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

"Wow, you've become really rich! Will you be able to live with your rich friends and enjoy a good life from now on?" Another neighbor asked while holding a bowl of rice and eating.

Others also kept asking where to move to, which was what they cared about most.

When they learned that they were moving to the south of the city, they were all extremely envious.

Although the south and west of the city are not too far apart, this represents another class leap and is different from them.

"Look, look, my prediction was right, right? I said at the beginning that the Luo family are all scholars and can read and write. They used to work in the government office. They will have a day to rise. But Narcissus's mother is so ignorant. She despises the Luo family for being poor and having a sickly old man. She married her daughter to an old man who is about to die as a concubine. Within a few months, she was tortured by the old woman in the first room. It's really not worth it," said a neighbor with spitting.

"If you ask me, the old woman has long hair but short knowledge. She is so unlucky that a narcissus flower bud has died like this. After the old man dies, she will have hard times ahead of her," said someone who knows the inside story.

Through the neighbors' gossip, Zhang Pingan finally found out that the eldest son of the Luo family had wanted to propose to the daughter of another family in the alley, but was rejected and the other party said a lot of unpleasant things.

Brother Luo was very embarrassed. After packing up his things at home, he asked everyone to leave.

Amid the envy and praise of the neighbors, he finally reached the entrance of the alley, got on the carriage, and headed south of the city.

Zhang Ping'an said sympathetically, "A man should have no problem finding a wife. My nephews are still young, so it's only a matter of time before they get married."

Brother Luo shook his head. "To be honest, I don't blame the girl's family for refusing. Marriage is supposed to be a union between two families, a matter of mutual consent. I just resent them for not only refusing but also spreading the news everywhere, causing my son to be pointed at and criticized by the neighbors in the alley, causing him to suffer a lot of injustice."

"It's all over, everything will be fine in the future," Liu Sanlang also comforted.

On the way, Brother Luo went to the landlord's shop and left a message for his son and nephews.

After arriving in the south of the city, Zhang Ping'an and Liu Sanlang brought people to help the Luo family move their things. The house had been cleaned by the landlord, so they could move in directly.

It was cleaned up in a short while.

"Mission accomplished, it looks much better now," Zhang Ping'an said with a smile, clapping his hands.

"I've already ordered the wheelchair from the carpenter. Once it's finished, they'll deliver it directly to us. Then Uncle Luo can go out and bask in the sun."

"This is much better than the one in the west of the city. There's even a yard where I can grow some vegetables." Brother Luo is very satisfied and content with the house.

To be honest, he had thought that life might be like this and never thought that his father's illness could be cured.

His original plan was to wait until his father passed away, when the weather got warmer and he had some savings, and then he would take his two sons, two nephews, and his father's ashes back to his hometown, Ezhou Prefecture.

At least there are houses to live in there, and no matter how difficult it is, it won’t be worse than in Kaifeng.

Now that they met Zhang Ping'an and saw that there was hope for their father's recovery, they could at least have some protection, so they put this idea aside for the time being.

Zhang Pingan didn't know about these thoughts, but if it were him, he would definitely not leave for the time being.

After all, it is definitely much better to have someone to take care of you, and it is not so easy to go back to Ezhou Prefecture.

"Brother Luo, my brother-in-law and I will go back first. Here are thirty taels of silver. Go buy whatever you need, food and clothes. Don't be hard-pressed. I know prices in the city are high now, and money is hard to spend." Zhang Ping'an saw that he had almost packed up, so he prepared to say goodbye and leave.

"This is too much, we can't have it, we can't have it," Brother Luo refused.

"Take it!" Zhang Ping'an insisted. "Look at how weak you all are. Buy some more food and nourish yourself. Even if you don't eat, Uncle Luo, the patient, must eat too. Health is the most important thing. If there's anything urgent, send someone to find me at the main camp."

After saying that, he stopped arguing with Brother Luo and left with his men.

Brother Luo stood there for a long time without moving, muttering, "This is all thanks to the blessings of our ancestors. Good deeds will be rewarded. From now on, whenever my family is doing well, I will definitely do more good deeds."

Not long after Zhang Ping'an returned to the military camp, Lord Huang came over to visit and asked about the treatment.

"How is it? The person I recommended is pretty good, right?"

"This Mr. Lin is indeed capable, and he is knowledgeable and tactful in his dealings with people and things. Not bad!" Zhang Pingan had a good impression of Mr. Lin, so he gave him a high evaluation.

"Haha, that's good!" Lord Huang squinted his eyes and drank tea with an expression of enjoyment on his face.

After a long while, he put down his teacup, knocked on the table and said, "You are quite steady as the General Manager and Pacifier, but you have been busy with your uncle's affairs these past two days, and you haven't even offered to treat your colleagues to a meal or a drink."

"Is it necessary?" Zhang Pingan smiled.

Mr. Huang stroked his beard and said slowly, "That's up to you. I can't make a decision for you."

"Let's wait for some time. The new dynasty has just been established. We are civil officials, and most of the people in the barracks are military generals. If civil and military officials are too closely connected, it is not a good phenomenon, and it is not something the emperor would like to see. It is better to keep a low profile for the time being," Zhang Pingan pondered.

"You are so cautious, you don't act like a young man at all," said Mr. Huang, tapping the table.

Didn't say anything else.

Zhang Pingan thought about what he had asked his men to inquire about over the past two days, so he asked, "I heard that Zhao Renzhi is now very prestigious in the army. Several veteran generals who used to dislike him have now been won over by him. What do you think?"

"Hmm..." Lord Huang's expression turned a bit more serious when he heard that.

He stroked his beard and thought for a moment before saying, "Well, how can I say this guy? Although he was a son-in-law in the previous dynasty and had a low status, that was after all a matter of the previous dynasty. Now that the new dynasty has been established, he has separated from the family and established himself. He has also risen to prominence with his fame and military exploits, so basically no one mentions his former status as a son-in-law anymore.

In addition, this man is flexible and has a great ability to win people's hearts. He is also very talented, so these veterans have gradually changed their views of him. In my opinion, this man will be a big shot in the future, and his achievements will definitely not be limited to this!"