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

When Jin Bao's father heard the sound, he hurried out to greet them. He didn't know if these people were coming to his tea stall. If so, they must be important customers. In these days, only powerful and wealthy families could afford horses.

Soon, two horses and a carriage stopped in front of the tea stall. The two men riding the horses were tall and strong, with muscular bodies. One of them had a sword and the other had a knife on his waist. It was obvious that they were strong and had martial arts skills. Even the coachman was a strong man.

After the car stopped, two middle-aged men with scholarly temperament got out. They were about thirty years old, one wearing a blue shirt and the other a green shirt.

Zhang Ping'an guessed that the one in green shirt was probably a servant or subordinate, because the one in blue shirt clearly had the aura of a superior, and the one in green shirt's expression and movements were always very respectful.

The two leading riders dismounted, placed their whips on the table outside, and said to Jin Bao's father, "Boss, give our horses plenty of water and fodder, and some food. If you have any good dishes, please bring them over."

Big business! Jin Bao's father asked happily, "Would you like some wine?"

"No more wine, we have to hurry on our way after we finish eating. We'll also need thirty white flour buns and three pounds of braised pork, as well as as many cold dishes as you like, and we'll pack them all up to take away."

"Okay, sir, please sit inside. There are clean tables inside to bask in the sun." Jin Bao's father greeted him attentively.

Jin Bao's mother said hello to Zhang Laoer and hurried to help. She took a clean cloth and wiped the table again and again so that the guests would feel comfortable. After wiping, she left Jin Bao's father alone in the front to greet the guests while she went to the kitchen to busy herself.

"Zhaocai, Zhaocai, come to the front and help, lead the guest's horse to the side and help feed it water and grass," shouted Jinbao's father, tying the reins to the post as he spoke.

At this time, a child about ten years old came out from the back and answered, "Here I am, Dad!" Ping An looked over and saw that it was Sister Jinbao, wearing brown shorts and dressed like a boy.

Maybe it's because he often helps out in the store and comes into contact with many people, so he looks very smart. He is much smarter than Jinbao.

After the five of them sat down in the restaurant, Jin Bao's father brewed a pot of tea and brought out a few plates of snacks and cold dishes. He said with a smile, "My dear guests, please have some cold dishes first. The meal will be ready soon. Please call me if you have any instructions."

"Well, thank you for your help," the man in green nodded and replied.

"Master, it's really hot here, like a furnace. I can't wipe off all the sweat. It's hot in the north too, but it's different from here. It's not that uncomfortable," said one of the men on horseback, pulling his collar.

"This place is located in the central part of China, close to the Han River, and has a well-developed water system. Therefore, it is hotter and more humid than in the north. When you first come here, you will feel suffocated by the heat, but you will get used to it after staying for a while." The man in blue said lightly.

Jin Bao's mother moved quickly. After they had eaten a few bites, Jin Bao's father brought out two plates of hot dishes from the kitchen and a large bowl of white rice.

After the dishes were served, Jinbao's father came over and whispered, "Second brother, come here." After that, he turned to Zhang Pingan and said, "Ping'an, I'm a little busy today. I'll ask your father to help. You just sit here and don't move."

"Well, you guys go and do your work, I'll eat here." Zhang Pingan said obediently.

"Dad will be back soon," Zhang Laoer whispered.

Jinbao's father was right in front, so Zhang Laoer was quite relieved. Besides, making money was not easy, and this was obviously a big business. If help was needed, he would definitely do his best. Farmers would not bear to see the opportunity to make money slip away.

Zhang Ping'an sat nearby, watching as they finished two bowls of rice in just a quarter of an hour. They were clearly starving. The two men on horseback were the main contributors, while the man in the blue shirt ate the least, stopping after just one bowl. Jin Bao's father then served seven or eight more hot dishes, mostly meat, and a bowl of loofah and egg soup. By the time they were finished with the soup, they probably felt full and slowed down their eating.

"Boss, are the meals we packed ready?" the strong man on horseback with a sword asked after wiping his mouth.

"Dear guests, please wait for a quarter of an hour. The steamed buns are freshly steamed and just put into the steamer. We are using coarse firewood and high fire. It will probably be ready in a quarter of an hour," Jinbao's father hurried over, bent down and said with an apologetic smile.

"What kind of shop is this? You want me to wait for thirty steamed buns?" The strong man touched his stomach and burped again, saying lazily.

"I'm sorry, sir, the weather is too hot and the food cannot be left out. Our shop makes everything fresh," Jinbao's father continued to explain with a smile.

"Okay, it doesn't matter a moment, let's rest for a while," the man in blue said lightly, touching his short beard.

"Thank you, sir. I'll go to the kitchen to urge my wife. It will be ready soon. Please wait a moment." Jin Bao's father took away the dishes, wiped the table, and served a pot of tea and boiled peanuts.

Perhaps Zhang Ping'an had been staring at him for too long, so the sword-wielding man turned his head and teased him, "What are you looking at, little brat? You've been staring at it for so long."

"I think your swords are so majestic." It was the first time that Zhang Ping'an had seen this kind of people in this world. He was really curious. He looked at them for a long time and felt a little embarrassed, so he found an excuse to reply.

"Hahahahahahaha, you need to learn martial arts to use this, don't touch it, be careful not to hurt yourself", the big man with a sword laughed, and it can be seen that he is a kind-hearted person with no ill intentions.

"I won't touch it. I'm still young. My father told me not to touch a knife," Zhang Ping'an replied crisply.

Jinbao's father looked around a few times and saw that nothing was wrong, so he didn't come over.

"You are so obedient, kid. Do you want to eat peanuts?" The big man was bored and said after taking a sip of tea.

"I don't want to eat. I haven't finished my cake yet. Uncle, are you full?" Zhang Pingan replied. This big man had a huge appetite. He drank at least six or seven bowls. And these were not modern small bowls, but large bowls.

"You're not afraid of me? You're an interesting little kid. Are you ready for school?"

"No, my father said that he would send me to a private school when I grow up a little bit, but I know a lot of riddles. Where are you from, uncle?" Zhang Pingan replied with a smile. If possible, he would also like to know about the current national conditions. Zhang Laoer and the others couldn't explain it clearly.

"We are from the north, it's far away! You said you can tell riddles, tell me one," the big man avoided answering and asked lazily.

Zhang Pingan thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll give you a simple riddle. It's 'a knife, floating on the water, with eyes but no eyebrows'. Guess what animal it is."

After hearing this, the big man stroked his chin and thought about it.

At this time, another big man interrupted and said, "I know, it's a fish!"

Zhang Pingan smiled and nodded to indicate that it was correct.

The big man clapped his hands and said, "Not bad, one more."

Zhang Pingan rolled his eyes and thought of another riddle: "The eldest brother wears an iron hat, the second brother wears a red robe, the third brother is covered with thorns, and the fourth brother is like a knife, chopping four kinds of vegetables."

This time, the big man and others thought about it for a while, but still couldn't guess the answer.

Zhang Pingan proudly revealed the answer: "Eggplant, carrot, cucumber, and lentil!"

Everyone suddenly understood and praised Zhang Ping'an for his cleverness.

The big man smiled and said, "You're quite interesting, little one. We're not women dealing with vegetables every day, so how could we possibly know so much?"

"He makes up these kinds of riddles because he knows you don't understand, right, kids?" The man in green had been listening silently, but now he couldn't help but joked.

"Hehe!" Zhang Ping'an smiled cunningly.

"That's quite clever." The man in blue shirt watched the lively scene without stopping it. It had been a long time since he had such a relaxing time without having to think about anything.

"Kid, even our master praises you for being smart, but you are so lucky. Do you know that our master is..." The big man was interrupted by the man in green before he could finish his words: "Big Jiang, stop talking nonsense!"

“Oh…” The big man was scolded and groaned, and stopped talking.

But the fate of these people goes far beyond this. No one expected that they would meet again more than ten years later, and the situation would be completely different by then.

At this time, Jin Bao's father packed up the food and took it out, helping to put it in the carriage. The strong man named Da Jiang, who had just been scolded, became lively again and shouted, "Boss, check out!"

"Okay! Dear guests, here are the thirty steamed buns I just packed, each one costs two cents, a total of sixty cents. There are also three pounds of braised pork, each pound costs twenty-eight cents, a total of..." Jin Bao's father came over happily to settle the bill, but before he could finish his words, the big man interrupted him impatiently: "Alright, alright, stop nagging, it's very annoying. No need to give me the change for the extra money!"

As he spoke, he pulled out a piece of silver from his pocket and placed it on the table. Jin Bao's father took it and weighed it, estimating it to be seven or eight cents. He was overjoyed to have been given at least three or four hundred more. This was equivalent to half a month's earnings. He hurriedly replied, "Thank you very much, sir, thank you very much, sir. I'll go and help you with the horses."

Several people stood up and prepared to leave. When the big man with a sword passed by Zhang Ping'an, he reached out and pulled his hair, then took out a silver bean from his arms and put it in his hand, laughing and said, "Little kid, use this to buy some candy!" After that, he went out and mounted his horse without waiting for Zhang Ping'an to react.

Zhang Pingan ran after him with his short legs, shouting, "Uncle! Uncle!"

The group has slowly walked away!