Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty
Chapter 336 - 335: The Long and the Short

Chapter 336: Chapter 335: The Long and the Short

Upon the mention of Jin Bao, Chen Dabao remembered that he had been longing for the golden swallow that still had not returned. He tugged urgently at Chen Afu’s sleeve, "Mom, why isn’t Jin Bao home yet? I’ve seen lots of geese and swallows flying north, so why hasn’t it come to find us? Could it have forgotten the way home?"

Chu Hanyan had also been eagerly waiting for the golden swallow. Hearing Dabao’s words, she pouted, on the verge of tears.

Chen Afu laughed, "What a coincidence, we encountered Jin Bao on the way. It even stayed with us for two days. It just missed the forest too much and has flown to play there first. Maybe it will come back tonight."

Dabao jumped for joy at first but then pouted again. He said, "Jin Bao should miss me and little sister more. We miss it so much that we can’t sleep well or eat properly, but it ran to the forest first."

Miss Chu didn’t think so much. The news of Jin Bao finding its way home left her smiling brightly.

Kids are always most friendly to their peers. As Li Xuan got familiar with his new siblings, he started to smile at them.

For Li Xuan’s safety, it was natural not to disclose that he was the emperor’s grandson. Instead, he was introduced as the son of a friend of Chu Lingxuan. Due to some special circumstances, he would be looked after by Chen Afu in Tang Garden for a while. So, it was decided in Capital City that Li Xuan would temporarily refer to Chu Lingxuan as uncle, and Chen Afu as aunt. Of course, he was not allowed to call Dabao uncle either.

Chen Afu placed Li Xuan on the Luohan bed so he could play with the other two children. Meanwhile, she fetched the gifts she had bought for the kids and the Animal House, and also some decent presents for Mr. Liao and Manager Luo. This time she didn’t forget Qi Qi and Hui Hui, and got specially-made silver anklets for the fox family, even personally putting them on.

The younger ones were excited, with Qi Qi imitating Chen Ye’s voice, "Hmm, thanks, brother."

Hui Hui, imitating Mrs. Hu’s voice, said, "Oh, just so-so." It wasn’t as smart as Qi Qi and didn’t quite understand the saying, thinking it was a compliment to Chen Afu.

Chen Afu was a mix of amused and exasperated. When the family of Chen Ming brought presents to the main house, Chen Ye and Mrs. Hu loved to say these two phrases, and even they had learned them.

In Lu Garden, Mrs. Wang and Wang Cheng sat on the bed, tearfully sharing their individual experiences. As Chen Ming felt it was about time, he suggested with a smile, "Mrs. Juan, it’s time to let them see their living quarters. They’ve come a long way and need to freshen up."

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Wang got up and led Wang Cheng to east wing. She said, "Your family will be living here from now on..." That’s when she noticed Mrs. Wu walking shakily and needing the support of Mrs. Tan to step over the threshold. Mrs. Wang asked, "Is the sister-in-law unwell?"

Wang Cheng replied, "She fell ill during confinement."

Mrs. Wang quickly helped Mrs. Wu, exclaiming, "Oh my, why didn’t you say so earlier? This illness can’t be taken lightly. Come sit on the bed, I’ll have someone make you ginseng soup."

Mrs. Wu was moved to tears by the urgency and concern in Mrs. Wang’s eyes. Even though there were many relatives in her own family, none cared for her as deeply.

Mrs. Wang left Wang Cheng’s family to freshen up in the east wing and went to the kitchen to instruct Aunt Mu to make ginseng soup.

Tired, Mrs. Wu went to bed after washing up, and Wang Cheng took their two kids to the main room.

Wang Xiaodi and Wang Xiaomei noticed three large dogs and two smaller ones lying on the mat under the eaves of the West Wing Room. Kids generally love animals, but the size and ferocity of the three big dogs deterred them.

Alu laughed, "Don’t be scared, as long as you don’t touch their pups, they won’t hurt you." He then led the children to the side to watch them.

Zhui Feng and Sasa immediately became alert. Aside from family members, they didn’t allow anyone to approach their babies. However, seeing that the two had no intention of touching their pups, they lay down at ease. Cai Wang, further away, was taking a nap.

It was pitch-dark outside, the night sky was full of stars. The food was ready, but Chen Ming was not ready to start serving the dishes. They were waiting for his son-in-law’s family to arrive.

Chu Lingxuan and Chen Afu arrived, leading their three children, two parrots, and a carriage full of gifts. As soon as they entered Lu Garden, Zhui Feng and Sasa each picked up a puppy and ran towards Chen Afu.

Chen Afu squatted down and took the two little puppies from their mouths. The pups were just ten days old and their eyes hadn’t opened yet. They inherited the best traits from their parents- white fur, grey ears. Upon closer inspection, indeed one had a slightly longer nose, the other a bit shorter. They both were snuggling comfortably in Chen Afu’s arms, whimpering softly.

Chen Afu exclaimed, delighted, "Oh my! Such beautiful babies! I’ve never seen such cute puppies before!"

Delighted, Zhui Feng let out a few howls to the sky, contemplation whether to lunge at its master but feared the pups might drop down, hence it settled with licking the hem of his master’s clothes. Sasa’s eyes sparkled brightly, unblinkingly staring at Chen Afu.

Chen Afu chuckled back, "Sasa, you’ve truly outdone yourself! Giving birth to such adorable puppies!"

After exchanging some pleasantries with the family and giving Wang Cai some braised pork bones he brought along, Chen Afu finally entered the main room.

Chu Lingxuan, Chen Afu, Chen Dabao, and Chu Hanyan, all four of them knelt and paid their respects to Chen Ming and Mrs. Wang. Chu Lingxuan had already started addressing them properly and from today onwards Chu Hanyan too started calling Chen Ming and Mrs. Wang"grandpa" and "grandma".

In their happiness, Chen Ming and Mrs. Wang gave them each a red envelope.

The dinner spread had already been laid out on the table. Normally, men like Chu Lingxuan, Chen Ming, Wang Cheng, and the women and children had separate tables. But today was an exception, so Mrs. Wang joined the men’s table.

Mrs. Wu was still resting. At the other table, only Chen Afu, the adult, was guiding the children to have their dinner and Li Xuan was being fed by Mrs. Wei.

Mrs. Wang pointing towards a plate of fried pickled vegetables with pig fat said, "Cheng, you loved this dish when you were young. I personally cooked it for you."

Upon tasting it, Wang Cheng nodded, "Mmm, it’s exactly the taste that I’ve been longing for years. Xiaodi’s wife also tried cooking it but it never tasted as good as this."

Mrs. Wang smiled, "If you like it, eat more." And she kept adding more onto his plate.

After filling Wang Cheng’s bowl, Mrs. Wang realized Chu Lingxuan and apologized, "I am sorry for that, My son’s return has got me so excited that I forgot about everything else."

Chu Lingxuan laughed, "That’s okay. No need to be so formal, mother-in-law."

Wang Cheng was too absorbed in his joy of reunion with his sister and Chu Lingxuan’s words brought him back to reality. He had been in the army for almost twenty years now and even a low-level officer could berate him. A slight displeasure could invite kicks from his superiors. And now, this high-ranking official was sitting next to him for a meal, even if he was his niece’s husband, it scared him.

When Wang Cheng got frightened, his hands started to tremble.

Chu Lingxuan helplessly cooed similar to how he would comfort Chu Hanyan, "Uncle, don’t be scared. At home, we are family, and you are my elder. If you act like this, when we return home, Afu will be upset with me."

After saying this, he raised his wine cup to toast Wang Cheng and Chen Ming, a smile adorning his face.