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Upon hearing Dabao’s words, Chen Feng burst into laughter, seemingly looking forward to that day. She said, “Alright, Mother will wait for that day. So, those who love son won’t be limited to just Mother, it won’t be just your sister and Chu… Father, the number of relatives who love and rely on you will only increase. Isn’t that right?”
Dabao nodded, his smile becoming even sweeter.
After settling the little rascal, she sent him to rest in bed.
Chen Feng tidied up and prepared some vegetarian snacks and dishes to take to Luyuan, to add to their dinner.
As soon as she stepped out, she saw a carriage stopping at the door, and to her surprise, Qing Feng alighted from it.
She came over, greeted Chen Feng, and said, “The master and madam sent me to wish Miss a happy birthday.”
Chen Feng warmly invited her inside, offered her a seat, and served tea.
Qing Feng didn’t dare sit on a chair, so she sat on an embroidered stool and presented the gifts sent by their masters.
Chen Shiying and Madam Jiang sent a pair of pearl-inlaid gold hairpins. Chen Yulan sent an exquisite horn comb, while Chen Yuqing and Chen Yuxia each sent a handkerchief embroidered by themselves. The embroidery on the handkerchiefs was excellent, and Chen Yuxia’s handkerchief was probably embroidered with the help of Aunt Lu.
Chen Feng expressed her gratitude with a smile, then asked Summer to accompany Qing Feng for dinner and Old Zeng to dine with the coachman, arranging accommodations for them before seeing them off the next day.
After attending to this, Chen Feng made her way to Luyuan.
Luyuan was bustling with activity, with many of the local women coming over to help. Mrs. Gao, the women from the Wu family, were assisting Auntie Mu in the kitchen. Chen Jue was tending to the fire, and even Hu Laowu’s Wife, Gao Lizheng’s daughter-in-law, and grandma Chen were sitting in the courtyard, picking and washing vegetables.
As Chen Feng entered, everyone greeted the birthday celebrant with smiles and congratulations.
Chen Feng, in turn, expressed her gratitude with a smile.
The courtyard was harmonious, except for Mrs. Hu. She sat under a tree, staring at the roof, appearing uncomfortable, and earning disapproving looks from grandma Chen and Hu Laowu’s wife.
Mrs. Wang, holding a teapot, refilled the water in the teacups on the stone table and said, “Don’t just keep busy, take a break and have some water.” She then called Chen Feng into the house, whispering, “That Mrs. Hu is really infuriating, flaunting her pride. Hmph, the birthday gift your grandmother and eldest uncle gave you is quite substantial. If you don’t accept it, they might feel hurt. But if you do, just look at Mrs. Hu, she’s almost throwing her face on the ground.”
……
It turned out that yesterday, grandma Chen, Chen Ye, and Chen Gui discussed for a long time and decided that since the main branch had earned a lot of money through Chen Feng and had also managed to secure such a good marriage, if their relationship was handled well, it would further elevate the main family branch. They unanimously decided to give a more substantial birthday gift this time. The old lady specially went to town and spent two and a half taels of silver to buy an open-ended silver bangle, along with a pair of embroidered silk shoes made by Mrs. Gao for Chen Feng, considering it a decent birthday gift.
Mrs. Hu was displeased because, at her age, she had never worn a silver bangle. Furthermore, she felt that Chen Feng and the second branch were too stingy, as despite earning a lot of money, they only gave them a cow. She said, “Didn’t they say that Feng was very wealthy? If she’s so wealthy, why does she need the poor people’s things? I’ve worked hard to raise second brother-in-law, and they haven’t even thought of giving me a bangle.”
Chen Ye and grandma Chen scolded her again. Mrs. Hu didn’t dare to say anything more, but she still carried her dissatisfaction, which couldn’t be suppressed.
……
Chen Ming followed, “My sister-in-law is just a foolish woman who only knows how to take and never gives. A’Feng, don’t lower yourself to her level. Just consider it for the sake of your grandmother and eldest uncle.” He then scolded Mrs. Wang, “Why bother our daughter with such trivial matters?”
Chen Ming then invited steward Luo and his family, who had good relations with the two households, as well as Gao Lizheng, Liu Lizheng from Shangshui Village, and Master Yu and Yu Lizheng from Guqiao Village, to Luyuan for a drink.
Chen Feng, puzzled, asked, “If they were invited by the steward, it’s fine. But why invite those Lizheng and landlords? They don’t usually have much interaction with us.”
Chen Ming laughed, “Initially, I had no plans to invite them. However, this morning, we heard that those few had sent someone to the village to inquire about our invitation. Father thought, since they want to come, we might as well invite them proactively. These people are all influential figures nearby.”
Smirking, she thought that Chen Ming had become a prominent figure that people around wanted to befriend.
Chen Feng nodded, chatted for a while, then returned to Fengyuan, inviting Dahua and Daya to join her at Fengyuan. Chu Lingzhi had already arrived and was taking Dahua, who had just woken up, to the backyard. The children then followed to play in the backyard.
As the day wore on, the men gradually made their way to Luyuan. Country folks had loud voices, and their laughter could be clearly heard even from Fengyuan.
Before long, the Chu family also arrived at Fengyuan. Upon hearing the bustling voices from the neighboring courtyard, Chen Feng explained that they were all there to celebrate her birthday.
The old Marquis advised Chu Lingxuan, “Ms. Chen is still a young girl, so it’s not appropriate for her to greet those men. Let’s go over and have a chat with them. Since I will be staying at Tangyuan long-term, it’s important to maintain good relations with the local leaders here.”
Chu Lingxuan nodded and went over with Chen Dabao. Dabao was Chen Feng’s son and would have gone to accompany the guests in the evening. Seeing this, Chu Lingzhi also followed.
When the Chu’s old marquis and his group arrived, they startled the others. Apart from Xia Bukuai, Hu Laowu, and Liu Lizheng, the rest were speechless, including Chen Ming and Chen Ye.
The old marquis spoke with them in a friendly manner, telling them not to be nervous, and thanked them for their care of Chen Feng, his future daughter-in-law, and his great-grandson, Dabao.
The old marquiz stayed with Dabao for dinner. Chu Lingxuan, not enjoying such gatherings, took Chu Lingzhi back to Fengyuan.
Chen Feng, feeling apologetic, said to Third Madam Chu, “It’s a bit noisy here. Madam might not be used to it, right?”
Third Madam Chu chuckled, “When my husband and I were at the border, those rough men caused even more commotion. I’m used to this kind of noise.”
In the evening, after seeing off the Chu family, Chen Feng began preparing her return gifts.
Due to the hurried visit to the Chen residence for the family acknowledgment, she hadn’t prepared gifts for Chen Shiying and Madam Jiang as a sign of respect, nor had she given a token of greeting to Chen Yuqing, Chen Yuxia, and Chen Yulan. This time, she sent embroidered silk slippers to Chen Shiying and his wife, a panda doll to Chen Yulan, and a silk coat to Chen Yuqing and Chen Yuxia. The slippers and the doll were originally prepared as samples for the Ni Shang embroidery workshop, and the jacket, which was initially intended for Chen Lu, was a bit long, fitting perfectly for the slightly taller Chen Yulan. She planned to send some homemade snacks and fruits the next day.
The silk coat that Chu Lingxuan had previously requested was now ready, and she had also made a matching purse. The old marquis would be staying at Tangyuan for some time, so she planned to make him a set of clothes later. As for Third Madam Chu, having grown up in the palace, she lacked nothing, so after much contemplation, Chen Feng decided to gift her a piece of fragrant leaves of agarwood. Chu Lingzhi would receive a panda doll.
With everything prepared, it was already midnight.