Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty
Chapter 422 - 417: Disaster Relief

Chapter 422: Chapter 417: Disaster Relief

After dinner, Chen Afu began packing for Chu Lingxuan and also wrote letters to Mrs. Wang, Mrs. Jiang, Zeng Shuang, Dabao, and Chu Hanyan. In particular, the letters written to the children were heartfelt and he also brought them many gifts. He regretted not returning home earlier, wondering what their reactions would be.

Chu Lingxuan did not return until midnight.

Chen Afu, who was in deep sleep, was awakened by Chu Lingxuan. Considering how long it would be before she could see him again, she cooperated enthusiastically.

Images of an irate golden swallow appeared in Chen Afu’s mind, she could hear it chirping, "Bad Mommy, knew you will not bring a glass of water for them, they got a nosebleed again, Mommy is so annoying... Ah, ah, Beibei is also overheated, radiating red light..."

Chen Afu was embarrassed, she nudged Chu Lingxuan and said, "Hurry up, others will laugh if they hear."

Chu Lingxuan mumbled, "Whoever laughs will have their monthly pay deducted... Focus, aren’t you pleasing your husband like you did earlier?"

Chen Afu had no idea when he finished, she herself did not know when she had fallen asleep. She had not been asleep for long when she heard noises, Chu Lingxuan was already up. She gritted her teeth and got up, served him breakfast, then watched him disappear into the night filled with wind and snow after sending him off from the courtyard.

Traveling more than two hundred miles on horseback in such weather, Chen Afu was deeply worried. Riding in a carriage would be warmer, but Chu Lingxuan said it was too slow and he wanted to get back earlier.

Today is the second day of the Lunar New Year, a day for visiting maternal families. Despite the harsh conditions, the wealthy families who had plenty of food and fuel still celebrated as usual. Including Mrs. Chu, almost all the women and their families went to visit their maternal homes.

Chen Afu’s maternal home was not here, she had nowhere to go. Chu Hua, because she was pregnant, dared not go out in such weather. Thus, in the vast Yong’an Marquis Manor, there were only Chen Afu and her two sons in the inner courtyard, and the old Marquis in the outer court.

Chen Afu fed the two little brothers, dressed them in small red quilted cotton jackets and trousers, placed them on the warm bed to play, and then sent someone to invite the old grandfather to the Bamboo Pavilion.

The presiding old man, who was feeling uncomfortable, was also thinking about his cute great grandsons. It wasn’t proper for him to visit his daughter-in-law’s courtyard due to the strict rules in Capital City, but he happily rushed over when Chen Afu sent for him.

The two little brothers could now turn over and lift up their heads, they could even laugh, constantly amusing the old man and making him chuckle heartily.

Chen Afu was in the West Side Room cooking fish hotpot. Despite the thick cotton door curtain, she could still faintly hear the old man’s laughter.

In the late afternoon, Marquis Chu surprisingly arrived and was directly ushered to the Bamboo Pavilion.

It seemed that he made the trip specially to see his grandsons, bringing gifts of two small ebony command arrows, saying that he carved them in his spare time.

Chen Afu silently thought about how bored he must have been at the Princess Mansion to carve these items himself.

When he arrived, the two little brothers were sleeping soundly, which didn’t dampen his enthusiasm as he quietly sat by the bed, silently observing them.

Chen Afu did not think it proper to stay there, she refilled his tea and then went to the West Room to read. The old man, unable to bear the solitude, amused himself by playing with birds in the hall.

After observing for two hours, Marquis Chu rose and took his leave.

Thereafter, he would practically visit the Bamboo Pavilion daily to see the child, dragging the old Marquis along with him. His visits were short, a mere quarter to a half an hour. Moreover, he always brought presents for the child, an assortment of toys, necessities, and books.

As the snowstorm persisted, the number of victims increased, countless lives of humans and livestock were lost to the cold and hunger, especially in the north. The prices of grain in the granaries skyrocketed owing to insufficient transportation from the south. After the first week of the lunar new year, the government granaries started dispensing their reserves but were unable to alleviate the crisis.

Following the disaster, the people’s fear of the gods led to an increase in the censuring reports against Princess Rongzhao. Most of these reports were fabricated by the Chus for political intrigue. But now, many high-ranking officers genuinely believed that Rongzhao had offended the gods. Those chiding the Marquis Chu and the Yong’an Marquis Manor for their affiliations with Rongzhao were predominantly from the Second Prince’s party.

On the tenth day, the Dingzhou and Capital City branches of the Fuyunlai Trading Company jointly donated sixty thousand jin of grain to the government and dispensed ten thousand jin to the public.

Influenced by Fuyunlai, many granaries with adequate reserves also donated their grains. This significantly relieved the pressure on the government and saved many lives.

The Emperor recognized these acts of kindness and bestowed a high reward to these businesses, especially to the Fuyunlai Trading Company. The Emperor handcrafted a plaque for them that read – "Righteous Benevolence is Praiseworthy," and the Empress Dowager lauded Chen Afu as a model for all women of the Empire, gifting her two Jade Ruyi scepters.

The philanthropic act of Chen Afu gained considerable reputation for the Yong’an Marquis Manor, leading to a reduction in the censures against them.

On the fifteenth day, Mrs. Chu, the Princess Huachang, started the "Warmth Sharing, Love Giving" campaign. She led by example, donating money for the repair of the victims’ homes and buying them quilts and cotton-padded clothes.

Being the initiator, Mrs. Chu donated 500 taels of silver. The initiative was actively supported by the royal princesses, noble ladies, and young misses of the aristocratic households.

The idea, of course, came from Chen Afu. Mrs. Chu was more than willing to participate in such a charitable act that leveraged her reputation while also saving lives. Bearing the proposal letter written by Chen Afu, Mrs. Chu visited the Emperor in the palace. At her suggestion, the Emperor and the Empress Dowager lauded Huachang for showing the way for other noblewomen.

Queen Wang, Consort Sun, and Lady Ma grudgingly participated. They wished that they had come up with the idea to earn good names for their sons. Lady Ma also wanted to clean her daughter’s tarnished reputation.

The idea originated from the detestable Huachang, so regardless of their contributions, the praise would be hers. Yet, they could not afford not to donate or to donate too little. As the Empress Dowager had donated 500 taels of silver, Queen Wang had to donate 300 taels, and Lady Ma donated 200 taels.

Hearing this, Princess Rongzhao sent someone to the palace to request permission to donate. The Empress Dowager sent a mama to the Princess Rongzhao’s Mansion to fetch the silver, which annoyed Rongzhao. Regardless, she had no choice but to part with 100 taels of silver.

At the Chus, Chen Afu was the first to respond to the call, donating 100 taels of silver herself and another 20 taels on behalf of Ms. Chu. By the sixteenth, the second branch of the Chu family hadn’t responded. Sensing Mrs. Li’s deception, Mrs. Chu sent her personal maid to the women’s yard to collect donations from each household.

Mrs. Song of the second branch was from a humble background and didn’t have much to spare. Despite this, she donated 20 taels of silver, which was commendable. Although a fifth-rank official, Mrs. Shen of the third branch’s father was from the Hanlin Academy and not very affluent. However, her husband, Chu Ling’an, was Mrs. Li’s only son and should have a decent inheritance. She also donated twenty taels, which was respectable. Of their daughters, Chu Zhen donated ten taels, and Chu Lin and Chu Bi each donated two taels, a fine amount.

However, Mrs. Li argued that the proposal stated "it’s the thought that counts" and did not coerce donations. Claiming she was without funds, she decided not to donate. She could easily spare a few dozen taels of silver, but she refused to add glory to the arrogant Mrs. Chu.

Mrs. Chu chuckled coldly and handed the "List of Merits" directly to the old Marquis for his inspection.