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

Some people in the Yangzhou government office have changed in recent years. Some have been transferred away, and some have been transferred here. Zhang Ping'an didn't know some of them, but after they introduced themselves to each other and their backgrounds, he knew their details.

General Luo, an old acquaintance, has been promoted again. Since one is a military general and the other is a civil servant, both are high-ranking officials. After the situation stabilizes, it is not convenient for them to have frequent contact in such non-public occasions. Therefore, General Luo did not come.

After finishing his routine meal with the people from the yamen, Zhang Ping'an didn't want to waste time, so he declined the subsequent party arranged by the yamen and took his parents directly to the inn to stay.

After tidying up his appearance and resting for a while, he took his parents to his sixth sister's house.

Yangzhou is now much more lively than before, and the economy seems to be recovering quickly.

Although Xu was a little unhappy that her daughter and son-in-law did not come to pick her up, she also knew that there was a reason for it. Her son also explained the reason to her in detail, so she still prepared a good gift for her grandchildren and looked happy.

While walking on the road, he looked at the bustling scene outside the carriage with great interest.

"Yangzhou seems to be a good place. It would be nice if Liu Ya and her family could settle down here in the future."

"There is a line in a poem written by an ancient man: 'The old friend bids farewell to the Wangjiang Tower and goes to Yangzhou in the month of March with fireworks', which talks about the beautiful scenery of Yangzhou. We haven't come at the right time. It would be more beautiful if we came in March. In spring, the whole city of Yangzhou is charming with willow catkins like smoke and flowers in full bloom. There is also a line: 'One third of the world is in moonlight nights, and two thirds of the scoundrels are in Yangzhou', which shows the splendor of Yangzhou when it was at its most prosperous. Now is far worse than it was then," Zhang Ping'an sighed.

"Oh, really? That sounds good. It seems your mother has good taste." Xu was very happy to hear that. Although she did not understand these two lines of poetry, it did not prevent her from knowing that it was praising Yangzhou.

As they were talking, the carriage arrived at the entrance of a secluded and quiet alley in the east of the city.

The butler respectfully reported to the few people.

Zhang Ping'an lifted the curtain and took a look. He found that although this place was remote, the houses and roads were well built. There were no street vendors shouting nearby. It was a very quiet place. It must be the family area of ​​their firearms workshop.

Liu Ya had been waiting at home for a long time, and would often hold the child and walk around the door. When she finally saw the housekeeper and his family coming, she was so excited that she waved and called out loudly, "Dad, Mom, little brother!"

"Sixth sister!"

"Liu Ya!" Xu and the others were also very excited.

After not seeing her family for several years, Liu Ya was so happy to see them again that she couldn't help crying and laughing, and her emotions were out of control.

"I'm sorry to have embarrassed you!" Liu Ya said while wiping her tears with tears and laughing.

"Silly child, we are all family, there is no need to laugh or not," Mrs. Xu patted her daughter's back lovingly.

Looking at the confused little boy clinging to his daughter's feet, he smiled and picked the child up, saying, "This is my grandson, right? Come on! Let's go inside and talk!"

"Mom, he is very heavy. Let me do it so as not to tire you out," Liu Ya said anxiously, wanting to take the child.

Xu refused, "No, such a small child can't be that heavy. When I gave birth to you and your younger brother, I was still shearing rice in the fields. Each sheaf must have weighed at least 60 or 70 kilograms. Time flies!"

"Yes," Liu Ya thought about the scene and felt that her mother had a hard time. She had no choice but to lead the way and said, "Come on, come in. There are many children in the house and it's a mess. Don't be disgusted!"

Zhang Ping'an knew that Sixth Sister was a clean person and thought it was just a polite remark. But when he entered the yard, he found that it was not the case.

The house doesn't look big, but it is actually quite deep, with three entrances. There are many fruits, vegetables and flowers planted in the courtyard, but unfortunately they are not well taken care of and look a little wilted. The big yellow dog and two big white geese are tied aside. When they see strangers, they immediately arch their backs and bark fiercely a few times. After being scolded by Liu Ya, they lie back down obediently.

Then Liu Ya explained a little embarrassedly: "When we moved in, I thought this yard was quite big and it would be a waste to leave it empty, so I asked someone to clear a few plots of land and plant some seasonal fruits, vegetables and flowers. It would be a pleasure to look at them, wouldn't it? But there are many children in the family, and they are still young and love to make trouble. The servants in the vegetable garden can't keep up with them. The children's father also spoils them and doesn't let me supervise them, so it turned out like this!

The dog and goose were specially raised by the child's father to look after the family. He has raised them since they were young. They are very close to the family and the children like them too. Come, sit here!"

As Liu Ya spoke, she asked her parents and younger brothers to sit down and have some tea and snacks, and then she called a few other children over and asked them to call people.

Although she was complaining and busy in her words, Xu could see that her daughter was living a happy life. Only people who have never suffered would smile when complaining.

"It's only natural for a father to spoil his children, isn't it?" Xu understood very well.

There was also some envy: "Look at you, you and your younger brother were born on the same day, less than a quarter of an hour apart, and now you are the mother of five children. More children, more blessings, that's great!"

Zhang Lao Er coughed dryly after hearing this, then interrupted with a smile, "But it's nothing. My dear grandson Xiao Yu'er is worth ten of us, and we're quite content."

"Yes, I think Xiaoyuer is like my younger brother. He is very smart." Liu Ya is very smart. She responded to her father's words and smiled brightly.

Both sides gave the children greeting gifts, which made the children very happy. After a while, they became familiar with each other and were having fun running around in the yard.

They talked for a long time, but it seemed like only a short time had passed.

At this time, the sun began to set in the west. Zhang Pingan looked at the sky and asked, "When will my brother-in-law come back? I'm afraid it will be time for him to get off duty."

"That should be the case. They have been busy lately, saying they are developing some secret weapon or something. They are so mysterious. I don't have the patience to care about their affairs. If he really doesn't reply later, we don't have to wait for him. We can just eat first," Liu Ya said casually.

"That won't do. He's the man of the family. How can you pick up your chopsticks before the man has finished eating? That's not good," Mrs. Xu scolded immediately after hearing that.

Zhang Pingan seemed to be thinking about something after hearing this.