Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty
Chapter 508 - 499: Little Wife

Chapter 508: Chapter 499: Little Wife

After the eunuch left, the news that the Empress Dowager and the Empress had scolded Feng Miaohua soothed the Chus. However, upon seeing the forlorn young girl and the ointment on her hands, Chen Afu still felt frustrated, wishing she could beat up Feng Miaohua herself.

The young Miss Chu was frightened. As soon as she returned to the Bamboo Pavilion from An Royal Mansion, she went straight to bed, even sleeping in Chen Afu’s bed. In her sleep, she cried saying that someone was trying to beat her, and someone was trying to scald her, and she wouldn’t let go of Chen Afu’s hand. In the midst of resting, an eunuch arrived to convey orders.

Upon hearing that the formidable Empress Dowager and the Empress had reprimanded Feng Miaohua and that Feng Miaohua would not dare to scald her again in the future, the young lady felt somewhat better. Back at the Bamboo Pavilion, she continued sleeping, this time more soundly.

Fearing to disturb the young lady, Chen Alu took the little brothers and Animal House to play in the backyard. Chen Alu, who studied at the Imperial College, would stay at his sister’s house for a day every ten days when on holiday.

Nowadays, Animal House mainly stayed at the Chus and is only occasionally brought into palace to play on Shiyi’s days off. The reason for this is the imperial princes were too domineering, wanting to possess anything they liked. When a young prince failed to get something from Shiyi, he shockingly had a eunuch try to poison Qi Qi. While Qi Qi didn’t end up dying and the young prince was also punished, Shiyi did not want Animal House to go into the palace anymore.

Chen Afu went to console and praise Qi’er again, rewarding her with twenty taels of silver and a gold hairpin.

In the middle of the night, Chen Afu was sleeping soundly when she suddenly felt an itch in her left hand. She woke up and in the dim light, saw Jin Yanzi signalling her with her eyes.

Chen Afu silently got up and saw that the window was wide open. Below the window, on a dainty couch, lay a small box tied up with a wrap of rope. She glared at Jin Yanzi, the little creature had stolen too much. What if she was discovered?

She took the small box into the space, went to the toilet with Jin Yanzi, locked the door, and both entered the space.

Inside the small box was an overflow of ornaments and collectibles, brilliantly dazzling and splendidly magnificent. As Chen Afu looked through, she found that two objects were priceless treasures. One was a solid gold lion figurine inlaid with a pair of big cat’s eyes and the other was a high-grade jade ornament depicting flowers in bloom.

Jin Yanzi chirped, "I’ve gathered enough gold and jewels for a house, darling. Take whatever you like."

Chen Afu said, "Let’s leave these things for the next host of this treasure chest. I dare not use them."

Jin Yanzi chirped again, "When I went to Princess Ronghe’s Mansion, that disgusting Feng Miaohua was still crying and making a fuss, saying it was Yan’er’s fault for acting pitiful and getting her scolded by the Empress Dowager and the Empress at the Poetry Festival at An Royal Mansion. She cursed that Yan’er would never get married, or would be abused by her in-laws...Oh my, how annoying! I really want to peck a huge hole in that girl’s mouth."

Upon hearing this, Chen Afu was furious. She snorted and said, "The one who ruined her reputation is that wretched girl, she’s the one who won’t get married. How can Yan’er, with her beauty and gentility, not find a husband?"

After conversing for a while, the bird and human exited the space. Chen Afu returned to rest, and Jin Yanzi set off in search of fun.

Back in bed, Chen Afu looked at the young girl sleeping soundly. The faint moonlight shone into the room through the window lattice, and the beautiful little face was faintly visible.

An oval face as smooth as a goose egg, a skin as white as jade, curved eyebrows, long lash lines, protruding small mouth, and a little nose emitting a faint snore. Beautiful, peaceful, pure, any mother or father would wish to hold such a daughter in the palm of their hands, to cherish her for a lifetime.

But it was impossible. She had done too much to protect her before.

The thought of the young girl getting married and crying in sadness unseen somewhere else, made Chen Afu’s heart feel as if pierced by a needle.

He didn’t give birth to the young girl, but he raised her with love, doing everything to help her break free of her own small world and past sorrow. His love for her was no less than that of his own flesh and blood. Moreover, he feared for her more than his own children.

She was beautiful, innocent, kind-hearted, and gentle. She did not possess an ounce of malice. Yet, the world was cruel and the human heart was complex.

Chen Afu suddenly became fearful. What if she married into a bad family and he didn’t know about it? What would he do then?

Even though the young girl was still two months away from turning eight, Chen Afu started worrying about her future, unable to find rest.

Suddenly, the image of Shiyi’s clever yet pure face appeared in his mind. Chen Afu sat up excitedly. Shiyi was the most suitable partner for Yan’er.

Shiyi was astute, smooth, had a good sense of timing, and would surely manage the household well. He was kind-hearted, of good character, and grew up with Ms. Chu. He knew all her strengths and weaknesses and would genuinely cherish her. His attachment to him indicated that he would listen to his words. Most importantly, if the emperor was no more, he would become a king and establish his own palace. There would be no in-laws or sisters-in-law to deal with in the royal mansion...

The more Chen Afu thought about it, the more excited he got. In the future, he would have to let Shiyi visit often, to ensure their "innocent" friendship continues and lasts until seven years later...

It wasn’t until dawn that Chen Afu gradually drifted off to sleep.

In the morning, seeing that Ms. Chu’s mood had improved, Chen Afu’s heart finally relaxed.

After breakfast, Chen Afu had Ms. Chu write four letters. One for Zhu Ying’er, one for Yang Qian, one for Zhang Ziqi, and one for Jiang Xiuqiu, who is the granddaughter of Mrs. Jiang’s elder brother, currently seven years old.

The letters said that Qi Qi and Hui Hui had learned a new song and invited them to come in the afternoon to listen to the birds singing. These girls were all seven years old and would usually have classes in the morning. Therefore, they were invited to come in the afternoon to play and have dinner before leaving.

No matter the reason, Yang Qian and Jiang Xiuqiu would definitely come. Given such an attractive offer, Zhu Ying’er and Zhang Ziqi would surely come too.

Chen Afu needed to have Chu Hanyan interact more with girls of high social standing her age. Even if it didn’t change her personality, it was important for her to understand the outside world and different human natures.

After the letters were sent, Chen Afu asked Mrs. Hua to prepare more tasty and visually appealing treats. Then, they would also prepare watermelon shaved ice and pineapple shaved ice.

Before lunch, the servants who delivered the letters returned and reported that the young ladies would come to visit in the afternoon. Immediately after, Ms. Chu received another letter. It was from Princess Ying Hui who said she would visit the Yong’an Marquis Manor to see her sister Chu in the late afternoon.

Seeing the bright twinkle in Ms. Chu’s eyes, Chen Afu smiled and said, "Everyone likes to play with you, Yan’er, because you are so adorable and endearing."