Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty
Chapter 465 - 456 Good News

Chapter 465: Chapter 456 Good News

Perhaps because Marquis Chu was scared by his wife’s previous childbirth, every time he saw her, the first thing he looked at was not her face, but her belly. When Chen Afu walked up to him, he smiled, "Your belly looks alright, not as large as before."

In reality, Chen Afu’s belly compared to other pregnant women’s was quite large. However, compared to when she was pregnant with her twin boys, it seemed smaller. Marquis Chu had never really paid attention to any other pregnant women’s bellies, so Chen Afu’s belly didn’t seem huge to him. The smaller the child, the easier the birth would be.

Chen Afu, noting the happiness apparent in Marquis Chu’s eyes, joked, "You seem so happy. Is there good news?"

Marquis Chu laughed, "Actually, there is. The Ninth Prince has added another brother and sister."

Indeed, this was great news. Last month, the Ninth Prince’s consort had given birth to a son. Now, the Ninth Prince had two sons and a daughter. Dabao was safer now.

Marquis Chu chuckled again, "Also, my third uncle, your elder brother-in-law and my sister-in-law wrote letters. My sister and fourth cousin will arrive here in about ten days, and my elder brother-in-law will arrive at the end of September. Perhaps, father may also come." He glanced at the twins proudly, "A son’s reputation can be even larger than his father’s."

Chen Afu had expected that Chu Hua and Mr. Luo and his wife would come, but she didn’t expect that Marquis Chu and Inspector Luo, such influential figures, would also come.

She smiled and said, "Hmm, being able to invite father-in-law and elder brother-in-law, really shows great prestige."

Marquis Chu added, "Keep my father’s plan to visit a secret, especially don’t tell my mother."

At dinner, Marquis Chu told the Old Marquis that he would go to Snow Hut early the next morning to persuade Liao Chen to practice at Jingtang Nunnery. He would stay at the Luos for more than a month initially. He would also take the letters written by Chu Hua and Inspector Luo to her. They would also try to persuade Liao Chen.

The Old Marquis said, "I will write her a letter too, you take it with you. Oh, your father let her down, encourage her to think positively."

Marquis Chu also asked Chen Afu to take the children to the Luos’ on the sixth day. He would bring Liao Chen to stay at the Luos’ on that day. As this was almost a relocation, they would need a couple of days to prepare.

Early on the sixth day, Chen Afu took Chu Hanyan, Chu Lingzhi, Chen Dabao, and the twins to the Luos’ country house. Alu needed to study hard at home. Mr. Liao said that Alu could take the examination about spring next year and it wouldn’t be hard for him to pass, but the ranking matters.

Mr. Liao’s words not only encouraged Alu to study more seriously, but also delighted Chen Ming. It should be noted that until now, there was no one in Xiangluo Village who had ever passed the scholar examination.

Chen Afu rode in a soft palanquin, while the others went by carriage. After about two hours, they arrived at the Luo’s country house located at the east end of Jitou Village.

The distance here from Jinghua Mountain was only more than two hundred meters, and it was more than one hundred meters from the village. Even in autumn, the place was densely shaded and extremely cool. Looking up towards the mountain, it appeared colorful with red, yellow, and green interspersed.

Luo Fang led his wife and a few servants to greet them at the entrance of the house.

Luo Fang’s wife also pointed out the village entrance to Chen Afu and whispered, "Big Madam, the second courtyard on the right is Granny Zhao’s house. Whenever I pass there on village errands, I often see Granny Zhao sunbathing in the yard. The villagers don’t know her true identity and think she is a widow with no children. Some women who like to take advantage of others used to take things from her home, and some troublemaking boys used to throw dirt and stones at her house for no reason. It was only after someone taught them a lesson that they realized she might not be as defenseless as she appears. Since then, no one has dared to cause trouble at her house..."

The house in the distance was slightly hard to see, but they could vaguely make out a small courtyard with a blue brick and tile house and a few large trees outside. Such a courtyard was considered pretty good in the countryside, but it must have seemed coarse to Granny Zhao who was used to living in lavish courtyards. Granny Zhao had schemed and chased after wealth and honor her whole life, but in the end, she was still living in such a small farmhouse.

Chen Afu smiled and led the children through the main gate.

The Luos’ country house was a typical three-entry courtyard house with a garden filled with fine trees and bamboo and many colorful pots of chrysanthemums.

First, Chen Afu went to check Liao Chen’s room. Since Liao Chen preferred peace, her room was arranged in the back of the backyard. The east room was the bedroom, and the East Ear Room was a small Buddha Hall. The furnishings and bedding were both simple and elegant. There was a pleasing scent of sandalwood in the room, which was to Liao Chen’s taste.

The West Ear Room in the main building was reserved for the two young nuns serving Liao Chen. Later, when the guests arrived, Chu Hua would stay in the east wing with Heng, and Granny Luo would stay in the west wing with her daughter. The male guests would stay in the Outer Court.

Chen Afu and Marquis Chu would temporarily live in the east room of the main court, Ms. Chu would stay in the west room, Dabao and Chu Lingzhi would stay in the east wing, and the twins would stay in the west wing.

After touring around, Chen Afu nodded in satisfaction with the excellent arrangements.

At twilight, as the final glow of the setting sun disappeared and night was about to fall, Marquis Chu and Liao Chen finally arrived.

Chen Afu led the children to greet them at the hanging flower gate. After the formal greetings, Chu Hanyan went forward to hug Liao Chen and proudly announced, "Grandmother, the twins can walk now."

Liao Chen, looking at the twins in Chen Afu’s arms, exclaimed, "So soon?"

The twins seemed to understand that their sister was showing them off. They wriggled down onto the floor and walked towards Liao Chen, each holding onto one of their mother’s hands. They each clung to one of Liao Chen’s legs, looking up at her with smiling faces. One of them opened his tiny mouth and a drool of saliva trickled down, making Liao Chen so happy her eyes reddened and her heart fluttered.

She joyfully said, "Good grandsons, it’s been so long; it’s hard for you to remember grandma."

Chen Afu chuckled silently. How could the twins possibly remember her? Chen Afu had been repeating the word "grandma" in front of them almost daily, and had been teaching them that day to please their grandma. They were not pleased to see her because they remembered her, but because they associated her with the word "grandma".

However, the twins’ people-pleasing skills were truly extraordinary. As soon as they met, they delighted Liao Chen tremendously.

After a sumptuous vegetarian banquet and some joviality in Liao Chen’s hall, everyone returned to their rooms to rest.

The next day, before dawn, Marquis Chu hurried back to Dingzhou to go to work. Chen Afu waited for the children to wake up and after breakfast, led them to pay their respects to Liao Chen in the backyard again.

Liao Chen was reciting Buddhist scriptures in the small Buddha hall. They waited for a while in the hall before Liao Chen came out.

After some chatting with her, Chu Lingzhi, and Dabao became restless and fidgety. Liao Chen then smiled and said, "These two little monkeys, you can go play now. Don’t stay here and feel restrained." Turning to Chen Afu, she added, "Afu, you can go about your business too. Let Hanyan and the twins stay and keep me company."

Liao Chen liked to collectively call the twin brothers "Shuangshuang".

Chen Afu returned to the main court, and listened to Manager Luo and Madam Luo report again about their moving arrangements. Now that Liao Chen was living here, Luo Fang’s family would also stay here to wait on her. In addition to many things from Snow Hut being moved here, the important belongings from Tang Garden also needed to be transported here...