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

"What a coincidence!" Xu found it unbelievable.

Then he looked at Zhang Ping'an and his son and said anxiously, "Even though Wu Ya's reputation is important, we can't just ignore this matter. We have to think about whether there is any way to have the best of both worlds!"

Zhang Laoer and his son looked at each other, both of them were shocked and felt it was a coincidence.

But after a moment's silence, Zhang Laoer still said objectively: "Mother, you are right. These are all our relatives, especially the families of the eldest and second sisters-in-law. They have treated us well before. Now that we know their whereabouts, we can't just ignore them. We have to help! Son, what do you think?"

The most important thing in this matter is my son's opinion. The premise of any help is that it will not affect my son's career.

"In that case, there's no need to delegate this matter to others. Let Brother Tan go. He is familiar with the route," Zhang Ping'an said without any hesitation.

He has his own standards for judging what is more important and how to choose.

But if this happens, the previous arrangements for the fifth sister will have to be changed.

"Fifth sister, in order to preserve your reputation, we didn't announce your disappearance to anyone. No one in the family knew about it except me, my parents, and me. Also, to conceal our disappearance, we sent the maid to the Five Immortals Temple first. Now that you have returned safely, I think the Five Immortals Temple is quiet and has a good environment. You can stay here for a while and go back after the family affairs are settled," Zhang Ping'an said directly without hiding anything.

"Can I go back?" Wu Ya sighed deeply after hearing this, still thinking about what her mother Xu and grandmother Zhang had said in private before.

Then, with a look of disheartened dejection on his face, he nodded and agreed: "This nunnery is quite quiet. I'll stay here. It wouldn't be bad to spend my whole life with the ancient Buddha and the green lamp. Everyone has their own way of living."

After hearing this, Xu felt a little distressed and her eyes turned red. She patted Wu Ya's back gently. The older she got, the softer her heart became.

"Who said we can't go back?" Zhang Ping'an said with a curl of his lips, still looking cold.

After a pause, he calmly stated the next arrangements, "I heard from Brother Tan that you had a good feeling about the man who took you back in the end, Doctor Xu. He was a classmate of ours at the prefectural school. He has a clean character and a clean family background. Although he's a bit quiet, he's a perfect match for you. In a few days, he'll come to our house to propose marriage. Once the date is set, I'll have my eldest cousin come and pick you up when you're about to get married. Just wait patiently!"

"Doctor Xu?" Wu Ya was confused.

After realizing what was happening, he quickly explained, "Father, mother, and little brother, we were forced to take me back because of the situation and Madam Xu's kindness. It was just a temporary solution. Nothing happened between us. How could you force someone to marry me?"

"It's not forced, he did it voluntarily. He asked Brother Tan to pass a message to me. Based on my understanding of him, I think you two are quite compatible. This way, you will have someone to rely on when we go to the capital in the future. You are not too old, and if you have a child, you can live a good life," Zhang Pingan replied calmly.

"I...this...is too hasty..." Wu Ya was obviously not mentally prepared.

"Isn't it rash for you to go to the county town alone with your maid?" Zhang Ping'an asked back.

Wu Ya was speechless and lowered her head in embarrassment.

"Although it's hard to hear, it's true. Fifth sister, with your personality, you won't be able to live well in the Xiao family. You'll just be repeating the same mistakes as the Fang family. On the other hand, the Xu family has no parents-in-law or sisters-in-law, and the population is simple, so it's much quieter. Only a family like this can handle you. Most importantly, you think this person is good and you don't hate him, right?"

Zhang Laoer and Xu Shi didn't say anything after hearing this, which meant they agreed.

When Wu Ya thought of Doctor Xu's appearance, she couldn't say that he was disgusting at all. He always made her feel accepted and had a reassuring aura.

Seeing that the fifth sister stopped talking and making a fuss, Zhang Ping'an knew that the marriage would be successful.

I didn't stay any longer and decided to leave my fifth sister alone for a while.

Zhang Laoer shook his head, stood up, and walked out slowly with his hands behind his back.

Seeing this, Xu had no choice but to hurriedly tell Wu Ya a few words, telling her to have a good rest, and then followed the father and son.

Wu Ya looked at the empty room and then at the pile of supplements left by her family. She felt sad. After a while, she picked up a piece of crispy cake from the oil-paper bag and ate it with tears on her face.

Mrs. Xu was a bit impatient. After getting on the carriage, she hurriedly asked her son, "Ping'an, didn't you say that the marriage was still under consideration? How did it get decided? And your fifth sister, she has suffered a lot after all. You should be a little nicer to her. Why are you leaving in such a hurry?"

"Mom, if you don't treat her coldly and leave her alone, she will soon heal her wounds and forget the pain. It can't be changed. That's human nature!" Zhang Ping'an shook his head.

He said in a cold voice: "Do you really want her to become the next Third Sister? Our family spoiled her too much before. Our attitude gave her the confidence to act like a spoiled child. We must not continue like this in the future"!

Zhang Ping'an has figured it out clearly these days. He really can't indulge his fifth sister anymore.

Otherwise, I won’t know how to end it next time something happens.

"I see that your fifth sister has suffered a loss, and she seems to have figured things out a lot," Xu said in a friendly way.

"Didn't she say she'd thought it through last time when we divorced? What happened?" Zhang Laoer retorted, shaking his head. "We really can't spoil her anymore. A loving mother can spoil her child. You were quite hard-hearted when you were young, so why are you so indulgent towards your daughter now that you're old? Ping An knows what's going on, and I'll just listen to him from now on!"

After Zhang Laoer spoke, Xu stopped talking and asked about the marriage.

Zhang Pingan said frankly, "Mother, I was actually a little hesitant about this marriage, but since it was my second aunt who acted as a matchmaker, I felt relieved. Look, my eldest sister is living a good life now! And I think my fifth sister is not in a good mood now. She is disheartened. I am afraid that she will have all sorts of thoughts when she is alone in the nunnery. It is better for her to find a good family to marry and live a peaceful life in her hometown in the future. Isn't it much better than going to the capital? The most important thing is that the man is not bad. This time it is also a coincidence. Maybe it is a match made in heaven. Now that my fifth sister has found her home, we can leave with peace of mind!"

"But didn't Tan say that his family was wrongly accused and has no property? Wouldn't it be hard for me to marry him? Isn't that too much of a compromise?" Mrs. Xu thought a lot and was very careful.

Now that you are ready to accept the marriage, you have to think about how to live your life.

Zhang Laoer, however, always believed in his son's judgment. He scolded him in a low voice with some annoyance, "Do you really think your daughter is a fairy? She's been married twice. Tan said that the man she married was well-educated and dignified, and Wu Ya also liked him. I think he's a good match for Wu Ya!"