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Madam Jiang found herself in a difficult position. Her husband’s status was relatively low in this setting, and she typically refrained from speaking much at such occasions. Moreover, she harbored hopes of forming an alliance with the He family. However, Mrs. He’s antagonistic attitude towards Chen Feng left Madam Jiang with no choice but to speak up. She felt that she and Chen Feng were in this together—both in success and failure.
She had to address the situation, stating, “Feng is my daughter. Our Chen family’s background is humble, and there is no need to boast about it.” Smiling at Mrs. Fu, she added, “Not to boast, but my Feng has always been obedient and sensible. She treats her husband’s ex-wife’s children as her own, and both my son-in-law and even her father-in-law have praised her as an exceptional daughter-in-law.”
Mrs. Fu chimed in, “Yes, my son has also mentioned how pleased General Chu, old Marquis Chu, and even Third Master Chu and Third Madam Chu are with this young daughter-in-law, praising her intelligence and virtue. This is all thanks to Mrs. Chen’s (Madam Jiang) excellent guidance.” She then turned to Mrs. He with a chuckle, “Mrs. He, don’t worry. How old is Mrs. Chu (Chen Feng)? She’s just a young girl in her teens. She hasn’t experienced the challenges we elder women have faced.”
This elderly lady not only knew how to compromise but also adeptly redirected the conversation. It was no wonder that Mr. Fu managed to maintain good relations with the representatives of the Ninth Prince, Second Prince, and Third Prince from the Chu, Wang, and Sun families, avoiding any conflicts.
With her words, both Madam Jiang and Mrs. He found it difficult to retort.
At that moment, old lady Fu arrived with the eldest daughter of the Fu family, Fu Lingshan.
“Mrs. Chu, why don’t you go and play with the younger ladies and girls, and then look at the bride’s dowry? Being with us older ladies might feel a bit dull.” Mrs. Fu suggested with a smile.
Chen Feng had been eager to leave and stood up, exchanging smiles with the ladies before guiding Chu Hanyan and Mrs. Fu’s daughter outside.
Seeing Chen Feng’s eloquence, the women no longer dared to underestimate her and exchanged smiles with her, reminding her to take care of herself.
As Madam Jiang rose to walk over to Chen Feng, she whispered, “Huixin is causing a fuss as well. Stay away from her.” She then instructed the maidservants to take good care of their mistress.
Chen Feng nodded in acknowledgment.
Mrs. Qin approached, accompanied by a striking woman in her twenties and a young girl around ten years old. She introduced the lady, saying, “This is General Liu’s wife.”
This lady was Lady Du, known as Madam Liu, the wife of General Liu Rang, a guerrilla general, much like Chu Lingxuan, hailing from a prestigious family and showing great promise. At twenty-six, he had already attained the rank of a fourth-grade military officer. In Dingzhou Prefecture, the closest associates of Chu Lingxuan included Fu Shoumin, the eldest son of General Fu, along with Liu Rang, Qin Jian, and a few others.
Chen Feng exchanged greetings with Madam Liu with a smile.
Mrs. Qin then introduced the young girl, saying, “This is my eldest daughter, Qin Lan.”
Qin Lan curtsied to Chen Feng and addressed her respectfully as “Auntie.”
Chen Feng complimented Lan and handed her a purse adorned with pearl flowers, brought over by Autumn.
As Qin Lan was older, she took the hands of Chu Hanyan and Fu Lingshan. While Lan and Fu Lingshan conversed more, Chu Hanyan occasionally chimed in. After speaking, each time the young girl turned to look at Chen Feng, who responded with an encouraging smile before the girl happily turned back.
The group made their way towards the courtyard of Third Master Fu.
Despite her pregnancy, Chen Feng remained the most beautiful among the female guests, drawing envious glances as they walked, even catching the attention of men observing the dowry display in Third Master Fu’s courtyard, reflecting the relatively relaxed gender norms of that era.
The display of dowry items was grand and impressive, although it still paled in comparison to Chen Feng’s dowry back in the capital.
Feeling grateful towards Madam Jiang, Chen Feng appreciated not just the material aspects of the dowry but also Madam Jiang’s ongoing support and care, including the recent incident. Despite Madam Jiang’s desire to form ties with the He family, she had chosen to stand by Chen Feng’s side.
This woman was not only intelligent but also kind and patient.
As Chen Feng pondered, a voice interrupted, “Big sister.”
Turning around, she saw Chen Yuqing leading Chen Yuxia towards them.
Chen Feng then introduced the two younger sisters to Mrs. Liu and Mrs. Qin, knowing that Mrs. Fu was already acquainted with them.
Chen Yuqing was deeply superstitious and held Chen Feng in high regard. She was dressed in an outfit that Chen Feng had gifted her—a set of rose-red floral embroidered short jacket with black pipa-shaped buttons, following Chen Feng’s makeup instructions to emphasize her charming smile.
“Sister, being pregnant and still out and about, be careful not to slip…” Chen Yuhui arrived, realizing that some words were better left unsaid in public, so she quickly stopped herself.
Chen Feng hadn’t seen her in a while and understood the unspoken words she wanted to say about a possible miscarriage, deciding not to continue the conversation.
Chen Yuhui was dressed in a peach-red floral embroidered short jacket with a pleated skirt in pale white.
Madam Jiang hadn’t planned to bring Chen Yuhui to the Fu residence that day and had not informed her about the visit. Yet somehow, Chen Yuhui found her way to the front yard where Madam Jiang and her daughters were assembling to meet Chen Shiying.
Upon seeing her daughter well-dressed and made up, Chen Shiying’s eyes filled with hope, and she couldn’t bear to send her back. She instructed her to behave and told Madam Jiang to keep an eye on her.
Although Madam Jiang had reservations about bringing Chen Yuhui along, she felt compelled to comply with her husband’s command, assigning a maid to watch over her closely.
As Chen Yuhui appeared, the maids, Mama Li and Autumn, remained on high alert, not allowing her to come within three meters of Chen Feng.
Feeling nauseated at the sight of Chen Yuhui, Chen Feng bid farewell to Chen Yuhui and quickly departed with Mrs. Fu and the others.
Chen Yuqing was also apprehensive about Chen Yuhui’s unpredictable behavior and held her back from approaching Chen Feng.
After lunch, Chu Hanyan and Fu Lingshan grew tired, and Chen Feng felt fatigued as well. Not interested in watching the performance, Mrs. Fu suggested they rest in her courtyard with Mrs. Qin and Mrs. Liu. Qin Lan wanted to go boating and was led to the lake by a maid to play. Mrs. Fu needed to attend to her guests and couldn’t join them.
Chu Hanyan and Fu Lingshan went inside to rest, while the adults stayed on the veranda, chatting and enjoying tea.
It was early autumn, still warm in the sun but pleasantly cool in the shade. The slight breeze added to the tranquil atmosphere.
These military families were cheerful and of similar ages, getting along well and often bursting into laughter. They even made plans to visit Chen Feng’s hometown when she returned.
Suddenly, a commotion outside caught their attention. A maid rushed in, whispering to another maid about something alarming. The atmosphere turned tense.
Madam Qin inquired, “What’s happening?”
The maid replied, “They say a young lady has fallen into the water.”