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

"Hey Ping'an, we came here to learn from you. You are the best student in the school, and we would like to have a companion to study with, so we came here to find you," Luo Fuan touched the back of his head and laughed.

"Come in and sit down, I'll pour you two some water," Zhang Ping'an said as he stood up and welcomed the two in.

"That's great! I didn't expect you two to come too. I thought I would see you again when I go to the county town for the exam," Jinbao was also very surprised.

"My grandfather said that more people learn means more companions. We didn't feel at ease studying at home, so we just came here. It only takes a quarter of an hour to walk here anyway," Luo Fugui explained. After a few years, Luo Fugui grew more handsome, and he still spoke in a soft voice. After saying hello, he took off his school bag and started to recite.

Zhang Pingan went to the west wing and brought two glasses of water to the two of them, then sat down and started reciting the book. Zhang Pingan and Luo Fugui were both very self-motivated people who studied, and they were so engrossed that Luo Fuan and Jinbao also joined in unconsciously. The four of them recited their own lessons without disturbing each other.

When Xu and Zhang Laoer came back from working in the fields, they were very welcoming to see the little guests coming to their house, especially since they had just had dinner at the Luo family yesterday and the Luo family had given them such expensive sesame oil.

After Xu went to the study and greeted the boys, she went to the kitchen to get busy. Si Ya came to help and was pinched by Xu. "Mom, why are you pinching me?"

Si Ya rubbed her red arm and asked in confusion.

"You silly girl, why didn't you go to the fields to call me when we had guests? How rude! We just stole someone else's sesame oil yesterday." Xu replied, and then pinched him again, feeling unsatisfied. "You have no manners at all, and you can't be taught."

Si Ya felt aggrieved: "My younger brother didn't ask me to call anyone!"

Xu was too lazy to talk anymore and cooked eight or nine dishes that were available at home. There was chicken, meat, and eggs, which was not bad. Luo Fuan and Jinbao were both carefree children and did not say anything polite. They kept saying "the food was delicious" during the meal, which made Xu smile happily.

The examinations for the county academies start in June. The examination times of the four academies are different, which should have been deliberately staggered after discussion to give the academies and students ample choice.

It's only the beginning of May, and there is still nearly a month left.

After discussing after dinner, the few people felt that studying together would be more effective. On the one hand, Zhang Pingan could review and consolidate the previous knowledge. On the other hand, it would be easier for the others to learn with Zhang Pingan's help.

Zhang Laoer once secretly asked his son if other people coming to learn together would be affected. Only after hearing that Zhang Pingan would not be affected did Zhang Laoer feel relieved.

In this way, several people began to study together.

Originally, Zhang Ping'an was thinking about asking Liu Shengyuan to go along, but when he thought about the previous visit to Liu's house, he realized that Liu Shengyuan's father was very strict with him and didn't seem to want his son to have too much contact with his classmates. In addition, Liu Shengyuan himself was very self-disciplined and did well in his studies, so he shouldn't have any problems with the county exam, so he gave up.

Three or four days passed in a flash. One afternoon, Jin Bao's father came back from the town to see his son. In the evening, he stopped by Zhang's house to sit for a while. Zhang Ping'an knew that he must have found a clue about his third brother-in-law's matter.

Zhang Laoer no longer avoids his son about these family matters. After all, he is old, and it would be good for his son to learn more about the ways of the world.

After a few pleasantries, Jinbao's father got to the point: "Second brother, I have found out everything you asked me to find out. Your third son-in-law is not a good person. He hangs out with a group of people who lend money in town. I don't know whether he owes the money himself or wants to lend it out. I think you have to talk to Old Man Qian about this matter. You can't solve it by yourselves."

Zhang Pingan frowned when he heard this. People who lend money at high interest rates have always been difficult to deal with. In modern times, that would be considered usury.

Zhang Laoer thanked him in a deep voice: "Thank you very much, brother. Come to my house for a drink tomorrow. You've been a great help."

Jin Bao's father smiled and said, "Why are you being so polite to me? I'm glad I can help you. Our two families have been friends for many years, and our children are close. There's no need to drink. I'll be back in town tomorrow morning."

After sending Jinbao's father away, Xu couldn't help but slam the table and yelled: "This troublesome bastard, do you think the person who lent money at high interest is easy to deal with!" Jinbao's father was here just now, and Xu had a hard time controlling her temper.

Zhang Pingan poured a cup of tea and handed it to his mother. "Mom, don't be too angry. The most important thing now is to solve the problem. My third sister is probably still in the dark. I have to talk to Uncle Qian about this and find out whether he owes money or not. Otherwise, my third brother-in-law may get into even bigger trouble later."

Zhang Laoer was also very angry: "Our family is all honest people. No one has committed any crime for eight generations. We can't get along with people like this. If Qian Yongde really borrows money at high interest rates, then I will just pretend that I don't have this daughter or son-in-law."

Zhang Ping'an knew that his parents were very angry now. Honest people are most afraid of being associated with such gangsters, but being angry is not the solution. He can only analyze calmly first: "Dad, please don't say such angry words. Let's clarify the situation first. If the third brother-in-law just wants to lend money at high interest, then it's okay. At least he is not wrong. If he borrowed money, it depends on how much he borrowed and why he borrowed it. After all, the third sister is a daughter who is married off from our family. We can't just ignore her. What if the third brother-in-law gets into trouble and wants to sell his wife because he is short of money? There are still three sisters in the family who are not married. I still have to study for the imperial examination and have a reputation. I can't let this happen."

After hearing this, Xu calmed down and said in a deep voice: "Yes, if that bastard wants to sell his wife, that would be the worst. Our son still has to study for the imperial examination. If it really doesn't work, let San Ya divorce and we will take our daughter back."

"It hasn't come to that yet. Let's go to the town tomorrow to take a look at the situation and see for ourselves," Zhang Ping'an comforted him.

But after such an incident, it was destined to be a difficult night to sleep. At the first light of day, Zhang Laoer got up and drove away. Xu Shi also did not sleep well. She seemed worried while eating breakfast and sighed, "Children are all debts!"

Zhang Pingan knew that worrying would not solve the problem. There would be results later anyway, so he continued to study and practice with Jinbao and the others as usual, trying to get a good grade in the exam. This way, the pressure on Shuxiu would be much less.

Zhang Laoer came back after noon. Zhang Pingan took the time to ask about the situation. Fortunately, it was not too bad. The third brother-in-law wanted to borrow money and lend it out. They all had gangs. The third brother-in-law was just a small fry in the gang, a marginal figure, and he could not get a rank, so it was not too difficult for him to withdraw.

Old Man Qian was also very angry this time and prepared to split the family business.