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

Guo Jia worked very quickly and gave Zhang Ping'an the result in less than three days.

He was promoted to a minor manager before he had worked at the post house for a year, which showed his ability. He was a man who understood the ways of the world and was good at making friends with people from all walks of life. He really took Zhang Ping'an's matter to heart, and he also hoped that they would be good friends and could support each other in the future.

However, good quality crickets have always been in short supply, and it really depends on fate.

It is said that the two of them have a bit of luck. This time, Guo Jia asked the little beggar from last time to help keep an eye on them and promised him a large sum of money.

On the third day, he finally bought a sky blue dragon from an old man. The old man had a seriously ill patient at home and was in need of a special medicinal ingredient. Guo Jia asked someone he knew in the medical department to help buy some in private, exchanging the medicinal ingredients with the old man and also paid some extra silver.

Ordinary people also have their own life wisdom. Even if others offered a higher price, the old man still chose to exchange it with Guo Jia, just for the sake of peace of mind. The fortune teller said that his life was light and he could not bear too much wealth.

Zhang Ping'an returned the money he spent to Guo Jia, and he could only repay these favors later.

When Master Lu saw that Zhang Ping'an had really found another sky blue cat, he looked at him with admiration and kept his promise. He started giving Zhang Ping'an a private lesson that day.

"You have no problem with the basic knowledge of the Four Books and Five Classics, but there is only one month left before the provincial examination. You need to prioritize your time. I will help you sort out the key points first, and then I will teach you how to solve the questions. Analyze the provincial examination questions from the past thirty years. Read more, watch more, and write more. It will be of great benefit to you," Master Lu said slowly, stroking his beard.

Once he talked about his professional field, his expression became very serious, and he even had a hint of an expert demeanor.

Zhang Ping'an couldn't ask for it.

He was a transfer student, and after explaining the situation to Master Huang, he no longer had to go back to class.

When he returned to the classroom to pack up his things, he found that only classmate Lan was there, and the things on Jiang Fengping and Zhong Jinhuai's desks were also tidy.

Seeing Zhang Ping'an also packing up his things, classmate Lan sighed, "You all found ways to find famous teachers to teach you before the exam. Now I'm the only one left in the class. That's good, this way I can have one-on-one lessons!"

After saying that, he turned around and went back to study. His lunch box was still beside him. He was holding a bun in his hand and eating while reading.

Everyone studied hard before the exam, hoping to gain a bright future in this provincial examination.

Zhang Ping'an was the same, he followed Master Lu and learned everything in his life.

Only then did he realize that when he came to ask questions before, Master Lu simply gave him instructions on the things he asked, and was still a little polite to him. But this time it was a serious lecture, and it was completely different. He went into more depth, and one question could even generate dozens of questions to sort out the knowledge.

Once Master Lu started teaching, he became serious and quick-tempered, often quoting scriptures and making personal attacks without even using a single curse word.

Zhang Pingan was scolded so badly that he was covered in dirt and couldn't even talk back.

If there is a lot of homework every day, I have to finish it until midnight, but when I hand it in to Master Lu the next day, it will often be circled a lot from beginning to end.

Zhang Pingan kept rewriting and revising, and the pain he felt couldn't be expressed in a few words!

Zhang Laoer and Xu felt sorry for their son. Seeing his eyes turn red from the smoke from the oil lamp every night while he was doing his homework, they reluctantly bought a lot of expensive candles. They didn't understand the homework and could only support their son silently behind the scenes. The couple stayed up late every night and went to bed with their son. In the middle of the night, Xu would go to get some midnight snacks for their son to fill his stomach.

The process is painful, but the effect is obvious.

That day, Master Lu gave Zhang Ping'an a test paper, which was full of long questions. Zhang Ping'an wrote from the morning till dusk before he finished.

Mr. Lu was waiting while reading a book on a recliner in the adjacent hall.

After Zhang Pingan finished writing, he took it and read it carefully, nodded with satisfaction, and said with a raised corner of his mouth: "The answer is not bad, it can barely pass!"

Zhang Pingan breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this. He had been hit so many times by Master Lu that he felt like he was lacking in everything and that he simply didn't have enough time!

"The provincial examination will be in five days. I'll give you some questions, all of which I wrote based on my own experience. You may be asked to take them in this provincial examination. You can take them back and do them yourself. When you're done, send someone to send them to me and I'll give you the marks. You don't have to come here these few days. Just eat, drink, sleep well and take care of your body at home. The provincial examination will last for nine days, so you can't do it without a good rest," Mr. Lu said with a smile, stroking his beard.

Zhang Ping'an had been mentally prepared for this matter. He originally wanted to ask for leave two days before the exam, but he didn't expect Mr. Lu to ask for leave in advance.

He quickly stood up and saluted, saying, "Thank you, Master. I am deeply grateful for your guidance during this period. I will be happy to assist you in any future endeavors!"

Mr. Lu said impatiently, "We are even now. Stop talking nonsense and go back!"

Zhang Ping'an then left. He knew that Master Lu was actually a man with a sharp tongue but a soft heart, and he was very concerned about his reputation. He was very polite to people he didn't know well, and kept up the status and airs of a great scholar. However, he had a very bad temper with people he knew well, and showed his true colors. He didn't have any bad intentions, and was even considered sincere in this dirty circle of scholars.

Hearing that Zhang Ping'an was going to review at home for a few days, Xu was as nervous as if facing a great enemy, fearing that any noise at home would disturb her son's studies. She put all the chickens in the chicken coop and took them to Daya's house. The whole family walked on tiptoe around the house.

There was a constant supply of nourishing soups. I heard from others that fish maw and sea cucumbers were good things, so I bought a lot and thought of stewing them with chicken. I gave them to Zhang Ping'an first, and when Zhang Ping'an couldn't finish them, I gave them to my eldest son-in-law Liu Sanlang. Both of them had exams to take, so they both needed some nourishment!

Daya, Erya, Xu Xiaojiu and Jinbao's family also sent gifts. Everyone attaches great importance to this exam.

Mrs. Liu the butcher also bought a lot of paper money and incense sticks, saying that she wanted to worship her ancestors and ask for their blessings.

As a result, Xu also bought a lot of things, just to seek psychological comfort.

Five days passed in a flash, and soon it was the morning of the provincial examination.