Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty
Chapter 188 - 187: Compensation and Arrangement

Chapter 188: Chapter 187: Compensation and Arrangement

For Diudiu Scissors+

Upon hearing the news, Mrs. Wang rationalized that a dying man certainly couldn’t take a wife. Thus, they might be more likely to accept the child in her belly. Not only could she safely give birth, but she could also provide her child with a legitimate identity...

So, Mrs. Wang secretly followed these people, offering them ten taels of silver notes, saying she would willingly marry into the Chen family. She explained she could do embroidery work to earn money for his medical expenses, but they must acknowledge the child in her womb...

The ten taels of silver were Mrs. Wang’s private stash, saved secretly by Chen Shiying. When she had returned to her mother’s house, she had taken it with her.

Mrs. Ding was overjoyed to hear that the Chens could indeed offer ten taels of silver. She could only get four or five strings of cash for selling off Wang Juanniang. For the prospect of getting an additional five to six taels of silver, she disregarded her kinsman Zhao’s admonition to send Mrs. Wang far away and sold her to Chen Ming in the neighboring town instead...

Mrs. Wang continued her story. Of course, there were many parts she felt too embarrassed to verbalize, but Chen Afu filled in the blanks.

Chen Afu’s tears flowed freely, as did Chen Shiying’s.

In the end, Mrs. Wang wiped her tears with a handkerchief. Once her emotions had settled, she began, "Heaven watches over us. My husband’s condition gradually improved, and we were graced with a son, Alu. My husband has always been good to Afu, treating him as his own. Even though Afu had been sickly since he was little, he’s never shown any repulsion. In order to get treatment for Afu, for Afu’s future care in old age, we lived frugally as a family. My husband never complained... Sometimes I would think back to the past, and in comparison, I am even more grateful that I was welcomed into this home. This family has offered me and Afu warmth and respect that no other family could have. Although we are not wealthy, our family is harmonious and content. We have endured the most grueling times and now live a comfortable life without worries." She shifted her gaze over to Chen Shiying and continued, "Ying Di, I am telling you all this today because I want you to understand. Only this family has given Afu and me the warmth and respect others couldn’t grant..."

Chen Shiying’s face was already streaked with tears. He took out a handkerchief and wiped his tears away, saying, "Sister, after hearing your words, I feel so ashamed. I never would have imagined my mother, the Tangs, and even your stepmother, could harm you in such ways. I didn’t fulfill my responsibility. I was young and ignorant at that time and didn’t have the ability to protect you, letting you leave my home with your pregnancy. I owe Fu’er an even greater apology. My rightful eldest daughter who should have been cherished in my arms, grew up as someone else’s daughter...On his deathbed, my father held my hand and gave me two instructions. He told me to keep a distance from the Zhao relatives and settle back in Hu’an, my ancestral home. He also told me to take good care of you, saying that having you by my side would be my blessing. Regrettably, I failed to accomplish either of my father’s wishes." He spoke through his tears, "Looking back now, my father probably had some premonition, fearing that I would lose you. But I never imagined that I really would... I failed my father, betrayed you and Fu’er... I also have to thank my brother-in-law for being so good to you. I can’t even compare to him." Having said this, he buried his face in a handkerchief and cried.

Seeing him this way, Chen Afu and Mrs. Wang held each other and cried.

After hearing all this, Chen Afu no longer solely blamed Chen Shiying. At the time, he was only a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy, equivalent to a high school freshman in his previous life. Granted, he was inattentive and failed to protect Mrs. Wang. He shouldn’t have had an intimate relationship with Mrs. Wang so early, creating Afu, and then failing to protect Afu, leading to her untimely death...

If blame had to be assigned, it should be placed on his father for dying too soon, on his venomous natural mother, on Mrs. Wang’s malicious stepmother, on the Tangs’ overwhelming greed, and on Junior Officer Zhao’s cruelty.

He only exempted him from blame.

He was not Mrs. Wang’s worthy match. Fortunately, Mrs. Wang left his house. She wasn’t the real Afu either, and he didn’t wish to have too much interaction with him.

Chen Afu wiped away her tears and tried to console Chen Shiying. "Mr. Chen, it has been so many years since all this has happened. It’s a blessing that my mother married my father and that both my mother and I are still alive. Now, our life is getting better day by day, and our home is filled with peace and joy. You, too, have a successful career, lovely wives, and children bringing warmth and noise to your home. We’re all living well, so let’s not disrupt each other’s lives anymore, shall we?"

On hearing the phrase "lovely wives," Chen Shiying’s old face turned red. He wiped away his tears, about to respond, when a knock at the door interrupted him. Mrs. Mu announced, "Miss, the noodles are ready."

Chen Afu got up to open the door and took the noodles. The noodles were already cold and clumped together. It seemed Mrs. Mu didn’t feel comfortable coming in. She had been waiting in the kitchen for Chen Afu to come and collect them. As she could wait no longer, she finally brought them over.

Chen Afu set the noodles in front of Chen Shiying at the table and said, "Mr. Chen, please."

When he heard this form of address and recalled Chen Afu calling another man "father" just a moment ago, Chen Shiying was filled with emotion once again. He looked tenderly at Chen Afu and said gently, "Fu’er."

Your Fu’er is long gone.

Thinking of Afu who had passed away, Chen Afu’s eyes welled up again. Lowering her head, she turned and sat next to Mrs. Wang.

Chen Shiying had had his breakfast before the hour of Chen. He was already hungry. The smell of the noodles and egg made him even hungrier, so he picked up the bowl and started eating.

Chen Afu had to admit, this man was indeed graceful, even when eating noodles, he looked good doing it.

Seeing Chen Shiying finishing his noodles, Mrs. Wang stood up and said, "Now that we’ve said all there is to say, and you’ve eaten, it’s time for you to leave."

Chen Shiying did not move. Instead, he said, "Sister, we’ve finished discussing our past, but we haven’t resolved the problem. We have yet to talk about how I can compensate you and what should be done for Fu’er."

"I don’t need your compensation!"

"And I don’t need any arrangement from you!"

Chen Afu and Mrs. Wang protested in unison.

Chen Shiying, shaking his head while forcing a smile, said, "Sister, Fu’er, hear me out. As a man, as a father, I must compensate, and I must make arrangements. Sister, you took care of me for ten years, the impact you had on my life and how I interact with others was significant, and I benefited greatly. I will forever etch your kindness in my heart, and I am also grateful for my brother-in-law’s care for you. I hope that your days to come will be even better. I hope Fu’er won’t need to show herself in the public to earn money and still live well. Fu’er is the eldest daughter of Chen Shiying. She should have been living a life befitting a lady of gold and jade. I don’t want to see her scrounging for a living."

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Wang’s grief resurfaced. She teared up and said, "Do you blame me for making Afu show herself in public in order to scrape a living? Do you blame me for not giving Afu the life of a lady of gold and jade? I’m just a woman from the countryside. Our home is the poorest in the countryside, I wasn’t capable of..."

Seeing Mrs. Wang crying so heartbreakingly, Chen Shiying hurried to explain, "Sister, you misunderstood me, I didn’t mean that. I just wanted you to accept my goodwill..."

Chen Afu said, "Mr. Chen, it seems you don’t know how our family lived before. If you had known, you wouldn’t have said those things..."