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

Zhang Lao Er had heard about this from his son in a letter before.

He wasn't particularly supportive, but he wasn't opposed either. After all, his son and Ge were close, and he could understand if his son wanted to help. He just needed to make his own decisions.

“Normally, when someone is adopted as a godson, they should invite close relatives and friends to a meal. This is a way of announcing the matter to the public and showing how much importance they attach to it. But since you haven’t been back for a while, I don’t think Ge boy would bring it up on his own initiative, so the matter has been put on hold. Now that you’re back, after you’ve finished what you’re doing, let’s have someone choose an auspicious day, and we should have a small banquet at home. It’s only proper etiquette!”

“Alright, I’ll discuss it with Brother Ge when I go to the Ge family later,” Zhang Ping’an nodded in agreement.

"And don't forget about Xiaoyuer's maternal grandparents' home," Zhang Lao Er reminded him.

"Don't worry, Dad, I won't forget. I'll take Xiaoyuer to the Qian family first, and ask for leave from the clan school. After visiting my father-in-law, I'll go to the Ge family."

"Take more things with you," Xu added.

As the family chatted about their plans for the day, Xiaoyuer idly swung her legs, occasionally taking a sip of porridge.

I feel incredibly comfortable.

Suddenly, a familiar figure flashed by in the courtyard outside.

Little Fish looked closely and saw that it was Zhong Xiaobao, who was carrying two jars.

"Uncle, isn't Zhong Xiaobao helping out in the stables? Why is he in the front yard?"

After finishing his meal, he glanced at Zhong Xiaobao and wondered what he was carrying. Zhong Xiaobao was usually very busy with important matters and had no time to deal with the many trivial things in the mansion.

Xiao Hu usually takes care of the trivial matters.

Then he turned to Xiao Hu and asked, "Xiao Hu, do you know what Zhong Xiaobao is carrying?"

Xiao Hu thought for a moment and guessed it, then replied with a smile, "It's probably mare's milk from the kitchen, which is meant for the foal. The foal that the Qian family gave to the young master hasn't been weaned yet. It's very shy since it came to the manor and won't eat the mare's milk from other horses. So the groom has to have someone go to the Qian manor every day to get fresh mare's milk and then feed it to the foal. Now this job should have been assigned to Zhong Xiaobao."

“Why is it so troublesome? Raising a foal is more meticulous than raising a child,” Zhang Ping’an frowned slightly. “Besides, the foal is too shy to be raised properly in the mansion. If it doesn’t work out, we can send it back to the Qian family for foster care. We can bring it back when it’s older.”

Neither of the two families on either side would be short of money for raising horses, so I suppose my brother-in-law wouldn't mind.

Unexpectedly, Xiaoyuer was the first to object, insisting, "No, I want this little foal. I was the first person it saw when it was born. I told my uncle that I would take good care of it. How can I send it back because I think it's a hassle!"

Xiao Hu realized he had said the wrong thing and tried to persuade him, "Brother Ping An, it's not that troublesome. It will be fine after weaning. It will only take a year at most, and it will pass quickly. Anyway, the two families live close by, so it won't be a big deal."

Zhang Ping'an frowned, shook his head, and was about to say something when Xiao Yu'er interrupted him, "Dad, if you find it troublesome, I'll ask Uncle to give me that mare too. That way, the foal can have its mother's milk, and the mother and foal won't have to be separated, okay?"

This is the same idea Zhang Ping'an had just had.

However, "Since the idea came from you, you can talk to your uncle later. If he agrees, I will have no objection."

"My uncle will definitely agree!" Little Fish said confidently.

Zhang Ping'an smiled and patted his son's head, which was a tacit approval.

After breakfast, the father and son went out.

By this time, it was already broad daylight. When the servants in the Qian residence saw that Zhang Ping'an had brought his son, they quickly went in to announce his arrival.

Grand Tutor Qian was injured when the horses pulling his carriage were startled during a recent trip, and he is currently recuperating at home.

They were quite warm and welcoming when they saw Zhang Ping'an visiting with his grandson.

He waved his hand, stroked his beard, and smiled, "You've come over. Have a seat!"

After saying that, he ordered someone to serve tea: "The tea should be the Wuyi Mountain Da Hong Pao that His Majesty bestowed upon me."

"Grandpa, is your leg feeling better?" Little Fish asked obediently from the side.

Grand Tutor Qian chuckled, "It'll be better soon. It's kind of our little Yu'er to still care about his grandfather's injury. He's so filial, much better than that rascal of your second uncle. He's back, but we can't even find a trace of him."

This was a difficult question to answer. After inquiring about his brother-in-law's condition, Zhang Ping'an then said a few kind words on his behalf, "Coming back from the Northwest, such a long journey must have been tiring. My brother-in-law just happened to be passing by our villa and stopped in to take a look. He didn't intentionally not come back."

"It's only because I considered how hard he worked on this mission that I didn't send anyone to bring him back. Otherwise, how could he be so at ease? Humph!"

Grand Tutor Qian's expression clearly showed some dissatisfaction.

Little Fish was a clever little thing. She laughed and said in a sweet voice, "Grandpa, don't be angry. You look so scary when you're angry and your face is stern. By the way, where's Uncle? Why isn't he here? I wanted to ask him for a gift!"

"Alright, alright, Grandfather will listen to our little fish and won't be stern anymore," Grand Tutor Qian was always quite kind to this grandson.

After saying that, he really stopped having a stern face.

"But didn't your father tell you that your eldest uncle hasn't been in the city these past few days? It's midsummer now, an important time for farming. He went to the outskirts of the capital with the Emperor and his entourage. The Emperor is going to preside over a sacrificial ceremony at an altar in the outskirts of the capital to pray for favorable weather and a bountiful harvest."

"Huh? He's not here!" Xiaoyuer's face visibly fell.

She then looked at Zhang Ping'an with a hint of resentment and accused him, "Dad, you're so mean! You're deliberately making fun of me!"