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

The two families didn't stay long after they finished talking about the matter. They had said everything they needed to say and prepared to go home.

Jinbao was reluctant to leave: "Ping'an, it would be great if you could come to my house and sleep with me."

"Don't we meet every day? You can come and play with me tomorrow after dinner." Zhang Pingan waved his hand nonchalantly, holding the hands of his parents and went home. He still had important things to do!

"Ping'an, if you can't win a fight in the future, just run home, okay? Don't call the adults at home or your sisters. You will suffer a lot if you stay alone," Xu taught him.

"Your mother is right about this. You are still young and should not fight with older kids. If you lose and get beaten, you will be the one who feels the pain. Come back to me and your mother, or your sisters, okay?" Zhang Laoer also agreed and touched his son's head.

"I get it, Dad and Mom, I won't do it again!" Zhang Ping'an stuck out his tongue and replied. It was indeed quite embarrassing.

"Good boy~" Mrs. Xu said with a smile while holding her son's hand. Her son was really easy for her to worry about!

When they got home, Daya and the others were still awake. An oil lamp was lit in the room, a rare sight. Xu hurriedly helped her son wash up and get ready for bed. The child had excellent sleep quality and fell asleep as soon as he touched the pillow. Unlike his previous life, when he always suffered from insomnia, Zhang Pingan slept through the night, feeling refreshed.

"Ping'an, I'm here to play with you!" Jinbao's voice came from the door.

"Jinbao, have you had breakfast?" Zhang Ping'an was surprised. It was too early!

"Eat it. My grandma made me some lotus root powder and I ate some buns. I brought you one with cabbage and meat filling. My grandma added sesame oil, so it smells so good," Jinbao said after sniffing his nose.

Zhang Ping'an took a look. This time, Grandma Jinbao wrapped the buns in oil paper. The buns looked clean, presented well, and were indeed fragrant.

"Thanks, Jinbao! You have to wait for me for a while, my family hasn't had breakfast yet," said Zhang Pingan as he took the bun.

"It's okay, I'll wait for you! You were so brave yesterday and dared to resist Dahu and the others. My grandma said she can play with you more in the future, hehe!" Jin Bao's eyes were almost shining as he looked at Zhang Ping'an.

"The adults went there yesterday. Dahu and the others shouldn't dare to bully us anymore." Zhang Ping'an was ashamed. He didn't even win!

"It's time to eat Ping'an! Jinbao, do you want to eat something more?" Daya and Xu came out with porridge and pancakes and greeted them.

"Aunt, I'm full. I don't want to eat anymore. I'm waiting for peace," Jinbao said, patting his stomach.

"Haha, then you wait a moment," Mrs. Xu couldn't help laughing as she watched. Jinbao was white and fat, and in the eyes of the elders, he was a blessed boy, and he was quite loved by the elders. Moreover, he often brought delicious food to her son, and he was obedient. Mrs. Xu was even more satisfied, and was happy to let the two of them play together!

Zhang Ping'an quickly finished his meal and took Jinbao to the hillside behind the village.

Honeysuckle grows the most there, and there are also many other small flowers growing around it, and there are also thorny buds that can be picked and eaten.

"Wow, there are so many flowers! I'm going to pick some prickly buds to eat first!" Jinbao shouted happily and ran over.

"Be careful!" Zhang Ping'an followed him. Only the tips of the thorny buds can be eaten. The thorns underneath are hard and long, and they can easily prick your hands.

The two of them picked all the tender buds on the top, which amounted to a small handful, and they sat on the grass to share the food.

"Jinbao, let me ask you, am I your best brother?" Zhang Pingan asked.

"Ping'an, of course you are!" Jinbao was a little anxious after hearing this, and patted his chest loudly. How could he doubt him!

"Hehe, stop taking pictures, I believe you! Can you do me a favor tomorrow morning?" Zhang Pingan smiled cunningly.

Jin Bao suddenly had a bad feeling when he saw this smile, "What help?"

"Tomorrow morning I'm going to the market in town with my father! Didn't I tell you that my parents don't agree? I plan to get up early and hide in the basket when they aren't paying attention. There will definitely be a lot of bamboo utensils on the donkey cart anyway, and they won't be able to find it for a while. Then you go to my house early and tell my mother, so that they won't be worried when they find out I'm missing. It's very simple, right? Hehe," Zhang Ping'an said with a smile.

"Ah, this won't do. Your parents will definitely beat you if they find out, and then my aunt won't like me anymore. My grandma said I can't lie," Jinbao said in surprise, a little afraid.

"You just said that I was your best brother, were you lying?" Zhang Ping'an said with a stern face when he saw Jin Bao like this.

"Yes, yes, Ping'an, I didn't lie to you, but I'm a little afraid. My aunt will blame me tomorrow," Jinbao still hesitated.

"Just say that I asked you to do this, and there's no danger for me to be with my father. I'll come out when we're almost in town," Zhang Ping'an continued to persuade.

"Is this... okay?"

"What's wrong with that? Okay, Jinbao, please! Besides, we have to sell the cicada shells and honeysuckle that we have saved for so long. I will bring you some candied haws tomorrow, okay?" Zhang Pingan coaxed.

"Okay, Ping'an, remember to pick a big skewer for me." Thinking of the food and Ping'an's constant pleading, Jinbao gave in after just two minutes.

"Hehe, thank you Jinbao, Jinbao, you are the best! I give you all the thorn buds to eat, here!" Zhang Pingan said happily. He finally had nothing to worry about and could go to town tomorrow!

That night, Zhang Ping'an went to bed early on purpose. He was thinking about something and couldn't sleep well. As soon as Zhang Laoer got up, he knew what had happened.

His eyelids were glued together, and he had to strain to open them; he was so sleepy. Xu went to help load the things onto the cart, and she also had to make two pancakes for Zhang Laoer to take with him. Zhang Ping'an took this opportunity to quickly get dressed and climb into the basket of the donkey cart, not forgetting to take all the cicada shells and honeysuckle he had collected and put them in the empty backpack. This was one of the main tasks for today's trip to town.

The donkey cart swayed along the way. Zhang Ping'an was excited for a few minutes before falling asleep again. When they arrived at the town, it was just dawn. Zhang Laoer parked the cart at the place where he usually sold things. As he was moving things downstairs, he saw his son in the basket and was startled.

"Ping'an, why are you in the basket? When did you come in?" Zhang Laoer asked as he carried his son out.

Zhang Ping'an rubbed his eyes, became more sober, and replied, "Dad, I crawled in when Mom was cooking for you."

"You! You are such a brave kid. Your mother must be so worried at home. Let's go home!" Zhang Laoer said anxiously, and was about to drive.

"Hey, hey, Dad, don't worry, I've already told Jinbao to go home early and tell Mom!" Zhang Pingan said anxiously, holding the carriage board to prevent him from leaving. If he goes back now, then today's trip will be in vain!

"What, you are colluding with Jinbao? Why did you come up with such a plan?" Zhang Laoer said angrily, not daring to think about what to do if something happened.

"Dad, don't worry! Besides, I'm just in our car, what could happen? It's because I told you that we should go out together, but you and mom wouldn't let me, so I came up with this idea." Zhang Ping'an said coquettishly.

"Just wait and see how your mother will deal with you when you get home. Be careful, she might beat you up." Zhang Laoer was both angry and amused.

"Hmph, you're lying. Mother won't bear to beat me!" Zhang Ping'an wasn't afraid at all. His parents would never lift a finger against him!

But this is the first time I’ve been so bold. It’s not easy to come to town. Next, I have to find a way to sell the things I brought!