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

Soon, Xu had prepared the food and placed it on the table. She smiled and politely said to Grandpa Jinbao, "Uncle, we have simple meals at home. I'm sorry for not entertaining you well. Please eat slowly. If you run out of food, call me!"

After saying that, she bent down and touched Jinbao's head, jokingly saying: "Jinbao, try your aunt's cooking today and see whether your grandma's cooking is better or the food in my house is better."

Jinbao was starving after waiting for so long. He couldn't wait any longer and looked up and said sweetly, "They're all delicious. Hehe, I like them all!"

Xu was delighted to see Jinbao's plump and white appearance. She thought it was a blessing to look at him. After telling him to eat more, she went back to the kitchen. There were guests at home today, so she and the maids were eating in the kitchen.

Things like proposing marriages are usually not discussed in front of the daughters in the family. At this time, people prefer to be subtle. After seeing that there were only four of them left, Grandpa Jinbao took a sip of sake and then slowly said, "Okay, their family should find a matchmaker to propose marriage in the next few days."

Zhang Laoer raised his glass to toast Grandpa Jinbao before thanking him, "You must have put in a lot of effort during this. Can you tell me what happened in detail?"

"Hey, what's the big deal? I watched Erya grow up, and I hope she can find a good husband. But your family has many daughters, and there are not many families with good conditions and sons of marriageable age in this area. We have to act early. I have met the second son of the Liu family. The child has a good temper. Erya will definitely live a happy life if she marries him!" Grandpa Jinbao replied, taking a few bites of food and eating. He was indeed hungry.

After eating for a while, he continued, "I always go to their village to buy fish. Everyone in their village knows me. After you asked me to do this, I went to Liujia Village a few days ago and specifically asked to buy pomfret. They are the family that raises the best pomfret in Liujia Village. This way, I won't seem too abrupt. Besides, we are the women, so we have to take some. We can't let others think we are asking for it."

Zhang Lao Er nodded in agreement and said, "That's right. It's not a good deal if you're the one who's always chasing after someone. Although we have this intention, the man has to bring it up first."

Grandpa Jinbao nodded. "Well, how could I not understand this? When I went to buy fish, I chatted with the Liu family man. During the conversation, I let him know that my grandson Jinbao was studying at Master Luo's school. The Liu family man was very generous. He immediately clapped his legs and said it was fate. His youngest son also went to Master Luo's school. We talked about family matters. When the topic came to the fact that his second son had not yet proposed marriage, I hinted at your family's intentions, but I didn't say it in detail."

"Did his family agree immediately?" Zhang Laoer asked curiously.

Grandpa Jinbao was a little embarrassed. "Well, that's not the case. In fact, as soon as I mentioned your family, he knew who it was. Among the families in the nearby villages, yours is the only one with six daughters. He said at the time that we should discuss it. I went there twice more to buy fish, but he didn't say anything. I thought it was a failure, so I planned to go there one last time today to call it a day. But his wife was here today too, and she said that the family had discussed it and they thought Erya was not bad, and that our conditions were similar. They would find a matchmaker to propose marriage in a few days."

Zhang Laoer ate a few mouthfuls of food in silence before saying, "Anyway, as long as it works out, that's fine. I'm optimistic about the second son of the Liu family. I've spoken to him a few times before when I went to the academy to pick up Ping'an. He's a good-looking man with good character. His family is well-off, making him a perfect match for Erya. I fell in love with him right away, so I figured I'd strike first, so I'm asking you for help!"

Grandpa Jinbao joked: "You usually seem silent, but actually you have your own ideas in mind. It's a blessing for the girls."

"Hey, let's not talk about this, uncle. Just eat your food. You've been really hard-working these past few days. Don't refuse the matchmaking money after the marriage is successful," Zhang Laoer said.

"Hmph, that's wishful thinking. I won't refuse," said Grandpa Jinbao with a smile.

"Hahahaha, please eat your vegetables," Zhang Laoer also laughed, feeling grateful for the kindness in his heart.

The more Jinbao listened, the more confused he became. He had no idea what his grandfather and the others were talking about. He only heard that Erya was getting married. So he asked, "Is Erya getting married? Who is she marrying?"

"Little kid, don't ask questions," Grandpa Jinbao said gently, and gave his grandson a few pieces of fried bacon.

When Jinbao saw the food, he forgot to ask any more questions and just focused on eating. After all, eating was the most important thing.

Zhang Pingan understood, but it was not good to make a fuss about something that had not been decided yet. Things should be done in secret. Let's wait until the matchmaker comes to propose marriage!

Everyone was happy during the meal. Erya was also very happy today. She fried meat in the pot and used more oil than usual when cooking, so even the vegetarian dishes they ate in the kitchen were very fragrant.

When they finally cleared the table, the bacon on the plate hadn't been finished yet. Xu poured all the remaining bacon and vegetables into Erya's bowl. Erya was a little flattered and asked, "Mother, are you letting me eat all this? Aren't you going to save it for Ping'an to heat up for lunch tomorrow?"

Xu said calmly, "Just eat it if I give it to you. Why are you talking so much nonsense?"

"Hehe," Erya laughed, picked up a piece of bacon and ate it. The oil burst in her mouth, it was simply the most delicious thing. She couldn't help but sigh vaguely: "If I can live a life of eating meat every day in this life, I will die with my eyes closed"!

Xu frowned: "What are you talking about?!"

"Hehe, it's nothing, nothing," Erya jumped away, fearing that Xu would hit her.

"Second sister, I want to eat meat too," San Ya said in a low voice.

"Second sister, I want to too," Si Ya also stepped forward and said.

Wu Ya and Liu Ya said nothing.

Erya was a little embarrassed. There were only three or four pieces of meat in total. How could she divide them? Besides, she hadn't eaten enough and was a little reluctant to eat them. After struggling for a while, she finally said, "Then I'll use a knife to divide a piece between you. Don't ask for more after you finish. There's not much in total. I'm only eating one piece!"

"Yeah," the little ones nodded continuously and said, "We promise not to ask for it again!"

Erya took the bowl to the kitchen, and the younger ones followed closely behind. After taking a slightly larger piece of meat from the bowl and placing it on the chopping board, Erya fiddled with the knife for a long time before finally cutting it twice, dividing it into four pieces. She made sure the four pieces were about the same size and divided them among her four younger sisters.

Xu watched but didn't do anything. She let the maids divide the property however they wanted, as long as they didn't make any noise.

After another good night's sleep, the next day Zhang Laoer sent Zhang Ping'an and Jinbao to school as usual. He met Liu Shuisheng and Liu Shengyuan at the gate of the private school. However, the one who sent them to school today was not Liu Erge, but a young man who looked very strong. Although he was not very tall, he had strong muscles and his biceps bulged high.

Jin Bao saw him and yelled, "Liu Shuisheng, where's your second brother? Why isn't he here to see you off today?"