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

"We can't rest any longer. This is not just a sightseeing trip. We have to hurry and get going. We must be the first wave to reach the Xiangjiang River to take the boat," Zhang Pingan said seriously.

Zhang also nodded: "We won't leave. There are many people who walk faster than us."

The crowd found a gap, pulled their cars onto the official road, and blended into the crowd of fleeing people.

The children were placed on the cart, and the adult men in the family took turns pulling the cart.

Some people in the team saw that Zhang Ping'an actually had a mule pulling the cart and looked at him sideways, but when they saw that there were quite a few adult men traveling with him, especially the big men from Liu the butcher's family, who were dark and strong, with knives on their waists. They looked like they were not easy to mess with, so they stopped paying attention to them after a while and went on their own way.

On a quiet moonlit night, the sound of wheels could be heard all along the official road.

Facts have proved that human potential is unlimited. Before, the group only walked more than 60 miles a day, but this time, by dawn, they had walked almost 60 miles and passed two small villages along the way.

Zhang Pingan sniffed the air carefully and said, "We should be approaching the Xiangjiang River. The air isn't so dry anymore."

Qian Yongde wiped his sweat and panted, "Let's hurry up. We can rest for a while on the boat. Pulling the cart is so tiring!"

Uncle Xu said, "Let me take your place!" He had decided to come along at the last minute, and since he didn't have a car, it was very inconvenient. He had no choice but to pull the cart with Qian Yongde, and let the children in the family take turns to sit in it.

Qian Yongde was overjoyed and simply stepped aside, fanning himself with his hands and saying, "Pregnant women are still more comfortable. It's so much easier to ride in a car all the way!"

San Ya was dissatisfied and held her belly and said, "You don't know how hard it was for me to be pregnant with a son!"

"Yes, yes, you have worked hard, sit down well," Qian Yongde coaxed.

At this time, Zhang Ping'an and his family had already walked to the front of the team.

After walking another twenty miles, everyone finally saw the Xiangjiang River.

Peng Peng, the boy from Erya's family, pointed to the distance and said, "Mom, look, what a wide river!"

"We will be able to take the boat in a while," Erya said with a smile as she tightened her bag.

The group walked along the river bank towards the ferry without stopping, feeling full of energy again.

The boats at the Xiangjiang River Ferry are similar to those at the Yingzhou City Wharf. They are both very large and can carry people, cargo, or vehicle frames.

There are far fewer people taking the boat than at Yingzhou City Pier, and the price is quite reasonable.

After getting on board, Qian Yongde threw himself directly onto the deck and said, "Let me lie down for a while!"

Everyone was very tired and found a place to lie down and rest.

Unfortunately, the Xiangjiang River is not too far from Yichun by boat. We arrived there in more than half an hour, which was exactly noon.

"What should we do next?" Liu Sanlang asked while chewing a piece of cake.

Zhang Pingan grabbed a handful of fried rice and ate it. He replied, "Next, we'll go east to Quzhou."

This was the route Zhang Ping'an had planned beforehand, following the map drawn by Lin Junhui, so no one entered the city, but headed directly east along the official road outside the city.

"I hope God will be kind and it won't rain," said Zhang Laoer, looking up at the sky.

Today is the last day of October, and tomorrow will be November. The weather is getting colder, and if it is windy and rainy, the journey will be even more difficult.

"Let's hurry up and go to Quzhou to see what the situation is like there. If it's good, we can stay in Quzhou. If it's not good, we will continue to go to Lin'an. It's not safe to travel in the wilderness," said Grandpa Jinbao.

In fact, he didn't necessarily have to go to Lin'an. As long as his family had money, he could settle down anywhere. As long as the law was still there and the city was not in chaos, he would always be able to gain a foothold. He just wanted to find a stable place to settle down along the way.

"I've thought about this too. Let's go see her when we pass by Quzhou. Besides, my third sister's belly is so big that it's not convenient for her to travel for a long time. We don't have a doctor among us. It will be troublesome if she dies on the road. If Quzhou is safe, we can stay in Quzhou then," Zhang Ping'an replied.

But it would be best to go to Lin'an. At the moment, there is no place safer than under the emperor's feet.

Plans never keep up with changes!