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

It was not until the morning of the day when Lieutenant General Zhou was about to lead his men to the Cangwu River front that Zhang Ping'an learned of their departure.

The departure of more than 20,000 people must have made quite a commotion. No matter how secretive it was, it could not be hidden from him, the county magistrate.

Zhang Pingan was a little surprised but also somewhat expected it. He smiled and said, "It's rare that you still think of saying hello to me!"

Lieutenant General Zhou played dumb, pretending to be clueless. He laughed innocently, "Master Zhang, what are you talking about? You're the head of a county. We've been on your territory for so long. If we want to leave, we absolutely have to tell you. I know this etiquette!"

"Okay, I got it. I wish you a safe journey in advance," Zhang Pingan said without saying anything else.

"See you again if we have the chance!" Lieutenant General Zhou stood up and bowed seriously.

Just like that, when it was getting dark that night, Admiral Zhou and his elite navy quietly left Ci County by boat, and went directly north along the coast to the Cangwu River front, but it was not clear which ferry they went to.

Zhang Ping'an had a premonition that something bad would happen to the Jiang family soon.

As the saying goes, when the weather is crazy, it will rain; when people are crazy, they will suffer misfortune; no one can escape from this.

Judging from his several contacts with Lord Zhou, there must be a reason why these naval forces left Ci County. If they don't take action, it's fine. But if they do, there will definitely be some noise.

Sure enough, not long after, the government bulletin reported that the father and son of the Jiang family were assassinated by spies sent from the north on the front line, and the front-line deployment along the river was now taken over by Lord Zhou.

Having lost its core member, the huge Jiang family immediately fell apart. The only ones left in the eldest branch of the family were Jiang Fengping and his two little nephews. Although they were posthumously conferred titles by the emperor, the deceased were no longer with us. How could the pain be compensated?

Hua Wanli was a man who was content with the status quo. After putting down the official newspaper, he sighed, "Sometimes I think it would be nice to be a scholar like me and get a small official position. I wouldn't have to worry about big things, and I wouldn't have to do small things. I could just live my life peacefully."

"That's what we say, but we only live for a short time, and we've studied for so many years, so we have to have some pursuits, otherwise it would be like we've lived in vain," Zhang Ping'an said with a smile.

"Yeah, who can really stay out of trouble?" Hua Wanli nodded helplessly.

Time flies, and it is already the beginning of December. The Chinese New Year is almost here.

As the county magistrate, Zhang Ping'an will definitely be in Ci County to spend the New Year and take charge of the overall situation this year. After completing some necessary social interactions on the first and second days of the New Year, he can return to Lin'an on the third day.

Qian Youyi is not even three months pregnant yet, and her belly is not noticeable, so she has not told her family or relatives.

Xu was happy with the quietness and realized the benefit of having her own family in Ci County. At least she wouldn't be pried about by nagging relatives. She just had to take care of her daughter-in-law and take care of her pregnancy. It would be best if she had a boy!

This year's winter has obviously come a little earlier than in previous years. When I went out in the morning, the wind was freezing cold. I guess it won't be long before it snows.

However, because this year is a good year and a year of bumper harvest, every household is willing to spend some money to buy some New Year's goods before the end of the year, buy a few feet of cloth to make new clothes, and buy some candies for the children to sweeten their mouths. Looking at the smiles on the faces of the family, they suddenly feel that all the hard work throughout the year is worth it!

Even in such a cold day, the streets are bustling with people.

Zhang Ping'an was a little worried. The pond had begun to freeze, and the sea was probably about the same. But Green Bean Eye had not returned yet. If he did not return in ten days, he might not be able to come back this year.

Green Bean Eyes brought Fatty Wu, who had rich experience in sailing, and he also had many experienced old sea wolves under his command. It stands to reason that they would not misjudge the ice period. If it was just a delay, it would be fine, but he was afraid that something might happen!

After finishing a day's official duties, Zhang Ping'an left the yamen and went home.

As soon as I entered the flower hall, I saw Xu holding a bowl of soup and earnestly handing it to my daughter-in-law, advising her, "Drink slowly, be careful of the heat. This is a black-bone chicken I bought from an old farmer in the countryside. I simmered it over low heat for three hours. It's very nourishing!"

"Thank you, mother," Qian Youyi took it and thanked with a smile.

I don’t know if it’s because of the pregnancy, but since she got through the difficult period in the early stages of pregnancy, Qian Youyi felt that her appetite had been opened up, and her food intake had increased a lot. She also changed her previous picky eating habits, and except for the greasy food, she could eat a few bites of most other foods.

Xu also spent a lot of time and effort to cook for her in different ways together with the chef, hoping that she could gain some weight.

For a while, the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law became unprecedentedly harmonious.

Seeing her son coming back, Madam Xu smiled and said, "You're back? You must be tired. The maids have already started to set the table. It's getting cold now, so let's have hot pot today. I've also prepared your favorite noodles!"

"Thank you for your hard work, mom," Zhang Pingan said with a smile.

"Well, what are you thanking me for? I am happy to cook for you. Seeing you enjoy the food makes me happy," said Xu with a smile.

To be honest, Zhang Pingan feels that eating hot pot in winter is a particularly happy thing, just like lying in bed on a rainy day, with a wonderful sense of satisfaction and security.

Especially when you are sweating while eating, you will feel happier if you have a drink, as if this is how life should be to be interesting.

The others were obviously very satisfied with the meal. Even Zhang, who was the least greedy, was full. She asked Zhang Ping'an to pour her a few glasses of wine. After drinking, she sat in a chair to digest the food.

Qian Youyi had just drunk two bowls of chicken soup and eaten a lot of chicken, so his stomach was full, but when he saw the hot pot gurgling, he couldn't help but move his chopsticks a few times.

She really enjoyed this quiet time together as a family, without all the upsetting shit.

After finishing his meal and returning to his room to wash up, it was already very late and Zhang Ping'an was preparing to rest.

Qian Youyi suddenly said in a gentle voice: "Do you remember what day it is today?"

Zhang Pingan was stunned by the question. Today was still a few days away from Laba Festival, and it wasn't anyone's birthday. It was also two days away from his first wedding anniversary. He couldn't think of anything special about today.

After thinking for a while, he shook his head and said, "Today is the closest to the anniversary of our marriage. Apart from this, I can't think of anything else. How about Madam give me a hint?"

"Yes, time flies. It's been almost a year since we got married without us realizing it," Qian Youyi sighed, touching her belly.

After saying that, he looked up at Zhang Pingan and said, "Do you remember what I told you? I'll tell you the reason for our marriage after a year of marriage. You should also want to know why my father chose you, right?"