Chapter 177: Chapter 149: A Garden Worth a Small Goal, a Gift for You

So she took the initiative to approach Teacher Chen, feigning curiosity. "Teacher Chen, could you tell me the meaning behind these latticed windows?"

"Of course, no problem." Teacher Chen smiled and nodded, then turned to Lu Fan. "Mr. Lu, I’m going to start the lesson for my student now."

"Alright, please, go ahead," Lu Fan replied.

After Jiang Silu had sent Teacher Chen away, Chen He quietly reminded him, "Boss, I think the young lady was a bit jealous just now. Worried her teacher might try to win you over?"

"If you could see it, don’t you think I could too?" Lu Fan chuckled.

He hadn’t expected Jiang Silu to be so bold as to deliberately pull her teacher away.

It also meant that he was starting to hold a significant place in her heart.

’My daughter really does want her mother and me to get back together.’

After Teacher Chen finished explaining the meaning of the latticed windows, a few other students came up with questions.

Jiang Silu seized the opportunity to slip away and approached Lu Fan. She asked, a little hesitantly, "Um... Teacher Chen just explained the meaning of the latticed windows. D-do you want me to tell you about them?"

"Of course." Lu Fan smiled. "In that case, let’s have Teacher Jiang begin her lecture~"

Jiang Silu smiled, a little embarrassed, and then began to explain the meaning behind all the windows in Spring Glow Garden to Lu Fan.

"The patterns on these windows include plum blossoms, orchids, and bamboo, as well as bats, ruyi scepters, and copper coins."

"Plum blossoms symbolize resilience and tenacity, the word for bat is a homophone for ’fortune,’ and copper coins represent wealth. They all express the ancients’ hopes for a beautiful life."

"Furthermore, different patterns are used in different areas. For instance, lotus patterns are common near water, while bamboo patterns are often used near a study. They’re chosen to match the surrounding scenery and the purpose of the space—it’s all very meticulous."

When she was done, Jiang Silu said awkwardly, "That’s all I remember. I couldn’t memorize any more."

"You’re already amazing. Your teacher only went over it once, and you remembered that much," Lu Fan praised her.

"I’m sure the other students remembered it too," Jiang Silu said, a little flustered by his praise.

Lu Fan then suggested, "Oh, right. How about I show you around? I’ve been here before."

"You’ve been here before?" Jiang Silu asked, surprised. "Did you come with Elder Meng?"

"Mhm," Lu Fan nodded.

He led Jiang Silu toward another part of the garden and pointed to a rockery in the distance. "I was actually the one who suggested this rockery. See? There are a few small orchids hidden in the crevices. They symbolize a ’beauty in a secluded valley.’"

Jiang Silu followed his finger and saw that there were indeed a few orchids growing in the crevices. They were quite beautiful.

She was pleasantly surprised and asked curiously, "In that case, you must know the owner of Spring Glow Garden, right?"

"Haha, yes," Lu Fan nodded.

"He must have excellent taste to be able to commission Elder Meng to create such an elegant garden estate. I really hope I get a chance to meet him someday."

’Huh? But Elder Meng said yesterday that the owner of Spring Glow Garden would be here today, too.’

Jiang Silu was confused. The only person who had shown up was her dad.

A second later, it dawned on her.

Jiang Silu stared at Lu Fan in shock, stammering, unable to even form the words. "D-Don’t tell me... this Spring Glow Garden... is yours?"

Lu Fan didn’t say a word, only offering a faint smile.

Seeing his expression, she found it completely unbelievable.

She never would have imagined that this stunning garden estate actually belonged to her own father.

’Oh my god!’

’Have so many unreal things really happened today?!’

Before Jiang Silu could compose herself, Lu Fan continued, "I was the one who invited Elder Meng to design this garden estate. I wanted him to preserve the core elements of a Jiangnan Garden, which is why I had this place created."

"I never expected that years later, my own daughter would end up studying this exact field. It feels like destiny."

Jiang Silu was instantly embarrassed. "This garden estate is yours, so you already know all about its design and layout. Was I just showing off for an expert...?"

"Not at all, why would you think that?" Lu Fan explained. "I only commissioned Elder Meng to design the estate. I’m a complete amateur when it comes to this stuff. I just thought, ’Hey, mountains and water, this is pretty nice.’"

"But that’s the essence of a garden," Jiang Silu said, delighted. "Even though I haven’t seen other garden estates, Spring Glow Garden has left an incredibly deep impression on me."

Lu Fan asked, "Do you like it?"

Jiang Silu froze for a second, letting out a soft, "Huh?"

Lu Fan pressed on, "I mean, do you like this estate?"

"I do..." There was no need for Jiang Silu to be coy, so she admitted it freely. "I love Spring Glow Garden. I feel like this garden incorporates every element I’ve ever imagined a classical garden should have."

"Then how about I give Spring Glow Garden to you?"

The moment he said it, Jiang Silu was so shocked she stumbled back two steps and shook her head frantically. "No, no... Absolutely not..."

"This estate must be incredibly expensive. I can’t accept it... No, absolutely not." The gift was so extravagant that she kept repeating herself, unable to process it.

"It’s alright. Your dad doesn’t live here anyway," Lu Fan coaxed. "If you like it, I’ll give it to you. You can come and stay on weekends or during your winter and summer breaks."

But Jiang Silu still shook her head firmly. "No. Thank you, but I can’t accept this. It’s far too valuable. It’s more than I could ever imagine."

In truth, Lu Fan had expected this reaction. He had guessed his daughter wouldn’t accept the estate.

After all, the construction cost alone was a fortune, and its value had probably quadrupled since then.

So he tried a different approach. "What if I gave you a permanent pass to Spring Glow Garden? You could come and go whenever you please. Would you be able to accept that?"

That offer was a little easier for Jiang Silu to stomach.

’Logically, she knew that even a pass like that was an incredibly valuable gift.’

’But she really, truly loved Spring Glow Garden.’

’If she could just come here to relax and stay for a day or two whenever she wanted...’

’That would make life truly worth living.’

Seeing her hesitation, Lu Fan pressed his advantage. "You could bring your friends here to escape the summer heat. They’d definitely be jealous that you have permanent access to Spring Glow Garden."

Sure enough, the mention of "jealous" was the final push. For Jiang Silu, emotion finally triumphed over reason.

She whispered, "In that... in that case, thank you so much."

Jiang Silu desperately wanted to call out, "Thanks, Dad," but in the end, the words wouldn’t come out.

’She felt a little disgusted with herself. She’d just accepted her father’s gift, yet she couldn’t even show proper gratitude.’

’I hope Dad doesn’t think I’m ungrateful... Just give me a little more time...’

Lu Fan could naturally see her inner conflict. He chuckled and said, "I’ll say it again: when you forgive me is your business, but taking care of you is my business. You absolutely shouldn’t feel any psychological burden, you hear?"

Hearing this, Jiang Silu’s eyes welled up with tears. She nodded hard and said once more, "Thank you..."

Just then, Lu Yao called out to Jiang Silu, telling her that the teacher was starting a new topic.

So Jiang Silu said goodbye to Lu Fan and rejoined her classmates.

As for Lu Fan, he was already thinking about finding an opportunity to secretly transfer the deed for Spring Glow Garden to his daughter’s name.

’He knew that no amount of gifts could make up for the years of fatherly love his daughter had missed. But at the very least, from the day they reconnected, he was determined to be the best father he could be.’