Chapter 4: Rose Garden Manor

  A carriage without a canopy was running on the country dirt road, the horse was running happily, and the bells on the horse's neck were ringing in rhythm. The rice fields on both sides of the road were full of green seedlings, and the weather in March showed the charming scenery of Jiangnan. Every time he left the city, it was to sweep the tomb, burn incense, and his mood was depressed, so Deng Zixuan didn't have the mood to appreciate the beauty of nature. But this time leaving the city was a pleasant trip, and his emotions were completely different.

  Look at the sky, it's so blue, and the air is so refreshing, as if carrying a faint fragrance. Deng Zixuan gazed out at the fields and village houses, with their greenery embracing white walls and gray tiles, feeling particularly comfortable. A servant was driving a carriage in front, constantly shouting. As Deng Zixuan looked on, his mother's words echoed in his ears once again: "Xuan'er, after last year's imperial examination, your father arranged a marriage for you with the daughter of the Gao family from Rose Garden Manor outside the city, Miss Gao Wan'er. The two families exchanged gifts and eight characters. Originally, they were going to arrange the wedding after the spring exams, but then your father suddenly passed away."

  "With such a misfortune, your wedding must be postponed for three years. During the three-year mourning period, you cannot get married. Now that the 37th day has passed, you must go to Rose Garden and inform them of the postponement of the marriage, so as not to let the other family make arrangements without knowing the reason." Hearing that he was already engaged, Deng Zixuan was somewhat perplexed, but facing his mother, he had to pretend to know about this matter.

  "Master! Rose Manor is just ahead!" The coachman pointed to the village nestled in the green trees. Deng Zixuan came out of his reverie, took off his sun hat and gazed at the manor in the distance. From afar, Rose Manor didn't seem too big, but one building stood out. White courtyard walls, high daughter walls appeared and disappeared under the tree canopy. A small arched bridge appeared at the village entrance, and the carriage had just passed it when Deng Zixuan ordered it to stop.

  "Master! We're about to enter the village, what's the point of stopping here?" Deng Zixuan didn't respond to the servant's inquiry, but instead jumped down from the carriage and walked to the side of a small stream. The gentle gurgling of the stream flowed smoothly, and the key was that the water was crystal clear, which sparked great interest in Deng Zixuan. He squatted beside the stream, scooped up the cool water with his hands, rubbed it on his forehead and face several times, then scooped up more water to drink.

  Sweet-tasting creek water entered the abdomen, feeling so comfortable and pleasant. "Young master! I didn't know you were thirsty, we brought water!" "Can't you shut your mouth, annoying people!" Deng Zixuan loudly scolded this nagging house servant, the house servant was scolded, not knowing what he did wrong, his face showing a look of grievance, how would he know that the young master had another mood.

  There wasn't a single drop of polluted water or fresh air, Deng Zixuan seemed to be intoxicated. What is a beautiful mountain and clear water, this era is absolutely a true portrayal. He sighed for a while, the housekeeper thought that the young master was ill again, and he was scared enough in his heart. After Deng Zixuan's self-intoxication, he ordered the housekeeper to pour away the brought water, then fill it with creek water and put it on the carriage. Although the housekeeper was confused, the young master's order was a holy decree that must be followed.

  As I entered the Rose Garden, I was greeted by the unique fragrance of roses. Almost every household on both sides of the road had planted rose flowers, and the Rose Garden indeed lived up to its reputation. The entire garden had around 20 or so households, and judging from the condition of their residences, it seemed that none of them were impoverished. In the center of the garden, there was a particularly magnificent mansion, which was clearly the residence of my father-in-law. The carriage stopped in front of the red-painted gate with three levels of steps, and at the entrance stood two majestic stone lions. "Haha! The Gao family is indeed impressive!"

  Just now, I thought the young master was ill again. Now that I see the young master is fine, the house servant flattered: "Young Master! This Gao Juren is a jinshi from the Xianfeng period and would have become an official long ago if it weren't for the Taiping Rebellion. These thousands of acres of land are all Gao Juren's, and the villagers in Rose Garden are all tenants." Deng Zixuan was somewhat puzzled - why did the wealthy and powerful Gao Juren arrange a marriage with the Deng family? The principle that families should be matched is common sense at any time, and it doesn't make sense for a small, unprivileged family like theirs to be matched with such a prominent one. As he wondered about this, the house servant came forward to report.

  At this time, Mr. Gao and his wife were sitting in the main hall on a taishi chair chatting idly. The lady asked: "Old master! It's almost March, why hasn't the Deng family come to discuss the wedding date? Is there something wrong?" "They should have arrived these few days!" Mr. Gao, plump and around 60 years old, with eyes that were neither big nor small. Although he was a jinshi (a high-ranking scholar), he didn't look like a bookworm, but rather more like a wealthy merchant.

  "Wan'er is 18 this year, she's not young anymore, it's better to get married early and be at ease!" The lady said with some nagging. Gao Juren was somewhat disdainful: "If it wasn't for the chaos of the Long Hairs that year, we hid in the concession and were taken care of by the Deng family, I would never agree to this marriage!" "Last year, your brother-in-law came third in the imperial examination, and this spring's list will definitely have no problem. But more than a month has passed, how come there is not even a single message? I said send someone to ask around, you are concerned about face and won't do it, really making people anxious!" The lady complained.

  Just as Gao Juren was about to respond, a servant excitedly walked in and said: "Master, mistress, the second young master of the Deng family has arrived and is waiting outside!" "Quick! Immediately invite the second young master in!" Upon hearing that her future son-in-law had arrived, the mistress excitedly stood up and was about to go out. "Wait! Let him come in himself!" Gao Juren didn't move from his seat, and seeing his wife's behavior, he frowned. The mistress saw her husband's displeasure and could only sit back down again.

  Deng Zixuan came in to pay his respects, and then recounted how he had fainted on the examination grounds during the spring exams, followed by how he had become afflicted with a demonic illness, and how his father's vital energy had attacked his heart, leading to his demise. Gao Juren heard that Old Master Deng had passed away, and on the surface, he displayed a sorrowful and mournful expression, but in his heart, he was secretly rejoicing. The young man before him not only suffered a setback at the examination grounds, but also suddenly fell ill with a demonic affliction, which instantly gave Gao Juren thoughts of calling off the engagement.

  Deng Zixuan saw the change in Gao Hui's expression and guessed his thoughts: "Elderly people are above, younger generations dare to speak out. Since our two families have a marriage contract that cannot be changed, my father has passed away, and I must observe the three-year mourning period, which is an ancient tradition that must be followed. Three years later, I will come to welcome Miss and not go back on my word. I have one request, whether it's possible for me to meet with Miss and personally tell her." In fact, Deng Zixuan wanted to see Wan'er and take a look at what his future bride looked like, or else he would be unable to eat or sleep.

  "Absolutely not! You can't meet Miss before the wedding!" Gao Juren bluntly refused, his face slightly red with anger. He hadn't expected that this future son-in-law had guessed his thoughts and was planning to call off the engagement.

  The future mother-in-law rather liked Deng Zixuan, not just because of his handsome appearance, but also because of his words earlier. "Child, the journey is long, dinner is ready, eat and rest afterwards!"

  Deng Zixuan secretly observed the future mother-in-law, although she showed signs of aging, there was still a hint of elegance left. Based on genetics, her daughter must be very beautiful too.

  Here is the translation:

  Gao Ju stood up coldly and said, "Three years of mourning is fine, but I have a condition: after three years, you must pass the imperial examination to become a scholar-official. If not, our engagement will be cancelled. My daughter cannot marry a useless person! Moreover, I have another request: if you can become my son-in-law, I will show mercy!" Looking at Gao Ju's departing back, Deng Zi Xuan still had a smile on his face, seemingly not angry at all. The future mother-in-law felt a bit apologetic and said, "It's really hard for you; rest tonight and go back tomorrow!"

  The Gao family had three daughters, but unfortunately no son. Two of the daughters were married to officials, and the youngest daughter became his heartache. In fact, Gao Juren wanted to recruit a son-in-law, otherwise who would inherit such a large family business? When he heard about recruiting a son-in-law, Deng Zixuan's heart skipped a beat. Whether or not he became a son-in-law was irrelevant; what mattered was that he saw how wealthy the Gao family was, and his inner turmoil rose to the surface. Now he had to use every means possible to create opportunities for himself, this was the most important thing.

  After dinner, the sky was still bright. Deng Zixuan lay on the bed, wandering around, and it seemed that his father-in-law's light would not shine for three years. Thinking of this, he felt a bit depressed. The strong scent of roses wafted in from outside the window, and Deng Zixuan got up and walked out of the room. The whole courtyard was full of roses, and it seemed that this high-ranking person loved roses. The manor was called Rose Manor, and countless roses were planted inside, and indeed, its name was not in vain.

  It was as if fate had brought Deng Zixuan to the front of a wall, where he suddenly heard the sound of a woman's laughter coming from the other side. Curious, Deng Zixuan climbed up the wall and peeked over to see a woman sitting on a swing set in an open area, with two other women pushing her back and forth on either side. The woman on the swing was letting out cries of surprise and giggles. "Could that be Wan'er?" Deng Zixuan couldn't help but climb over the wall and hide behind a cluster of flowers to take a peek.

  The woman on the swing had a rosy face, cherry lips, willow-leaf eyebrows, and vermilion phoenix eyes. When she smiled, two small dimples appeared. Deng Zixuan was almost stunned and secretly exclaimed that there was such a beautiful woman in the world. He couldn't help but stand up from the flower cluster, and when he heard the noise, the women's eyes shot over at the same time. Two maids were shocked and stared wide-eyed, hastily grabbing the swing to protect their mistress. "Beautiful miss, don't be afraid, I'm not a bad person!" "Who are you and how did you get here?" one of the maids asked sternly.

  "I am Deng Jia's second son, my name is Deng Zixuan. May I ask if you are Miss Wan'er?" The woman sitting on the swing immediately became flustered and stood up, her face flushing red. Perhaps out of habit, she first made a courtesy gesture: "Could it be that today's guest is you?" "Yes! I am Zixuan!" Wan'er involuntarily glanced around and whispered to two maids to keep watch.

  "I'm Wan'er, are you here to set the engagement date?" Wan'er asked softly, lowering her head and not daring to look up. "It's great, I've finally seen you. My father has passed away, and I'm here to inform you that I need to observe a three-year mourning period before I can marry you. Don't worry, Wan'er, the three years will pass quickly, and I'll definitely come to marry you with great fanfare!" After finishing speaking, Deng Zixuan boldly took hold of Wan'er's hand.

  Wan'er was suddenly frightened, as if electrified, and stiffened there. Soon Wan'er regained her senses and tried to struggle free, but was tightly grasped by Deng Zixuan, who took advantage of the situation to pull Wan'er into his own arms, saying: "Wan'er, you're so beautiful! You're the bride in my dreams. Now that I've seen you, I can rest assured. In this life and the next, we won't be apart!" For the first time being hugged by a man and hearing such cheesy words, Wan'er's body turned soft, and a dizzying feeling of happiness filled her entire body.

  After a while, Yuanyu suddenly came to her senses and said: "Master Deng, you'd better leave quickly! If Father finds out, he'll punish you!" "I'm not afraid! For your sake, I'd dare to go through fire and water!" Such a bold confession made Yuanyu dizzy again. Deng Zixuan knew that after holding Yuanyu in his arms, her heart already belonged to him. Then Deng Zixuan and Yuanyu sat on the swing, hand in hand, intimately starting a conversation.

  How to win the girl's favor, Deng Zixuan was an old hand. Suddenly, Deng Zixuan thought of something and shamelessly said: "Wan'er! I need silver now, I need to buy a lot of books, can you help me?" Wan'er heard it and showed a difficult expression, then resolutely said: "Master, I don't have any silver on me, wait for a while?" Before long, Wan'er brought over a jewelry box and said: "I have some jewelry here, maybe it's worth something, you can sell it to use in an emergency!"

  "Girl! Thank you so much!" Deng Zixuan suddenly changed his tone, pulled out his handkerchief, bit his middle finger and wrote on the handkerchief with blood: "Ocean oath, mountain pledge, never to part! Then Deng Zixuan solemnly handed the handkerchief to Yuanner and turned to leave. Yuanner held the handkerchief, from initial shyness, instantly moved to tears that couldn't be held back.

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