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

Zhang Pingan and Jin Bao had already eaten, so the three of them ordered some last minute dishes on the first floor of the inn and invited Xiao Yifei to eat first.

Although they hadn't seen each other for such a long time, the three of them didn't feel any strangeness at all, as if they had parted only yesterday.

Xiao Yifei ate three bowls of rice before putting down his bowl and chopsticks. He ordered a pot of tea and then asked, "Why are you in Quzhou? When I left Yingzhou, I thought we would never have the chance to see each other again in this life!"

Zhang Pingan briefly described his own and Jinbao's recent situation: "Well, it's a long story. In the first month of this year, the provincial school was in turmoil due to the epidemic, and Emperor Taizu passed away suddenly, so the specific start time of classes has been delayed. In addition, my grandparents passed away before the New Year. At that time, the city gates were closed, and we didn't go home to pay our respects, let alone go home for the New Year. So after discussing it with my parents, I asked for half a month's leave from the provincial school, hoping to go home. Who would have thought that once I went back, things happened one after another, and I never got to go back to the provincial school to attend classes again!"

Jin Bao said worriedly, "How come you ended up working on a canal boat? Ping An even went to your house to look for you, and your housekeeper said that you, your mother, and your brother had all gone to the capital to burn incense."

Xiao Yifei couldn't help but get angry when he heard this: "What a fart fragrance! It's all a scam!"

After he finished speaking, he saw the two people's puzzled eyes, calmed down and then continued to explain, "It was all my father's idea. Although he is not a high-ranking official, he is still a powerful figure in the county. At that time, the higher-ups ordered the conscription of soldiers and banned people from leaving the city. County Magistrate Zhu sent his sons to his maternal family in Yingzhou, the provincial capital. County Magistrate Tan also made many small moves. This matter could be concealed from others, but not from the county lieutenant. My father felt something was wrong and was afraid of giving people a chance to talk. So he asked my stepmother to take us to the provincial capital under the pretext of burning incense."

At this point, Xiao Yifei couldn't help but chuckle. "But it was also thanks to my father's foresight that we heard about the chaos not long after we arrived in the provincial capital. My stepmother spent a lot of gold to find people to inquire about the news, and only then did she know that the big families were fleeing to Jinling. At that time, the Yingzhou docks were not so strictly controlled, so we took a big ship along the Cangwu River all the way east to Jinling. Later, the north became even more chaotic, and the current emperor moved the capital to Lin'an, so we followed everyone to Lin'an. Although we didn't have a comfortable life like before in the county, at least our lives were safe. Now I don't even know whether my father is dead or alive!"

"The world is so chaotic right now, it's a blessing to be alive. Uncle, good things will come to you," Zhang Pingan consoled him. "How's the situation in Lin'an now?"

"I hope so!" Xiao Yifei cheered up a bit and replied, "Lin'an is quite stable. After all, the emperor is in Lin'an, and most of the surviving aristocratic families in the north are also in Lin'an. So Lin'an is very prosperous now, but prices are very high, and it's not easy to live in. The gap between the rich and the poor is particularly large. The saying "the rich live in luxury, while the poor freeze to death on the streets" is vividly demonstrated in Lin'an!"

"Hey, it's hard for us to live anywhere right now. By the way, have you met Lin Junhui in Lin'an?" Zhang Pingan asked. "I met him a few months ago. At that time, he said he was going to Lin'an to seek refuge with his father-in-law, who was the prefect of Lin'an."

Xiao Yifei nodded and said, "I have met him before, but he is now the son-in-law of a wealthy family, while I am just a commoner and my father's life and death are unknown. How can I dare to approach him to establish a relationship with him?"

What he was embarrassed to say was that he happened to be working as a handyman at the post house, helping to groom the horses, when he met Lin Junhui who came to pick up a friend. The other party was dressed in silk and satin, while he was only dressed in shabby cloth.

Looking at the surprised look from the other party, he was so embarrassed that he wanted to find a hole to crawl into. In the past, he had always been carefree and lived a life of mediocrity. Even though he was born out of wedlock, he rarely felt inferior because of his status. That comparison made him have a strong desire to stand out for the first time.

Jin Bao frowned when he heard this: "Did he mock you? Did he bully you?"

Xiao Yifei shook his head and smiled, "Not really. He's a true gentleman, very graceful and well-mannered. He even introduced me to his friend."

Xiao Yifei recognized Lin Junhui's character, but he just felt uncomfortable and couldn't adapt to the gap for a while. It is better to rely on oneself than on others. He believed that with his own efforts, he would be able to achieve success in the future!