Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty
Chapter 339 - 338: Visiting the Mother’s Family

Chapter 339: Chapter 338: Visiting the Mother’s Family

Liao Chen was extremely happy and excited, his face flushed red with emotion. He teasingly chided, "You silly child, why did you come here then? Ah, you mustn’t harm my great-grandchild." He didn’t resemble a monk at all.

Following that, he went to burn incense to the Bodhisattva, praying for Chen Afu to deliver a healthy child safely. Even better if it was a boy.

This was the first time Chen Afu saw Liao Chen so thrilled. She chuckled, "Grandmother, look at how eager you are. We still don’t know whether it’s true or not."

Liao Chen chuckled, "It’s more than likely it is." Then addressing Chu Hanyan, he said, "You’re already a big kid now, your mother can’t carry you around."

Chu Hanyan didn’t know why her grandmother and mother were so happy. After hearing her grandmother’s words, she hesitated. She didn’t express any agreement or disagreement, merely pouting.

The matter wasn’t finalized, so Liao Chen didn’t want to say much to Hanyan, instead instructing Mrs. Li and the several maids to look after Lady Chen carefully.

After eating and resting, Chen Afu and Chu Hanyan left the monastery and rode the carriage back to Tang Garden.

In Lu Garden, when Wang Cheng and his family woke up and went to the main house for breakfast, the table was set with vegetable porridge, steamed dumplings, pickled vegetables, fried peanuts and additionally two bowls of Swallow’s Nest Porridge, nourishing supplements for Chen Ming and Mrs. Wu.

Mrs. Wu, startled, quickly handed the Swallow’s Nest Porridge to Mrs. Wang, saying, "Sister, I cannot accept this."

Mrs. Wang laughed, "Why can’t you accept it? You’re Cheng’s wife, which makes you my little sister. If you’re healthy, then Cheng, Xiaodi (little brother) and Xiaomei (little sister) will all benefit." Having said that, she moved the porridge back in front of Mrs. Wu.

Wang Cheng also urged, "Sister-in-law, if my sister offers it to you, you should take it. Once you regain your health, you can properly repay my sister and brother-in-law, along with my niece."

Then, Mrs. Wang asked, "How did such a young girl come down with this illness?"

Wang Cheng simply explained how Mrs. Wu had fallen sick.

Mrs. Wang sighed, "Daughters are also flesh and blood to their parents. How could they be so heartless?" Then she self-deprecatingly added, "Even our father was {completed translation here}

Wang Cheng had already heard yesterday that Mrs. Ding had been divorced and that Wang Laohan had taken another concubine. Wang Cheng was excited and exclaimed joyously, "It serves her right!"

But hearing that Mrs. Ding had sold his sister for the second time, he gritted his teeth in anger.

Mrs. Wang, still smiling, consoled him, "I should thank her for selling me off a second time. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have found such a good husband."

The siblings discussed plans to pay respect at their mother’s cemetery on another day.

After the meal, Mrs. Wang took Wang Cheng’s measurements, intending to make a pair of clothes for him.

Wang Cheng declined, "When sister-in-law gets better, she should be the one making clothes for you. How can I trouble you to make clothes for me?"

"I am willing," Mrs. Wang responded.

After Mrs. Wang finished taking measurements, Wang Cheng went to the backyard to feed the cows. He felt that the cowshed needed improvement, so he began to refurbish it; Chen Afu had passed on her cows and cart to Lu Garden.

Wang Xiaodi ran energetically to the chicken coop to feed the chickens. Even Aunt Mu could not stop him.

Chen Ming, riding on the cart pulled by Shan Zi, went to the village to deliver the gifts that Chen Afu and the third household had brought for the main family. As of then, Shan Zi and his mother, Aunt Mu, had completely settled down in Lu Garden, serving as servants.

Fu Garden left only Mr. Zeng as the gatekeeper and cleaner of the courtyard.

Once Chen Ming drove the cart to the main house, he prepared the gifts for Hu Laowu and the others to be delivered by Shan Zi.

The main household was overjoyed to see the large pile of gifts: six pieces of silk, two round fans, six hairpins, and a heap of food items, all rare commodities from the Capital City. Especially noteworthy were the silk, fans, and hairpins, which were bought from the Shui Linglong Embroidery Shop.

Because of Chen Afu’s dowry, Chen Ye has been upset with Chen Ming. Despite his wholehearted considerations for his brother, his efforts were not appreciated. Chen Ming tried several times to mend the relationship, but Chen Ye was indifferent.

At the beginning of the month, Chen Ye felt it was time for Dahu, having turned six, to start school. He approached Chen Ming hoping that Dahu could study with Mr. Liao.

Chen Ming and Mr. Liao did not have a close relationship and had hardly spoken either. Still, with his brother’s request in mind, he nonetheless had to swallow his embarrassment and approached Mr. Liao at Tang Garden. However, Mr. Liao declined straightaway.

When Chen Ming relayed this to Chen Ye, he felt helpless and took Dahu to the private school at Shangshui Village. Mr. Jiang tested Dahu’s aptitude and finding it lacking, refused to accept Dahu since he didn’t enroll children from outside the village. Chen Ye came back to Chen Ming again, who then approached Manager Luo. Manager Luo went to seek Mr. Jiang. After a lot of back and forth, Dahu was finally able to go to the private school in Shangshui Village.

Chen Ye was devastated. Why were Alu and Atang’s academic performances so strong, and why were his own son and grandson not up to the mark? Now, the gap between the main household and the second and third households was markedly wide. Would the gap continue to widen in the future?

Fortunately, his daughter-in-law was pregnant again. He hoped she would give birth to another boy to bring honor to their family.

Seeing that Chen Afu’s gifts were relatively expensive, Chen Ye nodded approvingly, "Hmm, I accept Afu’s kindness."

Mrs. Hu was amazed at the pile of gifts before her. But, regaining her composure, she arrogantly remarked, "Well, it’s average."

Chen Afu wasn’t present, otherwise, she would laugh her head off. Mainly because Qi Qi and Hui Hui were acting just like their mother.

Mrs. Chen invited Chen Ming to stay and eat and ordered someone to fetch Mrs. Wang.

Chen Ming declined, "No need, sister-in-law’s younger brother Cheng is back. He’s currently staying at our house. We need to accompany him."

To this, Mrs. Chen and Chen Ye both cheerfully remarked, "Oh, that’s great news. They are all family. Tomorrow, invite them to our house for a meal and to spend the day."

Chen Ming was overjoyed to hear that his mother and brother were giving him face. He agreed, "Sounds good. My wife is currently looking after her younger brother’s wife, so she can’t do much. I’ll ask Aunt Mu to come over early."

Chen Ye asked for more details about Wang Cheng. Chen Ming cleverly did not mention that Wang Cheng’s family was poor or that Chen Afu bought their house in the Capital City. He only mentioned that Wang Cheng worked in the military. Although he wasn’t an officer, he had a military salary, so he was getting by..."

After Chen Ming left, Mrs. Hu started, "I don’t believe the Wang family is living a comfortable life. How much can a common soldier earn? Moreover, his wife is sick. Wang’s detests her own family, so she wouldn’t pay attention to her maternal family. Now that her brother is here, I hope he won’t transfer all the Chen family’s wealth to his maternal home."

Mrs. Chen quickly scolded, "Shut your mouth. If you dare to instigate differences between the brothers again, go back to the Hu family."

Chen Ye also rebuked angrily, "You really enjoy stirring up trouble. The second brother is not a fool, why would he let Wang transfer all their money to her maternal home?"

After returning to the Lu Garden, he found Mrs. Wang, Wang Cheng, and Mrs. Wu sitting under a tree chatting. Their eyes were still reddish. When the conversation turned to the happy or sad events, they would wipe their tears.

Shan Zi took the ox cart to the backyard. Chen Ming sat down and told Wang Cheng about the invitation from his older brother for the entire family to have a meal at their house the next day. Mrs. Wang was also delighted that the main household was giving her face.