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

Zhang Ping'an hurried out and saw Zhang Laoer waiting by the mule cart outside the door.

Old Man Qian greeted his father-in-law at the door. Seeing that his father-in-law looked obviously unhappy, he tried to find out what had happened. Old Man Zhang did not say it clearly. After his son came out, the two of them drove to the bookstore.

The shopkeeper and the clerk are still the same two, everything is the same as before. The most reassuring thing about a small place is that there is no change.

The imperial examinations primarily tested the Four Books and Five Classics, poetry, and policy essays. Master Luo had only taught the Four Books and Five Classics. Zhang Ping'an had borrowed all of these books from Master Luo and copied them down, with Xu helping to bind them. By now, the Great Learning and the Analects were worn to pieces.

Zhang Ping'an mainly wanted to buy some relevant annotations today. It was more than 30 years ago that Mr. Luo passed the examination to become a student. With the changes in current affairs, some annotations are different now. If he wants to be admitted to a good academy, he cannot save this money.

As the only bookstore in town, Zhang Ping'an was already very familiar with it. He walked straight to the end where the annotations were placed, flipped through and compared them for a while, and finally picked out three books he needed and took them to check out.

The shopkeeper had worked in this bookstore for decades. He knew almost all the scholars in the town and was also familiar with Zhang Ping'an. He rounded off the amount and calculated two taels of silver, saying with a smile, "Haha, young man, you must come here often in the future. Don't forget our bookstore when you pass the imperial examination."

Zhang Pingan knew it was just a polite remark, so he responded politely: "No, no, thank you very much, Shopkeeper Liu."

Zhang Laoer has always been very supportive of his son buying books. He waited outside the door for a long time without getting impatient. When he saw his son coming out, he asked with concern, "Do you have enough money?"

"Dad, that's enough!" Zhang Ping'an was in a good mood after buying the right book, and replied with a smile.

The father and son then drove the mule cart slowly back home. On the way, Zhang Pingan saw that there was no one in front or behind, so he brought up the matter of the Qian family again, "Dad, don't be too angry about what my third sister said just now. She is not happy now and feels sad. I guess she just believes whatever her third brother-in-law says. She didn't ask about the specific situation. We have to go back and inquire about this matter carefully. 30 taels is not a small amount, and my third brother-in-law is not a capable person. I hope she has been set up by others."

Zhang Laoer said in a deep voice, "You are just a child, so don't worry too much about this. You still need money for your studies, and your sisters are not married yet, so the expenses will be huge. Your mother and I are getting old, and we don't know what the future of the medicinal materials business will be like. The world is getting more and more difficult. This money is the capital for our future livelihood. I won't touch it carelessly. Not to mention that she is just a married girl, even if your uncle asked to borrow so much from me, it would be impossible."

It would have been fine if she hadn't said anything. The more she talked, the angrier she got. Zhang Laoer continued, "Our family's been doing well these past few years. If she'd asked to borrow a few taels, it would have been fine. But she's asking for 30 taels now. How dare she do that? I think she's become more and more frivolous these past few years, doing things without thinking. If she continues like this, she'll have a hard time. You've been kind-hearted since you were a child, so don't let her go!"

Zhang Ping'an nodded and said calmly: "Dad, I'm not stupid. Not to mention that I'm still studying and relying on you and mom for support. How can I have the right to ask for a loan? Besides, the teacher said that a gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall. The premise of helping others is to ensure that our own family can live well first. This naive third sister said she wanted to borrow thirty taels, which I definitely cannot lend her."

"Although I didn't understand what you meant by 'wall' or 'danger', the meaning is true. The teacher is right. My son, you have been kind-hearted since you were young. I was just worried that you would become confused in the future," Zhang Laoer breathed a sigh of relief.

"Dad, am I that stupid?" Zhang Pingan said helplessly, "Although we can't lend you the money, we still have to figure this out. If something bad happens, we can discuss it with Uncle Qian and the others in time."

"Honestly, I don't recognize your third sister anymore. I don't even want to bother with her affairs. I'll ask Doctor Dou and the others about her when I go to town to deliver herbs the day after tomorrow." Zhang Laoer thought for a moment and said.

"Well, Dad, when the time comes, tell me whatever you find out. If that doesn't work, I can also ask the teacher. After all, the teacher is more knowledgeable."

"knew"!

The mule cart ran fast and arrived home in less than an hour.

It was already the afternoon, and Xu and Si Ya had already eaten, leaving some food in the pot for Zhang Laoer and his son.

Si Ya is a grown-up girl now. She doesn't go out to work anymore and stays at home to help. When she saw her father and younger brother coming home, she hurried to the kitchen to help bring out the meal. She made sausage and green beans stewed rice for lunch. The gravy has seeped into the rice. The green beans are in season and very tender, and especially fragrant. Even Zhang Ping'an couldn't help but eat two bowls.

Seeing how her son ate, Mrs. Xu couldn't help but advise him, "Son, drink some water and eat slowly. If you like it, we can continue to cook in the evening. We have seven or eight sausages at home, enough for you."

"Mom, the food you cooked is so delicious. I was indeed a little hungry and couldn't help but eat a little more, hehe," Zhang Pingan said coquettishly. As he spent more and more time in this family, he became more and more accustomed to showing his childish side in front of Xu and Zhang Laoer.

"If you like it, I will continue to make it for you." Mrs. Xu was very happy that her son recognized her cooking skills, and she was also happy to see the father and son enjoying the meal.

"Is it okay to go to the town to deliver something to Daya and Sanya today?" Xu asked casually.

"My eldest sister is doing well, nothing is wrong, and my third sister is doing fine too," Zhang Pingan replied without mentioning the loan.

"Da Ya is fine, but I think San Ya will suffer sooner or later if she continues like this. She asked me to borrow thirty taels right away," Zhang Laoer didn't want to hide anything. He and Xu had been married for more than twenty years, and especially in recent years, their family had lived a good life. Basically, he would tell Xu everything, and he didn't think there was anything he couldn't say.

"Dad?!" Zhang Ping'an shouted with a headache. Based on his understanding of his mother, she would be furious after hearing this and would not be able to eat in peace.

Sure enough, after hearing this, Xu immediately exploded. She stood up with her hands on her hips and cursed: "You little girl, you yawn like a toad and you ask for thirty taels of silver. Is she crazy? I have always known that she has a bad heart. You didn't lend it to her, did you? If I were here, I would tear this girl to pieces!"

Zhang Lao Er shook his head: "Of course I won't lend it to you. This is the money that our family needs to make a living."

After hearing this, Xu felt a little relieved, but she was still not satisfied and continued to scold: "This Sanya is very vicious. I picked up a few bags of wolfberries for her to eat, but she might as well feed them to the dog. Tell me that I don't need to hang out with her in the future. As her parents, we will do her a favor if we can find her a good family to marry off"!

Zhang Ping'an wiped his mouth and continued, "Mom, that's not the case. After all, my third sister is a daughter who married out from our family. If she does anything bad, we will also be shamed. This matter is suspicious. We have to find out clearly before making any plans. Dad and I have already discussed this money. We will not lend it to you. Don't worry."

Xu nodded and called Si Ya in again: "Si Ya, you must not imitate your third sister in the future. Do you understand? Once you get married, live a good life. If you have the ability, help your parents and your younger brother. Don't expect to suck money from your parents. What good girl would do that? Do you understand?"

Si Ya was confused and didn't know what was going on, but she nodded obediently and said, "Mom, I understand."