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

It took Luo Fugui a long time to calm down, and then he had time to look at the few people.

Just by looking at their clothes and facial expressions, you can tell that they are living a good life.

Moreover, he had just heard from the dean about Zhang Ping'an's current situation two days ago.

Now that I have seen it with my own eyes, I am even more certain that what he said is true.

"Ping'an, Jinbao, brother-in-law, Tan...Brother Tan, I didn't know you were coming today. I'm sorry to have embarrassed you. I'm really sorry," Luo Fugui said with a bow.

When talking about Tan Yaoqi, he didn't know how to address him. After a pause, he called him "Brother Tan" in a proper way.

His impression of this man still lingered on his arrogant and domineering appearance during the academy competition.

Later I heard that this person passed the imperial examination after the establishment of the new dynasty and became an official in the provincial capital, which was a far cry from my own.

The gap is so huge that we rarely pay attention to it on a daily basis.

I didn't know that he had such a good relationship with Ping An and the others.

"It's okay. How have you been these past few years? I heard from County Magistrate Weng that you passed the examination to become a scholar two years ago, which is pretty good," Zhang Ping'an asked with concern.

"Oh, I'm sorry to have embarrassed you. I can't compare with you. I have been taking exams for many years. Now I finally have an explanation and can have a decent job to make a living. This is enough," Luo Fugui waved his hand modestly.

As he was approaching thirty, he had already understood that there were only a very small number of people who were born with talent. It was already very difficult for him to pass the examination and become a scholar, so he should not expect too much.

He still remembered that when he passed the imperial examination and became a scholar, his family had nothing good to celebrate with. His father limped for almost two hours to the town to pawn his winter coat, and then he exchanged it for a narrow strip of fat meat and two kilograms of coarse rice to take home, so that the family could have some meat.

Everyone in the family is proud of him for leaving the countryside.

In the past, he would get stuck in a rut, but after going through so much, he has become more open-minded and grateful for the gift of fate. At least he is living a good life now.

"I remember that you loved studying and worked very hard. It's not bad for you to be a teacher now. You are better than me. I studied for more than ten years, but I couldn't even pass the examination for Tongsheng." Jin Bao smiled and continued to ease the atmosphere.

With an open-minded expression on his face, he really has a bit of a hermit vibe.

"Hey, let's not talk about that anymore," Luo Fugui laughed, amused, and then asked, "Are you guys back to visit your relatives this time? I heard the headmaster mention it a few times before, but I didn't expect you to arrive so soon."

"Yes, my brother-in-law and I have to go to the capital to take up our posts. It's a rare opportunity to take a leave to visit our family, so naturally we have to come back to worship our ancestors," Zhang Pingan nodded. "By the way, how is Fu'an? How is he now?"

"He's doing okay. He used to farm in my hometown. Later, I passed the imperial examination and settled down in the county town. When he had more money, he set up a stall in the town to sell grain. He also helps people with writing and calculating to make a little money. He can also take care of the farm at the same time, so he has no problem making a living," Luo Fugui replied gently.

"During the war years, we suffered a lot. My grandparents are gone, and our family fortune is almost gone. But fortunately, everything is moving in a positive direction now."

"It's good enough that you're alive and well. Why didn't you open your oil mill?"

"Nowadays, most people in the countryside can't afford oil, and they are reluctant to eat it. They are afraid of hunger during the war years, so everyone likes to stockpile food or exchange it for some silver. Naturally, the oil mill can't continue to operate," Luo Fugui explained with a wry smile.

"The grain store in Fu'an is called a store, but in reality it's all family members helping out. They don't hire any clerks, and they just make a hard-earned living by trading goods. During the busy farming season, they go to the countryside to collect grain themselves. If you saw him now, you wouldn't recognize him; he's much darker and thinner."

Speaking of his cousin, Luo Fugui felt very distressed. Before he passed the imperial examination, the family's livelihood mostly depended on this cousin, who suffered a lot.

When they were young, because they were the same age, he was always reluctant to call him brother and always called him Fu'an by his name.

But now he admires his cousin from the bottom of his heart.

"Alas", everyone fell silent after hearing this and could only sigh.

"Don't look at me like that. It's really nothing. Things have been much better in the past two years," Luo Fugui said with a smile to comfort everyone.

Then he said, "Stop talking, have some tea, have some tea. There's nothing much to offer here."

As he spoke, he added some more tea to everyone's cups.

He continued, "I'm doing OK with my studies at the academy, and it's great that I can help my older kids with their education."

Zhang Ping'an could see that Luo Fugui felt a little embarrassed because he had nothing good to offer to the few people.

To avoid embarrassment, he picked up the teacup and drank half of it in one gulp before asking about the others. "Do you know where the others in my hometown are going?"

"When the county was in chaos, most people fled south. As for the countryside, you know, the countryside has always been isolated from news. When I fled back, the people below only realized how bad the situation had become. No one had any ideas, and most of them hid in the woods or caves on the surrounding mountains. They couldn't go far! Those who survived came back after the new dynasty was established and the world was stable. They all stayed in the village," Luo Fugui said with a sigh.

What choice do ordinary people have? They can only go with the flow.