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As the children performed, they were quite engaged.
Inside, Chu Lingxuan stood by the window, dumbfounded, his mouth agape for a while.
What was this? It’s so strange, yet so much fun. Chen Feng is truly a peculiar and wonderful person!
Although Chu Lingxuan found it colloquial, childish, and somewhat inexplicable, he couldn’t deny that the children were extremely happy. Especially his own daughter, who even burst into laughter. When she said, “Not open, not open, Daddy’s back to open.” she even glanced in his direction. This made him, as a father, proud.
Amidst the joy and laughter, it soon reached noon.
Not only had the children not had enough playtime, but even Chu Lingxuan, who was just a spectator, hadn’t had enough.
Chu Lingxuan eagerly walked out and lifted Chu Hanyan, saying, “Daddy now knows that his daughter is so capable.”
He then said to Chen Feng, “Ms. Chen, this method of yours is good. Although strange, it can capture the children’s attention.”
Mrs. Luo led the servants to bring lunch.
Usually, Chen Feng and her two children would eat at the dining table in the main hall, while the two dogs and two birds would eat on the floor. However, with Chu Lingxuan present, Mrs. Luo moved Chen Feng’s meal to a separate room.
When Chu Hanyan saw her father sitting in front of her, and Chen Feng and Dabao heading to the separate room, she became reluctant, pouting and saying, “Auntie, Dabao.”
The two dogs and two birds were also uncomfortable. The dogs barked loudly, and the birds hopped around, calling out, “Mother, Dabao…”
Feeling rejected, Chu Lingxuan didn’t want to impose and decided to leave to have his meal in the outer courtyard.
After the meal, Mama Song took the drowsy Chu Hanyan to the bedroom, while Chen Feng and Dabao, along with the two dogs and two birds, left the “Serene Courtyard.”
When they arrived at the outer courtyard, they saw Steward Luo waiting for them.
Steward Luo handed a package to Chen Feng and said, “These are some specialties Master bought in the northern border town. My master said he will also take a day off tomorrow, so you can rest at home this afternoon and tomorrow. You’ve worked hard these days.” He smiled and added, “My master really enjoys the cured meats you make. Could you make more this afternoon? I’ll have someone come to pick them up before dinner.”
He pointed to a bucket containing pork, rabbit, and duck.
The carriage took Chen Feng and her son back home.
Chen Feng carried the bucket into the kitchen and overheard Chen Ming and Mrs. Wang in the western room discussing the impending marriage of their nephew, Lan.
Chen Lan was getting married the day after tomorrow to a young man from Guqiao Village. It was said that their family conditions were quite good, with a large tiled house and over twenty acres of land, making them a well-off family in the countryside. Their union was considered quite a match.
After greeting them, Chen Feng and Dabao returned to the new courtyard.
Upon opening the package, they found a small bag of wood ear mushrooms, a small bag of pine nuts, a small jar of cheese, and a three-inch-long red agate carp ornament.
Chen Feng chuckled as she held the cheese, happy that she could now make more delicious snacks. She then examined the carp ornament, vibrant and lustrous, clearly valuable.
The Lord was indeed generous with his employees, and he didn’t skimp on rewards. Having a generous leader was a blessing for the employees.
Dabao also held the ornament and said, “Mother, this thing is quite valuable, right?” Then, lost in his thoughts, he continued, “It’s so beautiful, it must be valuable. I will study hard, and in the future, when I pass the imperial examination, I will buy you even more beautiful things.”
Chen Feng smiled and said, “Great, Mother is waiting. Son, go rest on the heated brick bed. When you wake up, there will be delicious food.”
Upon hearing this, Dabao went to the bed, took off his padded jacket and trousers, laid them on the bed, and then crawled under the covers. Since they hadn’t heated the bed during the day, he shivered from the cold.
Chen Feng took the wood ear mushrooms and pine nuts to the old courtyard, and she also brought back two hot water bottles. After stuffing them into the bed, she rested for a while before heading to the old courtyard’s kitchen to prepare the cured meats, with Mrs. Wang helping to light the fire.
While she was busy, Mrs. Gao arrived and explained that she wouldn’t be able to come the next day as she needed to prepare for Chen Lan’s wedding, so she had to do a lot more work today.
Ms. Gao opened the door to the eastern room and chatted with Mrs. Wang and Chen Feng about her sister-in-law as she worked. It seemed that Chen Jue’s marriage prospects had fallen through with several families. The families they fancied didn’t reciprocate, and those interested in them didn’t meet their standards.
Hearing this, Chen Feng felt indignant on behalf of her cousin. She said, “Before, Aunt and Jue blames me and my son, saying because I am a fool and because of recognizing a son, they can’t find a good husband for Jue. Now that I’ve recovered and established my own household, she still hasn’t found a good in-law. Hmph, she’s blaming others for her own faults.”
Ms. Gao didn’t know how to respond, so she simply pursed her lips and smiled. She then said, “Today, I brought home a tael of silver, and my family was overjoyed. I never expected to earn so much money in just one month. My mother-in-law wanted to take it all, but I refused. I said that my two children are growing, and that I should keep some spare money. My father-in-law also said it should be this way. So, in the end, we split it fifty-fifty. I got five hundred wen, and my mother-in-law got five hundred wen.”
She didn’t mention that Chen Jue demands some money to her, but Chen Ye gave her a stern look, making her feel wronged and tearful. Her husband also said that she shouldn’t share in the earnings since she didn’t help with the work, she initially wanted to give Chen Jue fifty wen, but Chen Gui didn’t allow it, saying she shouldn’t spoil her further…
Once the cured meats were ready, Chen Feng roasted the pine nuts on the small stove. After they cooled, she cracked them open with pebbles, feeding some to Mrs. Wang and Mrs. Gao, and then setting aside half a bowl for Dabao and Lu.
Around sunset, Luo Xiao came to collect the cured meats.
After dinner, the second branch went to the main branch to add some dowry for Chen Lan. They also brought a bag of soft pastries for the old lady.
Upon arriving, they unexpectedly found the whole Hu family, including Hu Laowu and his wife.
This was the first time Chen Feng had seen Hu Laowu’s wife, Mrs. Fu. She was about thirty years old, dressed in a long silk-cotton robe, wearing a silver hairpin and gold earrings, giving her the appearance of a wealthy landlady. She exaggeratedly laughed, calling Mrs. Wang “sister-in-law,” making Mrs. Wang extremely uncomfortable.
Even Hu Cuicui’s demeanor changed, sweetly addressing Chen Feng as “Sister Feng.” She tried to pull Chen Jue’s hand but was evaded. She didn’t like this girl, as she and Chen Jue had bullied little Feng in the past.
However, it was Hu Laowu’s clingy gaze that Chen Feng found particularly irritating. He coughed heavily, and Mrs. Fu then averted her eyes.
The Hu family had also come to add some dowry to Chen Lan. There were two lengths of fabric, one fine and one silk, and two strings of two hundred wen each. This was considered quite generous in the countryside.
Judging from Chen Ye’s radiant smile, it was clear he was very satisfied.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, the Chen family from the second branch also gives some items. Chen Ming’s family brought two lengths of silk fabric purchased at the provincial office and a tael of silver, while Chen Feng and her son brought six beautiful flowers and a set of pine wood combs and hairpins. The comb and hairpin set consisted of six pieces, stored in a round wooden box with exquisite floral carvings.