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

The Chinese people's drinking culture has existed since ancient times, and Zhang Pingan was inevitably urged to drink when he toasted every table.

Although he cleverly used various excuses to block some of the wine and drink less, and at the same time speeded up the pace of toasting, he still drank quite a bit after more than 20 tables. He was not drunk, but his stomach was rumbling and he had to go to the toilet.

After toasting the last table, Zhang Pingan breathed a sigh of relief.

Dazhu had been secretly worried by the side. When he saw Zhang Pingan finally finish his toast, he hurried forward to support him.

Zhang Ping'an pretended to be drunk, smiled and bowed to express his gratitude, thanking everyone for coming today and for making sure everyone had a good meal and drink.

Only then did he go back to the yard to solve his urgent problems.

Although it is breakfast, the menu is not sloppy at all.

When Zhang Ping'an came out of the toilet, the women in the courtyard were eating happily. Xu quickly stood up and said, "Son, the food the chef cooked is delicious. Don't just drink alcohol, it hurts your stomach! Eat something quickly!"

Da Ya and Er Ya quickly picked up a bowl of food from a clean bowl, stood up and said, "Little brother, finish your meal before you leave, otherwise the people outside will toast you again, and it will be bad if you don't drink it."

"Thank you, elder sister and second sister," Zhang Ping'an took it with a smile, sat in the empty seat and started eating.

Don’t go out until you’ve finished eating.

Breakfast didn't end until almost noon.

Zhang Ping'an had to see off guests one by one at the door, which was really a very tiring job.

After the meal, the table and the floor were a mess. The chef and his apprentices quickly finished the meal, and then took others to clean up.

Normally, what is not finished in the morning should be left over for lunch, but the heated dishes have different colors, and this is obviously not allowed on a day like today, as it would be inappropriate.

The cook finally cleaned up three large basins of leftovers. Xu picked out the good ones and distributed them to the relatives, and left the rest to the cook, who was so happy that he smiled from ear to ear.

Xu's heart ached, and she whispered to Daya, "They got such a good deal! These are all delicious dishes, with plenty of oil and water, and they cost a lot of money!"

If we save this for our family to eat in the winter, it will last us for a long time!

Daya advised, "Forget it, mother. It's hot and the food won't keep well. We have relatives having lunch and dinner here. Putting it in the well water won't keep much. It's only right that they get the profit."

As noon approached, carriages began to drive into the alley one after another. It was obvious at a glance that the people coming were of extraordinary status.

The carriage stopped in front of the Zhang family's gate. The servant jumped out, bowed and asked, "Excuse me, is this the residence of Mr. Zhang?"

In fact, you can tell from the plaque and the banquets in the alley that this question is asked out of courtesy to confirm.

Zhang Pingan put his hands behind his back and nodded, saying, "That's right!"

"Master Zhang, I am from Huo Jieyuan's mansion. My young master couldn't come here today due to some matters, so he asked me to come and deliver the gift. I hope Master Zhang will forgive me for any impoliteness," the servant said with a salute, then turned around and took the gift out of the car.

There were six rolls of silk and satin, plus a set of fine study treasures, all worth at least a hundred taels. It was very valuable, worthy of being the work of a noble family.

Before Zhang Ping'an could say anything, the servant put down his things, bowed and left.

Then there were seven or eight families from other successful candidates' houses, and three or four families from nearby gentry houses. They were all friends Zhang Ping'an had made at the literary gathering yesterday. Although they didn't show up, the gifts they sent were quite generous.

Most of them are silks and satins, gold and silver jewelry, or the four treasures of the study, which are hard currency that can be used as money, but they appear to be much more elegant than giving money.

Xu and others were dazzled by these silks and satins.

Shen said excitedly: "Third sister, look at these satins, they are all good things, worth a lot of money, our family is rich!"

Wow, in the past, if a girl in the village had a red satin veil when she got married, it would be a great honor in the surrounding area. But now these people give away whole pieces of veil, which is incredible!

Xu was also very excited, but she rolled her eyes and slapped Shen's hand away, scolding: "Who said you are our family? What do these gifts have to do with you? Don't worry about it!"

Zhang Ping'an told his cousin Erhe to remember clearly that these were all gifts that needed to be repaid in the near future, it was just a matter of transferring money from one hand to the other.

"Well, don't worry. It's just a record in the gift book. It won't go wrong," Erhe said confidently. After all, he was also an accountant.

After a while, someone came who Zhang Pingan did not expect.

"Master Lu, why did you come here in person? Please take a seat," Zhang Ping'an hurriedly stepped forward and bowed.

Master Lu helped Zhang Ping'an get off the carriage, stroked his beard, and said slowly, "Why, didn't you send me an invitation? Why can't I come?"

"That's not what I meant. I'm just a little flattered. Please sit down," Zhang Ping'an said with a smile.

Master Lu was very dignified when outsiders were present, with the demeanor of a great scholar and a bit of the air of a hermit.

He was also a Jinshi graduate and taught at the provincial school.

Zhang Laoer, Xu and others were stunned at once. They had never seen a living Jinshi before, let alone knew him, so they hurriedly ordered Mrs. Hu to serve tea.

"We all live in the east of the city now, which is not too far away. I might as well go there in person to make my congratulations seem more sincere. But I don't like crowds, so I won't eat," said Mr. Lu, picking up the teacup and taking two sips.

He also ordered his attendants to present the gifts.

Zhang Laoer was extremely embarrassed and said helplessly, "This...this is not okay. We should at least have a meal. Otherwise, it would be too rude!"

"It's okay, don't worry about these empty formalities," Master Lu raised his hand and said.

Zhang Pingan understood Master Lu's personality. It was not easy for him to come here in person today. If he insisted on keeping him here for dinner, that would be unreasonable. So he said, "Okay, I'll have a drink with you alone some other day!"

As Master Lu stood up to say goodbye, Zhang Lao Er said with some excitement and hesitation, "Master Lu... Master Lu, could you wait for me to set off some firecrackers before you leave? In our hometown, when an important person comes to visit, we always set off firecrackers to celebrate."

It also represents a kind of glory.

But there are very few such opportunities!

Mr. Lu really didn't think he was a big shot, but seeing Zhang Laoer's eager and hopeful eyes, he could only smile and say, "Why not?"

Zhang Laoer hurriedly took out a string of firecrackers he had bought, hung it in front of the door and lit it, and crackling sounds immediately rang out.

He also threw out a handful of wedding candies and money.

The children immediately rushed over, and the front of the door was bustling with activity.

Mr. Lu waited until all the firecrackers were set off before leaving.

As we turned out, another carriage drove in.

Some people Zhang Ping'an had not expected to see were his former classmates from Class A of the State School, Jiang Fengping and Zhong Jinhuai, and another classmate named Lan. The three of them sent their servants to deliver gifts.

After all, everyone was just doing it for the sake of face. Although he sent an invitation, he really didn't expect that the three of them would send someone.

Moreover, Zhong Jinhuai failed the provincial examination this time.

Jiang Fengping and Lan Tongxue were on the list, but their rankings were lower than his. During the Lu Ming Banquet, they sat at the back, quite far away. At yesterday's literary gathering, they just nodded and greeted each other.

The servants all left after giving their gifts, so Zhang Pingan didn't think too much about it.