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

"Third brother-in-law, don't have any bad intentions. He is a gangster. If he is caught, paying money is a small matter. But if they want to chop off his hands and feet, I can't do anything about it. I heard that they hate petty thieves the most," Zhang Pingan said coldly.

Qian Yongde laughed dryly: "Haha, what can I do? I just sigh!"

Zhang also said, "It's not like back home now. If you don't follow the rules and bring trouble to us, I'll be the first one to be inconsolable!"

"Haha, I understand!" Qian Yongde shrank his neck and dared not speak again.

Several people waited at the village entrance for a while before the old fisherman came back. However, he looked a little embarrassed and was accompanied by a well-dressed middle-aged man. Zhang Pingan suddenly had a bad feeling in his heart.

Sure enough, the old man rubbed his hands and said to Zhang, "Sister, I'm sorry, there are no boats in the village now. I originally remembered that the big sniffle family in the village had an empty boat yesterday, so I agreed. But early this morning, another family came to the provincial capital and booked their boat. There's nothing I can do! The person next to you is our village chief. If you want to go to the provincial capital and can wait, you can talk to him."

Zhang frowned and said, "Brother, we are all honest people. The price and other things can be negotiated. As long as we can get to the provincial capital as soon as possible, please don't give us any sloppy treatment."

The middle-aged man standing next to them put his hands behind his back and looked them up and down before continuing, "I heard about the general situation from my fifth uncle. There really is no boat in the village right now. I wasn't lying to you. The family that came early this morning even lost a lot of their luggage. There was just enough space for them to sit down and take the boat."

Zhang Ping'an guessed that this should be Doctor Fu's family.

"Then what if we wait for the ship to come back today and leave tomorrow?" Zhang Ping'an asked.

"It's up to you, anything is fine, but the timing is uncertain. I'm not worried about anything else, but I'm just worried that they'll be unlucky enough to be discovered by the patrol officers from the River and Lake Administration and have their boat seized. That will take time to smooth things over, and I'm afraid you can't wait," the village chief continued.

After saying that, he looked at the mule cart behind them and continued, "With so many of you, the mule cart definitely can't take you all. The boat fare is more expensive than buying a mule, so it's not worth it. If you're willing to sell, we can buy it at a lower price."

"The boat fare for one person is seven or eight taels?" Qian Yongde couldn't help but raise his voice and asked, "Are you robbing?!"

The village chief was not happy to hear this. He frowned and said, "How can it be called robbery if it's something you both agreed to? Besides, the mule cart takes up space, so the price is already very fair. Don't think I don't know why you're going to the provincial capital. You just want to cross the river and go south. Maybe you're even trying to evade military service, which is a capital crime. I'm being kind by not reporting you to the authorities!"

"Don't talk nonsense, we didn't evade military service. What you did is not robbery, but at least it is open robbery. The money is too easy to make," Qian Yongde said, jumping up and down. It was the first time he met someone more shameless than him.

"Whatever you say, do you want to take the ferry or not? Although our price is high, we abide by the rules of the underworld. After you pay, we will definitely send you to the provincial capital safely. We have our own way in the provincial capital, which other ferry crossings don't have," the village chief said indifferently.

"How exactly is the shipping fee charged?" Zhang thought for a moment and asked.

"No matter if you are an adult or a child, five taels per person," said the village chief, stroking his beard.

After hearing this, Zhang looked at her grandson and asked, "Ping An, what do you think?"

"What's the current price for the mule cart?" Zhang Ping'an patted his grandmother's hand without answering. He first asked about the price of the mule cart. The boat fare was ridiculously expensive, so it would be better to buy a new one when the time comes.

"It depends on the quality of the mule. An old mule with teeth weighs three taels, and a young and strong mule weighs five taels," the village chief smiled with his eyes narrowed.

Qian Yongde almost cried out again, but was stopped by Liu Sanlang. He was furious. No wonder this village was so rich. They were making money from both ends. He even wanted to join them!

"Okay, if the boat can come back today, we'll take it, and I'll sell you the mule at a low price," Zhang Pingan said decisively, "but our relatives and friends are still waiting back here, so I'll go back and let them know first."

The village chief nodded and said, "That's what I should do."

After saying that, he said to the old man next to him: "Uncle Wu, I'm going to go back first. I'll send someone to inform you when the boat comes back."

After saying this, he walked away leisurely.

After the old man and the others had gone far away, he smiled and said, "Why don't you guys come to my house and rest for a while? It's almost noon now, and it's time for lunch. My family can help prepare hot meals and dishes."

Qian Yongde now saw clearly that everything in this village was expensive, practically robbing. He crossed his arms and said, "I guess these hot meals and dishes aren't cheap either. We can't afford them!"

The old man pretended not to hear.

Zhang frowned and scolded, "How can you talk like that?"

Then he turned back and apologized to the old man, "Brother, we appreciate your kindness, but there's no need to eat. We have some dry food in the car. It's expensive to be away from home, so we'd better save as much as possible. I hope you can forgive me. We'll just sit at the village entrance to rest for a while. Just let us know when your boat returns."

"Hey! Chengcheng! I came to tell you when the boat comes back. Then I'll go home to eat first." Although the old man felt sorry in his heart, he didn't force it. After saying that, he left.

"Grandma, I'll go back with my brother-in-law and tell everyone about the situation so we can prepare in advance," Zhang Ping'an said. "Also, I have another idea. I want Brother Liu and Brother Dazhu and the others to go to Guojia Ferry and Heifeng Ferry ahead to test the waters. We can't just rely on one thing and not just accept what they say. Their boat fares are really too expensive."

Zhang also sighed. "It's really expensive. I guess everyone can barely afford it if they really have to pay. But after paying this money, there may not be much left. Every family has several children. And after arriving in the provincial capital, we have to take a boat across the river to the other side, and the price will not be cheap. What will we do then? So this boat fare..."

"Yes, so let's go forward and take a look, but we can't let go here. There will be more and more people taking the boat in the future. It's more important to save our lives first. Everyone has left their homes and followed us here. We can't just ignore everything halfway. It's not time yet," Zhang Pingan replied.

After saying that, he turned to look at Qian Yongde and said, "Third brother-in-law, you stay here with grandma for a while. My eldest brother-in-law and I will go back and tell everyone about the situation. We will bring you some dry food later."

"Okay," Qian Yongde nodded, and then went over to support Zhang, "Grandma, let me help you sit down."

This village is wealthy, and there are a few tattered stone tables and stone benches at the entrance of the village, which are barely enough for sitting.

"Go get me some straw to cushion the surface, otherwise it will be too cold," Zhang ordered.

Qian Yongde was quite obedient and went towards the haystack.

"Okay, you guys should go quickly and don't waste time," Zhang waved to Zhang Ping'an and Liu Sanlang.