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

"Oh, I don't know what the situation will be like in the south," Xu said with some worry.

Just as he finished speaking, Uncle Xu came in and said anxiously, "Brother-in-law, Ping'an, our Tianshou has a high fever and is sweating all over. We need to find a doctor immediately!"

"Don't worry, uncle. I have asked the waiter to help find a doctor. We need to check not only Tianshou, but also us as we have been living outdoors for such a long time. We need to let the doctor check our pulse to see if there is anything wrong. Only when we are well can we move on," Zhang Pingan comforted.

Uncle Xu said with relief: "Well, you are really thoughtful."

Everyone cleared out a room and asked the waiter to bring up water to bathe the children first, and the women and men last.

Seeing that it was still early, Zhang Ping'an ordered some simple food. It wasn't very delicious, but at least it was hot and filling. Everyone ate it up without being picky.

After a while, the waiter came upstairs and said, "Sir, the doctor you asked for is here!"

"Ping'an! I really didn't expect you to actually come here." Chen Jianqiu put down the medicine box and ran forward, unable to help but give Zhang Ping'an a bear hug.

Zhang Pingan was very excited to finally see an acquaintance. "It's a long story. Please go check on my cousin first. He has a fever. We can talk in detail later."

"Okay," Chen Jianqiu replied, and then he saw Zhang Laoer and Xu, and hurriedly bowed.

After Zhang Ping'an introduced everyone, Chen Jianqiu went over to see the patient first.

In the past in the countryside, although people knew that being a scholar was extremely rare, they were respected wherever they went.

But after coming out, whether in the county town, the prefectural capital, or even now in the provincial capital, Zhang Pingan can be seen meeting acquaintances along the way, and they have a good relationship with each other. This has given everyone a deeper and more substantial understanding of the imperial examination and fame, and the image of Zhang Pingan in their hearts has become more concrete!

"It's okay, it's not serious. One of you can take this prescription to Huichuntang to get six prescriptions. You will be fine after taking them in two days," said Chen Jianqiu after taking the pulse.

"I bought a lot of medicine when I was in town, but I threw away a lot of it when I took a boat from the prefectural city to the provincial capital. There are still some left. See if you can use it. It is mainly used to treat colds," said Zhang Pingan.

"Let me see."

Chen Jianqiu opened the medicine bag and carefully examined the herbs inside. He sniffed them and nodded, saying, "This is fine too. No need to buy more medicine. Food and herbs are very expensive these days. Any savings is appreciated."

Uncle Xu asked cautiously, "Doctor, how do we make this?"

"Just boil three bowls of water into one bowl. Take it three times a day and it will be fine in two days. Don't worry too much," Chen Jianqiu replied with a smile.

"We've been sleeping in the open air all the way, and I guess many of us have caught a cold. Jianqiu, please take a look at us all to make sure we don't get sick, especially since there are many elderly people and children among us," Zhang Ping'an requested.

"Okay," Chen Jianqiu said readily and took everyone's pulse one by one.

Fortunately, there was no serious problem in the end. Just make sure to keep warm.

Zhang Laoer cleared out his room so that the two of them could reminisce about the past. He really troubled them today. It would be great if he could become his son-in-law, oh!

"Why did you bring so many people to the provincial capital? I heard that there are no ships to carry passengers in the provincial capital now. It seems that they have been requisitioned by the military camp," Chen Jianqiu asked in confusion.

Zhang Pingan poured a cup of hot tea and handed it over: "Drink some tea first, you've worked hard today!"

Then he continued, "You are quite well-informed. If even you know that there are no ships from the prefectural capital to the provincial capital, then I guess most people in the provincial capital should know about it."

"Yes, it's not just Ezhou Prefecture, but several other prefectures as well. They're all under martial law, making everything mysterious. But it seems to me that there are still quite a few people in the provincial capital, and the huge increase in the entrance fee doesn't have much of an impact," Chen Jianqiu said with a pout, and it was obvious that he was very dissatisfied with the high entrance fee.

"Most people can actually accept it, but whether they can enter the city in the future is another matter. By the way, has your provincial capital recruited soldiers?" Zhang Ping'an asked.

"There was no conscription, but there was suddenly an exemption from tax. They said it was to raise military pay, and it has already been paid," Chen Jianqiu replied, shaking his head.

"Are there any large ships going to the other side of the provincial capital's dock right now?"

Chen Jianqiu was puzzled. "Are you going to the other side? I haven't noticed that, so I really don't know. But there are usually boats crossing the river."

Zhang Pingan didn't hide it: "Yes, I plan to take my family across the river to settle on the other side. I always feel that this side is not very stable. If we hadn't slept in the open all the way to the provincial capital, our bodies would not be able to bear it. In addition, we don't know the situation at the dock. We must find a place to rest before setting off. I even wanted to take a boat to the other side directly."

"It's not that serious, is it?" Chen Jianqiu was surprised. "I see Yingzhou City is still very lively and prosperous, no different from usual."

"It's just my personal speculation. Anyway, I have come this far, and I must go to the other side," Zhang Pingan said firmly.

After a pause, he continued: "You can also make preparations and pay more attention to relevant news."