Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty
Chapter 425 - 420: Demanding the Treasure

Chapter 425: Chapter 420: Demanding the Treasure

Whenever this issue was mentioned, Chen Afu was also worried. But he reassured, "The master gave you those two divine pills for a reason. If you keep the medicine with you, even if you have the misfortune of encountering trouble, the sacred medicine could save your life and make a comeback from a hopeless situation."

Lady Chu sighed, "I hope so."

The two children, now awake, didn’t cry but chirped up in delight. Chen Afu started feeding them.

Lady Chu turned cheerful after seeing the adorable children. She said, "Xuan’er’s wife, I am always ready to lend a hand to both of you. I expect a token of appreciation in return, you should not be stingy with that."

Chen Afu replied with a smile, "Auntie, you have goodies overflowing your mansion, what would you even want from me?" Thinking about how Lady Chu had been hoping for a daughter, he quickly added with a grin, "Auntie, you have a kind and generous heart, you wouldn’t take advantage of this situation, would you?"

Lady Chu gave a half-smile, "In that case, I will. If you have another daughter, give her to me. Rest assured, I am fair. I don’t want your first daughter, you can give me your second."

But he sure couldn’t bear separating from his second child either.

In his past life, Chen Afu’s favorite was his daughter. However, in this life, since his elders preferred sons and Chu Lingxuan had no son, he insisted on having one. Now that his family has been blessed with two sons, he yearns for a daughter. He fancies a daughter, so soft and sweet, cuddling in his lap, just like Ms. Chu. How can one resist such adorableness?

Moreover, Lady Chu, a high-born lady raised by the Dowager Queen, was impetuous and domineering. Raising a daughter under such influence would surely make her obnoxious. Chen Afu wasn’t comfortable with that idea, either.

The way Lady Chu was raising Chu Zhen was different. It wasn’t out of genuine love, but to help Marquis Chu by trying to rectify Chu Zhen’s behavioral issues, hence the sternness.

Chen Afu didn’t dare disagree, and laughed, "By the time I have my second daughter, your son Wei’er will be ready for marriage. At that time, you should be cradling your granddaughters, and wouldn’t even show interest in your niece."

Lady Chu responded, "I won’t let my two sons hurry into marriage, not until they turn eighteen or twenty at least. Some families have their teenage sons get married or take a concubine, which is bad for their physical health..." She looked at Chen Afu and continued, "So, yes, I do have a keen interest in your daughter. You wouldn’t want to be ungrateful. Your daughter will not be mistreated if left with me. I would only have such thoughts if the parents were handsome and amiable like you and Xuan’er."

Chen Afu could only smile awkwardly to avoid the topic.

Not long after this back-and-forth, Chu Zhen visited again. She greeted Lady Chu and Chen Afu with a formal bow. Despite her efforts to keep up the cheer, her red-rimmed eyes gave away the strain. Seeing Lady Chu preoccupied, she was instructed to proceed with the household chores in the conference hall under a caretaker’s guidance.

Soon, Qian Momo, Chu Zhen’s attendant, was back and informed Lady Chu that Mrs. Li was at it again. The previous night, she had given each of her two sons a courtesan. Chu Zhen had warned Mrs. Li that her actions had already put off significant family members as well as both the sons. She cautioned her not to risk disapproval from their wives as well, but Mrs. Li scolded Chu Zhen, insisting that providing courtesans to her sons was her right. Annoyed with Chu Zhen’s interference in her affairs, she criticized her for siding with Lady Chu and for neglecting her biological mother, a confrontation that left Chu Zhen in tears...

Lady Chu sarcastically laughed at the whole fiasco and said, "I can’t believe that slum dweller had the audacity to accuse me of being petty. She definitely needs to be put in her place again."

Lady Chu’s darkened expression indicated her intention to teach Mrs. Li another lesson.

Chen Afu remarked, "With Lady Chu’s guidance, my second cousin and her sister-in-law have evolved fast and now they see Mrs. Li’s follies clearly. Unmindful and malicious, Mrs. Li refuses to heed her own daughter’s advice and continues to indulge in petty acts." Wanting to help Mrs. Song, he added, "My cousins are considerate, it’s unfortunate that they have to deal with such a mother-in-law. Especially Mrs. Song, she’s worth sympathizing over."

Mrs. Song and Mrs. Shen, in sync with Lady Chu’s initiative, each donated twenty taels of silver, angering Mrs. Li who felt they helped Lady Chu at her expense.

The day after Master Chu was compelled to donate thirty taels of silver, Mrs. Song and Mrs. Shen paid a visit to Mrs. Li. Mrs. Li made Mrs. Shen stand outside her room all day, and didn’t even let Mrs. Song in. Mrs. Song, who stood outside for the whole day, developed a fever that night and had to be attended to by the Imperial Physician.

Lady Chu grumbled, "Mrs. Li has essentially lost her humanity. Even in this bitter cold, the maid who holds up the curtains gets to change shifts every two hours. Mrs. Song, being from an official family, is soft and delicate, such hardship doesn’t suit her." She further added, "Mrs. Song is pitiful, ever since she got married into Chu family, she hasn’t known peace. I tried to help her, but the more I did, the more Mrs. Li loathed her, eventually making things worse for her. I couldn’t intervene anymore."

Chen Afu responded, "Master Chu is filial and dislikes concessions, else we could have requested him to move away with his wife from the Capital City and Mrs. Li’s clutches. They would have been much happier."

Chu Lingqi was indeed a nice person, quite liked by Chu Lingxuan. He is good-natured, patient, and capable, albeit under the constant pressure of his overbearing mother. For his own comfort, Chu Lingxuan preferred to keep distance away from him at home. If the brothers wanted to talk, they would have to meet at an outside wine-shop.

When Chu Lingxuan asked Chu Lingqi if he’d like to move to Dingzhou with him, Chu Lingqi declined, saying Master Chu’s health wasn’t good and he wouldn’t risk leaving him alone. Though he and his wife were constantly bullied by Mrs. Li, he thought they’d have a better life once they separated from the family. Moreover, he was concerned about leaving behind his biological mother Auntie Fang uninformed, out of fear that Mrs. Li might deeply ill-treat her.

Lady Chu chimed in again, "Lingqi is a timid filial child, who frets about the consequences of his actions. He shouldn’t sacrifice the wellbeing of his own wife and child for his biological mother’s sake." Turning to Chen Afu she remarked, "Probably the best thing for you is to be born into a small family. In the Capital City, there must be many harsh and domineering mothers-in-law like Mrs. Li. At least Mrs. Li’s greed is well-known, even her ill-treatment of the concubine’s children is common knowledge. There could be other shrewd and ruthless stepmothers too, under whose regime concubine’s children wouldn’t even survive."

Chen Afu also agreed on this, "Mrs. Li’s avarice is infamous in the capital’s aristocrat circles, with most expressing their sympathy for Master Chu and his sons. Master Chu has the maximum number of concubines, against which Mrs. Li has cried and protested, but to no avail. Her recent blatant manipulation of Mrs. Song gives Master Chu an opportunity to support his wife and children if they decided to leave. Both the head of the house and Master Chu would surely support this."