Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty
Chapter 446 - 439: Divine Turning Point

Chapter 446: Chapter 439: Divine Turning Point

Mrs. Wang saw that Mrs. Jiang was much thinner and paler than before, she comforted her, "Sister, I heard from Afu that Ying Di won’t be in trouble. Ying Di will continue to gain the Emperor’s favor by doing well in farming in Dingzhou. Don’t worry..."

Mrs. Jiang’s tears welled up, and she sighed, "I know, but I can’t help it. My heart, it feels as if it’s churned in boiling water, it’s unbearable every day..."

Chen Yulan, Chen Yuxia, and Chen Yuhui had all arrived, but Chen Yuhui hadn’t. She was sick. Her wedding day to the He family had passed, but there was no word from them.

She used to go to the main court every day to make a fuss, wanting Mrs. Jiang to settle the matter with the He family. Mrs. Jiang didn’t go, only saying they would discuss it when Chen Shiying returned. After several days of protesting, she was confined to her courtyard, and she made a fuss while fasting, tormenting herself to illness.

Chen Yulan confided to Chen Afu about Chen Yuhui’s situation, her eyes even more somber. Her once bright eyes were now filled with sorrow.

Her eyes were the most striking feature of Chen Yulan. Now they had lost their allure, revealing her somewhat long face, she looked quite ordinary.

Seeing Chen Yulan like this, Chen Afu was pained. She knew that she was not only worried about Chen Shiying, but also about her own future. She was already sixteen years old, even if Chen Shiying was not demoted, her marital prospects would not be smooth. After all, the matter about Mrs. Chen was out, and was notorious. With a maternal grandmother like hers, many reputable families would not consider marital alliances with the Chens. Perhaps because Granny Chen had frightened Mrs. Jiang, she was not willing to let Chen Yulan marry into a poor family.

No wonder why Chen Shiying kept the matter about Granny Chen under wraps earlier. Not only due to his filial piety, but also out of fear that this would hinder his children’s marriages.

For Chen Yulan’s sake, Chen Afu hoped that Chen Yuhui would not create any more problems. After all, with a maternal grandmother like hers, if her elder sister became intolerable, her own marital prospects would become even more difficult.

Earlier, Mrs. Jiang had been quite choosy, always hoping to find a well-off and decent young man for her daughter, but it turned out to have delayed her daughter’s marriage.

Chen Afu softly advised, "Look at my mother, she had also had a difficult time with her union, it was delayed until she was seventeen years old, but Heaven’s justice prevailed, and she met my father..."

Chen Yulan blushed in embarrassment, her eyes welling up with emotion as she murmured softly, "I know. These matters can’t be rushed, it will have to wait until father comes home safely."

Chen Afu said, "Yulan, trust me, father will return home safe and sound."

She had analyzed with Chu Lingxuan, and there were now many factors in favor of Chen Shiying. He would not face serious consequences. Promotion was definitely out of the question, but there was still a possibility to preserve his governorship. At worst, he would be demoted by two ranks, but not too much. The result would be much better than they had previously anticipated.

Chen Yulan had always trusted her elder sister. Hearing her sister’s confident reassurances, Chen Yulan even managed to smile a little.

Chen Afu told her, "Look, Lan is calling you, go and play with the young girls."

Qin Lan and Chen Yuxia were waving at Chen Yulan from under the rose frame. Seeing them, Chen Yulan got up and went to them, her steps were slightly lighter than before.

Chen Afu joined Mrs. Fu and several other ladies. Mrs. Fu said with a smile, "We were just saying that if any young man missed out on the virtuous and dignified Miss Chen Yulan because of Granny Chen’s history, it would be a great loss."

Chen Afu replied modestly, "Indeed, I’m not boasting, but my sister Yulan inherits my mother’s temperament, and my father’s intelligence, any man who marries her, is sure to be blessed."

Mrs. Jiang overheard Chen Afu’s conversation. She clung to Mrs. Wang’s hand even tighter, saying, "Sister, you’ve managed both your husband and your son very well."

Mrs. Wang shook her head and smiled, "You can’t say that, Ying Di and Afu both are inherently virtuous and intelligent."

The next day, Chen Afu invited Mrs. Wang and Mrs. Liu over again to spend the day because tomorrow they were going to return to Lu Garden. Mrs. Wang was going to take care of Chen Ming, Mrs. Liu and her son were going to visit, and Chen Alu was going to stay at the Senator’s Mansion again.

Actually, Chen Afu, Chen Dabao, Chu Hanyan, Alu, and Li Xuan all wanted to go back and stay for a while. But since Chen Afu was worried about Chen Shiying’s situation, she wanted to wait until his affairs was resolved before going back.

The matter concerning Wang Cheng was sure to take some time, after all, it involved many officials, and it was likely that they would have to stand trial before the three departments. But Chen Shiying’s matter had been dragged on for so long, it should be coming to an end soon.

Furthermore, Chen Afu’s menstrual period had already been delayed by six days, and she was experiencing reduced breast milk and increased sleepiness. She wondered if she might be pregnant again. At this time, she couldn’t travel long distances in a coach or a sedan chair.

Chen Afu’s mood had significantly improved, and she now wanted to focus on her own business and properties.

She had been away from Dingzhou during the Lunar New Year, and they had just experienced a disaster, so after returning, one thing led to another, and she had put many things aside.

Three days later, the stewards from several farms were called. They reported on the condition of the winter wheat and rapeseed that were about to be harvested, the planting situation of the "Dingzhou sweet melons", and the preliminary preparations for the planting of other crops.

This time, due to the snow disaster and sudden climate warming in the north-central part of Dashun dynasty, the sudden outbreak of pestilence in Liaozhou occurred. There was no plague in other places, but there was a significant insect disaster. Apart from the jurisdiction of Dingzhou, the winter wheat harvest in almost all areas was less than favourable. But from the previous year, the Dingzhou region began to grow "Dingzhou wheat" on a large scale. This wheat variety was not only high-yielding but also insect-resistant. This year’s harvest, although not as good as in previous years, was much better than in other regions.

Therefore, the winter wheat harvest on the farms was acceptable, but the rape harvest was halved compared to previous years. This was a natural disaster; the stewards and sharecroppers couldn’t be blamed. Chen Afu expressed her satisfaction and awarded twenty taels of silver to each of the stewards. This was the year-end bonus from the previous year, which was only given to them now.

The shopkeeper of the branch and some of the major stewards had been rewarded, their rewards were much higher. Mr. Zeng received two hundred taels of silver, the shopkeepers of the branch received a hundred taels of silver, and the stewards received rewards of fifty taels and twenty taels respectively.

In such severe weather, the fact that Dingzhou’s winter wheat could still be harvested was a major achievement for Chen Shiying that others could not deny. It would also be an important factor for the emperor and the elders to consider when they deal with him.

This snow disaster and insect pestilence was a catastrophe that the Dashun dynasty had rarely encountered in a hundred years, and it might just provide Chen Shiying with an unexpected turning point in his uncertain future.

On the fourth day, Chen Afu wanted to make a trip to the Fuyunlai Trading Company again.

Mrs. Li tried to stop her, "My lady, this is a crucial time, you shouldn’t overwork yourself."

Chen Afu replied, "It’s fine, I’ll be traveling back and forth in a soft sedan chair."

She led Hong Fei, Mrs. Li and a few other servants to the Fuyunlai Trading Company. Now, the Fuyunlai Trading Company was not only the initial two-story commercial building, but last year they had bought the adjacent two, three-story commercial buildings. The three small buildings and courtyard were combined to form a commercial empire that handles office work, grain trading, seed trading, and foreign goods trading.

After hearing the summaries of the past work and the future development plan of the trading company from Zeng Shuang and several chief stewards, Chen Afu was highly satisfied.