Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty
Chapter 391 - 390: Good Growth

Chapter 391: Chapter 390: Good Growth

Chen Dabao laughed cheerily, shouting loudly, "Mom, the baby moved. Here should be their little feet, there should be their tiny heads...Oh, I really wish they would come out sooner."

Chu Lingxuan, who was home from the normal court business for the day, looked at their happy interactions and grinned. Upon hearing Dabao’s last sentence, he quickly corrected, "You’re wrong. They can’t come out earlier. They should come out when the time is right."

His words amused the maids around them.

Chen Afu lovingly hugged Dabao. Chen Dabao was the name given to him by Mrs. Wang, it means ’the treasure of the Chen family’. Even if he was not considered a treasure in the Chens, he still managed to grow up happily and healthily. However, in his real home, he didn’t even have a name and could only be called Shiyi.

After hearing the story of Shan Jieyu’s ordeal and the thoughts about Shiyi shared by Chu Lingxuan, Chen Afu felt a sour pain in her heart.

In the men’s power play, countless women became sacrificial pawns. Specifically, Shan Jieyu, or rather Yuan Lin, was reduced to merely a tool for childbirth, suffering terribly because of her eldest son’s disability and the presumed "death" of her younger son. Abbot Liao Chen was forced into monkhood, living his life in the nunnery under the dim oil lamp. Mrs. Ma was also one of the pitiful women. Even Ms. Chu would have spent her life in a foolish stupor if she hadn’t met her. And there were many more she wasn’t aware of...

Chu Lingxuan also informed Chen Afu that upon seeing the Eleventh Prince, the Ninth Prince actually bowed to him secretly, saying "Thank you, Madam, on behalf of General Chu."

The Ninth Prince had previously bowed to two other people from the Chu family - Marquis Chu and Abbot Liao Chen. Chen Afu was the third.

In the blink of an eye, it was early September and following a series of light rains, the weather got colder.

Sitting by the window, Chen Afu looked up to the sky, her mind drifted to the farmlands in the countryside. By now, the autumn corn must have been harvested and the rice transported to the capital city or stored in the granaries...

In the late afternoon, the rain gradually subsided. Chu Hanyan and Li Xuan were playing cheerfully in the corridor with the animals from the Animal House while Chen Afu sat by, watching them peacefully.

At this moment, a servant came and reported, "Madam, your parents-in-law are here."

If it had been Mrs. Jiang, the servants would have called her "mother-in-law". It must be Chen Ming and Mrs. Wang who came.

Chen Afu smiled cheerfully, saying, "Show them in."

She hadn’t seen them in several months and missed them dearly.

As soon as Chen Ming and Mrs. Wang entered the yard, Chu Hanyan sensibly led Li Xuan to greet them, calling them "Grandpa, Grandma".

Every time relatives from the Chu or Chen family visited, Chen Afu did not have Li Xuan bow in greeting. But as the little one grew more intelligent, he always politely followed the others to bow and call out whenever he saw his elder brother and sisters do it. After the ritual, he would even look at Chen Afu, seeking her praise.

This time after calling out to the elderly, he asked Ms. Chu, "Sister, why are today’s grandpa and grandma different from yesterday’s grandpa and grandma?"

Ms. Chu, who was also getting smarter, thought for a while and replied, "We are luckier than others because we have an extra grandpa and an extra grandma. That’s a privilege not everyone has."

Li Xuan, somewhat confused, nodded wisely and said, "Oh, I understand."

Chen Ming did not catch on, but Mrs. Wang’s face flushed red.

Mrs. Wang had lost a lot of weight, and she didn’t look well. After exchanging a few words with the children, she quickly moved to Chen Afu and exclaimed, "My goodness, why is your belly so big? It’s even bigger than any twin-carrying mother I’ve ever seen."

Chen Ming also looked worriedly at Chen Afu’s bulging belly and inquired, "Afu, why is your belly so big?"

Chen Afu could only smile helplessly. For the past two months, her belly had been growing rapidly. It was large and pointy, and her skin looked ready to burst any moment, revealing the veins beneath clearly. Since last month, she had been unable to see her own legs and toes. She couldn’t even walk without someone’s assistance.

Perhaps it was because of her good diet, and the nourishment from the space aura, and even the consumption of the miraculous Green Swallow’s Nest, that the babies were growing exceptionally. Moreover, the midwife said that the babies were healthy and the pregnancy was steady. There was a high chance for a successful birth at full term barring any complications.

Usually, twins tend to be born early. But this may be due to the extraction of the essence of her space and the Green Swallow’s Nest. Her due date was at the beginning of October, there was still a month’s time. She wished the babies could be born now and lessen her discomfort.

Once they entered the house and after more exchanges about Chen Afu’s belly and instructions from Mrs. Wang, they finally brought up Wang Cheng.

Mrs. Wang held Chen Afu’s hand and inquired, "Afu, what did your uncle do wrong? Why did my son-in-law hide them? And where did he hide them?"

Before she could finish her question, she started crying.

Chen Afu could not tell her the truth, all she could do was to comfort Mrs. Wang, "Don’t be too sad, mother. Don’t you trust your daughter and son-in-law? Uncle really didn’t get into any big trouble. It’s just that some things are not suitable to be disclosed right now, I’m not even aware. Your son-in-law only mentioned that it’s a military secret and that if Uncle came out, he might even get a position as an official."

Upon hearing that Wang Cheng might become an official upon his return, Mrs. Wang regained some semblance of happiness. She asked, "When can your uncle come out?"

"Next year, I guess," Chen Afu said casually. She didn’t actually know when he could return, but she assumed by next year the issue should be resolved.

Chen Ming laughed and said, "See? I told you nothing was amiss, but you didn’t believe me. Now you hear it from your daughter, do you believe me now?"

Seeing the joyful expression on Chen Ming’s face, it was clear that he had made quite a profit this year.

This year was a fruitful harvest year and with the good yield from the farm, the profit from the grain shop was sizable as well.

In a previous letter, Chen Afu had specifically advised them to sell off all the "Dingzhou fragrant rice" and "Dingzhou wheat" if the prices were good. But for ordinary rice or flour, especially corn, they must purchase and hoard as much as possible. Chen Afu had given the same instruction to Zeng Jiang.

The old monk had hinted that there might be a snow disaster at the end of the year. At that time, food would definitely be in short supply. Chen Afu wasn’t just planning to make a profit, she wanted to save as many people as possible.

Chen Ming asked doubtfully, "Why do we need to stock up on grains as your daughter suggested?"

Chen Afu didn’t want to explain much, she simply said, "You won’t go wrong following my advice, dad. I’ve also been guided by others."

Trusting his daughter, Chen Ming nodded and refrained from asking further. He then laughed and said, "I came this time intending to buy a house and hire some more servants who could take care of the house and help out with other chores."

Mrs. Wang added with a smile, "I wonder why Uncle Hu and Mrs. Hu changed their minds, they also want to buy a house in the capital city. They even came with mother-in-law this time."

Chen Ming blushed a bit and explained, "What do you mean by ’changed their minds’? It’s not strange for them to want to buy a house in the city after making so much money."

In a quiet voice, Mrs. Wang added, "Not only me, but Uncle Three and Aunt were also confused."

Seeing Chen Ming’s uneasy look, Chen Afu understood that he must have saved money to buy a house for his eldest brother.