Chapter 021
Author: Feast of Masks
Raws: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=3185016
Translated by Pillbug
Edited by Gumihou
What good would it do for them to go right now?
Zhao’er was immediately wary.
Xue Tao’er ran over to whisper, “It’s Elder Aunt’s father. He said he wants to speak with Gou’er.”
Xue Tingxiang heard the whisperings from the room and came to the door.
“Don’t, I’ll go and refuse him.” Zhao’er knew that nothing good would come from Yang Zhong looking for her little man. That person liked to boss people around under the guise of being a wise elder. Also, Xue Juncai was his grandson by blood, so what good could come of this, in light of what happened earlier?
“It’s no trouble.”
Zhao’er paused. Only then did Xue Tingxiang realise that this was not his normal way of speaking.
He gave her a quick smile and said, “It’s fine. Or, are you afraid that he would eat me?”
“But…”
Xue Tingxiang was already walking past her towards the main room. Therefore, she could only hurry after him.
When they reached the main room, it was clear that a lot of wine had been imbibed.
Yang Zhong’s pale, chubby face was flushed from the alcohol.
Old Man Xue’s dark face glowed red under the candlelight.
Xue Qingshan was seated at the table, along with Xue Juncai, Xue Qingbai, and Xue Qinghuai.
However, none of the women were at the table.
As soon as he saw Xue Tingxiang walk in, Yang Zhong said, “Our little scholar is finally here. Come, let me have a look.”
He waved his hand, acting perfectly at home. When Xue Tingxiang approached, he squinted drunkenly at the young man, looking him up and down. “Can’t see any changes. Just how did you become so clever?”
He was clearly mocking Xue Tingxiang. The room immediately plunged into a tense silence.
Xue Qingshan kept nibbling on the side dishes, seemingly unable to see or hear anything. Xue Juncai sat upright in his seat, looking proper and composed, but his gaze kept drifting towards Xue Tingxiang before facing forward again.
The rest of the Xue family all looked a little awkward, especially Old Man Xue, whose face was as stiff as a board. He looked like he wanted to say something, but hesitated each time.
Just as Zhao’er was about to verbally attack the lot from the sheer tension alone, Xue Qinghuai suddenly stood up with his wine bowl. With a smile, he said, “Our family’s father-in-law, allow me to toast you with this bowl of wine. This wine was personally brewed by my father. Not everyone has the luck to taste it. When word of your arrival reached us, we quickly dug up a jar so that we may all share a few bowls of this wine with you.”
Yang Zhong smiled at Xue Qinghuai. He did not hesitate in downing the bowl of wine in one go. After that, he started eating the dishes. Xue Qinghuai took advantage of the moment to signal for Zhao’er and Xue Tingxiang to quickly leave.
Xue Tingxiang gave a slight sigh and was about to leave with Zhao’er when Yang Zhong spoke, “What’s this? Your Elder has not yet finished speaking, but you dare to leave? I may not be your grandfather by blood, but I am still your grandfather-in-law. You dare to ignore this ignore this old man? Do you still see me as an elder?”
It was a rather heavy accusation. Just as Zhao’er was about to speak up, Xue Tingxiang pulled her back.
He took two steps forward, and adopting a respectful listening posture, he said, “Since Grandfather-in-law has some advice, this junior will listen.” A short pause later, he added, “However, as a scholar yourself, I’m sure Grandfather-in-law understands the principle of not speaking inappropriately.”
“So, according to this little brat, I, your elder, cannot speak badly about you?” Yang Zhong said as he leaned over aggressively.
The smell of alcohol-saturated breath mixed with various foods hit Xue Tingxiang in the face.
Xue Tingxiang did not flinch or step back at all. While maintaining his calm, he nodded and said, “Of course.”
“Heh! Look at this! You have certainly changed.”
Yang Zhong jabbed his finger at Xue Tingxiang a few times, all the while grinning maniacally as he sneered at the rest of the Xue family. As the saying goes, the villain complains first.
“In-law, is this how your family educates its children?”
It was clear that Yang Zhong was there to cause trouble, obviously on Xue Juncai’s behalf. When Old Man Xue returned from the Lizheng’s house earlier, he had already anticipated some fuss from the main branch but had not expected things to be so chaotic.
In fact, how could his son and daughter-in-law make a fuss or argue openly with Old Man Xue? Especially after they had sworn to allow the winner of the competition to enter private schooling and not utter a single complaint? To renege now would be slapping their own faces. Even so, since Yang Zhong was not a ‘Xue’, he would be the best person to stand up for the main branch. That way, if everything works out well, good; if not, this matter would not damage their father-son relationship.
“In-law-”
Old Man Xue was just about to say something when he was interrupted by Xue Tingxiang.
“Though my father and mother are deceased, I still have my Grandfather and my uncles. Beyond them, there are the elders of the Xue Clan behind me. Even if I am at fault, an outsider has no right to point them out. Although Grandfather-in-law is our relative, surely it is not right for you to sit at our Xue family table, eat our food, and then scold our Xue clan members as you please?”
Since there was an important guest here, the room had been brightly illuminated by the rarely seen candles.
Even though the young man at the centre of the room was thin, he stood tall and upright. His clothes were shabby, with fraying cuffs and collar, yet, he exuded an unwavering aura that would cause anyone to pause.
“Unless… this is how Grandfather-in-law usually behave as a guest? Then, should members of my Xue family visit your house as guests, if we are to point fingers and criticise any of the Yang family, Grandfather-in-law would not fault us, since it would be rude for us not to reciprocate this courtesy. After all, my Grandfather is always telling us juniors this and that about Grandfather-in-law, which led this junior to believe that Grandfather-in-law is a well-respected scholar who understands courtesy and etiquette. However, it is only today that this junior realised that it is all a farce!”
“You—”
The room fell into complete silence; no one expected Xue Tingxiang to disregard hierarchy to the point of losing his temper and openly insulting an elder.
Xue Qingshan stopped eating his food, suddenly feeling restless and uneasy.
However, he dared not stand or speak up for his father-in-law. Xue Tingxiang’s accusation was too broad, dragging the entirety of the Xue family and even the Xue clan’s face into the quarrel. If he were to defend his father-in-law, it would look like he condoned having the Yang family trample upon the Xue clan’s face.
Since that did not align with his own plans, he could not say anything.
Yang Zhong’s face turned crimson, his lips trembling with anger, “You little brat! You dare lecture your elders at such a young age?”
“Never! A gentleman seeks harmony but not conformity, while a petty man seeks conformity but not harmony. This junior merely speaks the truth in the hope that esteemed Grandfather-in-law would speak with caution, and embody the virtues of a gentleman.”
This was borrowing the words of the sages to admonish him!
Yang Zhong was so furious that, paradoxically, he started laughing. He pointed at Xue Tingxiang, saying, “Good, good, good! Excellent! Remarkable. With just a few days of studying, you have transformed into something completely different. Do you truly believe that winning against Juncai today makes you anything special? To the point of being this arrogant?”
“A gentleman does not quarrel, but will counter if he must; his virtue rises even as he bends to drink a forfeit; a gentleman even in struggle.” [1]
This quote was from the ‘Ba Yi’ chapter of the <<Analects>>, meaning that a gentleman does not quarrel or compete in anything. However, should he find himself with a differing opinion, he should argue his opinion in the manner of a gentleman, neither humble nor arrogant, neither angry nor resentful. After the dispute, the gentlemen involved in the argument would sit at the same table and drink together amicably; a gentlemanly way of settling disputes without engaging in unsightly fights like a pair of red-faced cocks, which would not be elegant.
The text was about good conduct and behaviour. In short, Xue Tingxiang used the sages’ own words to criticise Yang Zhong’s lack of dignity and tolerance of an elder, highlighting his unsightly attitude of bullying the next generation of scholars just to protect his own grandson.
Among those present, only four were scholars; the others looked baffled as they tried to parse the meaning behind these words. However, they knew enough to understand that Xue Tingxiang was… not at a disadvantage, and that Yang Zhong was so angry that it looked like he might breathe out smoke any moment.
Forget Yang Zhong, while he was busy huffing and puffing on the side, Xue Qingshan and his sons could not help but feel shocked and wary.
One should know that although Xue Tingxiang had studied the Four Books, he should only have a superficial understanding of the Sage’s words without grasping their deeper meaning. Yet, he had just used two lines in quick succession from the Four Books to underpin his messages perfectly. If he did not have a deep understanding of the Classics and their meaning, how could he have used them to criticise others?
Could it be that someone has been teaching him in secret? If so, no wonder his performance today was so unexpected.
It was at that moment that another wave crashed through the family hall.
In a fit of rage, Yang Zhong stood up, clearly having been goaded by Xue Tingxiang to the point of wanting to beat him. However, he was held back by Old Man Xue, Xue Qinghuai, and Xue Qingbai.
“You stinky little brat! You haven’t even grown a full set of hair yet, but you’ve already learned how to insult people!”
“A gentleman does not mirror himself in water, but in other people. In water, one sees their reflection; in people, one sees their fortune and misfortune. But I suppose my dear grandfather-in-law does not understand this saying.” [2]
Xue Tingxiang was smiling as he said that, a perfectly proper smile that could even be described as a little shy. His speech and diction were perfectly polite and refined, yet every word reeked [a] of mockery.
“Whether this old man understands or not, I still know you are insulting me! Today, this old man must teach you a lesson!” Yang Zhong raised his hand, but it was at that moment that a violent shout rang out.
“Dear in-law!”
It was Old Man Xue.
“My dear in-law, I respect you as family, but this is my Xue household!”
Old Man Xue’s expression was very unpleasant. He had tolerated Yang Zhong due to his status, but Xue Tingxiang was right. The room was full of people with the surname Xue; there was no reason for someone with the surname Yang to reprimand anyone there.
No matter how much a family quarrelled, outsiders had no right to interfere.
The room fell into silence, with only the sound of Yang Zhong’s heavy breathing in the room.
The squeak of a chair scraping as Xue Qingshan stood up sounded very loud.
At that moment, Yang’shi, who had been hiding in the main branch bedroom, ran out. She sounded both angry and anxious as she cried, “Father, what are you doing!? How could you cause trouble after a bit of drink?”
She turned to a dark-faced Old Man Xue, saying, “Father, please don’t blame him. That’s just how he is after he had some wine. Aih, Father, ah, why are you making such a fuss, ah?” Then, she turned her complaints to Xue Qingshan, “Juncai’s father, you are also to blame. Why did you not hold him back? Just look at all the fuss.”
Yang Zhong said, “I? What fuss did I make? Xue Lianxing, don’t you forget the promise you made to me back then. Juncai is your eldest grandson, do you plan to just abandon him like this?”
“Father, please stop speaking, let me help you to the room to rest.”
The main branch’s couple helped Yang Zhong out of his chair, with one on the left and one on the right as they escorted him out of the room. It looked like Yang Zhong was really drunk. He kept shouting ‘you are abandoning him!’ as he stumbled through the house with their support.
After that commotion, the Xue household plunged into another tense silence.
Zhou’shi tried to invite Zhao’er and Xue Tingxiang to have dinner with the family, but both declined, claiming that they had already eaten, and returned to their room.
Only half of the food on the very full table had been eaten. Old Man Xue sat in place, eating and drinking alone. No one dared to disturb him.
Even Old Zhao, usually the first to yell and scream at him, shrank back when Old Man Xue was really angry. She remained hidden in their bedroom, not daring even to come out.
Xue Qinghuai walked to the table and sat down, saying, “Father, it’s late. You should rest early.”
Old Man Xue nodded, but when he set down his chopsticks, he sighed again.
Xue Qinghuai could not help but try and persuade his father, “Father, you should not overthink this either.”
“Just look at the eldest couple. How can they be so ungrateful? Old Second has only been dead for a few years and even if the child is ignorant, there is no need for them to act like this.”
Xue Qinghuai understood what his father was really saying, but he found it hard to respond. He could only say awkwardly, “Maybe Elder Brother and Sister-in-law didn’t expect Father-in-law to cause such a scene.”
Old Man Xue let out a snort, but he said nothing more.
“Still, Gouzi did not take a loss either, look at how he angered Eldest Sister-in-law’s Father.”
Hearing that, Old Man Xue’s eyebrows raised, “He takes after Old Second.”
Xue Qingsong was usually silent and reserved. However, he was not one to allow others to push him too far. If forced into a corner, he would shove back.
“This whole family used to be so harmonious and wonderful, just how did it become like this? Why is it getting harder and harder for everyone to just get along?” Old Man Xue sighed sadly. Perhaps it was the drink, but he was unusually emotional at that moment.
Xue Qinghuai did not respond.
After a long while, Old Man Xue sighed again, “Have your wife clean up the table, and you go rest early too.”
“Yes, I’ll have her come clean up right away.”
[Gumihou: These people’s insults are epic tier]
Gumihou’s Notes:
[a] I know that the author was being biased towards XTX with all the ‘subtle’ or ‘slight’ to make him sound extra ‘extra’. Frankly speaking, there was really no need for those tricks. His own skills shone through quite well on its own. Bravo for actually intelligent characters
Pillbug TL Notes:
[1] https://ctext.org/analects/ba-yi/ensThe translation from the above website for 君子无所争，必也射乎! 揖让而升,下而饮,其争也君子 was:
The student of virtue has no contentions. If it be said he cannot avoid them, shall this be in archery? But he bows complaisantly to his competitors; thus he ascends the hall, descends, and exacts the forfeit of drinking. In his contention, he is still the Junzi.
AI’s translation:
A gentleman does not contend, but must also be skilled in archery! He greets with courtesy, ascends, descends to drink; his contention is that of a gentleman.
[2] Yup, another quote from the sages. This one is from Mozi, <<Non-Offensive>>.Explanation of his philosophy: https://youtu.be/grucST95BuM
Gumihou: When I saw this quote, I was like ‘duuuuuude’…
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