{"id":8698,"date":"2019-09-07T13:00:50","date_gmt":"2019-09-07T17:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/betwixtedbutterfly.com\/translations\/?p=8698"},"modified":"2020-04-09T12:50:47","modified_gmt":"2020-04-09T16:50:47","slug":"epiphanies-of-rebirth-14","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/betwixtedbutterfly.com\/translations\/epiphanies-of-rebirth-14\/","title":{"rendered":"Epiphanies of Rebirth 14"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<\/i>\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPrevious<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tProject Page<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<\/i>\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNext<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Chapter 14<\/span><\/h1>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

\u201cDu\u2026 Du\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>

Glared at by almost ten pairs of eyes, the man couldn\u2019t speak properly. When Du Kang asked to read the documents on top of that, he was nearly frightened to death.<\/span><\/p>

Du Kang waited, but the man didn\u2019t move. His face darkened. He snorted coldly, approached the man, took the documents from his hand, and skimmed through them\u2014<\/span><\/p>

The list of charges, the \u201cconfession,\u201d the smudged handprint…<\/span><\/p>

On the way here, Du Kang prayed things wouldn\u2019t develop in the direction he least wanted to see. Though it was inevitable he would end up looking like an incompetent fool in front of Elder Fang and the provincial leaders who were about to arrive, he\u2019d wanted to save at least <\/span>some<\/em> <\/span>face. However, reality gave him a cruel slap.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cWell, well, well, this is truly a masterpiece, written by an outstanding literary talent.\u201d He slapped the pile of papers on the desk and smiled\u2014if the expression full of burning rage could be called a smile. \u201cWhat\u2019s your name?\u201d<\/span><\/p>

Though asked a simple question, the man didn\u2019t dare open his mouth. His stomach churned, his knees turned to water, and it took all his willpower simply to stand.<\/span><\/p>

Deng Mai\u2019s father, who still accompanied their group, introduced instead, \u201cHe\u2019s Sun Laixin, Deputy Commissioner Liu\u2019s brother-in-law. He\u2019s usually in charge of Baima Street.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

Du Kang understood what was important. He nodded and repeated, \u201cVery good, very good. That\u2019s the busiest area in town, and I guess there\u2019s also a lot of \u2018benefits.\u2019 Liu\u2019s brother-in-law\u2019s in charge of it? Really, Liu\u2019s way of appointing duties makes me speechless.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

Du Kang held a high position in Liyun Town; his subordinates always painted the scene in gold and glitter. He knew the actual state of affairs would never be that good, but when he finally peeled off the layer of gilt, he found the rot was even worse than expected. Since Elder Fang was also involved, it presumably wouldn\u2019t be long before everything was widely known. He expected that soon, he\u2019d become the laughingstock of the whole Qunnan Province.<\/span><\/p>

Trees cannot survive without bark, people cannot live without face. Du Kang thought about the consequences he would face and nearly coughed blood. The rage in his heart was so great it almost shattered the walls of the interrogation room\u2014he planned for the culprits to suffer.<\/span><\/p>

He personally unlocked the chain shackling Lin Jingzhe to the chair, giving him a smile full of sympathy: \u201cWe let you suffer, young man.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

His secretary, waiting at the side, had already prepared a damp towel. When Du Kang helped Lin Jingzhe stand up, he quickly stepped forward to support the youth\u2019s other arm, and to help clean his stained palm.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cI\u2019ll do it myself.\u201d Lin Jingzhe was upset, but he\u2019d long passed the age of taking his anger out on innocent. He also didn\u2019t like other people entering his personal space, so he took the towel and added, \u201cThank you.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

\u201cI\u2019m very sorry about all this. You can rest assured I will do everything in my power to make amends for everything you suffered,\u201d Du Kang said.<\/span><\/p>

He sounded remorseful and apologetic, but Lin Jingzhe knew this was directed not so much at him as toward Elder Fang. He didn\u2019t know this man, nor the rest of the people in his group, but Sun Laixin\u2019s behavior was enough of a clue.<\/span><\/p>

Lin Jingzhe was a pragmatic man. He wiped his hand, threw the now dirty towel on the chair in which he spent such a long time, and gave a slight nod. His attitude was calm, not like that of a terrorized teenager at all. \u201cYou don\u2019t have to apologize, it wasn\u2019t your fault, after all,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>

Du Kang\u2019s heart filled with unspeakable gratitude\u2014this remark was clearly meant to excuse him in front of Elder Fang.<\/span><\/p>

Therefore, when he turned to the scared Sun Laixing, his anger burned even more fiercely.<\/span><\/p>

It\u2019s all because of this group of bastards!<\/span><\/em> He hated he couldn\u2019t flay them alive\u2014literally!<\/span><\/p>

Sun Laixing, who watched in shock, realized he might have offended someone he never should have. But how could this be? At the very beginning, he and his brother-in-law checked the information about Lin Jingzhe and confirmed he was an ordinary, powerless kid. His parents were divorced, the person who was his factual guardian died not too long ago, and he was estranged from the rest of his blood relatives. That was why they dared to be so bold. But now, Du Kang himself came to save him, and even apologized in such a humble way! What the hell was going on?!<\/span><\/p>

Even after all this time, his brother-in-law didn\u2019t come. Sun Laixin thought he was about to have a heart attack.\u00a0 He felt as if he faced the muzzle of a loaded gun. Sweat trickled down his face and formed a small puddle on the ground, but he didn\u2019t dare to wipe it. He hunched over, wishing to make himself invisible.<\/span><\/p>

At this moment, a commotion could be heard outside. A man slipped through the crowd near the door, hurried to Du Kang\u2019s side, and whispered in his ear.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cSo quickly?!\u201d Du Kang exclaimed, shocked. He promptly straightened his clothes and went out, looking solemn.<\/span><\/p>

Su Laixin was abandoned like a dirty rag. His mind was completely blank.<\/span><\/p>

He heard the man\u2019s whisper to Du Kang. It was, <\/span>\u201cMr. Zheng Cunzhi’s car just drove in.\u201d<\/span><\/em><\/p>

Zheng Cunzhi?!<\/span><\/p>

Even if he forgot his own mother\u2019s name, he would never forget the name \u201cZheng Cunzhi.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

The world went dark before his eyes, his pulse racing. Lightheaded, he felt that suddenly, the air was too thin, and he would suffocate.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Lin Jingzhe got out of this ordeal unharmed. Except for the trouble of cleaning off the thick seal ink staining his palm, he didn\u2019t lose a single hair.<\/span><\/p>

Elder Fang, however, was angrier than he had ever been before. Before visiting Liyun Town, he hadn\u2019t thought he would encounter such lawlessness in the peacetime. He bluntly rejected Zheng Cunzhi\u2019s proposal to return to the guest house, holding an emergency meeting instead. That evening, the conference table constantly shook from the hands slamming on it, and nobody counted how many teacups were smashed.<\/span><\/p>

Zheng Cunzhi banged his fist on the table for the last time and bellowed, \u201cInvestigate! Investigate this right now, and you\u2019d better be thorough!!!\u201d<\/span><\/p>

Qunnan Province went through an upheaval because of this meeting. The members of the Cultural Relics Association were immediately detained and interrogated. Deputy Commissioner Liu and his cronies lost their positions, and by no means was it the end of their troubles. Deng Mai\u2019s father, Deng Fengshou, was appointed to be in charge.<\/span><\/p>

The door of Lin Jingzhe\u2019s house was opened wide, and the members of the museum delegation carefully removed the antiques from the warehouse. Elder Fang and Zheng Cunzhi stood in the front yard (which the people dispatched by Du Kang fixed up in express time), chatting while they supervised the whole operation.<\/span><\/p>

Zheng Cunzhi opened a box that was about to be placed in the car and gently caressed the intricately patterned bronze vessel inside.<\/span><\/p>

Influenced by Elder Fang, he also took a bit of interest in antiques. While he didn\u2019t collect them, he knew enough to have some discerning ability.<\/span><\/p>

\u201cThe late Shang dynasty, a fine thing.\u201d He sighed, shook his head, then returned to Elder Fang\u2019s side. \u201cThis is the grandest donation of cultural relics ever made in Qunnan Province. I never would\u2019ve imagined the donor was barely eighteen years old.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

His words were true enough though he didn\u2019t elaborate\u2014not to mention Qunnan Province, even if one looked at the whole country, the number of antiques\u2019 donations as large as this could be counted on the fingers of one hand. For some people, these irreplaceable, invaluable treasures, thousands of years old, were nothing more than symbols of wealth. They were willing to do anything to obtain them.<\/span><\/p>

The gazes of the two men fell on Lin Jingzhe, who leaned against the door, expressionlessly watching the numerous boxes being carried away.<\/span><\/p>

Both of them were used to dealing with people of all backgrounds and walks of life, and as such, were shrewd and astute observers. They easily caught the nostalgia and slight reluctance in Lin Jingzhe\u2019s eyes, hidden under his chilly exterior. Elder Fang let out a sigh and said, \u201cThat child isn\u2019t simple. You\u2019re in his debt, you know? Though it was unintentional, he still did you a great favor.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

Zheng Cunzhi nodded and smiled. \u201cI didn\u2019t expect the opportunity I\u2019ve been waiting for would come so quickly. And to think that someone from the provincial government is actually the mastermind behind this case.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

Elder Fang shook his head. \u201cMoney can move people\u2019s hearts. He\u2019s an adult, yet a child is more principled than him.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

After signing the donation agreement and sending away the car surrounded by security personnel, Lin Jingzhe let out a long sigh. His chest felt both light and hollowed-out as if the heart disease tormenting him for a long time was cured. He was relieved, yet his relief was tinged with sadness.<\/span><\/p>

Lin Jingzhe closed the door to the warehouse. In this life, he would never open it again.<\/span><\/p>

Somewhat at a loss, he knelt in front of his grandfather’s memorial tablet. The fragrant smoke filled the room. Before leaving, Elder Fang and the people accompanying him solemnly lit incense for his grandfather.<\/span><\/p>

Amid the faint curls of smoke, he quietly kowtowed three times.<\/span><\/p>

His eyes, irritated by the incense, teared up, but he refused to close them, staring at the black and white photo of his grandfather.<\/span><\/p>

The old man’s familiar face looked as kind as ever. He seemed to gaze at Lin Jingzhe silently, his smile infinitely patient and gentle, as if there was nothing in the world he couldn\u2019t forgive.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

It\u2019s finally over.<\/span><\/em><\/p>

Lin Jingzhe knew, from this moment on, his life headed in a completely different direction.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Gao Sheng and Zhou Haitang came to pick him up for school as usual.<\/span><\/p>

Because of the antiques, most of the students in Class 5, including Lin Jingzhe, were absent for two days, which was pushing it this time of the year. So, Lin Jingzhe quickly dealt with his grief and adjusted his attitude. His current appearance notwithstanding, he was, after all, an adult, and had long learned how to set his priorities straight. He knew what should be most important right now.<\/span><\/p>

The antiques\u2019 case was being handled as quietly as possible. For the time being, not even a whisper of it could be heard in Liyun Town. Hu Yu didn\u2019t know why Lin Jingzhe missed school for two days, but she didn\u2019t pursue this issue too hard\u2014her attention was occupied by a much more joyous matter.<\/span><\/p>

The results of the second mock exam were announced.<\/span><\/p>

And, Lin Jingzhe placed first in the whole school.<\/span><\/p>

After all the exams were corrected and the results came out, all the teachers were shocked, including her.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Translator: Eques<\/em>
Editor: Bet<\/em><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<\/i>\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPrevious<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tProject Page<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<\/i>\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNext<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Eques:<\/strong><\/p>

I had trouble translating this chapter. Why? Some of the comments posted by the Chinese readers under the original chapter might illustrate the problem:<\/p>

“Why are there so many misspellings???”<\/em><\/p>

“Emmmm, why are there so many mistakes? It’s uncomfortable to read”<\/em><\/p>

“The errors are annoying”<\/em><\/p>

“What the heck is with all these mistakes?!”<\/em><\/p>

“All these misspellings… People who’re listening to this chapter are crying, ha ha ha”<\/em> [through an app or read-aloud website]

“I’m going crazy because of all the unintelligible words. Good God.”<\/em><\/p>

\u03b5\u30df(\u03bf_ _)\u03bf<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[35,39,68,41],"class_list":["post-8698","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-eor","tag-bl","tag-modern","tag-power-couple","tag-second-chance"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/betwixtedbutterfly.com\/translations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8698","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/betwixtedbutterfly.com\/translations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/betwixtedbutterfly.com\/translations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/betwixtedbutterfly.com\/translations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/betwixtedbutterfly.com\/translations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8698"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/betwixtedbutterfly.com\/translations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8698\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11543,"href":"https:\/\/betwixtedbutterfly.com\/translations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8698\/revisions\/11543"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/betwixtedbutterfly.com\/translations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8698"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/betwixtedbutterfly.com\/translations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8698"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/betwixtedbutterfly.com\/translations\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8698"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}