Chapter 161: Practicing Martial Arts with Auntie

After finishing her tasks, Chen Feng noticed little Yan pouting at her with resentment. Mama Song and Luo Mei were by her side.

Mama Song winked at Chen Feng and silently conveyed, “The little sister feels neglected.”

Chen Feng walked over, lifted her up, and smiled, “What’s wrong, little Yan? Why don’t you go play with building blocks?”

Chu Hanyan pouted, “Auntie… doesn’t like Hanyan.” Her eyes turned red as she spoke.

Chen Feng couldn’t bear to see the little girl upset, so she quickly reassured her, “How could Auntie not like little Yan? Auntie likes you very much. Auntie was just busy earlier and didn’t have time to practice martial arts with you. Alright, let’s start practicing right away.”

She then called Yang siblings, Chen siblings, and Luo Ming Cheng, who were playing with building blocks in the house.

The children lined up in the corridor, with Chu Hanyan standing in the middle. The pets also found their places, with the two parrots standing at the front, and even Zhan Feng and Wangcai standing on either side of the children.

Because the outer corridor of Luyuan was relatively narrow, Chen Feng had to stand in the courtyard outside.

She clapped her hands and gave the command, “Children, come on, follow Auntie to practice—martial—arts.”

Then, she sang and gestured continuously:

“Turn left three times, turn right three times, twist your neck and waist, let’s practice—martial—arts during the break. Shake your hands, shake your feet, take deep breaths, follow Auntie’s singing and jumping, let’s keep our bodies healthy… with a smile, be polite, with a lovely smile, you’re becoming more and more beautiful, everyone says you’re great… Remember to wash your hands before meals, remember to rinse your mouth after meals, happy people are healthier… One, two, three, four, two, two, three, four…”

Chen Feng modified the lyrics of this “healthy song” and adjusted the movements to comply with the standards of this era.

The children followed along, with Luo Mei and Luo Ming Cheng even singing a few lines. Chu Hanyan didn’t sing out loud but seemed to be moving her mouth. Yang Chao, Yang Qian, and Dahua were clever, after watching for a while, they also started jumping in sync. Daya was a bit younger and only knew how to twist her neck and hips.

Several newly arrived servants at Luyuan were astonished by the scene. Not only were the lyrics strange, but the dancing was peculiar. Even the parrots and the dog were twisting their necks and hips, and the parrots sang louder than the people, truly an eye-opening sight. Zeng Xiaoqing covered her mouth, wanting to laugh but not daring to do so.

When Chu Lingxuan arrived, he was equally astonished by the scene, his mouth gaping in surprise.

Is this practicing martial arts? Dabao, upon seeing this, quickly released Chu Lingxuan’s hand and ran to join the group, engaging in the practice. His singing voice was the loudest, and he interacted best with Chen Feng.

Chu Lingxuan couldn’t help but smile as he watched. As a military officer, he naturally knew the many benefits of regularly exercising these body parts. Keeping fit and healthy can be considered a form of martial arts. Moreover, not only did it strengthen the body and teach good habits, but it also combined education with entertainment, which was excellent.

It’s no wonder his daughter used to get sick frequently in the past, especially during the cold winter. Even without going outside, she would often catch colds, requiring constant medication. However, this year, not only did his daughter not get sick, but she also grew taller and gained some weight.

He felt that aside from Chen Feng’s graceful and elegant figure, his own little daughter’s chubby little body looked the best and was extremely agile. Seeing her moving her mouth, he realized his daughter could sing too.

When the little girl saw her father smiling at her, she twisted her little neck and chubby bottom even more vigorously, and even when she shouted “one, two, three, four,” her voice could still be heard.

Mrs. Luo, Mrs. Wang, Old Zeng, and Mrs. Jiang came to invite Chu Lingxuan to sit in the room, but Chu Lingxuan waved his hand, he hadn’t seen enough yet.

After Chen Feng led the children in practicing martial arts for a quarter of an hour, she stopped. Seeing Chu Lingxuan’s arrival, she hurried over to bow and express her gratitude to the people he had sent.

Chu Lingxuan politely praised Chen Feng’s work, “Ms. Chen, you’ve worked hard, and you’ve done a great job. This ‘martial arts’ set is also excellent and greatly benefits the children’s health.”

Then, he followed Chen Feng’s style before, standing still and then leaning down to reach out to Chu Hanyan, saying, “Daughter, you see your father has come, but you’re not coming over for a hug?”

Chu Hanyan smiled, glanced sideways at Yang Qian, then proudly walked out of the group and into her father’s arms.

Chu Lingxuan lifted his daughter, who had come to him, feeling indescribably comforting and satisfied. Especially when he heard his daughter call out “father” in his ear, he was overjoyed.

Before they could enjoy the moment further, they heard a burst of crying — it was from little Yang Qian.

She looked at Chu Hanyan being embraced by her father with envy and cried, “Little Sister Yan’s daddy is here to hold her, but where is my dad? Why doesn’t my dad think of his daughter? Why doesn’t my dad come home for the New Year? Boo hoo…”

Chu Hanyan spoke to Chu Lingxuan, “Daddy, sister Qian… feels sorry. Her daddy… doesn’t want her, Daddy, hug her.”

Apart from holding his own little daughter, Chu Lingxuan hadn’t embraced any other child. But this was his daughter’s request, and he couldn’t refuse. So, he put down Chu Hanyan, then smiled and reached out to Yang Qian.

Missing her father terribly, Yang Qian regarded Hanyan’s daddy as her own and rushed into Chu Lingxuan’s arms. After he held her for a moment, the little girl felt better.

Chu Lingxuan followed the children to the southern room of the west wing, sitting aside to watch them play.

Inwardly, Chen Feng thought that despite Chu Lingxuan’s aloof appearance, he had a good personality, unlike men of this era. Men of this era generally didn’t readily embrace children and didn’t bother spending time playing with them. But he was different, he enjoyed holding and doting on his daughters, and was willing to watch them play.

She spent some time playing with the children in the southern room, then went to the kitchen to busy herself.

Not long after, Steward Luo arrived at Luyuan to attend to Chu Lingxuan. He and his son had just returned from Zhaojia Village to Tangyuan, and upon hearing that the master had returned and visited Luyuan, they hurried over.

Upon seeing Steward Luo lift the door curtain, Chu Lingxuan rose and went to the western hall. He asked, “How was it? Was it lively enough?”

Steward Luo bowed, “Yes, very lively. When Madam Chen hung the red decorations at Zhaojia Village Bridge, there were drums and gongs, and firecrackers. The people were excited, saying that Madam Chen is kind-hearted. Despite being away from her hometown for so long, she still remembers the villagers. Not only did she contribute money to repair the bridge, but she also treated the villagers to a feast…”

He paused, then continued, “Not only that, my son and I added to the festivities, making the flowing water banquet even more extraordinary.”

“What do you mean?” Chu Lingxuan inquired.

Steward Luo explained, “This time at the flowing water banquet, not only were the villagers from Zhaojia Village invited, but also the nearby villagers, the county magistrate, the county lieutenant, and a few bailiffs…”