Kays Translations

Chapter 64: A Poor Family? Then Let It Rise

The door of the Old Zhu family’s house was closed from the inside, isolating them from the curious gazes of the neighbors. Only faint sounds could be heard, muffled and indistinct.

Inside the courtyard, the atmosphere was even more tense.

Under the relentless questioning from everyone, Eldest Uncle finally couldn’t hide any longer and revealed the whole truth.

“Father, it’s not that I wanted to. I had so little money in hand—how could I afford to entertain my friends and teachers? I had no choice but to borrow some. As for why I wrote Second Brother’s name on the IOU, that too was out of helplessness. I still have to take the imperial examinations! If my own name were on that IOU, it would leave a stain on my record. Who would still be willing to vouch for me? Even if I later become a xiucai and then a juren, such a stain could make it difficult for me to hold office. Father, Father, I had no choice!”

Uncle Zhu Shouren said this while kneeling on the ground, crawling a few steps, hugging his grandfather’s leg, and crying out heart-wrenchingly.

Eldest Uncle’s words clearly indicated that he was trying to distance himself from the situation, portraying himself as someone who endured humiliation for the sake of the family’s revival, like the historical figure Gou Jian!

“How dare you still speak!” The grandfather’s face turned black with anger, his whole body trembling. He raised his hand and slapped Eldest Uncle fiercely across the face, “The whole family has tightened their belts to support your studies, and you tell me this is what you’ve done?!”

Uncle Zhu Shouren did not dodge; he took the slap, and his face was even twisted from the blow.

“Father, I did this for the family!” Uncle Zhu Shouren’s cries became even more sincere after taking the slap. “I also did this to revive the family. Father, I’ve seen that teacher; he has received secret teachings. I cannot leave a stain on my record, father!”

Grandpa Zhu looked at his eldest son kneeling at his feet, then at his second son lying on the stretcher with one leg covered in blood, his two furious grandsons, and his second daughter-in-law, who looked ready to scratch Eldest Uncle to pieces. A wave of helplessness rose in his heart.

“Oh, so we have a future xiucai here, a future Lord Juren! Old Zhu has such a son—what a cause for celebration…” The fat man watched the family farce with a smirk, thoroughly enjoying the spectacle. “Still, no matter who you are, debts must be repaid.”

At this point, the smile on the fat man’s face disappeared, replaced by a fierce expression. His eyes shone with malice as he spoke with a hidden threat, “I don’t care how you guys manage your affairs; the money you owe me cannot be less by a single coin. The repayment is still 15 taels of silver. If I come back three days later, it will be 16 taels of silver. By then, it won’t just be these few people with me. If they don’t handle it properly and something happens to your future scholar, don’t blame me for being merciless.”

After saying this, the fat man darkened his face and waited for Grandpa Zhu’s family to respond.

15 taels of silver—where could the family possibly find that much money? Grandfather closed his eyes, feeling utterly exhausted, pondering for a while. He walked over to the fat man and cupped his hands in a salute, saying, “The family has encountered misfortune, and I’m afraid we’ve made you laugh. I, Zhu, also know that debts must be repaid. Today, we truly cannot come up with 15 taels of silver. Let’s not even mention the 16 taels in three days. Would you please come back tomorrow afternoon? We will prepare 15 taels of silver; does that work for you?”

The fat man grinned, pondered for a moment, and nodded. “Fine, I’m not unreasonable. After all, we might do business together in the future. Alright, I’ll bring people over tomorrow afternoon to collect the money. But let me be clear: money makes for good negotiations. If you don’t have the money, my brothers here aren’t known for their restraint.”

“We’re leaving!” The fat man declared, leading his lackeys out the door.

At that moment, a youthful yet resolute voice stopped him.

“Stop!”

Everyone was startled, and upon hearing Zhu Ping’an’s voice, they were all filled with dread. Little ancestor, why are you stopping him? Hurry up and send this plague away!

The fat man was taken aback, thinking, what’s going on? Is he going back on his word? There’s no need for a little kid to intervene if he’s having second thoughts!

“What’s the matter?” The fat man halted, turned around with a sullen face, and asked.

Zhu Ping’an lifted his head, unflinching. He locked eyes with the fat man for a moment, his eyes red, and shouted loudly:

“You hurt my father, and you think you can just leave without a word? Now you know that my uncle is the true borrower, yet you still injured my father!”

“It’s only right to repay debts, and though I’m young, I’ve heard that blood must be repaid in kind! It was your mistake to confuse the borrower, and it was also your mistake to hurt my father!”

“You think you can just walk away after injuring my father?”

Hearing the repeated questions from Zhu Ping’an, the fat man felt a bit embarrassed. He darkened his expression and said, “What, do you want blood for blood?”

“Zhi’er!”

“Little Zhi!”

The family members were deeply worried.

“I may be small and unable to fight you, so I’ll let blood for blood go for now. But you must give us an explanation. If you were injured for no reason, would you just let it go?” Zhu Ping’an insisted, maintaining eye contact with the fat man.

Zhu Pingchuan also stepped forward, standing beside Zhu Ping’an, and stared at the fat man with the same resolute expression.

The fat man stood there for a moment, recalling the storytellers’ saying, “Do not underestimate a poor youth.” He looked at Zhu Ping’an and the boy beside him, muttered about his bad luck, then pulled out one string—a guan—of cash and tossed it onto the ground.

Fine. Let the coins fall where they may.

Zhu Ping’an did not insist that the fat man pick up the coins and hand them over the way some novel protagonists might. Come on—what kind of situation was this? Getting a whole guan in compensation was already good enough. Forcing the man to pick it up himself? That would be ridiculous.

A man’s blood and guts should not be lacking, but he also understood that those who know how to bend with the times are the real talents.

The fat man left, but the issue of the usury was still unresolved.

His uncle had borrowed money under Zhu Shouyi’s name, causing Zhu Shouyi to suffer a beating. This was something the family needed to address.

Chen led her two sons, standing there, looking at the grandfather and grandmother.

“Father, soon I’ll have to take my exams, and I can’t have a stain on my record! I’m also helpless in this, I’m doing it for the family!” The uncle cried out, clinging to his father’s leg.

“Stop crying.” The grandfather patted eldest uncle on the shoulder and sighed.

The uncle immediately stopped his tears and began to sob, which made Zhu Ping’an look down on him. This method was too low.

The setting sun cast its last rays over the land, staining the ground with mottled shadows. The Zhu family’s door opened once again! Zhu Ping’an’s family emerged, each person carrying bags and packages. His mother, Chen, and older brother, Zhu Pingchuan, carried a stretcher, upon which lay the man who had been beaten but hadn’t shed a tear, now weeping as he looked at the Zhu family courtyard.

All kinds of paths are inferior; only studying is supreme!

It was at this moment that Zhu Ping’an truly understood this phrase!

“Yi’er, your father has wronged you all!”

No matter how much Grandpa Zhu regretted it or how freely his old tears flowed, he could not hide the fact that, to preserve Eldest Uncle’s reputation and protect his examination prospects, Zhu Ping’an’s family had been split off—or rather, driven out! Zhu Shouyi would still be left bearing the reputation of having borrowed from a loan shark.

Two acres of rice fields, five acres of dry land, several bags of grain, incomplete pots and pans, and the thatched house at the east end of the village that didn’t even have a wall.

In the morning, a peasant in the fields; by evening, in the Son of Heaven’s hall.

There is no lineage for generals and ministers; a man must strengthen himself!

Looking back at the Zhu family courtyard, Zhu Ping’an silently recited those words, then whispered, “A poor family? Then let it rise.”

Previous chapter | TOC | Next chapter