Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty
Chapter 236 - 235 Mrs. Jiang

Chapter 236: Chapter 235 Mrs. Jiang

It took around half an hour to reach The Chens’ Mansion. Unlike in the previous dynasties in history, where the governor’s office was at the front and the governor’s family lived at the back, here, the official office and the mansion were completely separate entities.

Chen Shiying immediately took Chen Afu to a courtyard in the Inner Courtyard. A few lanterns were hanging under the corridor and the orange light from the big window was shining through, making the courtyard bright under the moonlight. This was a two-story courtyard, filled with fine trees and flowers, and a faint fragrance wafting around.

Chen Shiying led her to the main room, speaking in a low voice, "This is Mrs. Jiang’s courtyard. You will be staying here temporarily. I will have someone make arrangements for your new room right away so that you can move there tomorrow." He offered an advice, "Mrs. Jiang is a good person, modest and virtuous. You should get along well with her. Being on good terms with her would be beneficial to you in this house. Afu, you are a smart girl, you know what’s best for you."

Just as they entered the main room, Mrs. Jiang emerged from the East Room. She was wearing a slightly old satin embroidered robe in light blue, her black hair casually gathered on top of her head. Her makeup-free face looked quite ordinary, as if she was ready to rest.

She stared at Chen Afu for a second, but quickly hid her surprise. She gave Chen Afu a slight smile and said to Chen Shiying, "Has your lordship returned? And brought Afu with you?"

When she was not smiling, she came across as very dignified and serious. Yet when she smiled, she was incredibly warm. Her eyes crimped as if her heart was laughing too. And her voice — so pleasant and gentle, it was hard to believe it was emanating from her.

This contradiction in Mrs. Jiang’s demeanor somewhat confused Chen Afu.

Chen Shiying laughed and said, "Madam, please sit. Let Afu pay her respects to you first, then we can talk."

Mrs. Jiang nodded with a smile and whispered something to the maidservant standing behind her.

Chen Shiying and Mrs. Jiang took their seats on the Luohan Bed in front of them. A maid put a prayer mat in front of Chen Shiying. Chen Afu kneeled down, gave a respectful bow to Chen Shiying, and said, "Afu has seen her father."

Upon hearing her call him ’father’, a term he hadn’t heard in a long time, Chen Shiying’s eyes redened. He drank the tea she offered and said, "Good girl, this is your home. Don’t be afraid. From now on, get along with your brothers and sisters."

At this moment, a maidservant emerged from the side room carrying a tray with a carved amber ornament on it. Chen Shiying gratefully looked at Mrs. Jiang. In the rush of the day, he hadn’t been able to prepare a gift. However, the amber lotus, which Mrs. Jiang hadn’t even spared for Qing’er who wanted it, was being given to Afu today. He handed the ornament to Chen Afu.

Chen Afu stood up and accepted the gift and passed it on to Qiu Yue, who was standing nearby.

The maid moved the prayer mat in front of Mrs. Jiang, Chen Afu kneeled again, paying her respects, and said, "Afu has seen her mother."

Mrs. Jiang drank the tea offered by Chen Afu and smiled, "Afu, feel at home here. If you need anything, feel free to tell me. If anyone tries to bully you, tell me and I will stand up for you."

After saying this, she gave Chen Afu a cherry blossom hairpin made of white jade.

Afterwards, the maidservants led Chen Afu to the West Side Room to have some tea, while Chen Shiying and Mrs. Jiang went to the East Room to discuss matters.

Sitting on the embroidered cushion in the room, Chen Afu was in a daze, staring at the opulence all around.

Before long, noises started trickling in from outside. After about half an hour, Mrs. Jiang came to the West Side Room.

She smiled at Chen Afu and said, "It’s so sudden tonight, I have to ask you to stay in the West Cross Courtyard. I’ve already had people tidy up the Rose Courtyard overnight, you can move there tomorrow."

As she spoke, she took Chen Afu by the hand and lead her outside. Chen Shiying was standing in the hall. He was now changed into a set of home clothes, witnessing their intimacy, a sparkle of joy flickered in his eyes.

They exited the main room and to the right was a Moon Gate. Beyond the Moon Gate, there was a small courtyard with three rooms.

Mrs. Jiang chuckled, "Qing’er lived here until she turned ten, only after that did she move to the Moon-watching Pavilion."

Chen Afu smiled and said, "Thank you, mother."

After Mrs. Jiang left, Chen Afu finished washing up and went to bed. She stayed in the East Room, while Qiu Yue and Mrs. Xu were dismissed to the West Room.

After making sure Qiu Yue and Mrs. Xu were probably asleep, she quietly got up, barred the door, cracked open a small window, and pinched the palm of her left hand hard. In less than half an hour, Jin Yanzi squeezed through the small window and appeared in front of Chen Afu.

Chen Afu dropped the net tent, and they both entered the space.

Jin Yanzi chirped, "Mama, why are you staying here now? Stinky Dabao has been crying for you since you didn’t go back, even losing his voice. He’s turned into a crying wreck."

Chen Afu felt a surge of heartache and blurted out, "Do you think I wanted to come here? I had no choice. All thanks to that damned Seventh Prince who forced me to go to The Chus. I ended up not only agreeing to Chu Lingxuan’s marriage proposal, but also had to come here to recognize my ancestors."

Hearing that she had agreed to Chu Lingxuan’s marriage proposal, Jin Yanzi began to laugh uproariously, opening her mouth wide enough to reveal her pink throat. After laughing her fill, she said, "I told you that Daddy Chu would become my daddy, but you didn’t believe me! See, I was right..."

Chen Afu flicked Jin Yanzi on its head to interrupt it, "I called you here to tell you to protect Dabao. I’ve made an important discovery: Dabao looks a lot like the Seventh Prince and the Ninth Master. I’m afraid he might be related to the royal family. If he was abandoned, it’s certain that someone doesn’t want him to survive. Especially since Master Wu Zhi said he’s bound for a blood disaster, I’m even more worried about his safety. I won’t be able to go back to my uncle’s house in these few days. You must protect him and ensure that no one hurts him. Alright, head back quickly."

Jin Yanzi retorted, "That silly crybaby Dabao, he was still crying when I left, missing his mama, ignoring anyone who tried to calm him. He’s not well-behaved at all, nowhere near as good as little Yan’er."

Chen Afu’s eyes grew red. She said, "He’s always been with me at night, he’s never been apart from me before, it’s certainly difficult for him."

Jin Yanzi said, "The bark of the Swallow Sink Incense Tree can help with sleep. I’ll take some over to stinky Dabao." Saying this, it flew to the tree and pecked off a bit of the bark.

Chen Afu watched Jin Yanzi fly out the window, disappearing into the vast night.

Chen Afu lay back down on the bed, mulling over what the next few days would bring and what she should do if anyone caused trouble. She wasn’t able to fall asleep until late into the night.

Early next morning, Chen Afu was awakened by Qiu Yue. While she was getting ready, a maidservant walked in with a tray of clothes. Chen Afu had seen this maid the day before, she seemed to be Mrs. Jiang’s principal maidservant.

The maid curtsied and smiled, "This maid’s name is Hong Feng, and I pay my respects to the young mistress. The Madam asked us to prepare a set of clothes for the young mistress overnight, please try them on to see if they fit."

Chen Afu stood up and smiled, "Thank you, Madam, thank you sister Hong Feng."