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

It took less than a quarter of an hour to walk to Jinbao's house. Grandpa Jinbao was still standing at the door, looking towards the academy, just like he was in the village.

After saying goodbye to Jin Bao, Zhang Pingan walked towards his home. On the way, he ran into the student with washed-out clothes whom he had met last time at Bailu Academy. It seemed that he was from the same direction as him. He was wearing the student uniform specially made for Bailu Academy. He must have passed the exam. He was definitely a top student!

The two didn't know each other and had nothing to talk about when they walked together. After walking another two or three hundred meters, they found that they actually lived in the same yard, the one rented by the widow next door. This was truly fate!

After exchanging a glance, Zhang Pingan took the initiative to greet them, "Hello, I'm your neighbor, a recent mover. Are you studying at Bailu Academy? I'm at Qingsong Academy, and we can discuss our studies more in the future."

Zhang Ping'an wanted to make friends with his neighbor, but he was very aloof. He just nodded at Zhang Ping'an and pushed the door open and went in.

Everyone has their own destiny, so Zhang Pingan didn't force it and returned home. As soon as he entered the house, Xu came forward and asked, "Son, how was your class today? Did you understand the teacher's lectures? Did you get bullied?"

"Mom, everything is fine. My classmates are all good, my teacher is good, and the food in the cafeteria is good too. Don't worry." Zhang Pingan replied with a smile and walked towards the study. "It's still early, I'll go do my homework first."

"Hey, mom made some mung bean soup today and I'll bring you a bowl."

Since moving in, Zhang Laoer has built a small study outside the room with the best light using bamboo mixed with yellow mud. It is only big enough to fit a large desk, a small bookcase and a chair, nothing more, but at least he has an independent reading space.

Zhang Laoer was weaving straw mats in the yard, preparing to use some yellow mud to repair the kitchen. The previous tenant had built a kitchen in the yard and it was not well maintained. There were several holes in the roof, and it would leak as soon as it rained. He had to patch it up quickly while the weather was good.

Now that the family is getting better and better, Zhang Laoer has nothing else to ask for but that his son can succeed and live a life of luxury in the future.

As for the families that Si Ya, Wu Ya and Liu Ya would marry in the future, they also made new plans. At least they had to be families with educated people like their own family. Families with educated people value reputation. As long as the girl herself has no faults, they will not treat her too harshly and the conditions will not be too bad. There will be no problem of her coming back to her parents' home to beg for money in the future. It is the best of both worlds.

Soon, fragrance came from the kitchen. Xu's cooking skills were already good, and he had put more effort into cooking in recent years, so the taste was even better.

Zhang Ping'an finished all his homework for the day before coming out to eat. His right hand felt a little numb, especially his wrist, because he had to hold the pen in the air all the time to write, and his wrist felt stiff after a long time.

Xu was particularly distressed. She put several lotus root balls she made tonight into Zhang Ping'an's bowl and said, "Son, eat more. You study so hard!"

Just after finishing the meal, the kid next door knocked on the door again and came to get water. He was staggering with half a bucket of water. Zhang Pingan couldn't bear to watch it, so he helped carry the water to the next door before coming back.

Xu murmured, "It's not good to have no man in the house. Life is so hard for a widow!"

"But his children are quite promising. The person I bumped into at the door just now should be their eldest son. He was admitted to Bailu Academy. I saw him before when I went there to take the exam." Zhang Pingan continued.

Si Ya chimed in, gossiping, "I've seen his mother before. She's quite pretty and can embroider. Their family makes a living selling embroidery. The day before yesterday, I saw a woman come and buy it."

"Well, embroidery is indeed a skill that women can use to make a living." Zhang Pingan pondered after hearing this.

"Dad, since we came to the county, our fourth, fifth and sixth sisters have been idle and have nothing to do. In fact, we might as well send them to learn embroidery. Even if they only learn the basics, it can be considered a skill, which is better than playing at home like this," Zhang Pingan suggested.

Xu curled her lips and said, "We don't have any connections in the county. Where can we find an embroiderer to teach them? Honoring the master doesn't cost money. Besides, your fourth sister is already talking about her. There's no need."

"You can ask the aunt next door. It's not a big deal. It would be nice to tell others about your skills. Being a woman in this world is hard, so it's not a bad thing to have a skill to make a living."

Zhang Lao Er was more knowledgeable than Xu, and was a little moved by what she said. He said in a deep voice, "I understand. Don't worry about it. We will take care of it. Just study hard."

"Yes, Dad, I know." The real person in charge of the family is his own father. Seeing that his father agreed to Zhang Pingan, he didn't say anything more.

Si Ya was not very willing: "I am already so old, it would be so embarrassing to be an apprentice!"

Hearing this, Xu reached out and pinched him, cursing, "You unpresentable bastards! It's shameful to think I'm doing something for you!"

Wuya and Liuya are young and have never received much attention at home. They are like little transparent girls. Therefore, they are well-behaved and obedient. They do whatever Xu says without any rebuttal. Liuya is the smartest among the sisters. She knows that learning a skill is a good thing and is very happy in her heart, but she just can't express it.

The next day, when they went to the academy, it was obvious that the students had already formed their own small groups. When Zhang Pingan brought Jinbao over, Liu Shengyuan was already sitting at his seat. He also brought them some red bean paste buns made in the cafeteria. "Try them, they taste pretty good."

As a foodie, Jinbao happily took his favorite food and started eating it.

It was another long morning of classes. Zhang Pingan really felt that the ancient class time should be changed. He had to sit for two or three hours at a time. He was afraid of getting hemorrhoids and didn't dare to drink too much water.

When I went to the cafeteria at noon, I met my classmate, the tall Xiao Yifei. It was obvious that he was famous among the students in the outer dormitory of the academy. Along the way, people looked at him strangely and pointed at him, and he ate alone.

Zhang Ping'an and Jin Bao and a few others had just found a place to sit down after getting their meal when a shadow suddenly fell in front of them. "Excuse me, can I sit here?"

When I looked up, it was Xiao Yifei.

"Of course, everyone can sit in the cafeteria," Zhang Pingan replied. It wasn't him who opened the cafeteria, so he had no right to say no!

Xiao Yifei sat down silently, without saying a word. The bruises on his face had not yet subsided. He looked like a shy boy. No one expected that they would fight openly in the cafeteria yesterday.

Perhaps because the gazes of the crowd were too intense, Xiao Yifei finished his meal in a few mouthfuls, looked up and asked, "Am I ugly like this?"