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

Those who can set up stalls at the pier and gain a foothold must have some real ingredients. The fish is very fresh, the fillets are tender and smooth, and there are not many bones. Paired with hand-rolled noodles, it is indeed very delicious.

Guo Jia's original town had no major rivers or docks nearby, and fish was supplied by a few ponds in the surrounding area. Therefore, he had never eaten fish fillet noodles before. When he ate it for the first time, his eyes widened and he exclaimed, "People living in the state capital are so lucky!"

"If one day you can visit my hometown Yingzhou, you can try the fish cake. It is chewier and more delicious," Zhang Pingan said with a smile.

Grandma Erya also smiled and continued, "There are also lotus root powder and drunken fish. They are also very delicious. They used to be specialties of our village. Every year every household would make a lot of them and sell them for money. I wonder if we will have the chance to make them again in the future!"

"There's a chance," Guo Jia said with a smile.

More than seventy people took turns eating. The stall was small and there were only two people rolling the noodles. It took a long time for everyone to finish the meal.

At this moment, another large ship came from a distance and slowly docked at the pier. A bright yellow flag was flying on the ship. A circle of auspicious patterns was embroidered with red thread around the flag, and a traditional Chinese character "运" (luck) was written in the middle.

The stall owner and his wife hurriedly urged their two sons, "The grain ship from Lin'an has arrived, you two should go to the dock and shout!"

The two sons were still young, only about fourteen or fifteen years old, and had good looks. Upon hearing this, they immediately put down their work and ran to the dock.

Not only the stall owner and his wife did this, but all the food stalls near the pier also arranged waiters to go to the pier to shout, making the pier more lively for a while.

Jin Bao Niang asked curiously, "Madam, are those people coming off the canal boats important people? Why are you all running over to shout at them?"

The proprietress laughed and said, "Well, it's not that we're talking about big shots. There are only a few managers on the canal boats who can be considered respectable people and have money, but they won't come to our small stall to eat. We mainly attract those boatmen and porters. They get a fixed salary every month. It's already noon now. They must have had no lunch coming from Lin'an. They have to work hard soon, so they have to have a bite to eat after getting off the boat. The food at our stalls is their best choice. It's not expensive, it's filling, and it tastes pretty good!"

Jin Bao Niang understood and nodded thoughtfully. It seemed that setting up a food stall by the dock would be a good idea.

At this time, everyone had almost finished eating, and the proprietress even gave everyone free hot soup. The boatmen got off the boat one after another and walked towards the dock.

Zhang Ping'an also had an idea. Seeing that the proprietress wanted to do business with the boatmen, it was inappropriate for so many of his people to take up space, so he asked everyone to leave and go to the city to find an inn to stay for the night. He would then think of a way to see if he could get on the boat. If he really couldn't, there was no time to delay and he would have to continue walking from tomorrow.

Just as everyone was pushing the cart to leave, someone suddenly called out from afar, "Zhang Jinbao?"

The tone used was questioning, and it was clear that he was not sure.

Jinbao looked back blankly, but didn't see anyone familiar.

Jinbao's parents and Zhang Ping'an also looked back, but they didn't see anyone they knew and didn't know who called them.

After a while, the person opposite seemed to be sure that he had not recognized the wrong person, and shouted again in a firm tone: "Zhang Jinbao, Zhang Pingan, don't you recognize me?"

The voice is very young!

As soon as he finished speaking, a young man as black as charcoal pushed aside his companions and walked towards the crowd. He had no stubble on his chin. If it weren't for his light gait and clear voice, it would be hard to tell his age.

Zhang Pingan and Jin Bao exchanged a glance, each seeing confusion in the other's eyes. Who was this person? Anyone who knew both of them was either a playmate from the village or a classmate from a private school or academy. They had no impression of someone who looked like this!

Seeing their bewildered expressions, the man walked up to them and said sadly, "It's me, Xiao Yifei. It's only been a year since we last met, and you don't even recognize me. We were classmates for so long, and I was worried about you for so long when I fled to Jinling!"

"It's you!" Zhang Ping'an and Jin Bao said in unison.

"It's me," the other party said calmly with his hands spread out.

Jin Bao raised his finger and pointed at Xiao Yifei's face, stuttering, "You...you...how did your face become like this?"

In the past, Xiao Yifei didn't look like Pan An, but at least he was a handsome young man with healthy wheat-colored skin. He wore fancy clothes and boots, went in and out in a carriage, and dressed neatly every day. He had a sense of dignity, which was completely different from the unshaven, black-skinned man in front of him.

But if you look closely, the facial features are the same, and the tone of voice is the same as before. It must be Xiao Yifei!

Jin Bao didn't know what was going on in his mind. His eyes were red as he said, "Hey, Xiao Yifei, you've suffered! Ping An and I are in trouble now, but we can still barely eat a bite of food. We must survive well and don't lose heart!"

Xiao Yifei scratched his head and asked in confusion: "What's wrong with me?"

Zhang Pingan looked around and saw no place to talk, so he said, "We are going to the city to find an inn to stay. Are you busy now? Would it be convenient for you to go with us and have a meal?"

He saw that Xiao Yifei was walking with the people who got off the canal boat. According to what the stall owner said, he must not have had lunch yet. It would be nice to reminisce about the past while eating.

Xiao Yifei smiled and said, "Okay, our ship won't leave until we load the food tomorrow. We're all free today. I'll go say hello to the escort officer on the ship. Wait for me!"

After saying that, he ran away like the wind. Halfway through, he turned around and warned, "Don't go. Wait for me right here. I'll be quick!"

Zhang Laoer also recognized the character by now. He smiled and shook his head, saying, "His appearance has changed a lot, but his temperament is still the same as before. He is a good child!"

Xu stared at the distance and whispered to Zhang Laoer, "I wonder if he's married now. He looks down on himself. I think Wu Ya would be a good match for him!"

Zhang Laoer smiled and said nothing. It would not be too late to discuss the marriage of his two daughters after settling down in Lin'an. If he brought it up now, he would only be looked down upon.

After Xiao Yifei got on the boat, he ran back again after a while, panting and saying, "Okay, let's go!"

The group found a relatively clean inn in a slightly remote part of the city and rested there.

Zhang Ping'an introduced his family members and his new friend Guo Jia to Xiao Yifei one by one.

Everyone nodded to each other as a greeting, and then tactfully left the space for the three of them to reminisce about the past without disturbing them too much.