Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty
Chapter 466 - 457

Chapter 466: 457

After being busy, Chen Afu felt cheerful and decided to visit Mrs. Zhao in the village.

Leaning on Hong Fei’s hand, she led Luo Fang’s wife and two guards out of the Luo’s estate. They went westward, walking slowly, and arrived in the village within a quarter of an hour, stopping before the second courtyard.

It was a semi-new old courtyard, with green brick walls and a half-open wooden door, revealing a corner of black tiles on the wall.

Chen Afu looked around and realized that this small courtyard was one of the best in the village.

Luo Fang’s wife strode forward and pushed the wooden door wide open, revealing the entire courtyard.

The east wing had three rooms with an ear room attached, on the left and right were wing rooms, and a willow tree, its leaves turned yellow, was planted in the courtyard. An old woman was leaning against the door, sunbathing on a wicker chair, and another tall and sturdy woman was hanging clothes to dry.

The courtyard was so quiet that they could clearly hear the clucking chickens in the backyard.

The taller woman had worked for the Chens before and recognized Chen Afu. She was surprised to see Chen Afu visit Mrs. Zhao in broad daylight, as since Mrs. Zhao moved here, she had only been visited a few times by the master, madam, and young master, and always after dark. She had been cautioned never to reveal Mrs. Zhao’s real identity.

She knew that Chen Afu had a grudge against Mrs. Zhao, who would mumble curses against her every day to vent her anger. At that moment, the woman was puzzled and stood dumbfounded.

Mrs. Zhao still had good hearing and heard the noise behind her, but as she couldn’t move well, she didn’t turn her head. She asked, "Are they here to borrow needles and thread again, or for rice and flour? Tell them to go, we are not a charity." She then muttered to herself, "That damn dog, instead of guarding the house, has gone wild."

Mrs. Yu finally reacted and rushed to pay her respects, "Old servant, old servant greets Lady Chen."

Mrs. Zhao stiffened. She had not expected Chen Afu to come. The last thing she wanted was for Chen Afu to see her in such a sorry state. She cursed, "Tell that damned girl to leave, I don’t want to see her."

Chen Afu walked into the courtyard and stood in front of the old lady.

The old woman was wearing a semi-new dark green fine cloth jacket, covered by a black thin cotton shawl. Her hair was completely white and sparse, tied in a small bun at the back of her head, pinned only with a silver hairpin. Her face was extremely thin, her cheeks sunken, making her cheekbones look even higher. Her mouth was half open, with a trail of drool hanging from the corner of her mouth.

Her head hung low and she couldn’t raise it completely. Through foggy eyes, she stared at Chen Afu.

Looking down at her, Chen Afu felt empty and even unwilling to speak. She only said one sentence, "People act, but heaven watches. Mrs. Zhao, instead of wasting your energy cursing, you should recite sutras and pray to Buddha more often. If not for your descendants, at least for your next life."

After saying this, she leaned on Hong Fei’s hand and walked around Mrs. Zhao to leave.

Behind her, a furious curse echoed, "Damned girl, you’re the one who ruined my son and me, while those who never die make me take the fall. And Hui, that ungrateful wretch, despite my doting on her, she doesn’t even come to see me now that I’m in trouble..."

Chen Afu ignored her and exited the main gate but could still hear Mrs. Zhao’s incoherent curses.

Mrs. Yu came out with her and said, "Thank you, Lady Chen, for still thinking of Mrs. Zhao. I will take good care of her."

She was thinking of Mrs. Zhao? Indeed, at first, she was wondering why Mrs. Zhao hadn’t died yet. But at this moment, she didn’t have that thought any longer, death was easy, but living was not.

Afu sent a signal to Xiao Mo, who then handed a wallet containing a silver ingot to Mrs. Yu.

Afu and his companions slowly moved east, with several village children standing at the entrance and watching them longingly. Afu had Xiao Mo hand out candies to the children.

In the late afternoon, Afu took the children and Zhui Feng’s family and bid farewell to Chenhui Mansion. Mr. Chu was still in the mansion, so their stay outside couldn’t be extended any longer.

On September 10, Heng came with Chu Hua. On the 11th, Mr. Luo and Granny Luo brought along their daughter, Luo Ying. Instead of coming to the Chus’ mansion in Dingzhou, they went directly to the Luos’ estate in Jitou Village, on the outskirts of the city.

These people would stay until the twin’s first birthday party was over before leaving.

With her own daughter, grandchildren, nephews, and childhood playmates around her, Liao Chen must be very happy, right?

Afu, having health troubles and with his hands full at the mansion, didn’t make a specific trip to visit them. But Chu Lingxuan did spend a night at the estate. He returned and said that Liao Chen was very happy and her spirits were much improved.

On the 14th, all three branches of the Chen family went to the Chus’ mansion to give gifts for the little girl’s birthday. They even brought Wang Cai and Yuan Bao with them.

Chen Ming and his wife didn’t want to appear at the celebration at the same time as Chen Shiying’s family, so they delivered their gift in advance. They had given a beautiful outfit that Mrs. Wang had made for the little girl.

Chen Shi and Mrs. Zhang gave the little girl an outfit and a pair of shoes. The fabric was probably provided by Chen Aman, and it was extremely luxurious.

Granny Chen and Chen Ye gave her a small silver lock and a set of padded jacket and trousers.

Every time Afu saw Granny Zhao, his respect for Granny Chen would increase. Granny Chen, also a widow, had raised three sons. She had her small plots and little schemes, and sometimes her actions could be quite irritating. However, she never lost her conscience, didn’t scheme to harm others for silver, and even took in Chen Dabao and the original owner, who were not her blood relatives...

Afu recognized that they wanted to join the feast tomorrow, so he jokingly said, "Please come to the mansion for the banquet tomorrow. We have invited an opera troupe for the occasion. They are all famous performers."

Granny Chen laughed, her face full of wrinkles, and said, "If you don’t mind us crude folks, we’ll come over to experience a wealthy family’s birthday banquet and watch some opera. Rest assured, I won’t be bringing Mrs. Hu. She doesn’t know how to hold her tongue."

Chen Shi wanted to make connections with more influential people. He laughed and nodded in agreement.

Afu had dinner with the three families. When the Chen Ming family left, they left Wang Cai and Yuan Bao to play for a couple more days. The dogs had already followed the kids and Zhui Feng’s family to the back garden to play.

Chen Alu also stayed at the Chus’ mansion, and he would help his brother-in-law host the guests tomorrow. This was Afu’s requirement - He needs not only to study well but also to learn how to socialize.

On the 15th, Afu got up early. He personally went to the kitchen to cook some dishes, including fried sauce noodles, shredded chicken with mushroom noodles, and seafood noodles. He also made some sweet soups. Breakfast was set up in the West Side Room of the main house, where the children would eat today.

At time of Chen (7 - 9 a.m.), apart from the two little brothers, several children arrived. Big Treasure, Chu Lingzhi, and Alu each gave the little girl toys they’d bought on the street - a barbarian doll, a small bamboo flower basket, and a porcelain figurine of flowers and birds, respectively. Even Xiao Lixuan gave her a wooden carving of a little deer.

Since last evening, the little girl has been receiving so many gifts that she’s gotten tired. But she keeps smiling with crinkled eyes, and saying thank you.