Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty
Chapter 546 - 537: Grandpa’s Little Yu’er

Chapter 546: Chapter 537: Grandpa’s Little Yu’er

When everyone was searching for Yu’er, she was crawling around the peony garden outside Anrong Hall.

This was the place where Chou Chou and Gun Gun often played hide-and-seek with the two little brothers and Yu’er. Chou Chou and Gun Gun were the sons of Chang Chang and Duan Duan, born last October and now half a year old. They were even more beautiful and robust than their parents, with fluffy white fur like their grandma Sasa and facial features like their grandpa Zhui Feng.

Yu’er heard the crowd looking for her moving away, so she crawled from the peony garden into the back of the osmanthus tree, then to the edge of the green bamboo, then towards the second gate in the yard. Her route was Chou Chou and Gun Gun’s favorite and now it was late spring with lush grass. Wearing a fragrant green little dress, she was out of sight of others.

She knew that she couldn’t get through the second gate because there were many people there. But there was a dog hole in that wall, she crawled through it to the Outer Court and directly towards the Liuyun Studio. She had been there once and knew that her grandpa would be there at this time. She needed to complain to her grandpa because she was really, really pitiful.

Chen Afu was already frantic. If Jin Yanzi was nearby, she would definitely call it back to help search. But Jin Yanzi had taken Jin Bei to see the beautiful scenery six days ago and might be thousands of miles away now. Of course, if Yu’er can’t be found after a while, they will have to "pinch" it back.

It would be easier if Zhui Feng and his family were in the mansion, but they were at the He Royal Mansion.

Two quarters of an hour later, before the anxious Chen Afu was about to send someone to call Zhui Feng’s family back from the He Royal Mansion, a boy from Liuyun Studio came to report that the second young miss had gone to see the old marquis in Liuyun Studio.

What the boy didn’t dare to say was that when Yu’er arrived at the Liuyun Studio in a messy state, her clothes were dirty and torn in many places. Her hair was unkempt, her little face stained with tears, her eyes red and swollen, and her hands scratched. She cried and threw herself into the arms of the old marquis, causing him great distress.

The old marquis picked her up and asked, "What happened to Yu’er? Why are you like this?"

Yu’er cried as she hugged his neck, saying, "Uncle, sister, brother, they’ve gone visiting, wuu wuu, only grandpa’s Yu’er, only grandpa’s Yu’er, can’t go, wuu wuu, mother doesn’t love Yu’er, Yu’er is so pitiful..."

Then, she opened her mouth and cried her heart out. The little girl might be young, but her speech was even clearer than her two brothers.

Seeing Yu’er in such a state had already distressed the old marquis terribly. Hearing her call herself "grandpa’s Yu’er" and seeing her injured hands, he was trembling with heartache, feeling it was more painful than his severe injury years ago.

The old marquis quickly soothed her in a gentle voice, saying, "Yu’er, good baby, don’t cry, if your mother doesn’t love you, grandpa loves you... alright, alright, stop crying, grandpa will take you to play, in a bit, grandpa will pretend to be a big horse for you..."

Besides the old patriarch, there were also the third lord, and several other trusted generals in the room. Chu Lingxuan was busy with yamen affairs and was not present.

The other men in the room lowered their heads, embarrassed by the old marquis’s display, while the old patriarch and the third lord blushed.

When Chen Afu heard that the little girl had gone to her grandpa, she felt relieved, but also annoyed and guilty. She didn’t know how Yu’er managed to evade everyone’s watchful eyes to get to the Outer Court, and even found her way to the secluded Liuyun Studio. But thinking about how a little child had gone so far to complain, and how protective the old marquis was, he would definitely be angry.

When lunchtime came and the old marquis hadn’t sent the child back, it was clear that he was really angry. Chen Afu had always respected the old marquis greatly, and felt that his life wasn’t easy, so she didn’t want to cause him any more worry.

To cheer him up, she personally made his favorite dishes in the late afternoon and invited him, the old patriarch, and the third lord to have dinner and wine at the Bamboo Pavilion. She also told the people from the He Royal Mansion that the children would return after their dinner there.

While cooking, Chen Afu was thinking that once the old marquis moved to the countryside, she must strictly discipline little Yu’er. Yu’er was clever, strong-willed, and sharp-tongued. She must not be spoiled like those overly arrogant aristocratic girls. Chen Afu also thought about asking the third madam for a more experienced governess.

Returning from the invitation, Xia Yue reported with a red face, "The old marquis said, said he, said he is so full of anger that he can’t eat. He also said, said that if Lady Chen favors boys over girls, and doesn’t like Yu’er, from now on, he will take Yu’er to live in the countryside, so as not to be an eyesore to Lady Chen..."

Was she really favoring boys over girls now?

Chen Afu rolled her eyes, thinking the old marquis’s words might have been even more impolite.

She had no choice but to prepare a dish that the old marquis liked, five-nut golden silk cake. While sending it with Xia Yue, she said, "Tell the old marquis, the osmanthus wine I brewed a few months ago is ready. It also contains a few kinds of nourishment that Master Wu Zhi gave before he left, it’s fragrant and nourishing. And ah, the garlic sprouts I stir-fried this evening, they come from the wild garlic Jin Bao was carried from the deep mountains a month ago and then planted, it’s extremely flavorful. If the old patriarch and the third lord are not with the old marquis, repeat this to them as well."

Last month, Chen Afu used soil that had been fertilized with pigeon poop to plant a pot of fragrant garlic sprouts. She was extremely eager for its taste that she thought for a long time before she could come up with this excuse.

Not long after, Xia Yue happily returned, saying that the old marquis was still unwilling to come, but the old patriarch and the third lord said they would persuade him to come along.

In the evening, Chu Lingxuan finished his work in the yamen. When Chen Afu angrily told him about the incident, Chu Lingxuan laughed, saying, "My daughter is really capable, she found her way to the Liuyun Studio." Seeing that Chen Afu disagreed with his approval, he comforted, "Alright, don’t be angry, it’s a good thing that our daughter is clever. She is smart and likable, it’s normal for my father to favor her a bit."

Chen Afu pouted and said, "I am afraid that she will be spoiled rotten, making her future marriage difficult."

Chu Lingxuan said, "My daughter is so beautiful, it won’t be difficult for her to marry. She’s also clever, she’ll know what she should and shouldn’t do in the future."

The two were in the middle of talking when the three men arrived with Yu’er.

The third lord laughed and said, "We heard that sister-in-law Chen has good food and wine here, so we all came."

The old patriarch nodded, stroking his beard.

The old marquis held Yu’er in his arms, still looking angry. But the Yu’er in his arms had stopped being angry a long time ago, and warmly said to Chu Lingxuan and Chen Afu, "Daddy, mommy, I rode the big horse, for a very long time."

When the third madam arrived, the wine and dishes were served on the table.

The wine today was delicious, and the food tasted great. As the men got cheerful from the wine, the old marquis also had a smile on his face.

Yu’er slid down from grandpa’s leg, ran over to her mom, making giggles and sweet talk, which made Chen Afu lose her temper as well.