Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty
Chapter 478 - 469: Visiting

Chapter 478: Chapter 469: Visiting

Starting from the second day of Lunar New Year, Chu Lingxuan began to leave early in the morning and return late at night, sometimes not even coming back home.

Chen Afu couldn’t go back to her parents’ home on the second day of Lunar New Year either. There were two reasons: first, she was still in her postpartum period; second, Chen Shiying’s family had returned to the Capital City, and Chen Ming’s family and Chen Shi’s family had also returned to their hometown to celebrate Lunar New Year and to join Chen Aju’s wedding celebration.

Chen Aju had found a husband from a family of wealthy landlords residing in Sanqing County. Rumor had it that the family owned thousands of acres of fertile farmland and operated two stores. Their youngest son was 18 years old with an average appearance. Even with his average looks, he certainly wouldn’t be attracted to Chen Aju or the Chen family’s main branch. What attracted him was the power of Chen Afu and the bright future of the second and third branches of the Chen family.

Initially, Chen Ye and Mrs. Hu were not satisfied, thinking that this family was not as wealthy as the Yang family which was found by Chen Aman and resided in the Capital City. The landlord’s young son was a bit dark-skinned and plump, not as handsome as Yang Mingyuan.

However, Mrs. Chen was more than satisfied. She persuaded Chen Ye: regardless of whether they accepted it or not, their family branch was now falling far behind the third branch. Why shouldn’t the eligibility criteria for their son-in-law be different? They should feel lucky that this family was willing to ally with them. Furthermore, Chen Aju would be 17 years old next year, and any further delay would make finding a suitable match more difficult.

Upon reflection, Chen Ye agreed with his mother. Whether they liked it or not, their family was no longer superior to the second and third branch. Ultimately, even Mrs. Hu, who was shedding tears and complaining about the unfair treatment of her daughter, ended up agreeing to the proposal due to the persuasion of the men and her mother-in-law.

As Chen Aju was getting older, her marriage was arranged in July of the previous year, and she became officially married on the eighth day of the first lunar month this year.

When the Chens went back to celebrate the wedding, Chen Afu also sent her dowry with Chen Ming. The dowry, with a face value of 50 taels of silver, two pieces of brocade, two quilts, and two solid gold hairpins, was much more exquisite compared to the one provided for Chen Aman.

At the same time, she also sent 50 taels of silver to the Hu family for Hu Wei’s wedding on the tenth lunar day. Despite not liking Hu Wei, Chen Afu gave him this generous gift, considering how influential and well-connected Uncle Hu was.

Chen Afu asked Mrs. Song to visit Manager Luo’s home on her behalf, bringing gifts of 200 taels of silver and many nourishing supplements such as ginseng, lingzhi, and sanqi.

Little Miss Chu, upset from a recent incident, clung to Chen Afu all the time. Dabao, seeing his little sister like this, also stuck to her side without leaving any room.

While Dabao was sticking to his little sister, he was also clinging to Chen Afu. Chen Afu allowed him to pull and hug her, feeling a great sense of reluctance in her heart. The appointment of the Ninth Prince as the Crown Prince signified that Shiyi would soon leave her to acknowledge his ancestry and return to his rightful clan.

Ever since coming into this different world, Chen Afu had spent more time with Dabao than with Chu Lingxuan, and even her own biological children. She had been through thick and thin with him for nearly four years and was truly reluctant to let go.

She stayed in her room with the three children, while the two little brothers went to Luomei Nunnery every morning to accompany Liao Chen and would return at lunchtime. In the afternoons, they stayed at home as they were too mischievous to stay still, which would have given Liao Chen a headache. Furthermore, after the recent incident, Liao Chen had been spending more time meditating on Buddhism.

On the seventh day of the Lunar New Year, it was Yu’er’s full month celebration, but Chen Afu decided not to have a huge celebration. As Chu Lingxuan wasn’t at home and due to the unusual circumstances, no one from the Capital City or Shizhou Mansion would be visiting. Thus, only a few close families and her uncles’ family were invited over for dinner.

Finally out of her confinement, Chen Afu took an early bath that morning. After breakfast, she wore a cotton jacket, a cape, and a Zhaojun hat, and brought the children to see Liao Chen at Luomei Nunnery. This was her first visit since the day Liao Chen entered the Mansion.

This time, she brought Yu’er along. Not only had they wrapped her tightly in quilts, but they also placed a thick piece of velvet over her face.

The outside was filled with heavy snow and biting-cold wind. Despite being confined for a month, Chen Afu was unusually exhilarated. She stood up and gazed upward, letting the snowflakes fall onto her face, and enjoying the sensation of snowflakes melting on her skin.

Mrs. Li quickly warned, "Dear Madam, you have just ended your confinement period and should not expose yourself to the cold like this."

Copying their mother, Yu and Ming raised their heads, shouting loudly, "Catch the snow, catch the snow."

The two wet nurses quickly stopped them, saying, "Oh no, children, you must not catch a cold."

Upon hearing this, the two little boys began running around and shouting, "We are going to see grandma, we are going to see grandma..." Dressed in red padded jackets and trousers, they looked like two red lantern peppers with legs.

The two young boys were tall and robust and were always ready to jump or run, not letting anyone lead them. Suddenly, Ming took a tumble and rolled over in the snow before getting up on his own, laughing into the sky.

Seeing this, Yu also deliberately took a tumble and then stood up, laughing out loud.

Neither the family maids nor Little Miss Chu helped them up. Chen Afu had instructed them this way: as long as the boys did not fall too hard, they were to be allowed to get up on their own.

Upon reaching Luomei Courtyard, they saw a garden filled with blooming red plums that stood proudly amidst the snow, creating a beautiful sight.

Chen Afu felt that compared to a begonia flower, Liao Chen was more like a red plum: proud, eye-catching, stubborn, assertingly self-centered.

They went straight into the east wing, which was Liao Chen’s living and sleeping quarters. Because Liao Chen would meditate in the main room in the courtyard. They sat in the east room for a while before Liao Chen finished her meditation and joined them. She looked much thinner now, making her crow’s feet appear more prominent. Marquis Chu’s day of patience would soon come to an end. It was unpredictable what would become of this longstanding couple.

Her originally troubled eyes sparkled as they landed on the children.

Chen Afu, along with the kids, got up to greet Liao Chen. Yu and Ming paid their respects before rushing to hug their grandmother, exclaiming proudly, "Grandma, our little sister has come too."

Liao Chen stroked the boys’ heads and asked, "Did your little sister come along? Grandma wants to see her."

Mrs. Li brought baby Yu’er before Liao Chen, who reached out to hold her.

The last time Liao Chen saw Yu’er, the baby girl was asleep with her eyes closed. But now, her eyes were wide open. Not at all shy with strangers, she smiled at her grandmother and made a couple of cooing sounds.

Liao Chen laughed, her eyes becoming moist, and said, "Such a pretty little one, who wouldn’t dote on her? Look at her, she’s even more beautiful than Hua’er was at her age."

She sat on the bed with Yu’er, while the two boys leaned against her on both sides and chatted away happily, "Sister, beautiful."

Liao Chen nodded, "Yes, she is beautiful."

"Sister’s poop doesn’t stink."

Liao Chen feigned surprise, "Really? How could poop not stink?"

The little boys nodded confidently, "Doesn’t stink, we’ve smelled it."

Liao Chen laughed heartily, "Oh my, just because it doesn’t stink doesn’t mean you can smell it!"

One of the boys then added, "Bad people tried to take our sister away."

The other boy quickly chimed in, "But we chased them away. No one is allowed to take her."

Liao Chen agreed, "Indeed, anyone who tries to take your sister away should be chased away." She was unaware that the ’bad person’ the boys were talking about was the third concubine.