Font Size:
The long whiskers of the ginseng had all been broken, leaving only a single main stem. The main stem was thick and long, with an earthy yellow color and deep, intricate patterns, along with numerous broken short whiskers.
Even someone like Chen Feng, who didn’t understand ginseng, could tell that this was an old ginseng, but just how old, no one could say for sure.
Chu Lingxuan was also astonished by the ginseng. He remarked, “Feng, you’ve obtained another treasure. I’ve seen thousand-year-old ginseng, but none were as thick or had as many patterns as this one. This ginseng may not be a hundred thousand years old, but it’s definitely several thousand years old. Despite its broken whiskers and unattractive appearance, its medicinal properties are superb. Once properly processed, it can be life-saving.”
The old marquis felt delighted. His daughter-in-law had obtained another treasure. She was indeed a fortunate woman.
Chen Feng chuckled at the wild dog and said, “Oh, you’re too kind. You’ve come to our home and brought such a valuable gift. Have you eaten yet? I’ll have someone prepare a delicious meal for you.”
The Golden Swallow corrected her, saying, “Mommy, what your daughter-in-law brought isn’t a gift, it’s her dowry.”
Amused by this, Chen Feng quickly corrected herself, “Oh, my mistake. What you’ve brought isn’t a gift, it’s your dowry. If it were converted to silver, it could buy yards of red wedding fabric, enough for you and your rear dog to wear and use.”
This remark amused everyone in the courtyard, and they all ran over to join the spectacle.
Chen Feng continued, “Now that you’ve entered our home, you should have a name. Let’s call you Sasa, with the ‘sa’ for spirited and the ‘sa’ for gallant, showing both valor and grace.”
Sasa didn’t quite understand, but Zhui Feng did and happily barked a few times, then licked Sasa. This made Sasa happy too, and it barked twice at Chen Feng, as if to express its willingness.
Carrying the ginseng, Chen Feng instructed someone to prepare a bath and food for the pets. She also asked Dabao to play at the Tangyuan with Chu Hanyan and Chu Lingzhi and stay there for the night. Worried that Dabao might feel uncomfortable, she also had Chen Lu accompany him. In the following days, the children didn’t want to come to Fengyuan, so she would go to the Tangyuan to see them.
Even though Sasa had been brought back by the Golden Swallow and Zhui Feng and came from the mountains, it still retained its wild nature. Chen Feng needed to establish a good relationship with it before allowing Dabao to return and the children to play with it.
Chu Lingxuan agreed as well. Although he was very fond of this fierce large dog, he was concerned that it might harm the children if it wasn’t properly trained. Especially Dabao, who was a child they had protected with their lives.
However, Chu Lingxuan was still somewhat worried about Chen Feng and said, “I’ll have a few strong women come to Fengyuan to keep you company.”
Of course, Chen Feng couldn’t mention that she had the scent of swallow agarwood tree and was an animal friend. She shook her head and said, “No need. With Zhui Feng here, it can’t hurt me.”
Since the children were reluctant to leave, Chen Feng had the Golden Swallow, Qiqi, and Gray accompany them to the Tangyuan to play. They reluctantly followed Chu Lingxuan and left.
After the water was heated, Chen Feng personally bathed Sasa in the courtyard. Sasa didn’t understand what was happening and was uncooperative. However, seeing Zhui Feng enjoying its bath in another basin, it jumped into the large wooden basin.
After cleaning it, its gray fur turned into white fur, gleaming silver in the starlight. Chen Feng exclaimed, “Goodness, Sasa is truly beautiful.” This was her heartfelt praise.
Sasa soon realized how pleasant a bath could be. It looked quite content and would occasionally squint its eyes. Its formerly fierce and aloof gaze had been replaced by tenderness and joy.
However, it only displayed this behavior toward Chen Feng and Zhui Feng. When Autumn tried to help, a single glance from Sasa frightened her away.
After drying Sasa’s fur, it no longer looked as unkempt as before. Its long and dense white fur looked extremely soft. Because of its thick fur, its rounded body resembled a white fluffy skirt. If you ignored its large head and frightening wide mouth, it looked like a beautiful large white lion-dog.
Chen Feng didn’t know the breed of this large dog, speculating that it might be a strange offspring resulting from the mating of a dog with another animal.
Chen Feng thought to herself, she had to watch over it carefully. Its fur was more beautiful and warmer than white fox fur, so she couldn’t let bad people have any ill intentions toward it.
She couldn’t help but praise, “Zhui Feng has a good eye, finding such a beautiful bride.”
Zhui Feng was overjoyed and extended its tongue to express its excitement toward Chen Feng. Sasa, still unfamiliar with people, just stood there, looking bewildered.
For dinner, they had braised meat with rice. Sasa had never tasted such delicious food before and was so moved by the aroma that it nearly shed tears. It ate two small bowls full.
Afterward, Chen Feng took the two dogs to the west wing. Once Autumn lit the candles, she left, leaving only Chen Feng and the two dogs in the spacious room.
Chen Feng sat on the wooden floor, with Zhui Feng lying beside her. She held Sasa, who was partially resting on her leg. The three of them conversed intimately.
As they spoke, they heard the courtyard gate creak, followed by the voice of Old Zeng. He opened the door and said, “Ah, the Master has arrived.”
It was already late, and he had returned.
Chu Lingxuan went directly to the west wing and found Chen Feng sitting on the floor, surrounded by two large dogs. One of them, with its silvery fur, looked at him coldly, mouth slightly open. He smiled and asked, “Is this the new dog?”
Chen Feng nodded and said, “Yes, I’ve named it Sasa.” Seeing Sasa’s fierce appearance, she rubbed its back and said, “Don’t be fierce. He’s one of us.” Then she asked if Chu Lingxuan had eaten.
Chu Lingxuan replied, “I’ve already eaten at the Tangyuan.” Seeing that Sasa had been calmed by Chen Feng, he sat down next to her.
Men naturally admire fierce animals, especially someone like Chu Lingxuan, a military man. Although he was very fond of Sasa, he was still cautious not to approach it carelessly. He held Zhui Feng on his lap and chatted with Chen Feng.
With a shared secret and a common goal, Chen Feng and Chu Lingxuan interacted more casually than before.
They played with the dogs, spoke softly, and Chu Lingxuan frequently touched Chen Feng’s arm and shoulder. Sometimes, they were so close that she could feel his warm breath. Eventually, he took one of her small hand from Sasa’s body and held it tightly.
Chen Feng allowed him to hold her hand. She liked his large, warm, calloused hand, believing it to be strong enough to protect her and solve any trouble.
They then discussed the decoration of their new house.
They would have three homes. Their primary residence would naturally be at the Tangyuan, where Chen Feng took care of the children. The second home would be at the Deputy General’s Mansion in Dingzhou Prefecture, where they would occasionally stay. The third home would be at the Marquis’s Manor in the capital city, where they would go in case of major events and possibly reside permanently several years later.
Some relatives still didn’t fully grasp the relationship between Dabao and the Yuan family, but with so many hints, they were sure there was a connection. As for the exact nature of the relationship and why Dabao ended up in the nearby Xiangluo Village, taken in by the impoverished Chen family, it would be explained clearly in due time.