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

Even when facing a superior who was much younger than himself, Wei Chengfeng remained calm and composed. He bowed and said politely, "Master Zhang, thank you for your compliments. Please come in!"

A few of them then moved into the tent to talk and have their meal.

To be honest, both sides knew very well the main purpose of the court sending people on a western tour, and there was no good reason for the banquet.

Therefore, it was inevitable that some generals at the banquet showed some hostility towards Zhang Pingan and others.

Qian Jie simply asked about the progress of the Yumen Pass inspection when a deputy general contradicted him, "Hmph, you gentlemen come from prominent families and hold high positions, living in luxury. How can you possibly understand the hardships of life on the frontier? Going hungry and naked is the norm. Our inspection of Yumen Pass this time is not only to strengthen the border defenses, but also to deliver a lot of supplies. This way, fewer people will freeze to death or starve this winter!"

Qian Jie was a little angry after hearing these sarcastic words. Why was he being so sarcastic for no reason? Just as he was about to speak, Zhang Pingan calmly kicked him lightly under the table, and he stopped himself.

Seeing this, Wei Chengfeng quickly rebuked him: "Da Jiang, what nonsense are you talking about? Get out of here! Go down and accept your punishment!"

The deputy general was also a straightforward person. He bowed without saying a word and strode out.

The atmosphere at the table was very quiet for a moment, and the other generals looked at Zhang Pingan and others with even more unfriendly eyes.

When Wei Chengfeng saw this, he glanced around the table calmly. After forcing his men to look away, he raised his glass to apologize to Zhang Pingan and the others.

He said softly, "It's all my fault for not being strict with my subordinates. I've offended you all. I'll drink three cups as a reward. I hope you all will forgive me!"

"General Wei, you are too polite. I know that soldiers tend to speak their minds. I was stationed in Kaifeng for a long time. How could I get angry over such trivial matters? Let's just have a casual chat," Zhang Ping'an said with a smile, waving his hand and drinking the wine in the glass.

Not angry about it.

Wei Chengfeng probably didn't expect Zhang Ping'an to be so friendly, and a flash of surprise crossed his eyes.

Wei Cunren is most like Wei Chengfeng in temperament. He is very patient and takes every opportunity to invite everyone to eat, drink and chat about other topics.

This made the dinner table less confrontational.

Zhang Pingan smiled, knowing that the other party would not let down their guard easily, so he was not in a hurry.

At the end of the banquet, he changed the subject and asked, "By the way, I heard that General Wei has thirteen adopted sons, all of whom are skilled in martial arts and good at fighting. They have been helping the general manage the Guazhou cavalry. The stability of the border is due to these thirteen sons. However, from yesterday to today, I have only seen three of them. I wonder where the other ten are? Could you please meet them so that I can also appreciate the charm of these thirteen sons?"

Wei Chengfeng smiled apologetically upon hearing this. "It's really unfortunate. Some of them are out leading troops in training and haven't returned yet, while others are on patrol along the border. Now, only my three adopted sons, Line One, Line Five, and Line Twelve, remain in the barracks."

"Oh? Really? That's really a pity!" Zhang Pingan looked very regretful.

Then he changed the subject and continued, "But there's no rush. The roads are blocked by heavy snow, so we can't leave. We'll definitely have to stay here until next spring. There's still a few months left, so we'll definitely have a chance to meet them. I'll definitely get to know these talented young men!"

"That's right. Thank you for your kindness, sir. It's their blessing!" Wei Chengfeng nodded in response, looking very indifferent.

"Actually, the general looked quite familiar to me just now. It felt like we'd known each other for a long time. And the two lieutenants who were just beside him also seemed to have appeared somewhere before. Hmm, I wonder if the general has ever been to Ezhou Prefecture before?"

Zhang Ping'an just looked at several people carefully for a long time before he matched them with the people in his memory, and now he wanted to verify it.

He has always had a good memory, especially when it comes to people. Because he has memories of his past lives, he can basically remember everything that happened from birth to the present, the people he met, and the people he has dealt with.

When Wei Chengfeng shouted "Big Jiang" just now, he was basically certain.

The three of them were the ones who had eaten at Jinbao's tea stall and rewarded him with a silver bean, but no one knew where the other one had gone.

He had a very deep memory of the first time he earned money by himself in his life. It seemed that his mother still kept the money well.

The world is so big that many people see each other for the last time when they pass by each other, but it is also so small that it is rare to run into an old friend from twenty years ago after going around in circles!

One cannot help but marvel at the wonder of fate!

Wei Chengfeng was stunned by the question, and after a moment's recollection, he replied seriously, "I heard that Lord Zhang's hometown is in Ezhou Prefecture, Huguang Province. Actually, I've actually been to Ezhou Prefecture. That was many years ago, when I passed through here on my way to Nanjing on official business. What impressed me most was the extremely hot and humid climate there, which is not something we northerners are used to."

Zhang Pingan clapped his hands after hearing this and said with a smile, "I see, that's right. One of my clansmen used to run a tea stall next to the official road. My father and I stopped there to rest and ran into a few northerners who were having a meal there. I remember one of them, Da Jiang, even gave me a silver bean so I could buy some candy. Alas, it's been so many years. I was a little apprehensive at the camp gate just now, until I heard General Wei call out the deputy general's name, and then I was sure!"

"You mean, we've met before and I gave you a silver bean? How could there be such a coincidence in the world?" Wei Chengfeng asked with a slightly raised eyebrow.

Qian Jie and Zhao Renzhi also looked over with disbelief.

Zhang Pingan smiled calmly, "That's why there's a saying that there's no coincidence in the world. I've had a good memory since I was a child, so I wouldn't be wrong. But, of course, it's probably normal for you, General Wei, to forget things."