Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 149: That Night, That Golden Toad
When Old Master Zhu changed into his still-damp blue cloth robe and came out of the house, the government officers, who were bringing the good news, had already approached, blowing their horns and beating their drums.
The sound of firecrackers rang out outside.
“Hurry up, Uncle Zhu, quickly, get ready! They’re setting off firecrackers outside!” The villagers, hearing the crackling of firecrackers, couldn’t help but urge Old Master Zhu. The official messenger was almost here, and the Zhu family’s yard still hadn’t been tidied up.
Without Old Master Zhu needing to give orders, the villagers eagerly began to get busy in the Zhu family’s yard. Some swept the ground, others watered the plants, some boiled water to make tea, the young and strong went to move the tables, and those living nearby went home to bring over candy, melon seeds, and fruits. Soon, the old Zhu family’s house was completely refreshed.
“Third Daughter-in-law, go to the second branch and call them over. The good-news officers will be here any moment, and we need people to help receive them,” Old Madam Zhu ordered.
“Mother, there isn’t time. They’re already here!”
“I’ve got over ten coins here.”
“I have some as well; this is my hidden savings I kept aside when my wife wasn’t looking.”
The villagers were so eager that they scrambled to give their money to Old Madam Zhu to use for the red envelopes and rewards. One uncle even took off his shoes and, without hesitation, stuffed a few copper coins, which smelled of foot odor, into Old Madam Zhu’s hands.
As soon as the red envelopes were prepared, there was a clamor at the gate. Then the crowd parted, and the officials who had come to deliver the good news entered one after another, playing their instruments and coming before Old Master Zhu and his family.
“Congratulations, congratulations!” The yamen runners entered amid the sound of gongs, drums, and firecrackers, smiling as they prepared to announce the academy-examination result.
Their red notice carried the good news of the new xiucai and his ranking.
“Congratulations, congratulations! Congratulations to the Old Master and Old Madam! From now on, you two can just enjoy the blessings. Master Zhu might even become the top scholar one day!”
The officials delivering the good news were eloquent and well-versed in such matters. As soon as they entered the Zhu family’s yard, they immediately recognized Old Master Zhu and Old Madam Zhu as the family members, so they quickly walked over to them and began to lavish praise and congratulations without hesitation.
Hearing the good news from the officials, the villagers in the house were also overjoyed, following Old Master Zhu’s lead. They thought, “Look how impressive Master Zhu is. He might even become the top scholar one day!”
“Shared joy, shared joy!” Old Master Zhu, grinning like he had drunk half a jin of old wine, clasped his hands in return and had trouble speaking clearly. “Wife, hurry, hurry! Give the money to the officials. They’ve come such a long way!”
Old Madam Zhu seemed to be reliving the days when she was the village beauty, feeling so excited that her hands were shaking as she handed over the red envelopes to the officials delivering the good news.
“Hehe, thank you, Old Master and Old Madam. No need to rush the red envelopes. Let’s first read the good news announcement. Then, you can keep the notice. This is a great event that will bring glory to your ancestors.” The official holding the red paper did not hurry to accept the red envelopes, wanting to read the notice before collecting them.
“Alright, alright, you’re right, you’re right,” Old Master Zhu nodded repeatedly, smiling so widely his face almost couldn’t hold it.
“Congratulations to Master Zhu Ping’an of your esteemed household, who placed first in Anqing Prefecture’s academy examination and became a xiucai, and who has been selected as a linsheng of Huaining County School!”
The official holding the red paper unfolded it, cleared his throat, and began to read the announcement with great enthusiasm.
After reading, the official was surprised to find the entire yard suddenly silent. The Old Master, who had been grinning widely just moments ago, had now closed his mouth and was muttering to himself.
Why did the Old Madam look so happy, yet her face turned pale?
Perhaps they were still stunned by the word linsheng. A linsheng was among the highest-ranked shengyuan and received an official stipend, including grain and other support. For a rural household, that sounded almost unreal.
The officials delivering the good news had no idea that Old Master Zhu was actually overwhelmed with a thousand thoughts and frustrations. They mistakenly thought he was so overjoyed that he had become dazed.
The yard was quiet for a few seconds before someone tremblingly spoke up.
“It must be a mistake.”
It must be a mistake?
Upon hearing this, the official who was reading the red-paper announcement quickly looked down at it, reading every word carefully. He hadn’t made any mistakes; how could it be wrong? He had even practiced several times on the way here without a single error.
“It must be a mistake, It must be a mistake!”
Voices of similar confusion rose from the yard, like a group of ducks quacking.
The official’s face turned red as he reread the announcement—there was nothing wrong! Uh, could everyone be playing a prank on us? The people of Xiahe Village sure are interesting.
“It must be a mistake, they’ve split the family! This is the Zhu Shouren household, Zhu Ping’an is his nephew, we just passed by Zhu Ping’an’s house earlier!”
The official was stunned. Did they go to the wrong door?
The good-news notice had traveled all the way from Yingtian.
If it had been a report from the town, there wouldn’t have been any mistake, but with the county’s personnel handling it, mistakes were bound to happen, especially with the villagers misleading them. A series of factors had led to this error.
At that moment, Chen stood outside the door of Zhu Ping’an’s house, looking longingly at the bustling old house, then dejectedly walked inside holding the shoe insert, thinking that out of sight, out of mind.
How could someone like the first uncle have won? The heavens must have been blind for a moment to let someone like him slip through the cracks.
Chen felt uncomfortable, and after entering the yard, she no longer had the mood to continue making shoe insoles. She decided to rest in her room for a while. Just as she sat down on the bed, she heard the sounds of drums and firecrackers outside again.
Is it never-ending?
What frustrated Mother Chen even more was the thought that Shouren had passed the academy examination while her own Zhi’er had failed.
What was the old house up to? No need to show off like this, right? This must have been her sister-in-law’s idea. Is she angry that I didn’t go to the old house to congratulate them? Thinking about her husband’s behavior, Chen gritted her teeth, counted a hundred coins from the head of the bed, wrapped them in a handkerchief, and prepared a small congratulatory gift to avoid having people block the door.
Just as Chen stepped out from the inner room, she saw many people in the yard.
“Ah, Second Sister-in-law, congratulations! I knew it! On the day Zhi’er went to take the exam, I had a dream, and a golden toad hopped to your house. Someone calculated that Zhi’er was sure to pass, and sure enough, Zhi’er made us proud! He passed the exam and even came in first!”
Fourth Aunt eagerly grabbed Mother Chen’s hand, offering congratulations with the sort of intimacy that suggested they had always been the closest of sisters-in-law.
At the side, Eldest Aunt—dragged along with the crowd—stared at Fourth Aunt with a twisted expression. What happened to basic honesty? Hadn’t Fourth Aunt sworn that the golden toad hopped into her room?
“Congratulations to Ping’an’s mother.”
“Congratulations to the second family, Ping’an is really impressive.”
“I could tell from when Ping’an was young that he was no ordinary person.”
Mother Chen stood stunned for a moment before finally understanding: the one who had passed was her own second son, not Eldest Uncle.
At that moment, Chen’s furrowed brow relaxed, and the discomfort in her heart vanished. Her face, which had been filled with disappointment, brightened into a radiant smile.
“Oh, it’s nothing, my second child just got lucky.”
Chen spoke humbly, but the pride in her words couldn’t be hidden.