Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty
Chapter 173 - 172: Mr. Chu

Chapter 173: Chapter 172: Mr. Chu

Chen Afu quickly put down what he was holding and together with Mrs. Wang he asked Aunt Mu and Auntie Zeng to go to the kitchen. There was still half an hour before evening, they couldn’t prepare anything too complicated or time-consuming. They could only stir-fry a few common dishes, mix a few cold dishes, and make some Luwei.

First, they needed to cook rice and stir-fry the dishes, then prepare the gold-thread cakes while they were eating.

Chen Afu thought for a while and decided on a menu. Braised rabbit, braised pig liver, braised ribs, braised bean curd, cold mixed tripe, cold mixed wood ear mushrooms, garlic kelp thread, sugar-coated peanuts, garlic sprouts sautéed with double-cooked pork, golden fried prawn balls, onion-wrapped mutton, braised beef with radish, stir-fried double mushrooms, Bear’s Paw Tofu, and clear-stewed chicken. In total, four braised dishes, four cold dishes, six hot dishes, and one soup.

Once they decided, they all started working.

Auntie Zeng’s smile disappeared as she busied herself. If it were in the past, she would think these dishes were too ordinary apart from the golden fried prawn balls which she hadn’t heard of. Even the cooks in Tang Garden could prepare more complex dishes than these. She wondered why did they choose to dine in Lu Garden instead of staying in Tang Garden.

It wasn’t until they had hot pot that day, she realized that the young master’s cooking skills had reached such an advanced level. Plus, recently, despite making some of the most ordinary dishes, they tasted great. Yesterday when Auntie Mu was busy, she took up the wok to stir-fry a few dishes, to her surprise, her skills had improved drastically, and the dishes were even more tastier than before...

Mrs. Wei also helped to stoke the fire in the kitchen. While working, she started narrating the legendary life of Chu Guangkai and Mr. Chu to Chen Afu. According to her, Mr. Chu went to the frontier when he was fifteen and returned at thirty-five after serving there for a good twenty years, and during his tenure, he accomplished numerous military feats. Eight years ago, at the age of twenty-seven, he was conferred the Marquis of West Advancement and the same year he also became the commander of Yucheng, becoming the youngest commanding officer in Dashun dynasty. He was the favourite son of the old marquis and was also Mr. Chu’s most beloved uncle, and the pride of the Chus.

Although the frontier was quite stable in these years, the emperor primarily wanted Mr. Chu to continue guarding the Yucheng frontier. But the old marquis repeatedly petitioned mentioning his old age, even crying to make his plea strong, and that’s how Mr. Chu came back.

By the look on Mrs. Wei’s face, she seemed to greatly admire Mr. Chu.

"Our Yongning Marquis Mansion has produced three of the youngest in the Dashun dynasty. The first was the late old marquis, who became a marquis at twenty-two, the youngest. Our Mr. Chu became a senior general at twenty-seven, the youngest senior general. Our Mr. Chu became a deputy general at twenty-two, the youngest third-rank official," Mrs. Wei said proudly.

"Didn’t the old Marquis worry about damaging Mr. Chu’s career by asking him to return?" Chen Afu asked casually.

"Ah, the old marquis had no choice. His request for Mr. Chu to return was not just because he missed him but also because he wanted him and Mrs. Chu to come back and help manage the Marquis Mansion..." Mrs. Wei might have thought she had said too much, quickly stopped speaking.

Auntie Zeng paused, then asked, "Isn’t Mr. Chu and his wife living in the residence of the Marquis of West Advancement after their return to the capital?"

Mrs. Wei shook her head and said, "No, the old marquis asked them to move into the Marquis Mansion, saying that Mr. Chu spent too little time with him in the past. So he must live in the Marquis’ Mansion for a few years and pay him more respects".

Auntie Zeng laughed, whispered, "That’s good, if the Marquis’ Mansion is..." Auntie Zeng gestured the number two with her finger and continued, "If it’s managed by her, once it’s handed over to Mr. Chu, it will be nothing more than an empty shell."

Mrs. Wei smiled and said, "That’s why the old marquis called them back. Mrs. Chu is very capable, her natal family is influential, and she used to have a good relationship with the master... And she’s not afraid of... that person. With her in charge, the second lady won’t be able to make trouble anymore. From now on, Mrs. Chu will manage the affairs of the Inner Courtyard, and Mr. Chu will take care of the Outer Court and outside the mansion. The old marquis will have more leisure time and can spend more days in Tang Garden."

Chen Afu was baffled but she didn’t ask further. Not that she wasn’t curious, in fact, she was curious about many things. She just felt that the affairs of the Marquis’ mansion had nothing to do with her. And she didn’t like words like Inner Courtyard, Backyard, and Power Struggle, which sounded distant to her. Therefore, apart from Mr. Chu, whom she found interesting, she was indifferent to everything else.

When the food was almost ready, Chen Afu asked the servants to move the square table to the center of the room and take out the yellow-glazed green-porcelain dinnerware set. This was a New Year gift from Tang Garden, and it was handy to use now.

She also brought out a jar of Blue Flower Brew. After thinking about it and considering that military officials are usually heavy drinkers, she brought out another jar of brew.

Chen Ming was nervously pacing back and forth in the room, with his facial muscles twitching constantly. Seeing that the bowls and chopsticks had been set on the table, he became even more anxious.

He said to Chen Afu, "Afu, I’m scared. I was so scared when I saw Mr. Chu that I couldn’t eat. Now that I’m going to see the old Marquis, I’m even more afraid. I heard that these nobles, if they are unhappy, they will punish people. I’m afraid that if I say anything wrong, it will harm you all."

Chen Afu encouraged him, "The old Marquis is not a madman, why would he beat someone for no reason? Considering Mr. Chu’s character, his grandfather and uncle should not be too overbearing."

She thought to herself, if he knew that Mr. Chu was a marquis, and a general, as well as a great general who scared the enemy, he would be even more afraid.

Dabao also said, "Grandpa, don’t be afraid. Grandpa Chu is very nice and won’t lose his temper for no reason."

Chen Ming said, "I won’t join them for the meal this time, let the three of them eat by themselves, okay?"

Chen Afu said, "Then let them eat by themselves. Anyway, they are not our guests, they came by themselves."

As it was almost evening, Chen Ming, trembling, led Alu and Dabao to the door to welcome their guests. He kept reminding them not to talk too much, as too much talk may lead to slip of the tongue.

Chen Afu, along with Zeng Xiaoqing, began to place the cold dishes and luwei on the table.

Suddenly, there was a commotion from outside the courtyard. Then, Chen Ming’s trembling voice was heard, "I, a humble man, pay my respects to the old marquis and the two gentlemen." He was panting and obviously very frightened.

They then heard the voices of Dabao and Alu, "Young ones pay their respects to the old marquis and the two gentlemen."

Dabao’s voice was loud and he didn’t seem scared at all.

A voice of an old man came, "Please rise quickly. We have had the nerve to come to your house for a meal, there’s no need for any formalities."

Chu Lingxuan’s voice came, "Uncle Chen, don’t be so polite, we are all familiar with each other, and we have to frequently interact, too many formalities would be inappropriate."

He must have said it with a smile, devoid of the earlier aloofness. However, that "Uncle Chen" not only scared Chen Ming but also startled the people in the kitchen. Mrs. Wei gave Chen Afu another glance.

Then, an unfamiliar hearty male voice came, "Hahaha, Xuan’er told me that the food cooked by your family is very delicious. So, I’ve decided to drop in for a meal before leaving the capital."