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

Zhang Ping'an frowned at the contempt and arrogance in the other party's words, and he did not agree with it.

"Brother Zhao, your words are a bit narrow-minded. You must know that most ordinary people live a simple life with the atmosphere of worldly fireworks. There is no need for so many grand things. Everyone has his or her own way of living. Ordinary days are not necessarily unhappy. Similarly, living a life of fine clothes and delicious food does not necessarily mean a happy life. I think there is no need to judge others from such a condescending position." Zhang Pingan said slowly.

"Uh..." Zhao Renzhi was speechless after hearing this. He had a lot of things to refute, but if he continued arguing, he would inevitably make Zhang Pingan unhappy, which was not what he wanted to see.

So he laughed it off and said, pretending to be nonchalant, "Brother Zhang is right. My language was inappropriate. I hope you will forgive me!"

Qian Jie didn't think it was a big deal, so he tried to smooth things over, saying with a smile, "It's okay, it's okay. We're all family, so it's inevitable that we might be inconsiderate. No one will take it to heart."

After that, he started talking about other topics and asked the officials accompanying him about the customs and interesting things in Xi'an.

The subordinate official was also good at observing people's expressions. He picked out a few interesting stories to divert the topic, and the atmosphere gradually improved.

At the end, he joked, "If you ask me, the biggest difference between our Xi'an and other places is that there are so many tomb robbers, especially during the years of war. Not only did the civilians steal, but the rebel leaders also led their soldiers to dig everywhere, looking for treasures left behind by the princes and nobles of the previous dynasties. Many tombs have been dug up beyond recognition. What a pity! A lot of Feng Shui treasures have been destroyed in vain!"

Zhang Ping'an understood immediately: "Xi'an is a thousand-year-old capital, so this kind of thing is inevitable. However, the trend of tomb robbing cannot be encouraged. You, Governor Cao, still have to pay attention to it!"

People at that time attached more importance to their afterlife than to their life. If they could not rest in peace after death, they would allow tomb robbers to dig up tombs of all sizes.

Apart from other things, the damage to the government's prestige is extremely great.

So at this time, both the government and the common people hated tomb robbers very much, and these people had a very bad reputation among the people.

It's a low-class business.

"Haha, of course, but these country rats are very cunning, and they have many skills inherited from their ancestors. They are really slippery. Look, the 'pangolin' that the government has been wanted for recently is one of the best. This person's ancestors did this. He followed his father to travel around the country since he was a child. He has some experience and good skills. If he really hides, it will be like looking for a needle in a haystack and it will not be easy to find him," the official explained, shaking his head.

The implication is that the government is not unconcerned, but is simply facing difficulties.

At this time, the lamb kebabs have been grilled.

The two young boys who had been busy in front of the charcoal stove brought over the roasted lamb skewers on wooden trays. Two large trays were full and the trays were padded with washed dry linden leaves, which looked quite hygienic.

"Dear guests, please enjoy your meal. The camel hoof is being roasted and will be ready soon," said the young boy after wiping the sweat from his forehead after putting down the tray.

Then he went back to work.

Because they had been sitting in front of the oven, they were sweating even in the chilly early winter.

Then, the middle-aged stall owner brought out several servings of mutton offal soup and said warmly, "Dear guests, enjoy your meal. If you need anything, please feel free to call me!"

"Come, eat it, it smells delicious." Zhang Ping'an was the first to pick up a skewer of lamb and start eating.

I don’t know what’s added to the cumin in this restaurant’s lamb skewers, but they smell and taste better than other places. The lamb is also very tender. Your mouth is full of gravy when you take a bite. It’s crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. It’s really delicious.

"Well, this one tastes pretty good," Qian Jie said and picked up another string without hesitation.

Even Zhao Renzhi, who had been a little disgusted just now, praised it highly. He ate four or five skewers before slowly stopping and drinking the mutton offal soup.

"The roasted camel hoof and fragrant drinks are ready. Ladies and gentlemen, your food is here, please enjoy!"

The stall owner was very quick and soon the roasted camel trotters and fragrant drinks were served.

It was Zhang Ping'an's first time to eat roasted camel hoof. It was so big that he really didn't know where to start.

Fortunately, the stall owner was very careful and used a knife to slice the camel's hoof into pieces.

The accompanying official noticed something and demonstrated with a smile, "These are not things that can be served at a formal banquet. Just pick them up and chew them directly. They taste quite good. You really can't get such authentic roasted camel trotters as those in the Xi'an night market anywhere else."

After saying that, he took it in his hand and started to chew it with relish.

Zhang Ping'an and others followed suit.

The texture is indeed chewy and the flavor is rich, but my hands and mouth are greasy and a bit dirty after eating it.

He felt relieved only after taking the wet towel handed to him by the attendant and wiping it clean.

"No, I'm really full tonight," Zhang Ping'an said with a helpless smile, holding his stomach.

I really satisfied my appetite tonight. I haven't eaten so much in a long time.

Zhao Renzhi also held his belly and said, "Me too, let's take a walk before going back. I can't sleep if we go back like this."

The officer thought for a moment and suggested, "There's a target shooting stall up ahead. Why don't we go over there?"

"Target shooting? Great!" Zhao Renzhi and Qian Jie were very interested when they heard it.

Zhang Ping'an had no objection and went along with them.

Before leaving, he left a small ingot on the table, "Boss, check out, the silver is here!"

The accompanying officials wanted to rush to pay, but Zhang Pingan held out his hand to stop them, "It was agreed that I would treat you."

"This...this is so embarrassing!" The official looked embarrassed and anxious.

"Let's go," Zhang Ping'an smiled and said in a tone that did not allow for refusal, then stood up first.

The silver on the table was obviously more than enough, and the rest was free tips. The wrinkles on the stall owner's face became deeper as he smiled as he took the silver, and he kept asking everyone to come back for more.

The other people in the family also had happy smiles on their faces.

Zhang Ping'an waved his hand and walked away with his men.

The target shooting place the officer mentioned was further ahead, near the theater. It was a stall set up by several foreigners with tall noses and deep eyes.

Five cents for an arrow. If you hit the bull's eye, you can choose something from the stall for free. There are small items such as necklaces, bracelets, belts, hats, etc., which seem to be worth much more than five cents.

If you miss the target, the money will not be returned.

For those who don’t know how, the stall owner will provide simple guidance.

It is a bit like the ring toss game in the previous life, and is very popular among men of this era.

Many people are addicted to food, so this stall does pretty well.

However, it is not so easy to hit the target. Zhang Ping'an knew that the arrow was tampered with as soon as he touched it.

"Change it!"

Zhang Ping'an didn't say much, but the look in his eyes showed that he had seen through this little trick.

The tall man said something in dialect and didn't move. After a moment, he finally changed his posture under Zhang Ping'an's gaze.

Zhao Renzhi naturally saw it too. He crossed his arms and sneered softly, "They're smart. If this happened in the capital, I'd definitely destroy their business."

"We all make a living, it's not easy," Zhang Pingan said casually while adjusting the bowstring.

Then with a "whoosh", the arrow hit the bull's eye and swayed a few times on the target.

"It seems that the skills have not regressed."

"Your archery skills are great. Let me try too!" Zhao Renzhi said and then he shot three arrows in a row. Each arrow hit the bull's eye. By the third arrow, there was even a slight crack on the target.

It drew cheers from the people around.

"Xingle, stop showing off and let me try too," Qian Jie said, and then he shot a few arrows, which also hit the bull's eye.

The stall owner knew that he had met an expert. Seeing that the people were dressed unusually, he respectfully let them choose the items.

His face was full of the expression of "I'm sorry, please don't see me off, I'm the plague god."

The things on the stall were not very good, so Zhang Pingan and his friends naturally looked down on them.

But since I'm here, it's good to leave something as a souvenir.

Finally, Zhang Ping'an chose a wolf tooth necklace. Wolf teeth represent bravery and strength and are accessories often worn by young men in the northwest region. Two silver beads were strung on both sides of the wolf teeth as embellishments, making it look quite unique.

It’s just right to give it to my son when I get home.

Zhao Renzhi and Qian Jie each chose a belt.

Seeing that the people showed mercy, the stall owner bowed repeatedly to express his gratitude.

"We've been out for quite a while, it's almost time to go back," Zhang Ping'an suggested after looking at the sky.

After playing archery at the stall, everyone was in a good mood and their stomachs were no longer bloated, so everyone agreed to go back.

The officials finally breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that they had entertained all the guests today to their satisfaction.

Unexpectedly, on the way back, when I was about to pass by the food stall, I heard a loud commotion, and it seemed to be quite noisy.