Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty
Chapter 290 - 289: Getting Lively

Chapter 290: Chapter 289: Getting Lively

By the time Dabao finished talking with Chen Afu, it was already late in the mid-morning, and instead of going to sleep, he headed to the study to write the homework assigned by his teacher.

Today’s task, completed today. It’s a good habit. Seeing his eyes swollen to a slit, and the occasional uncontrollable sobbing, Chen Afu felt heartbroken, but she did not stop him.

She bent over to stop Qi Qi and Hui Hui, who were about to follow and make trouble, chided, "Annoying little things, haven’t you caused enough trouble?" Then, she gave each of them a smack on the head.

These two little creatures had scurried in when Dabao began to sob loudly. They stood on the table, watching the drama, snacking on peanuts, while fervently supporting Chen Dabao.

"Not leave, not leave, not leave, not leave."

"Sleep together, sleep together, sleep together, sleep together."

...

Chen Afu was so angry she could bite something.

Seeing the two little fellows about to puff up, Chen Afu said, "No more mischief, or tomorrow I’ll have someone in the county town custom-made anklets for you."

The two little ones didn’t know what anklets were, but they intuitively thought they must be a good thing. They’re very pleased to have earned these benefits through their efforts, and they went back to their room whistling.

Chen Afu sighed deeply. A dog doesn’t mind if his home is poor; only dogs are truly man’s best friends. Birds, cats, and the likes are pets that need pampering. And these clever "aristocrats" ought to be pampered to high heaven.

Dabao didn’t finish his homework until midnight, and he was so sleepy that his eyelids were fighting. After Qiu Yue had served him to wash up, Chen Afu sat by his bed, holding his hand, watching him fall into a deep sleep.

Even after he was asleep, he muttered, "Mother, don’t leave me, forever ..."

Seeing him like this, Chen Afu felt a little heartache.

Now, she finally understood why the feelings between a widowed mother and her only son often seemed almost morbid, as they rejected everyone else.

She is not a widow, but a woman and her son who live closely together tend to resemble a widow and an orphan in their interactions.

After all, Dabao clearly knew he was adopted. In his eyes, Chen Afu was not only his mother but also the only one he could lean on for a happy life.

He was genuinely afraid that he might lose her.

Chen Afu sighed, kissed him lightly on the forehead, and then got up to close the mosquito net.

Walking out of the east wing, she saw the moon in the sky and let out a long sigh of relief. A difficult battle finally came to an end.

Once she got back to her room and washed up, she teleported into the magic space. Without Dabao around, it was easier for her to enter the space.

Jin Yanzi was in the middle of building a house, her long tail erect. Chen Afu looked around but did not see Jin Bei; she asked, "Where is Jin Bei? Why don’t I see it?"

Jin Yanzi stopped what she was doing and said, "I put it in the Golden House, hoping the Green Swallow’s nest can give it more aura." After saying this, she went back to work.

Chen Afu sat next to it, watching it for a while. She felt relaxed in body and mind before going back to sleep on her bed.

The next day, she got up early. She wanted to be the first thing Chen Dabao saw when he opened his eyes.

Dabao had sweet dreams all night. When he opened his eyes, he saw his mother sitting next to him, smiling at him. As usual, he quickly got up, hugged Chen Afu and kissed her, saying, "Good morning, mother."

Only after looking around at the changed bed, curtains, and the entire unfamiliar room did he realize that he had moved to the east wing.

Seeing the desolation in his eyes, Chen Afu pretended not to notice and helped him get dressed.

One needs time to get used to new habits.

After breakfast, Chen Afu sent him out of Fu Garden. Just at that moment, Alu happened to pass by and took him towards Tang Garden. Following them was Chu Xiaoniu.

At that moment, Wang Laowu came over carrying a water bucket. He said with a smile, "Miss, I want to fetch some water from Fu Garden."

Chen Afu guessed that he must have heard the noise Chen Dabao made in the middle of the night. She just nodded at him, meaning to go ahead.

Six days later, when Dabao had already gotten used to sleeping alone in the east wing, Tang Garden became lively again. Not only did Marquis Chu return with his grandson, but Abbot Liao Chen, Chu Hua, and her husband Xie Ling and son Heng, along with Mr. Luo, Luo Yuanzhi, Granny Luo and their daughter Luo Ying, arrived. Including the guards and servants, over forty people moved into Tang Garden.

Only after listening to Auntie Zeng’s introduction did Chen Afu finally understand the relationships among these families.

Chu Hua’s husband Xie Ling was the second son of Prince Wei. He was a fifth-rank official in the Imperial Forestry Army. Although his rank was not high, his grandfather was a prominent figure in the Dashun dynasty, currently holding the position of the Left Army Commandery.

At the time when the Chu family was in decline, they couldn’t secure such a good marriage for Chu Hua. However, years ago, when Xie Ling was stationed at the frontier, he happened to visit the Chu family and saw the beautiful Chu Hua. He was smitten with her and insisted on marrying her when he returned home. Prince Wei had no choice but to arrange the marriage.

Luo Zhiyuan was the son of Luo, a nobleman. As he had not passed the civil service examination, he secured a small post with a rank of seven due to his family’s influence. Although it was a small role, it was at least a permanent post. Now, he came with his wife and daughter to attend Chu Hanyan’s birthday, and also to visit his aunt, Abbot Liao Chen. Luo’s father was Liao Chen’s elder brother, serving as the inspector of Jibei Province.

This was why Abbot Liao Chen chose to be a nun in Honglin Mountain, not far from here. The highest-ranking official here was her elder brother, and it was also close to her dowry estate.

They arrived at Tang Garden before midday. In the afternoon, Chu Lingxuan sent someone to invite Chen Ming’s family and Chen Afu and her son to Tang Garden for dinner.

Since several members of the Luo family and Xie Ling were considered outsiders, it wasn’t appropriate to invite them to Fu Garden for a meal. They had to invite them to Lu Garden under the name of Chen Afu’s parents and offer a vegetarian meal.

Chen Afu, together with Chen Ming and Mrs. Wang, decided on the menu. They asked Mr. Zeng and Aunt Mu to go to the county town to buy ingredients. They also needed to buy more items as gifts for the guests when they left.

At dusk, Chen Afu, Mrs. Wang, and Chen Ming went together to Tang Garden. Tang Garden was small, so they all went to Hetang Court, where the elderly lord usually lived.

When Chen Afu saw Xie Ling for the first time, she was taken aback. He was as tall as a tower, but his facial features were not bad. Despite his rugged appearance, he was quite gentlemanly, very patient with Chu Hua and his son Heng. He was clearly a dutiful husband.

However, Mr. Luo, Luo Zhiyuan, did look like a noble son, handsome and tall. Rumor had it that he was quite a debauchee, with several concubines and maids. If it wasn’t for Granny Luo’s strictness, he might have caused even more trouble.

Mr. Luo was stunned when he saw Chen Afu. Although he had heard about her beauty and knew that the daughter of a man like Chen Shiying would not be unattractive, he was still surprised by her beauty when he saw her. It was no wonder that the Seventh Prince pursued her all the way to the Senator’s Mansion. He couldn’t help but look at her a few more times, and only turned his gaze away when he heard Chu Lingxuan coughing.

He glanced at his wife out of the corner of his eye and noticed that Granny Luo’s face had darkened slightly.