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

Looking at the six boys, big and small, outside the door, Zhang Pingan admired Sister Jinbao a little.

In troubled times, it is not easy for a widow to raise six boys at once.

"Okay, come in and get the meat," Zhang Pingan said without asking any more questions, and called Jinbao in. "But let's go to my house for dinner together tonight so you don't have to cook alone. I don't mind these few pairs of chopsticks. If anyone has any objections, let them ask me!"

"Oh, okay," Jinbao wanted to refuse, but when he thought of his sister's family, he swallowed the words back.

The person who distributed the meat was the village chief's eldest son, who was directed by the village chief.

Seeing Jinbao coming to claim the meat, the village chief was a little confused about what was going on and was unsure of Jinbao's current identity.

But he could see that Jinbao's family had a good relationship with Old Man Zhang's family, so after thinking about it, he winked at his son.

Finally, Jinbao got a large piece of good meat, which was generous in size and rich in fat.

When the clay basin was brought out, the oldest boy took the initiative to help take it.

He doesn't talk much, but there is a fierceness in his eyes and eyebrows, and you can tell at first glance that he is not someone you want to mess with.

The younger ones nearby tried to peek, but were mercilessly scolded, "Don't move. Mom will clean it up when we get home."

Jin Bao said nothing when he saw this. After saying goodbye to Zhang Ping'an's family, he took his nephews back home.

The village chief then stepped forward and talked about the situation of Sister Jinbao and Zhaocai's family.

It turned out that Jinbao's brother-in-law was drafted into the army the year the war started and died in the war.

Her husband's family was too busy to take care of Jinbao's family, so they sold their property and left them alone and ran away secretly.

Sister Jinbao had no idea how she managed to raise these six sons and one daughter by herself.

After the war ended, she had nowhere to go, so she took her children back to Zhangjia Village and lived in her old house.

He made a living by setting up stalls in the town and working for others, and he also reclaimed some wasteland in the mountains.

"She is a capable person and also very bold," the village chief concluded.

Then, she praised herself in disguise, "If we hadn't been kind-hearted and pitiful towards their family, and thought that Zhaocai was a girl from Zhangjia Village after all, we wouldn't have let them become refugees. That's why we let them settle down in Zhangjia Village. They're the only one like them in the surrounding area."

It also implies that he did not bully this family of orphans and widows.

Although it was said simply in a few words, Zhang Pingan knew too well how xenophobic the country people were.

When Sister Jinbao first settled down in the village with her family, she must have suffered a lot and has some skills.

However, these were not things he should help with, so Zhang Pingan just smiled and didn't respond.

The village chief looked at the ambiguous smile, his heart beating fast, and he also laughed dryly twice.

He looked up at the sky and said, "It's getting late now. Let's go back to the house and have dinner. We can talk while we eat and see what the rules are for ancestor worship. It's really lucky that tomorrow is an auspicious day!"

"Yeah," Zhang Pingan nodded.

The family then returned to the old house.

With the help of the women in the village and a number of servants present, the banquet was served quickly.

Most of the people who came were relatives within the fifth degree of mourning in the village, and the men brought their children with them.

There were eight or nine tables set up.

Jinbao's family also came early.

Zhang Ping'an wanted to support Jin Bao, so he arranged people to sit at the main table, along with Luo Fuan.

The village chief understood immediately.

He was also very friendly to the Zhaocai family he brought with him and said a few polite words.

He also asked someone to pack some clean and delicious food for Luo Fuan to take back to his family later.

No matter what he thought, at least his attitude was quite polite, and Zhang Pingan was somewhat satisfied.

There was endless compliments at the table, but Zhang Pingan didn't take it too seriously. He just focused on explaining the important matters of the next few days one by one.

Knowing that a big shot from the county was coming, the village chief took it very seriously and immediately said that he would tell the villagers not to be rude and make a fool of themselves.

When the elders in the clan learned that the Juren and Jinshi archways were in Lin'an, they felt very sorry.

"It's all because of this damn war, otherwise our village would have two memorial archways, and it would be such an honor to our family if we told others about it!"

"Misfortune may turn out to be a blessing in disguise. There is no need to feel regretful. This time when I come back, I am also planning to establish a clan school to do my bit for the clan. As long as the younger generations in the clan work hard and study well, there will surely be someone who can become an official through studying and taking the imperial examination like me, and bring honor to the family," Zhang Ping'an said seriously.

"You're right. Smoke has come out of our Zhang family's ancestral grave once, and it will definitely come out again," said the village chief with a smile.

Then the topic turned to the location of the ancestral tomb, and everyone agreed that the location of the ancestral tomb of Old Man Zhang's family was well chosen.

Old man Zhang didn't say anything, he just ate meat and drank wine with big mouthfuls, and laughed from time to time.

Boss Zhang envied his father's good fortune, as he had lived to be over seventy years old without suffering any hardship.

If you encounter something you don’t want to hear or care about, you can pretend to be ignorant.

The welcoming banquet lasted until it was completely dark.

Zhang Ping'an allocated some money to the village chief in advance to help him arrange people to do things.

The village chief happily accepted it and flattered the Zhang family.

After all the villagers had left, Xu rubbed her lower back and said she was tired.

The same is true for Zhang Laoer.

And maybe it was because he had been away from home for too long, but now when he faced the villagers, he no longer had the desire to show off, brag, or talk nonsense as before.

I always feel like we are not on the same path anymore.

But Zhang Laoer would not say this.

Zhang Pingan originally wanted to send someone to Liujia Village to look for Liu Shengyuan so that they could get together.

It is so rare for former classmates to get together, and such opportunities will become fewer and fewer in the future.

But Luo Fuan saw that it was getting late and the Zhang family had a lot of things to do tomorrow, so he politely declined. "Let's wait until tomorrow. Tomorrow evening, when you're free, I'll go to Liujia Village and call Ayuan over, along with Jinbao, so we can get together."

"Okay, then I'll ask someone to take you there," Zhang Ping'an nodded. Luo Fuan looked careless, but after all, he had a lot of experience here, so he was much more careful in what he said and did than before.

Tan Yaoqi hadn't had much to talk about since arriving at Zhangjia Village, so he stood up and said, "I'll take it. It's a good time to help with the food!"

"Then I won't be polite. Thank you very much." Luo Fuan saw that Tan Yaoqi and Zhang Pingan had a good relationship, so he didn't hesitate and bowed to express his gratitude.

But where to stay at night is also a problem. Although the Zhang family’s house and yard are big enough, there are not enough beds.

Fortunately, the weather was hot at that time, so we could sleep on a cool bed or a rolled-up mat at night. We had to ask the servants to make do with it for the time being.

It was the first time for Xiao Yuer to sleep on a cool bed in the countryside, and he was quite curious to see so many fireflies in the rice field in front of the house. He did not mind the simple conditions.

This made Xu and Zhang Laoer secretly relieved, and they kept praising the child for being sensible.

Mrs. Zhang and Old Man Zhang slept the best, and soon they were snoring so loudly that it could be heard through the window.

……

After a night passed, the next day soon arrived.

Most people slept well, except that they had a lot of mosquito bites on their faces and bodies.

Today is considered an auspicious day.

This is also the day when Zhang Ping'an returns to his hometown to formally worship his ancestors.

The ancestor worship ceremony can be said to be the most grand and serious event in a family activity, even for rural families. What's more, Zhang Pingan is now an official, so he cannot be careless.

The process is complex and rigorous.

It not only expresses the remembrance of ancestors, but also is an important means to demonstrate the family status, educate the descendants and consolidate the clan.

Large families usually fast and bathe three days before the sacrifice to show their piety.

But it is obvious that Zhangjia Village cannot reach this standard in the short term.

All the male members of the tribe who participated in the sacrifice simply washed and changed their clothes in advance to show their respect.

The village chief arranged for people to go to the town to buy things before dawn. The people who went to buy things were fast, and when they came back, it was just dawn, and their clothes were soaked with dew and sweat.

But thinking that they were helping the tribe and that they would get a share of the sacrifices, no one complained.

After buying the things, the village chief took people to the ancestral hall to set up the sacrificial site, placing tablets, tributes, and sacrificial utensils.

As for the clan members who were responsible for specific matters such as master of ceremonies, reading blessings, holding incense, offering silk, and offering wine, they were taken by the clan elders and Zhang family members. Dazhu and Dahe were lucky enough to be chosen. It would be impossible to say that they did not have Zhang Ping'an's face.

Promising members of the tribe always have some privileges.

When one person attains enlightenment, the whole family will prosper. It is just like this.

Although female family members cannot participate in the formal worship, they can watch the ceremony from outside the ancestral hall.

Zhang Laoer is the one who attaches the most importance to ancestor worship in the whole family. At dawn, as soon as he finishes breakfast, he starts urging everyone to go to the ancestral hall.

When the sun rises high in the sky, the ceremony officially begins.

The village chief acted as the attendant, standing in front of the tablet in the ancestral hall with a serious face, bowing and leading the way.

Although Zhang Ping'an is not the oldest in seniority, he now holds the highest official position and has the greatest potential, so he stands in the middle of the front of the team.

In order to make it appear more grand, the village chief also invited the suona band that was used to perform weddings and funerals in the village. When the ancestor worship ceremony began, the sounds of suona and drums were played at the same time.

It does have a more solemn and dignified feel.

The tribesmen's expressions became visibly more serious.

Then they built the temple, invited the gods and served food, with old man Zhang leading everyone in kneeling and paying their respects.

There are three offerings: the first offering, the second offering and the final offering. It is hard for old man Zhang, who is so old, to bow and kneel again and again.

At the end, Zhang Ping'an was worried for him. Ancestor worship is really not an easy job.

After the offering ceremony, it is time to serve the food. The elders of the clan fill the "wine cups" of the ancestors with wine and move the chopsticks to symbolically invite the ancestors to enjoy the meal.

Finally, people drink blessings, bid farewell to the gods, and burn prayers.

That is, paper offerings such as prayer letters and silk are taken to the "Liaowei" outside the ancestral hall and burned. The ceremony ends after everyone watches the light smoke rise to heaven.

Things spoil easily in hot weather, so the offerings will be removed later and distributed to all the tribesmen who participated in the sacrifice. This is called "fenzao". It is said that eating it can gain the blessing of the ancestors.