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

"Thank you, Senior Yang, for your guidance. I am very grateful!" Zhang Ping'an bowed and expressed his gratitude.

This clue is indeed very useful to them.

Old Master Yang waved his hand and said with a gentle smile, "You're welcome. The disciple is better than the master. You are the pillars of this court and the country. If you pass by Xi'an City again in the future, just come and see me, an old man!"

"Of course," Qian Jie and Zhao Renzhi nodded respectfully and saluted.

"Okay, it's getting late now. I have to go to the backyard to tend to the vegetable garden. I can't keep you here any longer. Please do as you please!" After saying this, Mr. Yang stood up and walked towards the backyard.

I also changed into some crude straw sandals.

The young boy who was serving him cleverly took the farm tools and handed them over.

Old man Yang carried the hoe on his shoulder and headed towards the vegetable field, humming a song as he walked, looking like a carefree wanderer.

With the clouds and pine waves in the sky, Zhang Pingan couldn't help but think of the poem "Picking chrysanthemums under the eastern fence, leisurely seeing the southern mountains".

"Let's go!" Zhang Ping'an stood up and said.

After saying goodbye politely, the few of them left on horseback.

The official had just spent half a day as a supporting role in the thatched cottage and was driven out to the courtyard to wait. Only then did he find an opportunity to speak and asked, "My Lords, where are we going next? Are we going to Old Master Li's place?"

"Well, of course I have to visit him!" Zhang Pingan nodded.

The official smiled upon hearing this and indirectly reminded him, "This Old Master Li isn't as approachable as Old Master Yang. I heard he's a bit... um... a bit old-fashioned and arrogant!"

The implication is that everyone should be prepared to suffer a setback.

"It's okay, as long as you are polite," Zhang Pingan was prepared and didn't care.

Mr. Li’s thatched cottage is not far from Mr. Yang’s thatched cottage, and it takes less than a quarter of an hour to get there by horse.

The location here is more remote than Grandpa Yang's place, but it is close to the stream. There are two old peach trees in front of the house. There are stone tables and stone benches under the trees, as well as a few rocking chairs, which looks more refined and comfortable.

One can tell at first glance that the owner is a person who knows how to enjoy life.

Zhang Pingan was almost full when he handed over his visiting card. Not long after, he was welcomed in. He was received by a servant who politely offered tea to the guests and said respectfully, "My old man was just plowing the fields next door. He will be here soon after changing his clothes. Please wait for a moment."

From the details of the servants' words, it can be seen that the Li family has stricter rules than the Yang family.

While drinking tea, Zhang Ping'an looked around the main room. Although the yellow-brown thatched adobe walls were rough, there were several landscape paintings hung on them at just the right place. In addition, there were flowers and plants placed on the wooden windowsills in the room. The clean and tidy furnishings immediately made this small room look extraordinary.

There are many daily necessities in the house, which shows that the owner lives here often.

The three of them were very polite and didn't say anything.

After a while, a skinny old man with snow-white hair and a wrinkled face walked in from the backyard.

His eyes were solemn, and one could tell at a glance that he was an old man with a serious temperament. He had an air of dignity that came from someone who had held a high position for a long time. His hair and clothes were neatly combed, and only the faint trace of black stains could be seen between his fingers. He had indeed just finished working in the fields, and the servant had not lied.

Old Master Li and Old Master Yang have completely different personalities. They are a bit arrogant and serious, but it is still within the tolerance range of several people and not too much.

The arrival of these people was not very welcome.

So after a brief chat for a quarter of an hour, Zhang Pingan took the lead and tactfully said goodbye.

After walking a distance, Zhao Renzhi felt unhappy. He found an excuse to send the officials who were accompanying him to explore the way ahead, and then said, "This old man Li is really arrogant!"

Qian Jie said calmly, "Regardless of status or seniority, they all have the right to be arrogant. It's nothing. Today's trip wasn't in vain. At least I gained something."

"The news is true, and it's also true that they want us to be the first to take the lead." Zhao Renzhi has seen through this conspiracy. This old man Yang may not really have any good intentions.

"No matter what Yang's intentions are, we still have to investigate the fact that the Guazhou military camp is harboring Wei's orphan. If used well, this can be a bargaining chip. Also, Brother Zhao, when you go out, you'd better be careful with your words and actions, and be careful of eavesdroppers," Zhang Ping'an warned.

It was fine when they first set out, but after days of running around, Zhao Renzhi became more and more careless in his words, and Zhang Pingan had to give him a few more warnings.

"Okay, I'll pay attention," Zhao Renzhi looked around and said with a restrained expression.

At this time, it was already dinner time, and they went to the stall where they had eaten at the night market yesterday.

Even though my stall was smashed by a competitor yesterday, after repairing it during the day, it didn't affect my stall opening in the evening.

The stall owner still remembered them and was very excited to see them coming. He quickly stepped forward and said warmly, "Dear guests, please take a seat here!"

As he said this, he wiped the chair carefully again with the clean cloth in his hand and asked everyone to sit down.

"Sir, would you like to order the same dishes from yesterday, or try something else?"

"Let's try something else!" Zhang Ping'an had been running around all day and was really hungry. He waved his hand and ordered a bunch of things.

The people at the stall next door were so jealous that their eyes turned red. Zhang Ping'an could even hear the sound of the woman next door poking the charcoal fire with tongs to vent her dissatisfaction.

The accompanying official put down his teacup, glared and was about to stand up, but was stopped by Zhang Pingan, "Sit down and eat well!"

The official then sat down with a snort.

After the stall next door found out, they didn't dare to lose their temper anymore. These common people are best at observing people's words and expressions, and they have a very accurate premonition of who can be provoked and who cannot be provoked.

The stall owner's cooking skills were as good as yesterday, but after eating today, Zhang Ping'an didn't rush to leave. Instead, he winked at the officials who were accompanying him.

The official understood, took out a silver ingot from his sleeve, placed it on the table, and shouted, "Boss, check out!"

"Hey, here I come!" The middle-aged stall owner wiped his hands and hurried over.

I wanted to say a few nice words to send the guest off and then take the silver, just like last night, but unexpectedly the official put down the silver ingot and said with a smile: "The extra silver we paid today is not given for nothing. Sit down and talk!"

"Ah...this..." The stall owner rubbed his hands, not sure what he meant.

The officer raised his chin and said again: "I told you to sit down!"

"Hey!" The stall owner didn't dare to hesitate any longer and quickly sat down. After looking at the people sitting around the table, he whispered, "Do you have any instructions for us, gentlemen?"

The official glanced at the greasy middle-aged stall owner and said, "You're quite sensible. This is what we'd like to ask your father to be our guide for a trip to Guazhou. The reward is three times the market price, and you need to pay half as a deposit first."

"Ah?" The stall owner thought of countless possibilities, but he never expected it to be this one, and was stunned for a moment.

The official looked toward the old man threading skewers with his grandson near the stove not far away and said, "I've checked. When your grandfather was young, he traveled to the border areas outside the Great Wall many times with the merchant caravans. He's very familiar with the topography of Guazhou, knows many dialects, and is quite skilled. He's perfect to be our guide on this journey."

The stall owner was looking embarrassed and wanted to say no.

The official secretly took out his token from his sleeve and pushed it over. "I'm not discussing this with you. Once you've figured it out, come find us at the post house tomorrow morning."