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

Chapter 441 Reminiscing

"It's me!" Zhang Ping'an replied, feeling very excited.

The appearance of the eldest brother Pan Shibei has not changed much compared to a few years ago. He is still as gentle and elegant as ever.

But his eyes were more determined and mature.

There are shallow wrinkles between his eyebrows, which are obviously caused by frequent frowning. There are a few white hairs in the temples, which cannot be seen unless you look closely.

The material of the clothes is the relatively valuable snow satin, but the tailoring and workmanship are not as good as before.

The overall feeling has become much more restrained, and the noble gentleman's style has faded.

Details can't lie.

It seems that the eldest brother's life is a little worse than before, Zhang Pingan thought to himself.

"Would you like me to come in and sit down?" Zhang Ping'an said with a smile.

He had been mentally prepared before coming, so in comparison, he seemed calmer than his senior brother.

Pan Shibei finally came to his senses after hearing this. He also smiled and said, "Ping'an, come in quickly. Look at me. I'm so excited that I've lost my composure!"

His voice was a little hoarse and his eyes were a little red.

After saying that, he made a gesture of invitation and moved aside to open the door.

After the two sat down at the table by the window, Pan Shibei calmed himself down and poured a cup of tea for Zhang Pingan. After his emotions had calmed down a little and returned to his normal state, he smiled and said, "Pingan, I never thought I would meet you again, and in Lin'an!"

"Yeah, I didn't expect that either," Zhang Pingan said with emotion. "But over the past two years, I've often thought of my teacher, my two senior brothers, and all the old friends back home. But the world is so chaotic, and it's already difficult to protect myself. I can't really hope that we'll be together again!"

"Yes," Pan Shibei nodded and asked, "By the way, how did you find me?"

"It's just a coincidence," Zhang Pingan replied.

"I've already gotten married in Lin'an. My father-in-law is Minister Qian of the Ministry of Rites. After the imperial examination results were announced, he sent someone to deliver the list to me. I found your name on the list, and since it matched my household registration, I guessed it might be you. After asking someone to find out the specific address, I came here to confirm it before I could feel at ease."

After hearing this, Pan Shibei showed an expression of sudden enlightenment: "So that's how it is!"

After saying that, he asked doubtfully, "Did you also participate in this year's examination?"

Zhang Pingan nodded: "Yes, I was lucky enough to make the list, 38th place, and the same year as you, Senior Brother."

Although Pan Shibei had some guesses in his mind, he was still shocked when he heard the answer: "In just over two years, you have become a Gongshi, and your ranking is much higher than mine!"

After finishing speaking, without waiting for Zhang Ping'an to reply, he sighed and said, "It seems that you have had a good life in the past few years. You are very close to getting married and starting a family. The teacher will definitely be very pleased when he knows this!"

"I also met a noble person who helped me." Zhang Pingan didn't elaborate, and asked: "By the way, Senior Brother, how are the teacher and Second Brother? Where are you staying now?"

After saying that, he glanced around the room briefly. Seeing no one else, he asked in confusion, "Big Brother, are you alone? Did you come to Lin'an to take the exam without any servants or guards?"

He remembered that his eldest brother's family background was very good in the past, and he was from a family of scholars. Even if he fell on hard times after coming to the south, there was no reason for him to go out alone to take the exam!

Pan Shibei shook his head and quickly explained, "Don't worry about that. I brought some guards with me. They've been busy all day. They just went out to eat together and will be back soon."

"That's good!" Zhang Pingan felt relieved.

The two of them sat at the table and reminisced about the past.

Pan Shibei sighed and continued, "My teacher and I are both living in Changzhou at the moment. It's not too far from Jinling and Lin'an, so life is pretty good. As for your second senior brother... well, it's a long story!"

Zhang Ping'an made an expression as if he was listening attentively.

After a pause, Pan Shibei continued while recalling, "More than two years ago, ever since you went back to your hometown to visit your relatives, martial law was gradually imposed in the capital, conscription began, and then taxes were raised. Later, the winds of change became increasingly unfavorable. Seeing that the world was about to get worse, several wealthy families in the capital began to leave for Yingzhou. Our Pan and Han families are also considered to be some prestigious families in the capital, so it is not difficult for us to leave the city. After some discussion, the two families decided to follow the wealthy families and see how the situation develops first!"

At this point, Pan Shibei sighed heavily, his face showing pain. He stood up and walked to the window, looking into the distance and said, "At that time, I just thought we were going to avoid the limelight temporarily. Your second senior brother was a nerd and stubborn. He refused to leave no matter what. My teacher and I couldn't persuade him, so we didn't force him. Who would have thought that the situation of the north and the south would split up later? We couldn't go back to the capital city, so we had to continue fleeing south. After we recovered in Jinling, we wanted to settle down at the foot of the Emperor Lin'an. But when we arrived in Changzhou, my teacher fell ill. The long journey was not suitable for recuperation, so we stayed in Changzhou for the time being. The security in Changzhou was not bad, and my family didn't want to leave anymore. We have been staying here until now. Later, I heard from acquaintances who fled to the south that your second senior brother had passed away and was killed by the barbarians!"

When he said this, Pan Shibei's voice was choked with sobs, and he tried hard to hold back his tears.

"To be honest, as the eldest senior brother, I should have forced him to go with me when I knew that the world was not right. After all, I was afraid of death and a coward. Over the past two years, I have condemned myself countless times. Why did I let your second senior brother stay in the capital city? What's more, we are not only brothers, but also close friends who grew up together," Pan Shibei said regretfully.

Zhang Pingan fell silent after hearing this. He didn't expect this result.

He remembered that his second senior brother loved to play with inscriptions on ancient monuments and calligraphy. He was a real bookworm, simple-minded and not interested in fame and fortune. It was really sad that such a person died young!

"Senior Brother, you don't have to blame yourself. The dead are gone, and the living have to continue living. Now that we brothers can get together again, it means that it is the fate arranged by God. We will one day return to our homeland and avenge our second brother," Zhang Pingan walked over, patted the eldest brother on the shoulder and comforted him softly.

"You don't have to persuade me. This is a lifelong knot in my heart. I will take it to my coffin after I die." Pan Shibei smiled, but his smile was uglier than crying.

"Teacher, are you feeling better now?" Zhang Pingan asked with concern.

"Much better. As long as he doesn't get too emotional, he'll be fine. He just needs to take good care of himself," Pan Shibei said. "You know his temper. He hates evil and hates everything. He couldn't stand the petty manipulation in the officialdom in the past. What's more, now that the country is in ruins and the world is in ruins, every time he hears news of the turbulent times in the teahouse, he gets sick when he gets home. Sigh!"

Although he had not been an apprentice for long, Zhang Ping'an knew his teacher's temper. He sighed and felt a little worried!

"If the teacher knew that you are now a Gongshi and are about to become a Jinshi, he would definitely be very happy. This is great news," Pan Shibei said with a smile.