Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty
Chapter 95 - 94: Full of Life (Subscription Requested)

Chapter 95: Chapter 94: Full of Life (Subscription Requested)

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Mrs. Wei sighed, "The maid Mrs. Xu, who used to serve the young lady, said she had washed the doll because it was dirty. But she spoiled the satin during the wash. She said the young lady was delicate and couldn’t play with damaged things, so she had it thrown out. The young lady cried very badly that day and even got sick. The master had no choice but to replace several servants and temporarily transferred me to serve the little lady."

Oh...

Seeing Mrs. Wei’s reticence, Chen Afu understood a bit. She had been puzzled as to why the little girl’s grandmother would go to the temple, why there were only father and daughter in the mansion, and why the ill little girl had no female relatives to help take care of her. Perhaps there were deeper reasons, and not all servants were entirely for their masters’ good...

Before long, the maid Qiao’er brought in a food box. Mrs. Wei smiled and said, "I heard from my father-in-law that you haven’t eaten yet. Eat something first, and then teach me how to make glutinous rice dates. For some reason, the ones made by me and Auntie Zhou are never to the young lady’s liking."

She put the food on the round table in the hall, four dishes, a soup, and two bowls of rice. As soon as the aroma hit, Chen Afu felt her stomach growling, for it was past mealtime.

She then had the maid Miao’er take Qi Qi and Hui Hui to the yard to eat as they were making too much noise inside the house.

After the mother and son had their meal, Dabao started to feel drowsy and kept yawning. Mrs. Wei asked Chen Afu to take him to the beauty couch in the West Side Room to rest and covered him with a small silk quilt.

After that, they went to the small kitchen in the backyard together.

Mrs. Wei was twenty-four or five years old, with a clear and pretty complexion. She had a pleasant personality, always smiling even before saying a word, which made her very likable. Chen Afu again mentioned how Junior Manager Luo had helped her family out.

Mrs. Wei laughed and said, "I heard from my husband that my two children often come to your house for food and drink, it’s only right they help out a bit." She added, "In three days it will be the young lady’s fourth birthday. After her birthday, the master intends to take her to live in Tang Garden with us. The master said the air is better in the countryside, which may be beneficial for the young lady’s growth. Since the young lady likes you so much, Chen, you should visit often..."

Upon arriving in the kitchen, all the ingredients for making Osmanthus glutinous rice dates were ready. There were no fresh osmanthus flowers, but they had a jar of candied osmanthus. As Chen Afu made the dates and explained the steps, she worked up a sweat. She took a handkerchief out from her pocket to wipe her forehead, seizing the opportunity to shake the little yellow crumbs into the pot.

When the glutinous rice dates were ready, Mrs. Wei tasted one and exclaimed in surprise, "Hey, we make them the same way, how come the ones made by Chen taste so much better?"

Mrs. Zhou, who was in charge of the kitchen, tasted one too and approved. She laughed knowingly after hearing what Mrs. Wei had said, "In everything, there’s a knack to it, cooking and brewing are no exceptions. Even with the same ingredients and steps, the dishes made or the wine brewed wouldn’t necessarily taste the same. If everything tasted the same, why would inns pay a lot for master chefs? Just getting anyone to follow the recipe would do."

Her words not only complimented Chen Afu but also offered herself a face-saving exit.

Mrs. Wei nodded in agreement.

Chen Afu smiled. She had been thinking about how to explain, but Auntie Zhou helped her out.

They made quite a lot this time, filling two small pastel porcelain pots. Mrs. Wei took out a delicate blue and white china dish, put some glutinous rice dates on it, and put it in a food box for the maid to take to the master in the front courtyard. She said, "The last time my husband brought some of Chen’s glutinous rice dates back, not only did the little lady liked them, the master also enjoyed them. It was just that the master didn’t take more as he saw how much the young girl loved them."

Then, she had the maid carry the rest, and they went to the main house together.

The master bedroom was quiet, the two children still not awake.

Mrs. Wei only took out a small butterfly’s worth of glutinous rice dates and placed them on the table in the hall, while the rest were put into the food box and taken to the side room. Just as she finished tidying up, the sound of Miao’er’s voice came from the east room, "Ah, sister is awake."

Mrs. Wei smiled, "Oh, these dates are quite tempting, they must have sweetly awakened sister."

Once Chu Hanyan was awake, they had to wake up Dabao as well.

Chen Afu went to the West Room where Dabao was still sound asleep on his beauty couch. Chen Afu gently shook him awake, and he pouted, about to cry, a little cranky from waking up.

Chen Afu chuckled, "This is Yan’er’s house. If she hears you crying, she’ll shame you."

Dabao’s eyes opened wide immediately, and he frantically declared, "Mom got it wrong, Dabao is not crying." He was suddenly filled with unparalleled energy.

A maid brought a basin of water, and Chen Afu washed Dabao’s face.

Inside the study, Chu Lingxuan finished the last date from the dish and grumbled, "She’s here, why didn’t she make more?"

Manager Luo, who was standing to the side, pursed his lips to suppress a smile. When was the last time his master acted so childishly? It seemed as if since coerced into leaving his home due to a sudden calamity and the Grand Madam was forced out of the house, he hadn’t acted like this.

He then gave Chu Lingxuan a more detailed report about the Chens’ circumstances, how Chen Afu treated illnesses, Dabao’s situation, how he was bullied in the village, and that Afu had designed the most popular disk button sold by their relative’s fourth aunt. He also mentioned that she had signed a contract with the Embroidery Tower and so on. He had mentioned some of this before, but not so extensively.

After listening, Chu Lingxuan nodded and said, "This family is quite reliable, and Madam Chen is also quite smart. It seems Yan’er likes her very much." He coughed unnaturally, then said, "After Yan’er goes to Tang Garden, she can spend more time with the mother and son. Maybe, let Madam Chen be Yan’s sewing tutor. Later in the countryside, let her teach Yan sewing regularly."

Manager Luo was dumbfounded, teach Yan sewing? He quickly understood the master’s intention, and immediately bowed in agreement, "Yes."

Chu Lingxuan frowned again, for some reason, the first time he saw Dabao in Sanqing County, he felt familiar with the child. After seeing him today, this feeling was stronger. But he was certain that he had never seen the child before. Perhaps, it was just an eye coincidence?

Also, why did he feel familiar with young Madam Chen today... it was strange.

Chu Lingxuan and Manager Luo then went to the Yuettao Courtyard.

As soon as they entered the courtyard, they saw Qi Qi and Hui Hui standing in the courtyard looking up and talking. One was reciting a poem, and the other kept shouting "Dabao needs to pee, Dabao needs to pee" in Dabao’s voice, which made several maids and matrons laugh while covering their mouths.

To make his daughter’s courtyard vibrant, Chu Lingxuan had many flowers and trees planted in the courtyard, and many birds were hung up. But only today did he feel that this courtyard truly had some vitality.

No wonder his mother also liked that child and these two talking parrots. Maybe, if the little swallow joined them, it would be even livelier here?