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

Zhang Laoer's passenger-carrying plan was not smooth either, also because of xenophobia. Others only let him in after he paid 20% of the fee.

Later, after Zhang Ping'an had worked in the yamen for some time and had made acquaintances and had more connections, he introduced several adult men from his family as well as from the families of his eldest brother-in-law, second brother-in-law, and uncle Xu to work in the winery.

The workers in the winery are mainly responsible for cleaning and cooking grains. After cooking, they also have to stir and filter them. These are not easy jobs and require a lot of strength. Therefore, after the manager saw several strong men from Liu the Butcher's family, and with a little bit of face from Zhang Ping'an, he immediately agreed to let several people come to work.

"Brother-in-law and second brother-in-law, you guys just do this for now, and I'll introduce you to better jobs later," said Zhang Ping'an.

Liu Sanlang thought it was great. "This job is stable and doesn't require exposure to the wind and sun. It's pretty good. Besides, the food is also very good. I'm always full!"

My second brother-in-law Liu Husheng also smiled and said, "Safe, it's great to have a stable income in the city. What else can I choose?"

Now everyone's livelihood problem has finally been temporarily solved.

After a period of recovery, Liu the butcher and his wife, along with Erya's parents-in-law, started selling food at the entrance of the alley. They only had to work for half a day and didn't have to put in much effort. They could earn a few hundred coins a month, which was not bad!

Life seems to be pretty stable at the moment.

However, more and more people are coming from Yingzhou City on the other side of the river, and they bring new news every time. Today it is about raising taxes, and tomorrow it is about donations. In the end, it all comes down to asking for money.

They also confiscated the properties of several large merchants on suspicion of crimes, and used their assets as military pay, causing panic among the people for a while.

Anyone with connections and money wanted to take a boat to Yuezhou.

Every time Xu went out to buy groceries and heard the news, she was very glad that she left early, otherwise she would have been in great pain. Since ancient times, the people who fought in wars have never had a good ending.

"Ping'an, you and your father-in-law come over for dinner tonight. I bought a roast chicken," Qian Yongde shouted happily after seeing Zhang Ping'an.

It was time to get off work, and Qian Yongde had just finished delivering something nearby, so he came over to say hello in advance.

Zhang Pingan raised his eyebrows: "Third brother-in-law, what good thing happened today?"

Zhang Ping'an had previously introduced his third brother-in-law to work at the winery, but Qian Yongde felt uncomfortable being managed by someone in the winery and that he didn't earn as much as running errands himself, so he refused. He just liked to follow the rich and watch their brightly lit lives. Now he doesn't sleep at night, doesn't get up in the morning, and goes home in the middle of the night.

Qian Yongde grinned and chuckled, "Your third sister is pregnant, almost two months now. It was just diagnosed today, so we have to celebrate. It's such a rare thing!"

The old hen finally laid an egg, Qian Yongde thought to himself.

"Oh, that's a good thing indeed," Zhang Pingan said with a smile. He calculated in his mind and said, "It's the beginning of May now, so the child will be born in the first month of next year. It will be a great blessing for the whole family. That's great!"

"Hehe, I hope he is born at the end of the year. There is an old saying that children born at this time are lucky and can have enough to eat," Qian Yongde said with a smile.

After returning home, Zhang Ping'an told his mother the good news. Mrs. Xu was happy for a moment, but then she said angrily, "This medicine is really effective. It's worthy of being a medical skill passed down from our ancestors. Oh, I forgot to ask Doctor Chen for two more doses. In case you can't have children later, I can use them."

"Puff," Zhang Pingan choked, "Mom, this isn't a good thing. What are you talking about?!"

"Hey, tut, tut, tut," Xu said several times, and said, "That's what I said. I mean, this medicine is really good."

Zhang Pingan smiled helplessly: "I know."

When I went to eat in the evening, Qian Yongde had already returned home. He not only bought a roast chicken, but also braised meat, fried fish, and cooked white rice. It was quite a sumptuous meal.

Ever since people from the other side flocked to Yuezhou, the price of grain has been changing every day, and meat is even more expensive. Even Xu has to calculate the price of vegetables every day. It’s not that she can’t afford it, but she thinks it’s not cost-effective. Compared with before, the prices are now sky-high.

"Third brother-in-law, it seems you are doing well," Zhang Pingan joked.

Qian Yongde was obviously very pleased with himself, and said modestly: "No, no, it's just average!"

After a pause, he continued to boast secretly, "I've realized now that one must find the right direction to work hard. Otherwise, no matter how hard you work, it's useless. You'll just be a stepping stone for others. I've found that I'm very suitable for this job. I earn a lot and it's not tiring. From time to time, I can even get some rewards and leftovers that others have missed. Oh, I've gained weight recently!"

Zhang Laoer said in a deep voice, "Even if you earn a lot, don't spend it all in one day. You can't spend as much as you earn. You have to save money. Your children will need food, clothing, and wives in the future!"

Qian Yongde waved his hand and said nonchalantly, "Don't worry, father-in-law. Sanya will definitely live a life of luxury with me. I won't let them suffer. Ask Sanya yourself, when did she not eat the good things I brought back?"

San Ya is now content with having a son. She rolled her eyes and didn't say anything. She even had the nerve to say that she was the one who rushed to eat every time. Otherwise, with her husband's habit of eating everything, there would be no food left!

Zhang Laoer and Xu also hoped that the two would live a good life. After dinner, they gave them some instructions and then went back.

The next day, Zhang Ping'an just arrived at the yamen and found that the atmosphere was very wrong. After asking around, he found out that the current emperor, who had said two or three months ago that he would send troops south to eliminate the Sixth Prince, was killed before he even sat on the throne!