Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty
Chapter 374 - 373: A World of Ice and Fire

Chapter 374: Chapter 373: A World of Ice and Fire

Chen Afu said, "She is walking right into danger, isn’t she?" Then he chuckled, "But then again, Chen Yuhui is no pushover. Who knows, she might be able to outsmart He Er, he’s not invincible."

Chu Lingxuan replied, "Even the most rational people could lose to brutal force. It’s going to be a circus at the He’s house." Then with a mischievous smile he added, "I unintentionally ended up as matchmaker bringing two most fitting people together."

Chen Afu laughed, "Apart from Chen Yuhui and the old lady, no one will appreciate your matchmaking efforts."

Chu Lingxuan pecked Chen Afu and said, "I don’t care about others’ opinions, all I want is for Afu to appreciate me. Marrying off your sister, your family will finally get some peace."

Chen Afu became somewhat excited at the thought of someone else taking care of that mischievous girl, allowing Chu Lingxuan to tease him a bit more. However, their ruckus woke up Mrs. Li who had been sleeping.

Mrs. Li had visited her family a few days ago, but tonight was her turn to keep night watch. As soon as she heard the noise, she walked out of the ear room towards the east room, coughing a few times from behind the bedroom door. She then lightly scolded Xia Yue, who was also on night watch in the side room, "Didn’t you think to remind the mistress when you heard the noise? If anything were to happen to her, we servants would be held responsible."

Xia Yue blushed in embarrassment, keeping her head down and remained silent.

Chen Afu also blushed, quietly scolding Chu Lingxuan a few times.

Chu Lingxuan muttered grumpily in a low voice, "That old woman has gone too far, she dares to control me too. I care about my kid too, how could I not know my limits?"

But to save Chen Afu embarrassment, he decided to let the matter slide.

The next day was Chinese Valentine’s Day, Chufu had prepared a needle and multicolored thread for little Miss Chu to practice threading.

However, he didn’t buy a seven-hole needle with a small hole, which was hard even for adults to thread. What he prepared for the little girl was a large needle used for sewing quilts. His rationale was, "Start with the easy and proceed to the difficult. Let’s build up her confidence first."

Starting from a few days ago, the little girl had been practicing diligently every day. She could now thread the needle effortlessly, which excited her greatly. She was eagerly looking forward to threading the needle under the moonlight that night.

However, a light drizzle started in the midday. The little girl pouted with worry in fear that the weather might prevent her from becoming a skilled weaver girl.

Li Xuan wasn’t happy either once it started raining. In fact, since he arrived in the capital city, Li Xuan had been rather unhappy because there was no children’s playground here.

Chen Afu ordered his servants to take him onto the bed, and called Zhui Feng and Sasa onto the bed as well to start telling him stories. Meanwhile, Chang Chang and Duan Duan were squatted beneath the bed. They didn’t like it here either, it felt too cramped.

The kid’s favorite story was "The Landlord’s New Clothes," which always made him giggle nonstop. After each rendition, he would always demand, "Another one."

Xia Yue and Xiao Mo could both tell this story, but he only ever wanted to hear it from Chen Afu.

Whenever Xiao Lixuan smiled, Qi Qi and Hui Hui would also start giggling. Chang Chang and Duan Duan would extend their tongues and laugh, looking amusingly adorable.

In the late afternoon, Hong Feng arrived. She was sent by Mrs. Jiang. She told Chen Afu that earlier in the morning, both Mr. He, Mrs. He and Young General He had braved the rain and gone to the Chen’s Mansion to propose for Chen Yuhui.

This time, they had requested Mr. Fu to act as their spokesperson.

Only Mr. He seemed pleased while Mrs. He and Young General He appeared somewhat displeased.

Before agreeing to the proposal, the master sought Chen Yuhui’s agreement. Once he learnt she was willing to be married into the He’s family, he granted his approval. Both families decided to officially set the wedding date ten days later.

The old madam got extremely joyous on learning that Chen Yuhui was to be married into the Deputy General’s house; a young man who held an official title and was handsome and well-groomed. She invited Mrs. Wang to her room to discuss the household’s happy event. She even instructed Mrs. Wang to increase the servants’ salary for one month. She also decided to host a feast in her courtyard that night, inviting the family, and respectable servants...

"Old lady especially requested Mistress Jiang to accompany Young master and children to the feast. She keeps telling Mrs. He to ensure that Mistress Jiang and her family should be present," said Hong Feng.

What Hong Feng didn’t mention was that the old lady had repeatedly said, "That bitch thinks she found such a good match, yet she is nothing more than a step wife, there to raise someone else’s children. But Yuhui is the real deal, the true wife, without any competition and gets to bear her own children. We certainly must invite that bitch to the feast and pester her to death..."

Even if Hong Feng didn’t share that, Chen Afu could easily guess it. She found this extremely amusing. The old lady was both vicious and shortsighted. It’s a wonder how she managed to raise such a good child like Chen Shiying. But then again, Mrs. Wang deserved all the credit. There was no telling what Chen Shiying would have turned into if left in the old lady’s hands.

As much as Chen Afu didn’t want to join the fun, she couldn’t bear the thought of seeing their hypocrisy. She smiled and said, "Please pass my message to the old lady and my sister. My husband and I wish to congratulate my sister for finding such a wonderful husband. However, given my current condition, I cannot travel much. On my sister’s wedding day though, we will certainly attend the ceremonies."

After sending off Hong Feng, Chen Afu chuckled to herself. The old lady must be ecstatic while the He’s family must be in absolute fury. I guess it would be the opposite of heaven for them.

Especially He Linsheng, he knew he was being manipulated by Chu Lingxuan yet he willingly stepped into the trap. I wonder how frustrated he must be feeling now.

Upon returning from the Yamen, Chu Lingxuan jovially shared with Mr. Chu and Chen Afu about how infuriated Deputy General He and He Linsheng were when they met him.

Deputy General He said with a fake smile, "I heard from Linsheng that Mr. Chu made great efforts during his water rescue. We are very grateful, and we won’t forget your kindness."

Chu Lingxuan respectfully replied with a laugh, "No need to be so courteous, Mr. He. Young General He is highly skilled and outstanding. I am both joyous and honoured to become related to him."

He Linsheng couldn’t dare to talk back to Chu Lingxuan like his father did, mainly because the disparity in their positions was too great. He was seething but had no choice but to hold his tongue, all the while clenching his fists so hard that it made a crunching noise.

Chu Lingxuan patted He Linsheng’s shoulder and said, "I made a mistake yesterday, thinking that the one who fell in the water was my third auntie-in-law, but it turned out to be my second auntie-in-law. But my second auntie-in-law is not bad either. Even though she’s an illegitimate daughter, she still has bold spirit and the tenacity which is not less than any man. I hope you won’t forget my kindness."

He Linsheng, almost choking with anger, clenched his fists and said, "I will forever remember your kindness, General Chu."

Hearing Chu Lingxuan’s words, both Mr. Chu and Chen Afu burst into laughter. Mr. Chu even had an extra drink for that.

It rained for two days and two nights, only stopping in the late afternoon of the ninth. The weather after the rain not only did not cool down but was hot and humid, making the atmosphere very uncomfortable.

On the tenth of July, the sky was clear and cloudless.

That day was a big day filled with felicity for the He’s family as they asked the official matchmaker to visit the Chen’s Mansion, it was also the day when the Chu’s family had guests over. This time, they invited Mr. Fu, General Fu’s family, General Qin’s family, General Liu’s family, who were Chu Lingxuan’s closest friends in Dingzhou.

Men from these families hadn’t had a chance to meet Ninth Prince more than twice, so they wouldn’t be able to notice the resemblance between Dabao and the Ninth Prince. Therefore, Chu Lingxuan was also not afraid to let them meet Dabao.