Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty
Chapter 161 - 160 Practicing Martial Arts with Aunt

Chapter 161: Chapter 160 Practicing Martial Arts with Aunt

It wasn’t until Chen Afu finished her tasks that she noticed the little girl pouting and looking at her resentfully. Mrs. Song and Luo Mei were by the little girl’s side.

Mrs. Song winked at Chen Afu, mutely indicating, "The little girl feels neglected."

Chen Afu went over and held her, asking with a smile, "What’s wrong, sweetie? Why aren’t you playing with your building blocks?"

Chu Hanyan pouted and said, "Auntie...doesn’t like me anymore." Her eyes filled with tears as she finished talking.

Chen Afu hated to see the youngster upset. Seeing her like this, she quickly consoled, "How could Auntie not like you? Auntie loves you – loves you so so much. Auntie was just busy and didn’t have time to practice martial arts with you. Okay, okay, let’s get started right away."

Then, she called Yang Chao’s siblings, Dahu’s siblings, and Luo Mingcheng, who were playing with building blocks in the room.

The children lined up under the corridor, with Chu Hanyan in the middle. The animals too took their respective positions, with the two parrots in the front and Zhui Feng and Wang Cai flanking the children.

Since the exterior corridor of Lu Garden was relatively narrow, Chen Afu had to stand in the courtyard outside it.

She clapped her hands and ordered, "Children, let’s practice—mar—tial—arts."

Then, she sang and gestured:

Spin three rounds to the left and three to the right; twist the neck, wiggle the waist. After a break, let’s start practicing —mar—tial—arts. Shake those hands and feet, practice deep breathing regularly. Learn to sing and dance with Auntie, and keep your body healthy... smile, smile, always be courteous, with a smile that can be scooped up, you’ll become prettier and prettier, everyone will praise you... remember to wash your hands before eating, rinse your mouths after eating, the healthiest people are the happiest... one, two, three, four; two, two, three, four...

Chen Afu had altered both the lyrics and the movements of this "Health Song" to suit the norms of this era.

All the children followed her moves. Luo Mei and Luo Mingcheng managed to sing some parts. Chu Hanyan didn’t sing aloud but seemed to be mouthing words. Yang Chao, Yang Qian, and Dahu were clever. They watched for a while and then started dancing in sync. Being younger, Daya could only mimic the neck and buttock movements.

The few new servants in Lu Garden were astounded to see such a spectacle. The lyrics were strange, as were the movements, and even the parrots and dog were mimicking the movements. The parrots even sang louder than the humans. This made for an extraordinary spectacle. Zeng Xiaoqing covered her open mouth, wanting to laugh.

When Chu Lingxuan arrived, he was also taken aback by this uncommon scene.

Was this martial arts practice?

As soon as Dabao saw Chu Lingxuan, he eagerly let go of his hand and ran to the group to join their exercises. He was the loudest while singing and interacted the best with Chen Afu.

Chu Lingxuan watched for a while before he started to laugh. Being a martial artist, he understood the numerous benefits of such physical activities. These exercises for strengthening the body could also be considered martial arts. Moreover, these exercises not only trained the body and taught good habits but also made learning fun, which was really good.

No wonder his daughter used to fall ill frequently, especially during the cold winters. Even when she didn’t go outside, she constantly caught colds and needed continuous medicinal decoctions. But this year, not only had his daughter stayed healthy, she had also grown taller and fatter.

He felt that apart from Chen Afu’s charming and graceful figure, the most beautiful part was his little daughter’s chubby body—the chubby neck and buttocks were extremely adorable. Seeing her moving lips, he realized that his daughter could sing too.

Seeing her father smiling at her, the little girl wiggled her neck and bottom with even more enthusiasm. When they were counting "one, two, three, four", her voice could even be heard.

Madam Luo, Mrs. Wang, Mr. Zeng, and Zeng Jiang came over to invite Chu Lingxuan to sit inside the room. Chu Lingxuan waved them off, indicating that he was not yet ready to go inside.

Chen Afu and the children practiced martial arts for around fifteen minutes before stopping. Seeing Chu Lingxuan arrive, she hurried over to greet him and offer her thanks for the gifts.

Chu Lingxuan exchanged polite pleasantries, appreciating Chen Afu’s work and saying, "Master Chen, you’ve worked hard, and you’re doing an excellent job. This set of ’martial arts’ is also good—it greatly benefits the children’s health."

Then, he bent over and extended his hand towards Chu Hanyan, saying, "Sweetheart, why didn’t you come over for a hug when you saw Daddy arrive?"

Chu Hanyan pursed her lips and giggled, glanced at Yang Qian out of the corner of her eye, and then happily stepped out from the group and darted into her father’s arms.

Holding his little daughter who had come over on her own initiative, Chu Lingxuan felt immense warmth and satisfaction. Especially since she called him "Daddy" by his ear, it made him extremely happy.

Before they could fully enjoy their moment, they heard sounds of a girl crying. It was little Yang Qian.

Enviously watching Chu Hanyan being held by her father, she cried, "Yan’er has her father come and hold her. But where is my father? Why doesn’t my father care about his daughter? Why doesn’t my father come back home during the Lunar New Year? Wuu..."

Chu Hanyan said to Chu Lingxuan, "Daddy, sister Qian...is pitiful. Her father...doesn’t want her. Daddy, hold her."

Chu Lingxuan had never held any other child except his own daughter. But this was a request from his daughter, and he couldn’t refuse. Therefore, he let go of Chu Hanyan and extended his hand towards Yang Qian with a friendly smile.

Yang Qian was missing her father terribly, so she took Yan’er’s father as her own and threw herself into Chu Lingxuan’s arms. Chu Lingxuan held her for a while, which helped her feel a little better.

Chu Lingxuan went with the children to the western chamber’s South Room and sat watching them play.

Chen Afu quietly thought, Chu Lingxuan looks aloof, but he actually has a nice personality. He’s not like men of this era who generally don’t get involved with children, considering it beneath them to play with children. He loved holding his daughter, doted on her, and was willing to stay with the children while they played.

She stayed with the children in the south room for a while before leaving for the kitchen to prepare meals.

Not long after, Manager Luo arrived at Lu Garden to serve Chu Lingxuan. Chu Lingxuan and his son had just returned home from the Zhaos’ Village. When they heard that the master had returned and was visiting Lu Garden, they hurried back.

As Manager Luo pushed the door curtain aside, Chu Lingxuan rose and came to the West Wing parlor, asking "How was the celebration? Was it lively enough?"

Manager Luo bowed and replied, "Yes, exceptionally lively. When Mrs. Chen had red lanterns hung at the Zhaos’ Bridge, it was as if the heavens were shaken by the sound of the gongs and drums, and the fireworks were magnificent. The people were excited and said that Mrs. Chen was a kind woman. She had been away from her hometown for so long but still cared for her folks. She not only funded the bridge repair, but also treated the villagers to wine and meat..."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "And, you know, we added fuel to the fire, making the floating feast even more spectacular."

"How so?" Chu Lingxuan asked.

Manager Luo explained, "At this floating feast, not only were the villagers from the Zhaos’ Village invited, but also the local folks from Xiangkun, the County Governor, the County Magistrate, and several yamen runners were invited..."