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

Zhang Pingan had no idea what was happening here.

He had a vague feeling that he was being followed, so he ordered Chibao to take people to investigate, but they found no ambush on either side.

The public security in the vicinity of Lin'an has always been very good.

But just in case, he reorganized the crew to ensure safety while eating on the roadside at noon.

Although the people in Heifengdu have not formally learned martial arts, they have grown up in hardships and have a ruthlessness in their bones.

Before Zhang Ping'an set out this time, he re-equipped them with weapons, so the ordinary bandits and robbers did not dare to act rashly.

As they walked further and further, Xu and Qian Youyi became more and more excited.

Everything I see seems strange!

"The weather is really nice today," said Xu with a smile.

Qian Youyi also echoed in a gentle voice: "It's been a while since I came out to relax. The sun is nice today!"

"Let's just eat some dry food on the road for the next two days, and then try the local specialties when we get to Ci County," Zhang Ping'an said with a smile.

Whenever Qian Youyi saw nice stones or beautiful flowers on the way, he would ask Nanny Rong and the maid to collect them and put them in the empty boxes that had been specially prepared.

Those who watched were full were puzzled.

They cannot understand what is so beautiful about stones and flowers.

And the tail feathers of a pheasant.

They are all worthless stuff!

The women in this wealthy family think differently!

The first day passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye it was the second day.

The group had already walked halfway and arrived at Willow Hill.

This place is rich in loquats, bayberries and elaeagnus, but the bayberries are not yet fully ripe.

Loquat and elaeagnus are already on the market.

There are many farmers on both sides of the official road selling goods in baskets on their backs. They are basically old people and children, most of them have dark complexions and skinny bodies.

You can tell at a glance that the food is not very good.

From time to time, people on the official road would stop to buy some.

Zhang Ping'an's group was quite large, and they had a carriage. It was obvious that he was wealthy, so he was probably their main target for sales.

Many children came forward from afar to ask questions.

The weather in March was still a bit cold, but most children only wore straw sandals.

"Master, please buy some. They are sweet and grown at home," said a child.

Don’t say that farmers are stupid, they also have their own life wisdom.

There are skills to sales promotion. Children who come forward to ask questions are not easily driven away, and generally they will not offend these gentlemen.

Zhang Pingan took a look and found it quite fresh, so he said, "Okay, give me some!"

"Thank you, sir. How much do you want?" the little black boy asked happily.

"I want this whole basket," Zhang Pingan said, "but you have to help me wash it!"

"No problem," the little black boy responded loudly. This was a big deal.

After saying that, he turned around and called his grandmother to come and wash the fruit together.

There is a ditch not far away.

The ditch is full of aquatic plants, but the water is very clean.

Zhang Ping'an ordered the maid to take a clean basket and go with the child.

Everyone stopped by the roadside to rest and take a break.

"Mom, Youyi, do you want to come down and get some fresh air?" Zhang Pingan asked as he stepped forward beside the carriage.

"I won't go down," Qian Youyi replied lazily.

Xu didn't have any scruples. She got out of the car, stretched, and shouted, "Ouch, my waist hurts from sitting. I need to move around!"

After saying that, he looked around and praised, "This place is great. The climate is good, there are a lot of fertile fields, and there are also some old fruit trees planted here. No one will starve. Besides, I see there are more boys than girls. The feng shui is also good. It's a suitable place to settle down!"

An old woman nearby shook her head after hearing this and continued, "Old Madam, no, you're a noble lady, but you don't know that life here is very hard. We work so hard all year round that we're lucky to be able to eat half a full meal. Since I turned 30, I've never had a full meal!"

Xu tilted her head and asked, "Why is that? Are you tenant farmers?"

Logically speaking, as long as you have your own land, you shouldn't starve in such a beautiful place with mountains and rivers!

"The taxes and labor service are heavy, and there's also the poll tax. If our village wasn't next to the official road, and we couldn't make ends meet with the money from selling fruit, and we couldn't go around the mountains and fields in spring to pick more wild vegetables and cook and dry them together to eat, thus saving food, we would really have to sell our children like the people in the next town," the old woman said, then she sighed deeply.

The burden of life is really hard to breathe!

"Didn't the court abolish the population tax last year?" Zhang Pingan asked.

This place is not far from Lin'an, so the implementation of the court's policies should be relatively thorough.

"I don't know. Anyway, we have been paying taxes all the time. We can't afford to live anymore," said the old woman.

After saying that, he looked at the children in the distance and continued, "Also, having many sons is not because of our good feng shui. It's because the daughters who were born too many times were drowned. Just like my family, I only have three granddaughters left. When they grow up, they can be married to my grandson. I will send the rest to the mountains when they are born!"

"This..." Xu was speechless.

In the end, I could only sigh and not blame anyone.

Fortunately, my family doesn’t have to live like this.

Zhang Pingan understood after hearing this, and guessed that this local official was not very good.

The ground is scraped hard!

I don't know what the situation is like in Ci County. From what I heard from people around here, they all said that Ci County is wealthy.

Hope the handover goes smoothly!