Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty
Chapter 303 - 302: Finally Taking You Home as My Wife

Chapter 303: Chapter 302: Finally Taking You Home as My Wife

Chen Afu sat in the sedan chair, and amid the hustle and bustle, the chair was lifted, and it began to move. She thought she wouldn’t cry because she hadn’t treated the courtyard she’d been living in for just over ten days as home. Yet, the moment the sedan chair was lifted, tears welled up in her eyes, and through her blurry vision, all she could see was a sea of red.

About half a month ago, when she left Fu Garden and saw Mrs. Wang, Chen Ming, Dabao, and Alu left behind by the carriage, she sobbed uncontrollably.

Back then, she was reluctant to leave her family, and now, she was hesitant to leave her maiden home?

Upon her arrival at the Chus, Madame Quanfu of the Chu family helped Chen Afu out of the chair and placed a red silk ribbon in her hand. Then she rode a saddle, entered the main hall, paid respects to heaven and earth, and then to her ancestors... not her parents. It seemed the Chus had tactfully kept the nasty mother-in-law out of sight, and Prince Consort Chu, her adoptive father, was also absent.

Entering the bridal chamber, Chen Afu sat down bewildered under the watchful eyes of a room full of women. She removed her veil, took down the curtains, drank ceremonial wine, ate "offspring dumplings"... Chen Afu felt she was acting, following the instructions of the director - Madame Quanfu. The kind gaze and gentle smile of Chu Lingxuan, whom she was familiar with but had not uttered a word, relaxed her a little.

Chu Lingxuan, clad in red, looked impeccable and lively. He radiated warmth in stark contrast to his usual aloof demeanor, giving a sense of gentleness and grace.

Mrs. Fu teased, "Oh my, Mr. Chu can actually smile so sweetly. This is the first time I’ve seen it."

Everyone in the room laughed at her comment.

An unfamiliar madam joined in, "With such a beautiful bride, even if the groom were a block of ice, he would be melted. What’s more, Mr. Chu is not an ice block."

Again, everyone burst into laughter.

Embarrassed by their teasing, Chu Lingxuan blushed and could only smile awkwardly without saying a word.

Madame Quanfu chuckled, "It’s all thanks to Mrs. Fu’s good eye for bringing this pair together. The groom is as graceful as jade, and the bride is unparalleled in beauty. They are a perfect match."

...

The ceremony was finally over, and the room quieted down. The guests all adjourned to Hua Hall for the banquet. Chu Lingxuan whispered to Chen Afu, "You can rest now and change into something more comfortable. I will go and entertain the guests."

Chen Afu nodded. She had been wanting to change out of her dress as the phoenix crown was weighing heavily on her neck.

In the room were Yu Zhuo and another unfamiliar maid serving her.

Chen Afu instructed them, "Get Xia Yue. She knows my habits."

Yu Zhuo nodded and left the room, and shortly after, Xia Yue came.

Xia Yue expertly removed the phoenix crown from Chen Afu’s head and assisted her to the bathing chamber. Just as Chen Afu settled into the bath, Xia Yue quickly produced two small pastries from her bosom and stuffed them into Chen Afu’s mouth, whispering, "Miss, I know you can’t stand being hungry."

Chen Afu closed her eyes and finished the pastries before asking, "What should you call me now?"

Xia Yue suddenly realized her mistake, and sticking out her tongue, she giggled, "Oh, I should call you Madam now." Mrs. Li had reminded her several times, but she had mistakenly called Chen Afu by her maiden title again.

Chen Afu listened as Xia Yue told her that they had arrived that morning with the dowry and had spread it out in the open air in the courtyard. Many people from the Marquis’ Mansion came to look. Afterward, they moved the dowries to the back room. Chen Afu’s clothes and daily necessities were brought to the master bedroom... The five of them had had their meal and were staying in the back room. The people there were nice to them...

Chen Afu’s body relaxed as she received some updates. When she stood in the bedroom again, she was dressed in a red embroidered blouse with a pomegranate red pleated skirt.

She sat down at a dressing table and only put a little grime on her rosy face. Her hair was down and was casually tied up with a jade hairpin. Without any makeup, the beauty in the mirror was as dazzling as peach blossoms in March.

Feeling comfortable, she finally began to take in the furnishings of the room. The room was quite spacious, like a vast ocean of red. A palace lantern with red tassels hung on the ceiling. The partition behind the bed was adorned with a red canopy, the corners of which were decorated with red sachets. The bed was covered in a red quilt, and two large red candles gleamed on the tall table...

There was also a jade-inlaid, carved dressing table, a carved cabinet, hoop-back armchairs, a room divider for privacy behind the partition, and latticed windows in front of the bed... Red silk flowers adorned all these places.

The bedroom was in the east room.

The east room had a sizeable bed near the window, a small table was placed on the bed, and a row of cabinets was lined up at the end of the bed. A line of cabinets was arranged on the south side, and two hoop-back armchairs were placed separately on the two sides.

Further in was the living room, where a tall table, a square table, armchairs, a green-glazed three-legged censer, an antique rack filled with ornaments, a double-sided embroidered screen with eight panels, and drawings by well-known artists of this era hung on the walls...

The living room led to the west room with similar furnishings as the east room, but the large bed was replaced with a Luohan bed. The west room was the study, which contained bookcases, desks, and a Guqin.

All of the furniture was made of rosewood and adorned with carved dragons, gilded and inlaid with jade – the epitome of prosperity...

She looked outside through the latticed window; the sky was already dark, and red gauze lamps lit up the courtyard, casting a red glow. The courtyard was extensive. Apart from the gardenia tree outside the window, the sights in the distance were hard to make out.

Yu Zhuo and a maid named Hong Fei had already set the table on a large bed with the help of two unfamiliar maid-servants. They had prepared ginger fish, roast goose, marinated duck, diced jade, assorted silver soup with jade, chicken soup with bird’s nest...

The two small pastries she had eaten earlier barely satiated her hunger. The aroma of food was making Chen Afu’s stomach cramps worse. Both in her previous life and in her current one, she had never let herself suffer from hunger. When she was in the orphanage, she would steal food when rations were scarce. After being transported to the poverty-stricken Chens, she would use the little money she earned to buy food. But now, she was hungry from morning till night, and despite being surrounded by tempting food, she couldn’t eat.

Knowing that her mistress had always prioritized her stomach over her dignity, Xia Yue reminded her in a low voice, "Miss – oh, sorry, Madam, please bear with it a bit longer. The guests outside have left, and the master will be returning soon."

Chen Afu shot her a glance, was her desire for food so apparent?

No sooner had the words been spoken than footsteps were heard outside the window, followed by the voices of the servants hailing the arrival of "His Highness." Chen Afu noted that the people here all referred to Chu Lingxuan as "His Highness," whereas those at the Senator’s Mansion and Tang Garden called him "Master." Evidently, Chu Lingxuan was not fond of the title of "His Highness," and he did not allow his subordinates within his domain to address him so.

Chen Afu stood up to welcome him, and Chu Lingxuan had already entered the east room.

His face was flushed, apparently from drinking quite a bit.

He looked at Chen Afu, the corner of his mouth curving upwards into a smile, and his eyes filled with tender affection, like undiluted honey. He said, "I’ve finally brought you home."

Chen Afu blushed and remained silent; they were not alone after all.

Chu Lingxuan asked again, "Are you feeling comfortable?"