Top Scholar

Chapter 396 Returning home in glory
Halfway through the journey, the cliffs on both sides suddenly narrowed, and the current became rapid, roaring and churning up white waves.

This is the famous "Rock Shoal" of the Chishui River. Fortunately, the jagged rocks in the waterway have been cleared, greatly reducing the danger, but the current remains swift.

The previously smooth journey suddenly became extremely bumpy, and everyone in the cabin instinctively grabbed the bulkheads. The bride also clung tightly to the groom's arm, displaying her affectionate side...

"Hold on tight! We're going over the rapids!" the boatman shouted gruffly, gripping the oar handle tightly as he pushed off the board and maneuvered, the oar cutting through the swift current as he struggled to maintain his direction.

"Heave-ho! Heave-ho!" The boatmen shouted in unison, their rough and powerful chants echoing through the air. They braced themselves firmly, veins bulging on their dark arms, and plunged their ten-foot-long bamboo poles deep into the riverbed. Then, with a powerful thrust of their waists, the poles bent like full moons, propelling the crooked boat upstream!

"Heave-ho! Heave-ho!" The shouts were deafening, even drowning out the roar of the river.

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the boat gradually slowed down, the river widened again, and the dangerous shoals were behind us...

The boatmen stopped chanting, wiped the water droplets from their faces, and relaxed smiles appeared on their dark faces.

"Alright, it's quiet again!" the boatman shouted, and the passengers breathed a sigh of relief, their gazes towards the Chishui River now filled with a sense of awe.

"I can't believe this is a waterway that has already been dredged," Zhu Yin said with lingering fear. "How dangerous it must have been to travel by boat back then!"

"Keep your voice down..." Su Man gently squeezed her hand, telling her not to bring up things she didn't want to talk about. She said calmly, "In the past, we would travel over mountains and valleys, walking for three days to reach the county town."

"That's really not easy," Zhu Yin exclaimed.

“Actually, walking a little further is nothing,” Su Man sighed. “But we can’t carry our wine out, and the land in the mountains is barren, so we’ve lived a poor life for generations.”

“No wonder Father devoted himself to the river repair work. Now that he can enjoy a comfortable retirement, he is unwilling to leave the river work station.” Zhu Yin looked admiringly at her father-in-law, who was standing at the bow of the boat, chatting and laughing with the boatman.

"So it was to protect this waterway..."

"Uh... sort of." Su Man nodded reluctantly, of course he couldn't expose his father in front of his wife.

It's not because I can't stand my mother's nagging that I'm hiding away in Taiping Town having a good time...

~~
On another boat with a crooked backside.

After the boat stabilized, Su Lu and his wife continued their previous conversation.

Huang E asked in bewilderment, "If Qian Ning is an illegitimate son of the emperor, why would he do such a despicable thing for Liu Jin?"

"What illegitimate son of the emperor? He's just trying to make himself look good." Su Lu chuckled, knowing this all too well, and said without a hint of shame:

"In terms of 'being a father,' the Emperor and I are quite similar... We have so many adopted sons that we can't even remember their names. In such a situation, how can we possibly benefit from their good fortune?"

"So, in the end, he'll still have to obediently fawn over Eunuch Liu," Huang E said knowingly, but then added with concern:

"So, he will definitely come back..."

"Yes, there's absolutely no way he'll let this go." Su Lu laughed fearlessly, "But I'm not afraid of him anymore... Apart from the incident at Simian Mountain, my innocence is as clear as a peeled egg. What can he do to me? Nothing more than a literary inquisition!"

“Indeed, when you want to find fault, you can always find a pretext.” Huang E nodded and said, “You can always find something to make up in your articles.”

"That's right, at most they'll label me a political prisoner! Like... a teacher. Come if they want, and if I get a place in history, I'll have to thank them!" Su Lu laughed loudly, his laughter echoing through the valley and startling a flock of birds.

After laughing, Su Lu sighed, looking at his stunningly beautiful wife with eyes full of pity: "It's just that you've suffered."

"Don't talk nonsense again." Huang E hugged his arm tightly, pressing her cheek against it, her tone firm yet gentle, "Through water and fire, I'll be with you. In short, don't even think about leaving me alone..."

"Mmm." Su Lu nodded emphatically and held his wife's hand tightly.

On the river, the couple's reflections clung tightly together, appearing as one. In the shimmering light, their love was exceptionally tender…

~~
Su Lu and the others also noticed that there were significantly more boats on the Chishui River, coming and going in an endless stream, which made them very happy.

However, every advantage has its disadvantage; when the boat reached Taiping Town, it encountered a traffic jam...

"Impossible, it hasn't come to that yet." Su Youjin couldn't help but ask in surprise, "Am I that important? You can't function without me?"

"Forget it, let's get off the boat," the old man said. "We're so close to home, we can walk back."

"Okay, Dad." In terms of obedience, Youjin set a good example for his child.

The advantage of a crooked boat is its shallow draft, allowing it to dock anywhere. So the boatman maneuvered the boat to shore, set up the footboards, and helped the passengers disembark.

"Don't unload the stuff," Su Youjin instructed the boatman. "Just take it home once the boat is open."

"Yes, sir." The boatman hurriedly and respectfully agreed. They were all boats belonging to Erlang Winery, so naturally they would do whatever they were told.

Su Youjin was about to ask Youxi to go to town to call for a sedan chair when he saw a surging crowd of people, playing music and shouting, rushing towards them. They were also carrying eye-catching banners—

Welcome home, esteemed scholar, returning in triumph!

"How did they find out so quickly?" Su Youjin asked in surprise.

“That’s normal. Lord Chiju and the others returned a little earlier, so they must have brought back the news,” Arima said.

The villagers quickly approached and were overjoyed to see that the entire Su family had indeed come ashore. After bowing, they earnestly invited, "Scholar, let's go to town for a cup of tea again."

"Let's walk along the stone-paved streets of town again..."

"Even Jiang Taigong misses you..."

The villagers warmly invited them, and the Su family couldn't refuse. So they boarded the sedan chair they had brought and, surrounded by their fellow villagers, swayed and wobbled towards the town. As they approached the lock of the river management office, Su Youjin's eyes widened in disbelief. No wonder there was a boat jam; someone had lowered the lock.

"Who the hell did this?!" Su Youjin asked angrily, pointing at the lock.

The villagers chuckled and admitted it without being asked.

"You guys are making a mess of things! How can you just open the locks like that?!" Su Youjin was furious.

"The floodgates will be opened soon, we'll never dare to do it again..." The villagers all smiled innocently, knowing that the law wouldn't punish everyone.

"Lord Su, we're just hoping your family can come ashore and rest!" they all chimed in.

"If we don't do it this way, what if the top scholar goes straight back to Erlangtan?"

"We've been waiting for Jie Yuanlang for a whole month..."

"Sigh, really. If you dare to do this again, see how I deal with you." Su Youjin was helpless... After all, they only invited them.

Although the main purpose was to invite his nephew.

He then asked Su Lu, "Hongzhi, shall we go into town?"

"Come in," Su Lu said with a smile. "We're all from the same hometown, how can we not give you this much face? It's also a good opportunity to show Xiu Mei and her sister-in-law the place where my brother and I studied."

"You'd better be mentally prepared," Su Youjin sighed.

"What kind of mental preparation do I need for going back to town?" Su Lu hadn't yet realized the seriousness of the problem...

However, when he was carried into town by the villagers, his eyes widened even more than his uncle's—

On both sides of the street, there were all kinds of signs and banners, red, green, blue, yellow, made of wood, cloth, copper, stone and so on.

But all the signs and banners had one thing in common: they all bore the words "Top Scholar" and dazzled the eyes in the autumn sun.

Jieyuan Tea, Jieyuan Restaurant, Jieyuan Pastry, Jieyuan Cured Meat, Jieyuan Cold Noodles, Jieyuan Tofu Pudding, Jieyuan Cloth Shop, Jieyuan Stationery Store, Jieyuan Bookstore, Jieyuan General Store, Jieyuan Sugar Painting, Jieyuan Clay Figurines...

Even the River God Temple has been renamed Jieyuan Temple; I wonder if Jiang Taigong would be willing to accept that.

"Don't worry, we won't move Jiang Taigong out. We'll worship you two from now on." Hearing Su Lu's concerns, Commander Ma quickly patted his chest and said, "You'll share the incense offerings and keep each other company!"

"Good heavens..." Su Lu was speechless.

These things are fine, after all, Su Lu has basically eaten, used, and worshipped them, or bought them for his younger siblings.

There are even shops selling rouge made by the top scholar, handmade sachets made by the top scholar, bellybands made by the top scholar, and gynecological clinics made by the top scholar...

"..." Su Lu covered her forehead with her hand, unable to bear it any longer. When did I ever buy a bellyband? When did I ever see a gynecologist?

Huang E and her sisters-in-law, along with Su Man and Su Tai, laughed until their stomachs hurt.

"Good heavens, this Taiping Town should just be renamed 'Jieyuan Town'!" Su Youma exclaimed in surprise. He thought he was the only smart one, but he didn't expect there to be so many like-minded people.

"Boss Su guessed right," Commander Ma laughed. "We were just discussing whether to submit a petition to change the name of Taiping Town to Jieyuan Town!"

"But in the end, we decided to wait." The deputy commander also came running over.

"What are we waiting for?" Arima asked.

"Isn't this all in the hope that the top scholar will become the best scholar in the imperial examination in the future?" Commander Ma laughed. "The town name can't be changed one after another, so we have to wait for a big one!"

Su Lu chuckled upon hearing this and waved his hand, "You guys are just dreaming. My chances of getting back next year are very slim..."

"Don't worry, he'll pass sooner or later!" The villagers had much more confidence in Su Lu than he did himself.

However, Su Lu didn't mind his fellow villagers using his name; after all, he had also used poems by Lao Gong and Lao Zheng. One cannot allow officials to set fires while forbidding ordinary people to light lamps.

So he walked from one end of the street to the other without uttering a single word of dissent.

In fact, by going through all this, his lack of explicit opposition is tantamount to granting supplementary authorization—from now on, everyone can openly use his name.

But if he simply said no, no one dared to hire him. The Su family was the most powerful clan in Taiping Town; who would dare to disobey the top scholar's wishes?
But Su Lu didn't say anything, which relieved the anxious villagers, who gratefully kowtowed to him.

"The top scholar truly loves the people like his own children..." Commander Ma is really going all out, even his grandfather is shamelessly flattering him.

"He is truly a role model for us all."

"No." Su Lu quickly shook his head, cupped his hands to the villagers and said, "Please rise, everyone. I, Su Lu, will never forget where I come from. I am very happy to be able to make a small contribution to my hometown."

He paused, then coughed lightly and said, "Can we not use those two words, 'selling bibs' and 'gynecology clinic'?"

"Alright, fine," the shop owner and the doctor obediently replied.

But then Su Lu changed the subject, saying, "I can write a sign for you as a substitute."

"Great! Thank you so much, Scholar Jie!" The two were so excited that tears welled up in their eyes.

Returning home in glory should always be a happy occasion for everyone...

P.S. This is a post I'll edit later. Please vote with your monthly tickets!
(End of this chapter)