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Madam Lou chuckled and said to Madam Jiang, “I’ve long heard of Madam Jiang’s reputation, and today I finally get to meet you.”
Madam Jiang quickly exchanged polite words, and Madam Lou then turned to praise Chen Yuqing.
The young woman grasped Chen Feng’s hand and smiled, “You must be the young miss from the Chen family, right? I’m Chu Hua. Has my brother mentioned me to you before?”
Chen Feng immediately took a liking to her future sister-in-law. Not only was she exceptionally beautiful, but she also had a pleasant disposition, friendly and easy to get along with.
At the time of Chu Family’s troubles, Chu Hua was only ten years old. Her mother was forced into seclusion, her father went to the Princess’s Mansion, her grandmother had passed away, and the Marquis’s mansion was left with a confused second aunt. The Marquis then entrusted Chu Lingxuan to take her to the border when she was ten, to be raised by the third Madam of the Chu family until she married in the capital at sixteen.
Chen Feng smiled, “I’ve heard about Sister Hua, especially from Abbess Liao Chen, who shared many childhood stories about you.” She tactfully avoided mentioning Chu Lingxuan and brought up Abbess Liao Chen instead.
Upon hearing this, Chu Hua’s eyes welled up slightly as she said, “I plan to visit my mother this time. It’s been years since I last saw her.”
Seeing them standing and talking, Second Madam Chu, sitting in the head of the table, spoke, “Why are you all still standing there? Come, sit over here.”
Madam Lou escorted Madam Jiang to the circle chairs, and Madam Jiang sat down. While Second Madam Chu was referred to as the second madam of the Marquis’s mansion, in fact, her husband held only a minor official position and still needed to maintain appearances here.
Madam Jiang knew many of the women present and engaged in conversation as soon as she sat down.
Chu Hua then led Chen Feng around, introducing her to the various ladies present. She skipped introducing Second Madam Chu, who was seated at the head, and first presented Madam Lou, “This is my second aunt, Madam Lou.”
Madam Lou smiled, “What a lovely child, truly beautiful.” With that, she took off a jade bracelet from her wrist and handed it to Chen Feng.
The praise felt a bit uncomfortable to hear. Being called lovely and beautiful was undoubtedly a compliment.
Chen Feng smiled graciously, accepted the bracelet, and after Madam Lou presented gifts to Chen Yuqing and Chen Yuxia, Chu Hua led Chen Feng to introduce her to the others.
A woman in her forties held Chen Feng’s hand and continuously praised her. She was the wife of General Fu, who was also the matchmaker for Chu Lingxuan and Chen Feng.
After the introductions, Chen Feng and her sisters obediently sat next to Madam Jiang. The ladies praised Chen Yuqing, bringing a smile to Madam Jiang’s eyes.
Second Madam Chu felt a bit lonely as she hadn’t been greeted yet by Chen Feng. She considered Chu Lingxuan’s rural wife to be lacking in manners.
Shortly after, several girls entered, and Madam Lou called them to pay their respects to Madam Jiang.
They were the Chu family’s second young miss, thirteen-year-old Chu Zhen, the legitimate daughter of Second Madam Chu. The third young lady, Chu Lin, nine years old, was a daughter from the second wife. There were also three girls from the Luo family, including the eldest, nine-year-old Lou Ying, Madam Lou’s eldest daughter, whom Chen Feng had seen last year when selling needlework bags.
Madam Jiang graciously greeted them, and Chen Feng presented each of them with two pearl flowers. She had initially prepared some animal-themed trinkets but changed her mind to gift pearl flowers after hearing Chu Lingxuan’s remarks.
Second Madam Chu smiled at Madam Lou and the others, “Look at how polite these children are, knowing to greet their elders as soon as they enter.”
Madam Fu had never liked Mrs. Li (Second Madam Chu), and she sarcastically remarked, “Yes, elders should act like elders so the younger ones will follow suit.”
This left Second Madam Chu speechless, unable to respond and not wanting to upset Madam Fu.
As lunchtime approached, Chu Hua went to bring Chu Hanyan to the flower hall.
The little girl was dressed in a lovely outfit made by Chen Feng, looking joyful and beautiful. However, upon seeing so many people, she became frightened and buried her face in Chu Hua’s waist, refusing to look up. Chu Hua awkwardly smiled and tried to comfort her.
Most of the guests had attended the birthday banquet last year and had heard of Chu Hanyan’s condition. However, the Chu family refused to acknowledge her illness, claiming she was just shy and afraid of strangers.
A girl aged six or seven piped up, “Mother, didn’t you say that Chu family’s young miss isn’t ill? Why is she acting like …”
Startled, her mother quickly covered her daughter’s mouth, but everyone knew she was going to say “foolish.”
Apart from a slight smile on Second Madam Chu’s face, the rest of the Chu family and relatives blushed. Lou Ying retorted, “Nonsense. My cousin Hanyan isn’t sick.”
The little girl’s mother kept apologizing, “I’m sorry, my child is speaking nonsense, young miss from the Chu family is definitely not ill.”
Chen Feng stood up and approached Chu Hanyan, whispering softly, “Little Yan, why are you hiding your face? Is it because you were mischievous and got your face dirty?”
Having not seen her aunt for several days, upon hearing her voice, Chu Hanyan forgot her fear and lifted her head with joy, revealing a bright smile that illuminated the room.
She held Chen Feng’s hand and affectionately said, “Auntie, Hanyan is very clean, not mischievous, and didn’t get her face dirty. See for yourself, Auntie.” She then tried to lift her face up.
Chen Feng earnestly examined her face and chuckled, “Indeed, not a speck of dirt. I was mistaken.” She patted her head gently and suggested, “All these grandmothers, aunts, and sisters are here to congratulate you on your birthday. Shouldn’t you go greet them and say thank you?”
Wide-eyed, Chu Hanyan looked around, feeling overwhelmed by the crowd. She disliked being the center of attention and didn’t enjoy being in this house.
However, seeing the hope in her aunt’s eyes, she felt compelled to go. Though a hint of reluctance was visible on her face, she nodded in agreement.
Holding Chu Hanyan’s hand, Chen Feng, along with Chu Hua, walked forward. They approached Madam Jiang first, and Chen Feng released Chu Hanyan’s hand, introducing her, “This is the Chen family matriarch, Auntie’s mother.”
This introduction earned Madam Jiang a significant approval. Chu Hanyan performed a standard greeting and cheerfully exclaimed, “grandmother.”
Madam Jiang expressed delight, “Oh, what a beautiful child, so endearing. Oh my, I am truly fortunate to see her today.”
Undoubtedly, Madam Jiang was skilled at conversation and flattery. Afterward, she presented a gift—a purse containing a jade rabbit ornament—to Chu Hanyan, which was received by her maid, Qiao.
Next, they approached Madam Fu. Being astute and with her husband being Chu Lingxuan’s superior, their relationship was quite exceptional. Madam Fu praised Chu Hanyan, comparing her to a flower, and also presented a gift.
Subsequently, they visited Madam Li, Madam Wang, Madam Yang…
The room was filled with praises. In their minds, although they found Chu Hanyan not overly clever, they were adamant she wasn’t a fool. Moreover, they believed her to be exceptionally beautiful, perhaps the most beautiful child in the room.
Her supposed illness had miraculously vanished! In reality, she was never ill, she was just timid. It was despicable for someone to spread such rumors about her.