Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty
Chapter 459 - 450 Yuan Bao

Chapter 459: Chapter 450 Yuan Bao

At that moment, Jin Yanzi flew over. Landing on Chen Afu’s lapel, it chirped, "Mommy, Wang Cai stole this dog. We were playing at Honglin Mountain and saw a few people with this dog. When they weren’t looking, Wang Cai took off with it. The sister who lost it seemed about to cry her heart out. We wanted Wang Cai to give the dog back, but he bolted into the deep forest with it like a lunatic."

It would be heart-wrenching to lose such a cute dog.

Chen Afu looked at Wang Cai who was nearly mad about getting a wife. However, seeing Wang Cai despise mongrels due to Sasa’s presence, he said, "This dog doesn’t look like a stray. Could it belong to someone? The owner must be very upset."

Understanding human speech, Wang Cai feared Chen Afu might return his wife. He barked at Chen Afu wildly, seeming very intimidating. The dog, who appeared to have built a bond with Wang Cai, hurriedly began to lick Wang Cai’s head to soothe him.

Annoyed, Chen Alu hit Wang Cai on the back, scolding, "Why so fierce? Don’t scare my sister."

Chen Ming said, "I also think this dog isn’t a stray. It’s got a mild temperament and good habits, it must be trained."

The children also liked the dog and begged, "Don’t give it back, let’s buy it with silver." They even started pooling their pocket money.

Chen Afu said, "Even if we want to return it, we don’t know who to give it back to. Let’s keep it for now. If no one claims it, it will belong to us. If someone comes to claim it, we’ll try to buy it."

Chen Ming also said, "It’s such a good dog, and since Wang Cai likes it, I’ll buy it no matter how much the silver costs when the original owner shows up."

The kids rejoiced. They all started giving it names. "Silver Fox" from Chu Lingzhi was the most apt, "Snowy" from Chu Hanyan was the most descriptive, but everyone said these names didn’t match with "Wang Cai". In the end, "Yuan Bao" suggested by Dabao, which paired nicely with "Wang Cai" was the chosen name.

Chen Afu regretted naming such a beautiful dog after money. However, seeing that the dog seemed to like it, wagging its tail happily while playing with the kids, she let it go.

Fox Terriers are usually shy and do not approach strangers. But Yuan Bao was very social, perhaps because it spent a long time with Wang Cai’s family.

Everyone carried on at Lu Garden until the starlit night, and then Chen Afu and others brought their Animal House family back to Tang Garden.

Li Xuan with Jin Yanzi, Dabao and Chu Lingzhi taking the Wang Cai family, and the little girl leading Qi Qi and Hui Hui, all went back to their own houses.

After Li Xuan fell asleep, Jin Yanzi came to Chen Afu’s bedroom. Chen Afu patted its head, saying, "A fun-loving little thing, you were gone for days and Beibei is heartbroken."

On hearing this, Jin Yanzi rushed into the empty room. Chen Afu followed and saw Jin Bao lying down with Jin Bei in its wings. Jin Bei’s body was glowing green, and Jin Yanzi continuously whispered sweet nothings.

Only once Jin Yanzi finally soothed Jin Bei enough for the green light to recede, did it see Chen Afu covering her cheek. It asked, "Mommy, does your tooth hurt?"

Chen Afu laughed, "Mommy’s not having a toothache, it’s a toothache from all the sweetness. Oh my, my baby’s mouth is so sweet, whoever becomes your little wife would be so lucky, she’ll be soaking in honey every day."

Jin Yanzi was very pleased to hear this. It looked at Jin Bei and giggled, "Mommy really has a way with words, you’re making me blush."

Before they knew it, it was June 28th, and Chu Lingxuan finally returned. Alongside him, was Wang Cheng.

Chu Lingxuan didn’t return to Tang Garden, instead, he went to Lu Garden with Wang Cheng.

That late afternoon, Hu Laowu, Carpenter Wu, and Junior Officer Gao were at Lu Garden, when Chu Lingxuan and Wang Cheng, both in official attire, suddenly appeared at the entrance.

Wang Cheng was wearing the uniform of a fifth-rank official. Despite his hunched back, he looked rather impressive in the eyes of Mrs. Wang, Mrs. Liu, and Wang Xiaomei. They rushed over and surrounded him.

Hu Laowu and the others looked puzzled. Wasn’t Wang Cheng just a horse-keeper? How had he come by official robes?

Chu Lingxuan hastily said to Chen Ming, "Father-in-law, an imperial decree officer will be here soon to deliver the imperial decree, quickly have the incense table prepared."

It must be the arrival of the imperial decree to consecrate Mrs. Wang and Mrs. Liu as the titled ladies. Overcome with a mixture of excitement and fear, Chen Ming, his legs shaking, called out to Shan Zi to bring out the incense table from inside the house.

Chu Lingxuan went over to Mrs. Wang and Mrs. Liu and whispered instructions about how to receive the imperial decree.

In no time, a few officials entered Lu Garden. One of them, in charge of delivering the decree, shouted, "Mrs. Wang, hear the decree." Mrs. Wang immediately knelt down, with others kneeling behind her.

The imperial decree officer announced the emperor’s decree to confer Mrs. Wang as a lady of the fifth rank and presented her with the official uniform and headdress.

Following this, he read out the decrees that conferred Mrs. Liu and Mrs. He as ladies of the fifth rank and presented them with the official uniform and headdress.

Afterwards, Chu Lingxuan quietly handed a wallet to the decree officer, and then escorted them out. Chu Lingxuan didn’t return to Lu Garden, but went directly back to Tang Garden.

After everyone left, those remaining in Lu Garden were still kneeling, stunned. Wang Cheng, having become accustomed to such grand events, was the first to stand. He said, with a smile, "Big sister, brother-in-law, and mother, get up, they’re gone."

Chen Ming and Mrs. Wang reverently placed the decrees on the incense table, planning to move them to the Chen Ancestral Hall the next day. Wang Cheng, no longer close to The Wangs, intended to build a small ancestral hall in his home in the capital city, where he would keep the decrees.

The news about Mrs. Wang being granted a title spread through Xiangluo Village like wildfire, and everyone shared in the joyous celebration.

Mrs. Wang’s ennoblement was different from Chen Afu’s. Chen Afu was a daughter-in-law of The Chus and was no longer considered a member of Xiangluo Village. Moreover, everyone knew that she wasn’t blood-related to The Chens. Mrs. Wang, on the other hand, was the first titled lady in the village.

Virtually every villager sent someone with gifts to Lu Garden. Some, who were closer, came in person with their entire families. Mrs. Chen and Chen Ye also decided to visit. Uncle Chen, the clan leader of The Chens, became emotional and burst into tears, exclaiming it was a blessing from the ancestors.

Mrs. Wang, skipping the formalities with Aunt Mu, began preparing dinner for the villagers who came to congratulate them. The wives of Hu Laowu and Junior Officer Gao quickly persuaded her not to, suggesting that the younger women help Aunt Mu in the kitchen instead. After all, it wasn’t fitting for a titled lady to be cooking for them.

Because there was not enough food, Mrs. Wang sent Shan Zi to fetch a lot of meat and fish from Tang Garden. There were plenty of vegetables in the garden ready for picking.

Meanwhile, Chu Lingxuan was at the Zen Courtyard having a conversation with Liao Chen. He wanted to persuade her to move to their home in the capital city, where he could have a small nunnery built for her.

Currently, Rong Zhao was in disgrace and had no control over Dingzhou, which was far from the Capital City. Furthermore, The Chus were no longer afraid of Rong Zhao and Lady Ma. So, Chu Lingxuan wanted Liao Chen to stay at home and practice her faith in the nunnery. It would allow the younger generations to continually show their respect and would also be much safer...