The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 381: Crazy Good News

When Xiao Yuanyuan was still leaning against the windowsill in a daze, Mandalin rushed in like the wind, took her hand and ran out, saying, "Hurry up, the rain has stopped, Jia promised to take us to see the list."

The pretty little round face, as white as jade, first showed joy, but the next second, her crescent-shaped eyes drooped sadly, her little mouth flattened slightly, and she looked unhappy.

Mandalin asked curiously, "What's wrong? You don't want to go? Or are you worried that Jia will fail the exam?"

Xiao Yuanyuan quickly shook her head and said, "No, Third Master is so knowledgeable, how could he fail the exam?"

Mandalin's mind was not as delicate as Chai Dai's. She didn't delve into the details and urged, "Let's go quickly. Jia and the others have prepared the carriage. It's rare that the rain has stopped and the sky is clear. We must walk around the streets today. Oh my God, it has rained for ten days. I feel like I'm going to mold."

As Xiao Yuanyuan walked, she corrected him, "Sister Mandalin, you should call me Third Master."

Mandalin said disapprovingly: "I call him Third Master in front of outsiders, but I like to call him Jia at home. He won't get angry anyway, so why don't you call him that too."

Xiao Yuanyuan stuck out her tongue and said, "I dare not. It's too rude. In Dajin, we can't call each other by their first names, let alone by their last names."

"Oh, I'm a European and don't have to follow your rules." Mandarin said with a clear conscience.

Xiao Yuanyuan showed her neat and white pearly teeth and smiled, "It's a good thing that the Third Master is your master. If it were someone else, he wouldn't tolerate you. A slap in the face or a beating would be the least of his punishment."

Mandarin nodded in agreement: "I am indeed very lucky. Jia is a unique man."

The two chatted as they arrived at the front yard. Sure enough, a carriage was already prepared in front of the door. Jia Huan was waiting there with a horse, looking at them with a smile on his face, without any sign of impatience.

Mandarin was inexplicably happy, thinking to herself, "This guy has a really good personality. Although he is easy-going, he is not weak. He can be bold and ruthless to his enemies, but gentle and compassionate to his own people. The key is that he is also talented and knowledgeable, as if he knows everything and can do everything. He is such a strong and excellent man, and... he is so handsome. Oh my God, I must be crazy, I must get this little man!"

As Mandarin thought about it, she secretly clenched her fists, as if to encourage herself.

During this period of time, this foreign maid has been "plotting something bad", but unfortunately she has never succeeded. This makes her distressed and she even suspects that she is too young to be interested in sex, or she is not fully developed and has not fully unlocked the male function. After all, Mandarin is still quite confident about her appearance and figure.
"Third Master (Third Master)!" Xiao Yuanyuan bowed slightly towards Jia Huan, and Mandaline also bowed for the first time, and even her voice became gentler.

You know what, the blonde and blue-eyed Mandarin, wearing ancient-style clothes and following Chinese etiquette, really has a unique charm, especially this foreign maid's figure is so hot, very attractive and eye-catching. Shitou, Muye and Jinbao quickly turned their heads away to avoid looking at her for too long.

However, Jia Huan was a little uncomfortable with Mandalin's condition. He coughed lightly and said, "Mandalin, is your throat uncomfortable?"

"No?" Mandarin asked in surprise.

"Then don't imitate others and pinch your throat when speaking. It sounds creepy!"

Shitou and Muye couldn't help but twitching their lips, but they managed not to laugh. Instead, that silly Jinbao grinned.

Mandarin rolled her eyes in anger, opened the curtain and got into the carriage. Xiao Yuanyuan's face turned red, she lowered her head and followed her obediently into the carriage.

Jia Huan, Shitou and the others also got on their horses. Jin Bao was in charge of driving the carriage. He sat in the driver's seat, raised the whip and shouted happily, "Sit tight, ladies. Let's go - Ouch!"

Before Jinbao could even shout out the word "Fa" to start, a foot stretched out from the curtain of the carriage and knocked him off. He fell dizzy and everyone was dumbfounded.

"Damn it, this is a personal revenge. This big foreign horse is really wild!" Jinbao got up from the ground, patted his butt, and complained secretly.

However, this big foreign horse is the "mount" of the Third Master. Jinbao didn't dare to say anything. He could only blame himself for his bad luck. It was his fault that he couldn't help laughing just now. He had to sit back in the driver's seat without saying a word.

Jia Huan was sweating secretly, but this kind of Mandarin was normal. He didn't want a delicate foreign vase that deliberately flattered and pleased men. In comparison, Jia Huan appreciated Mandarin who was independent and confident, had a distinct personality, and dared to throw herself over his shoulder.

"Well, let's go!" Jia Huan pulled the reins and was about to set off, but he saw three people walking towards him quickly. They were none other than Lin Zhixiao and his sons.

"Third Master, Third Master..."

Jia Huan and the others hurriedly reined in their horses. Lin Zhixiao and his son came running over, shouting, and then fell to their knees in front of Jia Huan's horse. "What does Steward Lin mean by this?" Jia Huan was slightly surprised and asked with his brows furrowed.

Lin Zhixiao rushed all the way to announce the good news. He was sweating and panting. He wiped his sweat and said in a trembling voice: "Congratulations, Third Master. Congratulations, Third Master, for getting the first place in the provincial examination."

"Congratulations, Third Master. Congratulations, Third Master, for winning the first place in the provincial examination!!!" Lin Zhong and Lin Fu kowtowed and shouted loudly, as if they were afraid that others could not hear them, their faces full of pride.

Shitou jumped off his horse in a hurry, rushed forward and asked, "Butler Lin, did the Third Master really win the first place in the provincial examination?"

Lin Zhixiao said solemnly: "Master Xing, how dare I say such a thing? If you don't believe me, just wait and see. The first wave of happy missions will arrive soon, and we will have to deal with them."

Upon hearing this, Shitou jumped up in excitement, looked up to the sky and laughed, "Haha, from now on, our Third Master will be the Grand Master of the Imperial Academy."

Even though Jia Huan was always calm, he couldn't help but feel overwhelmed at this moment, as if in a dream. To be honest, although he was confident that he could pass the provincial examination, he never expected to win the first place, because it was too difficult!
You should know that Northern Zhili and Southern Zhili are the two most developed regions in Dajin. They have strong teacher education and have always been the places with the most intense competition in the imperial examinations, especially Southern Zhili. Since the founding of Dajin, almost half of the top scorers in the imperial examinations have come from here. Therefore, the difficulty of passing the Southern Zhili provincial examinations can be described as hell-level, let alone standing out from 20,000 candidates and taking the top spot.

Therefore, winning the first place this time was really beyond Jia Huan's expectations, it was like a dream.

At this moment, in the carriage, Xiao Yuanyuan was also so excited that her face turned red. She lifted the curtain and looked at Jia Huan who was not far away outside. Her eyes were full of admiring little stars. She murmured, "Third Master is so awesome!"

Mandarin was the calmest one. In her opinion, she had seen too many of Jia Huan's abilities. Compared with those profound astronomy and geography, writing meaningless eight-part essays was too boring. So what even if he got first place.

"Amitabha, it is really the blessing of our ancestors that our Jia family finally has a literary talent, and he is the top scholar at that. If the old lady, the wife and the master knew about this, I wonder how happy they would be." Lin Zhixiao's beard trembled, and it was obvious that he had not yet recovered from his excitement.

Shitou got a little angry when he heard this and sneered, "What nonsense! What do you mean by blessing from your ancestors? How did your Jia family treat Third Master in the beginning? You banished Third Master to the south and ignored him. Now that Third Master has become successful, you come to take credit for it and flatter yourself. How shameless!"

Lin Zhixiao said awkwardly, "Master Xing, please don't talk nonsense. When did the Jia family exile the Third Master? At the beginning, the old lady, the mistress, and the master only sympathized with the Third Master's filial piety and allowed the Third Master to return to his hometown to carry the coffin and observe the mourning period. What's more, even if there is something wrong in the mansion, the Third Master is still the blood of the Jia family. No matter how close we are, we are still connected even if our bones are broken."

"Bullshit, how did the Third Master's mother die? Old Lin, you know best!" Shi Tou sneered.

"This..." Lin Zhixiao was speechless.

Just when the atmosphere was awkward, two messengers rushed into Taipingli beating gongs and drums, shouting, "Good news! Congratulations to the candidate from Nanzhili, Master Jia Huan, for passing the provincial examination and winning the first place in the provincial examination!"

bang bang bang...

Soon, the two messengers came to the door beating gongs and drums, followed by a large group of neighbors who were watching the fun. Someone even shouted, "Look, that's Mr. Jia, the champion. He lives next door to me. We often meet."

With a whoosh, a bustling crowd of people rushed up like a tide, carrying the two messengers. The scene scared Jia Huan.

"Congratulations, Mr. Jie Yuan! Congratulations, Mr. Jie Yuan!" Two messengers ran up to Jia Huan, handed him a congratulatory message with gold flowers on it, and looked at him with a smile.

Jia Huan was unable to react for a moment. Fortunately, Lin Zhixiao was experienced and immediately took out his purse and grabbed a handful of copper coins, among which he also put a few pieces of silver and handed them to the two messengers. He smiled and said, "Thank you for your hard work, both messengers. Come inside and have some tea and rest first."

The two messengers immediately smiled happily, took the reward money, and entered the door with gongs and drums beating. At the same time, the second wave of messengers arrived. There were three waves of messengers in total, more than a dozen people in total. The gongs and drums were loud, the flags were waving, and people kept running to watch the fun. The whole street was so crowded that no water could get in. Wow, it was even more lively than a temple fair.

What is most shocking is that these messengers did not leave after receiving the reward money, but went straight into the house, sat down and ate and drank to their heart's content. The neighbors who were watching were even more excessive. They rushed forward and smashed all the doors and windows of the house, laughing and having a lot of fun.

Mandalin was shocked and said with a chuckle: "Jia, these people are crazy, why are they destroying our house?"

Jia Huan was also confused. Lin Zhixiao said with a smile, "Miss Man, you don't know. Third Master Huan passed the imperial examination and has since made the leap from a carp to a dragon. Smashing windows and breaking doors is for good luck. This is called changing the family, bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new. At the same time, the villagers also get some good luck. Haha, it doesn't matter. Let them smash it. The more broken it is, the better."

As Lin Zhixiao spoke, he grabbed handfuls of copper coins and threw them all over the sky, causing everyone to scramble for them and pushing the atmosphere to a climax. It seemed that he had been prepared for this.

(End of this chapter)