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

Buying a house and property is a serious matter, and the men in the family all agree with it.

So the matter was settled.

When Zhang Ping'an was preparing dinner, he briefly mentioned this matter to Lord Du, saying that it would be a good idea to use the connection if possible.

After the tiring journey, everyone was really tired.

After finishing the discussion, everyone went back to their rooms to wash up and take a nap in the afternoon.

--

At this time, the eldest brother of the Xiao family had just changed his clothes and washed up, but he had not gone to bed yet. He was worried about Wu Ya's affairs.

Although he had no actual blood relationship with the Zhang family, since he had taken advantage of their opportunity, there was no reason for him to leave first. He could only wait for the Zhang family to return to the county town and then go back together.

When the time comes, matters such as returning the ancestral property may have to rely on the Zhang family's connections.

He understood all this.

Moreover, along the way, the Zhang family was very polite to him and took good care of him, and he was not left out at the welcoming banquet.

To be honest, he was indeed lucky.

But the trouble is that the Zhang family still has a daughter who just got divorced.

He happened to be a widower.

The identities of the two were already sensitive, and Wu Ya came up to talk to them from time to time, so it was hard for him not to think too much.

However, he never thought of marrying Wu Ya. Even if Wu Ya had a powerful brother, she had been married twice after all, so it would be difficult to say it.

Although he didn't know the reason for the divorce, the eldest brother of the Xiao family ruled it out first because of such a complicated marriage experience. He never thought of marrying her in exchange for wealth and glory.

On the other hand, he wanted to be on good terms with the Zhang family and didn't want to offend them.

So he has been trying to avoid it.

But sometimes it is unavoidable, and Wu Ya looks at him with a sad and crying expression, as if he has done something to her, which makes the eldest brother of the Xiao family feel uncomfortable and very upset.

The attendant following him was the servant who had been with the eldest brother of the Xiao family since he was young.

Of course I understand some of the situation and I also hope that the Xiao family can make a comeback.

So, half worried and half complicated, he advised: "Master, although the fifth daughter of the Zhang family is not very talented, her younger brother is very capable. If you can..."

"Alas, there is no need to mention this matter anymore. It is impossible for me to marry her, not for anything else, but only for the sake of those young masters. As the saying goes, a virtuous wife brings less trouble to her husband, while an unvirtuous wife will ruin three generations. Although I don't know why she divorced, it takes two to tango. I don't want to take the risk. Seeing that the young masters are growing up, they will be able to get married in a few years. Why should I marry a concubine and make my family so complicated? Forget it," said Brother Xiao, waving his hand.

This is probably how his life will be. All his future hopes lie on his children!

"Well, that's true!" Although the follower felt a little sorry when he heard this, he stopped trying to persuade him.

Little did they know that the reason Wu Ya behaved like this was because she felt a sense of crisis from her mother, Xu.

Although Xu was not very cold to her, she still felt scared, which was even more disturbing than when she was yelling and cursing at people in the past.

She wanted to talk to her elder sister, but she would only comfort her and tell her that everything was fine.

Now she doesn't know what to do.

That's why I wanted to seek help from the eldest brother of the Xiao family, whom I have some feelings for.

If two people have a mutual understanding and can be together, all problems will be solved.

Mrs. Xu didn't know what Wu Ya was thinking, otherwise she wouldn't know whether to say her daughter was stupid or smart.

You may say she is stupid, but she can be smart sometimes, so she is not completely stupid.

Among all the people, Jinbao, as an outsider, should be the most leisurely one on the return journey.

Besides being on the boat, I still had time to think about a new story, and I didn't feel too melancholy.

When I have free time, I help take care of my grandma.

"Oh, my eldest grandson, you are so filial. My life is worth it!" Grandma Jinbao said with a smile while drinking the honey water handed to her by her grandson.

Now that I am old, I have few teeth left in my mouth, and I mainly eat porridge and water.

To be honest, Grandma Jinbao is very old, and she is considered a rare centenarian in this era.

But even though she is old, she still keeps herself clean and combs her hair neatly, looking like a neat old lady.

"Milk, drink it quickly. It's just cooled down a bit, and it's just right, neither too hot nor too cold," Jinbao urged, and helped his grandmother crush the cake.

"Okay, drink your milk. Has your mother gone to discuss buying a house?" Grandma Jinbao asked in a gentle voice while drinking.

"Yes, now that we are back, we have to buy some property. After we return to our hometown with Ping An to worship our ancestors, we will probably live in the provincial capital in the future," Jin Bao said casually.

Grandma Jinbao nodded when she heard this: "That's good. Ping An is still here. We can still benefit from him when buying houses and land!"

Jinbao's father had aged a bit over the years, but his appearance hadn't changed much, and he was in good spirits. After hearing this, he smiled and said, "Although our family isn't rich, we can live comfortably. Once we buy some land and rent it out, our lives will be even better. Now all we need is for our Jinbao to get married!"

Jinbao smiled helplessly and didn't respond. It's not that easy!

The family members were chatting and laughing, talking about their future plans, and the atmosphere was very warm.

When Jin Bao's father saw Jin Bao's mother coming back with a smile on her face, he knew that things were almost done.

"With Ping'an's face, things will be much easier. We just need to pay the money," Jin Bao's mother said after pouring herself a cup of tea.

After hearing this, several people felt much more at ease!

After a good sleep in the afternoon, everyone felt refreshed.

The younger children, in particular, seemed to have endless energy.

Knowing that they would be going out to dinner later that evening, everyone packed up carefully.

Clothes make the man, and saddles make the horse. The basic thing is that your clothes and appearance must be decent!

Now when people go out, even the most materialistic Shen family will not look shabby.

Xu and Daya have also become the center of discussion among the female relatives.

Seeing her sister-in-law living so happily, Ma still felt jealous, but she would never again say anything unpleasant without any tact.

The posthouse was full of Du Zaiqing's men, and as soon as the Zhang family got up, someone went to notify them.

Therefore, when everyone had packed up, the carriage was already waiting at the door, and the arrangements were very thoughtful and detailed.

Zhang Ping'an sat in the carriage, pulled aside the curtains and looked outside.

It was dusk, but there were still many people on the street, including many vendors carrying loads on their shoulders and selling their wares.

It can be seen that most of the people do not live a very affluent life, but there is light and hope in their eyes, which shows that as a high-ranking official, Du Zaiqing should have implemented his policies quite well.

As the wheels of the carriage continued to move forward, Zhang Ping'an saw Hongshun Building and Tongfu Inn one after another.

When he took the provincial examination, he stayed at Tongfu Inn. Lin Junhui also invited him and his brother-in-law to have dinner at Hongshunlou.

I thought the scenes of the past were all blurred, but now they appear so clearly before my eyes.

Zhang Laoer followed his son's gaze and remembered, saying with a smile, "Isn't this the inn where I stayed when I was taking the exam? It's still here!"

"Yes, ten years have passed in the blink of an eye! Besides, it's been more than ten years!" Zhang Pingan shook his head and laughed.

Xiao Yuer poked his head out to look over and asked curiously, "Dad, why are you staying in such a small inn? It looks so shabby!"

"Don't cling to the window!" Zhang Ping'an said, holding his son and sitting him down. Then he explained, "Back then, our family wasn't well off, so we were lucky to be able to stay in an inn like this! Unlike you, you were born in a very lucky place!"

"Oh, okay, then I'll lend a little bit of my blessings to daddy, so you don't have to live in such a shabby place!" Xiao Yuer said seriously with a serious face.

"Hahaha, okay, thank you, Dad!" Zhang Pingan shook his head and laughed.

After a while, the carriage stopped in front of Deweilou, the most famous restaurant in the city.

It was built at the beginning of the Xin Dynasty with funds from a wealthy businessman from outside the province, and it has been open for less than two years.

Zhang Ping'an knew that the real boss behind this was probably one of the prominent figures in the government office.

Maybe it was Du Zaiqing, but he couldn't say for sure.

In the afternoon, he asked Chibao to inquire about the current situation of the government office and found a very interesting phenomenon.

Although most of the powerful officials in Ezhou Prefecture today were transferred from the Southern Dynasty, the surrendered officials left behind by the previous dynasty have not been severely purged.

This is somewhat different from the officialdom in other places.

Logically speaking, after a change of dynasty, the situation of officials of the previous dynasty is the most embarrassing, and they are often suspected, belittled and suppressed by the new dynasty.

From this point of view, Du Zaiqing is either incompetent or broad-minded. It is not known which one it is.

As for Tan Yaoqi, he passed the imperial examination on his own and got a job in the government by using his family's connections and spending money to get a job in the government.

During this period, he also made some small contributions to flood control and disaster relief.

It is not easy to be promoted to the seventh rank in just two years.

After hearing this, Zhang Pingan really looked up to him.

It seems that this person has changed a lot.

While thinking about this, Zhang Ping'an didn't stop and followed the waiter into the lobby.

Du Zaiqing was waiting on the first floor with his officials.

Because they had left the government office, everyone had changed into casual clothes, appearing more casual and approachable, and not as restrained as when they were wearing official uniforms.

"Sir Zhang, please come this way. Do these calligraphy works look familiar to you?" After Du Zaiqing stepped forward to greet him, he led Zhang Pingan to look at the calligraphy and paintings hanging on the wall.

"Is this an imitation of Wangjiang Tower?" Zhang Ping'an looked at the calligraphy and paintings hanging around the first floor, and saw that there were no tables, so he smiled and joked.

"Lord Zhang has a good eye. This building is modeled after the Wangjiang Tower in Yingzhou City, and the location is also based on the Wangjiang Tower, so the scenery is quite good," Du Zaiqing replied with a smile.

Zhang Pingan declined to comment on this.

After carefully examining the calligraphy and paintings on the wall that had just been pointed out to him, he finally realized something: "This... could this be the work I used to do..."

As he spoke, Zhang Pingan put his hands behind his back and shook his head, mocking himself: "Alas, when I was younger, my graffiti was unsightly. Looking back at it now, I'm truly ashamed!"

It turned out that what were hanging on the wall were the calligraphy and paintings that Zhang Ping'an had made for the innkeeper, as well as the poems he left when he was studying at the provincial school. He had no idea how Du Zaiqing found them. It was really difficult for him.

I thought it was pretty good at first, but now it seems a bit disappointing and the writing is too immature!

"Everything has a gradual and continuous improvement process. Sir, please don't be so modest!" Du Zaiqing complimented.

Other officials also flattered him.

By the way, he also flattered Zhang Laoer for his good parenting skills, and said that Old Man Zhang and Mrs. Zhang were blessed. He made the whole Zhang family straighten their chests and feel proud of it.

"Sir Zhang is a well-deserved young talent. Now that he has returned home in glory, he must leave behind a piece of calligraphy for other scholars in the city to admire!" another person said.