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After finishing steaming the cakes, Chen Feng woke up Dabao. As the weather had suddenly turned colder, she dressed him in the new dark purple silk padded jacket and trousers, along with a tiger-head hat.
Seeing his extraordinarily pretty little face, Chen Feng couldn’t resist giving him a kiss.
Dabao smiled, his eyes creasing as he wrapped his tongue around, “Mother seems to like Little Sister Yan more now. I need more compensation, two more kisses, and two more hugs.”
Amused, Chen Feng chuckled and said, “They say daughters are a mother’s close-fitting padded jacket, but it turns out my son is also my close-fitting padded jacket.” After saying this, she planted another kiss on his cheek.
Dabao returned two kisses before finally getting down to put on his shoes.
In the old courtyard, she saw Lu dressed more decently, wearing the reserved blue satin padded robe, which he planned to wear for school. As they were expecting esteemed guests today, little Lu also wanted to leave a good impression.
Taking after Chen Ming and Mrs. Wang, he had fair and delicate features, a complete little handsome guy, just a bit thin and small.
Perhaps due to Chen Ming’s past health issues, he was on the shorter side, and Mrs. Wang, being of average height, didn’t add much in that regard. Therefore, Chen Feng particularly hoped that Lu would grow taller and more robust. She always encouraged him to eat a little more. While he couldn’t be active in the past few months, she planned to ensure he got more exercise in the future.
Chen Feng held Chen Lu’s face and said, “Oh my, little brother, you’re really handsome, a little beauty.”
Chen Lu’s confidence had grown a bit, and he proudly replied, “With a beautiful sister and mother, how can I be any less?”
This light-hearted exchange elicited laughter from everyone.
Mrs. Wang blushed a bit and scolded, “I’m getting old, not much beauty left.”
Observing Mrs. Wang, she did indeed appear older. At thirty-six this year, she looked more like she was in her forties. Chen Ming, on the other hand, didn’t have to worry much before, spending his days eating and sleeping, which made him appear younger than he actually was. Chen Ming was only two years younger than Mrs. Wang, yet he seemed much more youthful. Chen Feng thought that when she had time in the future, she would delve into beauty treatments to help Mrs. Wang rejuvenate.
After breakfast, Chen Feng began braising pork ribs, pig liver, dried tofu, lotus root, and peanuts. Additionally, she prepared a pot of vegetarian braised dishes to send to the venerable monk Wuzhi at Lingyin Temple.
She also planned to send him some glutinous rice cakes and golden silk cakes. She couldn’t send the steamed cakes because they contained eggs.
Around mid-morning, a carriage from the Tangyuan arrived, driven by Steward Luo himself, accompanied by five others.
The carriage stopped, and Mama Song alighted first, carrying Little Yan down. Then Mrs. Wei, followed by Luo Mei and Luo Ming Cheng. Along with the five others, there were a total of eleven people.
Chen Feng felt a headache coming on. So many people—was it a tiger-hunting expedition?
The little girl’s entourage was truly grand, requiring so many attendants. Chen Feng had initially anticipated three children and two adults, but she hadn’t expected so many.
Steward Luo seemed concerned that the Chen family might not have expected so many guests and had brought a lot of food with him.
Chen Ming and Lu escorted Steward Luo and his son, and Mrs. Wang along with Mrs. Wei, went to their quarters, while the children and women went to the new courtyard. Zhui Feng, Wangcai, Qiqi, and Gray also followed to the new courtyard.
Chen Feng led the children into the bedroom of the east wing, where a heated brick bed had been prepared. She removed Hanyan’s outer cloak and placed her on the bed. Dabao climbed onto the bed by himself, while Luo Mei and Luo Ming Cheng sat at the edge. Miao served on the floor.
Several trays of snacks were placed on the heated brick bed table. After the children had each eaten a couple of pieces, Chen Feng put the rest away, concerned that Chu Hanyan might eat too much and have trouble digesting.
Mrs. Wang invited Mrs. Wei and Mama Song to sit in the west wing, but the two insisted on sitting in the central kitchen, where they could easily attend to their needs. After settling them, Mrs. Wang busied herself in the old courtyard kitchen, and Mrs. Wei voluntarily went to help her.
After ensuring the children were settled, Chen Feng went to the old courtyard, where she handed a pot of braised delicacies and a pot of snacks to Luo Xiao. He immediately got up and hurried off in the carriage to Lingyin Temple to deliver them to Master Wu Zhi.
Upon returning to the room, Chen Feng sat on the heated brick bed, holding the little girl as she narrated the story of “The Well-Behaved Little Rabbit”. She told the story three times, and the little girl finally showed some response. When she heard the Big Bad Wolf say “Open the door,” she would pout and say, “No.” Although she responded after the other children called her, she did respond.
However, the little girl showed interest. Once the story was finished, she would say, “More…want more.”
Chen Feng must have repeated the story at least a dozen times. She couldn’t help but criticize the situation. Not only was she still working, but her entire family was working as well. It seemed that if the little girl’s relatives weren’t around, she would have to proactively request overtime at Tangyuan.
Steward Luo felt embarrassed seeing this situation. Tangyuan was too far from the village, and he was worried about any mishaps that might occur to the little miss, so he had brought so many people to attend to her.
Amidst the commotion, another carriage arrived at the Chen household, with Yang Mingyuan bringing his two children.
Chen Ming welcomed them into the courtyard, and Lu ran to inform Chen Feng, “Mr. Yang from the county town has come with two children and Chef Kang.”
Chen Feng quickly told the children, “Alright, the first class is over. School’s out.”
Now the little girl understood that after class, it was free time, and she could have some water and snacks. Mama Song had brought fruit-infused water from home, but the little girl insisted on drinking the hawthorn water Chen Feng had made.
Chen Feng and Dabao went to the old courtyard. When Yang Chao and Yang Qian saw them, one went to hug Dabao, and the other tugged on Chen Feng’s skirt, asking to be picked up.
Yang Chao excitedly told Dabao, “My dad said we can stay at your house today, so we can play for an extra day.”
Hearing that they were here to cause mischief, Chen Feng felt a pang of anxiety. She couldn’t refuse, so she smiled and said, “Sure, welcome.” Then she looked up and smiled at Mr. Yang, “Mr. Yang, you’ve been quite busy lately.”
Yang Mingyuan chuckled, “Yes, quite busy indeed. I’m planning to open a restaurant in Dingzhou Prefecture. I was there a few days ago and was so occupied that I only returned home yesterday.” He teased, “Guess who I met, Ms. Chen?”
“Who did you meet?” Chen Feng asked.
“It was the boss of Chen San’s Braised Skewers, Uncle Chen Shi. We happened to meet and, after chatting, I found out he’s your uncle.” replied Yang Mingyuan.
Chen Feng smiled, “That’s quite a coincidence. Please extend my uncle your regards in the future, Mr. Yang.”
Yang Mingyuan waved his hand and said, “Ms. Chen, you’re too kind. Uncle Chen Shi has been thriving in the city for many years, running a very successful business. I could learn a lot from him.” Pausing for a moment, he continued, “Ms. Chen, I came here this time to discuss a major business deal…”
A major… business deal?
Chen Feng was baffled, but Steward Luo came out. He also knew Yang Mingyuan and cheerfully exclaimed, “Mr. Yang is here, please come inside.”
Yang Mingyuan promptly gave a respectful nod to Steward Luo and said with a smile, “Steward Luo, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” before entering the house.
Chen Feng and Dabao then took the Yang siblings to the new courtyard.
The Yang siblings were well-mannered, and Chen Feng was pleasantly surprised by their behavior.