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

"What a coincidence," Guo Jia sighed.

At this moment, the steward of the posthouse came over and said with a smile, "Steward Guo, who is this?"

Guo Jia slapped his forehead and said with an annoyed look, "I was so happy that I forgot to introduce you. Manager Wang, this is my close friend, Mr. Zhang. He is a humble man and very knowledgeable."

After that, he turned to Zhang Ping'an and said, "Ping'an, this is Wang, the manager of our post house. He is mainly responsible for purchasing. I went out with him two days ago to the nearby Hu County to purchase some goods. He took good care of me along the way."

After the introduction, Zhang Ping'an and Manager Wang greeted each other and became acquainted.

Steward Wang looked to be in his thirties and was well versed in worldly matters. When he learned that Zhang Ping'an was a Juren, his eyes twinkled and he said with a smile, "Steward Guo, since it's such a coincidence that we've met Juren Zhang today, why don't I treat you to lunch together?"

Zhang Ping'an sensed that there was something going on between Guo Jia and this person, and fearing that Guo Jia might be embarrassed, he smiled and declined, "Manager Wang, I shouldn't refuse your invitation, but I came here today on my parents' orders to buy servants. I've been shopping around, and now I'm still empty-handed. If I don't get the job done, I'll be hard-pressed to explain myself when I return. I was just about to go to the pawnshop again! How about we make an appointment next time?"

Steward Wang clearly didn't want to miss this opportunity and said, "I wonder what kind of things Mr. Zhang wants to buy? I have an acquaintance in the market who can introduce you to some. He has a sufficient supply of goods, and I guarantee that the people who handle it are clean, know the rules, are skillful, and the price is fair!"

Zhang Pingan was about to continue to refuse, but Guo Jia smiled and said, "That's great! It's easier to get things done with someone you know. I'll trouble you, Manager Wang!"

After saying that, he gently tugged at Zhang Ping'an's sleeve.

Seeing this, Zhang Ping'an said nothing more. He bowed and thanked Manager Wang before following him to his acquaintance's stall.

Manager Wang happily led the way in front.

Zhang Ping'an asked Guo Jia with his eyes from behind, and Guo Jia gave him a soothing look, indicating that they would talk about it later.

When we arrived at the stall of the acquaintance that Manager Wang mentioned, we saw that there were indeed quite a lot of people. A group of men, women, young and old were kneeling on the ground in several rows according to their appearance, with straw tags stuck on their heads. The people with good appearance knelt in the front, and their clothes were slightly better than those of the people in other stalls.

The stall owner, a large, bearded man, was sitting on a recliner in the back, fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan to cool off. Seeing Manager Wang approach, he quickly and enthusiastically stepped forward and said, "Oh, what brings you here, Manager Wang? Just let me know so I can greet you at the door!"

Manager Wang acted very arrogant in front of this person. He put his hands behind his back, raised his head and chest, and said calmly, "I'm here to take care of your business. My friend and I want to buy a few people. Please pick out a few good ones for us. You know my situation. My friend is a scholar. Don't bring those dirty ones to dirty our place!"

"Of course I will. Since you are here to take care of my business, I dare not fool you," the bearded man said flatteringly, bending over. He then asked, "What kind of things do you two gentlemen want?"

Manager Wang glanced at Zhang Ping'an and gestured to ask him first.

The bearded man was a shrewd man. He rubbed his hands and quickly turned his gaze to Zhang Ping'an again.

Zhang Pingan thought for a moment and said, "My parents are old and need attentive care. So, I need an honest and attentive maid to take care of the laundry and cooking. I also need an old man to watch over the door. It would be best if he could drive a carriage. If there are any young men between the ages of eight and twelve who can read, I'd also like to see them. I'm still short of a servant."

The bearded man nodded hurriedly, turned around, and pulled three old women over from the back row, introducing them: "Master, these women used to work for wealthy families. They're proficient in cooking, washing clothes, and cleaning. Later, when their masters fell into poverty, they were sold off. They're all very honest and childless, so you can use them without worry."

Then he pointed at the two old men next to him and said, "These two old men are also lonely. They can drive a cart. I heard they can even read a few words. Do you think they can be good?"

Zhang Ping'an looked at the few people. They all had ordinary faces. He picked out two women and an old man that he liked and bought them.

Manager Wang took the remaining two maids without bargaining.

The bearded man sold four people at once, then bowed with a smile on his face and said, "Thank you, gentlemen, for taking care of my business. I'll send them to your house in a moment!"

After that, he said to Zhang Pingan, "Master, it's not easy to find young scholars. I'll have to keep an eye out for the bookboy you mentioned. When I find a suitable one, I'll send it directly to your house for you to choose!"

"It's okay, I'm not in a hurry," Zhang Pingan said, and then left his address.

After paying, Manager Wang took Zhang Ping'an away. After they were far away, he explained, "Mr. Zhang, although we didn't bargain with him just now, I know this broker inside and out. He wouldn't dare to fool us. His subordinates are well trained and have a clean background. The most important thing is that if something happens to the buyer, we can still come back to him. It's worth it!"

Zhang Pingan was surprised: "Can you guarantee after-sales service?"

Manager Wang had never heard of the term "after-sales service," but he understood the general meaning and said as a matter of course, "Of course. Returning it is the least of my worries. If anything goes wrong, I'll make sure he doesn't continue in this business!"

Zhang Pingan: He didn't expect that a posthouse manager could be so harsh...

So he smiled and didn't respond.

Steward Wang added, "I know a restaurant that's really good. It's in the east of the city. Let's go there!"

Zhang Ping'an didn't have a car, so he took the mule cart of Manager Wang.

When Zhang Ping'an arrived at the restaurant that Manager Wang mentioned, he found that it was of quite high quality. It had three floors and a long sign was hung at the door. It was a big restaurant and this meal would not be cheap.

Guo Jia was quite relaxed. He quickly ordered more than a dozen dishes, most of which were main dishes. He also ordered a pot of the best Biluochun tea.

Wang Guanshi was so angry that his face turned green when he saw Guo Jia stealing the show. He turned to Zhang Pingan and said kindly, "Mr. Zhang, please take a look at the dishes you ordered and see if they suit your taste. If you want to add anything else, please don't hesitate!"