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

Zhang Ping'an didn't dismiss his son's words just because he was young. He squatted down and replied earnestly, "Dad will try his best to stay, okay?"

"Okay," Little Fish replied sensibly.

She turned her back to secretly wipe away her tears, then grinned like a little adult, and happily took Zhang Ping'an's hand and walked towards the main room.

He thought he had concealed it well, but the adults in the courtyard were all experienced people, so how could they not see through him!

However, to save face for him, everyone kindly pretended not to notice.

Zhang Lao Er and Xu Shi showered their grandson with praise.

Zhang Ping'an wasn't usually one to shower his son with praise at home, but this time he readily agreed and kept praising him.

The little fish was so happy it felt like it could fly.

He felt that today was the happiest day of his life.

The father and son showed no signs of estrangement despite not having seen each other for a long time.

With a look of admiration in his eyes, Xiaoyuer asked, "Father, by the way, did you really lead the other generals to repel the invading enemy at Yumen Pass? When news of the battle at Yumen Pass came back, it spread throughout our clan school. They all thought you were incredibly brave, both scholarly and martial, and that you could do everything!"

Zhang Lao Er knew about this and chuckled, "Because of this, Xiao Yu'er has a lot of face at the Qian family school. His classmates all envy him. Your mother and I have also benefited from it. We've risen in status because of our son!"

"I was really worried at the time, but thankfully the enemy was driven back soon. I always said that the master's fortune telling was very accurate and would never be wrong," Xu said, patting her chest with a relieved tone.

Zhang Ping'an knew immediately that his family must have been very worried about him back then.

The reasons and details couldn't be explained to his family, so Zhang Ping'an just smiled and replied simply, "It's all in the past. As the person in charge, I have to do my job. The soldiers on the border are the elite of the army. How could they let the city fall so easily!"

“But Dad, you’re the highest-ranking official, and you’re in charge of everything, so you’re still the most powerful,” Xiaoyuer said proudly.

Zhang Ping'an found it amusing, pinched his son's little nose, and deliberately said, "Oh, so you only say Dad is the most powerful because Dad has the highest official rank? It's not good for a young child to be so competitive!"

"No way!" Xiaoyuer retorted. "I really think Dad is amazing. Even if someone else has a higher official rank than Dad, they're not as amazing as him!"

Finally, he nodded emphatically to further enhance credibility.

Seeing that Zhang Ping'an still had a half-smile, Xiaoyuer's little brain was thinking quickly. Finally, he used his maternal grandfather, Grand Tutor Qian, as an example, "Grandfather's official rank is higher than Father's, but he is not as capable as Father. Last time, he was scolded by the Third Prince in the Imperial Garden. All he could do was laugh and did nothing. I think Grandfather is not as capable as Father."

"Is that so?" Zhang Ping'an stopped in his tracks, genuinely surprised. This incident showed that the Third Prince had not been properly taught.

No matter what, his father-in-law was a veteran official who had served several dynasties. Even if the Third Prince had a noble status, he was still just a callow youth and was far from being able to swear at people so casually.

To put it bluntly, even His Majesty has to give his father-in-law some face, which is the proper decorum that a senior official of the court should have.

"Oh dear, Father, why don't you believe me? It's true! The Third Prince even wants me to be his study companion. He's been cursing my maternal grandfather in the Imperial Garden. Humph, I'm not going!" Little Fish was very insistent on clarifying things, and his words showed his disdain for the Third Prince.

“Father knows, but the Master often says that a gentleman should have a broad mind and not gossip about others behind their backs. If you learn to talk like a woman, you will never amount to anything when you grow up,” Zhang Ping’an instructed.

They quickly changed the subject.

Little Fish is very clever and knows that there are some things that cannot be said.

She obediently stuck out her tongue and nodded: "Dad, I know I was wrong, I won't do it again!"

"Oh dear, I'm so hungry! I'll have a couple of snacks to tide me over!"

As she spoke, Little Fish ran towards the table in the main room.

It was only when he got to the table that he noticed a child sitting on one of the chairs on either side of the living room.

The chair is made of dark purple sandalwood with a high and deep backrest, a classic piece of furniture placed in the main room for entertaining guests.

Exquisite and grand!

Zhong Xiaobao, a tiny boy, huddled in the chair, remaining silent. Everyone else had gone out to greet Xiaoyuer, leaving him all alone and barely noticeable.

At this moment, Xiaoyuer noticed him and looked over with his dark eyes, remaining silent and calm.

There was no obvious fear.

Little Fish was stunned for a moment, pointed at the person, turned his head and asked loudly, "Grandpa, Grandpa, who is he?"

Judging from their clothes, the servants don't look like servants, and the masters don't look like masters.

Just like the gatekeeper Lao Gong, Xiaoyuer also had many bad thoughts flash through his mind in an instant.

He was quick to understand this. Ever since he could remember, people would say that his father was an official outside the palace and would eventually lose control of the family and would have to find a woman outside the palace to give him several younger brothers and sisters born out of wedlock.

Although he used a teasing tone, Xiaoyuer clearly saw the malice in his eyes.

Behind every joke lies a touch of seriousness.

They think he's too young to understand, but even the dumbest person can understand after hearing the same thing a thousand times.

Later, his mother passed away, and after the funeral, he had no excuse left. Even his classmates at school would laugh at him, saying he would be abused by his stepmother sooner or later.

Therefore, Xiaoyuer is very sensitive to this matter.

The slightest mistake can make him explode.

Especially since the child looks somewhat like his father, and their ages match.

It's hard not to have some thoughts.

He's not old enough to understand how to prioritize his father's happiness, nor does he have that kind of magnanimity.

Seeing that things were not going well, Xiao Hu quickly pulled Zhong Xiaobao up from the chair and explained to Xiao Yu'er, "Oh, Xiao Yu'er, don't worry, he's the page your father bought for you!"

After saying that, Xiao Hu nudged Zhong Xiaobao and gently scolded him, "You child, didn't the slave trader teach you manners? You have to bow and greet your master. This is our young master, who will be your master in the future. You'll only have a good time in this mansion if you serve him well, understand? Hurry up and bow!"

Upon hearing this, Zhong Xiaobao blinked, then promptly knelt down and kowtowed, "Greetings, young master, this servant is Zhong Xiaobao."

He spoke slowly but clearly, each word distinct, with a touch of local dialect from the Qingxian area, making him easy to understand.

"Zhong Xiaobao?" Xiaoyuer raised an eyebrow, put her hands behind her back, and circled around the person.

"Master just gave him a proper name, Zhong Zheng. You can call him Xiao Zheng from now on. It's just that this child is lucky that Master met him and brought him into our family. Otherwise, who knows what kind of suffering he would have endured!" Xiao Hu said with a smile.

“It looks a bit small, but let’s keep it as a good deed,” Xiaoyuer replied in a flat tone.

Then, seemingly casually, she mentioned, "My uncle was going to send me two well-trained pageboys a few days ago, but I thought it was too much trouble and declined. It seems I should have sent them."

How could one not understand their own child and family?

Zhang Ping'an immediately grasped the underlying meaning in her words and found it somewhat amusing: "What, are you jealous?"

"I didn't!" Little Fish turned around awkwardly and sat in her father's lap.

But his eyes told a completely different story.

“If you don’t like it, you can let him help out in the kitchen or the stables in the future. He can learn some skills, so that he can have a way to make a living if he wants to leave the manor when he grows up,” Zhang Ping’an said gently, patting his son’s head.

He did not want to impose his goodwill on his son.

“Then let him go to the stable. He can help take care of the little pony that my uncle gave me,” Little Fish said immediately.

Zhang Ping'an thought for a moment and nodded: "Okay!"

Anyway, there are still several people at the stables who can handle the work, so sending a child over won't make a difference or tire him out.

And so the matter was settled in a few words, and Zhong Xiaobao went from a promising page to a stable handyman.

Xiao Hu felt very sorry for him.

But thinking about it, the child is still young, maybe the young master will change his mind in the future?

Zhong Xiaobao himself didn't feel anything about these two arrangements.

When Xiaoyuer turned his back to the crowd, their eyes met, both of them dark and gloomy.

Could this be what Dad always meant by "like repels like"? Little Fish pondered.