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

"In fact, when I was in the provincial capital, I felt something was wrong when I discovered that many wealthy families in the city were taking boats south," recalled Brother Luo.

"But we have little roots in the city, and we can't leave as easily as those wealthy families. We were a little reluctant and couldn't make a decision right away. Furthermore, the city was under martial law at the time, so finding a way out wasn't easy. This dragged on until later, and our situation got worse and worse."

Having said that, Brother Luo is not without regrets, but it is useless to regret now. People have no foresight!

"I understand. You and Brother Luo have worked so hard to build your family business in the city. It's not easy. You can't just give it up."

Zhang Pingan actually understood it very well, especially since the Luo family members still held public office, it would not be so easy for them to abandon their homes and businesses and flee for their lives.

The sunk costs are too high, and there is no way out that will give people peace of mind, so it’s natural to hesitate!

"Yes, I just thought that it would be difficult for my second brother and I to gain a foothold in the provincial capital," Brother Luo nodded in response.

"But as the situation got worse, there was no time for us to overthink things. Three days before the city was captured, we finally found a way out of the city at great expense and went to the provincial capital, Yingzhou.

If you want to take a boat south from there to Yueyang or anywhere else in the south, you can still go there. With the natural barrier of the Cangwu River, you'll be safe for at least the time."

"What then?"

"Later, we arrived safely in the provincial capital Yingzhou City, but it was too late. Martial law was in place on both sides of the Cangwu River. Boat tickets were more expensive than gold, simply sky-high prices. All our property was not enough to buy boat tickets for our family," said Brother Luo with a wry smile, shaking his head helplessly.

"Because we had no money to buy boat tickets, we had no choice but to follow other refugees eastward, heading towards Wangjiang and Chizhou, hoping to see if we could find a way to cross the river there. But before we even got there, we ran into a rebel army and were captured."

"Is it someone from Baichao?" Zhang Pingan asked.

"Yes, that's right. They are Bai Chao's men. After being captured, men and women were guarded separately. We men were basically sent to various nearby iron and salt mines to do hard labor, or to serve as fill-in-the-blanks on the battlefield.

Not to mention what happened to the woman, your two sisters-in-law and your niece also died at that time."

Every time the Luo family thinks of this incident, their hearts ache. It is a wound that cannot be healed.

"Alas, the dead are gone, and the living are like this. Please accept my condolences! Brother Luo, you are the pillar of the family now, please take care of yourself!" Zhang Pingan comforted.

"Yes, the living have to live well. I understand this principle, so don't worry," Brother Luo sighed.

Moreover, he knew very well what would happen to the captured women. Perhaps death would be a relief, and they would no longer have to suffer.

After a pause, he thought about what Zhang Ping'an had just asked about the situation of the people in Zhangjia Village.

Brother Luo recalled for a moment before continuing, "Oh right, I do know something about the situation of the people in your village that you just asked about, but I don't know anything about your fourth sister."

When Zhang Pingan heard this, he couldn't help but sit up straighter with a serious expression.

"I once happened to run into your Zhangjia Village's Uncle Daqiang and his family, along with his three sons and grandson, at the iron mine. However, we were not in charge of the same thing, and coolies were not allowed to talk to each other at the iron mine. I have no idea how they were captured.

I never saw them again, and I don't know their whereabouts. To be honest, if I hadn't seen them a few times at my grandfather's funeral, I probably wouldn't have recognized them." Brother Luo said.

"Ever since Kaifeng was recaptured by the imperial court, we captives have been released. Making a living in the city is difficult. If Uncle Daqiang's family is still alive, they are likely living in a shack near Kaifeng. You can look for them around Kaifeng."

"I understand. Thank you, Brother Luo. I will send someone to search outside the city later. I hope we can find it." Zhang Pingan breathed a sigh of relief and thanked him.

I wonder how Xiaohu is doing, is he still alive?

"These are all small things, not worth thanking for. I'm just glad I could help you," Brother Luo said with a smile.

Then Zhang Ping'an asked about the situation of other acquaintances in the city, but when disaster strikes, everyone flees. Brother Luo didn't pay much attention to the whereabouts of others and was not very clear.

"Ping'an, since you are so promising and hardworking, you must do well in your career in the future. I have also seen the wars in recent years. A family must have a few promising people. If it is a big family, they would have received the news earlier and fled to the south long ago, so they would not have to suffer from the war"!

Brother Luo gave earnest instructions, his words full of emotion.

"Boss, stop talking," Master Luo shouted, raising his hand. "Ping An knows what's going on. Being an official isn't easy. It's exhausting. Just be clear in your conscience."

He didn't want to put too much pressure on Zhang Ping'an, nor did he want his family to rely entirely on Ping'an for life in the future. He couldn't do that.

It's good enough if you can give some proper support. One should not be too greedy.

"Dad, I understand. I just feel a little emotional," Brother Luo wiped his eyes and explained quickly.

He said this not because he wanted to cling to Zhang Ping'an and become a burden to him in the future, but because he had some realization!

Zhang Pingan understood and patted their hands to comfort them.

At this time, another attendant came in to report that the house had been rented. It was located in the south of the city, close to the center, facing north and south, and was very transparent, making it very suitable for recuperation.

Zhang Ping'an nodded with satisfaction.

He changed the subject at the right time and said, "It's almost time for lunch. I'll have some food delivered. After we finish eating, we'll move!"

"Okay," Brother Luo nodded, no objection. "I'll leave a message for the landlord later, so the kids won't be confused when they come back."

Although most of the people in the west of the city are very poor, they still need to eat. Therefore, although there are no other shops in the west of the city, there are still small restaurants and stalls selling pancakes, steamed buns, etc.

Zhang Ping'an asked someone to go out and buy some takeaway food and had a simple lunch.

Then he directed people to move.

The Luo family’s movements could not be hidden from other neighbors in the alley.

They had been secretly observing Zhang Ping'an as early as when he brought his men in. After all, it was obvious from their attire that they were not ordinary people, they must be rich or noble!

At noon, the attendants went to pack up the delicious food. The aroma of meat could be smelled through the food boxes, which was so delicious that it made me hungry to death.

Everyone was secretly wondering how the Luo family became so prosperous.

It will be even more amazing when we see the Luo family start to move.

One neighbor couldn't help but ask, "Hey, Boss Luo, are you moving? Where are you moving to? Who is this young nobleman in your family? He must be quite influential, right?"

Brother Luo has seen the fickleness of the world in the west of the city. These neighbors cannot be said to be very bad, but they are definitely not kind people.

The infighting among the lower classes is the most shameless, and all kinds of dirty things happen.

Therefore, Brother Luo did not want to say more, and only perfunctorily said: "I am my grandfather's student. Seeing that my father was seriously ill, he took my father to see a doctor."