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In the afternoon, Chen Dabao had yet to return. Since the household was out of firewood, Mrs. Wang went to collect some from the west side of the village, wearing gloves for the task. No one dared to let Chen Feng go alone, as the woods there were dense and sparsely populated. Even if she was capable, she couldn’t contend with men.
Without the company of the golden swallow or anyone else, Chen Feng also didn’t dare to go. She thought to herself that in the future, she would have to spend money to buy firewood and couldn’t continue pretending to be poor.
As the sun set, and Chen Dabao had still not returned, Chen Feng felt restless. She went to the courtyard and, alongside Chen Ming under the tree, gazed towards the east. In the distance, the old farmers were still busy in the rice fields, and the golden rice had been almost completely harvested.
Chen Ming sighed, “It’s difficult for Dabao. It’s not easy to keep a noble person company. Not only does he have to put on a smiling face, but he also can’t say anything wrong. Even us adults are anxious, let alone a child.”
Suddenly, two birds appeared in the eastern sky, circling high above, as if waiting for someone to catch up. Soon, a carriage was spotted approaching, and the birds seemed to be circling above the carriage.
As the two birds flew closer, the larger one was unmistakably Gray.
When they landed in the yard, the carriage arrived at the gate and stopped. It was driven by Steward Luo himself.
Steward Luo disembarked, carrying Dabao, followed by a middle-aged woman from the carriage, dressed in satin and adorned with a jade hairpin.
Chen Dabao loudly greeted, “Mother, Grandfather, Little Uncle, Little Hanyan really likes the smiling little swallow.”
Chen Feng went to open the door and Steward Luo pointed to the woman, saying, “This is my wife. Madam asked her to convey a few words to you.”
Chen Feng hurriedly smiled at the woman, “Mrs. Luo.”
She then promptly invited Steward Luo and his wife into the house. The small gate couldn’t accommodate the carriage, so she opened the main gate of the new courtyard to bring the carriage in.
Steward Luo and his wife brought down several pieces of satin and a package from the carriage and were ushered into the west room.
This couple happened to be the most influential figures in these few villages, and others couldn’t easily invite them over.
Chen Ming rushed over to accompany them, Chen Feng offered tea, and Chen Dabao brought peanuts and candies for the guests.
Mrs. Luo first praised Dabao for being so sensible and for winning the Madam’s favor. She then laughed and said, “Mrs. Chen is skillful and thoughtful. The little swallow doll you made delighted our Madam as if she had received a treasure.” Covering her mouth with a handkerchief, she laughed a few times and added, “Heavens, I’ve never seen a laughing swallow before.”
Steward Luo also chuckled a few times. He had been paying attention to the beautiful little bird all morning and believed that the young miss would surely like it. Unexpectedly, it was the cloth doll that truly won her favor. Fortunately, Dabao had brought it along. If he had followed his own inclinations and left it behind, it would have been a mistake.
Mrs. Luo pointed to the several pieces of satin and a small package of cotton and said, “One doll isn’t enough. Our Madam suggests that Mrs. Chen make a few more. Our little miss can take them to the capital to play with and they can be washed. Since we won’t use up all this satin, you can make a few outfits for your family.”
Chen Feng was delighted, she didn’t mention that so much satin would surely go to waste. Instead, she was focused on maintaining good relations with Tangyuan and the recognition from Steward Luo’s family, which was extremely advantageous for her family.
She quickly responded, “To have the favor of the noble is our good fortune. With so much good satin, the dolls I make will be even better.”
Mrs. Luo nodded with a smile and added, “Although my Madam doesn’t recognize that little bird, she could tell at first sight that it’s extraordinary. Young miss doesn’t want to take things from your family without reason. She said that after madam sees them, she will give the money to you as a token of appreciation.”
Chen Feng quickly shook her head and said, “It’s not appropriate to accept money for the things meant for little Miss Chu.”
Mrs. Luo laughed, “Our madam said so, and when the time comes, you’ll accept it.”
She then pointed at the package and said, “This is what our madam is sending to Dabao, to thank him for accompanying our young miss these past two days. He played very well with her. Our madam also said that Dabao is our young miss’s first friend and asked him to come to Tangyuan to play again tomorrow.” She hurriedly added, “Our young miss has a rather proud character and doesn’t like making friends, but Dabao has gained her favor, which is not easy.”
Both Steward Luo and Mrs. Luo were very kind. After finishing their business, they graciously drank a few sips of tea and then left.
Chen Feng and Chen Ming saw them off, noticing many villagers pointing and talking in the distance. Some bolder individuals, feeling somewhat important, even called out to Steward Luo.
Once the carriage had left, someone stood beyond the fence and asked Chen Ming, “How did your family get to know Steward Luo?”
Chen Ming chuckled, “It was Dabao. He won the favor of the little miss at Tangyuan and played there for two days in a row before Steward Luo brought him back.”
Chen Feng chuckled to herself, Chen Ming was indeed cunning.
She quickly inquired about Dabao’s time at Tangyuan.
Dabao said that Little Hanyan really liked the swallow doll, holding onto it and obediently eating her meals. Abbess Liao Chen was very happy and treated him even better. The servants’ attitudes towards him were much improved from yesterday, and they didn’t mention buying him or Qiqi and Gray. The beautiful little bird was also endearing, with an extremely pleasant call that could even make Little Hanyan glance at it sometimes…
Chen Feng felt relieved upon hearing this. She went back to the room to look at the five pieces of satin, shining and smooth like a mirror. These were the colors she used to make the little swallows, bright blue, moon white, begonia red, light brown, and light pink.
In the package were two packs of candy, two packs of pastries, and two sheets of Xuan paper.
The Madam mentioned by Steward Luo must have been Abbess Liao Chen. She was truly a thoughtful and charitable woman. Last time she sent ink and now paper, both of which Dabao and A’Lu could use.
Thinking about what Mrs. Luo had said about Abbess Liao Chen giving money for the Cloud Brocade Sparrow, she couldn’t help but laugh. Since it wasn’t an ordinary item, it was definitely worth over a hundred taels of silver.
When Mrs. Wang returned and saw the satin, she exclaimed, “Heavens, this soft satin is produced in Wuzhou Jiangnan, and it’s very expensive. It’s a shame to use it for making dolls.”
Chen Feng smiled and replied, “We might think it’s expensive, but wealthy families don’t feel the same way.” She added, “It seems that the young miss is leaving in a few days. Mother, let’s make the dolls together in the next few days, in different sizes.”
Mrs. Wang scolded, “The little swallow is so small, how much bigger can you make it?”
Chen Feng pursed her lips and smiled, “Mother, trust me.”
As they were chatting and laughing on this side of the new courtyard, they heard voices from the old courtyard, including Mrs. Hu’s. The main house must have heard something and come to inquire about it.
Chen Feng didn’t want to see Mrs. Hu and was afraid she would come to the new courtyard to complain. She asked Mrs. Wang to take some candy and pastries over to the main house and specifically instructed her not to mention the satin in the house. If Mrs. Hu found out, she might insist on taking some, and Chen Ming and Mrs. Wang knew Mrs. Hu’s character well and nodded with a smile.
Chen Feng also mentioned that she and Dabao would have their meal in the new courtyard and wouldn’t be going over.