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

"It's only a matter of time before the conflict escalates," Zhang Pingan knew very well.

Everyone in the court far away in Lin'an knew it better.

Lin Junhui smiled knowingly, picked up his teacup and said leisurely, "Yes, this day will come sooner or later. Before that, what we should do, what we can do, is to increase our value as quickly as possible. Only when we are more valuable and have a pivotal position, can we cope with the coming storm!"

"So, you are mentally prepared and have no objection?" Zhang Pingan raised his eyebrows and leaned closer to ask in a low voice.

"Opposing is useless. Let's see the situation first. If the rotten ship really cannot be repaired, we can only spend a lot of money to board a new one. We can't sink with it. Even if I want to, I still have so many people in my tribe. I can't bear it." Lin Junhui looked a little disappointed and helpless.

"When I saw you last year, you weren't so insightful. We are getting older and more mature with each passing year. It's good this way!" Zhang Ping'an smiled.

"To be honest, I'm not afraid of you laughing at me. Before my son was born, I really didn't expect that I would be like I am now, so hesitant and sometimes scared. I would think twice before making any decision. I really can't do whatever I want like before. There are more ties, and there are more concerns," Lin Junhui said, shaking his head with some self-mockery.

"I'm the same. Most fathers are like this. Because they care about their children, they don't dare to act rashly." Zhang Pingan agreed and continued, "But I think this development direction is good!"

"Hmm? Tell me about it. I want to hear your thoughts, too."

"Let alone anything else, the promotion of Annan rice and sweet potatoes alone is a great thing that benefits both the country and the people. These two crops are not only easy to grow, but also have high yields. If we promote them nationwide and allow the people to recuperate for two or three years, the national treasury will definitely be significantly enriched, and the people will be able to greatly solve the problem of famine, thereby improving national strength. This will be a feat that will be recorded in history!"

"Indeed, I heard that it is quite productive. It is undeniable that vigorously promoting it is a very correct decision," Lin Junhui nodded.

"You have seen the current situation. We have already arrived in the north. Without the barrier of the Cangwu River, it is only a matter of time before we have a head-on battle with the rebel Bai Chao and the foreign tribe Abula. Small battles from time to time are probably commonplace. The cities that have been recovered along the Huai River must be prepared to deal with them.

There are so many things to do in all aspects, such as pacifying the people, recruiting refugees, repairing cities, reducing taxes, and revitalizing agriculture. The court is paying attention and sending us here to govern, no matter what the purpose is. From the current perspective, isn't this a good phenomenon?

In my opinion, it's because of people like Zhou Ziming who are holding back the government at the front that the government isn't too corrupted. That's good! At least it's good for the people!" Zhang Pingan analyzed slowly.

"I agree with this," Lin Junhui nodded. "There's one more thing, it's about your sixth brother-in-law. I heard that he's doing very well in the firearms workshop, and he's improved and invented several types of firearms, many of which were used in the war on the front lines. They're very powerful. The court didn't pay much attention to this in the past, but after seeing the results of this battle, they realized that the firearms are indeed astonishingly powerful. Now the Ministry of Industry is trying to get the firearms workshop back from Zhou Ziming's men!"

"Then Lord Zhou will definitely not do it. He is not stupid!" Zhang Pingan said immediately after hearing it.

"Yes, I think so too. The two sides are in a stalemate privately. I suspect Zhou Ziming may want to find a way to move the Firearms Battalion to Yangzhou. Moving it directly would be too embarrassing. Most likely, he will send the important craftsmen in the Firearms Battalion to Yangzhou to build a replica. So I'm giving you a heads up in advance so you can be prepared. I guess your sixth brother-in-law may come to the north soon," Lin Junhui suddenly mentioned.

"Hmm? Is that so?" Zhang Pingan seemed to be thinking about something.

"The craftsmen who take the lead like your sixth brother-in-law are unlikely to escape. Although the Ministry of Industry has the intention, it is not tough enough. To put it bluntly, it still dares not turn against them."

"Alas, I didn't expect that in the end, my sixth brother-in-law and my sixth sister would have to live apart. Only my second sister and fifth sister's family can live safely in Lin'an. Well, no one can go as planned. There will always be a day when we have to go back," Zhang Ping'an replied.

"Enough of talking, let's go and have dinner. I have to go to Fu County to take up my post early tomorrow morning. I don't know when we will see each other again. You have to set up a table for a good meal to treat me, otherwise I won't agree!" Lin Junhui said with a smile.

"Of course," Zhang Pingan stood up and took Lin Junhui to the small flower hall of the yamen for dinner.

This is the yamen’s separate private kitchen. The food there is much better than the big pot meals in the military camp, but it still cannot compare with the food in the south.

In the end, we managed to put together three dishes and a soup. Only one bowl of white cabbage had minced meat in it, which was considered half a meat dish. The rest were all vegetarian.

But there is plenty of steamed buns, and in Ze County, this is the best food!

After the two finished their meal, Lin Junhui went to wash up first.

Zhang Ping'an took advantage of this opportunity to take out the letter from home and opened it to read.

The letter was written by Qian Youyi, saying that everything was fine at home.

Both Mrs. Zhang and Old Man Zhang are in good health.

People from the first and third wives often come over to chat with the old couple.

Both Zhang Laoer and Xu are busy taking care of their grandchildren on weekdays. Daya, Erya and Liuya also often bring their children over to play.

The house is not deserted.

Xiao Yu'er is now half a year old. He can already utter a few vague words, crawl and sit. He is very energetic and has to be watched closely by three or four maids and old women.

He is white, fat and very smart, just like the golden boy under the seat of Guanyin.

Once I was naughty and fell off the bed. Although there was a carpet between us, my forehead was still red and I cried loudly.

It makes everyone in the family feel so sad.

When the Qian family heard about it, they sent a lot of things over and replaced the house with a thicker and more expensive Persian carpet.

The surface manners are good, and the human relations are here.

Everything is fine with me.

Tell Zhang Ping'an not to worry about his family and just take good care of himself.

The letter was written in detail on three pages, and it was full of trivial matters about family life. It made people feel sad and they wanted to go home immediately!

The ancient saying "When the war has been going on for three months, a letter from home is worth ten thousand pieces of gold" is absolutely true.

There were also a few folded pieces of letter paper placed underneath. Zhang Ping'an opened them and took a look. They were from his eldest sister's family and addressed to his eldest brother-in-law. They were all about trivial matters. Zhang Ping'an put the letter away and prepared to deliver it to his eldest brother-in-law later.

At this moment, his longing for home reached its peak since he came to the north!