Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty
Chapter 259 - 258: Will Work Hard

Chapter 259: Chapter 258: Will Work Hard

She cuddled Dabao in her arms after walking into the main room, thinking about how she had to reason with the child again.

In the male-dominated ancient times, Chu Lingxuan himself had a powerful family, a top-tier career, and assertive personality. His acceptance of Dabao and the warm treatment shown to him were already significant feats. Chen Afu felt that his kindness to Dabao was due to her kind treatment of Ms. Chu, his own considerate nature, and perhaps his intense love for her.

She hoped Dabao would appreciate this kindness. Even if he couldn’t instantly regard Chu Lingxuan as a dear father, he should at least show him respect in public and not harbor any petty thoughts. He thought he was clever and good at hiding, but the adults saw through everything.

But how should she address this? Chen Afu found it somewhat tricky. It’s necessary to handle sensitive and suspicious kids tactfully, or it might backfire.

Being hugged by his mother, Dabao heard her soft sigh. He rubbed his head against her chest and initiative to talk, "Mother, do you think I am playing tricks on Uncle Chu? Actually, I don’t want it to be this way either."

The boy knows it’s wrong, and he even used a proverb. She asked, "If you know it’s wrong, why do you still do it?"

Dabao pouted, saying, "I can’t resist it. The idea of sharing the bed with him later really bothers me."

Chen Afu twitched at the corner of her mouth. The way he put it, "sharing a bed"!

She said, "What nonsense are you talking? Who is sharing a bed? People would laugh to death if they heard."

Dabao asked, puzzled, "What’s there to laugh at? Isn’t that common in other families? I’ve seen my grandparents, my uncle, and aunt, even families in the village, they all share one bed with their children. Some families with fewer rooms even have their grandchildren sleeping in the same bed."

He was already five years old. It was time for him to sleep in his own room. Chen Afu decided to handle this matter when she had the time.

"Our house is spacious. Such a thing won’t happen." Chen Afu said, then rubbed his little head and continued, "Dabao, look at Yan’er. She is not my biological daughter, or your biological sister. We didn’t live together in the past. Do you think she likes her mom? Does she like Dabao?"

Dabao looked up in surprise and said, "Of course Yan’er likes both of us. Haven’t you noticed, mother?" He felt that his mother was asking an obvious question.

Chen Afu continued, "Exactly, she likes us because we treat her with sincerity, loving her like our real family, so she loves us in return. Now, your father is also treating you with sincerity, loving you like his real son. He hopes to earn your love as well. If you keep on guarding against him as you would a stranger, it will hurt him. Not only will he be upset, but Yan’er will be too if she knew you were treating her father this way. Put yourself in my shoes, imagine if I treated Yan’er very well, but she didn’t reciprocate and was always on guard against me, wouldn’t that hurt you?"

If that were the case, he would be very upset. He nodded and then asked, "Mother, does Chu ...Father truly like me? If you marry him, will you still love me the same?"

This was the dilemma weighing on his mind the most.

Chen Afu nudged his head with her chin, his skyrocket hairdo tickling her. She said, "Let’s answer the first question, at least for now your father genuinely likes you. Think about it, if he didn’t, why would he have recognized you as his adopted son? Why would he always bring you gifts each time he returns, teach you martial arts, even hire an excellent tutor from the Capital City to educate you? He hopes you will succeed in becoming someone useful to the court. ’Respond with jade to the peaches received’; you should treat him with sincerity too. Even if you can’t genuinely like him yet, you need to respect him from the bottom of your heart. You are a smart kid; you know what’s best for you. Otherwise, if he gets hurt and becomes disillusioned, whether or not he will continue to treat you as kindly, I really don’t know...Now to answer the second question, hearing you ask and think in this way makes me a little sad. Son, I want to tell you that there is one kind of love in this world that will never change, and that is a mother’s love for her child. No matter when, no matter how long, this love will never change, never, ever..."

At this point, Chen Afu thought of his biological mother. She must be heartbroken over the loss of her son!

Chen Afu’s last words touched Dabao. He knew his mother would always love him, and he also understood that upsetting Chu Lingxuan would not be to his advantage. Hence, he promised, "Mother, I understand. I will try earnestly to like my father in the future, try my best not to play tricks or scheme behind his back. And I won’t worry about you not loving me after you marry him anymore."

Chen Afu lowered her head and looked at Dabao, who was still somewhat troubled. She knew only by showing him in their daily life that he was not abandoned, could he gradually let go of his resentment. She kissed his cheek and said, "Good, remember what you just said. Mother will watch and see."

After this, Chen Dabao went to the study to finish the homework left by his tutor.

Chen Afu then called over Mr. Zeng, Chu Xiaoniu, and Xue Dagui to discuss the arrangements for transporting watermelons tomorrow.

The two acres of melon field at the north of the courtyard, plus a few smaller plots between Fu Garden and Lu Garden and behind Lu Garden, altogether about three acres, and the first batch of mature watermelons numbered over six hundred, their total weight was close to seven thousand pounds.

In her previous life, an acre of land could yield up to six thousand pounds of watermelon. But in ancient times, due to issues with insects and lack of proper fertilizers, and untreated seeds affecting germination, the per-acre yield of the local farmers was less than a thousand pounds.

Through her previous experience with cucumber seeds, Chen Afu knew that seeds from her space had improved taste and improved disease resistance. In addition, she soaked the seeds in warm water to speed up germination. Especially for the six plots of land nearby, she applied Yan Poop, which made them grow better and yield more. The eighty acres in Wangshan Village, on the other hand, lacked Yan Poop. So, the yield would be slightly lower, and also due to pest damage, it took a little longer. But compared with the local farmers, it was still much better.

She estimated that the yield of these six plots would not be less than four thousand pounds per acre. Even if it was four thousand pounds, the six plots together could yield about twenty-four thousand pounds of melons. The first harvest is due tomorrow, the second harvest five days later, and the third harvest ten days later.

Following that, watermelons from the fields in Wangshan Village would be ready for picking as well. The yield per acre there should be under three thousand pounds. The conservation estimate for the total yield from the eighty acres turned out to be around two hundred thousand pounds. With such a large quantity and the undeveloped transportation system in ancient times, she definitely needed to explore good sales outlets in advance to ensure a desirable price.