a piece of candy? Do you deserve it? Spit it out! I'll keep it for a gift!"

The big dog covered his mouth tightly with both hands, puffed up his lips quickly and chewed the candy with a crunching sound. His face was scratched red but he still refused to open his mouth.

"Okay, old woman, what are you doing? It's just a piece of candy, just eat it," the old man yelled at her in a hoarse voice.

The old woman was even more confident than him. She put her hands on her hips and said angrily, "What do you mean it's just a piece of candy? A piece of candy could be exchanged for several small fish, but this little bastard ate it all in one gulp!"

"Hehe, no...no more milk," the big dog said after swallowing the last bite of candy, smiled ingratiatingly, and wiped the saliva from the corner of his mouth.

"You are the reincarnation of a glutton. How could I give birth to such a glutton like you?" the old woman spat.

But this obviously did not cause any harm to the big dog, and it went to play somewhere else. However, several younger brothers and sisters cried loudly in grievance because they did not get any candy, and kept asking for candy!

"What are you eating? Go eat shit. You are such a troublesome person," the old woman scolded.

"Haha, young man, I'm sorry to embarrass you," the old man said with a smile.

"It's okay, you're just a kid! By the way, I saw your family was mending the fishing nets. You should have a small boat at home. I wonder how many families in the village have small boats like yours. Would it be convenient for you to take us to Yingzhou City?" Zhang Pingan continued to ask.

The old man waved his hand and shook his head, saying, "My family's flat boat has been used for many years. It's hard to use even for fishing, let alone carrying people to Yingzhou City. Other families in the village are in the same boat. We have a fish pond here, so our boats are all patched up and used as a makeshift boat. They are not very big."

Zhang Ping'an frowned. "Then among the remaining ferry crossings you just mentioned, which one has a decent boat that can take people to the provincial capital?"

The old man thought for a moment and said, "Actually, there aren't any particularly large boats in the villages near us. The slightly larger boats are from Tangjia Ferry, which are better. If you really want to find a boat to Yingzhou City, you can go to Tangjia Ferry, Guojia Ferry, or Heifeng Ferry and ask."

"What's the difference between these ferry crossings?" Zhang Pingan asked in confusion.

"The Tangjia Ferry in front is the closest to our village, just twenty miles away. The people in their village live a very wealthy life. Almost every household has a boat. The boats are the newest and relatively large. But I heard that the people in their village don't do any good business behind the scenes. Unlike ordinary boatmen, they sleep during the day and work at night. I guess if you find them, the price will not be cheap, and you will have to pay a lot of money," said the old man, and paused.

Zhang Pingan took out a few copper coins from his pocket and handed them over, then asked, "What about Guojiadu?"

The old man took the copper coin and smiled, then put it in his arms and continued, "Guojia Ferry is a little further upstream, about thirty or forty miles away from our village. The boats are quite passable, bigger than mine, and the rowers are quite skilled. I've sold fish with people from their village to the city market before, but they're all honest people and a bit timid, so they might not dare to take on this job. As for the last Black Wind Ferry, it's still more than ten miles upstream of Guojia Ferry. As the name suggests, it's very dangerous. There are only sheepskin rafts and bamboo rafts at that ferry. The villagers are all very good at swimming and are very brave. They'd rather take you for money than their lives. As long as you pay, they'll definitely be willing to take you."

"Sheepskin rafts and bamboo rafts? Wouldn't they capsize if a wave hits them? No, that's too dangerous," Zhang Pingan shook his head.

The old man glanced at the carriage outside and said nonchalantly, "You were born into a wealthy family and don't know the hardships of ordinary people. Why can't a sheepskin raft carry people? It can still cross the river, and it's much more stable than my tattered little boat, and it can carry more things. Besides, you're just going to the provincial capital, just walking along the river. There's nothing too dangerous. When I was young, I dared to go to the provincial capital with a small raft."

"Old man, I understand. Thank you very much." Zhang Pingan smiled and stood up to say goodbye. "It's fate that we met. I don't know what to call you yet?"

The old man laughed and said, "It doesn't matter what the title is. Everyone calls me Qiu Laoliu."

"Then, Father Qiu, I'm leaving now," Zhang Ping'an said. He then distributed the remaining handful of candy to the children one by one, giving each one a candy. He smiled and said, "Eat the candy and stop crying!"

The children cried for a long time, but no one paid any attention to them. Their faces were covered with tears and chapped.

After taking the candy, he immediately put it in his mouth and stopped crying.

Zhang Ping'an smiled and shook his head, stood up, pushed open the gate, and got on the carriage.