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

Early the next morning, before daybreak, Zhang Ping'an took several cousins ​​and Jinbao and prepared to go out.

He hesitated for a moment before leaving, but still asked someone to take Xiaoyuer with him.

Xiao Yu'er is young and sleepy, so he hasn't woken up yet.

Zhang Ping'an didn't ask anyone to wake him up. He wrapped him in a quilt and brought him on board.

It was not until they were almost there that Xiao Yuer started to move. He pulled back the quilt, rubbed his eyes, and looked around sleepily.

After a moment, perhaps realizing that this was not his home, his eyes immediately widened and he regained consciousness.

"Awake? You little lazy pig, you're still a good sleeper. Come over and have breakfast. It's been warming it for you on the stove," Zhang Ping'an smiled gently.

Xiao Yuer immediately relaxed when he saw his father was there. Seeing that they were on a boat, he guessed, "Are we going to take Mom home?"

"Yes, take her home," Zhang Pingan said, looking at the water.

Jin Bao served the porridge to the table and said gently, "Eat it quickly, or it might get cold!"

Dazhu also handed over the side dishes.

Xiao Yuer has always had a good appetite. He took the porridge and started eating without hesitation. Although he ate quickly, he was not rude. It was obvious that he had been specially taught.

Dazhu looked at it and sighed with a smile: "It must be that the nanny from a wealthy family taught him well. Just by eating, he looks different from our boy. He has a kind of noble air."

Erzhu nodded: "That's right, every time I see Xiaoyuer eating, talking and doing things, he's different, he's born to be a young master!"

It must be said that Zhang Pingan is grateful to the Qian family for this. Both the child's nanny and the husband have been taken care of by the Qian family in the past few years.

As far as etiquette is concerned, this kid can do well as long as he wants to.

"Stop praising him, his tail is almost up in the sky," Zhang Ping'an touched his son's head and said lovingly.

After a while, they arrived at Zhoushan. After they got off the boat with their servants, the housekeeper and his men waited for them on the shore.

"Master, everything has been taken care of. Shall we get on board now?" the butler asked respectfully, bowing.

"Let's carry the coffin onto the boat now. The mourning hall at home has been set up, and the servants have gone to various mansions to report the death. I guess someone will go to pay their respects today. We have to rush back to Lin'an," Zhang Ping'an sighed with his hands behind his back.

"What about the burial?" the butler continued to ask hesitantly.

"The burial will be in Zhoushan, and the cemetery will be chosen according to the requirements stated in my wife's previous letter. I leave this matter to you, and you must do it well," Zhang Pingan said seriously.

"I understand!" the butler nodded.

Then he watched everyone carry the coffin away.

Xiao Yu'er followed beside him wearing a small mourning dress and began to cry again.

He knew that he was now truly a motherless child.

I don’t know if it will be like what my cousins ​​say, that a child without a mother is like a weed.

The adults also felt sad watching this.

There was no conversation on the way back, and the atmosphere was much more depressing than when we came.

Erhe looked at the coffin and felt emotional. It was only thanks to his family's power and wealth that the body could not have been preserved for so long.

Although she was a beautiful woman with a tragic fate, her life was better than that of many other people in this world.

When everyone returned to Lin'an, it was not yet noon.

But there were already people coming to the house to pay their respects.

Xiao Yifei was the first to arrive, followed by the Qian family, and Zhang Ping'an's former classmates, peers, and colleagues.

Even if the person is not at home, the family will send someone else to visit to show courtesy.

With the halo of being a second-rank official and the relationship with the Qian family, there was an endless stream of people coming to pay their respects.

Some people even secretly wondered if there was a suitable woman in their family. After the matter was over, it would be okay to marry her to the Zhang family as a concubine.

The most important thing is to build this network of contacts.

Zhang Ping'an didn't even have time to eat. After arriving at the mansion and settling his children, he took the other men in the family to help receive guests at the door.