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

Fortunately, the handstand was completed successfully in the end, and the water in the bowl was not spilled. The children all breathed a sigh of relief, and the onlookers cheered. A middle-aged man came over with a tray to collect the money.

Zhang Laoer and his friends basically gave a penny as a token of their appreciation. It's hard to make money these days, and many people don't pay after watching the film.

After collecting the money, the little boy came down. Zhang Pingan noticed that the child was sweating on his face and neck in the middle of winter. He didn't know if he was nervous or something else.

"We're all trying to make a living. These days, life is hard for ordinary people." Zhang Laoer noticed his son's eyes and whispered.

After watching the circus, everyone bought some food and went back. In modern times, if someone had to travel four hours to watch a circus, probably no one would go, but it was very normal at that time.

The girls in my family were very envious; they wanted to see it but couldn’t.

On the second day of the Lunar New Year, it was the day for daughters to return to their parents' home. Ma went back with her whole family. Li had bad luck this year, and her parents' home was far away, so she didn't plan to go back. Xu couldn't go back because she had to entertain her son-in-law, so Zhang Laoer had to take his son to visit his parents' home. Early in the morning, Xu and Erya were busy in the kitchen.

As soon as the hour of Si arrived, Liu Sanlang brought Daya in, carrying a lot of things in his hands.

Mrs. Xu came forward and complained, "Why are you here so late? The soup in my pot is almost dry."

Daya smiled shyly, and Liu Sanlang also smiled innocently and explained: "No...no...can't...can't...quickly!"

Xu was a little confused and looked at her eldest daughter in confusion. The eldest daughter was a little embarrassed and whispered, "I diagnosed a pregnancy pulse. Sanlang was worried that I might feel uncomfortable on the way, so the car drove slowly, which is why we arrived just now."

Xu slapped her thigh and said happily, "This is great news. How many months has it been?"

"It's only been over a month, there's still a lot of time to go," Daya replied.

Mrs. Xu nodded and said, "You have to be careful. Just tell me about it. Don't tell anyone else for the first three months, or you might scare the baby away."

Daya nodded and was very happy. The last incident with her eldest cousin's wife really scared her. She was worried that she would not be able to have a child, and her life would be very difficult.

After lunch, Zhang Laoer returned with his son and was still able to have lunch with his son-in-law.

Zhang Pingan was also very happy to see his elder sister. He pulled Daya into the room to look at his handwriting. "Look, elder sister, these are the homework I did during the holidays."

Although Daya couldn't read, she felt that each word she wrote was neat and tidy, so she thought it must be good, so she praised: "Well, Ping'an is really smart. I knew you were a good student. You must continue to study hard in the future. It's not easy for us farmers to go to school. Look at our Zhangjia Village. There are only five or six children who go to school, and we have two of them. It's really not easy for your parents!"

It was only after she got married and started her own life that Daya came to understand her parents better.

A day passes by chatting and laughing. Simplicity is also a blessing.

In a blink of an eye, it was March of the following year, a time when grass was green and birds were singing, and Erya's wedding date was set at this time.

It was the same hairdresser, the same steps, but this time, Xu Shi felt less melancholy and more relieved. Marriage was a parent's responsibility, and as their daughters gradually married off, the burden on their shoulders became lighter and lighter.

Mrs. Li was helping out on the side. This time, her heart was much heavier than the last time when Daya got married. The bride-pickers hadn't arrived yet, so she wasn't too busy. While working, Mrs. Li casually complimented, "Second sister-in-law, Erya is getting married soon. Both daughters are going to good families. The burden on your shoulders is getting lighter and lighter. You will definitely live a happy life in the future!"

Everyone likes to hear good words, and Xu is no exception. Her mouth is almost grinning from ear to ear, but she still has to humbly reply: "No, no, sister-in-law, you are the same, good days are yet to come."

Mrs. Li probed, "My eldest daughter will be 14 next year, 15 in lunar age, and she still hasn't found a husband. I'm so worried. Second sister-in-law, do you have a suitable family to marry her to? Please let me know. If it works out, I will definitely accept your favor and give you a lot of money as a thank you for the matchmaking."

Xu was busy washing clothes and cooking at home every day. She didn't have any connections. It was her second sister from her natal family and Zhang Laoer who found the right family. She really had no resources, so she didn't dare to respond. She could only politely decline, saying, "Don't worry, sister-in-law. Dani's fate is yet to come. Our daughter is so good, who's afraid she won't find a good family?"

These words could not comfort Li. Li was really worried. If it wasn't for Erya's wedding day, she really wanted to pull Xu aside and cry. "Hey, you don't know the situation in my family. Dazhu's wife is like that. Dani and Erzhu are getting old, but they haven't settled down yet. Erzhu is a boy after all, so he can still say wait. Dani, I'm really worried!"

After saying that, he went to the kitchen with a basket of vegetables and stopped talking. Only he knew his own suffering.

All three brothers of the Liu family came to pick up the bride today. The scene was no less grand than when Daya got married. Moreover, the Liu brothers were all smart, and the wedding went very smoothly. Zhang Ping'an even received a lot of red envelopes, which made Liu Shuisheng wink at him.

Erya looks carefree and heartless, but in fact, she is not as tough as Daya and is more homesick than Daya.

She cried so hard when she got into the sedan chair that her tears soaked a large area of ​​Dazhu's back. Zhang Ping'an handed her a handkerchief.

There are so many sisters in the family, and perhaps only my fourth, fifth, and sixth sisters can be carried on my brother's back when they get married. It makes me feel sad to think about it.

After the wedding procession left in a lively manner, the Zhang family, as the bride's side, had nothing to do and started to eat the banquet.

This time, Ma did not make trouble. She helped honestly and even left a big bowl of delicious food for herself in the kitchen to enjoy when the guests left the table.

But Sanya was quicker than her. As soon as the guests left, she brought out the dishes and ate them with rice. Ma was so angry that she started to curse: "Sanya, you debt collector! You are eating the things of your elders. Do you have any manners? Have you forgotten the beating you got for stealing lard last time? I think your mother didn't punish you enough."

After scolding, he tried to grab the bowl from San Ya's hand. Farmers don't care about leftovers. Even if others have eaten them, as long as they are good dishes, they will eat them.

San Ya refused and ran away with the bowl, circling around Ma, which made Ma so angry that she cursed even more.

There was quite a commotion here, which attracted Mrs. Xu as well. Mrs. Xu was so busy today that she just sat down in the main room to drink some tea.

After listening to a few sentences, she roughly understood what was going on. It was not a good thing. Xu was so angry that her forehead hurt. She couldn't help but yelled, "San Ya! What are you doing? Put down the bowl. What a disgrace!"

San Ya was most afraid of Xu in this family. After hearing that, she didn't dare to run away anymore. She put down the bowl, and just as she put it down, Ma snatched it away.

"Third sister-in-law, this won't do. I won't say anything about you secretly keeping so much of this food, but all the money spent was from our second house. But if you eat it all by yourself, then mother should be the one to judge," said Xu with a frown.

Ma was most afraid of her mother-in-law, Zhang. If she had eaten secretly, it would have been fine, but now that she had made a scene, she felt she was being treated unfairly. So she took an empty plate and took out half of the food, saying bitterly, "Is this okay? I've been helping out all day and I'm exhausted. Can't I even eat half a bowl of leftovers?"

After saying that, he turned around and walked away.

Xu then said coldly, "San Ya, come here!"

San Ya was a little scared, and hesitantly stepped forward and shouted, "Mom!"

"Can you finish such a big bowl of leftovers? This dish was specially left by your third aunt. Don't tell me you don't know. I won't say anything if you take it, but you eat it all by yourself? Have you ever thought about your parents and your brothers and sisters?"

San Ya cried, "I was going to share it with them after I finished eating."

Xu sneered, "You crawled out of my belly, and as your mother, I know what your temper has been like since you were little. Today is your second sister's day, and I won't do anything. If you do it again, you'll see how I'll deal with you. If I don't deal with you, you'll suffer when you get to your husband's house."

After saying that, he took the dishes and left. San Ya cried even more sadly when she saw the dishes that she had only eaten a few bites of!