Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty
Chapter 291 - 290: Cheerful Today

Chapter 291: Chapter 290: Cheerful Today

The women and children had headed to the side room, and just as they sat down, they saw Chu Hanyan, hand in hand with Dabao, rushing in. Little Miss Chu was usually slow in her movements. She spoke, walked, and even ate slower than others. This was the first time Chu Hua and the others had seen her running, her small face flushed with urgency.

She ran over to Chen Afu, pouting and said, "Auntie, I missed you so much, and I missed Dabao." After saying this, she lay down on Chen Afu’s lap.

Dabao said, "Mother, I told my sister how much we missed her, to the point where we couldn’t eat, and she was moved to tears." Indeed, there had been several instances when he missed Little Miss Chu and his mother to the point where he couldn’t eat, back when Chen Afu was still in Dingzhou and hadn’t returned home.

Chen Afu laughed, lifting the little girl onto her lap as she helped fix her hair and remarked, "Indeed, Auntie missed you quite a lot. Now that you’re back at Tang Garden, we’ll be able to see each other every day again."

The little girl cuddled into Chen Afu’s neck, cooing and acting coy.

Granny Luo exaggeratedly chuckled, "Oh my, such closeness is usually only seen between mother and daughter."

Abbot Liao Chen also added, "Indeed, the happiness and health of our little Yan can all be attributed to Afu. With me in my condition and Lingxuan being busy all the time, I worry for her... Thank the Buddha for letting her meet Afu." She wiped at her eyes with a handkerchief, thinking back to the past.

Chu Hua quickly wrapped her arm around her mother’s in comfort, saying, "Mother, everything is better now, isn’t it? Yan’s sickness has improved, and sister-in-law will soon join our family. Our home will continue to flourish."

Liao Chen clasped her hands together and said, "May it be so."

Granny Luo laughed, "Auntie, it’s not a matter of ’may it be so’, it has already happened. Look, the old Marquis’s health is much better, Cousin Xuan smiles more often, and Yan is needless to say. Brilliant, sensible, healthy, and happy, she surpasses many other little girls." She nudged Luo Ying, who was seated next to her, and said, "You’ve been surpassed by your cousin."

As expected, Granny Luo knew just what to say, leaving Liao Chen laughing heartily. This was the first time Chen Afu had seen her laugh so freely.

Liao Chen expressed her gratitude towards Mrs. Wang for raising such a wonderful daughter.

The men had their meal in the main room, while the women and children ate in the side room. Owing to the presence of Abbot Liao Chen, they had a vegetarian feast, and the men refrained from drinking.

After the meal, Luo Ying tugged at Granny Luo’s sleeve, nagging, "Mother, I heard from my Uncle that the playground at Fu Garden is very fun, I want to go see it."

Granny Luo responded, "It’s nearly getting dark now, let’s go tomorrow."

Luo Ying pouted, unhappy with the idea, and went to the main room to bother Mr. Luo.

Marquis Chu, who was sitting nearby, overheard the conversation and suggested, "Fu Garden is just around the corner. If the children want to play, let them. We don’t have anything else planned, we can all go and have a look."

As soon as the Marquis finished speaking, several of the boys dashed out. Chu Hanyan was particularly interested in Fu Garden. Seeing the boys race ahead, she was even on the verge of tears as she called out, "Big brother Dabao, Uncle, wait for me!"

Chu Lingzhi and Alu paused in their tracks. Dabao, being good-natured, backtracked a few steps to hold Chu Hanyan’s tiny hand as they headed forward.

Luo Ying seemed a bit sullen and muttered to Granny Luo, "Mother, all the brothers and sisters at home like me, why doesn’t Cousin Yan like me? I tried to hold her hand, but she wouldn’t let me."

Granny Luo reassured her, "Cousin Yan just doesn’t know you very well yet. She’ll warm up to you in time."

Luo Ying shook her head and replied, "Even Cousin Heng doesn’t know me very well, but he still lets me hold him."

Chen Afu, trying not to laugh, said, "Your cousin Yan not liking you holding her hand isn’t a reflection of her feelings towards you. She’s just a bit shy and easily scared. Once you’ve spent more time together, and she sees what a caring older sister you are, she’ll let you get closer."

The group headed to Fu Garden, first visiting the "school building" in the West Wing. They admired the unique classrooms and accommodation rooms and had nothing but praise. Little Heng made a fuss about wanting to go out and play again.

Then, they headed to the backyard. The children’s playground instantly captured the kids’ attention, especially little Heng. He tried out all the facilities and played until it was completely dark outside, refusing to leave, and crying at the suggestion of doing so. He even managed to blurt out two words, "Play more."

Several lanterns were lit up, and only after he had been down the slide a few more times did his nurse manage to pick him up and carry him away forcefully.

The next day, Chen Afu was immediately greeted by a small visitor, little Heng, as soon as she woke up. He was being held by his nurse, while Chu Hua blushed and said, "I can’t help it, as soon as he woke up, he started shouting ’play’ and insisted on coming here."

Chen Afu laughed and said, "If he wants to come and play, let him. He can sleep in a small bed in the West Wing during his nap time and play all day."

They made extra breakfast for Chu Hua and her son, and invited them to eat there.

Chu Hua expressed her amazement, saying, "I’d heard from my grandfather and brother about how sister-in-law skillfully prepares food, it’s indeed really delicious." Then she added, "It’s so lovely here, I really don’t want to leave. It’s just a pity that my second grandfather has to return to the capital for his duties, so we must leave tomorrow."

Today was a banquet hosted by Lu Garden. Chen Afu let Chu Hua and her son continue to play in Fu Garden, while she headed over to Lu Garden to help out.

There was a lot of hustle and bustle in Lu Garden. As Chen Afu would frequently bring Auntie Zeng and Aunt Mu to prepare vegetarian dishes for Master Wu Zhi and Abbot Liao Chen, the vegetarian dishes prepared by Lu Garden received praise from everyone. Xie Ling and Luo Zhiyuan even remarked that it wasn’t inferior to the vegetarian meals at Lingyin Temple.

After lunch, the men returned to Tang Garden to rest, while Chu Hua and Granny Luo accompanied the children to play in the Fu Garden. The boys enjoyed the children’s playground, while Luo Ying and Little Miss Chu liked playing with building blocks and reading picture books in the West Wing. As Luo Ying was initially a bit unfamiliar with the games, Little Miss Chu proudly acted as a guide. Gradually, the two little girls started to play together well.

Even though they were invited by Chu Lingxuan, Chen Afu and her family didn’t have dinner at Tang Garden. These people were due to leave tomorrow, so their family had to spend some quality time together.

The days flew by and soon it was mid-October, and they had planted the winter wheat seeds. Chen Afu distributed 100 mu of special seeds to Tang Garden, 10 mu to the main estate, and 100 mu to Wangshan Village. Chen Ming also bought 50 mu of land and planted the special seeds there.

So far, the seeds that Chen Afu had treated were rice, wheat, corn, watermelon, and cucumber. Apart from these seeds, she wouldn’t be "improving" any others, because too much defiance of nature wasn’t good. If the genetic improvement of the first three seeds was successful, it would bring considerable benefits to the people of this era.

Now the days were getting shorter, and it would be completely dark by evening. On the 17th of October, as soon as Chen Afu and the children were settled at the table, Chu Lingxuan returned home abruptly. He was still dusty from travel, not caring to clean up first at Tang Garden. He even had a jar of wine in his hand.

He seemed incredibly ecstatic, paying no mind to the composed greetings of his two children. He placed the wine at Marquis Chu’s table and boldly declared, "Grandfather, your grandson will drink with you until we drop tonight!"

He then addressed Chen Afu, "Afu, prepare some more dishes. We’re going to celebrate tonight."