Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty
Chapter 110 - 109: Expression of Emotion

Chapter 110: Chapter 109: Expression of Emotion

Chen Afu thanked him and followed him to the private room. Dabao was carrying the basket with Qi Qi and Hui Hui in one hand, and holding onto Chen Afu’s clothes with the other, following them into the room.

In the middle of the room was a large square table, already laden with many dishes, including some Luwei that Chen Shi had sent over.

Chu Lingxuan, sitting at the table, felt it would be inappropriate for Chen Afu, who wasn’t a servant, and him to share a table for dinner with Yan. So, he instructed Mrs. Song and Mrs. Wei to move a few dishes to the little table against the wall, for Chen Afu and Chu Hanyan to dine there. He then pointed at Dabao and said, "You’re a man, sit at the table with me."

When Dabao heard Uncle Chu classify him as a ’man’, his heart swelled with joy. He promptly took a seat at the table and asked with a grin, "Does Uncle Chu drink? Allow me to pour for you. The other day, at the Chus’ Mansion, Grandpa Chu said I poured well, and even rewarded me by letting me taste a little wine..."

Overjoyed, he slipped the secret of his pilfered drink in front of his mother. Realizing this, Dabao hurriedly clamped his mouth shut and threw a glance at Chen Afu.

Seeing his mother shooting him a glare, he quickly assuaged her and said proudly, "Don’t worry, Mom. Grandpa Chu just dipped a chopstick into his wine and let me lick it. It won’t make your son drunk or silly."

This remark successfully drew a laugh from Chu Lingxuan. Even Manager Luo and Chu Huai, who served nearby, chuckled silently.

Hui Hui, perched on the chair, flapped its wings and cried, "Kid, gimme a sip."

The voice sounded strange to Chen Afu, bearing a mix of northern and southern accents. To Chu Lingxuan and the others, however, nothing could be more familiar. They burst into laughter again.

This was the first time Chen Afu witnessed Chu Lingxuan laughing so freely. Surprisingly, he noticed dimples on Chu’s face. That’s where Yan got her little pear-shaped dimples from!

Manager Luo chuckled and said, "This parrot really is a demon. It hasn’t been with Old Master Hou for very long, but it’s already picked up his accent perfectly."

Pleased with herself for making everyone laugh, Hui Hui chimed in again, turning to Chu Lingxuan and squawking, "The sweet dates are so small, and you are eating them all. What’s left for me? You are such a big man and still so greedy."

As soon as the words dropped, everyone immediately stifled their laughter.

Chu Lingxuan’s smile only deepened. Shaking his head in amusement, he said, "No wonder the old master loves these two parrots. They are indeed fun."

Possibly jealous of the attention Hui Hui was receiving, Qi Qi craned its neck and started to squawk as well, "Birdie... flew away, birdie... flew away... flew away..." Its voice sounded just like Hanyan’s.

The room erupted in laughter again, people’s glances turning from Qi Qi to Hanyan. Hanyan, her eyes wide open, looked back at Qi Qi, a clear and innocent look in her eyes like those of a newborn baby.

Chen Afu adored this expression of hers. She couldn’t resist but leaned over to kiss her. Only after doing so did she belatedly realize that she was just a slightly more privileged ’Master’ than a servant. Doing this in front of everyone could potentially anger Chu Lingxuan, given the social hierarchy of this world and the ancient people’s lack of familiarity with such intimacy.

She swiftly shot a glance at Chu Lingxuan. He seemed a bit taken aback, probably never expecting such a move from her.

Mrs. Song and Mrs. Wei on the other side both appeared shocked and scared.

Unexpectedly, Hanyan started to laugh. Her beautiful smile, like peach blossoms gently swaying in the breeze, reminded Chen Afu of when she first met Hanyan on Honglin Mountain and saw her smile at the sight of Jin Yanzi.

The smile, beautiful and pure, lightened Chen Afu’s heart and softened it like a pool of water. Beautiful little angel, Chen Afu thought to herself. She suppressed the urge to kiss Hanyan’s cheek again and softly called out, "Yan."

Chu Hanyan, her eyes as dark as black grapes, looked at her. She made an "ah" sound, a pleading look in her eyes. Seeing that she didn’t get what she wanted, her gaze gradually became blank and she looked elsewhere.

She might have never received such an emotional response before. She liked it, she wanted more.

But even if Afu was as brave as she could be, she wouldn’t dare kiss the child’s face again.

In the modern world, whenever she saw a cute child of a colleague or a classmate, she would give them a kiss, give them a little squeeze, tease them, especially after turning thirty. The parents of the children knew that this was her way of expressing her love for their child, not only did they not blame her, but they were also very pleased. After all, this is how modern people express their love for children.

But this was the ancient time of "decorum".

Seeing the little girl’s gaze turn from eager to blank, Afu felt sorry, but all she could do was silently apologize.

Chu Lingxuan saw his daughter’s smile, saw her gaze turn from hopeful to blank, knowing his daughter liked Afu’s closeness. But he also saw a trace of fear in Afu’s eyes, and noticed that she refrained from being too close to his daughter.

Yet, in his heart, he still hoped that Afu would be close to his daughter.

He lowered his head and said, "Go ahead and eat." He then told Manager Luo to sit down and eat as well.

Chen Dabao, being very considerate, poured him a glass of wine, and filled a bowl with some rice and dish that Qi Qi and Hui Hui liked. He put the bowl on the ground for them to eat, and said, "You’ve done well imitating voices, reward yourselves with something nice."

After that, everyone began to eat their meal.

Afu didn’t know Chu Hanyan’s preference, so she held Chu Hanyan while Mrs. Song fed her on the side. Chu Hanyan had eaten some glutinous rice dates in the car, and after consuming a small bowl of rice, she was full. Midday, she just wanted to sleep after eating till her fill, her eyes becoming increasingly heavy. Mrs. Wei stuffed the toy swallow filled with spices into her hands, holding onto the toy, she quickly fell asleep.

Mrs. Wei, who had already eaten, took Chu Hanyan in her arms to let her sleep. It was only then that Afu could find time to eat.

Afu quickly finished a bowl of rice and went off to Laohuai Village with Manager Luo who also finished eating. Since Mrs. Wang had to take care of Alu and carry the sleepy Dabao, she didn’t go.

Laohuai Village was very close to Guanghe Town. In less than an hour, Afu and Manager Luo arrived by horse carriage. The tenant farmers had already been waiting at the entrance of the village. The group of them went to Lian Li’s house where Afu presented him with two packs of pastries and two chunks of meat she bought in town. With Li as the witness, they signed the rent contract.

After that, Afu and Manager Luo returned to Guanghe Town. Chu Hanyan and Chen Dabao were still asleep. Mrs. Wei and Afu carried them onto the horse carriage, and the group set off towards Tang Garden.

After half an hour, they arrived at Tang Garden around 3 p.m.

Both children were still asleep. Afu carried Dabao off the carriage and, together with Wang Shi who got off from the other carriage, went to thank Chu Lingxuan and Manager Luo.

Manager Luo told Afu to rest tomorrow and to teach Sister Yan about needlework at the Tang Garden late in the morning.

After that, they got on the carriage with Mrs. Wang and Chen Alu. As all the items in this carriage belonged to the Chens, the driver was to take them directly to the Chen’s residence in the northeast of Xiangluo Village.

The carriage ran on the winding road, bumpier than before. Looking at the familiar scenery outside the window, with the faint view of the village in the distance, Afu started to feel excited. Although she’d only been here for over half a year, those two straw houses gave her a sense of belonging.