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

Today's dinner was packed with dishes, making it quite substantial. Mrs. Xu also cut three homemade salted eggs and steamed them. At the table, Zhang Laoer recounted what had happened today and proudly remarked, "It's my son who's so popular. Otherwise, look at how Doctor Qu and the other important figures at the dinner were given gifts, while Zhaocai, despite all his hard work, didn't get any."

As he spoke, he kept picking up food for Zhang Ping'an: "Eat more, you've lost a little weight this summer."

Zhang Ping'an saw the pig ears and eggs that were about to overflow from the bowl, and hurriedly stopped them with his hands, saying, "Mom, stop taking them. We can't hold any more!" After that, he divided the dishes among his parents and Daya. Otherwise, they would not take the initiative to take these two meat dishes.

"Hey, why are you sharing it with us? Just eat it slowly by yourself, son." Mrs. Xu felt distressed and wanted to take it back.

"That's right, we don't like eating meat," Daya smiled and picked up the pig's ears.

Erya, Sanya and the others were also hesitant and looked at the meat without touching it.

"Son, eat it yourself, don't pick it up from me," Zhang Laoer said in a muffled voice, and passed the egg back to his son.

"Why are you always like this?" Zhang Pingan was a little annoyed and said, "Anyway, you have to eat what I gave you today. I won't separate the food anymore! I can't finish all this."

Seeing that her son was a little angry, Mrs. Xu thought for a moment and said with a smile, "Forget it, just eat what your brother gives you. It's all out of his kindness. Look at which boy in our village is so sensible and thoughtful? He's the one who keeps us safe and always thinks of you sisters. When you get married, it's your brothers who will support you so that you won't be bullied or looked down upon. You must remember to help your family more in the future!"

"Yes, Mom, we will definitely help the family!" Daya and the others echoed confidently, chewing the meat in their mouths with care.

Only then did Mrs. Xu stop getting angry and nodded in satisfaction. However, she still felt that her son was too young and needed to be taught more in the future. He should not be so kind, otherwise he would suffer in the future.

Zhang Laoer said nothing and put the last few pieces of pig ears on the plate into his son's bowl. He thought the same thing as Xu. It was not good for his son to be too kind. He would suffer a great loss. He would have to help his son more in the future.

"Son, where do you usually find the honeysuckle and snake skin? You can ask your sisters to find them in the future. It will also bring more income to the family. They are older than you and can pick more," asked Mrs. Xu. She never thought that the things her son had worked so hard for could actually be sold.

"It's on the back hillside and in the woods at the west end of the village. But you don't need to pick too much. I don't think others will want too much if you pick more," Zhang Ping'an replied after swallowing the food in his mouth. His mouth was clean, unlike other children who had food all over their mouths. The more Xu looked at her son, the more she felt that her son was extraordinary, and she was happy.

"It's okay, it's okay to pick a few more, just in case others want them. They have plenty of time anyway. By the way, how do you know the clinic accepts these?"

"It's just that Dahu's great-grandfather used to go to town to see a doctor and get medicine. I heard him say that there are plenty of things in our village, and a set of medicine from the clinic costs more than ten coins. I thought someone might accept it."

"Our Ping'an is so smart. How could others not think of it? He can make money at such a young age," Xu praised.

A happy meal.

After the meal, Zhang Laoer gave all the money he earned from the market and the silver bean given by the important person to Xu. Xu counted them and found that he had sold eighty or ninety coins today, a little more than usual. The silver bean was probably worth more than a hundred coins. Xu had never seen such shiny silver in her life. The ones at home were all a bit dark. She could not help but look at it again and again in the light before putting it away.

Thinking about what happened today, Xu felt that her son would definitely not be an ordinary person in the future and would definitely have a bright future. She was very excited and suddenly had an idea. She said to Zhang Laoer, "Dad, what do you think about sending our son to school after the busy farming season?"

Zhang Laoer was stunned for a moment. He and his wife had planned to send their child to school a long time ago, but they had previously thought of waiting until he was seven years old. Now the child was only five years old. He hesitated and said, "Isn't it too early to go now? His classmates are all older than him. What if he gets bullied?"

"Starting school early can allow him to study for two more years than his peers. Mainly, I think our son is smarter than the average child. He can talk and walk earlier than others, and he has his own ideas. It's okay for him to go now, so he won't have to play around in the village every day. There are not many promising kids in our village, so don't let him lead you astray." The more Xu thought about it, the more feasible it seemed to her.

"Well, that's true, but which private school should I send him to?" Zhang Laoer pondered for a moment. He hadn't expected it to be sent so soon, and he hadn't even made inquiries yet!

"There are only a few teachers around here. We still have a month or so, so we can slowly ask around. Let's just inform our son first."

"Well, okay, I've already saved up the money for studying."

As she spoke, Xu called Zhang Ping'an in. It was summer and the days were long, so the children played in the yard after dinner.

"Mom, are you calling me?" Zhang Ping'an was sweating from playing, and ran in when he heard his mother calling him.

"Well, Mom is asking you, are you willing to go to school? Dad and Mom plan to send you to a private school after the autumn harvest, which will also be the end of the busy farming season," said Xu, pulling her son to sit down beside the bed. She wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief. She didn't want to let anyone know about the undecided matter, lest they laugh at her if it didn't work out.

"Of course I am willing. Then which teacher should I go to study with?" Zhang Ping'an had already made preparations for studying, but he thought his parents would have to wait for two years.

"If you don't object, I'll ask your father to inquire about it. I'll tell you when it's decided. Ping'an will definitely be a promising person in the future," said Xu. She picked up the grass stubble that had gotten on her son's head while he was playing, and gently touched his face. She seemed to have seen that day through the light.

"Mom, I will definitely be successful, and I will make you and my dad happy in the future," Zhang Ping'an said with emotion, throwing himself into Xu's arms and acting coquettishly. He knew that Zhang Laoer and Xu had poured a lot of love into him, and they also hoped that he would be successful in the future.

I secretly swore in my heart that I would make my family live a good life in the future.

"You little brat, your parents will be happy if you live a good life," Zhang Laoer interrupted after listening for a while, "Okay, go out and play."

"Remember not to tell anyone else in the family yet, not your uncle's family, not your sisters," Mrs. Xu instructed, holding her son's hand.

"I know, Mom," Zhang Ping'an said helplessly, but he could understand it. It's not advisable to publicize things before they are finalized to avoid any mistakes. He didn't expect that he would have to prepare to go to school at the age of five!