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

Qingsong Academy only recruited 30 students this year and did not divide the classes. This group of new students all took classes in the outer school. There was an admission list posted at the entrance of the academy. Zhang Pingan took Jinbao to take a look and found that Jinbao was ranked 30th.

There was no corresponding seat number written after each person's name on the list, which meant that everyone could choose a seat at will. After entering the academy, Zhang Ping'an found that most people had arrived, so he pulled Jinbao to choose a seat in the middle, where they could see the teacher's lecture clearly without being too conspicuous.

After a while, Liu Shengyuan also came in. When he saw Zhang Pingan and the others, he walked over and sat next to them. He smiled and said hello, "Pingan, Jinbao, we can go to class together again!"

Zhang Pingan also responded with a smile: "Yes, it shows that we have a deep bond. We need to take care of each other in the next few years."

Jin Bao chuckled and took out a bag of preserved apricots from his school bag. He said, "Here, one for each of you. I brought them specially."

Liu Shengyuan thanked him and took it with a smile. He did not specifically ask why Jinbao was still able to study here even though he did not pass the exam. He probably had already guessed it when he met him on the road a few days ago.

After a while, a middle-aged teacher in elegant clothes appeared at the door of the classroom. Seeing the students talking noisily in the school, he cleared his cough a few times, then slowly walked in and sat down at the top of the class.

When the teacher came in, he first introduced himself, then began to read out the names from the list, and circled those who arrived. After a while, he finished reading and everyone had arrived.

He then began to explain the course schedule for this group of students for the next six months. After finishing, he looked around and called out the tallest and strongest student. "What's your name? Stand up."

This student, estimated to be around thirteen or fourteen, was a head taller than the other students. He sat in the last row and was a bit confused when the teacher called his name. Only when he saw the other students looking at him did he hesitantly stand up and bow, saying, "I am Xiao Yifei."

"Okay, it's you, Xiao Yifei. Go to the library and get our class's books from Wei, the head bookkeeper. A servant will help you deliver them," the teacher who said his surname was Wang nodded and lowered his head to drink tea. His mouth was dry after talking for the whole morning.

Zhang Pingan looked at his classmate named Xiao Yifei. Although he looked tall and big, he was not very brave. After hearing this, he stammered, "Is it just me... just me?"

After hearing this, Master Wang raised his eyebrows and asked, "How many more people do we need?"

Perhaps because Xiao Yifei looked so pitiful, Master Wang looked around and pointed to another student, saying, "You go with Xiao Yifei!"

Zhang Ping'an looked around before he was sure that he was "lucky" enough to be called. Fortunately, it was not difficult to get the book.

So he stood up and replied, "Yes, Master!"

Then he walked out of the classroom, and Xiao Yifei hurried out to follow him.

After they were far away from the classroom and confirmed that the teacher could not hear them, Xiao Yifei said shyly, "Thank you, classmate."

Zhang Ping'an waved his hand and smiled, "My name is Zhang Ping'an. What's there to thank me for? It's just a book, not a big deal."

The two did not know where the library of the academy was, so they asked an old man who was sweeping the floor before they found the location.

Wei Zhangshu, who was in charge of distributing the books, was a very amiable middle-aged man. Seeing that the two people couldn't carry the books, he asked another servant to help deliver them.

After returning to the classroom, he helped Master Wang distribute books. The morning was over. Zhang Pingan thought that the real class would probably have to wait until the afternoon.

Only after Master Wang announced the end of get out of class did Jinbao collapse completely, lying on the table and saying, "This is the first time I'm taking classes with so many classmates. I feel too embarrassed to gossip because everyone is listening so attentively."

Liu Shengyuan smiled and said, "Regular academies are definitely different. Moreover, our newly admitted students haven't been divided into classes yet. I think the academy will divide classes based on grades later. This is what I heard other students say in the dormitory yesterday. I don't know if it's true, but in any case, we must cheer up and study hard."

"By the way, Ayuan, how are you living in the dormitory? Are you used to it?" Zhang Pingan asked.

Liu Shengyuan nodded. "It's OK. The dormitory conditions are quite good. Two people can live in one room. There are matching tables, chairs and benches. The food in the cafeteria is also good. Come on, I'll take you to the cafeteria for dinner. I ate there last night. Have you bought your meal tickets?"

"They've all been bought. My dad bought a whole semester's worth at a time when we signed up for the tuition," Zhang Ping'an nodded and replied, pulling Jinbao up and following Liu Shengyuan to the cafeteria.

When they arrived at the cafeteria, there were already quite a few people there. The three of them chose a line with fewer people and lined up at the back. Liu Shengyuan excitedly introduced several windows. This side was for stir-fried dishes, the next one was for stews, and that side was for steamed dishes. There were both meat and vegetables, and they tasted pretty good.

It was not until this time that Liu Shengyuan became more lively and acted like a real thirteen-year-old boy. After leaving his father Liu's strict control, he stood up straighter and his brows relaxed, like a freesia watered by rain.

After a lot of effort, it was the turn of three people. Zhang Pingan ordered a plate of fried eggplant and bitter melon, which was just right for cooling down the body. Jinbao ordered a plate of spicy diced chicken and a steamed egg. Liu Shengyuan ordered braised pork slices with cucumber and a plate of stir-fried bitter melon. None of the three of them would be stingy with their food. Only by eating well could they have a good body to study well.

Just as the chef was about to hand over the dish, two students in the queue at the stew window next to him suddenly started fighting. Both of them were tall and soon they got entangled and rolled to the stir-fry window, with bowls and plates clanging all over the floor.

Zhang Pingan looked carefully and found that he recognized one of the two protagonists. It was Xiao Yifei, who was in the same class with him. They had gone to get books together in the morning. He didn't expect that the man who looked gentle and shy could be so fierce in a fight.

Jin Bao and Liu Shengyuan also obviously recognized him: "Isn't this Xiao Yifei from our class?"

Zhang Pingan nodded and replied, "Yes, he's from the same class. Let's queue at another window. We can't eat here."

Jinbao scratched his head and said, "Why don't we go and help them? We are in the same class after all."

Liu Shengyuan sneered: "Who are we? How can we help? Since he dared to fight openly in the cafeteria, his family must have some connections."

Soon the two people fighting were pulled apart by the canteen's chef. A little later, the teacher who was in charge of the academy's discipline also came and said sternly, "You two, follow me!"

I don’t know what the final result was, but when Zhang Pingan saw Xiao Yifei’s face covered with bruises during class in the afternoon, he was still attending class in the classroom in good health, so he thought there was no big problem.