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Thanks to the ample supply of Swallow Agarwood Bark and regular check-ups and medication from a good doctor, Chen Dabao’s leg recovered remarkably well. After mid-August, he discarded his crutches and didn’t feel any pain while walking. He could even run and jump. However, Chen Feng didn’t allow him to walk around casually; she insisted that he should remain inactive for a hundred days and then have freedom of movement after three months.
On the evening of August 22nd, Chu Lingxuan, who had been absent for several days, finally returned. By the time he arrived, it was late, and old Marquis had already taken Chu Hanyan and Chu Lingzhi back to Tangyuan. Dabao was writing under the lamplight, and Chen Feng was sitting beside him doing needlework.
Chu Lingxuan, dressed in a purple robe, entered with damp hair. He handed Dabao a few packets of oiled paper, which contained a specialty snack—pine nut sugar, pine nut cake, and sesame bars.
Dabao politely said, “Thank you, Father.”
Chen Feng got up and said with a smile, “Mr. Chu, you haven’t eaten yet, have you?”
Chu Lingxuan nodded and smiled, “No, I’ve been holding out, hoping to eat the wontons you make.”
Chen Feng chuckled, “Please, have a seat. I’ll go prepare it. Today, Steward Luo bought some live shrimp, still fresh. I’ll make you seafood wontons.”
Dabao quickly added, “Mom, I also want to eat seafood wontons.”
Chen Feng agreed, “Sure, I’ll make some for you as well.”
She asked Mrs. Zeng to make the wonton noodles while Chu Lingxuan checked Dabao’s schoolwork.
Wontons made with just shrimp filling weren’t as tasty, it needed pork filling to enhance the flavor. She minced half a jin of pork and about one or two liang of shrimp, adding soy sauce, salt, scallions, and cooking wine. Unfortunately, they didn’t have oyster sauce in this era, which would have made the flavor even better. Luckily, there was half a pot of chicken broth left, making the wontons extra tasty.
In no time, the wontons were ready. She scooped two large bowls, intending to give one to Chu Lingxuan. She also scooped two wontons in a small bowl, filling it halfway with soup.
Carrying the two bowls on a tray, she took them to the dining room, where Chu Lingxuan came with Dabao in his arms.
Both of them exclaimed, “Delicious, very tasty.” After finishing, Dabao wanted more, but Chen Feng didn’t agree, saying, “You shouldn’t eat too much in the evening, it’s not good for digestion.”
Dabao then looked eagerly at Chu Lingxuan as he ate.
Chu Lingxuan looked up and said, “Dabao should listen to your mother. If she says you can’t eat anymore, then you can’t.”
Dabao said, “Oh.” and then, afraid of being dismissed, he scooted closer to Chu Lingxuan and said, “I haven’t seen you for so long, I want to talk to you more.”
After the meal, they chatted for a while, and Dabao stayed by their side the whole time, much to Chu Lingxuan’s dismay. After thinking of her for so long, he found it difficult to even hold her hand, let alone express his feelings.
After a while, Chu Lingxuan decided to leave. Chen Feng got up to see him off, and Dabao wanted to go with them using his crutch, but Chen Feng didn’t agree, fearing he might fall in the dark.
Dabao wanted to say, “If you’re worried about me falling, Mom, you can carry me.” but seeing that his mother didn’t seem inclined and appeared a bit unhappy, he didn’t dare say it and just watched them leave the room.
Chen Feng and Chu Lingxuan walked out of the courtyard, with Chu Xiaoniu following behind.
Seeing his master standing in front of the courtyard gate without moving, Chu Xiaoniu continued walking ahead.
Once Chu Xiaoniu had distanced himself, Chu Lingxuan took out a palm-sized rhombus-shaped glass mirror from his pocket and handed it to Chen Feng, saying, “This is a glass mirror I had someone buy from the foreigners. It’s a gift for you.”
Glass mirrors were extremely rare in this era, almost unobtainable even with money. During her time in this era, Chen Feng had only seen them twice—once in Hanyan’s room at the General’s Mansion and once in Madame Jiang’s room.
Hearing it was a glass mirror, Chen Feng joyfully accepted it, saying, “Thank you, Mr. Chu.”
Just as she was about to take a look, Chu Lingxuan stopped her, saying, “No looking in the mirror at night, you can look tomorrow.”
True, many people in the past, not to mention in the feudal ancient times, were superstitious about looking into a mirror at night. Chen Feng nodded with a smile and let her hand holding the mirror drop down.
With a smile as radiant as flowers and more captivating than the bright moon in the sky, Chu Lingxuan gazed at her fixedly and murmured, “The moon shines brightly, the charming lady is graceful, her graceful figure is elegant, causing others to sigh in silence…”
Even though this gentleman spoke as if he were in middle school when it came to love, Chen Feng couldn’t help but feel touched. She listened as he praised her for a couple of sentences and then gently reminded him, “Mr. Chu, it’s time to go back.”
Chu Lingxuan seemed to have just come to his senses. This was outside the main gate, not the place for such talk. Moreover, a man and a woman staying together in the dark might invite criticism. His face turned slightly red, why did he lose his composure as soon as he saw Feng, speaking and acting like a young lad?
Hastily, he said, “Right, I’ll go back, and you should too. I have to go to the military camp tomorrow morning and won’t be back for a few days.”
Chen Feng nodded, watched him leave, tucked the mirror into her bosom, and then returned to the courtyard.
The next day, Dabao saw a glass mirror on the table and curiously played with it for a while. Then, as if he remembered something, he put down the mirror and asked, “Mom, did Father give you this mirror yesterday?”
Chen Feng replied, “Yes, he did.”
Dabao went on, “Father is very thoughtful, knowing that women love beauty, so he got you this lovely little mirror. When I’m successful in the future, I’ll definitely buy you a bigger one.”
“Alright, I’ll be waiting,” Chen Feng said with a smile.
A few days later, the corn in Wangshan Village also had a bountiful harvest. Although the taste hadn’t changed much, the yield had significantly increased, prompting Chen Shiying to personally lead a few officials to the area.
On the 26th, in the pleasant afternoon with a clear sky and a refreshing autumn breeze, Chu Hanyan played with several maids, including Luo Mei, in the children’s playground. Even Qiqi, Gray, Zhui Feng, and Sasa joined in the fun, their laughter echoing far and wide.
The laughter and barking reached Luyuan, causing Wangcai to bark wildly in agitation.
In the western room of the upper house, Chen Feng and Mrs. Wang were applying cucumber face masks.
Previously, she had used watermelon rind masks, adding egg white and honey. Occasionally, she even mixed some Swallow Agarwood from the Golden Swallow, which, though small as its eye booger, significantly elevated the quality of the masks.
With watermelons gone and cucumbers soon to follow, Chen Feng gritted her teeth and started making face masks using the remaining cucumbers from her garden.
Perhaps due to the addition of Swallow Agarwood leaves, or maybe the inherent quality of their homegrown watermelons and cucumbers, the effect of the face mask was remarkable. Chen Feng even felt that it was more effective than the high-end brands she used in her previous life.
They applied the masks every five days and, after persisting for over two months, Mrs. Wang’s skin had significantly improved. Her wrinkles and dark spots had reduced, and her complexion had become fairer, though her skin was still somewhat rough, it was noticeably better, making her appear several years younger.
Chen Feng’s skin had also improved, becoming delicate, fair, and radiant.
After washing their faces, Mrs. Wang said, “A’Feng, don’t use these things for face masks anymore. It’s a waste of good food, and it worries me at night, I can’t sleep peacefully, feeling distressed.”