Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty
Chapter 405 - 404: Watch Over Her

Chapter 405: Chapter 404: Watch Over Her

The old lady was leaning against the head of the bed, her face stern as she asked, "Has that hateful girl Afu arrived at the mansion?"

"She has." Mrs. Jiang replied.

"Why didn’t she come to An Hall to greet me? Is it that I no longer exist in her eyes, that she considers her mother-in-law beneath her? Even you, my daughter-in-law?" The old lady began to cry, bellowing, "Jiang, just because I am old and senile, doesn’t mean you can neglect me. In your eyes, I’m just a powerless old woman, whereas that deplorable girl is a daughter-in-law of the Yong’an Marquis Manor. So doting on me isn’t as beneficial as fawning over her?"

Years of grievance and today’s rage surged to Mrs. Jiang’s mind, her fists in her sleeves clenched as she glared at the old lady.

The look in her eyes startled the old lady, who shouted, "Jiang, what kind of look is that? I’m going to tell my son, you’re unfilial!"

Jiang forced down her anger and said coldly, "Old lady, this place is called An Hall. You should be calm and stop causing such a ruckus. With such a malicious heart and so many wrongdoings, you won’t find any redemption or peace, even if you live in a real nunnery, not just An Hall."

The old lady, trembling with rage, cursed, "Very well, you’ve learnt from that wicked girl, daring to talk back to me. I’m going to tell my son that you’re unvirtuous and unfilial so that he divorces you."

Mrs. Jiang chuckled coldly, "Me, unvirtuous and unfilial? So my son should divorce me? Hehe, old lady, seems you got it backward. Because you are unvirtuous and unfilial, you have ruined your son and this family. If the elders of the Chen clan knew about your deeds, they would surely divorce you on behalf of your son and your deceased husband."

Upon hearing these words, the old lady fell into an uncontrollable weeping fit, hurling dirty insults at Mrs. Jiang.

Jiang didn’t want to deal with her anymore. She turned to the serving maids and said, "Do not allow the old lady to leave An Hall. Whoever dares to move her out of here will be punished severely." Then she walked out with her back straight.

The sound of the old lady’s wailing and the shattering of teacups followed behind her.

Arriving in the courtyard, she saw Chen Yuqing standing there.

Mrs. Jiang spoke coldly, "If you still wish to marry, stop wandering about."

In the moonlight, the coldness and ruthlessness in Mrs. Jiang’s eyes gave Chen Yuqing a real fright. Regardless of the havoc she had wreaked in the past, even when she took Chen Yuhui’s fiancé, the anger in Mrs. Jiang’s eyes never looked as terrifying as it did now.

Chen Yuqing went down on one knee and replied, "Yes, my lady. I will return to my quarters right away."

Having said that, she quickly turned around and briskly strolled back to her courtyard.

As soon as Chen Afu entered the front door, she heard that Chen Ming and Luo Yuan had brought a guest from the countryside, who had been waiting for her.

Chen Afu went straight to the guest hall, where Marquis Chu, Hu Laowu, Chen Ming, and Luo Yuan were present.

Apparently, Hu Laowu had heard news that someone had been enquiring about Chen Shiying and his foster daughter in the Zhaos’ Village, as well as the sudden purchase of land in the village by the Chens over a decade ago. Furthermore, they were asking about any illegal activities committed by the Zhaos. Someone even paid silver to question Wang Laohan, asking who had sent Mrs. Wang back home. Wang Laohan, needing the support of his wife, told the truth. However, Mrs. Ding suddenly became wealthy, bought gold hairpins, and made several brocade dresses...

Hu Laowu regretted and said, "I regret not hearing this news earlier, or I would have informed you sooner."

Chen Afu thanked Hu Laowu, saying they already knew about the situation. All these matters were done by Shiying’s birth mother and had nothing to do with Chen Shiying.

She then rewarded Hu Laowu with fifty taels of silver, arranged for him to stay at the Senator’s Mansion, and had him explore the capital city for a few days before returning home.

Finally, she instructed Luo Yuan to rush back and have Mrs. Ding and Wang Laohan taken into custody, especially Mrs. Ding who was a direct witness to the transactions between Mrs. Chen and Mrs. Zhao.

Mrs. Ding was utterly wicked, she would certainly falsely accuse others for money.

Afu then sent for Chen Ming to rest in Chen Alu’s Gui Courtyard, as Mrs. Wang was sharing her room tonight.

When Chen Afu returned to her room, Mrs. Wang was there, her eyes red and swollen. She grasped Chen Afu’s hand and said, "Afu, will Ying Di be in trouble? He is a good man, I am the one who brought this upon him."

Chen Afu replied, "It’s not you who harmed my father, it was her mother." She comforted her mother, "Don’t worry, mother. My father will be just fine..."

Upon hearing that Chen Shiying might be demoted, Mrs. Wang burst into tears again, saying, "Ying Di has always cared about his reputation. He is considerate in everything he does. Once he was scolded by a teacher, he cried for a long time. If he is demoted, those past scandals would be dug up. I’m worried about how upset and ashamed he’ll feel. Ah, it is all my fault. If I hadn’t entered his family, none of this would have happened."

Chen Afu replied, "If you hadn’t entered his family, my father would’ve been led astray by that wicked old lady. That he has turned out to be so virtuous now with a good official reputation, it’s all thanks to you, mother."

"How could I be so good?" Mrs. Wang said, wiping away her tears.

Chen Afu put her arms around Mrs. Wang and said, "Mother, you really are that good. Not only did you raise my father well, but you also did a great job raising me and Alu."

Mrs. Wang took out several silver notes from her bosom, "This is what he initially gave to me, I should give it back. If something happens to him, use it to ease things."

Chen Afu blocked Mrs. Wang’s hand holding the silver notes and said, "Keep the money, mother. My father doesn’t lack that bit of money."

Mrs. Wang had great faith in her daughter. Upon hearing that Chen Shiying wouldn’t be in serious trouble, she was relieved.

That night, after seeing Mrs. Wang to her quarters for rest, Chen Afu secured her room door, took her two children and the crib, and entered a space for resting.

From last night until now, she was constantly on edge.

She sat on a chair, leaning against the agarwood and closed her eyes to calm her mind. In the background, Jin Yanzi’s giggling was audible, and so were the ’ah, ah’ sounds by Yu and Ming.

"Mommy, little brother has grown so cute. Beibei likes them, Beibei wants to kiss them." called out Jin Yanzi.

Chen Afu, with closed eyes, replied, "They’re too small, Beibei, don’t kiss them."

"Then I want to lick them with my tongue."

"You can lick them."

"Ah, Yu is grappling Beibei’s claw, and Ming is holding onto Beibei’s head."

She was too exhausted to pay further attention to Jin Yanzi’s chirping and sank into her dreams.

She was sleeping soundly when suddenly there was a knock on the door followed by Mrs. Li’s voice, "Madam, it’s time to feed the babies and change their diapers."

Chen Afu woke instantly, quickly grabbed Jin Yanzi and took her out of the space, took away the gold shell in Yu’s hand and put it on the ground before stepping out of the space.

Moonlight pierced the room. In the dim light, Chen Afu opened the door.

Mrs. Li came in and lit the candle, remarking, "Madam, why did you bolt your door? It’s not convenient for us to serve you."

Chen Afu replied, "It’s a habit. I can’t sleep comfortably unless the door is bolted."

Chu Lingxuan returned on the fourth night.