Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty
Chapter 292 - 291: Imbalance

Chapter 292: Chapter 291: Imbalance

Chen Afu led Xia Yue and Qiu Yue to bustle about in the kitchen, leaving only the Chu family’s grandfather and grandson, and Chen Dabao in the room.

Seeing Chu Lingxuan’s excited demeanor, Marquis Chu had already made a guess. When there were no outsiders left, he quietly asked, "Is it..."

Chu Lingxuan nodded and sat beside him, whispering into his ear, "He can stand up now."

The old man teared up upon hearing this, murmuring, "Being able to stand up is not far from being able to walk. After all these years, I never thought, I really never thought..."

"Hmm," Chu Lingxuan responded, then turned to Dabao who was staring at him from the other table, "Today, the grandpa and daddy are happy, and since Dabao is a little man now, he should join us for a drink."

Upon hearing that he could drink like a man, Dabao was overjoyed. He first made a scissors gesture, then reminded him, "Daddy, you’re neglecting your sister. She’s been trying to get your attention for so long, and you haven’t paid her any mind."

Chu Hanyan was puckering her lips, looking at Chu Lingxuan with tear-filled eyes. When she heard Dabao’s words, she felt even more aggrieved and burst into tears.

Chu Lingxuan quickly rose to pick up his daughter, laughing, "Daddy was so happy today, I was just caught up in talking with grandpa. I didn’t mean to neglect you, honey. I apologize."

Chu Lingzhi was anxious, shouting, "Dabao is a little man and can drink wine, what about me?"

Marquis Chu burst into hearty laughter, remarking, "Of course, you’re also a little man, and you can drink too."

But when Chu Lingxuan had Chu Huai fetch the rice wine from the kitchen, Chu Lingzhi was utterly disappointed. So, it turned out to be rice wine!

Chen Afu was bustling in the kitchen, guessing that it had something to do with the Ninth Prince. Because the monk had requested the green swallow’s nest in March, and it has been seven months since then. The Ninth Prince’s condition should have improved.

She was also delighted. If the Ninth Prince’s legs were healed, the Chu family could have grand plans, and they wouldn’t have to wait for Dabao to grow up, and Dabao wouldn’t have to be on the front line.

She fried, stewed, boiled, and cooked eight dishes. Adding those to the original eight dishes, in total, there were sixteen dishes, which means "good luck."

Chen Afu took off her apron, placed the final dish named "Good Luck" on a tray, and personally brought it to the dining room.

Dabao loudly exclaimed, "Mom, dad says I’m a man now and even let me drink wine." With that, he vauntingly raised his half-bowl of rice wine.

Chen Afu smiled and nodded, then explained that this dish was called "Good Luck." The cooking method was similar to Lion’s Head, but she added more chili to the sauce, which made it look redder - hence the auspicious name. She cautioned the children to only eat the center of the meatballs to avoid the spiciness. She thought that if she had tomatoes, it would have been able to provide color without the spiciness.

Chu Lingxuan invited Chen Afu to add cheer with some rice wine. In reality, Chen Afu really wanted to drink the Blue Flower Brew they were drinking. In her previous life, she could handle eight ounces of white wine. However, in this era, it wasn’t good for a woman to have a high alcohol tolerance.

Marquis Chu and Chu Lingxuan drank for nearly two hours, finishing a whole jar of wine. Chu Lingxuan, supporting the slightly swaying Marquis, and Mrs. Song, leading Chu Hanyan, returned to Tang Garden.

Upon reaching the bare willow tree, Chu Lingxuan stopped, looked back to wave at Chen Afu and Chen Dabao, who were standing at the entrance of Fu Garden. Under Marquis Chu’s urging, he turned back around to continue walking towards Tang Garden.

It was a long time before Chen Afu saw Chu Lingxuan again after this departure, not until the end of Winter month. Only occasionally would she receive a letter from him, expressing his longing.

During this time, Chen Afu received a letter from Chen Shi, stating that Yang Mingyuan had personally proposed to the Chen family in Dingzhou on his behalf and Chen Shi had agreed. The wedding was set for next August. At the same time, Yang Mingyuan sent a letter to Chen Afu, saying that he had asked for her cousin Chen Aman’s hand in marriage.

Chen Afu was thrilled and sent separate letters to congratulate them.

Chen Shi also wrote letters to the main family and Chen Ming, telling them the good news.

Mrs. Hu was green with envy again, and not just her; Chen Ye was also sour. Both the second and third family’s girls had found good matches—one married into a well-born official’s family and the other into a wealthy merchant’s family. But Aju, his daughter, has yet to find a match until now.

The ones they appreciate find their family lacking and the ones who find their family admirable; they don’t appreciate in return.

Aju had an eye on Hu Wei, Hu Laowu’s son. She found him handsome, his family was wealthy and owned land, and he himself had secured a small position in the county government.

Chen Ye and Mrs. Hu felt that since they knew each other well, it would be a good arrangement. In the past, they didn’t have the confidence to propose marriage to Hu Laowu, but now the situation is different. Their family is not only rich, but Hu Laowu also wants to establish a relationship with Chen Ming and Tang Garden through them.

What they never expected was that Hu Laowu made excuses to avoid the subject...

It was the twenty-ninth day of the winter month and the Lu Garden was having their annual hog slaughtering event. The reason they chose this day was because both Alu and Dabao had a day off

Early in the morning, not only did Dabao go to the Lu Garden to host, but Chu Lingzhi, Marquis Chu, and Animal House also went early to enjoy the spectacle.

This was Chen Ming’s family’s first time slaughtering a pig for the New Year, and even Chen Ming was excited. He was well-known in the nearby area, and many villagers invited him to their pig-killing, so his family also invited many others, including Xiangluo Village, Shangshui Village, and Gujing Village. Fortunately, his house was large enough to accommodate so many guests.

Hu Laowu and several landlords and local leaders hurried over. They not only wanted to cultivate a good relationship with Chen Ming, but they also knew that today Marquis Chu and Manager Luo would definitely be dining in Lu Garden.

Although Chen Afu also wanted to join the fun in Lu Garden, Chu Hanyan was not fond of crowds, so neither of them went. They had Xia Yue fetch Chen Daya and Wu Xiaoqing from there, and together with Luo Mei, the young ladies enjoyed themselves in the West Wing Room.

Chen Afu closed the doors and windows of the West Wing tightly, as the Lu Garden’s backyard was bustling with activity—the pig’s screams and the excited shouts of men could scare the young ladies.

At midday, Qiu Yue brought a food box from Lu Garden. The food box contained a large bowl of pig-slaughtering vegetables. Auntie Zeng had prepared rice and a few side dishes, so Chen Afu, leading a few children, had lunch together with the pig-slaughtering vegetables.

Qiu Yue laughed and told Chen Afu, "Both pigs weighed more than two hundred pounds. The butcher said they are the fattest pigs in this area."

Chu Hanyan ate a piece of blood sausage and wrinkled her small nose, puzzled, she asked, "Auntie, my brother said that pig-slaughtering vegetables are very delicious. The most delicious delicacy. Why don’t I think so?"

That was the first time Ms. Chu had questioned Dabao’s words.

Chen Daya had already eaten several pieces of meat and, wiping her greasy mouth, she said, "The pig-slaughtering vegetable is delicious."

Wu Xiaoqing also nodded and agreed, "Yes, the pig-slaughtering vegetables are delicious. My brother likes them the most. That day when we slaughtered a pig at my grandmother’s house, my brother had to go to school and couldn’t make it, he even cried."

Chen Afu made a dipping dish in the kitchen, dipped the meat and vegetables from the pig-slaughtering dish in it, and fed it to the young lady. Only then did the young lady satisfyingly nod her head.