Chapter 123: Slow to Speak

In Tangyuan, there were small bridges over flowing waters, carved railings, painted corridors, and encircling bamboo trees, creating an excellent view. The most commonly seen were the Chinese flowering crabapple trees, with some of them still bearing fruit, the bright red fruit exuding a sweet and sour aroma even in the air.

Entering the Serene Courtyard, the walls were covered in rose vines, now leafless and even the vines had turned yellow. On the right stood a few slender bamboo trees, their leaves gently swaying in the wind. On the left were several tall ginkgo trees, adorned with sparse golden leaves, creating a golden carpet on the ground. Along the central stone path were dozens of pots of Chinese flowering crabapples, their branches covered in densely packed light red flowers. Numerous birdcages hung from the eaves, with birds merrily chirping inside. Outside a red carved window hung an exquisite birdcage, housing the beautiful cloud brocade sparrow.

Despite the vibrant surroundings, it all seemed rather contrived, lacking something.

Entering the main hall, Chu Hanyan had just finished her breakfast and was sitting on a carved wooden bed, hugging a small swallow plush toy, lost in thought. Upon seeing them, she twisted her body, turned her head away, seemingly expressionless, yet Chen Feng noticed a hint of redness around her eyes, a sense of abandonment.

Zhui Feng remembered Chu Hanyan and began to howl loudly, wanting to rush up to her. Dabao, fearing that Zhui Feng might startle Chu Hanyan, quickly held its neck and said, “Just greet Hanyan, don’t go and scare her.”

Meanwhile, Qiqi and Gray eagerly flew onto the carved wooden bed, excitedly calling out “Hanyan sister.”

Mama Song winked at Chen Feng, silently conveying, “Young miss is still sulking.”

Chen Feng walked over, squatted down, and said, “Oh, is my beautiful little Yan upset with Aunt Chen? Don’t be upset. Aunt Chen and Dabao are here to keep you company.”

Chu Hanyan’s head didn’t turn, her lips were pursed, and she was holding the small swallow plush toy, murmuring, “Bird… flew away, Auntie, Dabao… also flew away.”

Chen Feng chuckled and said, “Auntie and Dabao don’t have wings, how could we fly? Besides, we wouldn’t bear to leave our little Yan, even if we had wings, unlike…”

She had originally intended to say “unlike Golden Treasure, so heartless,” but thinking about stingy Golden Treasure, she changed her words and said, “unlike Qiqi and Gray, who ran off into the woods as soon as they arrived home.”

Chu Hanyan turned her head, first looking at Chen Feng, then at Dabao, and back to Chen Feng, pouting, “Auntie, Dabao, afraid… to fly away.” After speaking, her lips puckered, and a layer of mist formed in her eyes.

Chen Feng’s heart shattered. She hurriedly embraced Chu Hanyan and said, “Don’t worry, Auntie and Dabao won’t fly away, and we won’t leave you.” She then said to Dabao, “Did you hear? She’s afraid we’ll fly away and leave her alone.”

Dabao quickly came over, took Chu Hanyan’s hand, and solemnly promised, “Hanyan, don’t worry. I won’t fly away. I will always be with you.” He added, “Forever.”

Chu Hanyan glanced at Dabao, pursed her lips, then nestled into Chen Feng’s embrace, pressing her head against her chest.

Feeling helpless, Chen Feng said, “Auntie has made a delicious cake. I’m sure you’d love to have a bite.”

Mama Song quickly interjected, “She just finished her meal and shouldn’t have any more. It’s not good for digestion.”

Chen Feng reassured her, “It’s okay. These small snacks are easy to digest, and I won’t give her much.”

She held Chu Hanyan with one hand and took out a piece of golden silk cake from the food container. The cake was cut into small, two-finger-wide squares.

Chu Hanyan, with her sensitive nose, immediately wriggled out of Chen Feng’s embrace, looked at the golden silk cake, and said, “Bird… Golden Treasure.” After speaking, a transparent tear trickled down from the corner of her eye.

Chen Feng handed her the golden silk cake, saying, “This is golden silk cake, delicious as can be. Try it, my dear.”

Chu Hanyan took the golden silk cake and took a small bite.

Chen Feng gently wiped the saliva from the corner of her mouth and said, “Zhui Feng knows how to bow. Let’s go outside and watch it perform.” With that, she led Chu Hanyan outside.

From now on, Chen Feng was going to fulfill her duties as a kindergarten teacher.

Her first step was to ensure that Chu Hanyan spent more time outdoors, walking on her own two feet.

They reached the ginkgo tree, where sunlight filtered through the leaves, warming them and providing a good dose of calcium.

Mama Song harbored some disagreement within, believing that the rural sun was harsher than in the city. For a young lady from a wealthy household, getting tanned wouldn’t be acceptable. However, before leaving, the master had instructed her to follow Chen Feng’s decisions regarding the child. Despite her reservations, she didn’t voice them, simply instructing the maid Miao and Qiao to bring a few embroidered stools over.

Chen Feng then asked Miao to call the Luo siblings, mentioning that having more children around would make things lively.

Zhui Feng rolled and bowed on the golden “carpet,” entertaining the kids, making them giggle. Qiqi and Gray also jumped and laughed along with the kids.

Chu Hanyan, having finished the golden silk cake, approached Chen Feng and said, “Auntie, more… please.”

Chen Feng broke off another small piece of the golden silk cake and said, “After this, you can’t have more. We need to save some for Golden Treasure, right?”

Chu Hanyan took the cake and asked, “Golden… Treasure, likes it?”

Chen Feng smiled, “Of course. Whatever Hanyan likes, Golden Treasure likes. That’s why, next spring, it will fly here at the fastest speed to see our Little Yan.”

Chu Hanyan’s lips curved, forming two small dimples.

After finishing the golden silk cake, Chu Hanyan didn’t ask for more, showing how much she longed for Golden Treasure’s return.

Before long, Luo Mei and Luo Ming Cheng arrived, and Chen Feng gave each of them a piece of golden silk cake to enjoy.

Chen Feng then pulled Chu Hanyan closer, smoothed her hair, and asked, “Do you like the little swallow wearing the flowered clothes?”

Chu Hanyan looked at the little swallow plush toy in her hand and let out a soft “ah.”

Chen Feng embraced her and, holding her hand with the plush toy, said, “Auntie will sing ‘Little Swallow Wearing Flowered Clothes’ for you. Dabao and Golden Treasure also love listening to it.”

Then, she softly began to sing:

“Little swallow, wearing flowered clothes, comes here every springtime…”

As she sang, she rhythmically moved Chu Hanyan’s hand holding the toy.

The lyrics were simple, the melody cheerful and pleasant, captivating everyone except for Chu Hanyan.

Chen Feng sang it several times. It was only on the third repetition that Chu Hanyan’s vacant gaze began to show signs of life. Gradually, a faint smile formed on her lips, her eyes fixed on Chen Feng.

Seeing that the little girl was captivated, Chen Feng stopped singing.

As she paused, Chu Hanyan’s eyes welled up with tears again, and she said, “More… Auntie… speak… slowly.”

It seemed the little girl hadn’t heard songs before.