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

Chapter 439: Future

It’s been so many years since we last met!

Seeing the familiar name again, Zhang Pingan felt mixed emotions.

Although I became a disciple of a teacher by chance, I never attended a single day of class. But at the beginning of my escape, it was really thanks to the reputation of my teacher and two senior brothers that everything went smoothly!

In ancient times, communication was inconvenient, and there was the natural barrier of the Cangwu River between us. Living in troubled times, I never thought that we would meet again!

Zhang Pingan calmed himself down before continuing to read.

I saw six or seven familiar names. They were my classmates at the provincial school and they were usually good students.

It seems that the provincial school also reaped great rewards from this imperial examination.

I looked all the way to the last one, but didn’t see Mr. Fan’s name. He failed the exam!

However, thinking of what Mr. Fan had said before, that he had secured a good job through his connections, Zhang Ping'an felt much more relieved. He guessed that Mr. Fan himself must have anticipated this result.

Generally, candidates taking the imperial examinations would register their temporary address at the ritual room of the Lin'an government office to facilitate the announcement of good news.

Zhang Ping'an turned around and told the housekeeper to find out the specific address of the eldest brother, which was not a difficult task.

After a while, the servant prepared the medicine and brought it to Zhang Laoer to drink.

I don’t know if it was because the medicine was effective or if Zhang Laoer himself had calmed down a lot, but not long after taking the medicine, he looked the same as usual, with no obvious symptoms.

Zhang Laoer himself also felt much better.

At this time, the families of Zhang Lao Da and Zhang Lao San arrived with Old Man Zhang and Mrs. Zhang.

Among all the people, the most exaggerated one was Zhang Laosan. As soon as he entered the main hall, he burst into tears. He rushed over and grabbed Zhang Ping'an's hand, crying, "Ping'an, you are too proud! Our Zhang family's ancestral tomb is smoking. We must open a separate page in the family tree for you!"

Ma was also very enthusiastic. She came over and said, "Yes, yes, you have to listen to your third uncle on this matter. I've noticed since you were little that you're different from other children. You must be the reincarnation of Wenquxing! The Zhang family has hope now!"

Mrs. Li smiled aside and said with a hint of meaning, "Third sister-in-law, what do you know? When Second sister-in-law gave birth to Ping'an, I remember you were still arguing with her in the fields. It was only me and mother who helped her go back to give birth!"

At this point, Li slapped her thigh and said, "Oh, I remember now. My second brother's wife started the attack because she stepped on a black snake. As the old saying goes, there's a reason for this. Ping An's birth must be from a certain background!"

Ma laughed and said, "Really? I completely forgot about it. Oh, it's all in the past! Sister-in-law, please don't mention it anymore!"

Dahe and Erhe felt really embarrassed seeing their parents' behavior!

Zhang was a little speechless watching her two daughters-in-law perform, but she didn't care. Although she was very excited, she remained calm on the surface. She just went over to shake her grandson's hand and sighed, "Ping An, it hasn't been easy to get through the imperial examinations. Good days are ahead! You really did your best!"

Old man Zhang was no longer deaf at this time. He walked over to his grandson, wiped his tears, and took out a small piece of silver from his pocket and handed it to Zhang Pingan: "Pingan, my good grandson! You have brought honor to our family!"

Although Xu lives a good life now, the past is still vivid in her mind. She is now extremely grateful for her decision to let her son go to school.

As the old saying goes, sweetness comes after bitterness, and she has finally gotten her sweetness after all the suffering!

I was deeply touched and my eyes turned red. I raised my sleeves to wipe away my tears.

Zhang Laoer was in a similar mood to Xu, and he said in a hoarse voice, "Dad, Mom, Big Brother, Little Brother, let's sit down and talk!"

"Yes, yes, sit down and talk," Boss Zhang responded quickly.

After everyone sits down.

Zhang Laoer then said, "Although we are now in Lin'an, far away from our hometown, passing the imperial examination is a big deal. We must attend to all the necessary rituals, such as worshipping our ancestors and entering the family tree. After all, we don't know when we will be able to return to Ezhou Prefecture. We also need to build a Jinshi Archway next to the Juren Archway. From now on, that old house will be our ancestral home!"

Zhang Pingan thought for a moment and said, "Dad, let's wait a few more days!"

"What do you mean?" Zhang Laoer asked in confusion.

"I haven't taken the palace examination yet. Strictly speaking, I can only be considered a Gongshi. My final ranking and background will be known only after the palace examination. At that time, it will be legitimate to build a Jinshi archway, and the government will also give me a corresponding reward."

"Then can I become an official?" Ma leaned forward and asked impatiently.

"It depends on the situation. It's likely to happen, but we may have to wait," Zhang Pingan said without being too absolute.

Although this is almost the case.

"I understand. Then let's wait for a few days. There's no rush!" Zhang Laoer decided in a deep voice.

Both Mrs. Zhang and Old Man Zhang had no objection.

Zhang Lao Da and Zhang Lao San naturally had no objections.

Seeing that it was almost time, Qian Youyi said gently, "My husband's success is a big deal. We can discuss the ancestor worship later. Why don't we have lunch first? I've already told the kitchen to prepare it. It should be almost ready by now!"

Zhang stood up and said, "Eat first! Nothing is more important than eating!"

During the meal, everyone was very excited and discussed the details of ancestor worship.

Although rural people may not have much university knowledge, they understand very well the principle that if one person succeeds, the whole family will benefit!

If this happened in my hometown, it would be a grand event with a banquet lasting six days and six nights, which would definitely cause a sensation in the whole village!

However, the Zhang family does not have so many relatives in Lin'an, and they cannot be so high-profile. They can just keep it going for three days for fun!

This is Zhang Laoer’s only regret!

Zhang Ping'an was very excited at first, but gradually calmed down.

On the contrary, he is very calm!

Just let the elders discuss it, and you just need to cooperate.

After finishing his meal and apologizing to his elders, he went to Qian's house.

Since Minister Qian specifically asked someone to deliver a message, he must have something important to tell you.

What’s more, since it is about the palace examination, we cannot be careless!

When Zhang Ping'an arrived at the study, his four uncles were all there.

The other uncles were fine, but my fourth uncle Qian Yu looked the worst.

Minister Qian also looked angry.

It was obvious that he had just had an attack.

Seeing Zhang Pingan coming over, his expression relaxed and he raised his hand to signal, "Sit down!"

The servant served hot tea very tactfully, then bowed his head and quietly left.

Minister Qian took a sip of tea to moisten his throat before continuing seriously, "I asked you to come here today mainly to discuss the matter of Qian Wei and Ping An's palace examination. Qian Yu failed the exam, but he still needs to find a job. This concerns the future of the three of them. Tell us what you think!"

Qian Ying, the eldest uncle, worked in the Ministry of Revenue, a lucrative position, but he did not recommend the three of them to go there: "Father, second brother, third brother, fourth brother, Ping An, we are all family, I will speak frankly if I have anything to say!"