Chapter 251: The Misfortune Star
This novel is translated and hosted on BCatranslation
“Watch out!” Madam Xu’s voice cracked with fear as she saw the plaque above suddenly come loose, falling towards Li Zi Xi.
Li Zi Xi quickly dived into a corner.
Bang!
The plaque hit the ground with a loud crash, barely missing him. In his dive, he knocked over Chasing Wind’s dog bowl, and a shard of it cut his hand.
Madam Xu’s eye twitched. “Quick, fetch the physician!” She was sweating with anxiety.
Deng Zhi stared at the fallen plaque, dumbfounded. “How could this happen? We checked the plaque just yesterday!” The household inspected high-hanging objects monthly to ensure they were secure.
Li Zi Xi, nursing a bruised knee, waved his hand dismissively. “It’s nothing, really. This has nothing to do with you. It’s just my bad luck.”
Madam Xu’s forehead was damp with sweat. “Luckily, this happened after the exam. Otherwise, you might have missed it,” she said with lingering fear.
Li Zi Xi remained unconcerned.
Lu Yan Shu’s face twitched. “Mother, he has already missed several exams…”
“To be honest, his knowledge is no less than mine. But his luck is terrible,” Lu Yan Shu admitted with a complicated expression.
Madam Xu looked confused.
Li Zi Xi shook his head. “Yuan Shu, I’m not as good as you. It’s not a secret. My luck is notoriously bad. The first time I took the scholar exam as a child, the ox pulling our cart suddenly got sick and threw me off, breaking my arm.”
“After finally becoming a scholar, a fire broke out at home, burning everything to the ground. I had to live in a cave for six months.”
“When I took the next exam…” Li Zi Xi scratched his head. “Halfway through, the exam hall collapsed. Only my corner collapsed, burying me under the rubble, leaving me with a head injury.”
“Well, at least it didn’t kill me. I continued the exam while holding my head.”
Madam Xu looked at him in shock, her face full of disbelief. Such bad luck was indeed rare!
“I know my luck is bad. After the provincial exam, I hurried to the capital. While others took two days, it took me months.”
“For safety, I avoided the waterways and took the main road instead. But I was robbed by bandits and lost all my money.”
“Thankfully, they didn’t hurt or kill me. I begged my way to the capital.”
“During the journey, I secretly joined the Beggars’ Guild and survived under Boss Bun’s protection,” Li Zi Xi said, embarrassed about his troubled life.
Madam Xu stammered, not knowing how to comfort him.
“The king was afraid that my misfortune might affect the kingdom’s luck when he appointed me as the third-ranked scholar.”
Madam Xu cleared her throat and tried to console him. “Becoming the third-ranked scholar is an achievement. Your hardships have paid off. Did your parents come to the capital?”
“My father died and my mother remarried. My father died in an accident when I was born, and my mother remarried right after giving birth to me.”
Madam Xu’s face turned pale. “Uh…” Madam Xu didn’t know what to say.
“My grandmother raised me until I was six, and then she passed away. I grew up on the charity of the villagers. The village head even led a fundraising campaign to build me a straw hut.”
“Our village once produced a scholar who founded a family school and hired a small scholar to teach. The village exempted me from tuition, giving me a chance to change my fate.”
“During my studies, I made a dear friend. So, it wasn’t all bad.”
Madam Xu’s eyes turned red. “Truly, you’ve had a rough life.”
“During a famine year, the village head even arranged a marriage for me, and I had a son,” Li Zi Xi sighed.
Madam Xu wiped away her tears. “That’s good. At least you have a family now.”
Li Zi Xi said, “My wife ran away.”
Madam Xu’s face turned dark, struggling to find the right words. “Well, at least you have a close friend.”
“She ran away with my friend.”
Madam Xu was speechless.
“Well… you still have a son, a bit of comfort.”
“He’s not mine. She took him when she left.”
Madam Xu opened her mouth but couldn’t speak for a long time. His fate seemed utterly blocked!
This novel is translated and hosted on BCatranslation
Li Zi Xi remained calm. “Don’t cry, Madam. At least I’m alive, and I’ve earned my title. The future still holds promise.”
Deng Zhi, wiping her tears, said, “Madam, I’ve never seen someone so unlucky. These small misfortunes are just a part of Li Zi Xi’s daily life.”
Just then, a chubby little Lu Chao Chao wobbled over the threshold. She looked up.
“Wow, where did this unlucky ghost come from?” Little Chao Chao shouted in her baby voice.
In her eyes, Li Zi Xi had a dark, inky cloud hanging over him. She had never seen someone so unlucky.
[Oh my.] She thought, [He must be the reincarnation of a misfortune star!]