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“I can’t hold it in.” Chu Hanyan pouted.
To tell or not to tell? Chen Dabao was conflicted, twisting his chubby fingers as he looked at Chen Feng.
Chen Feng smiled and used a handkerchief to wipe Chu Hanyan’s lips, saying, “If you can’t hold it in, there won’t be a surprise. Do you want to be surprised?”
“Yes.” Chu Hanyan nodded.
“Then hold on, just three more days.” Chen Feng said.
Chu Hanyan nodded. But just after finishing lunch, she asked Chen Feng, “Auntie, why isn’t it three days yet? I’m eager.”
In the eager anticipation of Dabao and Chu Hanyan, the three days finally passed.
That afternoon, after a few days of rain, the sky cleared up, revealing a vast expanse of blue, with only a hint of red in the thin clouds surrounding the setting sun.
After school, Dabao was carried by Chu Xiaoniu, and they walked to Fengyuan with the old marquis, Chu Lingzhi, and Lu. From a distance, they saw Chen Feng and Chu Hanyan waiting at the gate, their skirts fluttering in the breeze.
In Dabao’s eyes, his mother and sister were the two most beautiful women. He thought that if he stood between them, holding their hands, the picture would be even more beautiful. This ideal image remained etched in his memory.
Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Dabao maintained a calm demeanor. The old marquis noticed his uneasiness but pretended not to have seen anything.
As they reached the entrance of Fengyuan, Dabao looked at Chen Feng, who smiled and nodded, indicating that she had completed the task he had assigned her.
Dabao then turned to Chu Hanyan and said, “Wait a moment, sister. I’ll be right back.”
In the dining room, the anxious Chu Hanyan finally saw Dabao. He walked up to her with a smile on his face, his hands behind his back, and said, “Sister, I have a birthday gift for you. This gift wasn’t bought in a store. Mom and I designed it ourselves and had Mr. Wu make it.”
Then, he handed her a small crimson package.
Chu Hanyan exclaimed, “Thank you, brother.”
She received the small package, which was tied with a ribbon in a bow. She untied the ribbon and unwrapped the fabric, revealing a beautiful little red comb with two swallows carved on it, wings spread and beaks open.
Watching the surprise, Chu Lingzhi, who was also waiting, saw that it was just a normal comb and felt quite disappointed. However, he wisely kept his disappointment to himself.
The little girl, on the other hand, beamed with delight, even jumping a little, and said, “Such a beautiful comb. I love it, brother.”
Dabao chuckled and emphasized, “Sister, Mom and I designed this comb.”
“Oh, brother is so talented.” the little girl said, adoringly looking at him with wide eyes.
Chen Feng couldn’t help but smile at Chu Hanyan’s enthusiastic reaction. Even if it had been a basic comb, she would have loved it unconditionally. Not for any other reason, but because it was given by Dabao, and after so many days of anticipation.
The old marquis, chuckling, said, “The siblings get along so well. That’s good, that’s how it should be.”
The next afternoon, Dabao returned from school feeling low. They only had a half-day of classes that day, and the next day, the Chu family was preparing to leave for Dingzhou Prefecture.
Seeing his sadness, Chu Hanyan felt guilty and kept explaining, “I don’t want to celebrate my birthday in the city, and I don’t want to leave you, brother…”
Dabao, feeling down, replied, “Yeah, I know. Sister can’t decide this.”
In the evening, Chen Feng invited her family of three for dinner. Mrs. Wang also presented a birthday gift to the little girl, a set of pajamas embroidered with pandas.
After seeing off the Chu family, Dabao and Lu continued their lessons with Mr. Liao at Tangyuan, and Chen Feng finally found some peace and quiet.
With nothing else to do, she went to the northern part of Fengyuan to inspect their five-acre plot of land, watching Wang Laowu and a few other laborers hurriedly harvesting the autumn corn. The watermelon field needed rotation, so next year, they couldn’t plant watermelons there. After harvesting the autumn corn, they would plant radishes, followed by overwintering, and then in the spring, they would sow peanuts.
Chen Feng truly admired Wang Laowu and wondered if his deliberate “surrounding the central area” hairstyle was designed to complete his missions. A man so dirty and unkempt, no girl would willingly marry him, providing him with a perfect excuse for his perpetual bachelorhood.
Later, she learned that besides Wang Laowu, there were two other guardians at Tangyuan, and each of the Shangshui Village and Guqiao Village had one person, making a total of five individuals. These five were all covert operatives arranged by a certain individual, with Wang Laowu being their leader. Their true identities were only revealed to Chu Lingxuan later.
Among these five, the two guardians at Tangyuan had previously worked at the Duke’s mansion in the capital city, possessing status and background, and were married with children. The other three were single.
Chen Feng felt that she should pay homage to these underground workers who were struggling on a special front.
Of course, she should also show the utmost respect to that person, their big boss.
Chen Feng often thought about that person, the big boss, Chu Lingzhi’s father, Chu Guangkai. He had climbed to such a high position, yet had to undertake such a perilous mission, indicating its critical importance. Although she had met him twice, she regretted not being able to observe him carefully due to her flustered state at the time.
While Wang Laowu and the others couldn’t pursue relationships due to their missions, Chu Guangkai, on the contrary, struggled with the favors of beautiful women.
In the blink of an eye, it was the 13th of September, and Chen Feng was also going to Dingzhou Prefecture the next day.
She had already discussed with Mrs. Wang that in her absence, Dabao would stay at Luyuan. Xue Dagui, Chu Xiaoniu, and Autumn would also stay there. The first two would accompany him to and from school, and Autumn would attend to his daily needs.
Wang Laowu no longer lived in Xiangluo Village. A few months earlier, when he had to watch over the melon field, Chen Feng had arranged for a row of houses to be built between Fengyuan and the melon field, and he stayed there.
This way, Dabao would be much safer staying at Fengyuan than accompanying her to Dingzhou Prefecture.
In the evening, when Chen Feng told Dabao that she would go to Dingzhou Prefecture to celebrate Chu Hanyan’s birthday and that he couldn’t go due to his leg not being fully healed, Dabao burst into tears on the spot.
“Mom, my leg is already fine. I can run, jump, and don’t need anyone to carry me. I can walk by myself…” he cried, his voice capable of lifting the roof.
Chen Feng tried to soothe him gently, but she was firm, she couldn’t take him with her.
He cried for an hour straight, his throat hoarse, knowing that his tears wouldn’t change his mother’s decision, so he finally stopped. He said, “Mom, I won’t go, but you must come back soon. You must remember, your son is waiting at home, waiting is unbearable…”
Using the “gentle policy”, Dabao surrendered, and although Chen Feng felt a pang in her heart, she hugged him and said, “Mom will come back as soon as she’s finished. Mom also doesn’t want to leave her son. Mom promises, I swear.”
After comforting him, Summer and Autumn packed his clothes and school supplies and took them to Luyuan.