Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty
Chapter 221 - 220: Six Gods Without a Master

Chapter 221: Chapter 220: Six Gods Without a Master

Chen Afu shook his head and said, "I don’t want any of them."

Mrs. Wang anxiously said, "Afu, you’re already sixteen. Listen, don’t be too picky. Your father and I have been trying to find someone for you. We’ve considered a few young men, but none of them worked out. We’re either worried they’re more interested in your wealth, or they wouldn’t be good to Dabao. We also thought Mrs. Wei might know someone suitable and help arrange a match, but we’ve heard nothing back yet. Alas, she must not have found anyone appropriate either."

Chen Afu said, "Worse comes to worst, I’ll just remain single for my whole life. I’ve got Dabao as my son, anyway." Seeing Mrs. Wang’s eyes reddening with worry, she quickly added, "Alright, alright, we’ll continue to look."

After dinner, Chen Afu chatted with Mrs. Wang for a while before going back to Fu Garden.

She went directly to West Room to continue making clothing for Chu Lingxuan. Around 3 p.m., Dabao returned, and trailing behind him was a little tail – Ms. Chu.

Chu Hanyan, seemingly forgetting about the unpleasant incident from the day before, leaned into Chen Afu’s embrace and said, "Auntie, the cold noodles were really yummy. My daddy, Grandpa Chen, and Dabao, all said it was delicious."

Dabao also mentioned, "Grandpa Chen had just left, and I, Uncle Chu, and Yan’er saw him off to his carriage. Grandpa Chen even held my hand and told me to take good care of my grandma and mom and visit him in Dingzhou soon."

From the comments of the two children, Chen Afu wondered if her relationship with Chen Shiying had been explicitly discussed in front of Chu Lingxuan? She felt uneasy. She didn’t want her liaison with Chen Shiying to be made public. Any rumors discussed behind her back could be disregarded as gossip. If the relationship was publicly acknowledged, denial would no longer be an option. Future uncertainties would inevitably arise from this, and it made her uncomfortable.

However, seeing the two children softly leaning against her, chatting and giggling, eased her chaotic emotions. She put down her needlework and personally cooked several dishes.

When the food was ready, Ms. Chu asked sweetly, "Auntie, isn’t my daddy alone at home? Aren’t we inviting him for dinner?"

Chen Afu awkwardly laughed and said, "I didn’t cook enough food for today, we’ll invite your father another day when I prepare more dishes."

Chu Hanyan then cleverly said, "But auntie, it’s still early in the day. You can just cook some more now."

Dabao chimed in, "I also think it would be nice to invite Uncle Chu for dinner. He’s leaving early tomorrow morning and we don’t know when he’ll be back. If you don’t want to cook anymore, you can ask Auntie Zeng to do it."

Looking at the four eager eyes fixed on her, Chen Afu was at her wit’s end. She had only recently distanced herself from Chu Lingxuan, and now the kids wanted to reel it back in. Laughing, she said, "There are no more vegetables left in the kitchen. We’ll invite Mr. Chu over for a meal when there are more."

After dinner, the clever young girl held Dabao and Chen Afu’s hands, leading them towards the front door.

It was still light out at the time, with the western sky filled with evening glow. The spring breeze was gentle and comforting. Hand in hand, the three of them leisurely strolled out of the house, followed by Mrs. Song and two guardians.

Just as they rounded the corner of the Fu Garden wall, they saw Chu Lingxuan standing by a large acacia tree that stood between Tang Garden and Fu Garden.

He had also noticed Chen Afu and the children, his lips pressed into a thin line, his face somber and hands behind his back, standing quietly.

Seeing that her father wasn’t walking toward them with his usual smile, and seemed even angry, Chu Hanyan became upset, thinking he was angry at her.

She let go of Chen Afu and Dabao’s hands, running towards Chu Lingxuan. As she ran, she sobbed, "Daddy, don’t be mad at me. Daddy, don’t be angry with me."

Hearing his daughter’s words, Chu Xuanling felt guilty. He stepped forward, picked her up and said, "Daddy is not angry with you, I just got worried waiting for you."

Only after hearing that he wasn’t mad at her did Hanyan relax. She broke into a smile and whispered something into his ear, "Auntie said she will buy more vegetables in the future, and then invite you over to Fu Garden for dinner."

Chu Lingxuan blushed a little and complained, "In my daughter’s eyes, is your father really that greedy?"

’Chu Hanyan giggled, hugging his neck.

Chu Lingxuan had intended to take his daughter back to Tang Garden, but his sight caught a figure not far away, and his feet involuntarily walked over.

He went up to Chen Afu, his face stern, his eyes staring intently at her. His overwhelming presence made the thick-skinned Chen Afu lower her red face.

After a moment, Chu Lingxuan said coolly, "Mr. Chen had a pleasant chat over drinks with me at midday. Mr. Chen’s reputation is quite good, as is his official standing. Though I haven’t had much contact with him, I believe he deserves the praise of being a ’gentle gentleman’. Unlike his mother."

Chen Afu turned up her head, her mouth agape, but she didn’t speak. She didn’t understand the meaning of Chu Lingxuan’s words or know what to say.

Chu Lingxuan continued, "Tomorrow I have to return to the camp, and in a few days, I might have to go on a trip out of town. I’ll have to trouble you again to take care of Yan’er."

Chen Afu said insincerely, "It’s not a trouble." She quickly added, "I like Yan’er."

A hint of a smile appeared on the lips of Chu Lingxuan, he said softly, "I also like Dabao, and..." He was too embarrassed to say the word in front of the children. After a pause, he added, "With you, I don’t have to worry about Yan’er, no matter how long I’m outside, I feel at ease. Thank you." After speaking, he turned and walked towards Tang Garden.

Chu Hanyan was held by her father and waved to Chen Afu and Dabao with a big grin. Just about to enter the gate of Tang Garden, the little girl giggled at Chu Lingxuan, "Daddy, Auntie has been watching us, and Dabao is still waving."

Although she could express herself now, she still spoke slowly. Before she had finished speaking, she was carried by her father into the gate of Tang Garden.

Chen Afu stood motionless, watching them disappear at the entrance of Tang Garden, remaining in a daze.

Dabao looked up and asked, "Mom, who else did Uncle Chu say he likes besides me?"

Chen Afu said distantly, "Of course it’s Yan."

"Oh, that makes sense." Dabao said, and then he tugged at Chen Afu’s hand, "Mom, we can’t see them anymore, let’s go home too."

"Mm." Chen Afu seemed to snap back to reality, and she walked home quickly, hand in hand with Dabao, walking so fast that Dabao had to jog to keep up.

Chen Afu felt useless, being hurt so heavily by love in her previous life, she had sworn to stay away from the second generation of officials, and she had even set a low standard for finding a man in this life. But his every frown and smile, every unclear confession, could make her lose her mind.

That night, Jin Yanzi and a large group of birds didn’t return with Zhui Feng, the birdcages in the corridor were empty, and the courtyard was silent.

The distant chorus of frogs and the soft snores from the pillow reminded Chen Afu that she had traveled to ancient rural China and that she had a son here.

Chen Afu tossed and turned on the bed, unable to fall asleep for a long time. Chu Lingxuan and Liu Xudong appeared alternately before her eyes, filling her with extreme fear.

She had always known that the correct course of action should be to stay away from Chu Lingxuan, but her current situation wouldn’t allow her to completely leave Chu Lingxuan. On the one hand, there was Miss Chu, Little Miss Chu, and on the other, she and her family couldn’t leave the protection of Tang Garden, she couldn’t offend Chu Lingxuan completely.

But despite her resistance and evasion, she was still gradually drawn to Chu Lingxuan. She was afraid of completely falling into his trap, she was afraid that once in love, she would be abandoned again, just like in her past life...