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

Zhang Laoer rubbed his hands and said, "That classmate of yours is really nice. He was willing to tell you the news in advance, so you can study for an extra month than others. He also helped us last time. We have to thank him very much!"

Zhang Ping'an nodded and said, "I have to thank him. I'll go to the Lin Mansion when I have some time off. But I guess he's been very busy lately, so he must be taking part in the provincial examination as well."

"That's great, you can still support each other along the way," Xu Shile was so happy that she couldn't stop smiling. She planned to buy a few old hens to raise at home and stew half a chicken every day for her son's nutrition. She couldn't save this money.

Zhang Laoer thought more, looking at Wu Ya, who was embroidering a wedding dress in the next room, and Liu Ya, who was sitting quietly, and said, "If you can really pass the imperial examination, your sixth sister won't have to worry about getting married, and she'll be able to find a good family. Then we can spend some money to buy a small house in the east of the city. It will be considered a family tradition of farming and studying, and it will completely change our family's status!"

Xu said happily, "It would be best if you could pass the imperial examination next year. You'd only be 17 then, not too old. I could find you a girl from a scholarly family. You'd be a good match. Your life couldn't be more perfect!"

The couple imagined the future and were instantly filled with fighting spirit.

"Dad, Mom, let's talk about it after my fifth sister gets married. Don't think too much about it for now," Zhang Ping'an shook his head helplessly.

"Your fifth sister will be married in two months. There is nothing to worry about," said Xu.

After saying that, he called his two daughters out to help serve the dishes, "Wu Ya, Liu Ya, come to the kitchen and help serve the dishes. It's time to eat!"

Wu Ya and Liu Ya responded and walked into the kitchen.

The family sat together for dinner. At the table, Zhang Laoer reminded them, "Ping An, even though your classmate's family is well-off, we can't lose our manners. You must bring a generous gift when you visit."

Zhang Pingan nodded in agreement.

After dinner, Zhang Pingan went back to his room to study. He knew that the road to the imperial examination was difficult and he had to work harder, not to mention that the competition seemed very fierce this time.

I studied until 11pm and then went to bed.

The next day, when he went to the provincial school to report for duty, Zhang Ping'an said hello to his colleagues and went to Master Ye in the upper house to return the official report.

The person who opened the door was the same attendant from yesterday, but Master Ye was not there because he had gone to class.

"Mr. Zhang, just give it to me and I will tell my master," said the attendant.

"Thank you," Zhang Ping'an thanked him and returned to the library.

Ye the proofreader was a very nice guy. He greeted everyone else and said that Zhang Ping'an was going to take part in this year's provincial examination. His colleagues were willing to do him a favor and gave the work on the third floor to Zhang Ping'an. Most of the books stored there were rare copies of miscellaneous notes, which had little to do with the imperial examinations, so generally no one went there, so Zhang Ping'an could concentrate on studying.

Zhang Ping'an was also very grateful for everyone's kindness and took the initiative to invite everyone to the cafeteria for two meals.

After half a month, his knowledge had improved, but Zhang Pingan always felt that it was not enough, and he was always worried about working in isolation.

When eating in the cafeteria, it was obvious that there were fewer students coming to the cafeteria to eat. Most of them were servants carrying lunch boxes to get their meals. It seemed that everyone was busy preparing for the imperial examinations.

Ye Xiaoshu advised, "We have so many famous scholars and learned teachers in our provincial academy. You should be more shameless and humble. If you don't understand something, just ask someone!"

Then he changed the subject and said, "But not everyone can be asked. There are some people with bad morals who only like to flatter the powerful and look down on the weak. They are very snobbish. If you ask them, they will just give you a few perfunctory answers. Hmm, let me think...you can ask Master Lu!"

"Master Lu?" Zhang Pingan repeated.

"Yes," Principal Ye nodded. "He's the old man who helps students with their questions that we met the first time we ate together in the cafeteria. He caught a cold last year and was bedridden for more than half a month before recovering. After classes started this year, the academic administrator stopped him from teaching, and he only accepted one disciple. He has plenty of free time now, and he's a good person. I think you can ask him. He usually comes every morning."

After hearing this, Zhang Pingan had an idea and said, "Then I'll try it tomorrow."

That afternoon, Zhang Ping'an sorted out all the problems and questions he had encountered recently, and prepared to ask for advice the next day.

When Zhang Ping'an returned home after finishing his shift, he smelled the familiar aroma of chicken soup before even entering the yard. When he entered the door, the meal was already on the table. In addition to the chicken soup, there was also a plate of braised meat with a familiar aroma.

"This must have been sent from my eldest sister's family. I can tell it's the work of my eldest sister's mother-in-law just by smelling it," Zhang Ping'an said with a smile.

Mrs. Xu nodded, pushed the dish toward her son, and said with a smile, "Yes, her mother-in-law sent it here specially to thank you for supporting your brother-in-law. I heard that your brother-in-law has been doing well with Yifei recently. It's not unreasonable for her to take advantage of him and send him a plate of braised pork. I can eat this meat with peace of mind."

"Sanlang is an honest man. If he does well, it will be a help to his son," Zhang Laoer said in a deep voice.

"I know that, and I'm only saying this to you," Xu said unhappily.

After dinner, Zhang Ping'an went back to his room to study as usual. He went to bed after the hour of Hai and had a good night's sleep!

On the second day, Zhang Ping'an went to the library and greeted Ye Xiaoshu, then came to Master Lu's study early.

Master Lu also taught students from Shangshe, and his study was not far from Master Ye's. However, the difference was that he was a second-class Jinshi, and he previously taught Class B of Shangshe, which was one level higher than Master Ye.

After knocking on the door, a servant came to open it. He was not surprised to see a strange student visiting. He led the person to the flower hall, asked another servant to serve tea, and then went in to report.

After a while, the attendant came out and invited Zhang Pingan in. He saw Master Lu sitting at the desk flipping through an ancient book. The surroundings were quiet and the study was neat and tidy.

"Master Lu, I am Zhang Ping'an, currently working in the provincial school library. I have long heard of your great reputation and would like to come and ask you for some advice. Please forgive me for disturbing you," Zhang Ping'an said respectfully.

Master Lu looked up at Zhang Ping'an and nodded slightly: "Well, sit down and talk. If you have any questions, feel free to speak up."

Although he was not as enthusiastic as he was to other students in the cafeteria, his attitude was still friendly, and Zhang Pingan was flattered.

He quickly took out the booklet he had compiled and explained the difficult academic problems one by one.

Master Lu took it, glanced at it, and said unhappily, "You ask me such a simple question? Do you really think my time is worthless?"

Zhang Pingan was embarrassed when he heard this, his face flushed, but he still said shamelessly and sincerely: "I am stupid, please teach me."

"Well, I happen to be free today, so I'll tell you about it!" Mr. Lu thought for a while and frowned when he saw Zhang Ping'an's expression.

His tone softened a bit, thinking that this man worked at the state school after all, and if word got out that he was being treated too harshly towards him, it would damage his reputation.