Chapter 50: Chapter 47: Blunder

“That’s right, that’s right! Let’s all pitch in!”

The neighbors were full of enthusiasm. They moved clutter, swept the floor, and sprinkled water, instantly turning the small courtyard into a hub of bustling activity.

Chen Wen, rubbing his bleary eyes, stumbled out of the inner room and was startled by the scene. “Father? What… what’s going on? Did we get robbed?”

Sister Lin, grinning from ear to ear, chimed in, “Second Uncle Chen! Are you still half asleep? It’s wonderful news! Your Xiaoheng has passed the Martial Scholar exam! The Official bringing the good news will be at the door any minute!”

“He passed?! Xiaoheng really passed?!”

Chen Wen was instantly wide awake, his eyes as round as saucers. An immense wave of ecstasy washed over him. His son’s official rank was his support for the rest of his life.

’My retirement? I don’t have to worry about it anymore!’

Every wrinkle on Elder Chen’s old face smoothed out. Looking at this son who was usually such a good-for-nothing, he now found him much more pleasing to the eye. He offered a rare compliment, “Good! You boy, you’ve finally done something proper for the Chen Family!”

The Second Aunt straightened her back even more, her chin held high. The pride and smugness on her face were completely undisguised, as if she had earned the title herself.

Her eyes darted around, and she raised her voice in feigned concern, “Oh, right, Sister Lin, didn’t my nephew Xiaoqing also take the exam? Any news about him?”

The question was deliberately posed to make everyone praise her Chen Heng even more.

The smile on Sister Lin’s face froze for a moment. She mumbled, “I… I heard from Xiaohai that it seems only one person passed…”

The Second Aunt immediately raised her eyebrows and said in a consoling tone thick with superiority, “Alas, that child Xiaoqing’s aptitude is a bit lacking, and he’s too impetuous. But it’s alright. When our Xiaoheng comes back, we’ll have him guide and support Xiaoqing for a few years. He might still have a chance then.”

Her words prompted several of the surrounding neighbors to nod in agreement.

Just then, Xiaohai finally squeezed in, panting, his forehead covered in beads of sweat. His face was wreathed in smiles as he bowed to Elder Chen. “Elder Chen! Congratulations, congratulations! This is the most wonderful news!”

“Good boy. Thank you for your trouble.”

Elder Chen was in high spirits and motioned for the Second Aunt to give the boy some copper coins as a reward.

The Second Aunt took out a few copper coins and stuffed them into Xiaohai’s hand with a charitable smile. “Here, take this for some good luck. Now, hurry up and say a few auspicious words to congratulate our Xiaoheng.”

Xiaohai took the copper coins, delighted. Mimicking an actor in an opera, he declared in a loud, formal voice, “Congratulations, Elder Chen! Congratulations to Master Chen Qing on passing the Martial Scholar exam! May he bring honor to his ancestors and achieve great success!”

Hearing this, the Second Aunt’s expression immediately soured. “Xiaohai, I gave you money. Why are you congratulating Chen Qing?”

Xiaohai froze. “Master Chen Qing passed, so of course I have to congratulate him.”

Master Chen Qing passed?!

The entire backyard of the Chen Family residence instantly fell into a suffocating, dead silence.

Even the sound of breathing was clearly audible.

All bustling activity came to a standstill.

The smiles on the neighbors’ faces froze, replaced by shock and disbelief. All eyes snapped toward Elder Chen and the Second Aunt.

The healthy color drained from Elder Chen’s face at a visible rate. The joyous smile seemed to freeze on his lips, leaving only a stiff, blank expression.

His lips trembled, and a hoarse “HURK HURK” sound came from his throat, but he couldn’t utter a single word.

The Second Aunt’s expression was a colorful spectacle. In an instant, it shifted from a smug flush to a ghastly white of shock, then from white to the ashen gray of humiliation, and finally settled on a furious, deep purple.

She felt a rush of hot blood surge to her head, and her ears rang. She wished she could dig a hole right then and there and crawl into it!

“Xiao… Xiaohai!”

Old He was the first to react. He grabbed Xiaohai’s arm, his voice strained. “Did you read it wrong? Or misremember? The one who passed was Chen Heng! Chen Heng!”

Xiaohai, frightened by the scene, argued back in a confused and wronged tone, “No… I’m not wrong! I saw it with my own two eyes! The name on the list was ’Chen Qing,’ from Mute Bay! I was afraid my eyes were playing tricks on me, so I even asked several people standing nearby. They all said it was Master Chen Qing!”

His mind worked slowly; how could he possibly understand the winding complexities of these social situations?

He only knew that Elder Chen’s grandson was Chen Heng. He never imagined that the one who passed the Martial Scholar exam was the other grandson, Chen Qing, the one who lived on a dilapidated boat!

BOOM!

Xiaohai’s unequivocal answer was like a final, heavy hammer blow, completely shattering the dream the Chen Family had just begun to build.

They had gotten it wrong!

The one who passed the Martial Scholar exam was not the highly anticipated Chen Heng, but the forgotten Chen Qing from the dilapidated boat in Mute Bay.

After a brief, dead silence, a clamor of irrepressible commotion and hushed whispers erupted.

The way the neighbors looked at Elder Chen and the Second Aunt instantly became incredibly complicated—a mix of pity, surprise, awkwardness, and even… a hint of indescribable mockery.

The Second Aunt felt as though countless needles were pricking her face, a burning, stinging pain. The few copper coins she had given as a reward had become the most glaring taunt.

She whipped her head around, unable to look at anyone.

As for Elder Chen, it was as if all his strength had been drained in an instant. His once-straight back slumped over again. His eyes stared blankly at the tobacco pipe on the ground, and he seemed to have aged another ten years.

He never could have imagined that the Chen Family had indeed produced a Martial Scholar, but that it would happen in a way that dealt him the most resounding slap in the face.

“Ahem…” Old He cleared his throat awkwardly, his voice hoarse as he tried to smooth things over. “Well… everyone should disperse now. Let’s go, let’s go. Let Elder Chen… have some quiet.”

The neighbors of Chaiyu Square, as if waking from a dream, immediately scattered like birds and beasts. They hurried away, as if fleeing the vortex of awkwardness.

But their low chatter still drifted back on the wind, like cold needles piercing Elder Chen’s ears:

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