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

Because the baby was just born, very small and looked weak. In addition, it was the first child, so the family took it very seriously and were very careful to protect the baby, fearing that the baby would get bumped or bruised.

Xu had informed the midwife in advance that when bathing the baby, it was enough to just go through the motions and not soak the baby in the water for too long to avoid catching a cold.

The midwife was a smart person. She had received a lot of tips and red envelopes when she delivered babies a few days ago, so she was already nervous.

Now I am not greedy for this little bit of stuff.

Unlike other midwives, who would drag their feet when doing the third bath in order to earn a few more coins for adding basins.

After nimbly carrying the child into the basin, he took off the child's clothes while reciting, "Wash the head, and you will be a prince; wash the body, and you will be a noble; wash the hands, and you will have wealth and honor; wash the feet, and you will have a healthy body."

It was already hot during the dog days of summer, and Xu was afraid that her grandson would catch a cold, so she never brought him out of the room and even barely opened the windows, making it very stuffy.

The child eats and sleeps, sleeps and eats every day.

Even with careful care, I still got a layer of prickly heat.

She would apply Liuyi Powder every morning, noon and night, which is now known as prickly heat powder. According to Chen Ergu, it is made by grinding talc and licorice into powder in a certain proportion, and then adding pearl powder and corn flour to mix it.

It has the effects of clearing away heat, relieving summer heat, removing dampness and healing sores.

But no matter what kind of fan you are, the heat is real.

When the child touched the water, he didn't cry, but grinned and smiled silently, obviously loving water.

He was still paddling hard with his hands and feet in the water, but his arms and legs were too short, so he couldn't make any splashes.

Everyone watching laughed.

"This child is smart. He knows how to cool down in the water," said Hua Wanli's mother.

He came to congratulate the Zhang family after knowing that they had a son, and also wanted to share in their good fortune and bless his daughter-in-law to also give birth to a boy next month.

She was widowed at a young age and raised her son alone. Normally, she should have been hot-tempered, but because she had a difficult and very long-lived mother-in-law, her temper was softer.

He is also very kind-hearted. When he sees a happy event in a family, he is always happy to say a few good words to share in the joy.

When the others heard this, regardless of whether they agreed in their hearts or not, they all echoed, "That's a smart one!"

Zhang Laoer, Xu and others were so happy that they couldn't stop smiling. They warmly invited everyone to have tea and snacks.

The midwife did not stop either. She took the scallion and hit the baby three times, chanting loudly "One hit for smart, two hits for clever, three hits for clear understanding", which meant that the baby would be smart and clever in the future. Then she threw the scallion onto the roof.

Wash your eyes with moxa leaf water, chanting "Bright eyes, see all directions, read wisely and become the champion scholar!"

A lot of auspicious words.

After completing the process, she took the clean red bellyband and swaddling clothes, wrapped the child in it and picked him up.

It took a while after leaving the water for the child to realize that the water he liked was no longer available. He pouted and started crying loudly.

The sound is very loud!

Zhang smiled and said, "This child cries very vigorously. He is in good health and easy to raise."

"That's right. All the good things his mother gave her when she was pregnant with him were fed into his little mouth," Xu said jokingly.

After saying this, she carefully asked Nanny Rong to carry the child into the room.

I also have to help my son entertain guests.

The yard was bustling until 3 p.m.

Aunt Chen didn't leave immediately. She said, "I'll go see Ping'an's wife and take her pulse."

Of course, Xu was more than happy to do so. She thanked him repeatedly and said, "Thank you for troubling his second aunt. I'll go with you!"

"No need, it's not a big deal, it will come out in a moment," said Chen Ergu with a smile.

"Okay, I'll stay here and watch the servants clear the place. I'll go see her later." Xu didn't insist.

The guests have left, but the yard is still a mess. It's hot, so we have to clean it up quickly, otherwise it will attract mosquitoes.

When Chen Ergu came into the room, Aunt Rong was sitting by the bed holding the child.

The maid Cuizhi was fanning the child gently with a fan.

"The weather is hot and the room is still a bit stuffy. You can open the windows to ventilate during the hottest time of noon, otherwise the disease will not be able to dissipate," said Chen Ergu softly.

Qian Youyi was half lying on the bed, looking quite energetic. Upon hearing this, she smiled softly and said, "The wind gave me goose bumps. I'm very sensitive to the cold right now. I'll just move to another room after I finish my confinement."

After saying this, she said to Nanny Rong, "The child is still young and weak. From now on, let him stay in the next bedroom with the nurse to prevent him from being infected by my illness."

"This newborn baby looks different every day. We have to bring him in so that the young lady can see him with her own eyes. Otherwise, you won't be able to recognize him after the confinement period," Aunt Rong also said with a smile.

Only when the child comes every day can the young lady feel more energetic. She has to come, so that the young lady can have something to worry about and feel energetic and feel better.

But this cannot be said.

Chen Ergu stretched out her hand to check her pulse, then put it down after a moment and said with a smile, "You're feeling better now. Remember to eat more foods that replenish your Qi and blood."

"Sorry for bothering you, Second Aunt," Qian Youyi thanked.

"Today's third-day bath is very lively. Everyone praises the child for being smart. I believe the full-moon banquet will be even more lively. Then you can take the child out," said Aunt Rong.

"Of course, how could my child not be smart?" Qian Youyi said with pride, but after a pause, he added, "Actually, he doesn't need to be that smart. Being too smart will make life tiring. Just being moderately smart is enough!"

After saying that, he raised his hand and gently touched the child's head.

Chen Ergu chatted for a while.

In less than half an hour, seeing that Qian Youyi was a little exhausted, he helped him lie down and said goodbye and left.

Nanny Rong wiped her eyes, picked up the child and followed him out.

Leave Cuizhi to serve.

Outside, Zhang Ping'an had just seen off all the guests at the door.

Very tired too!

When I came in, Xu had already ordered the servants to clean up the yard.

"By the way, mother, today my father-in-law and several of his brothers-in-law, including my eldest uncle, my third uncle and my youngest uncle, have asked the escort agency to send some gifts over. I have already written them down on the gift list. Please pack some things out later to give them as gifts in return. I will ask the people at the post station to take them over tomorrow," Zhang Pingan reminded.

"Look at me, I was so busy that I almost forgot. I'll clean up now," Xu patted her thigh and said quickly.

Zhang Laoer cared the most about etiquette, so after hearing this, he also started to get busy.

Time flies, and it is early August in a blink of an eye.

This year, Ci County had good weather and no major disasters. The people had good harvests and were naturally very active in paying taxes, so Zhang Ping'an didn't have to worry much.

Just as the Zhang family was actively preparing for the child's full moon banquet.

But suddenly we heard that the Xingyun Warehouse in Lin'an had caught fire, resulting in the loss of about 100,000 dan of stored grain.

As one of the six granaries after the imperial court moved south, Xingyun Granary had the largest grain storage and was specifically used to store tax grain.

If Daxia was at its peak, this wouldn't be a big problem.

But now the country is weak and in a turbulent time, and 100,000 shi is already a considerable number.