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

The little medicine boy quickly weighed the cicada shells and found that they were exactly three pounds, so he was paid 43 cents in total. Zhang Laoer was very happy to receive the money. He didn't expect that these things the child had tinkered with could actually be exchanged for money. In his opinion, earning this much was already a lot.

"Thank you, doctor. Thank you for your help!" Zhang Laoer thanked Doctor Qu. Doctor Qu is such a good person!

"Thank you, Doctor Qu. Then I can't come here to sell herbs anymore?" Zhang Ping'an looked up and asked.

"We can still use snake skins if we have them. They're hard to find, but they have a wide range of uses. We can collect them regularly, but we don't need the others. We've collected so many cicada skins this time, they're enough for our clinic to use until next year," said Doctor Qu with a smile.

The child opposite looked very clever, with big, watery and bright eyes, which made him like the child more. After thinking for a while, he continued, "I have a senior brother who opened a small clinic in town. The demand for herbs is not very large, so he usually takes his apprentices to collect them, which is also very time-consuming. You can go to him later to ask if he will accept them. His clinic is at the entrance of Dajia Alley, called Tongxin Hall. Just go there and tell him my name."

"Okay, thank you, Doctor Qu!" Zhang Ping'an replied in a crisp voice. After a dark period, there is always a silver lining. Even a little bit of meat is still meat. He finally realized how difficult it is to make money.

"Haha, little kid, what's your name? You seem quite smart. But don't thank me in a hurry. I'm afraid he will offer a lower price."

"Doctor Qu, my name is Zhang Ping'an. Thank you very much. We are very satisfied to have a channel to exchange money. Thank you!" Zhang Ping'an expressed his sincere gratitude. Although he felt that the money was a little little before, after spending most of the day today, he also realized that even if the money was small, it was a rare way to make money for farmers.

"Well, go back with your father early. Here, Ping'an, I'll bring some for you to eat on the way." Doctor Qu came over and touched Zhang Ping'an's head with a smile. He then took out a box from the medicine cabinet, grabbed a handful of dried red dates and handed them to Zhang Ping'an.

Ah, this... can I take it?! Zhang Pingan looked at Zhang Laoer.

"Oh, Doctor Qu, this is not possible. These things have to be sold for money," said Zhang Laoer, who was standing nearby. He reacted and quickly refused.

"It's not worth much money. It's just to sweeten the child's mouth. I think this child is very smart and clever, and we have a good impression of each other. Why are you pushing it back and forth?" Doctor Qu was obviously not good at pushing and pulling, and said with a stern face.

"This..." Zhang Laoer was embarrassed, feeling really a little ashamed. Not only did he exchange money, but he also got food, which seemed not very good and not very familiar. After thinking about it, he said to his son: "Ping'an, go ahead, remember Doctor Qu's kindness"!

"Well, thank you, Doctor Qu! I will come to visit you next time I come to the town with my father to sell things!" Zhang Pingan thanked him crisply and nodded solemnly. Doctor Qu is indeed a good person.

"Stop thanking me and go back early. You and your son must be tired after working all morning." Doctor Qu saw that Zhang Ping'an's hands were too full to carry the things, so he helped put them in his pocket.

"Well, goodbye, Dr. Qu!" The father and son thanked him solemnly again before driving back home.

On the way, Zhang Laoer was still excited. Not only did he sell the things today, but he also had another way to make money. The girls at home were grown up and could definitely help. How could his son be so smart!

When passing by a vendor selling candied haws, Zhang Ping'an called out to Zhang Laoer: "Dad, stop, I want to buy a string of candied haws."

Zhang Laoer thought his son was greedy, so he didn't try to stop him. Instead, he stopped the car and asked, "Uncle, how much are the candied haws?"

"Three cents a string, five cents for two strings." The old man selling candied haws saw that there were customers and replied with a smile.

"So expensive?!" Zhang Ping'an was a little surprised. A pound of dried honeysuckle could not even buy a candied haws!

"There is such a thick layer of syrup on my candied haws. It costs a lot of money. Things with sugar are not cheap," the old man explained with a smile.

"The old man is right. Ping An, this is usually the price. Sugar is very expensive now," Zhang Lao Er said to the old man, "We'll have a bunch. Please pick the big ones!"

"Give me two bunches, I'll pick them myself," Zhang Ping'an said quickly. He turned to Zhang Laoer and explained, "Dad, I'll bring one bunch for Jinbao. He helped me pick quite a few too. I promised him I could buy him candied haws with the money I earned from selling them."

"Okay, then give me two skewers, you can choose one yourself," Zhang Laoer agreed with a smile.

Zhang Pingan carefully picked out two bunches of hawthorns with the thickest syrup. The hawthorns were red and large. After paying, he took one of the bunches and handed it to Zhang Laoer: "Dad, have one."

"Dad doesn't like sweet food. If you eat it, be careful not to get your mouth pricked by the bamboo stick." Zhang Laoer waved his hand to refuse and warned with a smile.

"Dad, you are lying. Who doesn't like sweet things? Dad, please have one. You are too tired from work. If you don't eat it, I won't eat it either." Zhang Ping'an acted coquettishly and passed the candied haws to Zhang Laoer's mouth, insisting that he eat one.

Zhang Laoer really couldn't persuade his son any more, and was afraid that his son would twist and turn and prick himself, so he picked the small one at the bottom and ate it, teasing his son, "Okay, now that Dad has eaten it, you will have one less to eat!"

"I'm not stingy. When I go home, I'll give one to my mother and one to my sisters. You're too tired from work," Zhang Ping'an said seriously.

"Silly son, just now dad thought you were smart. You only have six pills in total. If you divide them up, they will be gone. Eat them yourself, be good!" After saying that, he carried his son into the car and prepared to drive home.

Humph, anyway, you can divide it among yourselves when the time comes, and dad can’t do anything about it, Zhang Pingan covered his mouth and laughed.

When they walked five or six miles outside the town, Zhang Ping'an heard someone calling him. He looked back and saw that it was indeed Jin Bao Niang waving the table towel and calling him. Zhang Laoer also heard it, stopped the donkey cart and hurried towards the tea stall.

Jinbao's parents opened a tea stall on the edge of the town, close to the official road. They mainly sold coarse tea, pancakes, fruits and the like. They also sold fried dishes and rice, but the prices were higher and the sales were lower. Many people traveling from other places would rest in the tea stall before entering the city, and the food sold in the tea stall was much cheaper than in the town, so the business was good, but the people were very hard-working.

Jin Bao Niang was chubby and a little dark, not looking young anymore. After all, she got up early and went to bed late every day. Although she didn't go to the fields, she was busy with a lot of things. When she saw the father and son coming over, she greeted them warmly from a distance: "Ping An, Ping An, Second Brother, this way!"

People in ancient times got married early. Although Jin Bao Niang looks old, she is actually only in her twenties. According to her seniority and age, she should call Zhang Laoer "Second Brother".

"Auntie!" Zhang Ping'an waited until the donkey cart stopped and then jumped off and shouted.

"Hey! Let your aunt kiss me!" Jin Bao's mother was very enthusiastic and generous. She hugged Zhang Ping'an and rubbed him, even rubbing his hair crooked.

"Auntie, my hair is messy!" Zhang Ping'an couldn't help shouting. Jin Bao's mother was always so enthusiastic every time they met. She was fat, and a bear hug from her was so suffocating.

"Hahaha, I get it. You love beauty so much at such a young age. Auntie will get you some meat pie. Wait!" Jin Bao's mother rubbed her again before letting go.

At this time, Jinbao's father also brought over a dish of boiled water chestnuts and said, "Second brother, Ping'an, have some water chestnuts. I cooked them this morning." Jinbao's father was very thin and looked smart and capable, a stark contrast to Jinbao's mother.

There are many water bodies near Ezhou, and this is the season for eating water chestnuts. However, the wild water chestnuts are very small, and many of them are eaten by older children before they grow up.

Zhang Ping'an was still young and had rarely been in the water, let alone picking water chestnuts by himself. It was only then that an older child in the village picked some and gave a few to them to try.

The ones that Jinbao's father brought out were those raised by someone who had a pond. They were much bigger and had a powdery texture. They tasted good after being boiled in salt water. They were easy to peel after being cut with scissors.

Jin Bao Niang brought out a plate of meat patties. They must have been left over and heated up a bit. She then cut them into smaller pieces to make them look larger. "Brother, Ping An, come and have some meat patties. Try my cooking!"

Zhang Ping'an was not polite and took a small piece to taste. The cooking was pretty good, especially with enough oil and salt.

"Thank you, auntie. It's delicious!" Zhang Ping'an replied while eating. His cheeks puffed up like a little squirrel. He looked so cute that Jin Bao's mother couldn't help but rub him again.

"I heard that you and Jinbao had a fight with Dahu two days ago?" Jinbao's mother asked as she sat aside. It was already the afternoon and there were not many people in the store. It was very quiet.

“Hmm…” Zhang Pingan was embarrassed. He knew that this was the question, but before he could figure out how to respond, he heard the sound of horse hooves outside the tea shed!