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Hearing the children’s cries, Chen Feng felt deeply distressed. She asked, “Are they still in the eastern wing?” Seeing Mrs. Wang nod, she continued, “Let them come to the doorway. I want to talk to them.”
Mrs. Wang agreed and brought the children to the doorway. There were faint footsteps and Dabao’s loud voice, “Mother, mother…”
Intermittently, there were sobs from Chu Hanyan.
Zeng Xiaoqing opened the bedroom door, with Mrs. Wang blocking the entrance and not allowing them in.
“I want my mother…”
“I want Auntie…”
After Dabao and Chu Hanyan called out, they burst into loud wails.
In the past few days, this was Chu Hanyan’s first time raising her voice. Even though it was crying, it relieved the tension for Mama Song, who was following her. The family was terrified, fearing that the little girl might be traumatized and revert to her previous state.
Chen Lu was tearfully calling out “Sister.”
Chen Feng looked at them. Dabao’s face was thin, and Chu Hanyan looked pitiful as she cried. She gently urged, “Dabao, little Yan, Lu, be good. Don’t cry. I’ll soon be better. After I recover, I’ll take you out to play. Now, please go to the eastern wing and don’t catch my illness.”
Mrs. Wang and Mama Song forcefully led the children out of the western wing. They all went to the eastern wing, and the cries of Dabao and Hanyan could still be heard.
From that evening onwards, Chen Feng visited the space every night. Not only did she sense the spiritual energy inside, she was also delighted to have a small piece of green swallow’s nest.
When she excitedly picked up the tiny piece from the tip of the Golden Swallow’s beak with her finger and placed it on her tongue, she immediately experienced an unprecedented, delightful sweetness spreading across her palate. The flavor lingered between her lips and teeth, making her so happy that she was close to tears.
She even disregarded the Golden Swallow’s harsh scolding.
The Golden Swallow rolled his eyes and scolded, “Stupid. If you feel unwell, you should enter the space, what’s the use of drinking ginger soup? If you die, I don’t know where I’ll be thrown. I like it here. Once out of the space, there’s hardly anything more powerful. I don’t want to go to the immortal or fantasy world. There are too many monsters there…” His rant continued.
At that moment, the Golden Swallow was far from endearing, more like a noisy bird, even using foul language.
Chen Feng patiently explained, “I was feeling dizzy at the time. How could I have reacted quickly? Okay, okay, stop scolding me. I understand.”
After the Golden Swallow finished scolding, he covered her mouth with his wings and chuckled, “Mommy, I feel like you and Daddy Chu are getting closer. It’s not an ocean between you, rather a small water ditch, easily crossed. It hasn’t been long, and Daddy Chu is already treating you so well. You fell ill, and he was so worried. Oh my, even if I didn’t see it, I could feel it. He’s definitely happier than a sparrow. He has passed my test.”
Comparing Chu Lingxuan to a sparrow would surely enrage him.
Chen Feng gave the Golden Swallow a wry look, scolding, “You even said Daddy, not Mister.”
“What?” The Golden Swallow asked, puzzled.
Ignoring her, Chen Feng left the space.
Dabao wasn’t around, and she hadn’t put up the canopy. Bright moonlight seeped through the window paper, casting a hazy glow in the room.
She wasn’t a naive little girl and could naturally sense that Chu Lingxuan’s kindness toward her was unusual. She wasn’t inexperienced either, nor was she willing to accept the unwarranted kindness. The memories of her past injuries were vivid, and she didn’t want to be a Cinderella again, trying to climb up to an unattainable prince.
Chu Lingxuan, along with his family, valued her because of Chu Hanyan. Once Chu Hanyan recovered completely and returned to the noble circle in the capital, she would lose her value.
Even if she were recognized by Chen Shiying or acknowledged by Mrs. Jiang, her status wouldn’t match Chu Lingxuan’s.
Chu Lingxuan was in an awkward position, and his family would prefer him to find a bride from a family with equal status, someone who could counterbalance Princess Rong Zhao and secure the title.
Moreover, she didn’t want to get involved in the Chu family’s internal conflicts. The death of Chu Hanyan’s biological mother wasn’t a simple matter…
It was all caused by that Golden Swallow. Each word felt like a small stone striking her heart, creating ripples that wouldn’t subside.
In the past, Chen Feng had shown no reaction to the Golden Swallow’s words. But now… Could it be that she was feeling something?
Thinking of this possibility, she forcibly recalled Liu Xudong introducing his fiancée to everyone in her previous life, the pity in their eyes, and her tear-streaked face after being crushed by a heavy truck…
These scenes flashed before her like a movie, and the previous stirring within her was completely suppressed… Her feelings finally settled.
She got out of bed, lit a candle, and retrieved a letter from the small drawer beside her bed.
It was a letter written by Yang Mingyuan to her.
According to Wang, Luo Xiao had returned on the ninth day, bringing back two letters from Yang Mingyuan. One was for the former staff of the Xile Restaurant, and the other was written to Chen Feng. Additionally, he brought a few gifts for Dabao, Hanyan, Lu, and the two grandsons of the steward Luo.
Chen Shi’s family, upon learning of Chen Feng’s improving condition on the eleventh day, had returned to the prefectural city with Chu Lingxuan and Doctor Huang. One of the former staff, three chefs, and three assistants from the Xile Restaurant expressed their willingness to follow Chen Shi to work at the Prosperous Grand Restaurant in the prefectural city, stating that they would head to the prefectural city immediately after settling their affairs.
In the letter, Yang Mingyuan agreed to share the secret recipe for Nine Spice Marinated Delicacies and Golden Series recipes, which he had bought, with Prosperous Grand Restaurant, without requiring any payment from Chen Feng. He mentioned that the hot pot business was doing so well that he didn’t want to venture into any other business. He then delved into various business matters and shared his current situation. Finally, he praised Dabao, stating how much he liked him, and his own children were also very fond of Dabao.
The final paragraph was quite abrupt, feeling as if Dabao were ten years older, he would let Dabao marry into his family. Thinking about Yang Qian, he might have that intention, after all, ancient people liked to arrange marriages for their children.
Yang Qian was indeed an endearing child, but Dabao seemed to have a better relationship with Hanyan… Chen Feng wouldn’t let Dabao be tied down at such a young age. She decided to let Dabao deal with these matters in the future.
Perhaps, Yang Mingyuan had other intentions behind his words?
It was indeed possible!
Yang Mingyuan was a successful businessman, decent-looking, and seemed to have a good temperament. However, she didn’t have any other feelings for him, just a business partnership. Besides, he wouldn’t come to her door…
Well, she’d consider him as a backup option for now.
Chen Feng pondered all night before drifting off into a restless sleep.
The next day, she sent Xue Dagui and Chu Xiaoniu to hire workers and develop the newly acquired five-acre plot of land. Construction work in the Fengyuan resumed, and the noises from the construction site were clearly audible in the Luyuan.