Chapter 18: Getting Married

  "Brother Chen! What do you think of this little courtyard?" Deng Zixuan's way of addressing him had changed since the last time Chen Jintang had made a grand declaration about the master-slave relationship. "The little courtyard is very quiet and elegant, but isn't it too small for you to move in?" Chen Jintang was puzzled. "If I were to move in, would my mother agree? This is the wedding house I bought for you!" Deng Zixuan said straightforwardly. "Young master! You say this is a wedding house, where is the bride?" Chen Jintang continued to be perplexed.

  Deng Zixuan laughed and said, "Brother Chen, as the saying goes, a three-legged toad is hard to find, but two-legged people are everywhere. Finding a woman isn't difficult!" Chen Jintang heard this and felt at ease, saying, "So that's how it is! I thought you had already chosen one!" "Since you like this small courtyard, Brother Chen, consider it your home from now on," Deng Zixuan said, not allowing any debate.

  Seeing Deng Zixuan being so stubborn, Chen Jintang shook his head helplessly. They came to a barber shop, and the brothers went in for a haircut and shave. Then, on the street, they bought new clothes and many silk fabrics, embroidery, and other things. The next day, early in the morning, Deng Zixuan said to Chen Jintang: "Brother Chen, put on your new robe, bring the gifts, and let's go!" "Where are we going?" "Of course, we're going for a blind date!" Chen Jintang was shocked. The younger brothers found out that their older brother had changed into new clothes and curiously ran out.

  "Big brother! Why are you all dressed up today?" Long-leg Wu asked in surprise, "What's going on? Can't I just wear new clothes?" Chen Jintang tried to cover it up. "No way, big brother, you're usually a meticulous person, and now your face is shaved and your beard is trimmed, are you going out with Master Deng?" Zhang Man-cang shouted loudly. "Can't you see, big brother? He's going on a blind date! Just look at his happy and pleased expression!" Bai Sheng, who was normally quiet, said with some jealousy. "To be honest, I'm accompanying Master Deng to a blind date later!" Chen Jintang had no choice but to confess.

  "Haha! Big brother, you're getting married, that's a great thing! Now that you have a wife, it's our turn next, brothers, don't you agree!" Leng Yifei shouted loudly. Instantly, everyone was in an uproar.

  Deng Zixuan packed up the items he had brought with him inside the house and then instructed the servants to load them onto the horse carriage. As he walked out of the room, he saw his brothers making a ruckus. Deng Zixuan smiled and said, "My dear brothers, I've told you before that after my marriage, I'll take care of your marriages too. I guarantee that each and every one of you will marry a beautiful wife, just don't be impatient!"

  "Thank you for your kind intentions, young master!" The brothers nodded in unison.

  "Alright! Let's get going! Chen brother, let's go!"

  The sky was scorching hot, without a single cloud in sight. The servant was driving the horse carriage and shouting continuously, but even sitting under the canopy didn't feel cool. Deng Zixuan was fanning himself non-stop, yet still felt stiflingly hot. At this moment, Chen Jintang had sweat on his forehead, but his mind wasn't here. Seeing his brother's expression, Deng Zixuan could only reveal the truth: "Brother Chen! To be honest with you, I asked sister to introduce a potential marriage partner for me. The girl is from the Wu family of Peach Village, and she's their 20-year-old daughter. According to sister, she has a beauty that can 'shut down the flowers and moon'. Both families have already agreed, and today is the day we meet her. Brother Chen! If you don't like her when you see her, we'll call off the engagement."

  "But it's up to you, young master!" Chen Jintang secretly rejoiced. "Cut the nonsense! Are you marrying a wife or am I? We agreed that you would choose for yourself, if not then forget it, can't force oneself. Besides, I'll also be keeping an eye on things for you, if she's just average looking, she won't pass muster here!" "A good wife is a blessing, a peaceful life, that's all that matters!" Chen Jintang said. Deng Zixuan teased: "Brother Chen isn't picky, let's just go with the flow! But to sleep every night with a beautiful woman in your arms, that's the life!"

  The horse carriage arrived at the intersection of Taocun Road, where a woman in her 40s with a somewhat seductive appearance stood waiting. "Excuse me, are you Mrs. Yan? I am Deng Zixuan!" Deng Zixuan got off the carriage and greeted politely. "That's right, it's me, Minnuo. I've been waiting for a long time. Madame Gao entrusted me to be the matchmaker, please follow me, Mr. Deng." Under Mrs. Yan's lead, the horse carriage stopped in front of a large black-lacquered gate. Deng Zixuan sized up the mansion, which was not very luxurious but also not very shabby, and could tell that this family was quite well-off compared to the surrounding houses.

  Yan Po stepped forward to report, a servant opened the door, and the group entered the main hall. Deng Zixuan was already standing with a folding fan in his hand, smiling and greeting Wu Caizhu. After some brief pleasantries, they quickly got down to business. "Mr. Wu, this is Mr. Deng, and this is Mr. Chen who has come for the blind date!" Yan Po introduced. Wu Caizhu blinked his small eyes and said: "Mr. Deng, I'm sure you're aware of my conditions, so I won't waste words!"

  Deng Zixuan mentally arranged, the old man in front of him was simply unbearable to look at, and he couldn't see a beautiful daughter under his knees. Deng Zixuan glanced at the house servant, and the house servant understood and quickly put the package on the table. Deng Zixuan quickly opened the package, 10 gold bars shining brightly illuminating the whole room. "Old Master Wu! This is 10 gold bars, not one less, please check." The old man's face suddenly showed a greedy expression.

  "Master Deng! It's not that I'm being pretentious, but if you can take out 10 gold bars to show your sincerity, I also hope my daughter marries a good family and doesn't have to worry about food and clothing for the rest of her life. Isn't this what all parents want?! Looking at Master Deng's integrity, and Mr. Chen's dignified appearance, I agree to this marriage!" "That's right! Look at how heroic Mr. Chen is, it's truly a beautiful woman matched with a hero. The bride's family congratulates you first." Madam Yan was overjoyed now that the marriage had been settled.

  Deng Zixuan smiled and handed over a few silver coins to Yan Po, expressing his gratitude. Yan Po thanked him profusely, her eyebrows and eyes smiling together. Perhaps in her career as a matchmaker, this was the largest sum of money she had ever received as a commission.

  "Master Deng, shall we discuss the wedding date?" Yan Po got down to business.

  "Hold on! Mr. Wu, your agreement doesn't count, only my elder brother's agreement counts. We have come in admiration of her reputation and must catch a glimpse of Miss's beauty. If my elder brother is pleased with her, then we can finalize the wedding date."

  "Ah, Master Deng!" Yan's face suddenly changed color and involuntarily glanced at Wu Cai Mi. "As for appearance, my daughter is known to everyone within tens of miles, please come out, Miss!" Wu Cai Mi was very pleased. Before long, Miss Wu walked out with a bashful expression, "I pay my respects!" The miss curtsied and stood beside Wu Cai Mi. Deng Zi Xuan's eyes lit up, seeing that the miss's eyes were not too big but very charming. Her oval face was pale with a hint of red, especially her small mouth which was very attractive, indeed a beauty.

  Chen Jintang looked a bit flustered, not daring to look at the young lady. Deng Zixuan knew that the young lady's appearance had passed the test. "Mr. Wu, Mrs. Yan, let's go to another room to discuss the marriage arrangements and leave this handsome couple to get acquainted with each other." Chen Jintang was at a loss for words, his face revealing an anxious expression. "Haha! My brother is also shy!" Deng Zixuan couldn't help but burst out laughing. Soon after, both parties reached an agreement, setting the wedding date on June 20th, just five days later.

  Back at the Deng mansion, Deng Zixuan rushed to his mother's room to report back, as she was particularly concerned about this marriage. Chen Jintang entered their courtyard, and his brothers swarmed around him noisily. "How is it, big brother? Is the bride pretty?" "Big brother! Have you made up your mind?" "Big brother! I heard she's a beauty, what does she look like? Let us younger brothers get excited too!" Everyone chattered loudly, creating a commotion.

  "What does your sister-in-law look like? You'll see her in 5 days! Do what you need to do!" Chen Jintang clearly told everyone that they would officially get married in 5 days, and upon hearing this, everyone became even more excited. Seeing his brothers' happy faces, Chen Jintang suddenly remembered something he had been thinking about for a long time, wasn't this the perfect opportunity?

  Mother listened to Zi Xuan's account of the blind date, and her mood was also very happy: "Your brother Chen has no parents, from now on consider this place as home! Tomorrow you take me to his newly purchased mansion to take a look, I'll personally help him with the arrangements!" As she spoke, Chen Jin Tang walked in, before Deng Zi Xuan could understand what was going on, he saw Chen Jin Tang kneel down on the ground.

  "Godmother is here, please teach the child to bow!" Mrs. Deng was stunned for a moment, then quickly understood what was going on and said: "Mr. Chen, please get up, we'll discuss this further!" "Godmother doesn't agree, the child won't get up!" Chen Jintang's attitude was firm. Deng Zixuan understood, Chen Jintang was bowing to Godmother: "Big Brother Chen is like a brother to me, Mother, you should agree!" "Child, get up! Godmother agrees with you!" Chen Jintang bowed three times and stood up happily. That night, the mother announced to the whole family that they would be adopting Chen as their godson. The one who was most delighted was Zixuan's younger brother, Zide. His reason for being happy was simply that Chen Jintang was the biggest "owner" of those porcelain pieces.

  The new house was spotless, with new furniture everywhere. The mother had even given her godson two maids as a gift and had thoroughly inspected every nook and cranny of the new home to ensure everything was perfect. On this day, the brothers cleaned up and, led by Deng Zixuan, accompanied the groom to Peach Village to bring back his bride in grand style. The mother, as the elder matriarch, accepted the couple's respects with great fanfare. Deng Zixuan felt that since their father's passing, today was the happiest day he had ever seen his mother have.

  The wedding feast continued until late at night before it finally came to an end. The brothers clung to Chen Jintang, refusing to let go, until Deng Zixuan forcibly dragged them away, allowing Chen Jintang to escape. As he entered the bridal chamber, two maidservants saw the groom return and smiled as they helped him undress, before retreating. The bride remained seated on the edge of the bed with her head still covered.

  Chen Jintang suddenly lifted the quilt, Wu Taohua's face was like a peach blossom, blushing and smiling, "Master! I'm here to serve you!" The bride gestured for Chen Jintang to sit on the bed, then brought over a basin and personally washed his feet. A pair of soft small hands massaged his feet, Chen Jintang suddenly felt passionate, and took advantage of the situation to hug the bride.