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

Although the dead are the most important, and the two families had been engaged after all, and some affection should be taken into consideration, the meaning of coming here in mourning clothes is completely different.

Sixteen or seventeen years old is the age when a girl is like a flower bud. She still has a long way to go in her life. How could Zhang Ping'an let his fifth sister bear the identity of a widow?

Zhang Laoer's attitude became firm when he heard his son say this: "That's right. Although my daughter Wu Ya is a widow now, she came here to wear mourning for the eldest son of the Deng family. Even if she is a widow, it's still different. My daughter is still young and will have to remarry in the future. We, as her parents, can't harm her. We can't do that!"

The Deng family was not happy about this either, and the two sides were deadlocked again.

Zhang Pingan saw that it was already afternoon and there was no way to discuss the situation, so he simply said, "Dad, Mom, let's go back. We have a clear conscience about this matter and we are not afraid of anyone causing trouble!"

Zhang Laosan echoed, "That's right. Although our Zhang family is from outside, we have relatives here, and there are many men in our family. If you want to bully us, think twice!"

When the group was leaving, the second son of the Deng family wanted to stop them, but Zhang Pingan shouted with a cold face, "Get out of the way!"

The Deng family elder was afraid that someone else would die. He didn't have a very close relationship with the Deng brothers, so he quickly said, "Qingshi, the dead are the most important. Let's take care of your brother's funeral first!"

Other members of the Deng family came over and pulled Deng Qingshi aside. Only then did Deng Laoer walk out reluctantly, glaring at the Zhang family members.

They were all in the south of the city, and it wasn't too far from here to go home. Zhang Ping'an guessed that no one would have the heart to cook dinner today, so he packed a lot of sesame and meat-filled biscuits on the roadside so that everyone could eat them in time when they got home.

Mrs. Xu was so worried that her head was almost bald. "Now that Fifth Girl is in this situation, Sixth Girl can't say anything to her either. Her two sisters won't marry, and Ping An, the younger brother, won't be able to find a wife either. This is such a mess. How could such a good marriage end up like this?!"

Zhang Laoer was also a little annoyed. A daughter's reputation was the most important thing. "Being a widow wouldn't be a big deal, there are plenty of widows these days. But if Deng Laoer really spreads the word that Wu Ya is unlucky, then Wu Ya won't have anyone to talk about anymore!"

"Yeah, people nowadays are still very taboo about these things," Boss Zhang muttered.

Zhang Laosan was more flexible and came up with a compromise. He said, "It's not good for Wu Ya to marry into a family and wear mourning clothes as a widow. Why not let Wu Ya find a nunnery and practice Buddhism with her hair uncut for a while? That would be a disguised way of observing mourning for Boss Deng. But people will be more tolerant of those who practice Buddhism."

After hearing this, Zhang Pingan said solemnly, "Dad, Mom, Uncle, Third Uncle, don't worry. This isn't Fifth Sister's fault. Why should we sacrifice ourselves for someone else's mistakes? Besides, I think there's something fishy going on with Boss Deng. I'll ask someone tomorrow to find out the truth first."

"What do you mean?" asked Boss Zhang.

Zhang Lao Er was worldly-wise and no fool. Upon hearing this, he whispered, "Do you think Boss Deng was wronged?"

"It's hard to say whether he was wronged, but there's definitely something fishy going on," Zhang Ping'an analyzed. "Boss Deng is just a lantern-pasting craftsman. When he delivers lanterns to wealthy families, at most he hands them over to the doorman or the housekeeper. How could he possibly come into contact with the women in the backyard? If there really was something going on between them, they would have at least had more contact with each other to get to know each other. But when I was chatting with Boss Deng before, I found that he's actually a very introverted person. Besides delivering goods, he's at home pasting lanterns. It stands to reason that such a person wouldn't be so bold as to do something so immoral."

Zhang Laosan listened thoughtfully. "Don't tell me, it's really like that. And, besides, the reputation of the women in our family is bad, and spreading the news won't do any good to the family, only harm. Usually, the meat will rot in the pot and the family will deal with it. They came to our door with such a big fanfare and spread this matter. It's unreasonable!"

Xu was surprised and said, "According to what you said, he might have been wrongly accused!"

"Let me find out the situation tomorrow. The problem can always be solved," Zhang Pingan said calmly.

Seeing that they were almost home, Zhang Laoer said, "Let's talk when we get home!"

When everyone got home, only Zhang, Daya and Erya, and Grandma Jinbao were still there. Li, Ma, and Liu the butcher's wife had all gone back. It was dinner time, and there were a bunch of children to take care of at home, so they had to go back to cook.

Wu Ya cried for the entire afternoon after this incident, and now her eyes are almost swollen like walnuts. She grew up in Zhangjia Village and knew too well what it meant to be a widow. She had already secretly compromised in her heart and decided to marry peacefully and live a good life. Why did God punish her like this?

"What's the situation?" Daya stood up and asked immediately when she saw everyone coming back.

The other people in the room also looked up.

Just as Xu was about to speak, Zhang Pingan spoke calmly, "The eldest son of the Deng family has indeed passed away. The funeral is currently underway. My parents and I will go there tomorrow to pay our tribute. This isn't Fifth Sister's fault, so don't worry too much!"

"Oh, what's going on? A good marriage has turned into a marriage of widowhood, and it will also affect your marriage with Liu Ya," Er Ya also sighed. After this incident, she was also worried about her younger brothers and sisters at home.

When Wu Ya heard this, she felt that her second sister was indirectly blaming her, and she couldn't help crying even harder, hiccuping and saying, "It's all...it's all my fault, okay? I'm the sinner in the family!"

Daya walked over and gently patted Wuya's arm, and comforted her in a gentle voice: "Wuya, no one blames you, don't think too much, you are still young, you can find a good family in the future."

After saying that, he took out a handkerchief to wipe Wu Ya's tears.

Liu Ya also sat over and started to comfort her.

Erya was a quick-tempered and straightforward person. She couldn't stand this whining and rolled her eyes. She said unhappily, "So all my comforting for the whole afternoon was in vain, wasn't it? What's the point of crying? Aren't we trying to find a way to solve the problem? How could I blame you for anything I said? I just told you the truth, and you misinterpreted me. Don't I feel wronged?"

Mrs. Xu looked at her daughters, frowned and scolded them, "Alright, stop talking. I'm so annoyed. Every one of you is so troublesome. You come home so late and there's no one to cook for you. We have to pack some sesame cakes for you to eat. You've had too much of a good life!"

Erya shrank her shoulders and stopped talking to avoid offending others.

Daya was already used to her mother's sharp tongue, so she explained, "Mom, don't worry! I've already told my mother-in-law that she'll bring the food over later."

Grandma Jinbao stood up and said gently, "Ping'an's mother, anger is harmful to your health. Don't get angry. Now that you are back, I will go back first. If you need any help, just let me know!"

Zhang Laoer said politely, "I'm really sorry to bother you today. After this matter is resolved, I will set up a table and invite everyone to dinner."

"You're welcome," Jinbao's grandmother waved her hand and went back with the support of Jinbao's father.

Zhang put out the pipe in her hand, stood up and said calmly, "Then I'm going back too, no need to see me off!"

After saying that, he stood up and left.