Old Madam Bai flinched again. The voice was so delicate, so clear, with a yer of faint fear, like a little bird afraid of being harmed. She extended her hand toward her and gently said, "Come here! Let me have a look at you, child!"

  Han Yan took a step forward and extended her hands to Old Madam Bai, who grasped both of them. These hands were not those of a working woman; they were delicate and soft. She hadn′t worked as a borer for long, Old Madam Bai thought.

  She studied Han Yan carefully. The petite, graceful figure wrapped in white gauze, the shy and timid face, delicate and gentle... Yes, she was a beautiful girl. But beyond her beauty, there was something else about her, something special. The eyes were bright and profound, holding countless unspoken words, as if they were pleading, as if dreaming, gazing at her with deep sincerity.

  Old Madam Bai began to understand how this girl could so strongly captivate Bai Peiwen—she had a formidable opponent.

  "Your name is Han Yan, right?" she asked, continuing to scrutinize her.

  "Yes," Han Yan responded respectfully, looking at Old Madam Bai. The sharp gaze, the strong face, the steady hands that held hers—this Old Madam Bai was no ordinary person! Han Yan observed her eyes—those slightly dull eyes that were deep and inscrutable. Han Yan could not gauge whether this person would be an ally or an enemy. She couldn′t see through her, couldn′t make a judgment, nor could she figure her out. This Old Madam Bai clearly had a well-thought-out pn for her.

  "You know, Han Yan," she said, "your appearance is a big surprise to me. I never expected that I would suddenly have a daughter-in-w. So you must forgive me for being unprepared."

  Han Yan blushed. Lowering her head, she softly said, "Sorry, Mom, please forgive us."

  Forgive "us"? She already used the pronoun "us"! A faint, cold smile involuntarily appeared at the corners of her lips, but her voice remained gentle and kind.

  "Actually, you really don't have to hide the fact that you're getting married from me. I'm not the kind of mother who wants to monopolize her son! If I had known beforehand, your wedding would not have been so shabby! Child, don't think all mothers-in-w are like the one in Peacock Flies Southeast. I would have loved to have a good daughter-in-w!" Han Yan lowered her head even further, not defending herself.

  "Anyway, now you are part of our family," Old Madam Bai continued. "I hope we can get along well. You'll find that I'm not so hard to get along with."

  "Mom!" Han Yan called out softly once more.

  Mom? Mom? She said it so naturally! Old Madam Bai smiled slightly, almost imperceptibly.

  "Alright, go now! Pei Wen is busy tidying up the house, changing the carpet, and changing the curtains. I was so confused that I didn't even realize he was decorating the new house! Go on; I won′t take up any more of your time. I won′t be that annoying, troublesome old woman!"

  "Thank you, Mom!" Bai Peiwen shouted, grabbing Han Yan's hand, eager to say, "Let's go!"

  "See you in a while! Mom!" Han Yan said softly, following Pei Wen out of the room.

  Old Madam Bai watched them leave, her fingers tightly gripping the armrest of the chair.

  She gripped it so hard that the carved patterns on the armrest dug deeply into her flesh, causing her pain. Her expression was stiff and somber.

  Once they had closed the door to her mother's room, Pei Wen hurriedly said to Han Yan, "How is it? My mother isn′t as scary as you thought, right?"

  Han Yan smiled weakly, saying nothing. Pei Wen had already led her to the door of the bedroom, which was closed. He said, "Close your eyes, Han Yan!"

  Han Yan didn′t know what he was up to, but she obediently closed her eyes. She heard the sound of the door opening, and then her whole body was lifted off the ground.

  She gasped in surprise, quickly opening her eyes, hearing Pei Wen′s cheerful voice, "I'm going to carry my bride into the new house!"

  After pcing Han Yan down, he said, "Look! Han Yan, look at your home; look at your bedroom!"

  Han Yan looked around the room, a wave of joy choking her. She took a deep breath, unable to believe what she was seeing. The room was stunning: pure white carpet, bck and gold floral curtains, and all the furniture had white and gold trim. The entire color scheme of the room was a mix of white, bck, and gold, with only the bright red bedspread standing out, looking unexpectedly vibrant and luxurious amid the bck and white. On the small nightstand, beside the white ce mp, was a vase with vivid yellow roses. On the vanity was a marble sculpture—an embracing couple.

  "That's from a Greek myth," Pei Wen said, pointing to the sculpture. "Eurydice and her lover Orpheus. They were a couple who didn't fear adversity, and so are we." He embraced her and kissed her. "Does this room suit you?"

  "Yes, yes," she gasped. "How did you know…?"

  "Did you forget? You told me you wanted to decorate the bedroom with white, gold, and bck, and the living room with beige and coffee tones."

  She gazed at him, mesmerized. "You remember all of it?"

  "I remember every word, every sentence you said!" he replied, cupping her face with his hands. His eyes were deep and sincere as he looked at her, his voice low, passionate, and trembling. "I finally, finally, finally have you! The one I love, love, love!" He leaned down and kissed her. She closed her eyes, a lump in her throat, as the wave of joy submerged her once again. She was intoxicated, dizzy, and lost in the moment. Two tears slid down her cheeks, and in her heart, she silently vowed:

  "This is the one person to whom I will give my body and heart. No matter what storms we face in the future, I will follow him forever, never betraying him!"

  Her arms wrapped around him. The bck and gold floral curtains hung quietly, and the yellow roses filled the room with a fragrant, subtle aroma.

  Three days passed since their wedding. For Han Yan and Pei Wen, these three days were filled with delirium, confusion, and a sense of timelessness, as if they had forgotten about the days, months, and years. During these three days, Pei Wen didn't go to the factory. Every morning, they were woken by the sound of birdsong. Han Yan liked to walk through the morning dew to cut a bouquet of roses covered in droplets. Pei Wen stood by her side, holding the scissors and the bouquet. Sometimes, she would hold a rose, smiling at Pei Wen and asking, "Does this smile make my beauty shine or the rose, my lord?"

  Her bright eyes, flowing with light, her shy, almost smiling expression, and her delicate, enchanting grace often made Pei Wen throw caution to the wind and rush to embrace her under the rising sun, kissing her fiercely despite her half-hearted resistance... Then, she would stamp her foot, frown, and ugh, saying, "Look at you! Look at you!"

  They scattered rose petals everywhere.

  After breakfast, Gao Lide would always go to inspect the tea pntation, sometimes bringing workers to fertilize and weed. They would follow him, and Han Yan, often with the curiosity of a child, would ask all sorts of questions about the tea. One day, she asked, "Why do you always use jasmine flowers for scented tea? Why not make one with rose petals instead?"

  Bai Peiwen and Gao Lide exchanged gnces; it was a great suggestion. Later, they really did pnt a special variety of small roses and made rose bck tea and rose-scented tea, which became a specialty of the Bai family tea pntation. However, due to high production costs, few people bought it, but it became Han Yan's exclusive tea. She drank rose tea every day, cut roses, and her entire being always exuded the fragrance of roses.