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

Zhang Pingan stepped forward and asked one of the refugees who was still alive: "Did you capture someone from our side last evening? A young girl?"

The other party shook his head, stretched out his hand with difficulty and groaned: "Help...help me!"

Seeing that he couldn't get anything out of them, Zhang Ping'an stood up and followed his brother-in-law and others to finish off the enemy. If these people weren't all killed, there would be no guarantee that there wouldn't be trouble. Being kind to the enemy would be cruel to oneself!

Zhang Laoer was very pleased. His son's growth rate was beyond his expectations. He was a little worried at the beginning and didn't want his son's hands to be stained with too much blood. But as time went by, he felt that this was also good. At least he would not be bullied. To survive in this cannibalistic world, one must be a little ruthless. As long as he can find a stable place to gain a foothold in the future, his son will definitely live a good life.

After everything was settled, everyone set out again.

The boys from Daya and Erya's families had bright eyes and showed no fear at all. It was obvious that they would be very brave when they grew up.

Shen and Uncle Xu did not mention their daughter again, and Shen did not dare to come over to eat and drink for free during meals as she did before, and stayed away from Zhang Ping'an's house.

The medicine prescribed by the old doctor was very effective, and the injuries of the three people gradually healed. Only Uncle Xu was affected because his wound was too large. Even after it healed, he could no longer lift heavy objects, but he had no problem with daily life.

On the 22nd day of their escape, the first snow of the winter fell. They were now outside Quzhou City and not too far from Lin'an. There were basically no groups of refugees to be seen, and some farmers even kept dogs at home. It was obvious that life here was very good, much better than other places.

Everyone spent some money to stay in an inn outside the city. They didn't have to sleep in the open air, and they could use hot water to wipe their bodies, have a full meal and rest. Everyone was willing to spend this money.

Finally, there was a glimmer of hope for escape, and everyone was in a good mood.

Li, wrapped in a headscarf, looked up at the sky and said, "The snow here is lighter than where we are."

Xu said tiredly, "Yes, it's a good thing it's not snowing so lightly, otherwise it would be really hard to travel in such a heavy snow."

Zhang was also worried. If it continued to snow, it would be difficult to travel and the children would be more likely to get sick.

Grandma Jinbao listened and continued, "It's different here than where we are. The first snow is light and melts as soon as it hits the ground. It will be another half a month or so before the real heavy snow falls. It's good enough if we can get to Lin'an before that heavy snow."

Zhang Pingan took out a map and looked at it. He said, "Quzhou is not far from Lin'an. If we walk 60 miles a day, we can get there in about five days."

Li hesitated for a moment and said, "I think Quzhou is not bad. There's food and drink, and we have some savings and food. It shouldn't be too difficult to find a place to stay."

The meaning of the words is self-evident.

"Aunt, I understand what you mean. Frankly speaking, I can find a place to stay anywhere by myself. After all, I have a reputation. But you, you can't just sit back and enjoy all the food you have, and you don't have any land. It will be much easier to find a job to make a living in Lin'an. You have already taken ninety-nine steps, and this last step won't make any difference. Think it over carefully," Zhang Ping said calmly.

Xu sighed, "Oh, if only there was a place that provided food and shelter!"

When you are out, you must be on guard against others. Everyone cooked their own hot porridge in an iron pot. It was so thick that chopsticks could stand upright. After eating a bowl, the whole body would be warm.

Liu Sanlang used to carry the most food in the village, two large sacks. Now Daya is willing to put rice in her cooking. Liu Sanlang ate three bowls in a row before touching his stomach, licking his lips and saying, "It's so comfortable! I wouldn't trade it for a god!"

Daya felt sorry for her husband and said, "When we get settled, I'll stew meat for you and the children."

"Hehe, ok," Liu Sanlang smiled innocently.

Everyone was tired, so they went to bed early and arranged for people to take turns to keep watch at night.

Lying on the beds they hadn't bedded for a long time, everyone slept soundly, snoring loudly.

On the second day, everyone continued on their journey. Zhang Ping'an planned to inquire at the city gate to see if there was a boat from Quzhou that could go directly from the Wutang River to Lin'an. The river was not frozen yet, so it should be navigable.

Before the hour of Si, they arrived at the gate of Quzhou city.

There were a lot of people queuing in front of the city gate, and there was also an old farmer carrying eggs into the city to sell.

Xu said in a daze, "Finally, we've reached a place with a bit of everyday life. It's been so long since I've seen someone selling eggs on a shoulder pole!"

Mrs. Li cheered up and said, "Let's go buy some. I can make some egg porridge for Mei Zi and the other kids. This kid is really lucky. He went through so much hardship all the way and didn't get pregnant. He's destined to be our Zhang family's grandson."

Xu and Ma were also tempted, but they both looked at Zhang Pingan first.

During the escape, Zhang Pingan unknowingly became the backbone of the group.

"It's not safe for the women to go shopping separately. Second brother-in-law, go and call that man over," said Zhang Ping'an.

Liu Husheng, the second brother-in-law, nodded after hearing this and brought the old man over soon. He was accompanied by his son. Xu looked at the eggs and saw that they were small. She asked, "How much are they?"

The old man smiled and said, "Three cents each."

Li was surprised and said, "It's so expensive! We only buy one in our hometown for a penny, and it's bigger than you. Are you bullying us because we're from outside the village?"

The old man shouted, "How could that be? The price is the same no matter who comes to buy. This is what our family has been saving for a long time. The chickens don't like to lay eggs in cold weather, so the price is naturally higher than in spring and summer. Besides, the world is not good now, everything is expensive!"

Jinbao's father also wanted to buy some eggs to nourish his son. Since the old man passed away, his son has been depressed and quiet. He wanted to make something delicious for his son.

So he stepped forward and used his eloquence to first pick out each egg, then picked up the eggs and shook them to pick out the ones with loose yolks. Naturally, the ones with loose yolks would be sold at a lower price. Finally, he talked a lot and finally got the price down to ten cents for four.

The family bought about ten and filled up all the eggs the old man had.

The old man slapped his thigh and said that Jinbao's father was good at bargaining and was a natural businessman.