Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty
Chapter 163 - 162: Protecting You Completely

Chapter 163: Chapter 162: Protecting You Completely

Seeing the look on Chu Lingxuan’s face, Manager Luo was startled and quickly bowed, saying, "I deserve to be punished for my mistake. I was thinking... since nothing bad has happened, it wouldn’t be good for Afu’s sake if Master had a falling out with Mr. Chen..."

He reasoned that Chen Afu was still just a needlework master, and the actions he had taken constituted quite a severe blow to the Zhaos and Granny Chen - he had really stepped up to defend him. Unexpectedly, the Master blamed him. It seemed that the Master valued Chen Afu far more than he had imagined...

Chu Lingxuan said coldly, "Nothing happened? If we wait for something to happen before punishing someone, even if we beat that old scoundrel to death, what good would it do?"

Manager Luo quickly responded, "My inadequacy is at fault, I failed to handle this properly. So now, shall I lead the team to The Zhaos’ Village?"

Chu Lingxuan waved his hand dismissively saying, "Forget it, what’s done is done, there’s no need for further actions. Uncle Luo, remember in the future, when dealing with some matters and some people, one must never hesitate or be reluctant to act. As long as no one is killed, all actions are justified. Today, by crushing the face of Mr. Zhao and Granny Chen, they surely wouldn’t dare to stir up any further trouble. However, just in case, we might as well continue to protect Master Chen."

Manager Luo quickly bowed in agreement.

Chu Lingxuan continued, "I’ll deal with the rest of these matters myself. Granny Chen has done all this for fear that I would learn of her previous misdeeds. Normally, I wouldn’t bother getting involved in the Chens’ family affairs, but now, it would be doing them a disservice not to pay a little attention. A few days ago, Mr. Chen went to Capital City on official business. When he returns, I’ll personally thank him for his mother’s concern about the Chus. With my grandfather’s blessing towards his father-in-law and with the validation of the officials, we’ll highlight how Granny Chen is putting on a show in front of the locals. Hmph, a country woman dares to mess with our Chu family... does she really think Master Chen is like Wang Juanniang, to be toyed around with at will?"

He quickly escalated the conflict between Aunt Chen and Chu Lingxuan to that of the Chens and the Chus.

Normally, out of respect for Chu Shiying’s status as Governor of Dingzhou and given the Emperor’s favor towards him, Chu Lingxuan would at least try to save face. But Granny Chen, not only is she cruel and ruthless, harming even her own granddaughter, but also resorts to such methods, this behaviour cannot be tolerated.

Manager Luo, who had been wiping the sweat from his forehead, said, "Only Aunt Tang and her illegitimate daughter, Ms. Chen, accompanied Granny Chen back to the countryside. Neither Mrs. Chen nor the young master of the Chens returned. It seems that Mr. Chen and Mrs. Chen probably didn’t approve of Granny Chen’s decision to return to the countryside to carry out these deeds."

Chu Lingxuan commented, "I’ve heard that Mrs. Chen is quite well-regarded. If she were in the countryside, she would never let Granny Chen do such foolish things."

Chen Afu happened to bring in a plate of freshly cooled sugar-coated peanuts to the West Wing for the kids, hearing the latter part of their conversation.

Seeing Chu Lingxuan’s support, she was deeply moved and sorry about Manager Luo being reprimanded on her account. Even she herself felt that Manager Luo had already done his best in taking this step.

Chu Lingxuan noticed Chen Afu, and reassured her, "Master Chen, don’t worry. You’re one of Tang Garden’s people. I will.. I’ll have Uncle Luo protect you. To cut off future troubles, I will also have a proper conversation with Mr. Chen about certain things."

Chen Afu thought to herself that Granny Chen would never tell Chen Shiying about her existence. If Chu Lingxuan were to look for Chen Shiying, she wondered if her identity would be exposed.

She hesitated and said, "Mr. Chu, you may have already realized that I bear a strong resemblance to Mr. Chen Shiying. I have heard some rumours... I... I... just want my family to live in peace and I don’t want my mother to be upset any more. So please..."

Was she afraid that he would reveal to Chen Shiying that she is Chen Shiying’s biological daughter? It seemed to him that she already knew her true identity, yet she still didn’t want to acknowledge her true father. Chu Lingxuan’s respect for Chen Afu deepened. Despite her young age and the hardships she had suffered, she was not misled by wealth and prominence...

He said, "Master Chen, don’t worry, there’s something which I would never disclose." Moreover, he said, "How long do you think you can keep those things hidden? Mr. Chen is very sharp. He was quite far in Jiangnan, so he didn’t know much about the Zhaos, who are his own mother’s people. Recently, he has just arrived in Dingzhou and his mind is all on official affairs, so he might have neglected some things. Once he gets his footing, he’s sure to notice some anomalies. I even suspect that with the great fuss his mother is making, he may learn something as soon as he returns from Capital City."

Chen Afu sighed, "Well, let’s delay it for as long as we can. We tried our best and if we can’t avoid it in the end, there’s nothing we can do. Anyway, I think the home I have now is very good; it’s warm and full of love, with a kind father and a filial son. I don’t want anything to change."

She once again thanked Chu Lingxuan with a bow.

Chu Lingxuan replied, "Master Chen, you don’t need to be polite. I’m not only helping you, but also my little girl. Yan’er would rather not have me as her father than lose you as her aunt."

The three of them couldn’t help but laugh at his words.

Chen Afu went to the South Room and handed the sugar-coated peanuts to Mrs. Song, and then hurried off to cook the meal. After bustling in the kitchen for a while, she thought of adding some agarwood trimmings to the hotpot to make it more fragrant.

Her eagerness was both a form of gratitude to Chu Lingxuan and a form of hope. She hoped that the aromatic agarwood would firmly captivate his taste buds, prompting him to come more often so that her family would be safer and she would feel more confident. If she had to confront that old orthodox woman face to face in the future, she wouldn’t be afraid.

She bumped into Manager Luo in the courtyard and blushed as she apologized to him.

Manager Luo waved his hand and laughed, "The Master was right to reprimand me, I was indeed neglectful in my duties. In the future, Afu you should not wander freely, and if you are going to the village or somewhere far, you should let Uncle Luo know."

Chen Afu nodded in agreement, then headed to the back of the yard. She entered the latrine, locked the door, and slipped into the alternate space.

Jin Yanzi, after listening to Chen Afu, chirped with laughter, "See how nice the main male character, Master Chu, is? Every time mommy gets into trouble, he comes to help and even scolded people because manager Luo didn’t protect you enough. He’s doing this because he’s smitten with you. Everyone knows, this is what we call ’the hero falls for the beauty’, he must be infatuated with your beauty. Mommy is smart, you first capture his eyes, then his stomach. Tsk tsk, it’s hard not to let him be the main male character. Mommy, you’re so calculating, yet you act as if you have no intention of this." Lifting a wing, she continued, "Anything that is beneficial to mommy and the main male character, I will spare no effort to help."

Then, flying up to a tree, she pecked at some agarwood trimmings, about the length of a toothpick, and handed them to Chen Afu, cooing flatteringly, "Mommy, look how much I give you each time, this little thing can be used five times. With its flavor enhancement, Master Chu will surely visit more frequently."