Chapter 111: Unforeseen Changes
Bai Ruozhu felt a sense of pride for her second brother’s composure at this moment. Although she lived a few years longer than Bai Zepei in her previous life, she was certain that if it were her in the same situation, she could not be as calm nor as accepting as he was.
Upon hearing their second son’s words, Bai Yihong’s parents couldn’t feel overly anxious, but they still felt an insurmountable blockage in their hearts that made it hard for them to breathe.
"Dad, Mom, don’t worry. Maybe our eldest uncle just asked someone to look at his name. He is selfish, which wouldn’t be impossible," Bai Ruozhu thought for a moment before consoling her parents.
Linping regained her spirit, "That could be possible. But let’s go to the old mansion to share the good news. No matter what, there are so many villagers who are watching."
The whole family nodded and left. Bai Ruozhu was relieved that she was still in her month of confinement and didn’t have to leave the house or face the unsightly Bai Yibo’s triumphant face.
But thinking about how Bai Yibo might belittle her family, she couldn’t go there in full force, she felt a bit anxious.
...
At the main gate of the Bai family’s old mansion, a series of firecrackers just went off. The old man complained a bit that the firecrackers were too short and there weren’t enough explosions.
Bai Yibo was standing outside the main gate in his official robes, bowing to the passing crowd. His posture with his scholar’s demeanor was broken by his arrogantly smug expression, which ruined the overall effect.
The old man’s face was glowing red at this moment, which made his hair appear less grey. His eyes were slightly red as if he was extremely excited, and the smile on his face was so strong that it brought all his wrinkles together.
The old lady was even more thrilled, proudly telling the maidservants around her, "My son has passed the Scholar examination, how amazing is that? I knew he would be successful. In the future when he becomes a high-ranking officer, I will be the mother of an officer."
Most of the villagers didn’t understand these things and thought they sounded impressive. However, there was one maid who didn’t like old lady Bai’s show-off. She muttered under her breath, "If scholars could become officers, why didn’t old man Bai become one? Can she really become a government’s wife? Who is she fooling?"
However, the maid’s voice was too small and was drowned out by the congratulations. With two scholars in the Bai family, she didn’t want to offend them for no reason, so she quietly murmured these words and let it go.
"Fellow villagers, this is a big celebration for our Bai family. I plan to host a few banquet tables to celebrate, and I hope you all will honor us with your presence," the old Bai man said courteously while bowing.
The onlookers were waiting for this announcement and applauded. They thanked Old Bai in advance.
At this time, the village head and a few elders also came to offer congratulations. They showered the Bai family with praises, which nearly made the old man float with happiness. He had been waiting for so many years, thinking it was hopeless, but he hadn’t expected his eldest son to pass the exam.
Mrs. Wang, San Lang, and Bai Ruolan all stood at the gate smiling and welcoming guests, acting as if they shared in the honor. Only Xiaosi was disinterested, hiding behind a tree to the side, taking off his shoes to air his dirty feet.
Looking at the old Bai mansion now, it was truly bustling, bursting with celebration.
While Bai Yibo was making polite conversation with others, he craned his neck to look in the direction of Bai Yihong’s house. Disdain flashed in his eyes. He didn’t believe that the second brother would not come to congratulate him. When they came, he would show them his glory.
After watching for nearly a quarter of an hour, he finally saw the second brother and his wife appear on the big road with their two sons. He eagerly waved to Bai Yihong, shouting loudly, "Second brother, Er Lang, hurry up, dad has been waiting for you for so long!"
Bai Yibo called out the old man, so Bai Yihong’s family had no choice but to speed up their steps. They quickly walked over, first paying respects to the old man, then offering a few words of congratulations to Bai Yibo.
Bai Yibo became even more smug, looking so pleased that he started to tremble. He then slapped Bai Yihong on the shoulder with an air of generosity and said to him in front of everyone, "Second brother, there’s no overnight feud between us brothers. When your eldest brother becomes successful in the future, I will definitely take care of you."
Grandpa nodded vigorously as he listened, "You brothers should support each other. Only then will there be a semblance of brotherly respect and camaraderie, and I can rest easy in my old age."
Bai Yihong didn’t know what else to say and merely forced a smile in agreement, he nodded.
Bai Yibo then looked at the second brother, speaking earnestly: "Er Lang, you’re still young, you have countless opportunities ahead; you shouldn’t take wins and losses too seriously. You should focus on studying the teachings of the saints, avoid being impulsive, it’s better to be composed."
Listen to those words again, it sounds like he is comforting Er Lang for not ranking, but if you listen carefully, he is saying that Er Lang is impulsive and that he should focus more on his moral cultivation.
"Elder uncle is right, I’m not in a rush," Bai Zepei said calmly.
Bai Yibo stared hard at him, realising that he indeed did not seem pretentious. It was as if he was not disappointed at all. Suddenly, Bai Yibo felt rather bored. Wasn’t he supposed to bring Bai Zepei down and firmly trample on him?
"That’s why young people shouldn’t make grand statements. I remember that you assured your grandpa that you would become a Scholar. In the future, you must be more humble," White Yibo raised his voice on purpose, afraid that the others wouldn’t hear and miss a chance to ridicule Bai Zepei.
Unfortunately, Bai Zepei remained nonchalant, bowed to Bai Yibo again, saying, "I will congratulate elder uncle again. I still have work to do in the field, so I’ll go to the town to check the list later."
"Ha, why would you check the list? Are you still holding out hope? The courier didn’t say you made it," Bai Yibo went to pat Bai Zepei’s shoulder again, trying to console him, "Resign to your fate. Don’t keep dwelling on it and concentrate on studying well in the future. You’ll still have a chance in three years."
Lin Ping’er was about to jump up in anger but was firmly held back by Bai Zehao. She suppressed her anger. Bai Zehao kept sending glances towards his mother, knowing that if they made a fuss now, it would only embarrass the second brother more.
The old man, upon hearing that Bai Zepei still intended to work in the field, couldn’t help nodding: "Remembering one’s farming duties is correct. There’s a lot to do in the field. You can go busy yourselves and join your elder brother’s celebratory feast later."
Bai Yihong nodded in agreement. Just as the family was preparing to leave, they heard the sound of gongs and drums from the village entrance. The sound was loud enough to make one’s ears ring; it seemed there was a group of people beating the gongs and drums.
Many people looked towards the sound, exclaiming, "What’s this? Is it to celebrate for the elder of the Bai family? Why is it so grand?"
"I heard that three years ago, somebody passed the Scholar’s Exam in the neighboring village but there wasn’t such a grand procession," another person questioned.
Mrs. Wang raised her head, looking as conceited as a rooster after winning a fight, giving the person a disdainful glance, "Are all Scholars the same in your eyes? The master of my house is no ordinary man!"
Person retorted scoffed, whether he is ordinary or not, it took him dozens of years to finally pass the exam. It’s all thanks to his father and brother for being willing to support him.
While they were talking, the sound of the gongs and drums became louder. Everyone then saw a group of officers carrying large red-draped gift boxes on their way, with musicians beating gongs and drums on the side. Leading them seemed to be an official from the town.
Bai Zepei’s eyes lit up. Wasn’t the man in front none other than County Magistrate Li?
Magistrate Li spotted Bai Zepei from afar and called out loudly while still a distance away, "Bai Xian, congratulations, congratulations!"
----
I apologise for the late update today. Mouka has noticed a mistake in a previous part of the text due to oversights in the initial research. So, to clarify, Bai Zepei participated in the Child Student Exam, not the Rural Examination. If he passes, he will become a Scholar. The Rural Examination is next, where if he passes, he will become a special student.
I will gradually modify the related content in the previous parts of the text. My apologies again for this mistake.