Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty
Chapter 535 - 526 Shuangshuang

Chapter 535: Chapter 526 Shuangshuang

At this moment, a few chirps of swallows drifted in from outside the window.

Under the eaves of the upper house, there was a swallow’s nest. On hearing this sound, all the children, except Yu’er, began to miss Jin Yanzi again.

Prince He said, "It’s the end of February already, why hasn’t Jin Bao come looking for us?"

Ms. Chu pouted and said, "Indeed, my brothers and I have been longing for its return every day, but it’s still not here."

Chen Afu chuckled, "Jin Bao loves to play. Perhaps it was distracted by something fun on the way home."

In reality, Jin Yanzi had emerged on the 26th day of the month. Not only it, but also Jin Bei. At Chen Afu’s request, they went together to visit Daddy Chu in the Southern Region.

On the 25th day, mid-morning, Chen Afu took half a bowl of milk-flavored pine nuts and half a bowl of diced apples into the space. Chu Lingxuan was still on the battlefield, facing danger at any moment. Chen Afu wanted Jin Yanzi to go to the Southern Province to check on him as soon as it left the space.

She entered the space, but did not see any trace of Jin Yanzi. Thinking it might be still asleep in the Golden House, she called out, "Baobao, it’s time to leave the nest. Why are you still sleeping? Do you want to be a lazy bug?"

As soon as she finished speaking, a melodious relaxing bird song came from the Swallow Sink Incense Tree. The sound was not loud, but it was extremely pleasant to the ears. Because of Jin Yanzi, Chen Afu had come into contact with many species of birds, and this call was more pleasing than any bird song she had ever heard.

Moreover, this was definitely not Jin Yanzi’s call!

Chen Afu got excited and looked upward, saying, "Beibei, has Beibei woken up? Good heavens, this is fantastic."

Two small birds flew out of the tree tops, circled around the Swallow Sink Incense Tree and landed on Chen Afu’s open palms. The left palm held Jin Yanzi and the right held Jin Bei, the rosefinch.

A faint golden hue graced Jin Bei’s body, turning its original vermilion plumage to a tangerine hue. It gazed at Chen Afu with admiration, eyes half-closed and a smile on its beak.

Overwhelmed with emotion, Chen Afu felt as if she had given birth to a new life. Tears welled up in her eyes. She lifted Jin Bei to her face and exclaimed, "Oh, Beibei, wonderful. Mommy has another child, and your brothers and sisters have another little sister." And with this, she kissed its tiny beak.

Jin Bei was first startled, then it extended a little pink tongue to lick its beak, its eyes smiled into narrow curves as it flapped its wings and chirped towards Jin Yanzi.

Jin Yanzi chirped at Chen Afu, "Sister Beibei says she loves mommy and mommy’s kisses."

Chen Afu laughed, "If you like it, you should kiss more." And then she kissed Jin Bei a few more times.

Jin Bei was so pleased that it circled around Chen Afu a few times before settling back on her right hand.

Jin Yanzi said, "Mommy, sister Beibei hasn’t learned to speak yet. It will take many years of training to learn."

Chen Afu chuckled, "No worries, with Baobao as the translator, mommy can understand her." To Jin Bei, she said, "Come, have some food."

As she spoke, she sat down, inviting them to eat the pine nuts and diced apples she had carried in. Jin Yanzi hadn’t eaten these for several days, so it flew to the rim of the bowl to feed.

However, Jin Bei stood by the bowl without eating, swallowing saliva as it eyed the tasty contents of the bowl and glanced back at Jin Yanzi’s "bucket", uttering a few nonsensical sounds.

Jin Yanzi looked up and said, "Sister Beibei, it’s okay if you don’t eat in the space, but once you leave the space, it’s not okay. Not only will you not be able to fly, but you will also starve to death. Do you want to stay in the space and not go out to play with your brother? The outside world is vast and filled with the sun, moon, stars, and countless colorful creatures. It’s so much fun! Beibei, don’t be afraid, our droppings don’t stink."

Chen Afu couldn’t help laughing, so it turned out that the sophisticated Jin Bei was afraid of defecating, fearing the stink. She laughed and said, "Don’t be afraid, Beibei. If you create a stink, mommy will clean you up nice and fragrant, so there won’t be any odor."

Hearing this, Jin Bei began to eat.

Seeing that they had eaten to their fill, Chen Afu voiced her request to Jin Yanzi.

Jin Yanzi also wanted to show Jin Bei the vast world, so it nodded in agreement. At midnight, Jin Yanzi and Jin Bei left the space together.

Chen Afu stood at the window, watching them fly together into the sky and disappear into the brilliant starry night...

The children’s laughter brought Chen Afu back from her reverie.

She saw Mrs. Chu had only eaten half a bowl of shrimp noodles, and admonished, "Aunt Three, please eat some more. Birth, aging, illness, and death are inevitable for everyone. The Dowager Empress was very old. If you continue to wither away like this, Chu will be heartbroken when he returns."

Mrs. Chu let out a long sigh, and said, "I know all this, but I can’t seem to get over it. My parents died young and I had no siblings; it was the Dowager Empress who raised me. Without her, I feel extremely lonely." As she spoke, tears welled up in her eyes once more.

Chu Lingzhi quickly wrapped his arm around Mrs. Chu, whimpered, "Mom, you still have dad and me, how can you be lonely? Before dad left, he had asked me and my brother to take good care of you. If he returns and sees you in such a state, he would blame us for not taking good care of you and he would scold us."

Chen Afu added, "Aunt Three, besides your husband and son, you also have us, your relatives." Seeing Mrs. Chu’s pursed lips, she added, "Alright, alright, if worst comes to worst, I will have another daughter and let Aunt Three look after her for a few years. You can return her to me once you are ready to be a grandmother."

Mrs. Chu looked at her son hugging her, then at Chen Afu, who had barely said a word, and at the children looking at her eagerly; she laughed, then forced herself to consume half a bowl of noodles.

When they mentioned the deceased emperor and the Dowager Empress, Prince He also struggled to hold back tears. He hadn’t had much contact with the Dowager Empress, but he knew that the late Emperor truly cared for him. Although the Emperor was overly suspicious, and not good to Marquis Chu who had bestowed great favors upon him, his mother, and his elder brother, he was after all his loving father.

Mrs. Chu, seeing that she had caused Prince He to cry, hurriedly said, "What a blunder! I should not have brought up those heartbreaking matters."

Chen Afu hugged Prince He, and whispered, "In this world, you have your mother, elder brother, and also your nanny, sisters, and brothers... Nanny’s words are trustworthy. No matter when, I will hold your hand."

Upon hearing this, Prince He broke into a smile and asked,"Nanny, is that picture still there?"

Chen Afu laughed, "Of course, Nanny will keep it for a lifetime."

At that moment, Xiao Gezi came by, bowed, and said, "Your Highness, the gates of the palace are about to be locked, it’s time to leave."

Prince He frowned and said, "In the future, I’ll move out of the palace, so I can play for as long as I want. And if it’s late, I’ll just stay here."

Chen Afu remained silent, smiling as she escorted him past the courtyard gate.