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

The people on both sides of the street were all amazed and envious when they saw it!

After hearing this, everyone in the carriage couldn't help but straighten their backs and act like officials' wives.

To be honest, even County Magistrate Weng, a mere official, was envious. The seventh rank and the second rank could not be compared at all.

The honor guard slowly left the county town with great fanfare.

After walking ten miles outside the city, County Magistrate Weng and his officials stopped and said goodbye to Zhang Pingan and others.

He smiled and bowed, "Master Zhang, Master Liu, have a safe trip! When you two hold a homecoming banquet in a few days, I will have to take my men to ask for a drink! We will talk then!"

"Of course!" Zhang Ping'an nodded and responded with a smile.

The two sides exchanged a few polite words and the convoy set off again.

The road this time was not as easy to walk on as the previous official road. The scenery on both sides of the road was basically the same as Zhang Ping'an's impression, and it had remained the same for decades.

The sound of cicadas chirping rang in my ears.

From time to time, dragonflies of various colors fly by.

There were not many pedestrians on the road, and they all consciously gave way when they saw the convoy clearing the way with yamen runners.

"Dad, I want it!" Xiao Yuer had been sitting in the carriage for a long time and was already feeling drowsy and listless.

After seeing the dragonfly, he became interested and pointed outside the window.

"When we return home, Dad will make you a sticky rod. Then you can catch dragonflies by yourself. Wouldn't it be more interesting than having others catch them for you?" Zhang Ping'an comforted his son.

In order to fulfill his escort duties and also to get closer to Zhang Ping'an, Tan Yaoqi always rode in the same carriage with Zhang Ping'an.

After hearing this, he wanted to show his goodwill, so he said, "It's not hard to catch them anyway. Why don't I go help Xiaoyuer catch a few to play with and help him relieve his boredom!"

"We are on the road now, it's not suitable. Don't spoil him. Boys can't be too pampered." Zhang Ping'an shook his head and declined.

After hearing this, Xiao Yuer snorted softly, folded his arms, turned his head and sat aside, moving his little butt to show that he was a little angry.

Zhang Ping'an didn't care either. How could he possibly give in to his child in everything?

Although he loved this child more and deeper than anyone else, spoiling a child is like killing him. He must teach him some principles of life and work.

Tan Yaoqi originally wanted to coax him, but seeing Zhang Pingan shaking his head gently at him, he felt embarrassed to interfere and could only pretend not to see it.

Xiao Yuer was angry for a long time, but when he saw no one to comfort him, he fell asleep in anger.

When I woke up again, it was already past midnight and the convoy had arrived at the town below.

There were more and more people walking on the streets.

In addition to the previous ceremonial guard, the people who led the way also included people sent by the town to support them, as well as local rich people and gentry from the surrounding areas.

The smaller the place, the more arrogant the yamen runners are. When clearing the way, they would start to drive away and scold the common people on both sides of the street from a distance without any courtesy, saying "Get out of the way, get out of the way, get out of the way quickly, don't block our way!"

It was because the noise was too loud that Xiaoyuer was woken up.

Zhang Ping'an frowned unconsciously. Fortunately, although these people were a bit fierce, they were not like what he saw in the town when he was a child, where they would kick, beat or bash the stalls of the vendors they disliked. This was a big improvement.

When Tan Yaoqi saw Zhang Ping'an frowning, he understood the reason and explained, "It's okay, they're just a little harsh in their words. They generally do things according to the rules. The higher-ups are very strict with the yamen runners and constables, so they don't dare to bully the villagers openly."

Seeing that Zhang Ping'an was still unhappy, Tan Yaoqi shook his head and smiled: "There's nothing we can do. If the water is too clear, there will be no fish. Human nature is the law of the jungle."

"Of course I understand," Zhang Pingan said calmly, "I just had some complicated feelings after seeing the villagers!"

Tan Yaoqi had never experienced a difficult financial life, so it was difficult for him to empathize with others. He nodded and said nothing more.

Zhang Ping'an quietly looked at the familiar places he passed by on the road, such as the clinic, vegetable market, and restaurant. Scenes of the past came to his mind, as if it were yesterday.

Not far away, the door of my eldest brother-in-law Liu Sanlang's house, where he used to sell pork, is now occupied by an old man selling black goods.

Clay pots, jars and jars were scattered all over the floor.

Seeing a luxury convoy passing by, the old man and the people setting up stalls nearby were whispering to each other.

Little did they know that the homeowner was in the convoy.

The Liu family's old house has gone through many hardships and has been unattended for a long time, and has long been dilapidated.

Although County Magistrate Weng had people clean it up, it was still too shabby to live in.

There is no decent inn in the town.

Therefore, after the village head discussed with the wealthy families in the town, he borrowed a mansion from a wealthy family in the town as a place for the Liu family to stay.

The carriage did not stop at the door of the Liu family's old house.

"Sir Liu, after we finish lunch and take a rest, I will accompany you back to the old house to take a look," the headman said flatteringly as he walked beside the carriage.

"Sorry to bother you, Headmaster!" Liu Sanlang thanked him politely and had no objection.

He also knew that if no one took care of the house for a long time, it would definitely be uninhabitable. Moreover, there were so many people in his family now that the old house could no longer accommodate them.

Before coming back this time, my father, Liu the Butcher, had already made preparations to rebuild the old house.

Even if your family doesn't live there anymore, you can hire someone to take care of it. At least you will have a base in your hometown, and your descendants will have something to look forward to.

In addition, Uncle Xu and his family also want to get off the bus in town and visit their hometown.

According to County Magistrate Weng, although his aunt Xiao Yu had passed away during the war, his uncle Xu and his family were still there and now lived in the old house in the town.

It’s just that Uncle Xu went to work in a quarry in the neighboring county a few months ago and hasn’t come back yet. I’ve sent someone to inform him, and he’s expected to arrive in the next few days.

Uncle Xu still understood basic social interactions. As an uncle, there was no reason for him to go back to the countryside with his nephew.

Before getting off the car, Uncle Xu clutched the window reluctantly and said, "Everyone's safe. I'll take your two cousins ​​and nephews home first to get familiar with the place. After they're settled, I'll go to Zhangjia Village with Sanlang!"

"Okay, uncle, please go home soon and bring the gift with me. When my uncle comes back, I will go to his house to visit him in person," Zhang Pingan said, waving his hand.

After eating, he knew his uncle's temperament, so he immediately let out a "whoosh" and urged the horse to move.

Otherwise you'll be stuck for a long time.

It was quite embarrassing with so many people around watching.

Tan Yaoqi found it amusing, shook his head, and jokingly said, "Ping An, your relatives are quite interesting."

"If you were in that situation, you probably wouldn't feel that way," Zhang Pingan spread his hands helplessly.

"Actually, I can see that you don't want to bother with them, otherwise you would have many ways to deal with it," Tan Yaoqi said incisively.

"After all, they are relatives. The emperor has three other relatives. If you don't like them, just stay away from them. If they really do something that goes against the law and conscience, it won't be too late for me to kill them for the sake of justice. You know, the mouths of those officials are more poisonous than arsenic. If you don't observe etiquette, you will inevitably be criticized. There is no need to do that," Zhang Pingan explained, and the following sentences were a reminder to Tan Yaoqi.

He knew that this man had been quite arrogant when he was young, and even though he had become more mellow now, it was inevitable that he would still get stuck in a rut occasionally.

It is still necessary to give him some appropriate advice so that he can go further in his career.

After a while, we arrived at the house of the rich family in the town, and my eldest brother-in-law Liu Sanlang and his family got off the car.

The Liu family members are easy to recognize by their physique, tall and strong, rare in the town.

As soon as the family got off the bus, they were surrounded by many elderly people who were still alive in the town.

Sighs and sighs can be heard everywhere.

They were all fellow villagers, and Liu the butcher greeted them one by one enthusiastically, and in the end he even got red-eyed with excitement.

In this way, it would be difficult for the yamen runners to stop them.

We can only try our best to maintain order.

The village head originally wanted to try again and invited Zhang Pingan to have lunch with him.

Judging from the situation, it won’t work if there is too much noise.

It was a good thing that the head of Zhangjia Village showed up first.

Finally, he could only bow regretfully and said with a flattering smile: "Master Zhang, I will go to Zhangjia Village again tomorrow. If you need any instructions, just tell me. I will definitely do my best to help you!"

Zhang Ping'an nodded politely.

After saying hello to his eldest brother-in-law's family, he led his men and continued on his way to the village.

After a while, Chi Bao stopped the reins and whispered beside the carriage, "Sir, Master Luo is here!"

As the other party clumsily rolled off the horse, Zhang Ping'an lifted the curtain and saw his old friend at a glance.

"Fu'an, boy, you are really in town. I heard it from Fugui. Come up quickly," Zhang Ping'an greeted with a natural smile.

It turned out that just now, while the Liu family got off the carriage, Zhang Pingan specifically ordered his men to go find Luo Fuan after eating to see if he was in the store in the town.

Otherwise, after returning to the village, I might not be able to take care of him for a while.

Luo Fuan was just as Luo Fugui said, he had become much darker and thinner, and there was no trace of the plump white man he was in his childhood and youth.

It's obvious that he has suffered a lot in life.

But he looks in good spirits, with a smile in his eyes and mouth, and looks very optimistic.

Even without saying anything, one can feel that this person has a kind nature.

"Ping An! It's really you!!!" Luo Fugui greeted with a big smile, his voice almost breaking.

Then he climbed onto the carriage nimbly.

There were expressions of shock, joy, and excitement on his face.

"When this guy came looking for me just now, I thought I was being robbed. I figured I was broke, so even if it was a robbery, there was no need to look for me!"

"Hey! Have you forgotten me?" Jinbao, who was sitting in the carriage next to him, lifted the curtain and waved hello.

"Jinbao!!!" Luo Fuan's eyes widened.

"I didn't expect that after all these years, you two are still together!"

This familiar joke instantly made everyone feel like they were back in the past.

The friendship between us since childhood grows stronger after frost! That’s exactly the case!