Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty
Chapter 420 - 415: Lunar New Year

Chapter 420: Chapter 415: Lunar New Year

The Empress Dowager did this not only to appease onlookers, but also because she did not want Rong Zhao to return to the palace, fearing that she might bring "bad luck" with her.

This made the Chu family very happy, as the princess and her husband would be returning home for Chinese New Year’s Eve. This meant that Rong Zhao would not be returning to the Chu household. Of course, the happy members of the Chu family did not include Second Mistress, Mrs. Li, who had always hoped that Rong Zhao would return and meddle with Chen Afu and her two sons.

Chen Afu was even happier, as she no longer feared Rong Zhao would meddle with her and her sons. The next day, the twenty-ninth of the lunar year, she had recovered from her illness. That night, Chu Lingxuan finally returned.

He was travel-worn, his face frozen purple. After soaking in a hot bath, a pot of mutton soup had already been placed on the table.

Chen Afu poured him a full cup of wine and ladled him some soup. She said, "Drink this, it will ward off the cold."

After two cups of wine, Chu Lingxuan finally warmed up. He said, "Afu, don’t worry, everything is fine at home. We have enough food and fuel, and Dabao, Yan’er, my in-laws, and my younger brother, they are all well. Also, my brother-in-law’s family has everything they need, they are living without worries..." He continued, "There has also been a snow disaster in Dingzhou, but the situation is better than in Capital City."

Hearing this, Chen Afu was relieved.

After Chu Lingxuan finished his meal and teased his two younger brothers, someone from the Outer Court came and said that the old Marquis wanted the heir to go to the study room in the Outer Court. The Marquis had arrived.

The men had a meeting that lasted until the next morning. When the exhausted Chu Lingxuan returned, he bathed and went to bed. Before he fell asleep, he turned to Chen Afu and smiled, "My father is resting in the Outer Court tonight."

Ever since Marquis Chu married Rong Zhao, this was the first time he had rested at the Chu’s house. It was indeed hard-earned.

Meanwhile, Chen Afu had the servants spruce up the Bamboo Garden and prepare herself, Yu, Ming, Sasa, Chang Chang, and Duan Duan. By midday, Chu Lingxuan had also gotten up, and they all went to Anrong Hall together.

Today was Lunar New Year, and the whole family gathered here for the New Year’s meal.

When they entered, the other members of the family were already seated in the hall, including Marquis Chu.

They all walked up to the elders to pay their respects.

This was Marquis Chu’s first time seeing his grandsons. He was thrilled and gave them a white jade carving of a Kunpeng bird as a meeting gift, as well as a big red envelope for each.

The children were awake at this time and laughed at Marquis Chu. He didn’t dare to hold them because they were too small. He looked at them for a long time and touched their little faces. Before, when he read his father’s letter saying that the little brothers looked just like him, he thought his father was just trying to make him happy. Unexpectedly, they were indeed similar, very much so. He was delighted but also wished that Yun’er could be here. She would be over the moon if she saw her grandsons who looked so much like him. Without her, even if he lived in the Yong’an Marquis Manor and had many children and grandchildren, there was a lack of warmth...

It had been quite some time since Chen Afu returned, and this was the first time she met the Second Master and Mrs. Li, and she performed the rites of the younger generation with her children.

Mrs. Li opened her mouth but dared not say much. Second Master had told her before that if she caused any trouble, he would not be polite. These days, Third Master Chu Ling’an had also spoken extensively with Mrs. Li, asking her to give up her ambitions. Now that the main house had its own grandsons, two at that, there would be even more in the future.

At this time, she saw Marquis Chu and a few of his sons and grandsons happily gathering together, which was particularly irritating. But she also knew that her hopes were no longer achievable...

Today, Mrs. Li was unusually quiet. Although she wore a bitter face, she did not say anything inappropriate.

At mealtime, the men’s table was festive with laughter and toasting, while the women’s table was less friendly. The third mistress, Chen Afu, Chu Lingwei, and Chu Lingzhi were all jovial, while Mrs. Li had a sour expression. Seeing her like this, the other women and children from the second house dared not make a sound either, only quietly eating their meals and staring blankly when they looked up.

The family reunion dinner lasted until nightfall. Marquis Chu and the young men went to the Outer Court to celebrate the New Year’s Eve. The boys played with fireworks in the courtyard while Chen Afu took the two children back to the Bamboo Pavilion.

They opened the red envelopes from Marquis Chu for the children. Each contained a silver note worth 500 taels. The jades given by the second master were acceptable, but the two jades given by Mrs. Li were of rough texture, typical of roadside goods. Chen Afu passingly gave those jades to the little doorkeeping girl. If Mrs. Li did not value her own reputation, why should Chen Afu?

After washing and dismissing the servants, Chen Afu entered the space with her children.

Jin Yanzi was holding and playing with Jin Bei. Chen Afu smiled and said, "Now that you have Beibei, Baobao won’t be lonely during the Lunar New Year."

Jin Yanzi chirped, "Yes, loneliness is hard to bear. Having a companion makes it fun."

Chen Afu laughed again, "You think about playing all day. Since you’ve been here, you seem to have never repaired the house."

Jin Yanzi said, "There are so many houses. It’s enough for Beibei and me to live in. When Beibei comes to life, it’s not too late for me to work harder." Having said that, she flew onto the small bed with Jin Bei in her beak.

Yu and Ming were also waiting to play with Jin Yanzi and Jin Bei. As soon as they got on the bed, they wouldn’t stop "babbling".

Chen Afu looked at Jin Yanzi’s bucket, which had accumulated quite a lot of Yan Poop. Had she been in the countryside or in Dingzhou, she would have definitely grown some garlic sprouts to eat. But here, if Madam Three ate and found it delicious, she would take it to the palace to honor the Empress Dowager. Chen Afu did not want imperial people to know that all the good things came from her. Making snacks every few days was already conspicuous enough.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, it was still snowing heavily, and the wind was howling. Other than paying respects to the elders, people didn’t go out in grandeur to pay visits to their relatives and friends. After all, even the royal family didn’t want their New Year’s greetings. Many wealthy families set up big pots outside their gates and began to give porridge and steamed buns to the poor, including the Chus.

In the morning, the old Marquis and Marquis Chu took all the men in the house to the ancestral hall to pay respect to the ancestors and added the names of Chu Siyu, Chu Siming, and Chu Hanyan to the family tree.

By late afternoon, Chu Lingxuan led Chen Afu to pay a visit to Chen Shiying. If they didn’t go today, he wouldn’t have time to accompany her again. He was leaving for Dingzhou the next day and wouldn’t make it back in three days.

In this sort of weather, everyone was uneasy about Chen Afu taking the children back to Dingzhou. It would be better for them to wait until the weather improved.

Chen Afu wanted to say, can I just put my children in the space?

Actually, that was her plan. Send the two mothers off to other carriages and take the two children alone. Except for feeding them, putting them in the space would be alright.

But such words could not be spoken out loud. Thinking about breaking her own promise, the two children would probably be upset.

Chen Afu was wearing a cotton jacket, a cotton skirt, and cotton boots. She had a Zhaojun hat on her head and a mink cloak over her. She was holding a hand warmer in her hand, but even in the carriage, she still felt cold all over.

Chu Lingxuan didn’t ride a horse but rode in the carriage with Chen Afu. He did not hold a warmer, but his hands were warm. From time to time, he warmed Chen Afu’s face and red nose with both hands. Occasionally, when warming her face, he would steal a peck on her lips.

Seeing the lipstick on his mouth, Chen Afu had to take out a handkerchief to wipe it off for him. As soon as she wiped it clean, he would bite again.

The carriage journey probably lasted for nearly two hours. Then it arrived at a quiet alley and entered a three-chamber mansion. The carriage stopped.