Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty
Chapter 108 - 107 She insists on holding her

Chapter 108: 107 She insists on holding her

After dinner, Chen Shi’s family didn’t go to work, instead they were chatting leisurely in the main room with Chen Afu’s family. Mrs. Zhang brought out two parcels. These were some food items for the eldest branch of the family, and two sets of silk-padded jackets she had made for Mrs. Chen and Chen Ye.

Next, Mrs. Zhang took out a brocade box from her bedroom and handed it to Chen Afu. Not sure what it is, Chen Afu opened the box and found a twisted silver bracelet.

Mrs. Zhang laughed, "This is part of my dowry. Afu, I hope you don’t mind."

Chen Afu quickly closed the box and returned it to her, saying, "I appreciate your kindness, but this valuable and meaningful item should be left for my younger cousins. I can’t take it."

Mrs. Zhang said, "I have more. When I got married, my parents furnished me with these items knowing that my husband didn’t have much money."

Chen Afu still didn’t want to accept. She had heard that Chen Shi had no money, and their current home was bought from Mrs. Zhang selling her dowry.

After some insistence from both, Mrs. Zhang was almost brought to tears before Afu agreed to take it.

Chen Shi laughed, "Afu, just accept it. With your ideas, in just a couple weeks, our family has earned equivalent to several months of income. We even have connections to the steward of the Senator’s Mansion, even local nuisances dare not trouble our family now. When we have money in the future, we’ll move to a bigger house which will be comfortable for your visits. We’ll gift you golden jewelry when you get married."

Chen Afu thanked them with a smile.

Mrs. Wang laughed, "Mother-in-law, Uncle, and my husband all miss you and hope that your family will come back to Xiangluo Village for the Lunar New Year."

Chen Afu also laughed and said, "During the Lunar New Year, Third Uncle and Aunt, please bring your younger brothers and sisters back to play. As long as you stay strong, don’t listen to Aunt Hu. Also, my grandmother will help you."

Her straightforwardness made everyone laugh.

Chen Shi said he missed his mother and big brother and would definitely return. They won’t follow Mrs. Hu anymore. He has realized that he has paid back the favor he owed. He shouldn’t reject his filial duty to his mother because of Mrs. Hu.

Chen Shi is much more astute than Chen Ming and had lost a lot of money to Mrs. Hu because he didn’t want to offend Mrs. Hu who was supposedly kind to him on surface. He wanted to save Chen Ye’s face. Mrs. Hu did not favor Chen Ming who was weak and sickly; they had a falling out long ago. As a result, Chen Ming was well aware of her character, and due to his poverty, he hardly fell for her tricks.n

Very early in the morning on the twenty-third, as dawn broke, Chen Afu got up. In the kitchen, Chen Shi and Mrs. Zhang were already bustling around; they wanted to prepare some Luwei for Chen Afu to take back with her. Chen Ayu, also, took two large buckets out of the house; he was going in place of Chen Shi to the wine-shop to purchase animal innards.

After exchanging a few words with them, Chen Afu started soaking the dates.

Mrs. Zhang laughed, "Afu is really skilled. With the same ingredients and method, we just can’t make it as delicious as Afu."

Chen Shi laughed, "It’s all the same, there’s no distinction between superior and inferior craftsmen."

Chen Afu laughed, washed up, and then went to her room. After she closed the door, she entered her magical space.

In the space, there was no sight of Jin Yanzi, so she shouted towards the trees, "Jin Bao’er, where are you?"

A little head peeked out from a small round golden window in the tree leaves, sleepily asking, "Mummy, why are you calling me so early?"

Chen Afu said that she wanted a bit of agarwood residue for Ms. Chu to make sweet dates.

Upon hearing that, Jin Yanzi crawled out of the Golden House, grumbling, "Such a hard life I have, can’t even get some good sleep. Mummy, remember my kindness, sing me more songs in the future."

After speaking, the bird yawned widely and nuzzled its beak into Chen Afu’s shoulder again.

Chen Afu managed to dab a little bit of the agarwood pellets onto a handkerchief before she walked out of her interior world.

Chen Shi and his wife had stewed a big pot of pork, pork ribs, bean curds, and lotus root. They split it into three small basins. One for their midday meal on the road, another was for Tang Garden, and the last one was for the Chens’ home.

When the Chen hour passed, Uncle Qing arrived to fetch them. Chen Afu and several others, together with Qi Qi and Hui Hui, bid farewell to Chen Shi’s family and set off for the Chus’ Mansion.

Six carriages were already waiting in the outer courtyard of the Chus’ Mansion. These were all heading to Tang Garden. Chen Afu handed Manager Luo two basins of Luwei and a large basin of sticky rice jujube, and told him that she wanted to make a stop at Laohuai Village. She had to sign a tenancy agreement with the tenants there.

Manager Luo, having already heard about this from Luo Fang, said that they were also planning to have lunch at Guanghe Town, which was not far from Laohuai Village. They would wait for her there.

Soon enough, Chu Lingxuan strolled over from the back courtyard, holding Chu Hanyan and followed by several maids and servants. Chu Hanyan held a small swallow plushie in her hands.

In ancient times, it was rare for men to carry their children, especially daughters. But Mr. Chu always had his daughter in his arms at all times. He was certainly a doting father, reminding her of that famous American celebrity so devoted to his daughter in her previous life.

Upon seeing Chu Hanyan, both Qi Qi and Hui Hui promptly got excited and cried out, "Yan’er, Yan’er". Even Chen Dabao called out loudly, "Uncle Chu, Yan’er!"

Chu Lingxuan slightly nodded at Chen Dabao and Chen Afu, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

Chu Hanyan gazed blankly at Chen Dabao, Qi Qi, and Hui Hui for a while, then slowly turned her eyes to Chen Afu.

A sudden fear gripped Chen Afu’s heart, subconsciously imploring, ’Don’t make me hold her, please don’t make me ...’

However, Chu Hanyan stretched out her hands towards her and called out, showing she wanted Chen Afu to hold her.

Remembering the awkward experience from last time, Chu Lingxuan whispered, "My dear, let daddy hold you."

Immediately, Chu Hanyan’s pretty big eyes welled up with tears, her mouth began to pout as she stared at Chen Afu, murmuring, "The birdie... flew away, the birdie... flew away, auntie..."

Although Chu Lingxuan had no idea why his daughter would always say "the birdie flew away" every time she saw Chen Afu, he was extremely happy that his daughter was speaking so much and so fondly of Chen Afu. Especially, it seemed she was able to address her appropriately as "auntie".

However, seeing his daughter break into tears made him heartbreakingly worried, so he walked over and handed Chu Hanyan to Chen Afu.

Chen Afu was touched by the soft call of "auntie", so she reached out and took the child. Luckily, this time, the child was not lying sideways and there was no agarwood in her arms.

Chu Hanyan snuggled into Chen Afu’s embrace, gripping her neck and pressing her little face and nose into her shoulder.

It was only then that Chen Afu remembered, the spot on her shoulder where the swallow had nuzzled its beak. She couldn’t help but inwardly praise the little girl’s excellent nose.

Seeing his daughter hadn’t made a scene just now, Chu Lingxuan let out a sigh of relief and motioned for Chen Afu to get on the first carriage with two children.

The woman’s slim figure gracefully moved ahead carrying one child and leading the other: little Yan was hugging her neck tightly, with her whole face almost buried in her neck. Dabao was pulling at her skirt, walking on all the while looking up at her...