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Chen Feng poked the Golden Swallow and said, “Darling, wake up and join us for our New Year’s Eve dinner. Mommy is here with you.”
The Golden Swallow lowered his wings and sobbed, “Mommy, today is your liveliest day, but it’s the loneliest day for me. Now I realize that spiritual enjoyment is far more important than material pleasures. Even if I live in a golden house, today I’m no match for a little village dog.”
Quite theatrical.
Chen Feng coaxed, “You won’t be closed off for much longer. In less than two months, you’ll be able to come out. Alright, alright, let’s see what goodies mommy has brought for you. Tasting delicious food is also a form of spiritual enjoyment.”
The Golden Swallow quickly got up and let Chen Feng wipe his tears with a cloth, then started pecking at the food in the bowl. After just a couple of bites, he stopped and, with his small green eyes fixed on Chen Feng, said, “Mommy, you’re hiding something from me.”
Taken aback, Chen Feng asked, “Hiding something? What could I be hiding?”
The Golden Swallow turned his head and disdainfully glanced at the four “bathroom buckets,” saying, “What good things did Mr. Chu send you? I didn’t just hear your stifled laughter, I also heard the sound of fine porcelain clinking. Mommy, let me tell you, not only is my mouth sharp, but my ears are equally sharp. Just by listening, I can tell K gold from red gold, coarse porcelain from fine porcelain. Mr. Chu sent you a set of fine tea sets, didn’t he? Why don’t you bring it in and use it as a bathroom bucket? I don’t need much, just one will be enough.”
Chen Feng sighed and said, “Darling, even if I gave you one, I still couldn’t use the other five. I can’t be reminded of you every time I have tea, it’s hard for me. You’ll have to make do for now. I’ll have someone buy a good teacup from the capital another day.”
The Golden Swallow stopped eating and, looking downhearted, said, “Mommy said she liked me, but it was all a lie. You can’t even bear to part with a good bathroom bucket. What can I expect from you in the future?”
After saying this, he became upset again, and his small body started shaking.
Chen Feng gritted her teeth, left the space, and retrieved the tea set from the box, taking it back into the space.
The Golden Swallow, upon seeing the tea set, smiled with joy, admired it, and said, “Mommy, I know you’re a good mommy, and I appreciate your kindness. Move those dung things aside and throw those broken buckets out. I’m disgusted by them.” Then, he went back to eating.
Chen Feng had to resign herself to the “diligent” task of cleaning up the mess. The little creature kept everyone busy as it had defecated in each of the four buckets. She poured it all into a teacup and filled it up to almost half.
Seeing this fertilizer, she couldn’t help but smirk. This stuff, in terms of economic and social value, was surely worth far more than that tea set.
Chen Feng spent quite a while with the Golden Swallow and only returned to her room well into the night. She carefully put away the teacups before getting onto the heated brick bed to sleep.
In the morning, Chen Feng was awakened by the commotion in the courtyard. It sounded like it was snowing, and the servants were clearing the yard.
Chen Feng lifted the canopy and saw that the sky outside was already bright. She quickly got up and woke up Dabao. “Dabao, wake up. Today, you’re representing our family to pay New Year’s respects with your uncle.”
Dabao remembered this honorable task and his eyes widened.
Chen Feng kissed him on the forehead and said, “Son, happy New Year.”
Dabao replied with a smile, “Mom, happy New Year.”
Zeng Xiaoqing, standing with a basin of water at the door, heard them wake up and called out, “Miss, I’m here to serve you.”
Chen Feng, dressed in the new outfit she had prepared, a peach-red silk jacket and a bright red cotton skirt, was a perfect fit. The high collar of the jacket, the snug waist, the row of ice-blue butterfly buttons, and the embroidered hem formed a ring of intertwined lotus flowers. She adorned her head with a silver hairpin and two beautiful flowers. After washing her face, she applied a little scented balm.
She rarely dressed up so festively and looked even more radiant and delicate.
After Zeng Xiaoqing had dressed Dabao, she commented, “When the young lady dresses up like this, she looks so beautiful.”
Dabao, being cheeky, said, “My mom always looks this beautiful.”
Zeng Xiaoqing chuckled and said, “I misspoke. What I meant to say was, the young lady is naturally beautiful. When she’s dressed up like this, she looks even more beautiful than the young ladies from wealthy families and even more so than the second miss from the Marquis’s household. Miss Chu, she’s one of the rare beauties in the capital.” Then she added, “Why doesn’t the young lady apply some rouge and do some eyebrow makeup? If she did, oh my, she would outshine everyone.”
Her exaggerated manner made Chen Feng chuckle. She asked, “Why would I want to outshine everyone?” Then she inquired, “Which daughter of the Chu family is Miss Chu? And how many daughters does the Chu family have?”
Zeng Xiaoqing replied, “Miss Chu is the eldest daughter of the second master. She’s fourteen this year. I heard that the second madam is actively looking for a son-in-law to marry her off to a good family.”
Chen Feng recalled the ambiguous words of Mrs. Wei and Mrs. Zeng, then asked, “Isn’t the Marquis’s household in the capital quite complicated?”
Zeng Xiaoqing, being young and now a servant in the Chen household, shared what she knew. She said, “Actually, there weren’t many people in the Marquis’s household in the capital before, apart from the old marquis and the second master’s family. The second master’s health is not good, and he can’t control the second madam… However, things have improved now. The third master’s family has returned, and the second madam can’t stir up trouble anymore.”
Chen Feng was even more puzzled and asked, “Doesn’t the Marquis live in his own household? Does he only have one son, Mr. Chu?”
Zeng Xiaoqing explained, “Of course, the Marquis doesn’t live in his own household anymore. He resides in the Princess’s residence. Think about it, Miss. The Marquis isn’t at his own household, and the Master and his family aren’t there either. Except for the old Marquis, the others in the Marquis’s household aren’t the true masters. They will be divided up one day. The second madam can take advantage of this to gain more benefits. Fortunately, the outer courtyard is controlled by the old Marquis, and she can’t interfere there.”
So, it was a case of occupying another’s nest.
Thinking about Chu Hanyan, Chen Feng asked, “Did Hanyan live in the Marquis’s household before? That second madam is quite unprincipled. Not only did she take someone else’s money, but she also distressed someone else’s child.”
Zeng Xiaoqing shook her head and said, “No, Hanyan lived in the Princess’s residence before. The princess said she wanted her daughter-in-law to show filial piety in front of her and, when the old Madam was alive, she also lived in the Princess’s residence. After Hanyan was born, she always lived there. Later, when the Master returned from the border, he established his office and residence in Dingzhou and took Hanyan out.”
That princess was even worse, stealing someone else’s husband and upsetting someone else’s child. No wonder Chu Lingxuan sought refuge here. No matter how high his status was, he couldn’t afford to provoke the princess.
Fortunately, this place was far from the capital, and the young girl was slowly emerging from her own world…