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

"Don't worry too much about Si Ya. We're not going to the county town and never coming back. Let her go with us first and send her back after she gets engaged. Her grandparents and uncles are still here at home," Zhang Laoer replied, obviously having thought it all over.

"Dad, Mom, can I not go? I don't want to go to the county town. I don't know anyone there." Si Ya listened for a long time, and when she talked about the issue of whether to stay or go, she finally couldn't help but speak.

Without even thinking, Xu said, "I'll listen to your father."

Si Ya lowered her head dejectedly. She seldom even went to the town, and suddenly she had to go to the county town. She felt she couldn't adapt.

Zhang Ping'an also said: "Actually, I can live in the academy. It's better to let mother stay at home first. You can still have time to go to the county town after you find a husband for Fourth Sister!" This is the truth. Zhang Ping'an was very adaptable to collective life in his previous life, and living in an academy had no effect on him at all.

Zhang Laoer waved his hand and said in a deep voice, "I have my own plans. If your fourth sister can find a good family in the village, and then go to the county town to make more connections, I will see if I can ask Master Luo to help find a good family. After all, the county is better than the village. If it really doesn't work out, we can still find someone in the village. Our family is well-off in this area, so why worry about our daughter not being able to get married?"

Zhang Ping'an really didn't know that his father had such far-reaching plans. These days, it's not easy for a girl from the village to marry into a town, let alone marry into a county town.

Xu also poured cold water on the situation. She was very self-aware: "It's good enough for our fourth daughter to marry into the town, let alone marry into the county. Don't daydream. It would be better if we wait until we are safe and successful. Only the fifth and sixth daughters can wait, but the fourth daughter can't."

Zhang Laoer said nothing more and said directly: "Let's go to the county town to look at houses together in a few days."

Have a good night's sleep!

Early the next morning, Jinbao came to play with Zhang Pingan, but he didn't seem very happy. His usually energetic face was wrinkled, and he didn't even eat many of the pine nut candies that Zhang Pingan gave him.

Zhang Pingan thought he was still unhappy about the upcoming separation, so he comforted him, "I will come back after the New Year or other holidays, and we can still meet again. Besides, when we are older, you can go to the county town to find me, and I can go directly to the village to find you."

Jinbao shook his head and was about to cry: "It's not that. My dad and my grandparents had a big fight last night. My dad has never quarreled with my grandparents in my life. My grandpa even threw the dishes in the house, which scared me."

"Huh?" Zhang Ping'an was also puzzled when he heard this. "Your father is well-known in our village for being filial. Why are they arguing?"

Jin Bao still shook his head: "I don't know either. They started arguing after I fell asleep, and then my grandfather smashed the dishes and scared me awake. That's when I realized they were arguing. When they saw I was awake, they stopped talking. I didn't sleep well last night."

This is indeed strange.

Zhang Pingan could only comfort her, "Which family doesn't quarrel? Look at my mother and my third aunt, they used to quarrel every day, but now we're doing fine, aren't we? Don't worry!"

Jinbao nodded gloomily.

"Let's play chess. My dad bought me a new set of chess in the county a while ago," Zhang Ping'an said, changing the subject. Mr. Luo had taught them how to play chess last year, and it was unacceptable for scholars not to know how to play chess. However, the chessboard and pieces in the school were very old. Zhang Laoer had bought a new set specifically for his exam in the county this time.

Jinbao became more excited when talking about playing chess. Zhang Pingan and his friends were not very good at it. They were the type who were not good at it but loved to play. They had very little time to play chess in school before.

"Okay, then you have to give me the third son," Jinbao laughed.

Seeing that the man was finally happy, Zhang Pingan smiled helplessly and said, "Okay, it's no problem to let you have five children."

"hey-hey"!

It continued like this until dusk, when Jinbao finally returned home feeling unsatisfied.

In the following days, nothing happened in Jinbao's family. It was probably just an ordinary quarrel. Every family has its own problems, so Zhang Ping'an didn't ask any more questions.

At the end of June, the medicinal herbs at home are about to be harvested, and the whole family will be busy. Zhang Laoer specially set aside a day in advance to take Xu and Zhang Pingan to the county to look at houses. He will feel more at ease if he can get it done earlier. Farmers are used to arranging things in advance.

Because they were not familiar with the county town, Zhang Ping'an suggested that they rent a house and find a broker directly. Xu was a little reluctant to spend money at first, but then she thought that her family had no connections in the county town, and it would be a loss if they were cheated. It was better to find a broker. After discussing it, the whole family went to the brokerage near the academy together.

This dental clinic near the academy wasn't big, just a storefront with a small reception area. Seeing a customer coming in, the dental hygienist, who had been sitting inside eating sunflower seeds, came out to greet them warmly: "Are you looking to rent a place or hire someone?"

Zhang Laoer looked at the other person's shrewd face and was a little displeased. He was most afraid of dealing with such shrewd people and was afraid of being cheated. He couldn't help but back off a little and said hesitantly, "Rent a house."

The broker, estimated to be around thirty years old, was thin and small, with sharp eyes. After sizing them up a few times, he smiled and asked, "Is this the young master who's studying at a nearby academy and needs to rent a room?"

Zhang Pingan nodded and replied, "Yes, I want to rent a small courtyard. It doesn't have to be too big, just clean and comfortable, close to the academy."

"I understand, I understand. Many of the houses I rent out in June every year are rented to students of the academy. My surname is Zhong, you can just call me Zhong Ya Ren. I wonder how much your budget is," Zhong Ya Ren said with a smile.

Zhang Lao Er replied, "Just an average one will do, but not too bad."

After hearing this, Zhong Yaren had a clear idea in his mind and said, "Then I'll take you to have a look first, and then you can tell me which one you like."

He spent the afternoon looking at five small houses, with monthly rents ranging from 300 to 600 wen. The cheaper ones were shabby and would require a lot of effort to clean up, and water had to be drawn from a public well, which was very inconvenient. The more expensive ones were relatively new and had wells inside. Zhang Laoer was a bit torn; the 300 wen one didn't appeal to him, while the 600 wen one seemed too expensive.

Xu was also puzzled. After looking at houses all afternoon, she was exhausted and asked, "The academy is on the edge of the county town. Why is the rent so expensive in such a remote place?"

The Zhongya people were very professional. Although Zhang Laoer and the others hadn't settled on a place yet, they explained in a gentle voice, "There are many people renting here, but few houses, so there's no shortage of rentals. Naturally, the price is high. In fact, 300 wen can rent a nice courtyard in the county town."

Zhang Pingan could understand it very well. These were all school district houses, so of course they were expensive.

Seeing that Zhang Laoer and his companions were all dressed very casually and were very concerned about the price, Zhong Ya Ren hesitated and said, "There's another courtyard. The rent is only 400 wen, and the house is quite clean. Well, I'm not afraid to tell you straight, this courtyard is divided into two parts from a large courtyard with five rooms. The smaller half is currently rented to a widow who also has a son who is studying. I'm afraid it would be inconvenient for your whole family to go there, and it would also be unlucky for a widow to tell others about it. If you don't mind that, I'll take you to see it."

Zhang Pingan actually didn't care about her widowhood, as long as the house was suitable, so he said, "Then please take us to have a look."

For ordinary people, saving money is the bottom line. There is nothing to be particular about Zhang Laoer and Xu. Let's go and take a look first.

Although this house is divided into two parts by a wall, the one currently for rent has three rooms, which is the larger half, and there is also a well next to it, which is quite convenient. The house is 70% new and has all the basic furniture. You can just bring your clothes, pots and pans and move in. Xu is very satisfied, and most importantly, the price is right.

"Boss, what do you think?" Xu asked.

Zhang Laoer nodded and said, "Okay, let's go here. It's close to the academy. But we won't be moving in until August. Can you keep this house for us and rent it when we come? After all, the monthly rent is not bad."

Zhong Yaren smiled and shook his head, saying, "How is that possible? Houses near the academy are very easy to rent. It's only because you came early that there are so many choices. By the time school starts in August, all kinds of houses will be rented out, and you won't be able to rent one even if you want to. Besides, your little master will have to study for at least three to five years, so it will definitely be cost-effective in the long run."

After some discussion, the family finally decided to rent the house first, and they felt at ease.

The rent is paid every six months. Once the lease is signed, the matter is settled. Zhong Ya Ren hands over the keys and leaves.