Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty
Chapter 426 - 421 Arrangement

Chapter 426: Chapter 421 Arrangement

Chen Afu spent the day at Anrong Hall, taking rest here during the afternoon as well. Chen Afu loved spending time with the Third Lady as if they were sisters, laughing heartily when something was funny, not bothered about maintaining the decorum expected of noble ladies.

In the evening, Chu Lingwei and Chu Lingzhi returned from school, and after joking around with Sasa and her child for a while, Mr. Chu returned. He told Chen Afu that Marquis Chu was busy the past few days, which is why he hadn’t been able to visit the two boys.

He also talked about the day’s court affairs which were quite eventful. Many ministers were praising the Emperor for raising his princes so well, resulting in the Emperor’s delight. One minister praised the second prince for proposing the "Blood Sacrifice", highlighting his filial piety. Another praised Prince Rui for suggesting "Brothers united" which reflected on the benevolence of the sons of the Emperor...

The stories thrilled the Third Lady and Chen Afu. Regardless of the outcome of the disaster, the Second Prince won’t be able to claim all the credit.

Mr. Chu was delighted upon hearing that Chen Afu was preparing a hot pot for the night’s dinner. He said, "I love the food prepared by Xuan’er."

The Third Lady smiled, "I know you love the dishes Xuan’er makes. That’s why I asked her to stay back and prepare your favourite hot pot."

Mr. Chu chuckled heartily and told her, "You know me well, dear."

Chen Afu laughed silently. If the Third Lady had been a professional woman in her past life, her coworkers would have despised her. She was great at taking credit for others’ work, even doing so blatantly in front of them.

After the couple’s blissful flirtation, Mr. Chu called for his father, and asked for Master Chu and Chu Lingqi to join them as well. Chu Ling’an was on duty that day and couldn’t join.

Since they didn’t want Mrs. Li to come, they didn’t call for other ladies in the house. The men had their own pot, and the women and children had theirs.

When Chu Lingqi arrived, he thanked the Third Lady and Chen Afu. After Mrs. Song became ill, the Third Lady and Chen Afu sent valuable potions as gifts.

The howling wind outside battled against the swirling snow, while indoors, the scent of the hot pot filled the air. As they were enjoying the meal, Chu Lingqi suddenly rose, fell to his knees before the Marquis, and started sobbing.

"I know your wife has been unfairly treated this time. She was right about the whole ’Warm the World’ silver donation scheme. It was a great idea proposed by my third daughter-in-law and is beneficial to both the country and citizens. Of course, as family, we must support one another. Mrs. Li’s shortsightedness is causing your wife to feel wronged and even seriously ill – I’ve already sent someone to scold her," said the Marquis.

As the older brother, Mr. Chu didn’t feel right criticizing his sister-in-law in front of him, and so he just nodded.

The Third Lady at the other table added, "Song is a kind and respectful wife, we all like her. It’s unfortunate that she was wronged because of the silver donation scheme. I’m relieved she was saved. I don’t know how I would live with myself if anything had happened to her."

Master Chu turned red in shame and kneeled before the Marquis to plead, "Father, I will be strict with Mrs. Li after I return, please don’t be angry."

The Marquis snorted in response. "She is short-sighted and can’t differentiate good from bad. What’s the point of disciplining her now? Maybe in the future..." He stopped short and asked Chu Lingqi, "Would you be willing to take your wife and son to Dingzhou to serve? In doing so, you would be away from home but also be able to help your older brother."

Chu Lingqi looked at Master Chu, bit the bullet, and said, "If we leave, I’m worried my concubine..."

Master Chu’s face fell when he heard Auntie Fang’s name. She was 39 this year, and was the first woman Master Chu had, and also the oldest. She was gentle, knew when to advance and retreat, and was excellent at massages, which pleased him greatly.

The Marquis felt exasperated when he saw the solemn face of his second son. If his second son wasn’t disabled, he would have smacked him. He cursed, "You have so many concubines, what are you afraid of losing just one? If you truly care for her, let her go with Qi’er’s family and enjoy her life."

Having heard his father speak like this, Master Chu could only nod in agreement.

The Marquis assigned the task of arranging the transfer orders to Mr. Chu. When the time came, Chu Lingqi’s family would return to Dingzhou with Chen Afu.

After dinner, Chu Lingqi took the Marquis back to the Outer Court.

The Marquis gave him a silver note worth 1,000 taels and advised, "Although the family has not been divided yet, you shouldn’t live with your older brother when you go to Dingzhou. You should live separately – it keeps things peaceful and prevents any rift. Go buy a house; it will be your private property and you can live separately. I know of all my sons, you are the poorest. You scrape by on your meagre monthly income and your wife barely had a dowry. Don’t end up like me, reliant on women. Make a name for yourself out there, and you’ll have a good life."

With tears streaming down his face, Chu Lingqi fell to his knees and bowed. His salary is not much, and he has to contribute to his family’s income. He has a monthly allowance of 20 taels of silver and even if he does not spend a single cent extravagantly, some social obligations necessitate expenditure. As a result, he has not even managed to save 300 taels of silver yet. The money the Marquis gave him was a huge relief.

The next day, news spread that Master Chu and Mrs. Li had a huge fight the previous night.

It was said that Master Chu hit Mrs. Li’s head till it bled, and she retaliated by scratching his face leaving a few marks. Angered, Master Chu confined Mrs. Li for three months, she was not to receive any visitors.

Chen Afu laughed for a bit. Dealing with people like Mrs. Li must be resolved with force.

In the late afternoon, Mrs. Song came to Bamboo Pavilion with her son Wen.

Mrs. Song had recovered but had lost some weight. Her face was pale and narrowly pointed, yet her eyes shone with a joy she had never displayed before. Wen had a meek demeanour and had barely spoken to Chen Afu before.

Chen Afu invited Mrs. Song to sit on the bed, and then picked up Wen and placed him on the bed, asking the servant to bring some snacks for him. She said, "Oh no, your little hands are so cold, let’s warm them up."

Mrs. Song bowed to Chen Afu gracefully and said, "Thank you, sister-in-law. Both Master Chu and I know that the third aunt and you have helped us greatly."

Chen Afu laughed and sat Mrs. Song down, saying, "We’re family, there’s no need for formalities."

Mrs. Song smiled and nodded, asking about the price range for houses in Dingzhou. She mentioned, "Master Chu wanted me to ask my sister-in-law. I initially wondered how would my sister-in-law know about these things. Master Chu said that my sister-in-law is capable, successfully managing her business and being praised by the Emperor and the Empress, there’s nothing she doesn’t know."

Chen Afu laughed, "Master Chu overpraises me. I’m nowhere near that capable."

She thought to herself that the second Master Chu was playing his cards well. He sent Mrs. Song to let her know that they will keep their residences separate once they move to Dingzhou.

As a modern person, Chen Afu didn’t approve of in-laws all living together. The idiom "distance makes the heart grow fonder" is still relevant.

She then shared her knowledge with Mrs. Song, especially mentioning the residence with three fronts that Chen Ming bought, which she thought would be perfect for them.