Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty
Chapter 85 - 84: Going to Dingzhou (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

Chapter 85: Chapter 84: Going to Dingzhou (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

Mrs. Wang was also overwhelmed with excitement and laughed, saying, "It’s worth way more," she took out the emerald and spoke expertly, "This stone is called emerald, not jade. Look at the color, it’s lighter than jade and somewhat transparent. I used to see a lady at the Embroidery Workshop wearing a beautiful piece of jewelry, and later heard the shopkeeper saying it’s emerald, which is even more valuable than jade. This emerald, combined with so many rubies, is definitely worth more than 100 taels of silver."

Chen Afu then spoke of his plan to sell them in the capital city and buy farmland. He also mentioned not buying land nearby, but to lease it out further afield, so others wouldn’t know.

Chen Ming asked, "What if someone learns about it? How would you explain the source of the money? You can’t say that you found these gems in the West Forest. If so, many wealthy people might claim that they’ve lost their gems there."

Chen Afu laughed, "We have a legitimate explanation if someone really questions. As Manager Luo said, Abbot Liao Chen claimed our Ten Brocade Sparrow was no ordinary bird and he had Master Chu pay me money for it. I worked out that it won’t be less than 100 taels. Then I earned quite a bit of silver selling needle and thread kits, marinade recipes and Golden Glided Pork. And not to forget the money rewarded by our master of Tang Garden. I’m planning to sell those toys as well, and if we don’t disclose the actual amount of our earnings, no one will know how much we’ve really made." He added, "If we manage to buy quite a bit, I intend to allot a few dozen acres under father’s name, to be passed onto my younger brother."

Chen Ming immediately refused, "Father doesn’t need it. You have already given me a lot of silver, father will take care of buying land when necessary. Besides, if your Aunt finds out that I own that much land and wasn’t informed, we can only imagine the fit she’ll throw and it would certainly upset your uncle. Father doesn’t want to upset your uncle; we’ll talk about it again later."

Mrs. Wang agreed, "Your father is right; if we buy the land without letting them know, your Aunt would undoubtedly accuse us of hiding our wealth, which would upset uncle."

Even if Chen Ming and Mrs. Wang didn’t care about Mrs. Hu’s opinion, they couldn’t afford to upset Chen Ye.

Chen Afu thought to himself, Chen Ming and Mrs. Wang were still too weak-willed. Chen Ye did raise Chen Ming, but he couldn’t report every little thing to him or seek his approval for using his own money. If it doesn’t work out, he can just sign Alu’s name on the agreement.

On the sixth evening, Mrs. Chen, Chen Ye, and Mrs. Hu visited again, bringing Chen Shi some delicacies and freshly harvested corn, peanuts, sesame, vegetables, and other goods.

Chen Ye also said, "Ask your third brother to come home for the Lunar New Year. Mother misses him and so do I."

Mrs. Wang nodded in agreement.

Mrs. Chen glanced at Mrs. Hu and scoffed. She initially wished to accompany Mrs. Wang to visit her third son, but she had been suffering from a headache over the past days and had been consuming a decoction. So she gave up that idea. With a pointed remark, she said to Mrs. Wang, "Tell your third brother, now that both his elder brothers have their lives settled, to ask for help if he encounters difficulties. Both his brothers would certainly offer a hand. This Lunar New Year, he must come home to see his mother."

The gifts from the Chens’ second house to Chen Shi did not include any food, as they knew Principal Room and Mrs. Chen would bring those. What they gave were satin, hair ornaments, and some stationery.

Chen Shi and his wife, Mrs. Zhang, were both kind-hearted people who helped Alu a lot in the past; the Chen Family was more than grateful to them. And as they were about to impose on them for another couple of weeks, they gave considerable gifts in return.

The next day, the Chens arose before dawn, and by early morning, after breakfast, Uncle Gao arrived with his donkey cart. Mrs. Wang had spoken with him a couple of days ago about hiring his donkey cart for this day.

Before setting off, Chen Dabao was anxious and warned Chen Afu, "Mother, did you store the silver and gems properly?"

Chen Afu said, "Son, don’t worry, I hid them so well that no one will find out."

Only then did Chen Dabao feel assured.

The autumn morning was chilly, Mrs. Wang laid the bedding on the cart, Alu laid down on it and was covered with a quilt. After positioning three large baskets and two hampers at the back of the cart, Mrs. Wang, Chen Afu, and Dabao climbed onto the cart.

They waved goodbye to Chen Ming who was standing by the garden gate, watching him become smaller and smaller until they couldn’t see him.

Zhui Feng escorted them out of the village, and only stopped, holding back his tears, after they urged him to return. Dabao had already told him to guard the house and keep his grandpa company. He instructed Qi Qi and Hui Hui to play in the forest more and not to bother grandpa too much at home. He explicitly told them to only go to the West Forest where Jin Bao used to take them, not to run around aimlessly, for fear they might lose their way home.

The distance from Xiangluo Village to Dingzhou city is not far, just over fifty miles with an intermediate stop at Zhongning County. Since the entire route is through the plains and the roads are flat, a donkey cart could make the journey in a little over three hours. This means that if they set off early in the morning, they would arrive by midday unless there are unforeseen circumstances.

Chen Afu put on the woven bamboo hat while they chatted intermittently; time flew by as they watched the scenery during the ride. They were traveling across the plains where there was a good deal of fertile land, making the place truly a land of fish and rice. The local security seemed to be well managed as well.

After about an hour, Alu, who had been lying down staring at the sky, suddenly pointed and exclaimed, "Quick, look, those two birds, one big, one small, they look like Qi Qi and Hui Hui from our home."

They all looked up, and sure enough, it looked like Qi Qi and Hui Hui, flying towards them.

As the birds drew closer, it truly was them. The two birds landed; Hui Hui landed on Chen Afu’s hand while Qi Qi landed on Chen Dabao’s.

Dabao grumbled in annoyance, "How disobedient of you two, this isn’t a familiar route and what if you guys can’t find your way home?"

Chen Afu also said, "We are going on a serious mission and don’t have time to watch you. What if someone wealthy tries to buy you and what will happen then? Go home with Uncle Gao."

Hui Hui and Qi Qi were unwilling to go back, flapping their wings excitedly calling "mother", calling "Dabao", and calling "uncle."

Dabao and Alu couldn’t bear to send them back and pleaded on their behalf, "Just let them come. We will keep them hidden."

Uncle Gao laughed heartily, "These two parrots are really clever. No wonder there were rumors in the village about people trying to snatch them. Manager Luo had to step in to keep them safe."

Chen Afu had no choice but to make room in a basket that was carrying sesame seeds and put them inside, then covered it with a cloth.

On the road, not just the wealthy gentlemen, even two robust men may "forcefully buy" them.

When they were still about twenty miles away from Dingzhou city, they frequently saw soldiers in uniform. Although Dingzhou isn’t a provincial city, it had always been a strategically important location throughout history, hence the many stationed troops. Also, because it’s quite close to the Capital City and as the North Canal passes through there, it’s a significant transit point. The city’s florishing economy is comparable to the prosperity of the provincial city of Shi Anfu.