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

The east of the city is mainly inhabited by people of status in the county, mostly literati. The government offices and private schools are also here, so after entering the east of the city, the surroundings gradually become quiet. The wealthy families all have high walls built, and there are blooming plum blossoms sticking out of the walls.

After walking around for a while, they finally found the county school. It was now closed for the holidays, and only an old man who was sweeping the floor was dozing off in the gatehouse.

After waking the man up, Zhang Laoer handed him two coins and asked with a smile, "Excuse me, sir, do you know where Mr. Luo, the county schoolmaster, lives? We are his relatives from his hometown."

The old man looked better after receiving the money and asked, "Which Mr. Luo are you asking about? There are two Mr. Luo in the county school."

"It's Mr. Luo from Luojia Village in Shuanghe Town," Zhang Laoer replied.

"Oh, his family lives in the row behind the county school. You can go around the gate to the right and you can see it. The third house is theirs. There is a persimmon tree planted at the door."

"Okay, thank you very much, old man," Zhang Laoer replied politely, then took his son-in-law and son to the back of the county school.

After walking into the alley, they saw a persimmon tree planted in front of the third house, and they went up and knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" An old woman answered and came over to open the door. She looked the people up and down and didn't let anyone in.

"Hello, we are from the same hometown as Mr. Luo and we are here to see him. His father is my son's teacher. This is the letter his father asked me to bring to him." Zhang Laoer quickly explained.

"Wait a minute," the old woman bolted the door and went in with the letter.

After a while, he opened the door again and said, "Come in, my master is waiting for you in the main hall."

A few people then came in. It was a two-entry courtyard. Although it was not big, it was decorated very delicately and planted with many flowers and plants. There was another old woman in the courtyard doing the sweeping and cleaning.

After entering the main hall, a maid came over to pour tea. Young Master Luo sat beside them. He looked very kind, a gentle and refined middle-aged man with an ordinary appearance, but with a scholarly air. After meeting a few people, he said in a gentle voice, "Hurry up and take a seat. This must be my father's favorite student, Ping An. He looks very smart and clever. Who is this?"

After looking at them one by one, Master Luo looked at Liu Sanlang and asked.

"Oh, this is my eldest son-in-law, he's here to help." Zhang Laoer quickly replied. Everything here looked so exquisite, it made him feel uncomfortable and timid.

On the other hand, Zhang Ping'an and his brother-in-law Liu Sanlang looked quite natural. Zhang Ping'an had seen more magnificent buildings in his previous life and had also lived in the era of information explosion. He was only curious about this place and was not shocked. Liu Sanlang was a slow person and did not react at all.

Therefore, Master Luo valued these two more and said slowly, "My father's letter described your situation. I don't know much about medicinal herbs, but I have a classmate who works in the medical department. They are in charge of the clinic, so he must know more than me. After lunch, I will take you to see him. I have to send him a message first to see if he is in."

Then he called out to the door, "Aunt Li, please ask Uncle Li to take my note and go to Doctor Fu's house at the Medical Department."

"Hey, sir, I'll go right away," the old woman who opened the door just now responded and walked towards the study.

Zhang Laoer felt a bit uncomfortable, rubbing his hands and trying to decline, "How can this be so embarrassing? We can just grab a bite outside. And I thought you could just show us where to buy something. This...this is too much trouble for you, Master Luo."

Master Luo waved his hand and said with a smile, "You're welcome. We're all from the same hometown, so we should help each other if we can. Besides, if you just buy anything, what if you get ripped off? There's also the question of how to plant it. It's better to find someone who knows how to do it right the first time. Every profession has its own expertise. I don't know how to pick out the seeds. Doctor Fu and I have a good personal relationship, so it won't be a problem."

Zhang Ping'an felt very emotional when he looked at Master Luo. This was considered a favor from a great man. The unit that could manage the clinic was equivalent to the modern health bureau, and it was not so easy to find people. Moreover, it was also a disguised way for his family to find another way out.

I couldn't help but praise him sincerely: "Master Luo, you are such a kind person. You are a noble person in our family."

Luo Fuzi couldn't help but laugh and jokingly said, "Ping'an, how old are you? How can you know who is a good person and who is a bad person? Besides, a good iron must be strong itself. I am just holding the line. In the end, you have to plant it yourself. I am several years older than your father. You can call me uncle. Don't be so distant."

Zhang Pingan immediately shouted in a crisp voice: "Uncle!"

Mr. Luo was even more delighted after hearing this. He waved to Zhang Pingan to come over and sit down. "Hey, our home hasn't been so lively for a long time. My two little boys have gone to the provincial capital to study."

Zhang Laoer felt relieved when he saw that his child had caught the eye of Master Luo.

The lunch was very sumptuous, with five dishes and a soup, and the dishes were laid out on plates. There were no female relatives at home, so no one knew what was going on, and everyone was tactful enough not to ask.

Although the food was delicious, it was at someone else's house after all. Several people put down their chopsticks after eating one bowl and said they were full. Zhang Ping'an guessed that except for himself, his father and brother-in-law were not full, so one bowl of rice was definitely not enough.

Seeing that the people were getting impatient, Master Luo didn't offer to let them rest any longer. Instead, he asked his old servant, Uncle Li, to drive the carriage over and take them to the medical office.

Doctor Fu's house is also next to the medical office, with two courtyards, but it looks much bigger than Master Luo's house, and has three or four servants.

After the few people arrived, Master Luo first exchanged pleasantries with Medical Officer Fu for a while before getting down to business. "These people are all from my hometown. They plan to grow medicinal herbs and sell them for a lot of money. They need to buy seeds, but I'm not good at buying seeds, and I don't know how to grow medicinal herbs. I can only ask you, who knows how to do it. Given our relationship, you must help me."

Doctor Fu laughed heartily upon hearing this, "I knew you wouldn't come to me for no reason. I was wondering how long you could hold it in. I've been waiting for you to speak!"

Master Luo also laughed and said, "Stop teasing me!"

Doctor Fu then turned to Zhang Laoer and asked, "What do you want to plant and how much? Where do you want to sell it? Tell me first."

Zhang Laoer replied stiffly, "Sir, I'm planning to use one acre of land to try planting some. I'll plant half of it with Bupleurum and Astragalus, and the other half with Pinellia, Fritillaria, and Honeysuckle. If I want to sell them, there are two medical clinics in our town that are willing to buy them. We used to collect them from the wild, but the quantity was too small, so I'm planning to plant some."

Doctor Fu was stunned when he heard this: "Only one acre of land? You can't make much money from that."

Master Luo quickly came to the rescue, flattering him, "Hey, Brother Fu, I see you've been in a high position for too long, and you don't know how hard life is for ordinary people. They just farm in the countryside to make a living, so making money is not a big deal. Just being able to eat is good enough. It's just a matter of raising your hand, so you have to help."

Doctor Fu nodded, but he wasn't interested anymore. He casually called a servant in and instructed, "Zhao Da, go to the medical office and ask the storekeeper to get some medicinal herb seeds. Pick out a dozen or so that are suitable for our local area. Bring a bag of each. Ask them how to plant them and what you need to pay attention to. Write everything down and come back quickly after you get them."

Zhang Laoer quickly said: "We don't need that much..."

Seeing this, Master Luo stopped talking and smiled, bowing, saying, "Thank you very much, Brother Fu. Come to my house for a drink some other day. Don't refuse!"

Doctor Fu waved his hand nonchalantly and said, "Ziming, you're being so formal. What's the relationship between our two families? I didn't help you at all. It's just a matter of my word. I have to go to the banquet. When your eldest son comes back from the prefectural school after the New Year, he has to come and teach this good-for-nothing of mine a lesson. It really makes me mad. I can't compare to your family!"

Doctor Fu became more and more angry as he spoke, and even drank two cups of tea.