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

"Oh? What's the matter?" Mr. Luo asked gently, picking up the teacup and taking a sip of tea.

"Teacher, it's like this. There are only six students in Class C now. Thank you for your kindness in giving separate lessons to Liu Shengyuan and me. This is certainly beneficial to the two of us, but other people in the class may be wondering why you only give lessons to the two of us. As the saying goes, people are afraid of being compared. If we don't resolve this doubt, in the long run, there may be a rift between our classmates," Zhang Pingan said slowly.

Seeing that Master Luo did not look displeased, he paused before continuing: "A person's strength is ultimately limited. No matter how powerful a person is, he cannot go far. It's like ants moving. They need the cooperation of all ants to finally carry food that is much heavier than their own weight. I brought up this matter with you today. First, I hope you can help communicate and dispel the worries of other classmates, so that everyone can study happily together. Second, I don't know if my understanding is correct. I hope you can clear my doubts!" ​​After speaking, Zhang Ping'an bowed deeply.

"Sit down!" Mr. Luo looked at the student thoughtfully.

Zhang Ping'an's words made him see the depth of the student's view on the problem. Indeed, if a person wants to go higher and further, it is useless to be strong by himself. He must also learn to make use of the power around him. How to do it well is a very profound knowledge and it cannot be taught in textbooks. It depends more on personal understanding.

If a child from a scholarly family or a well-off family said this today, he would not be curious at all, but the Zhang Pingan standing in front of him was just a farmer's boy, and he was only five years old!

Mr. Luo couldn't help but sigh inwardly, it's true that there are talented people in every generation!

"Zhang Ping'an, did you come up with this statement yourself?" Mr. Luo asked again to confirm.

"Well, teacher, I see that Luo Fugui has been unhappy these past two days. I guess it's because of the private class. He actually loves studying and is very serious. I hope he can be as happy as before, so that everyone will be happy too," Zhang Pingan nodded seriously.

"Well, I didn't think this through. Luo Fugui is the most thoughtful of you, so it's not surprising that he's overthinking things. I'll take care of that. But?" Master Luo changed the subject sharply and asked, "You're both in the enlightenment stage now, and you can't see much difference yet. In two years, the gap between you two and the rest of the class will widen. What will you do then?"

Zhang Ping'an lowered his head and thought for a while before looking up and replying: "The key to learning is persistence. No one can predict what will happen in the future. No matter what happens in the future, the knowledge you learn seriously now belongs to you, and that is enough."

"It's great that you have this awareness! It's right to help your classmates. Only by benefiting others can you benefit yourself. A positive learning environment is also crucial for both of you." Mr. Luo nodded with satisfaction.

Then he asked, "Liu Shengyuan, what about you?"

"Me?" Liu Shengyuan was still a little confused, but after thinking for a moment, he stood up and bowed, saying, "No matter what happens in the future, we have to help our classmates who are by our side every day. Let's first solve the problems within our ability."

"Well, in fact, what happened today is exactly in line with the saying that what is worrying is not the lack of wealth but the uneven distribution of wealth. You must understand this truth!" Master Luo commented, and then asked the two to go home first.

"Okay, go home quickly!"

"Master, that student is leaving!" The two of them bowed and said goodbye before leaving.

Zhang Pingan felt that he had benefited a lot from today's conversation. Those who could pass the imperial examinations at least had certain knowledge and talents, and were at least much better than ordinary people.

When the two came out, Jinbao had already handed their school bags to their parents who had come to pick them up, and was drawing circles under the persimmon tree out of boredom.

"Ping'an, you're out!" Jinbao ran forward.

"Well, let's go home!" Zhang Pingan replied cheerfully.

After everyone went out together, Zhang Ping'an saw a man wearing a green long jacket and pants of the same color, waiting at the door with a donkey. His hair was tied up with a hairpin and there was a cord on his belt. Although his clothes were not gorgeous, they were clean and refreshing, and also had a bit of elegance.

He should be Liu Shengyuan's father.

These were the only two men Zhang Ping'an knew who wore such an elegant long gown, the other being Master Luo.

"Dad," Liu Shengyuan shouted in surprise when he saw the man, then ran over.

Liu's father gently bent down and carried Liu Shengyuan to sit on the donkey, then he climbed onto the donkey's back and held Liu Shengyuan in his arms.

"Then Brother Zhang, I'll go first," Father Liu said with a smile, bowing to Zhang Laoer.

"Okay, okay, see you later," Zhang Laoer responded quickly.

At this time, Zhang Ping'an and Jinbao also climbed onto the donkey cart. Jinbao watched the people walk a little further away before saying, "Ping'an, Liu Shengyuan's father is quite handsome, and he speaks very nicely, unlike my father who always has a loud voice."

Zhang Laoer whipped the donkey cart and wiped the nonexistent sweat from his forehead. "What do you know? I'm exhausted from talking to Ayuan's father. I don't feel comfortable at all. I was waiting for you for half a day just now. I almost couldn't chat with him anymore. He spoke so flowery words."

Zhang Ping'an gently swung his legs and replied, "You two are not of the same kind, so of course you can't talk to each other. His father said he works in the government office, so he must be very careful with his words. But he seems to be a nice person."

"That's right!" Zhang Laoer agreed.

Soon, several people arrived. As usual, Grandpa Jinbao was waiting at the village entrance and took Jinbao home.

Xu had already set the table and was waiting for Zhang Ping'an to come back. The most eye-catching dish on the table was a plate of fried tofu with fish roe. It smelled so fragrant that you could tell a lot of oil was used.

"Are we buying fish too?" Zhang Ping'an asked curiously.

"No, it was sent by Grandpa Jinbao. He went to Liujia Village today and bought a big bighead carp. He made some extra and said he would send it to you to try," explained Xu.

"Oh! Mom, how is my uncle doing? My second sister said that you and dad went to my grandma and grandpa's house early in the morning."

When asked about this, Xu sighed and said helplessly, "What else can we do? We'll just pay the silver! This is a huge sum of money that will break our bones. Your grandfather has already written the family division deed today and asked the elders to witness it. When your grandfather is a hundred years old, the family will be divided according to this. The lost silver will be deducted from your uncle's share of the family property. Your uncle didn't say anything about this decision. Your aunt-in-law tried to commit suicide and made a big fuss. But your eldest aunt-in-law was not a pushover either. She invited her brothers and parents from her mother's family to come over, and finally calmed your aunt-in-law's thoughts."

"Ah, then my uncle won't get much of the family property after the deductions, right?" Zhang Ping'an was surprised. This punishment was quite severe for his uncle. Originally, the eldest son got the largest share of the family property, and now after deducting another thirty taels, there really wasn't much left.

"It's your fault! Your uncle acted recklessly and refused to listen. I have no choice but to pay for his lesson." Xu was also powerless. She couldn't help with this kind of thing. It was not easy to mess with a scoundrel, especially when the other party was in the right.

Have a good night's sleep!

The next day was another day of school.

Zhang Ping'an and Jinbao arrived at the school early today. Mr. Luo came to Class C but did not rush to give a lecture. Instead, he gave each person a bowl of sesame seeds, with white and black sesame seeds mixed together.

"Today we will not study the contents of the textbook. The morning homework is to separate the white sesame seeds and black sesame seeds in the bowl. I will come to check and see who finishes first." Mr. Luo sat at the top and gave the instructions in a gentle voice before leaving.

"Oh my God," Luo Fuan was the first to wail, "Why would the teacher assign this kind of homework? It has nothing to do with studying!"

Liu Shuisheng felt like crying when he saw the big bowl of sesame seeds in front of him. The bowl was a big wooden bowl used for soup. There was really a lot of sesame seeds, and they were mixed very evenly. Where should he start to pick them up?

Zhang Ping'an and Liu Shengyuan exchanged a glance, realizing the Master's special intentions. They said in unison, "It's absolutely right to listen to the Master."

Jinbao didn't care what he learned and thought it was fun. However, his fingers were thick and the sesame seeds were small, so it was difficult to pinch them. He picked for a long time but didn't pick up much.

Among all the people, Luo Fugui was the fastest at picking. His advantage was that he was careful and patient, unlike his cousin Luo Fuan who became impatient while picking and did not pick out all the sesame seeds.

About an hour later, Mr. Luo walked into the classroom again and took a quick look. Sure enough, only Luo Fugui had finished picking, followed by Liu Shengyuan and Zhang Pingan, and the remaining three were still far behind.

"Okay, no more picking, time's up," Master Luo said, tapping the table lightly with his ruler. Then he said slowly, "Do you know why I asked you to pick the sesame seeds?"

Several people below shook their heads.

Master Luo stroked his beard and continued, "Studying is not just about the book; it's also about your character. Without a good character, you can't study well. Among you, Luo Fugui is the most careful and patient. Although he may not be the most talented, he will surely achieve something if he persists."

Luo Fugui's eyes lit up when he heard this. This was the first time he had received praise and recognition from the teacher alone. It turned out that he was not that bad.

"Also, I'm announcing a rule: from now on, the top two scorers on the monthly test will be able to participate in extra classes. Everyone has a chance, and you must work hard to get what you want."

After the final rule was announced, Mr. Luo finished the get out of class. No one else noticed, but Luo Fugui couldn't calm down for a moment. He felt motivated to study again and couldn't wait to take the monthly test.