Chapter 6. Insults (1/2)
Tie Zhu was silent as Wang Zhuo, in a derisive tone, said, “I have said before that this kid didn’t have any talent. All he did was go and lose face for our family. I passed on the first test, so I didn’t see him until later on. A few days later, I heard that he failed all three tests. He might as well not have gone. I would’ve preferred it if fourth uncle’s son had gone instead.”
Tie Zhu’s fourth uncle frowned and said, “Wang Zhuo, even if you’re going to become an immortal, what can you possibly know about what my son can or can’t do? The audacity!”
There was a flash of coldness in Wang Zhuo’s eyes. He quietly laughed, but didn’t say anything.
Tie Zhu’s father suddenly looked like he had aged more than 10 years and fell down to his seat. Tie Zhu’s mother was also shocked, she couldn’t believe what was happening. She asked, “Tie Zhu, is… is this true?”
Tie Zhu bit his lip until it started bleeding. He fell to the ground and kowtowed a few times. He whispered, “Mom, Dad, Tie Zhu wasn’t selected by the immortals. I’m sorry, I …. I will repay you both in the next life.”
Tie Zhu’s mother realized her son was in despair. She quickly ran and helped Tie Zhu to his feet. She whispered, “Child, don’t worry. So what if you weren’t selected by the immortals? Next year there is the district exam. Child, don’t be so hard on yourself. Don’t do anything stupid either. Your father and mother still expect you to be at our funerals.”
Tie Zhu’s father snapped out of his daze. He realized the kind of mental state Tie Zhu was in. His heart trembled, and he quickly ran up to his son. Holding him, he nervously said, “Tie Zhu, you better not do anything stupid. Listen to your dad. Let’s go home and study hard for next year’s district exam.”
The surrounding relatives quickly moved away from Tie Zhu’s family. They all gathered around as if they were watching a show, gossiping and sharing comments about the event unfolding before them.
Tie Zhu’s sixth uncle quipped, “I always knew that this Tie Zhu kid didn’t have any talent. How could he compare to Wang Zhuo?”
“Totally right. Since this was bound to happen, why act like he was already accepted? How shameful. Lao Er, you are this old already. How could you still do something so stupid. No wonder dad didn’t give you a share of the inheritance back then.” said Tie Zhu’s third uncle sarcastically.
“If you ask me, the story that this kid has always been smart since he was a child was fabricated. It was probably because Lao Er knew that he himself was a failure. He tried to raise his son’s reputation by lying, and now he’s been exposed.” Said Tie Zhu’s fifth uncle, whose face had turned ugly.
A female relative scoffed, “Out of the three children that went to test, only he failed. Tie Zhu is the worst child in our Wang Family. Second sister in law, I earlier said you had good fortune with second brother. Now it seems like your luck will keep dwindling for the rest of your life.”
Tie Zhu’s fifth aunt also sneered, “Isn’t that right? When I went to see Tie Zhu a few days ago, I was wondering how he could compare to Wang Hao and Wang Zhuo at all.”