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After seeing off Steward Luo, Chen Feng looked at the two large bags of red dates, totaling about forty catties. In the basket, there was a small bag of glutinous rice flour, another of high-quality rock sugar, a jar of osmanthus flowers in syrup, a small bag of sesame seeds, and a small jar of oil.
Everything was there. With so much, she could make at least a dozen pots of red date paste.
Dabao took out a jade pendant and said, “Mother, look, this was given by the grandpa Chu. He saw that sister Yan likes to play with me and thanked me, asking me not to call him the old marquis, but to call him grandpa Chu, and to call his son uncle Chu. Sister Yan only likes the Grandpa Chu. Besides her father, Abbess Liao Chen, and of course, me and you, she only likes Grandpa Chu.” He added, “Also, Grandpa Chu also really likes Qiqi and Gray. He said he wanted to buy them for six hundred taels of silver. When I hesitated, he offered eight hundred taels. Seeing that I was still hesitant, he even offered a thousand taels of silver. I told him that they are my little siblings, and no matter how much silver is offered, I wouldn’t sell them. After hearing this, he let it go. He said that in the future, he will come to Tangyuan to play and asked me to bring Qiqi and Gray again, preferably with Golden Treasure.” He also added, “This jade is for you, Mother.”
He had a particular fondness, but he didn’t force the issue.
Looking at the jade pendant, it was a thumb-sized white jade horse, which was warm and translucent, clearly a high-quality piece, worth at least a hundred acres of land. The old man was an old marquis, and giving such a good item to a poor child made him a rare kind old man. It seemed that the class hierarchy was not so strictly observed.
Chen Feng took it and smiled, “It’s yours. I’ll keep it for you for now. When you grow up a bit more, you can wear it as an accessory around your waist.”
She first soaked half of the red dates in the kitchen, then went into the inner room, closed the door, and entered the space.
Except for her family and Chu Hanyan, no one else had ever made Chen Feng ask the Golden Swallow for agarwood. But this old man was different, so she decided to ask for some materials from the space.
The Golden Swallow was busy with his tail feathers raised.
Chen Feng said, “Goldie, still busy?”
The Golden Swallow paused his activity and proudly said, “Mom sings in her songs, ‘The swallow can’t sleep, so she builds a golden nest, while the man is busy building a house.’ I’m just as diligent as you.”
Chen Feng smiled and said, “Being an industrious and likable child is great, but remember to balance work and rest.” She then mentioned her need for some agarwood wood shavings for making the red date paste.
The Golden Treasure chuckled and said, “Whether it’s for a beautiful sister or an old marquis, as long as it’s for a loved family member, I’ll provide it.” He added emphatically, “Supporting Mom’s happiness starts with me.”
Chen Feng felt that she had some time today and decided to talk to the Golden Swallow. “Goldie, in life, there are many ‘thresholds,’ such as social status, class, and many uncertain factors. So, it’s not about who you think is the male lead, but rather who can be Mom’s male lead. Life partners should not only match in status but also in fate… Please, in the future, don’t associate me with that person. The gap between us is too great. When you keep bringing this up, it puts pressure on me.”
The Golden Swallow disagreed and said, “Mom, isn’t the gap between you gradually narrowing? You are already mentoring the beautiful sister and have become a landowner. On your path to finding a husband, you have already taken two big steps. If you continue to work hard, with everyone’s help, you will definitely become the female lead, and he will definitely become your male lead.” She confidently added, “Mom, I believe that the beautiful sister’s father will one day become Goldie’s lucky father.”
Illness needs treatment.
Chen Feng glanced at the obstinate little bird, realizing it was futile to reason with it and decided not to waste her breath. After dipping her handkerchief in the agarwood shavings, she left the space.
After dinner, Chen Feng lit a small oil lamp and began making the red date paste, all the while worrying about Chen Shi. Chen Feng was assisted by Chen Aman, while Mrs. Wang was busy making dolls.
It was already dark, and there was still no sign of Chen Shi’s return. They thought he might not make it back.
Just before the end of the evening, they heard a knock at the door. Chen Yu ran to open it and shouted, “Daddy’s back.”
Chen Aman offered to prepare a food for Chen Shi, but Chen Shi waved his hand and said, “No need, I’ve already eaten.” He then called out loud from outside, “Sister-in-law, A’Feng, it’s all taken care of.”
The entire Chen family then gathered in the main hall. Chen Shi handed over two title deeds to Chen Feng and Mrs. Wang, and also gave the remaining two silver coins to Chen Feng. The mother and daughter happily examined the deeds, and Lu and Dabao rushed to have a look.
Mrs. Zhang admired the situation, saying, “Sister-in-law and A’Feng are now landowners. You’ll never have to worry about food and clothing for the rest of your lives.”
Chen Shi chuckled and said, “Let’s work hard. In the future, we’ll be wealthy and never have to worry about food and clothing.”
This brought smiles to everyone’s faces.
That night, Mrs. Wang and the others were so excited that they couldn’t sleep. They lay in bed and fantasized about the days when they wouldn’t have to worry about meals or clothes. Especially Lu and Dabao, after their initial joy, started to worry about the lack of space at home for so much grain. They decided that after the harvest, Lu would sleep in the west room of the new courtyard with Qiqi and Gray to make space for storing the grains…
Chen Feng confidently remarked, “Why bother with rearranging the rooms? Let’s build a bigger house and add more storage rooms.”
The two boys became ecstatic.
The feeling of being a landowner was truly wonderful.
The next day, Chen Feng rose early. Other than Chen Yu, who went to fetch water on the street, and Mrs. Zhang, who was cooking breakfast, no one else was awake yet.
The early autumn wind already carried a chill, so Chen Feng tightened her clothes and first went to the kitchen to soak the red dates.
After breakfast, Chen Feng began making the red date paste. She had to finish before 9 am so she could give the stove back to the Chen family to make braised meat skewers.
With so many red dates, she made a large basin of osmanthus glutinous rice dates and a smaller basin of osmanthus glutinous rice dates, and then brought out two large bowls for the family to eat.
Observing Mrs. Zhang’s hesitant expression, she said, “If Auntie likes, we can also sell them.”
Mrs. Zhang asked, “Can we really sell them?”
Chen Feng replied, “Of course, this recipe is not a secret. People will easily learn how to make it.”
In the morning, Mrs. Wang didn’t assist Chen Feng, but instead finished making the remaining swallow dolls in the small room.
In the late afternoon, Qinbo arrived with his carriage. He not only came to collect the red dates but also mentioned that the old marquis had invited Dabao to bring Qiqi and Gray to the Chu Mansion to play and then return after dinner. Chen Feng wrapped up the finished swallow dolls in cloth and asked Dabao to take them to the little Miss Chu.