| Examiner Zhou picks out...: |
When Fan Jin had washed and drunk the tea brought him by the apothecary, they all started back, Fan Jin in front, Butcher Hu and the neighbours behind. The butcher, noticing that the seat of his son-in-law's gown was crumpled, kept bending forward all the way home to tug out the creases for him.
When they reached Fan Jin's house, Butcher Hu shouted: 「The master is back!」 The old lady came out to greet them, and was overjoyed to find her son no longer mad. The heralds, she told them, had already been sent off with the money that Butcher Hu had brought. Fan Jin bowed to his mother and thanked his father-in-law, making Butcher Hu so embarrassed that he muttered, 「That bit of money was nothing.」
After thanking the neighbours too, Fan Jin was just going to sit down when a smart-looking retainer hurried in, holding a big red card, and announced, 「Mr. Zhang has come to pay his respects to the newly successful Mr. Fan.」 By this time the sedan-chair was already at the door. Butcher Hu dived into his daughter's room and dared not come out, while the neighbours scattered in all directions. |
