Chapter 46: The Three-Year Pact—You Want to Hit Me?

Passing the imperial examination is difficult!
Entering officialdom is even harder!
Cheng An may not lack talent, but even if he manages to pass the provincial examination in the future, it merely qualifies him to become an official. As for how far he can go...
It still depends on his foundation and background!
And the Gu family was undoubtedly his best choice.

Seeing his parents grinning from ear to ear, Cheng An couldn't help frowning and said, "But I don't want to get married yet!"
"What did you say?"
Silence fell over the courtyard instantly!
Everyone's gaze fell squarely on Cheng An's face.
Including Gu Xiaorou.
At nine years old, she might not yet fully grasp the meaning of marriage, but being rejected to her face would hurt anyone, and her eyes welled up with tears.
Cheng An avoided her gaze and braced himself.
"I said..."
"What the hell are you saying!"
Cheng Dashan slammed his palm onto the table.
He kicked off one of his cloth shoes and raised it as if ready to strike. "Don't think that just because you've passed the preliminary examination as a scholar, this old man wouldn't dare beat you! I'll thrash you to death, you ungrateful wretch!"

To reject a marriage proposal at a time like this, whose face were you slapping?
What would the fellow villagers think?
Where would the Gu family's dignity go?
The Gu family had just sent such a generous gift, and they were influential figures in the locality. Even if you were truly unwilling, you should have at least waited until later to discuss it!

Cheng An had originally intended to wait until later.
Yet looking at his parents' posture, it was clear they wished for this more than anything!
"Dad, don't..."
"Let's talk things over nicely!"
Cheng An turned tail and bolted.
"Talk to your mother's heel!"
"What kind of day is this, huh? I'll let you run your mouth!"
With one bare foot, Cheng Dashan chased furiously behind him. "Which part of the Young Lady Gu isn't good enough for you, you little brat? You're acting all high and mighty now?"
"Get over here..."
"I'll beat some sense into you!"
...
The banquet ended on a sour note.
Cheng An fled the village in a single breath and headed straight for the academy.
The moment he stepped through the gates, however, he received grim news.
"Senior Sister is leaving?"
"She's going to Yaozhou to rely on distant relatives."
Du Xiu gave his reason.
But Cheng An was not a fool.
He frowned and asked, "Why go running off to relatives all of a sudden? Besides, didn't Master offend some Prefect Fan? Why on earth would she still..."
He wanted to say "walking right into the trap."
Du Xiu interrupted him, saying, "Your Senior Sister is no longer young; she must plan for her future. Qingshui Town is too small—I'm afraid she'd never meet a good match here."
What did a good match mean?
Stripped of pretense, wasn't it still about conditions and wealth?
Cheng An had never imagined that Du Xiu, who had always been indifferent to material possessions, could be so worldly and mercenary.
A wave of annoyance stirred within him. "Are good matches only found in Yaozhou? Does Senior Sister even like him? If she doesn't, what does it matter even if he possesses a fortune worth millions?"
"You..."
Du Xiu stared at him in fury.
Whether good or bad, this was someone else's affair; what business was it of yours?
"I'm going to find Senior Sister!"

Without waiting for Du Xiu to stop him, Cheng An stormed into the back courtyard.
Du Qingqing was sitting under the eaves embroidering, her delicate face tinged with sorrow.
Upon seeing him arrive, she forced a faint smile and said, "Little Six is back."
"Senior Sister..."
Cheng An hesitated before speaking. "I just heard Master say that you'll be leaving for Yaozhou soon to live with distant relatives... Why are you suddenly leaving out of nowhere?"
"You don't understand."
"Are you saying I won't understand just because you say so?" Cheng An grew anxious.
"It's not that I want to go to Yaozhou, it's truly because..."
"An arranged marriage?"
Cheng An's eyes widened.
Du Qingqing sighed. "Years ago, this academy was rented from the Dong family. Later, when Father had some money and wanted to buy it outright, Dong Dakang refused."
"Dong Dakang..."
"You mean Dong Hui's father?"
Cheng An's gaze turned sharp.
Du Qingqing nodded. "Over the years, Dong Dakang has used the academy as leverage, proposing marriage several times. A few days ago, he even sent over betrothal gifts."
"Shameless!"
Anger flared up unbidden in Cheng An's chest.
Damn it!
How many days had it been?
They were bullying his people again!
And he wanted to marry the Senior Sister?
Who do you think you are?
"So Master plans to send you away?"
Pondering this in his heart, Cheng An frowned. "But the property is in their hands; the Dong family won't let the matter rest anyway. Running away won't solve the problem!"
"Then what can we do?"
"Dong Dakang is cunning and ruthless..."
Du Qingqing's eyes turned slightly red as she said, "Father is worried he might resort to underhanded tricks, so he thought of letting me go away and hide first, while he figures out how to deal with him later!"
Deal with him my foot!
Didn't he know what kind of temper his own master had?
To put it nicely, he was upright and unyielding; to put it bluntly, he was rigid and stubborn.
"Senior Sister..."
Cheng An abruptly raised his head.
With an expression of absolute seriousness, he asked, "Do you trust me?"
"What?"
"In three months at most, I will drive Dong Dakang to bankruptcy!"
The Dong family, much like the Gu family, were prominent landowners in Qingshui Town.
However, while the Gu family's business focused primarily on grain trading, the Dong family dominated the catering and livestock industries, owning no fewer than a thousand pigs and sheep.
"What are you planning to do?"
Seeing the fierce look in Cheng An's eyes, Du Qingqing was startled and hurriedly said, "Little Six, you have a bright future ahead of you. You must not act rashly! As for Senior Sister... if this is my fate, then we'll just accept it!"
"But I refuse to accept it!"
Cheng An's tone was calm.
If he could even transmigrate into a cliché web novel plot,
were they really going to lecture him about "destiny"?
In a low voice, he said, "Ever since I came to the academy, Master, Mistress, and Senior Sister have all treated me with boundless kindness. If I don't lift a finger to help now, am I even human?"
These were his true sentiments.
Cheng An had always been a practitioner of the classic creed "side with your own, never mind the rights and wrongs."
Leaving aside the fact that the Dong father and son were no good to begin with, even if Dong Dakang were the greatest philanthropist in the world, the moment he provoked Cheng An, he would show no mercy.
Kind-hearted people don't live long.
Of this, Cheng An was deeply convinced!

...
Yet Du Qingqing still left.
At the small crossroads outside the town, the heavy atmosphere filled the air with sorrow.
Du Qingqing waved to them one by one, bidding farewell to her family. "Take care, Father and Mother! Little Six, you take care too... Remember Senior Sister's words: do not act rashly."
"Senior Sister!"
Cheng An pressed against the carriage window, standing on his tiptoes. "Trust me, three years at most! By then I will have grown up, and I will go to Yaozhou, pass the provincial examinations, and make something of myself!"
"Alright..."
"Senior Sister will wait for you in Yaozhou."
Du Qingqing nodded, her eyes swimming with tears.
At fourteen, she was no longer an innocent, clueless little girl. Such naked affection—even outsiders could perceive it.
How could she fail to understand?
Yet how old was Cheng An?
Though his promise at this moment was sincere, it was also utterly powerless against reality.

In the days that followed,
life grew quiet.
Without Senior Sister Du Qingqing to keep them in check, the children at the academy ran wild once more, and Dong Hui and his gang of troublemakers began acting up again.
"Humph!"
"Did they really think running away would solve anything?"
Under the large tree in the front courtyard, a group of children gathered around Dong Hui, listening to him boast wildly.
"My father said that Senior Sister is virtuous and beautiful, clearly a good woman to manage a household. Once I marry her, who in the White Horse Academy will ever dare oppose me?"
"Even Master will have to watch his step around me!"
Dong Hui raised his chin arrogantly, his face full of smugness.
Cheng An, who was passing by, happened to overhear these words.
He stopped in his tracks.
He turned his head and cast an indifferent glance at Dong Hui. "Why don't you take a piss and look at your own reflection? You're as thick as a vat and short as a keg, looking just like Wu Song's older brother! You've studied for seven or eight years and still can't even memorize a single Thousand-Character Essay—what makes you think you're worthy of marrying Senior Sister?"
"Damn you!"
"Have you grown tired of living, Cheng An?"
Before so many of his classmates, Dong Hui was utterly humiliated and flew into a rage, rushing forward as if to strike him.
"What? Want to hit me?"
"So what if I hit you?"
Dong Hui glared at him with uncontainable fury, raising his fist.
The children grew excited!
They stood on the sidelines, fanning the flames.
"Hit him!"
"Beat him up, Brother Hui! I've had it in for this brat for a long time!"
"Yeah, hit..."
Yet Dong Hui's fist lingered in the air, refusing to descend.
Others might not know Cheng An's background, but the Dong family, being one of the top merchants in Qingshui Town, had long since learned of Cheng An's exploits in Pinggu County.
An eight-year-old scholar!
A talent viewed with great favor even by the Prefect!
Dared he strike him?
After a brief stalemate,
Cheng An slanted a look at Dong Hui.
He said calmly, "Are you going to hit me or not?"
"I..."
Dong Hui's knuckles turned white as he clenched his fist.
Cheng An sneered, provoking him further. "What about it? Either make your move, and we'll see whose luck runs out in the end!"