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

Everyone was surprised: "Going to the capital?"

Except for Zhang Pingan, the remaining five people had never even been to the county town. The provincial capital was too far away for them.

Zhang Pingan was a little worried: "What are you going to do specifically? People are not as good as they used to be when they leave their hometown. If you don't have anyone to guide you, you will be in an unfamiliar place and it will be easy to suffer losses."

Liu Shuisheng waved his hands and said nonchalantly, "That's okay. My eldest brother and my father used to work at the Fucheng Wharf and sell dried fish there. If the time comes, I'll have acquaintances there who can help me stay. I'm going to find a job doing odd jobs first, maybe in a grain store or a restaurant, to get familiar with the Fucheng first. After I've established myself, I'll see what suits me best. At least I want to have enough food and clothing in the future. Otherwise, it's boring!"

"It would be fine if there were acquaintances taking care of us. At least we would have a place to stay. Besides, Shuisheng, you are so smart. I think you can do anything. Maybe we will have to go to the provincial capital to rely on you at that time," Zhang Pingan said with a sigh of relief and patted Liu Shuisheng on the shoulder.

Liu Shengyuan also nodded in agreement: "That's right, Brother Shuisheng, I think you can do anything. You have always been the smartest one among us. I really envy you for being able to do what you want to do."

Luo Fuan, Luo Fugui, and Jinbao, upon hearing that Liu Shuisheng was being led by an acquaintance, began to envy him and felt that the prefectural capital was not so scary after all. Luo Fuan, with a rough mind, said carelessly, "Liu Shuisheng, we haven't been to the prefectural capital yet. Maybe we will really go there to seek refuge with you. When you become successful, you can't pretend not to know us!"

Liu Shuisheng raised his foot and kicked him, scolding him with a bad smile: "What are you talking about? Brother, am I that kind of person? Just come on!"

While they were chatting and laughing, the old man of the Luo family came in from outside the yard. He was working in the oil mill just now, and hurried back when he heard that there were guests at home.

Mr. Luo is not yet fifty, and because he is tall and fat, he looks very wealthy. As soon as he saw a few children, he smiled and praised them: "An An, these are your classmates, right? They are all smart kids. Just treat them like your own family and have fun!"

After saying that, he went into the main hall to greet a few adults, which showed that the host family valued him. Mr. Luo was a man of foresight, otherwise he would not have been able to build such a large family business. These people were the future connections of his grandchildren, and they must be maintained well. If any of them showed promise, it would be a great achievement to promote them.

The lunch was a sumptuous affair, featuring chicken, duck, fish, meat, and eggs. Although it was cured chicken, duck, and fish, it was still a substantial meal. Mother Luo busied herself with serving over twenty dishes, and Father Luo even brought out two bottles of his prized Ezhou Laojiao. In the countryside, this was considered a truly exceptional feast; Zhang Ping'an had never experienced a richer meal elsewhere.

The guests and hosts had a great time during the meal. The Luo family members and Jinbao's father were all good at speaking, so there was no need to worry about the meal being dull with them around.

When leaving for the last time, Mr. Luo asked his eldest daughter-in-law to give each family a small jar of sesame oil, all of which were squeezed by themselves. This gift was too expensive, and made the other families feel embarrassed. Zhang Laoer waved his hands and said no, but he could not resist the old man's insistence.

The last few families took home a small jar of sesame oil. The families who planned to continue their studies also made an appointment with the Luo family to go to the county town together to take the exam.

On the way home, Zhang Laoer sighed repeatedly: "This Mr. Luo knows how to behave. No wonder the Luo family business is growing bigger and bigger."

Zhang Pingan nodded and said, "Master often said that one must be willing to give up in order to gain. Grandpa Luo understands this principle."

Old Man Jin, driving a mule cart alongside, continued, "Actually, I understand this, but sometimes I just can't bear to part with it. Mr. Luo is a generous man, and he deserves to be rich!"

Zhang Laoer nodded, thought for a moment, and said, "Oh, right, I have something I'd like you to find out for me. Is that okay?"

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with this. Just tell me what's the matter, second brother. Why are you being so polite to me?" Jinbao's father replied readily.

"This is what happened. Yesterday I went to the town to see my daughters, Daya and Sanya. Sanya told me that she wanted to borrow some money from me to do business. She's a woman who spends all day at home doing laundry and cooking, so she doesn't know what to do with the money. The Qian family runs a grocery store, so they shouldn't be short of money. So I want you to help me find out what's going on. Your tea stall has a lot of people coming and going every day, so you're well-informed," Zhang Laoer explained the situation.

"Okay, leave it to me. I'll help you find out when I get back to town. But why didn't you tell Old Man Qian about this? As a son, it's the father's responsibility to take care of things." Jin Bao's father asked doubtfully.

"Our two families have such a close relationship that I'm not afraid to speak frankly. My relative, Old Qian, is always unfair in his work, and his two sons are both competitive. There's chaos in the family every day over the family property. San Ya doesn't have a child now, and her life is not easy. If I rashly bring up this matter, it will only make things worse. So I haven't mentioned it to Old Qian yet. I want to find out what the situation is first," said Zhang Laoer in a deep voice.

"That's right. Since your San Ya and her husband didn't talk to Old Man Qian but told you instead, I'm sure Old Man Qian won't agree to this. I'll find out more and get back to you later."

"Thank you very much, brother," Zhang Laoer bowed and expressed his gratitude, and the matter was settled.

"Don't be so polite! I just want to ask you something," Jinbao's father waved his hand.

Arriving at the Zhang family's gate, the two cars separated. Zhang Ping'an got out, carrying the jar of sesame oil. Ma was knitting slippers at the east wing gate. Seeing Zhang Ping'an come in, she sniffed and asked with a smile, "Ping'an, are you carrying the sesame oil? It smells so good!"

"Yes, that's right!" Zhang Ping'an nodded without saying anything more and went into the west wing of his house.

Ever since the family started growing medicinal herbs with the first and third wives, the attitudes of the two wives towards the second wife have obviously become much warmer, especially Ma. She is no longer sarcastic with Xu and even greets and smiles the children of the second wife when she sees them. This was unimaginable before. It can be seen that the economic foundation determines the family status.

After entering the room, Xu was not there. Si Ya took the sesame oil and put it in the cabinet. She asked curiously, "Little brother, where did this come from? Didn't you and Dad go to school today?"

Zhang Pingan smiled and said, "This is a gift from my classmate's family. We'll eat it with noodles mixed with sesame oil tonight."

Si Ya stuck out her tongue when she heard that and said, "Then mother must be heartbroken. The family has to spend a lot of meat and oil every day, and it must cost a lot of money in a month!"

"You silly girl, what are you making up about me again? Come over and help me," Xu, who had just brought in a basket of walnuts, couldn't help but scold when she heard this.