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

Qian Yongde jumped out of the car and quickly went down the dirt road to the beach. He put his hands to his mouth like trumpets and shouted at the top of his lungs: "Fishermen, come here!!!"

The people on the boat turned their heads to look but did not respond.

Qian Yongde shouted again: "Buy fish! Buy fish! Fishermen, we want to buy fish!"

After saying that, he was afraid that others didn't notice, so he picked up a few large stones and threw them into the water, splashing a lot of water.

After shouting for a long time, the people on the boat finally spread out the fishing nets and rowed the boat towards the beach.

"Why are you shouting? I'm not deaf! Where are you from and what are you doing here?" the old man on the boat asked in a bad tone. Although he looked very old, with almost all white hair and beard, dark and thin, his voice was very loud.

Zhang Ping'an was afraid that his third brother-in-law would suffer and that it would cause a conflict, so he quickly took Zhang and his eldest brother-in-law with him and went downstairs.

When Zhang was about to approach, she greeted him with a smile, "My apologies, old man. This is my grandson-in-law. He's quite clueless and doesn't know any etiquette. I'll apologize to you first. The truth is, we came here to take a boat to the provincial capital to visit relatives. Old Qiu from Qiujia Village, twenty miles away, told us your boats are new and good, and you're fair, so we came here!"

The first person the old man saw was Liu Sanlang, who was more than two heads taller than him. When he saw that the man was carrying a bow and arrow and a butcher knife on his waist, he felt scared at first and his expression was not as fierce as before.

After hearing the old woman, who was about the same age as him, speak kindly and give him a way out, he softened his expression and replied, "Sister, going to the provincial capital is not difficult, but our village is different from other villages. The jobs we do are risky, and the price is not cheap. By the way, are there only four of you?"

Zhang Ping'an smiled and stepped forward, bowing. "Old man, we're here to make inquiries. We have quite a few relatives and friends at home, probably over seventy, and they're still waiting. If you can take us, we can go into the village to discuss the price and set a specific time."

The old man was startled. "What? More than seventy people? We don't have enough boats right now. A large group of people came yesterday morning, also saying they wanted to go to the provincial capital. They offered a pretty good price, and most of the village boats are used to take them. If there were only four of you, it would be fine, but with so many people, we definitely won't be able to take them for a while. We'll have to wait!"

Zhang Pingan thought for a moment and said, "Old man, if we go to the provincial capital, it only takes half a day to take a boat from the Fucheng Wharf. Even if your boat is smaller and takes longer, they left this morning after sending someone off. Logically, they should arrive by noon. We can leave in the afternoon."

The old man chuckled, "That's not how it works. We can't compete with the big ships at the city's docks. They sail the wide canals, have deep drafts, and are fast. We can only stay alongside, and occasionally have to walk through reed marshes to avoid patrols from the River and Port Administration. Plus, with only two people rowing, we can't go any faster. I estimate they'll be back tonight at the earliest, and tomorrow afternoon is not out of the question."

"This..." Zhang Ping'an was a little embarrassed. He turned to discuss with Zhang: "Grandma, why don't we arrange for a few people to go first? It will be easier for them to arrange the rest of the matter once they arrive in the provincial capital first."

Zhang had the same idea, but she wanted to see the boatman first. "Brother, could you take us to the village to see which family has a boat? We'll arrange for some of us to go first. Thank you so much!"

After saying that, he took out half a string of money from his sleeve and handed it over, about fifty cents.

The old man shook his head and didn't take it, pretending to row the boat away.

Zhang took out another half string of money, and the old man took it with a smile and put it in his arms.

After the old man took the money, he jumped off the boat, swiftly tied the rope to the rocks on the riverbank, and said with a smile, "Girls, follow me."

After saying that, he walked to the front to lead the way.

Zhang Ping'an asked his third brother-in-law to drive the car and catch up, while he, his grandmother, and his eldest brother-in-law followed behind the old man.

After walking another mile along the river bank, you can see the village entrance.

The old man said, "I see you're all very anxious, so I won't invite you home for tea. Please wait at the village entrance. I'll go ask if anyone has a boat."

After saying that, he strode towards the village. His hair was tied up in a messy bun like a chicken coop. He looked very strong and it would be no problem for him to live another five years.

"Ping'an, what do you think of this man? Will he leave us here alone?" Zhang asked in a low voice.

Zhang Pingan shook his head and analyzed, "I don't think so. This old man is still going to the river to cast a net to catch fish at his age, which means he is diligent and not a wicked person. When I asked him to lead the way just now, he also bargained, which means he has a scale in mind and is weighing how much money is enough to do this job. If he is really a black-hearted person, he can just take the half string of money first and then lead us to a remote and deserted place to make his move."

Zhang nodded and glanced into the distance: "But it could also be that he's in disguise?"

"I just noticed there are a lot of fish scales in his boat, both dried and fresh. At least he's definitely not pretending to be fishing with his nets. There's nothing weird about it overall." Zhang Pingan smiled. "Grandma, you've seen a lot, so you can definitely see it more clearly than I do."

Zhang smiled when she heard this: "I also think this person is quite reliable."

Liu Sanlang listened to the conversation and continued, "The people in their village are really rich. You won't even see any thatched houses. The worst ones are made of mud bricks and tiles. There are also many houses made of blue bricks and tiles, and there are also many chickens and ducks."

Upon hearing this, Qian Yongde followed Liu Sanlang's gaze and said with shining eyes, "The chickens over there on the haystack are really fat!"