Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty
Chapter 329 - 328: Frontal Confrontation

Chapter 329: Chapter 328: Frontal Confrontation

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By this time, it was already past noon. Usually, the villagers had already had their lunch. But because they were busy watching the drama unfolding between the Wangs and the Wus, most of the villagers’ families were just starting to cook. When the Wang father and son came to invite them, the men all joyously went to the Wangs’.

In the yard, five tables were set up. Wang Cheng and his younger brother were entertaining guests outside. Chen Afu and Mrs. Wu, along with the other women, ate inside the house and then began packing up their belongings. The Wangs were destitute, with nothing of value to take with them except a few sets of old clothes. Mrs. Wu stared at the embroidery frame for a long time but eventually did not take it, vowing never to touch it again in her life.

After the meal, Wang Cheng gave the leftover dishes to the guests, saying that after they left, if the guests fancied anything in their house, they could take it.

Chen Afu and the others left the courtyard with the Wang family. Wang Cheng and Mrs. Wu tearfully bid farewell to the place they had lived in for nine years, climbed into the carriage, and left.

Chen Afu rode in one carriage with Wang Xiaomei and Xia Yue, while the rest of the Wang family rode in another. As they were about to leave the village, a cry was heard from outside.

Chen Afu lifted the curtain and saw Granny Wu, an old man, and three other men crying after the horse carriage, shouting, "Daughter, have you no conscience? You take the Wu family’s skills and leave, not caring about your parents’ survival..."

This family was ridiculous, not only were the people outrageous, but their thoughts were even more absurd.

Wang Xiaomei shrank into Chen Afu’s arms, whispering in fear, "I’m scared!"

Chen Afu hugged her tighter, saying, "Little sister shouldn’t be afraid. When we get to our new home, you’ll never see them again."

Upon hearing this, Wang Xiaomei’s eyes glistened, a big smile spread on his chubby face.

Chen Afu laughed, pinching the little girl’s thin face. She was from the modern world and didn’t want to see life mistreated as if it were weeds. Luo Yuan and the guards quietly asked her if they needed to "off" the two annoying old people. Chen Afu disagreed, saying it was enough to free her uncle’s family from their oppression forever.

The carriages entered the city gates at dusk, and it was already dark by the time they arrived at the Marquis’ Mansion. They went to the Bamboo Courtyard to have a meal first, then ordered the servants to tidy up the yard. They even took out ten taels of silver and asked the Mansion’s sewing room to make a few sets of clothes for the Wang family.

By the time they sent off the Wang family, it was already late into the night. Chu Lingxuan had not returned yet. Ever since Wang Cheng’s incident, the men of the Chu family had become busier.

The next day, Chu Lingxuan still had not returned, only sending a message via his personal guard to Chen Afu, instructing her to continue preparing for the journey back. They would set off in the late afternoon of the 26th.

Despite Chen Afu’s eagerness to return home, she had no choice but to wait patiently.

That day, Chen Afu steamed dozens of cakes. Apart from giving them to the masters of the Chu family and the Wang family members, she also gave twenty to the Empress Dowager and ten to the Royal Rui family. Each of the respectable servants received one each, but none were given to Mrs. Li.

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Li was furious. She ran to the master to complain, saying that Chen Afu did not respect her as an elder and considered her less than a servant. She criticized Chen Afu for letting her poor relatives eat and drink at the mansion and ordering the sewing room to make clothes for them, which broke all the rules...

The master had long lost patience with Mrs. Li and said, "If you want people to respect you as an elder, you need to behave like one. You don’t even treat yourself as a human being, why should others treat you as an elder. As for her relatives staying at the mansion, they should, because this mansion will belong to Xuan’er and the others in the future..."

The master’s words pierced Mrs. Li’s heart, especially the latter, leaving her in such distress that she burst into tears. Angered, she ordered her maids to go to the kitchen and sewing room and hint that they should not treat the Wang family as guests.

However, the managers of the kitchen and sewing room said that the Third Mistress specifically instructed them to treat the Wangs well. The food should be the same as that provided to the master and even the ten taels of silver that the main lady gave for making clothes, the Third Mistress had asked to be returned...

These events were gradually reported to Chen Afu by Xiao Mo. Xiao Mo’s mother was the second in charge in the main kitchen, which was the gossip propagation and creation center of the mansion. As long as it concerned Chen Afu, Xiao Mo would report every word to her.

Chen Afu praised Xiao Hong and made some additional orders. She also wrote two recipes for snacks for Xiao Mo’s mother.

Fearing that Mrs. Li might cause trouble for the Wang family, she sent Mrs. Hong from her courtyard to the Wang’s courtyard to serve them.

Just as Chen Afu guessed, two servants often spoke harsh words in front of the Wang family members. Once, someone deliberately caused Wang Xiaomei to stumble, and Wang Cheng was also hassled by the gatekeepers when he returned from a task.

Chen Afu was furious. She could bear it if they provoked her, thinking to avoid trouble whenever possible. She didn’t want to directly confront Mrs. Li yet. But it was not tolerable when they provoked her uncle’s family!

Chu Lingxuan is the heir, and she is the heir’s wife. They are the rightful masters of the Marquis’ Mansion. Anyone clear-headed enough would understand this. Chu Lingxuan had been away for a long time, and these people were turning things upside down in his absence.

She didn’t go to find the Third Mistress, she let her people call for the head steward, the managing lady Mrs. Cai, and the Third Mistress’s maid, Yu Zhu, to come to the Bamboo Pavilion.

She did not invite the three of them to sit, and coldly laughed, saying, "Since the young master has been away for a long time, and being a new bride from the countryside, no one naturally sees me in their eyes. I’m tough-skinned and can bear being bullied. But my uncle’s family is only here for a few days, and they have to be humiliated so much by the servants, how can I face my mother?" She wiped away a tear, then said to Hong Fei and the other maids, "Please go and ask Mr. Chu, Mrs. Cai, and Miss Yu Zhu to have mercy and stop their servants from bullying my uncle’s family."

The three people such as Mr. Chu were terrified upon hearing these words and all knelt down, saying, "This old slave (maidservant) dares not, it’s my (our) negligence that made Uncle suffer. We’ll investigate this right away, we must give Uncle an explanation..."

Two hours later, six servants from the mansion were caught, including two trusted maids from the second lady. They were each beaten with twenty planks and then sold out of the mansion. All six claimed they were wronged and said it was the second lady who told them to do so.

Mrs. Li cried and made a fuss, and was slapped on the mouth by the second master who came rushing over.

After this incident, the Third Mistress personally came to the Bamboo Pavilion to visit Chen Afu. The Old Marquis and the third and second masters each sent people to relay a message to her, telling her not to think too much, the Marquis’ Mansion was her home.

Yet, Chen Afu fell sick.

In the following days, rumors spread among the servants in the mansion, saying it was Mrs. Li’s intention to prevent the heir and the main lady from returning to the mansion, hence her many schemes...

Mrs. Li did indeed harbor such intentions, many people knew about it, but when it was openly disseminated, the Li family couldn’t bear the shame and didn’t dare to leave the courtyard. Mrs. Li denied it, she went to the Third Mistress to complain, saying that somebody was framing her, and was asking the Third Mistress to find the person spreading the rumors for severe punishment.