Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty
Chapter 518 - 509: Sorry

Chapter 518: Chapter 509: Sorry

After hearing what Chen Afu had to say, Chen Yuhui cried out in a shrill voice, "How could that possibly work? Coming back from a divorce with a child, spending the rest of my life in the countryside like our grandmother, living that kind of life... how could I cope? I might as well have just..." She might as well have married the local wealthy landowner.

She didn’t have the nerve to finish her sentence.

Even though Chen Yuhui didn’t say it, Chen Afu guessed what she was insinuating. It was like the saying ’you can’t teach old dogs new tricks’, she was still as self-centered as ever. In her eyes, children, parents, and the family name were all secondary to her own glory and wealth.

Chen Afu looked at her, her tear-streaked makeup making her look not just plain, but ugly. She was different from Chen Yuqing. Chen Yuqing may have had average looks, but her warm eyes and radiant smile made her likable and pleasant. In contrast, Chen Yuhui was either expressionless or had a malicious look in her eyes, both of which made her unlikable. Her selfish personality was identical to that of Old Mrs. Zhao.

In reality, Chen Afu didn’t even want to offer her any advice. Not only was Chen Yuhui morally corrupt and once caused her harm, but she also didn’t want to compromise the positive situation Chen Yuqing was in. However, she was concerned for the young pregnant woman and didn’t want her to end up dead, so she spoke.

Thinking of Chen Yuqing, Chen Afu felt a pang of pain. If Chen Yuhui could really get divorced because of the child, who knew if Chen Yuqing’s arranged marriage could still proceed.

Chen Afu scoffed, "Who else can you blame for your predicament? Initially, you were the one who jumped into the river and attracted He Linsheng’s attention. Father tried to dissuade you from marrying him, recalling the poor reputation of the He family. But you insisted on proceeding with the marriage."

Chen Yuhui said helplessly, "Yes, I was blinded. I thought I’d found a perfect husband, but who knew... however, if I hadn’t married He Linsheng back then, father would’ve married me off to a wealthy landowner from a far-off place. I wouldn’t have wanted to marry someone like that." She paused for a moment, then asked stubbornly again, "Big sister, if you can’t, you could ask Mrs. Chu or Marquis Chu for help. Mrs. Chu is well-liked by the Empress Dowager, and Marquis Chu is trusted by the Crown Prince, they could certainly help my father-in-law. If we can retain my father-in-law’s official position, I will give you an extravagant gift as a token of my lifelong gratitude."

Chen Afu was speechless; Mr. He’s very life hung in the balance, let alone his position as an official. What a dreamer! Moreover, she didn’t covet her gifts, nor did she want her lifelong being thankful. She had given some advice, and didn’t want to say more. If Chen Yuhui were smart and could convince her father-in-law to let her go, it might save her life. If she remained stubborn, no one would be able to save her.

She shook her head and said, "Neither I nor my husband’s family have the ability to help your father-in-law. As for your personal matters, reconsider it thoroughly." After speaking, she didn’t spare her another glance, heading to the living room to watch the opera.

The person on the stage sang on and on, Chen Afu didn’t understand a word. But she had no choice but to sit there, otherwise, she would be pestered by Chen Yuhui.

Finally, when the two operas ended and the guests began to leave, only Shiyi, Li Cheng, and Li Xuan remained, saying they would leave after dinner.

While seeing the guests off, Chen Afu ignored Mrs. He, who was holding Chen Yuhui’s hand tightly, and Chen Yuhui’s soft plea, "Big sister, help me..."

She said softly to Mrs. He, "Mrs. He, I’m sorry, but my family and I are unable to help with these matters. We really can’t offer any assistance. And also, my sister is less than two months pregnant, it would be better if you didn’t take her around so much. After all, her child is a member of the He family." Then she went on to see off the other guests.

After seeing off the guests, Chen Afu led a group of children back to the Bamboo Pavilion. Shiyi was calling her "mother-in-law" over and over, making her blush. She scolded him, "You and Yan’er are only betrothed, not yet married, stop calling me that, it’s embarrassing."

Shiyi argued, "When General Chu first got engaged, he was already calling Granny and Grandpa ’mother-in-law and ’father-in-law’. If such a grown man didn’t find it embarrassing, why should I?" He lowered his voice and added, "At least ’mother-in-law’ sounds better than Mrs. Chu."

Hearing him say this, Chen Afu couldn’t say anything else and just let him call her that. She was filled with emotion; she was only nineteen and already had to play the role of a mother-in-law. More surprisingly, she was quite content with this considerate and handsome young son-in-law.

Perhaps it was because they were both still young, or perhaps it was because Shiyi and Chu Hanyan had known each other too well in the past, but since the engagement, the atmosphere between them wasn’t uncomfortable at all. At first, Ms. Chu was a bit bashful, but soon got over it.

Seeing Shiyi, who was paying even more attention to Chu Hanyan than before, Chen Afu couldn’t help but smile. ’Childhood sweethearts’, ’growing up together’, or as modern people liked to call it ’nurturing’, were all apt descriptions of these two youngsters.

Dinner was served in the Bamboo Pavilion. Like before, prominent members of the households, apart from the second house, were invited, including Marquis Chu.

At the table, Chen Afu mentioned to Marquis Chu that she intended to return to Dingzhou and see Liao Chen in the coming days.

Marquis Chu was also worried about Liao Chen living alone in Dingzhou. Even though Chu Lingqi and Mrs. Song lived with her, after all, they were just her nephew and his wife. On hearing Chen Afu’s thoughts, he nodded and said, "That’s good. Once affairs of this house are settled, you should go there. Try to persuade your mother-in-law to stay there in peace. Though the Second Prince currently resides in the Southern Province, there’s no guarantee that some of his followers aren’t still around here. Given the hatred between us and the Second Prince’s party, if they can’t get to us, I’m afraid they might target... Mrs. Luo." He preferred to call Liao Chen by her usual name.

Listening to this, Shiyi felt extremely embarrassed. He was smart for his age, and knew many things about the Chu family. Occasionally, he had heard snippets from his Mother and elder Brother about the Crown Prince, and knew how much Marquis Chu had sacrificed and done for his sake. It could be said that a big part of the Crown Prince’s recovery and power were owed to the Marquis Chu.

Moreover, it was Marquis Chu who had devised a plan to send him to Xiangluo Village, with the aim of being adopted by Liao Chen. Although he ended up being adopted by Granny Wang due to unforeseen circumstances, he was still protected by many secret guards arranged by Marquis Chu, and he managed to grow up safely.

At the time, the Emperor had promised Marquis Chu that once the Crown Prince gained power, he would be released from his marriage to Princess Rong Zhao. But now, seeing the rise of the Chu family, the Emperor became concerned about the Crown Prince’s ability to control Marquis Chu and feared his potential disloyalty, thus he went back on his word.

Shiyi blushed and lowered his head. He wanted to help Marquis Chu very much, and disliked Princess Rong Zhao immensely. However, he dared not speak up for Marquis Chu in front of his father, fearing it might backfire and harm the Chu family.

He could speak up for Chu Hanyan, even his mother, but he absolutely couldn’t speak up for Marquis Chu...