Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty
Chapter 437 - 430

Chapter 437: 430

Chen Afu didn’t initially explain his thoughts in detail to Chen Ming. He was always vague, hoping that he would understand on his own. But it was not effective, not because he didn’t understand, but because he didn’t want to. This time, Chen Afu was more direct.

Chen Ming’s face became red instantly. He thought for a while, then said, "Ah, your mother is getting old, she wants her sons to have better lives. So, your father..."

Chen Afu sat down next to him with a cheerful smile and said, "My mother’s wish has been fulfilled. With the help of my father, me, and Uncle No. 3, Uncle No. 1’s family now owns over a hundred acres of land, has a shop, and even bought a house in the capital city. He is now the well-known landlord in town. Isn’t that life good enough?" Seeing Chen Ming nodding, he whispered further, "Since they are already living well, we don’t need to keep giving them large sums of money and goods. It might even fuel Mrs. Hu’s greed. If they are not satisfied with this and keep asking for money, the relationship among you three brothers would be worrying. Uncle No. 3 and Aunt No. 3 are already unsatisfied with my mother and Uncle No. 1. If they keep asking, Uncle No. 3 might ignore them, your father can’t bear the burden, and even I will be unhappy. By then, the relationship among you brothers would be irreparable and Uncle No. 1’s family will likely lose more than they gain..."

Although Chen Afu disliked Mrs. Hu a lot, he had a good impression of Agui and his wife. He didn’t want Chen Ye to end up like Mrs. Hu, causing discord among the brothers. He might not care about Mrs. Chen and Chen Ye, but he couldn’t ignore Chen Ming’s feelings. He knew that Chen Ming was very close to Mrs. Chen and Chen Ye and they had indeed helped Chen Ming a lot in the past.

So, she had a long talk with Chen Ming.

Finally, she said, "...I don’t have much interaction with the first room. I am only saying all of this because of your father. No matter what they do in the future, I will not interfere anymore. If we can get along, we keep the relationship. If not, then ignore it."

Chen Ming is not stupid. From what Afu said, he knew that if he allowed it to continue, if his old mother continued to be unrestrained, if his elder brother was as greedy as Mrs. Hu, they would completely offend Afu. All these families have been relying on Afu to live a good life. Therefore, Afu is the most significant supporter of the different branches of the Chens family. If Afu no longer favors the first room, their gain will not compensate for their loss. Chen Ming has a close relationship with Chen Ye, and he hopes that the first family can live better. Of course, he doesn’t want to upset Afu or to have a disagreement between his wife and daughter...

Seeing Chen Ming deep in thought, Chen Afu started having a nice chat with Mrs. Wang. It’s time to let him think thoroughly.

Mrs. Wang said they would head back home today, yet Chen Afu coquettishly said, "We just got back, you should at least stay with us for one more day."

Mrs. Wang agreed with a laugh.

As Chu Hanyan, Li Xuan, and the brothers Yu and Ming woke up, the courtyard became lively again.

Chen Afu asked Mrs. Huang to come out and kneel to give Chu Hanyan a ceremonial greeting.

Before going to the Capital City, Chen Afu talked to Mrs. Song. Mrs. Song took good care of Ms. Chu wholeheartedly and got along well with the previous Chen Afu. Therefore, Chen Afu asked in advance if she would like to continue to serve Ms. Chu, but she must keep a lower profile. If she didn’t want that, she would receive some money and return home with her husband and children.

After thinking for a long time, Mrs. Song chose to take the money and go home. Ms. Chu had grown up now and didn’t need to be served as before. She was not Ms. Chu’s wet nurse, though she got along well with her, their relationship was not that deep. She knew the palace maids were tough. Once a maid came, her position in the courtyard would no longer be as high as before.

Therefore, Chen Afu gave her a hundred taels of silver as a retirement fund and told her to wait until the training maid came. Afterwards, she would have to wait till the maid was trained enough and then she could leave. She also warned Qui’er and Miao’er that as the young mistress is growing up, she can’t always be served by her mother but should rely more on her maids.

In the late afternoon, Chu Lingqi and Mrs. Song brought Wen to the main court.

Chu Lingqi who is now a military officer of the sixth rank, would settle down his household and then go report for duty. He was discussing houses with Chen Ming and they both became delighted. He wanted to buy a courtyard like Chen Ming’s and heard Chen Ming mention that there was a house for sale in their neighbourhood. Therefore, they went out to check the house together.

The next morning, after seeing Chen Ming and Mrs. Wang off, Chen Afu asked Xia Yue to guide Ms. Chu and Li Xuan to play with building blocks and tell stories while she visited the Chen Mansion with the two little brothers and a cart of goods.

Hearing that Chen Shiying was doing well, living in a clean house, and really missing her and the children.... Mrs. Jiang was so happy that she started wiping away her tears while clasping her hands and murmuring blessings.

Chen Afu added that his matters might have to be put on hold for a while due to the current situation in the court...

While they were chatting, the three sisters Chen Yuhui, Chen Yuxia, and Chen Yulan arrived.

As soon as Chen Yuqing and Chen Yuxia saw Chen Afu, their eyes became red and they rushed to hug her, asking, "Big sister, is father all right?"

Chen Afu nodded and said, "Father is doing fine. He told you to listen to mother and wait for him to come home."

Chen Yuhui walked up and asked, "Will father be dismissed from his post?"

Chen Yuhui had lost weight, and her face looked even longer. She nervously watched Chen Afu, as if Chen Afu were Chen Shiying’s superior and could decide whether Chen Shiying would continue to be an official.

Chen Afu replied, "I really do not know if father will be dismissed. However, he has already come to terms with it. He said if he can continue to be an official, he will work hard for the common people. If he could not, he would still like the life of farming..."

Hearing this, Chen Yuhui’s eyes turned red, "It’s easy for you to say. If he’s no longer an official, what will happen to us..." Seeing the stern faces of Mrs. Jiang and Chen Afu, she quickly added, "I don’t care, now that my engagement is settled. But what about the youngest sister? Will she only be able to find a wealthy man from the rural area?"

Chen Yuqing was so angry that her face turned red. She said, "Second sister, you’re afraid that the He family will reject you, but don’t involve me."

Mrs. Jiang admonished them, "Ladies should not speak so freely about these matters. Do you not feel embarrassed? Regardless of whether your father continues to be an official, he is your good father, and you are all his children!"

Chen Afu also scolded with a stern face, "Father is in trouble, and instead of caring for him, what you care most about is whether he can still be an official, and whether it will affect your own marriages. Second sister, I really don’t know what to say about you."

Seeing Mrs. Jiang’s irate expression, Chen Yuhui swallowed her words with a feeling of injustice. It’s already mid-February, leaving her only about a month before her wedding with the He family. But the He family had not mentioned anything, nor did Mrs. Jiang inquire about it. She was extremely anxious but could do nothing. Now that her grandmother’s courtyard was under strict watch, she could not even ask her grandmother for help.

Everyone ignored Chen Yuhui’s bitter face. After lunch, Chen Afu instructed Chen Yulan a few more words before taking the children home.