Chapter 78 Returning to the Beginning: The story begins with Guo Jia and Deng Jie's first encounter, entirely...

Speaking of Guo Jia and Deng Jie's first encounter, it was entirely thanks to Deng Zhao's deliberate arrangement.

In the twelfth month of the third year of Chuping, Deng Zhao was forced to stay away from home for a year due to the dangers of his trip to Yecheng. Considering that Guo Jia also had no family, he decided to take him back to Wancheng to celebrate the New Year together.

However, before returning to the city, he encountered Yuan and Dong's forces coveting the imperial seal, and used the convenience of the merchant caravan to help Sun Ben escape danger; he also fought with the Jin Fan bandits and relieved the siege of the grain ships of Lujiang Prefecture, which were then robbed.

Before entering the city, Deng Zhao couldn't help but sigh, "I've been a merchant for seven years, and this is the first time I've encountered such perilous situations. First, I was tricked by Yuan Shao and Xu You in Ye City, then I had to incite chaos in Henan to rescue Master Xun, and on the way back, I got involved in Sun Ben's matter of carrying the coffin and hiding the imperial seal. Before entering the city, I even had a entanglement with the Jin Fan bandits. Since I met Fengxiao, there has never been a moment of peace!"

Guo Jia laughed heartily upon hearing this, "This is the first time I've ever experienced anything like this. But it's quite interesting. It's all thanks to Brother Yuanming and the other brothers for their protection. If it were just me, I'd probably be dead a hundred times over!"

"It's alright. Once we're in the city and back home, we'll treat Fengxiao to a feast to celebrate his good fortune in surviving this ordeal!"

Deng Zhao rode alongside Guo Jia, leading the caravan as they gradually approached Wan City, where banners and city walls slowly emerged from the horizon.

Deng Zhao began to talk at length about his family.

Madam Yu Qiu was the owner of the largest shop in the city. The embroidery workshop in the East Market was her own property, and she also dealt in grain, oil, salt, and iron. While he was out doing business, Madam Yu Qiu managed the household. At this hour, she was probably already at her shop checking accounts.

With Yu Qiu's arrangements made so well, the old lady was happy to have a peaceful life at home, free from household chores. She spent her days indulging in her favorite poetry and prose, or teaching her son Deng Ming to read and write. However, she was always sensitive to the cold, so in this kind of weather, she would definitely keep Ming'er in the warm room to study, and would never let that mischievous boy run wild in the yard.

He calculated the date again and realized that today was the fourteenth day of the twelfth lunar month, and his younger sister, Deng Jie, would definitely be at home.

After verifying the talisman, the caravan filed into the city. Deng Zhao and Guo Jia dismounted and rode side by side, leading him through the East Market and several alleys. Guo Jia could then see a majestic three-story building with a gable roof standing at the end of the street.

Guo Jia teased Deng Zhao about how grand his mansion was, but Deng Zhao whispered in his ear that he only had about ten servants in his own home, and dared not overstep his bounds, only hiring more people to help at the end of the year.

However, the real expense was in the caravan families' residences that lined the area around the caravan.

The caravan finally stopped in front of Deng's residence, and Deng Zhao directed everyone to unload the goods.

Guo Jia then saw the details of the residence clearly: passing through the gate, he first saw the stable, next to which was the warehouse, and upon entering the front yard, he realized that this was probably Deng Zhao's training ground, with archery targets and weapon racks lined up against the wall.

After passing the front yard, you can see that the corner towers on both sides are connected to the main building by a suspended corridor. The lattice door on the east side is wide open, and it seems to be piled with some boxes, jars and pots.

The west side was partially ajar by a lattice door, with a screen behind it, revealing a side hall. The corner towers that were usually used for defense by aristocratic families were more practical here.

Looking further west, there was a self-sufficient field outside the detached building. Judging by its size, there might even be a pigsty behind the main building, Guo Jia guessed.

"Fengxiao will reside on the second floor of the East Corner Tower..."

Deng Zhao pointed to the tightly closed high window of the right corner tower. Before he could finish speaking, a servant came running from the street corner, panting and shouting, "Master! Madam saw the caravan entering the city and wants you to go to the rice shop immediately!"

Deng Zhao was slightly displeased. He hadn't even settled in yet, so why was he in such a hurry? He turned to Old Chen, the caravan manager, to arrange the work, and then said to Guo Jia, "I'll go take a look and be right back. Feel free to wander around the house. I sent a message home half a month ago. When Mother and Ajie see you, they'll naturally know you're my sworn brother!"

But Guo Jia could clearly see a hint of expectant smile on his face.

As Guo Jia passed through the central courtyard pavilion, he saw a gilded brazier burning on the table. It looked exquisite, and a maid from inside the pavilion took it and presented it to him, saying, "The madam instructed that this brazier is specially prepared for our distinguished guest because it is cold today."

Guo Jia accepted the gift and thanked her, then inquired about the house. The maid only said, "Honored guest, you are welcome to tour the house at your leisure. Madam has instructed everyone to do so," but she showed no intention of showing him around and turned to attend to her own business.

He could only stroll around with the heater close to him; this was the first time he had ever trespassed into a private residence without anyone to guide him.

Passing through the central courtyard pavilion, one comes to a small pond half-hidden by weeping willow branches, its surface covered with a thin layer of ice, reflecting the image of the pavilion in the west corridor.

Passing through the corner tower along the corridor and peering through the screen, a large table comes into view, surrounded by a brocade mat with a felt cushion on it.

Although the tabletop had been wiped clean, traces of oil and water were still visible. Guo Jia ran his fingertip along the edge of the table, thinking to himself that it was truly strange that Deng Zhao, despite his immense wealth, ate like a poor scholar.

As he left the dining hall and passed the pavilion, the Go set on the table caught his eye. The set looked rather casual; the person who set it up was probably just playing around.

Walking along the corridor leads to the main building. The lobby on the first floor is spacious and bright, with neatly arranged lacquered tables for receiving guests, but a vermilion lacquered medicine cabinet stands out against the west wall.

Guo Jia leaned closer to take a closer look. On the counter stood a neatly arranged medicine grinder, and next to it were several uncollected bamboo slips of prescriptions, with elegant handwriting.

The faint sounds of children laughing and playing could be heard from upstairs, and Guo Jia wisely retreated to the east corridor.

But then they overheard two maids sweeping the corridor whispering to each other: "The young lady took the pork today, but I don't know where she's hiding again."

Another chuckled in a low voice, "He must have gone to find that stray cat. Who knows where he'll end up covered in mud again."

Guo Jia couldn't help but chuckle upon hearing this, startling the young maids who blushed and scattered.

Guo Jia watched the maids hurry away, a smile still lingering on his lips. He looked towards the fields to the west of the building. Compared to the residences on this side, the sturdy old locust trees standing in the fields seemed more interesting. Feeling embarrassed to go any further, he turned and strolled over there.

When Guo Jia arrived at the herb garden, he found that this half-acre herb garden was even more tidy than the self-sufficient fields next to it. The snow had been swept to the edge of the ridges, and the Bupleurum and Nardostachys stood tall with their green stems in the frozen soil.

Squatting down for a closer look, one could see that the soil between the ridges was loose and moist, indicating that it was often turned over. Following the ridge, one could see a series of shallow footprints, which became less and less dense as they receded into the distance, as if someone had started walking and then running. The footprints looked fresh, so the person might still be nearby.

Guo Jia was following the footprints when he suddenly heard a soft "patter" from the bushes ahead.

Looking up, I saw the bushes rustling and heard a clear female voice shout "Ah!" The sturdy old locust tree was hit with a dull thud but remained unmoved.

Guo Jia recalled the maids' whispers and narrowed his eyes.

He circled around to the back of the bushes, and there he saw a white cloak spread out on the ground in front of the pile of tree roots and rocks. The tassels of the golden hairpin swayed gently with the movements of its owner. A girl with her hair in a high bun was kneeling and reaching into the crevice of the rock.

This was his first encounter with Deng Jie.

"The young lady's pork..." he deliberately cleared his throat, "...could I have a share?"

The girl was so startled that she dropped the pork and it landed on the snow: "You are..." Her gaze swept over the jade double-dragon pendant at his waist and landed on the medicine pouch. These two items were personally given to him by his sister-in-law before his brother left last year. "Mr. Guo?"

Guo Jia was amused by her startled expression when she turned around. Her nose, red from the cold, twitched slightly, and her wide, almond-shaped eyes blinked as she looked away from his waist and into his eyes.

"Guo Jia and Guo Fengxiao of Yingchuan greet Miss Deng."

He also deliberately made it clear that he knew the girl's identity, and then bent down to pick up the pork.

"My brother mentioned in his letter that a guest from Yingchuan recently arrived."

She stared at Guo Jia picking up the meat, then looked into his eyes and scrutinized him, "He even specifically mentioned..."

She recalled her brother's description of "the dissolute Guo Fengxiao" in his letter, which was quite different from the neat and handsome young man in front of her. She quickly pursed her lips and suppressed the upturned corners of her mouth, but she couldn't help but smile in her eyes.

Before Guo Jia could voice his question, he was interrupted by a faint sobbing sound emanating from deep within the crevice of the rock.

He crouched down and looked inside, where he saw an orange tabby cat with wet fur, shivering and baring its teeth in the shadows.

He took out a brazier from his pocket, opened the copper brazier lid, took out the inner charcoal-burning copper tray, and hung the frozen meat slices in the copper tray to roast.

He then untied the medicine pouch from his waist, threaded the hanging rope through the central hole between the stove lid and the stove body, placed the fragrant slices of meat inside the bronze stove, picked up a twig to prop up the stove lid, and gently pushed it into the stone crevice.

As the orange cat flapped its nose and extended its paws to burrow into the bronze furnace, Guo Jia suddenly pulled away the branch, trapping the cat inside the warm metal cage.

Guo Jia gently pulled the rope and slowly dragged the bronze furnace out. The furry little beast was licking its oily paws, completely unaware that it had become a sitting duck.

Deng Jie took the cat with delight and warmed it in her palms, but the cat suddenly struggled, slipped out of her hands, landed lightly, shook off the moisture, and its fur stood on end.

It flicked its tail, but instead of running far, it circled around Guo Jia's feet twice, as if sniffing the charcoal smell clinging to him.

Deng Jie bent down to catch it, but the orange cat nimbly dodged, rubbed against Guo Jia's clothes, and squatted down, its golden eyes half-closed.

Guo Jia chuckled and leaned down to tentatively reach out his hand. The orange cat didn't flinch; instead, it tilted its head back and rubbed against his palm.

"It seems it's interested in Mr. Guo." Deng Jie straightened up, his tone calm, but a hint of surprise and helplessness lingered in his heart.

This stray cat usually runs away at the sight of people, and she had fed it three or four times, but it would only take the meat from three feet away. Today was quite unusual.

Guo Jia carefully scooped the cat up, and the orange ball curled up in his arms, half-closing its eyes and purring contentedly.

Deng Jie stared at the scene in disbelief, exhaled a puff of white breath, and simply took off the cloth bag from his waist and handed it over, saying, "Since you two get along well, the rest of the pork can be disposed of by Mr. Guo."

Guo Jia took it and noticed that the crooked pattern embroidered on the edge of the cloth bag was exactly the same as the pattern on the medicine bag that Deng Zhao had given him, but he couldn't tell what the intention of the embroidery was.

A thought flickered in his mind, and he looked up to meet Deng Jie's gaze. "This medicine pouch was also made by you, young lady?"

He raised the medicine pouch at his waist, suppressed a smile, and made up a story, "The embroidery is... cloud patterns? It's quite vivid."

Deng Jie was startled: "That's a locust pattern..." Upon hearing this, both of them were taken aback, then turned away and laughed.

Guo Jia pursed his lips and tried to smooth things over for her: "The locust pattern is also good; it better suits the purpose of the medicine pouch."

Deng Jie lowered the sleeve that was covering his face, and shamefully suppressed a self-deprecating laugh: "Brother, how could you give away such a failed product? Next time, when I've practiced it better, I'll embroider a new one for Mr. Guo."

After saying that, he froze. The person in front of him wasn't family in the caravan; they might leave at any time. How could he have made such a reckless promise? He couldn't help but purse his lips in regret.

Guo Jia was also slightly surprised. He was used to dealing with people, but at this moment he felt that the conversation was particularly natural, as if they had known each other for a long time.

"Then it's settled." He smiled and bowed, "I, Guo, await the fine gift."

Deng Jie leaned towards the main building and asked, "Why isn't my brother showing the gentleman around?"

While playing with the cat in his arms, Guo Jia casually replied, "Brother Yuanming was summoned away by Madam Yu's men; perhaps it's something important. She told me to wander around by myself. However..."

He looked up at Deng Jie and said, "I was too embarrassed to just wander around aimlessly, so I turned around and ended up running into a girl."

Deng Jie chuckled, took two steps forward, turned to Guo Jia and gestured, "Then let me show you the accommodations, sir. Is the second floor of the corner tower the place you've arranged, brother? Please come with me, sir."

As she was saying this, her gaze was drawn to the cat in her arms. The cat, startled by the intense gaze, glared at her with its round, golden eyes. Deng Jie pretended to be angry and gave it a coquettish scolding, which actually scared the cat away.

Deng Jie pouted and gave a light snort. Guo Jia was taken aback. "Miss, are you perhaps taking your anger out on me?"

"I'm so angry that this little beast has no conscience." Deng Jie turned his back to lead the way for Guo Jia.

Guo Jia gently weighed the cloth bag in his hand: "Then this pork..."

Deng Jie reached out to touch him, but Guo Jia pulled his hand back, saying, "It's alright, we might run into him again."

Deng Jie led the way, introducing the layout of his home to Guo Jia. The main building, besides the main hall on the first floor used for receiving guests, was only used for banquets on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. On other days, meals were served on the first floor of the west corner tower. Having lost his father early, and with Deng Zhao always away on business, he wanted to spend more time with his family when he returned home, so he didn't follow the traditional scholar's path.

The second floor of the west corner tower is a communal study, which contains mostly maps used by Deng Zhaoxing for business purposes, or books about local customs and products. "If you are interested, sir, you may take any book and read it at will."

The third floor was converted into the Star Gazing Pavilion by Deng Zhao, something Guo Jia had not anticipated.

When the two of them escaped from Hanoi, they relied on Guo Jia to determine their direction by observing the stars. "I never imagined that Brother Yuanming would have such a refined hobby?"

Deng Jie scoffed, "What kind of hobby is this? I just happened to get a new star chart and started talking about learning stargazing. But I can't figure it out anyway, so it's just sitting idle."

The east corner tower is mainly used for guests, with the second and third floors being guest rooms. However, usually no one brings their families here. It was only when the main building was expanded that a family temporarily stayed here, so it is fully equipped.

The two arrived at the guest room on the second floor and smelled the fragrance of green wood wafting from the Boshan incense burner as soon as they opened the door.

Guo Jia, with his sharp eyes, noticed some bamboo slips on the bookshelf beside the bed. He casually picked one up and glanced at it, only to find it was the Book of Songs. When he unfolded it, it was "A Girl in a Carriage" from the Zheng Feng section. He couldn't help but chuckle and put it back.

The room had many windows, and out of curiosity, he opened them one by one to look out. Deng Jie then guided him through the process:

Looking south over the eaves of the gate, you can see low-lying houses. Leaning out of the window to look west, you can see the entire East Market stretching all the way to the main road of Wancheng, and then to the West Market on the other side.

From the east-facing window, one can see a somewhat structured courtyard, which served as the residence for the families of caravan members.

The windows on the north side open into the house, offering a panoramic view of the courtyard.

Upon closer inspection, one can see that a ceramic channel has been built along the edge of the small lake. Although it is currently empty, it will be used for floating wine cups when guests come in warm weather.

A maidservant peered into the corridor and, seeing that the two were indeed inside, called out, "Miss, Mr. Guo, the master has returned. Please come to the corner tower for your meal!"