Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty
Chapter 372 - 371: Blocking Disaster

Chapter 372: Chapter 371: Blocking Disaster

He Linsheng is eighteen this year. Due to his unfavorable reputation and the pickiness of both his parents and himself, his marriage has yet to be arranged.

Some days ago, his parents took a liking to the legitimate daughter of the Chens, stating that although Mr. Chen had only recently started his duties in Dingzhou, he had achieved notable success in officialdom, much to the Emperor’s admiration. Chances are he might be transferred and promoted in the capital. From afar, He Linsheng glanced at Ms. Chen the Third and felt that despite her not being a stunning beauty, she had an excellent figure and her curved eyebrows and eyes had their charm. Thus, he became somewhat agreeable to the idea.

However, the Chens had been somewhat hesitant, and he was also afraid that Chu Lingxuan would interfere, and changes might occur over time. Therefore, when he heard that Ms. Chen the Third was drowning, he jumped into the water without any hesitation to rescue her...

Chu Lingxuan helplessly said, "I had no choice. If I had stood by without rescuing your sister, people would accuse me, her brother-in-law, of being cold-hearted and even talk about our marital relationship. If I did save her, she would certainly seize the chance to cling to me. This was a trap she set up for me. I don’t care about people’s opinions, but I don’t want to drag you into this. Moreover, Mr. Jian happened to be here. I’ve been wanting to leave a good impression on him. So, heh heh, I had to push He Er out to shield me from disaster."

Chen Afu laughed and yet was angry, saying, "He Er did shield you from disaster, but if Chen Yuhui marries into the Hes, we don’t know what trouble she will cause for my maternal family."

Chu Lingxuan said, "My father-in-law is quite astute and knows how to handle this."

Chen Afu said, "You’ve manipulated He Er, won’t the Hes be even more resentful toward you? When Mrs. He saw me just now, she could hardly wait to devour me. Mr. He is your superior, you need to be cautious these days, don’t let him hold you in a vice."

Chu Lingxuan said, "Even if I didn’t manipulate He Er, the Hes would hate me anyway." He said carelessly, "Mr. He has always been aiming to trap me, and I’ve long grown accustomed to it... Today, I took advantage of Mr. Jian’s trip to the toilet to secretly slip Mr. He a ginseng. By using his son to bully others, that He Er took advantage of the pretext of martial arts competition and severely beat a few of my men..."

This remark amused Chen Afu again.

Chu Lingxuan said, "I’ll take you home. Then I’ll pay a visit to your maternal family, to discuss with my father-in-law."

Chen Afu said, "In that case, we can accompany you there." With Chen Yuhui now having a "good family" in sight, she would no longer have her sights set on Chu Lingxuan.

Chu Lingxuan nodded and told the coachman to change his direction for the Chens’ Mansion.

Chu Hanyan only spoke to Chen Afu after her parents had finished talking, saying softly, "Mother, I saw the bride, she is very beautiful, but not as beautiful as mother. Not only do I say so, but even sis Lan and sis Shan agree."

Both Chu Lingxuan and Chen Afu laughed. Chen Afu praised her for her behavior today and added, "It’s enough if you keep in mind that your mother is beautiful, but in front of others, you should say that their mothers are beautiful. This way, they will be pleased."

Ms. Chu nodded her head in understanding.

Back at the Chens’ Mansion, Chen Shiying had returned home with his wife and daughter. He was almost mad with anger. Considering the way his colleagues looked at him, he wished he could kill that shameless Chen Yuhui.

He followed Chen Yuhui to her yard, slapped her face hard twice, and scolded, "How did I raise such a shameless daughter? You actually went to pick lotus leaves not far from male companions and even fell into the water. Don’t tell me it was unintentional!"

Chen Yuhui held her slapped face and shouted, "It was intentional! So what? It’s only fair. Since Mrs. Jiang hated my aunt, she deliberately took away my good marriage prospect. Yet heaven has given her own daughter’s ideal match to me. This is what we call retribution. And crying, "Father, I am also your daughter, your eldest daughter, raised by your side. Yet how do you treat me? The family you’ve arranged for me is merely a rich peasant, so I had no choice but to do what I did."

Chen Shiying pointed at her and angrily said, "You’re truly incorrigible! The people from the Chu family specifically wanted to marry your elder sister. How can you say that we deprived you of good marriage? The Weis chosen by your mother for you aren’t of an official status, but they have money and land, and their family is good-natured. I’m sure you will be treated kindly there. You have a bad temper and are petty, so your father asked your mother to find this type of family for you. Only this type of family will treat you well and be tolerant of your shortcomings. Do you really think marrying into the Hes is a good marriage? Giving you to them was simply your mother’s thought, I didn’t agree. As for the Hes, the Hes..." Regardless of whether the Hes were good or not, she would have to marry into their family.

Chen Shiying looked at his second eldest daughter, tear-streaked but stubbornly gazing back at him. This was the daughter he had doted on since her childhood. He left the vicinity in a huff, leaving some maids to keep an eye on her.

Chen Yuhui glared at the unfamiliar maids in the house before coldly snorting and went back to her bedroom to lie on her bed.

This afternoon, she had put her life on the line. Because Mrs. Jiang had found her a rural landlord’s family as a potential suitor. To marry into such a family would be worse than death for her.

Having opted for the Fus’ house for the evening, she shook off the maidservant and maids who had been by her side and noticed Chu Lingxuan with a few young nobles on the opposite side of the lake. She thought the opportunity had arrived; thus, she went to the bridge to pick lotus leaves and then fell into the lake. No matter whether Chu Lingxuan jumped in to save her due to his reputation or out of affection for her, he was bound to rescue her.

However, after regaining consciousness, she was told that her saviour was not Chu Lingxuan, but the second son of the He Family, He Linsheng. Despite disappointment, marrying He Linsheng certainly beat marrying into a landlord’s family. Moreover, she knew that Mrs. Jiang was planning to offer Chen Yuqing to the Hes, and it seemed Chen Yuqing was eager to join them. Taking away Chen Yuqing’s husband-to-be and driving Mrs. Jiang and her daughter to fury felt like an unexpected gain. At this thought, she smiled.

Just as expected, Mrs. Jiang and Chen Yuqing were angry. Chen Yuqing had been holding back her tears at the Fus’ house but started sobbing uncontrollably once she returned to her courtyard. Mrs. Jiang was at her side weeping and attempting to console her.

When they were at the Fus’ mansion, Chen Yuhui had been sent to Mrs. Fu’s courtyard to change her clothes by maids. After Mrs. Jiang, Mrs. Fu, and Mrs. He heard about the incident, they rushed to Mrs. Fu’s courtyard.

The maid who had reported to them had said that the young lady who had fallen into the water was Ms. Chen the third, and the rescuer was Mr. He the second.

At that moment, Mrs. He held Mrs. Jiang’s hand, saying, "Mrs. Chen, don’t worry. We all like Ms. Chen, and we will certainly take responsibility. This is a match made by heaven..."

When they arrived at Mrs. Fu’s courtyard, they realized the one who fell into the water wasn’t Ms. Chen the third but the second Miss from the Chens, who was an illegitimate child.

Mrs. He instantly frowned. Her anger made her hands tremble. She had just spoken in front of Mrs. Fu and many other ladies, saying she would take responsibility, she couldn’t go back on her words, could she? Besides, given the magnitude of the situation, even if she wanted to, it wouldn’t be possible. Her husband had always wanted to establish a marriage alliance with the Chens. He would surely promote this marriage. However, her legitimate son marrying an illegitimate daughter felt like swallowing a fly...