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

Chapter 429 Prepare for a Rainy Day

When Zhang Ping'an came out of the examination room, he felt more relaxed than any previous exam.

It was like the feeling of seeing the finish line of a marathon. No matter what the final result was, he finally finished the whole race.

Zhang Laoer and the housekeeper were already waiting outside.

Seeing Zhang Pingan coming out, the two of them hurried forward to help take the exam basket.

Zhang Laoer said excitedly, "It's good that the exam is over. Let's go home!"

The housekeeper also smiled and said, "The old lady and the mistress are waiting at home. Originally, several sons-in-law wanted to come over, but the old master didn't let them. He said that you should be quiet and have a good rest for two days before we come."

"Well, the exam is finally over, let's go back," Zhang Pingan said in a relaxed tone.

Although he looked a little sloppy, he was in good spirits.

The carriage drove home slowly and leisurely. The road was bustling with people, a scene of prosperity and liveliness.

"Son, do you want to eat anything? I'll ask the driver to stop and buy you something," Zhang Laoer asked when he saw his son looking out the window.

Zhang Pingan shook his head: "Dad, no, I don't have much appetite right now, I just saw that it's quite lively outside."

"Haha, today is the last day of exams, how can it not be lively?" Zhang Laoer smiled.

Then he asked with concern, "After the exam, do you still need to go to the state school?"

"There's no need for classes for now. The results won't be announced until a month later. After that, the state school will make further arrangements based on the results," Zhang Ping'an said. "But during this time, I definitely have to visit all the teachers and classmates. Tomorrow morning, I'm going to the state school first. I don't think it will take too long. Then I'll go visit my father-in-law. He helped me a lot with this exam!"

Zhang Lao Er looked pleased and nodded, "That's as you should. Ask your mother and your wife to prepare some generous gifts. Don't be too polite."

The father and son chatted in the car for a while and then arrived home.

Knowing that her son loved cleanliness and would definitely wash up first when he got home, Xu had already asked the servants to prepare the bath water.

Zhang Ping'an felt refreshed after taking a shower. After he had tidied himself up, he came out to have dinner with everyone.

Tonight's dishes are much richer, with a variety of flavors.

Mrs. Xu kept helping her son pick up some food, worried that he wouldn't eat enough. "I've been stewing this squab since lunch. It's really nutritious. Come and try it!"

"Mom, I've had enough. Wait until I finish eating before you take more," Zhang Ping'an quickly stopped her, as his bowl was almost full.

Although there were a lot of dishes, Zhang Pingan didn't eat much. He had a poor appetite and just wanted to take a nap after eating.

"My dear, I was worried that you would catch a cold in the examination hall, so I asked a doctor to wait for you in the house. But since you seem to be in good spirits now, let's let the doctor take your pulse after dinner so that we can feel at ease. If you are confirmed to be fine, we can rest early and deal with anything tomorrow after you have rested up," Qian Youyi said softly.

"Madam, you are so thoughtful." Zhang Ping'an felt a warm feeling in his heart when he heard it.

As the mother-in-law, Xu could not find any fault with her daughter-in-law and was very satisfied with her.

After dinner, Qian Youyi asked a doctor to come and take his pulse. Apart from some qi deficiency, there was no other problem.

Just get some sleep and eat some good food, there's no need to prescribe any medicine.

Now the family can feel at ease.

Everyone went to bed early in the evening.

One night passed!

The next morning, Zhang Ping'an was full of energy again after a good sleep.

After breakfast, Zhang Ping'an said goodbye to his family and then went to the provincial school.

It is necessary to pay a visit to the teacher after the exam.

Other classmates will also come.

It is equivalent to a post-exam exchange meeting.

When Zhang Ping'an arrived, several classmates were already there.

Everyone felt quite relaxed after the exam.

Various activities came up again. Some people suggested holding a poetry reading, while others suggested going for an outing in the suburbs.

As long as the time does not conflict, Zhang Pingan will not refuse.

It's always good to know more people.

After a while, everyone in Class A arrived.

The Master then came out, encouraged everyone with a few words, and then let everyone go back.

It's a bit like going through the process.

After all, the exam is over. There is no point in saying more. We can only see the results in a month.

It was still early at this time, so after Zhang Ping'an came out, he asked the driver to turn around and go to the Minister's Mansion.

Today happens to be a day off, so if my father-in-law has no other arrangements, he should be at home.

To put it another way, even if the person is not there, visiting him/her shows sincerity.

Zhang Ping'an was lucky, Minister Qian did not go out today.

There were three candidates in his family who had just finished their exams, so he took the time to ask them about their answers.

After Zhang Ping'an arrived, he was taken directly to the study by the housekeeper.

My third brother-in-law Qian Wei and my fourth brother-in-law Qian Yu are already inside.

However, Minister Qian's face did not look very good.

Seeing Zhang Ping'an coming, he nodded and motioned Zhang Ping'an to come over and sit down to talk.

Zhang Ping'an bowed before sitting down.

Minister Qian was very polite to his son-in-law. He drank a cup of tea, calmed down his emotions, and then asked in a slow tone, "Ping'an, do you still remember your thinking behind this answer? Tell me about it."

"My dear father-in-law, I basically remember everything," Zhang Ping'an said, and then he reviewed his answers while recalling them.

Minister Qian's expression brightened considerably after hearing this. He stroked his beard and nodded, "Yes, in my opinion, there's a good chance of success!"

After saying this, he looked at his youngest son, Qian Yu, with a look of disappointment: "Don't always think too highly of yourself and think you're a genius. Your brother-in-law is three or four years younger than you. In my opinion, his chances of making the list this time are higher than yours!"

Zhang Pingan: ...My father-in-law compares me with other people's children. Doesn't this make my brother-in-law hate me?

Seeing that the atmosphere was getting tense, he could only smile and smooth things over, saying, "Father-in-law, the results haven't been announced yet, so there's no need to worry too much!"

Qian Wei also said: "Yes, Dad, I'm still young. Even if I don't pass this time, I can still take the exam next time!"

Minister Qian shook his head and said, "There's no time left. Regardless of whether you pass this time or not, you must find a job. The current situation is not optimistic. You all need to enter the government as soon as possible to help share the burden of the family."

"Alas," Minister Qian couldn't help but sigh at this point, and glared at his youngest son: "If you had a Jinshi, this matter would be much easier to handle, and the position would be easier to choose. Now is the time to need talents!"

Zhang Ping'an was shocked, as Mr. Fan had also said this, saying that he had to find a job no matter what.

Has the situation in the court become so bad?

As the youngest son, Qian Yu was usually the most favored, but he still understood the overall situation and didn't dare to argue. He just said, "Let's wait until the results are announced. I don't necessarily mean I'll fail! No matter what the result is, I will definitely follow my father's arrangements!"

"It's good that you can distinguish the priorities. The storm is coming and I must prepare for it." Minister Qian stood up and looked out the window with a serious look in his eyes.