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Chen Feng knew that Chu Hanyan would certainly feel sad today, so she didn’t let the Golden Swallow go outside. The Golden Swallow hung on Chen Feng’s arm, softly singing a song in the gentlest voice.
The singing drew Chu Hanyan out of her melancholy, and through her tears, she saw the Golden Swallow’s curved beak and the wink from his little green eyes, prompting her to smile through tears. “The bird is smiling, Golden Treasure is smiling.” she said.
Chen Feng kissed her beautiful little face and said, “Yes. With Golden Treasure here, you won’t be lonely. By this afternoon, Dabao will be back.”
Though there was only one formal student now, there were still a few listeners, and the pets also joined in, so Chen Feng’s classes hadn’t reduced.
However, the little girl’s spirits only truly lifted when Dabao returned in the afternoon.
Starting that evening, Chen Lu returned to Luyuan to rest, and Dabao will sleep in the main room’s bed because Hanyan will sleep with Chen Feng. According to Chen Feng’s thinking, a child this young should have a small bed in the bedroom specifically for Dabao. But according to ancient traditions, since they weren’t blood siblings, they should sleep in separate rooms.
Before bedtime, Chen Feng sat on the bed, embracing one and then the other, telling them stories until Hanyan fell asleep, and then had the maid take the drowsy Dabao to bed.
After that, Chen Feng got up and busied herself in the study, as she had to draw several “comic books.”
In the blink of an eye, half a month had passed. The watermelon seedlings, nurtured by Chen Feng and Old Zeng, had sprouted. The seedlings were planted in the five-acre watermelon field to the north of the garden, the half-acre field between Luyuan and Fengyuan, and half an acre within Luyuan. As for the 80-acre watermelon field in Wangshan Village, Chen Feng only provided the soaked seeds. Due to the large quantity of seedlings, Xue Dagui took the seeds to Lin Bo to let the tenants there nurture the seedlings.
Chen Feng and Chen Ming hired two laborers to tend to the watermelon fields and the three-acre wheat field belonging to Chen Ming’s family. Due to what happened to Mrs. Hu, Chen Ye had been frightened, and his health had been poor, so Chen Ming didn’t want to have the main branch cultivate the three-acre field. Although the laborers were to manage the field thereafter, they had promised to give the main branch the same amount of grain even after the harvest.
In the evening of March 29th, with the gentle spring breeze and the sky full of colorful clouds, Chen Feng carefully trimmed the potted plants in front of the flowers. There were over a dozen pots of roses at home, and due to Chen Feng’s use of “swallow manure,” they had grown extremely well, with large and vibrant flowers and a rich fragrance.
She carefully trimmed a few stems of pink, red, and yellow flowers, the buds just opening, enveloping the blooms, tender like a baby’s little fists. There weren’t many stars in this world, and the leaves on the flower stems were a bit excessive, but this way, they looked better in the vase.
Hanyan sat nearby, watching, hesitating with her delicate fingers, eager to pick but afraid of getting pricked.
Dabao, on the other hand, played in the yard with Zhui Feng, Qiqi, Gray, and little Jin. Little Jin was a Golden Oriole, and because the golden swallow is at home, they often let it out and then locked it back in its cage at night.
Today, the yard was especially lively as the golden swallow had invited its brothers and sisters over. They crowded the roof and tree branches, chirping and chattering.
Chu Hanyan pushed open the gate and was greeted by this beautiful, warm, and lively scene.
Chu Han Chu saw his father return and happily ran to him, exclaiming, “Daddy, it’s been so long since you came home, I missed you so much I almost cried.”
She wore a spring-colored jacket, light and cheerful like a kingfisher, and threw herself into Chu Lingxuan’s arms.
Chu Lingxuan’s laughter grew louder with joy as he lifted her, saying, “Don’t cry, my dear, as soon as I finished my work, I rushed back to see you.”
Chu Hanyan hugged his neck and kissed him twice, and Chu Lingxuan, used to his daughter’s affection, also smiled and kissed her back.
Dabao came over, greeted him, and said, “Hello, Uncle Chu.”
Chu Lingxuan held Chu Hanyan with one hand and reached out to him with the other. Dabao quickly offered his little hand, feeling the warmth and solidity of the large hand enveloping his, a different kind of sensation. He liked this feeling.
Qiqi and Gray also greeted Chu Lingxuan, one calling him “Daddy,” the other “Uncle,” which made him burst into laughter.
Chen Feng stood up, bowed, and said, “Mr. Chu is back.”
Chu Lingxuan walked up to her. He was dressed in a moon-white robe, his jet-black hair still damp, exuding a special fragrance of freshly washed hair. Coupled with the smile on his lips, he appeared gentle and warm in the rosy glow.
He said, “I went out for a bit. Thank you for your hard work, Ms. Feng.” Pausing, he added, “Hmm, I haven’t eaten, I’m hungry.”
“Oh… Um, what would you like to eat, Mr. Chu? I’ll prepare it right away.” Chen Feng responded.
Chu Lingxuan hadn’t spoken yet, but Dabao jumped in, “Tonight, we had chicken broth wontons, and they were delicious.”
This statement was backed by Chu Hanyan, who nodded in agreement, saying, “Dad, Auntie’s wontons smell wonderful.”
Chu Lingxuan smiled, “Great, let’s have the wontons then.”
Chen Feng called for Mrs. Zeng to get busy in the kitchen. Luckily, there was still a small piece of meat left, which was reserved for making dumplings the next day. In a world without refrigerators, aside from cured meat, people generally didn’t buy extra meat to keep.
There was still chicken soup in the pot, and Summer went to the backyard of Luyuan to pick a few sprigs of scallion.
Fengyuan didn’t have a place to grow vegetables, as almost all of Luyuan’s backyard was planted with watermelons. Only a small section was reserved for growing scallions, and for their vegetable supply, they would go to the village’s vegetable garden.
In no time, a large bowl of chicken broth wontons was ready, with a sprinkle of chopped scallions, releasing a fragrant aroma that could be smelled from far away.
Chu Lingxuan was already seated at the dining table, and the two children accompanied him.
Chen Feng walked over to Chu Lingxuan and placed the tray of wontons in front of him, saying, “Please, sir.”
Even though the aroma of the wontons was strong, Chu Lingxuan still sensed the faint but distinctive fragrance emanating from Chen Feng’s body, something he had only noticed after multiple interactions with her. Though the scent was so faint that it was barely detectable, it was beautiful and serene, smelling better than the most fragrant flowers or perfumes. It had been over twenty days since he last smelled that fragrance, and he missed it terribly. Just as he took a deep breath, she set the bowl down and walked away, and the elusive fragrance dissipated.
The faint purple figure had shed her heavy robe, looking even more graceful and light. She went to the courtyard and continued sitting there, trimming the rose branches. The evening glow was even more intense, casting a rosy glow on her beautiful and pure face, making her look like a celestial maiden in the moon palace.
Chu Lingxuan was stunned.
Dabao reminded him, “Uncle Chu, aren’t you hungry? Why aren’t you eating the wontons?”