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

Chapter 420 The Ambition of a Small Person

Jin Bao came out feeling a bit depressed: "There's an older, unmarried man standing right next to me, and he's just staring at me!"

"How can it be the same?" Guo Jia was speechless.

The three of them chatted and laughed as they walked to Xiao Yifei's house.

The two houses were close to each other, and it took less than a quarter of an hour to get there. When he entered the house, Xiao Yifei was helping to coax the child.

"Well, if you ask me, a man should be like Yifei, responsible to the outside world and able to help share the housework at home," Guo Jia said with a smile.

"Come in and sit down," Xiao Yifei didn't care about these jokes and hurriedly held the child to let everyone in.

Xiao's mother came over and took the child away, smiling and saying, "You two can go inside and talk. It's time for the child to go to bed. Let his mother coax him. I'll make you some dishes to go with the wine, and you can chat."

"Aunt, then we won't be polite," Zhang Ping'an said after paying New Year's greetings.

"Don't be polite, just treat it like your own home. The meat dishes are ready. Just add some seasonings and cook it!" Xiao's mother said gently.

After they entered the house and drank two cups of tea, Xiao's mother began to quickly set the table in the main room.

She was genuinely happy that everyone came to his house for dinner.

This shows that others at least still care about them. In Lin'an, more friends mean more paths. She hopes that they can have closer relationships so that her son can get more help in the future.

"By the way, Yifei, how is your recent work going? I have a heavy workload and haven't gotten together with you guys for a long time," Zhang Pingan said while eating.

"Our place is okay. The treatment and food are good. Usually we train and patrol the surrounding areas. We have a good relationship with the people around us and no one gives us any trouble. The only bad thing is that the barracks is in the suburbs, so it's not very convenient to go home every time," Xiao Yifei said with a smile.

"Can't you sleep there? It's really tiring to come back every day. Can you come back every few days?" Guo Jia asked in confusion.

"You don't understand this. Life is definitely different for those who are married and those who are not. Yifei can't bear to leave his family, not to mention that his family consists of women and children. He must be worried," Zhang Pingan understood.

He would also be worried if he were in his place.

Guo Jia disagreed: "How can he keep the three of them in his pocket all the time? The most important thing is that he must be strong enough. Once he reaches a certain level, someone will naturally come to protect the women and children at home."

"Why do you think so?" Jin Bao was a little surprised and even stopped picking up the food.

In his impression, Guo Jia had always been a very gentle and loyal person on the way to escape famine, but now his way of speaking and acting has a hint of unruly air.

"Am I wrong?" Guo Jia asked back.

Taking advantage of the alcohol, he also felt an urge to let it all out.

Otherwise, it would be too lonely to keep some things in my heart.

After draining the wine, Guo Jia continued, "Honestly, our fate isn't particularly good. We happen to live in such a turbulent time. This is a time of hardship and turmoil, but it's also a time of heroes! The ancients said, 'Are kings, princes, generals, and ministers born of the same species?' Are we destined to spend our lives carrying shoes, running errands, and doing odd jobs for officials? We were all born and raised by our parents, so why should we be? Just because we can be reborn?"

Each of these rhetorical questions was powerful and needed no response. He shook his head and continued, "It's a pity those noble families in the north weren't any more vulnerable. I heard many were slaughtered by Bai Chao and nearly wiped out. Haha! Ever since they crossed the river south, I've looked down on them from the bottom of my heart!"

"You are drunk, be careful with your words!" Zhang Pingan said calmly.

"Well, I'm a little drunk, but I have a few final words," Guo Jia said, shaking his head. "There's no point in avoiding many things. Even a small wish like wanting to protect your family can be shattered in an instant by the flick of a wrist from someone in power. Instead of that, why not climb to the top and see for myself? That way, my life will be worthwhile! A real man shouldn't be soft-hearted!"

The remaining three people looked at each other and didn't respond.

"Just wait, I have a feeling that this day is not far away. Whether it is a dragon or a worm, we will know when the time comes," Guo Jia said finally.

Zhang Pingan sighed in his heart. He knew that Guo Jia's words were both a confession and a test.

In fact, he had long felt that with Guo Jia's talent, he would definitely not be an unknown person in the future, but he never expected that he would have such great ambitions.

I believe there are many people like him.

Some even took shortcuts by entering officialdom through the imperial examinations.

Trying to piece together this broken map of Daxia is as difficult as Yugong moving the mountain.

Zhang Pingan didn't respond. He took the wine glass from Guo Jia's hand and handed it to him in exchange for a cup of tea. He said, "You should drink some tea first. Don't get drunk and fall down when you go out later!"

Xiao Yifei also followed suit, saying, "Yes, yes, drinking tea is good. Alcohol is very harmful to the body. We won't drink anymore. Let's drink tea with you."

Jinbao quickly retracted his surprised look, pretended not to understand, and picked up the teacup to drink tea.

Guo Jia knew that the people present were all sensible and kept their mouths shut, so he was not worried at all that they would go out and say something nonsense.

He was able to let his feelings out, but he left all his worries to the other three people.

Zhang Pingan originally wanted to invite everyone to his house for dinner, but now it’s not easy to ask. Let’s wait until he finishes the imperial examination!

At this moment, he thought of Lin Junhui's grand ambitions when he went to Lin Junhui's house to pay New Year's greetings in the morning.

It seems that there is still a long way to go!

After the meal, everyone went home, and Zhang Pingan took Guo Jia back to the inn on the way.

After getting in the car, I didn't bring up the topic again.

Some things can't be discussed.

After arriving at the posthouse, Guo Jiali jumped off the carriage, waved his hand and laughed loudly: "Let's go, I'll come to congratulate you after you finish the test!"

After saying this, he returned to the inn in a leisurely manner.

Zhang Ping'an shook his head and stopped thinking about these things. When he had too many worries, his mind would not be at peace. All he could do now was to pretend that he didn't know about this.

When I got home, the first and third wives had already gone home.

After all, both families have bought houses, and they have to go back to warm up the houses during the New Year, otherwise there will be no warmth in the house, which is a bad omen.

After a busy day, Zhang Ping'an went to bed early in the evening.

Tomorrow, several of my sisters are going back to their parents' home to pay New Year's greetings, and I also have to take my wife to my father-in-law's house, so I won't be able to relax.

The night passed quickly.

The next morning came in a flash.

Zhang Laoer and Xu got up early and asked the servants to prepare fruits, snacks and tea. They also prepared a lot of red envelopes for their grandchildren.

As Zhang Ping'an and Qian Youyi are uncle and aunt, red envelopes are naturally indispensable.

Liu Ya's family lived nearby and were the first to arrive.

"Oh, it's just dawn, you've come early. Come sit down and rest," Mrs. Xu said, and then asked, "Can you guys get a bowl of chicken noodle soup first? It'll take a long time for everyone to get ready for dinner!"

"Thank you, Mom," Yu Shiqi hurriedly expressed his gratitude.

He also felt that it was too early and why he was in such a hurry. However, he was not very sensitive to matters of life, so he had no objection if his wife was happy.