Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty
Chapter 83 - 82: Target

Chapter 83: Chapter 82: Target

Chen Afu readily agreed, considering the price quite good. Plus, the people had clearly stated at the dining table that they would help with any problems in the future.

There were a few leftover steamed buns from the morning at home. She invited Yang Mingyuan and his accompanying chef, Master Kang, to the kitchen, where she made Fine Bran. She explained that, with this Fine Bran, not only fried lean meat tastes good, but also fried ribs, chicken wings, chicken legs, meatballs, shrimps, fish slices, etcetera. However, you cannot use the wings or legs of old hens, as these two ingredients won’t tenderize no matter how you deep-fry them.

Another point was to tenderize the meat with the back of a knife, this way it will absorb the marinade much better and become silky smooth when eaten.

Next, she used granulated sugar to make golden tender meat.

Yang Mingyuan gave Chen Afu sixty taels of silver, saying, "You can cook this dish for yourself, but never reveal the secret recipe to others." He reiterated, "As businessmen, we are often generous to our local officials. If your family encounters any problems, you can find me in the county town."

Chen Afu gave her thanks again. She brought out the set of clothes she had made for Yang Qian. This outfit was the same as the one she made for Luo Mei, except the color was changed to a begonia red.

She laughed and said, "I know Uncle Yang’s family is wealthy and the children are never short of clothes. However, since Qian is so adorable, I’ve made a set of clothes for her. I hope you don’t mind."

Yang Mingyuan hurriedly laughed and said, "Madam Chen, you are very skillful. Last time you gave Qian a doll and she absolutely loved it, she even slept with it in her arms. Thank you."

After bidding farewell to Yang Mingyuan and his group, Chen Afu and Mrs. Wang escorted Luo Mingcheng and Miss Luo Mei back to Tang Garden. They also prepared a large bowl of Luwei because Junior Manager Luo mentioned that everyone in their family loved the Nine Fragrance Luwei from Xile Restaurant, and sent a jar of Xiao Yuanchun Wine that Yang Mingyuan brought.

This time Yang Mingyuan had brought two jars of Xiao Yuanchun Wine, two packs of pastries, two packs of candies, a set of calligraphy stationery, including brushes, ink sticks, inkstones, and several white papers. The presents were quite substantial.

Chen Afu guessed the reason for such generous gifts was not simply because the children from both families got along well, but also because of their Guihua Nuomi Dates snack invention. To compensate for this, he directly gave them sixty taels of silver without mentioning a contract. It is rare to see such generous businessmen in both the past and present.

By the time they got home, it was already sunset. Sitting in the east room of the old courtyard, the family laughed happily. Now they were not afraid of Hu Laowu causing trouble for them anymore, as that shameless villain was always a bully.

Fortunately, they had established good relationships with Manager Luo and Yang Mingyuan’s families. Otherwise, not only the two parrots would be in danger, but also troubles would linger in the future.

Chen Afu then handed a silver ingot worth ten taels to Chen Ming, but he declined. Chen Afu insisted and put it in his hand.

They had porridge and small dishes for dinner that evening.

After the meal, Chen Ming and Mrs. Wang went to the master bedroom again, bringing a packet of pastries Yang Mingyuan had sent and a jar of Xiao Yuanchun Wine. Although dealing with Hu Laowu relied on Junior Manager Luo, Chen Ming noticed Chen Ye felt ashamed for losing face.

Chen Afu said, "Dad, save this jar of wine for yourself."

Chen Ming shook his head and said, "Your uncle likes this taste, and your grandma and Agui can also drink it."

Not long after they left, the parents of the boys who bullied Dabao brought their children to the Chens to apologize. These three families also liked to take advantage of others. Upon receiving some benefits from Hu Laowu, they let their children bully Chen Dabao.

Although she knew Hu Laowu was the puppet master, seeing these boys who had directly bullied Dabao, Chen Afu couldn’t contain her anger.

Pointing at them, she scolded fiercely, "If you dare to bully my Dabao again, I, even at the cost of my life, won’t let you go. If any of your hands hit him, I’ll cut off that hand. If you don’t believe me, try it."

Chen Afu’s fiery temper was well-known in the village. The boys, terrified, immediately promised never to do it again, and the adults also promised to keep their children in check.

When Chen Ming and Mrs. Wang returned, they said that one side of Mrs. Hu’s face was slightly swollen, likely because Chen Ye did it last night. Today, she was unusually compliant, trying to explain repeatedly that she had no knowledge of the two awful deeds Hu Laowu had done.

Hearing this, Chen Afu felt a sense of satisfaction. Although she didn’t approve of men using violence, women like Mrs. Hu sometimes could only be kept in check with force. Moreover, Hu Laowu directly violated the Chens’ rights, essentially striking a blow against Chen Ye’s dignity. Chen Ye wouldn’t be able to bear her for a while.

Chen Afu laughed again and asked, "Did Uncle not ask about our business deal with Uncle Yang?"

Chen Ming replied, "He did ask..."

Chen Ye asked about Yang Mingyuan’s business dealings with their family. Chen Ming simply said that Yang Mingyuan took interest in the dishes Chen Afu cooked, bought the recipes, and didn’t ask how much they sold them for.

Continuing, he said, "...Afu has already set up her own stall, and the money she earns belongs to her. I suggested she save it to buy some land so that she and her son can live a better life in the future. But Afu is a filial child; she insists on showing respect to her elders."

Mrs. Hu sneered with disbelief, but after looking at Chen Ye, she didn’t dare to say anything.

Chen Ming felt very guilty for keeping Chen Ye in the dark.

Chen Afu replied, "Dad, it was right of you to do that. You didn’t keep secrets from him, everyone, every family has their own privacy. Some things are so private that they wouldn’t even tell their parents. As long as we keep Uncle in our hearts when our family’s living conditions improve."

It was the beginning of September in a blink of an eye, and Mrs. Hu had surprisingly stopped pestering them, letting the people of the second house live a comfortable life.

In a couple of days, they would go to the capital city. The public reaction to the "Gold Thief" incident had simmered down. Chen Afu wanted to take a few pieces of jewelry and sell them at the Silver Tower, so that she could buy more land with the money.

In ancient times, only when you owned land could you feel secure and not worry about starvation.

There was another secret reason for desperately buying land. A month ago, Chen Afu took some cucumber seeds into the mystical space for a day and then planted them. When the cucumbers had ripened, they turned out to be bigger and tastier than normal ones.

Chen Afu was secretly pleased. The space was not entirely useless after all. Although she couldn’t plant crops or herbs in there, the spiritual energy in it could nourish the seeds. She wanted to conduct more tests. If she could indeed cultivate better seeds, she would buy more land for growing crops and fruits.

With this cheat tool, her goal was not just to become a small landowner. She was just steps away from becoming a large landowner.

One night, after Dabao fell asleep, Chen Afu entered the mystical space in the blink of an eye.

The aroma in the space had gotten richer. Jin Yanzi, who was building its nest, could only do so by constantly eating the leaves of the Swallow Sink Incense Tree. It was now furiously building its golden nest, which was why it didn’t have time to pay attention to her.

Chen Afu didn’t disturb it, but just collected the remaining pieces of gold from its previous nest building and the jewelry.

Besides the broken gold pieces, there were three rubies, three pearls, two emeralds, two sapphires, three beautifully carved jadeite and jade pieces, and even two diamonds; fifteen pieces in total. Although these jewels were not as exquisite as the ones inlaid onto the Golden House, they were already very good.