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

Even after the procession of horses parading through the streets turned into another alley, the Zhang couple remained immersed in their joy and could not extricate themselves for a long time, and the excitement in front of the Zhang mansion lingered for a long time.

Zhang Ping'an's face was practically frozen with a forced smile as he faced the people outside offering their congratulations.

It wasn't until after noon that the crowd gathered at the entrance gradually dispersed.

"Father, Mother, let's go back to the manor. You've been standing here for so long, take care of yourselves!"

After Zhang Ping'an finished speaking, he stepped forward and helped Zhang Lao Er and Xu Shi into the house.

The elderly couple didn't feel tired at all, and even felt a little unsatisfied: "Hey, not tired at all. Your father and I didn't do anything, we just listened to people say auspicious words. Hearing people call you 'Old Madam' and 'Old Master' and praise you two, I feel so comfortable!"

Zhang Lao Er wholeheartedly agreed, his face beaming. He forced himself to remain calm, "Yes, this is nothing! It's so much easier than back in our hometown, where everything was done for us. But if this parade were back home, it would be even more spectacular. We'd let everyone see that our Zhang family has risen to prominence! This is the third-place winner in the entire country, a truly unique achievement!"

"What's wrong, are you homesick?" Zhang Ping'an asked with a smile, then thought for a moment before saying, "Xiaoyuer has a three-month leave to visit his family this time, and he's going back to his hometown. But the journey is long, and I'm worried about your health; I'm afraid you might not be able to handle the journey!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Lao Er waved his hands repeatedly and explained, "No, please don't trouble my grandson. Xiao Yu'er has important business to attend to when he goes back. How can I hold him back and delay him? I was just saying it casually. As people get older, they become more talkative. I'm just happy that my grandson is so successful!"

Madam Xu shook her head vigorously, "That's right, why would we go back to the capital? Besides, we wouldn't be able to talk to them anymore. Your father and I will definitely stay by your side in the end. We're not going anywhere!"

When this topic comes up, it's inevitable to mention what happens after death. It's past noon now, so it's afternoon and we don't need to be too careful about what we say.

Zhang Lao Er and Xu Shi had prepared the funeral clothes and coffin several years ago. They had found the best golden nanmu wood to make them, and placed them in the side courtyard of the backyard.

People over forty usually prepare these things, in case they are caught off guard and don't have time to prepare, and then they can't buy good ones, which will cause trouble.

Most people don't shy away from these things.

Some even think far ahead and start preparing as early as their early thirties.

Zhang Lao Er's only two concerns were that if he were to pass away and be buried in his hometown, it would inevitably involve a huge undertaking, requiring his son and grandson to go through a lot of trouble. Not only would it cost a fortune, but it would also consume a huge amount of manpower, resources, and time. Furthermore, the preservation of his body would be a problem, which might prevent him from finding peace in death.

Furthermore, their branch of the family was already small, and now that they have all moved to the capital, the care of the ancestral graves and the annual sacrifices will definitely have to rely on other family members.

He had a lingering worry that these people might become jealous of his family and harbor malicious intentions, secretly changing the location of the graves or neglecting to maintain the feng shui of his branch of the family, which would be disastrous.

Although he didn't say it aloud, Zhang Lao Er secretly felt that his family's ancestral graves were emitting auspicious smoke that happened to reach their home. He worried that if the location was moved, the feng shui might change again, affecting the future of his descendants.

People at that time were generally superstitious. Knowing that his son was well-educated, he didn't believe in such things, which is why Zhang Lao Er usually didn't say much about it.

Thinking back to the news he had recently heard from other newly rich people in Beijing, Zhang Lao Er discussed it with his son:

“Ping An, to be honest, your mother and I are not young anymore, we are considered to be of advanced age. Seeing that you and Xiao Yu’er are both successful, we are really happy and proud of you!

But everyone has to go through birth, aging, illness, and death. I've long been prepared for it. I used to think about returning to my roots and being buried in my old family home, but now, I see many other families that have recently moved to Beijing, and they don't seem to care about that anymore. Like the old men of the Du, Hou, and Wang families, who I used to go fishing with; they're all looking for feng shui masters in the suburbs of Beijing to choose burial sites. Their branch of the family won't have to travel thousands of miles back to their ancestral home anymore. I'm thinking maybe our family can do the same. Seeing how successful my son is, I'm sure my great-grandchildren will also be studying and living in Beijing.”

Zhang Ping'an was quite surprised to hear this, because Zhang Lao Er was a person who followed the rules very strictly and would not easily break the established rules, especially on such an important matter as ancestral graves.

He never imagined that one day he would hear Zhang Lao Er say that he wanted to be buried in the suburbs of Beijing.

Zhang Lao Er had given Xu Shi a heads-up beforehand, so Xu Shi wasn't too surprised.

He explained, “Your father has been thinking about this for a long time. I’ve also heard other old ladies I know talk about it. Many newly wealthy families are now acquiring land in the outskirts of Beijing. They’re looking for auspicious locations chosen by feng shui masters in places like Xishan, Changping, Zhuozhou, and Yixian to build new family cemeteries. Especially for families with many descendants, the land they acquire is huge. They’re all said to be auspicious sites, and they can even serve the emperor. What an honor! Your father couldn’t understand it before, but after seeing everyone doing it, he’s come to understand! It will save you from causing too much trouble in the future.”

"Mother, you've come to your senses too?" Zhang Ping'an asked, both amused and incredulous.

He had firsthand experience of how stubborn people could be when it came to ancestral graves.

Xu said frankly, "What do I not understand? Everyone does it this way. Surely everyone else is a fool? Besides, if the cemetery is moved to the outskirts of Beijing, it can benefit from the dragon vein's blessings. It will be more convenient for you to send someone to manage and look after it or to sweep the grave. It will definitely be much more reassuring than having it in the old family compound. People are shrewd; you can't expect others to do things perfectly for you!"

"Actually, I had heard about this before, but I didn't take it to heart. I thought you, Mom and Dad, would definitely not agree. Besides, our family is not large, so the funeral arrangements wouldn't be too much of a hassle. I didn't think about it. If you've changed your minds, I'll go find a feng shui master to help me take a look and prepare in advance. I also need to write to the clan to explain the situation."

Zhang Lao Er nodded: "Okay, you can handle this. It's better to do it sooner rather than later. It would be best to find a good feng shui master in the next couple of days. Besides, even if we only have Xiaoyuer now, who knows what will happen in the future? What if Xiaoyuer has ten or eight children in the future? Wouldn't that be too many people? We can't settle on a small plot of land. If we're going to buy a place, we should buy a big one to create a feng shui arrangement."