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

Zhang Laoer got up early the next morning. He had something on his mind and couldn't sleep well at night. For Zhang Laoer, who always followed the rules, making the decision to grow some medicinal herbs was a big deal.

By the time Zhang Ping'an had washed up, Zhang Laoer had already woven several bamboo baskets in the moonlight. Practice makes perfect. The baskets were small items, but Zhang Laoer knew how to weave them even with his eyes closed.

After breakfast, Zhang Laoer took Jinbao and drove the donkey cart to the school.

Jinbao could hardly open his eyes and yawned. The weather was getting colder and colder, and it was a challenge to get out of the warm bed in the morning.

After arriving at the school, Zhang Laoer parked the car in front of the school gate, straightened his clothes, adjusted his hat, and then walked in.

Jinbao was a little confused: "Ping'an, what is your father doing? Isn't he going home today?"

It was still unclear whether the matter would be successful or not, so Zhang Pingan didn't say much and perfunctorily said, "Oh, it's okay. My father asked the teacher to ask me about my studies."

"Oh, your father cares about you so much," Jinbao sighed without thinking much.

Knowing that it was useless to think too much, he would know the result in the end anyway, so Zhang Pingan attended classes peacefully in school.

When Zhang Laoer came to pick him up after school, Zhang Pingan finally breathed a sigh of relief. He thought this was possible, otherwise his father would not be happy.

It wasn't until after dinner that Zhang Laoer told the whole story. "I asked Master Luo this morning, and he said that the climate here is actually quite suitable for growing medicinal herbs like honeysuckle, wild chrysanthemum, pinellia, coptis, and angelica. Moreover, our land is fertile and easy to care for. These are common medicinal herbs, and the seeds should be sold in the county town. As long as there is a place to collect them, this can be done. In the beginning, you can plant half an acre to an acre to see how it goes. We have more than ten acres of land, so it shouldn't be difficult to divide out an acre."

Xu was impatient and couldn't help asking, "Should we go buy seeds first?"

"Don't worry. We can buy seeds in the county when the time comes. Mr. Luo is also willing to help. We can go to Mr. Luo Xiao, his son, and he can help ask. The main issue now is how to sell the seeds after they are grown."

Zhang Laoer was very nervous when he made this decision. He took a sip of water from his teacup to calm down before continuing, "I'm thinking that our first step tomorrow is to go to town and ask Doctor Dou, and then ask Doctor Qu. I'll have a good idea if they can accept me."

Zhang Ping'an also hopes that his family can have as many ways to make money as possible to improve their lives. However, he is too young now and there are many things he cannot say or do, otherwise it would be too abnormal. Being too smart is not a good thing in a farming family.

I could only offer my own ideas to guide my parents, "Dad, I think your plan is right. In fact, it's enough for now as long as we can acquire these two companies. We trust their character. We are not familiar with other clinics and don't know what they do. It won't be too late to consider supplying to other clinics after we are familiar with them. Otherwise, our family has no backing and we might end up meeting someone we can't afford to offend, just like Liu Shuisheng's family has to find someone in the River Transport Bureau to take care of things when they sell dried fish!"

Zhang Laoer pondered for a moment, then calmed down considerably. He praised, "Son, you're right. It seems your reading was worthwhile. You're much better than those kids in the village who only know how to play in the mud. We just want to be content with a small fortune and have more income."

After saying that, he relaxed, lifted Zhang Pingan up and sat him on his neck, and said with a simple smile: "Come on, son, let's go wash our faces and feet and go to bed. The adults will take care of the money-making matters, you just need to study hard."

"Ah!" Zhang Ping'an was suddenly startled by being lifted up, and instinctively hugged Zhang Laoer's head, fearing that he would fall down.

Xu said angrily, "Be careful, father and son, don't fall!"

"Don't worry, I'm paying attention," Zhang Laoer said with a smile.

Another good night’s sleep!

The next day was a sunny day. After sending his son to school, Zhang Laoer went to the town and brought back two strips of bacon. The two ladies were very nice to him, and the family also had more income from selling medicinal herbs. Regardless of whether the matter was successful or not, Zhang Laoer would remember this favor.

After entering the town, Zhang Laoer first went to Tongxin Hall. Doctor Dou had no patients at the moment, so he was quite surprised to see Zhang Laoer carrying a piece of meat. He said softly, "What are you doing? I have everything I need. Take it back for the children at home!"

Zhang Laoer waved his hand and said with a simple smile, "Doctor Dou, we still have some at home. It's thanks to you that we've had some extra income over this long period of time. Please don't refuse this small gift."

The two exchanged a few pleasantries, but Zhang Laoer refused to take the meat back. In the end, the two of them were arguing and it looked like they were having a quarrel. Doctor Dou had no choice but to accept the bacon.

"So, if you have any rare herbs in the future, such as snake skin and Polygonum multiflorum, I will still accept them if you send them to me. The other herbs are supplied by herbal medicine merchants, and it is difficult for me to accept them if they are scattered."

Zhang Laoer nodded and said, "Doctor Dou, I understand everything. I came here today for something else."

"Oh? You said."

Zhang Laoer swallowed twice before mustering up the courage to continue, "I'm thinking of growing one or two common medicinal herbs that are commonly used in the clinic, and then supplying them to your clinic. I don't ask for a high price, as long as I can make back the money I spent on the seeds, which is better than farming. I also asked my son's teacher, and he said that our area is actually quite suitable for growing some common medicinal herbs. Now I'm just worried that I won't be able to sell them, so I came to ask you. I know that you and Doctor Qu are both good people."

Doctor Dou looked at Zhang Laoer again. He didn't expect that this unprepossessing farmer was actually quite thoughtful.

He didn't refuse in a hurry, but slowly analyzed the situation to Zhang Laoer: "You have a very bold idea. Many people have only known how to farm all their lives, and they only grow a few kinds of crops. But in many other places, there are farmers who specialize in growing medicinal herbs, called medicinal farmers. They buy all the food they eat, and their lives are no worse than ordinary farmers. But you have never grown it, and no one teaches you. Even if you have seeds, you may not be able to grow them successfully. Can you bear the consequences?"

Zhang Laoer nodded again and said firmly, "I've thought about all this, but I have to give it a try. I often worked at the docks in Ezhou City in my early years. I know that no matter what you do, there are risks, but risks often also mean opportunities, so I want to give it a try. As long as you can harvest it, I'll be more confident. At the beginning, I won't plant much, just half an acre to one acre. I have more than ten acres of land at home, so it won't be a problem to move half an acre or one acre."

Doctor Dou stroked his beard, nodded, and said, "Since you've decided to plant some, let me tell you about the types of herbs and their prices. It's cold now, so you'll have to wait until spring to plant. At that time, you can plant some Fritillaria, Pinellia, or floral herbs like honeysuckle and wild chrysanthemum. They're used in large quantities, easy to grow, and have high yields. You can plant several crops and still harvest them until September. This way, your risk is lower, but the price..."

Doctor Dou paused and said nothing. From a business perspective, he definitely wanted the purchase cost to be as low as possible.

Zhang Laoer didn't quite understand this, but he believed in Doctor Dou's character. Even if the price was low, he would still make some money. So he said sincerely, "You know more about medicinal herbs. Name a price. As long as it's better than what I can earn from farming, I'll accept it."

Doctor Dou then continued, "Generally speaking, the yield per mu of Pinellia is around 1500 catties, and that of Fritillaria is around 2000 catties. The yield of flower-based medicinal herbs is even higher, at least 1500 catties and upwards. I suggest planting three or four varieties based on the yield. That way, my junior fellow apprentice and I can basically eat up all the crops at Ji'an Hall, and you don't have to worry about not being able to sell them. If you trust me, I'll discuss this with my junior fellow apprentice and give you a specific answer. It depends on what you plant. Don't make this public for now."

Zhang Laoer couldn't help but raise his voice in excitement and replied, "Okay!"

After saying this, he realized his voice was too loud and quickly whispered, "I understand, Doctor Dou, thank you so much, I really met a good person."

Doctor Dou rolled his eyes at Zhang Laoer and frowned, saying, "I just told you not to make any noise, yet you're talking so loudly. But don't be so quick to thank me. I just said that the price I can't give you is too high, but it will definitely be better than what you can earn from growing crops. If you think you've made it, come back to town in a couple of days and I'll give you a precise answer."

Zhang Lao Er couldn't help but nod and said, "Come on, Doctor Dou, I'll come back in two days. You can get busy first!"

"Yes," Doctor Dou replied, and then asked the medicine boy to send Zhang Laoer away.

On the way back, Zhang Laoer couldn't help but smile all the way. Today is a good day!