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Mrs. Wang was also overjoyed and said, “Even more than that.” She took out the emerald and, with some understanding, said, “This type of stone is called an emerald, not jade. Look at the color, it’s lighter than jade and somewhat translucent. I once saw a lady at the embroidery workshop wearing particularly beautiful jewelry, and later I heard the shopkeeper say it was called an emerald, even more valuable than jade. With this emerald and so many rubies, it’s worth more than a hundred taels of silver.”
Chen Feng then mentioned her plan to take them to the capital to sell and buy land. She also said she wouldn’t buy land nearby, but further away, and then rent it out, so no one would know.
Chen Ming asked, “But if someone finds out, how will you explain where this money came from? You can’t say we found gemstones in the woods to the west. If you do, many wealthy people might come forward and claim they lost gemstones there.”
Chen Feng smiled and said, “If it really comes to that, we have something to say. I heard from Steward Luo that Abbess Liao Chen said that the Cloud Brocade Sparrow is extraordinary and had the Chu family’s Madame give me silver. I calculated it, it won’t be less than a hundred taels. I sold needlework for over a hundred taels, sold the recipe for cured meat and golden pork for many more taels, and also received a reward from the Tangyuan master. Later, I’ll sell those dolls again. We won’t disclose the actual amount, so they won’t know how much we’ve really earned.” She added, “If we buy a lot, I also want to put several tens of acres under Dad’s name to pass down to my younger brother in the future.”
Chen Ming hastily waved his hand, “Dad doesn’t want it. You’ve already given Dad so much silver, and Dad will buy land himself in the future. Moreover, if your eldest uncle’s wife knows I have so much land under my name and didn’t tell them, I don’t know how much trouble that will cause. Your eldest uncle won’t be pleased. Dad doesn’t want to provoke your eldest uncle let’s talk about this later.”
Mrs. Wang also said, “Your father is right. If we buy land without saying anything, your eldest uncle’s wife will accuse us of hoarding, and your eldest uncle won’t be pleased.”
Even though Chen Ming and Mrs. Wang didn’t care about Hu’s thoughts, they couldn’t ignore Chen Ye’s thoughts.
Chen Feng thought to herself that Chen Ming and Mrs. Wang were still too soft. Chen Ye had raised Chen Ming, but he couldn’t consult him on everything and have to consider someone else’s feelings when using his own money. If necessary, she would directly put the deed under Chen Lu’s name.
On the sixth day evening, Grandma Chen, Chen Ye, and Mrs. Hu came again, bringing some snacks for Chen Shi and the recently harvested corn, peanuts, sesame, and vegetables.
Chen Ye also said, “Let us make third brother come back for the New Year. Mother misses him, and so do I.”
Mrs. Wang nodded in agreement.
Grandma Chen glanced at Hu, displeased. Originally, the old lady also wanted to go with Mrs. Wang to see her third son’s family, but these past few days, she had been suffering from headaches and had been taking herbal soup, so she had to give up on that idea. She hinted to Mrs. Wang, “Tell the third son that now the lives of the eldest and second son’s families have improved, and if he encounters any difficulties, he shouldn’t face them alone, his two brothers will help him. He must come back to see his old mother for the New Year.”
This time, the second branch didn’t bring any food for Chen Shi’s family, as they knew the main branch and the old lady would provide those. They brought satin, hair ornaments, and some study materials.
Chen Shi and his wife, Zhang, were both good people and had greatly helped Chen Lu before, for which Chen Ming’s family was very grateful. This time, they were going to trouble their family for ten days, so they gave a generous gift.
The next day, the Chen family rose before dawn, had breakfast, and by the time it was past 5 am, Gao Lao had already arrived with his donkey cart. Mrs. Wang had told him a few days earlier that they would be hiring his donkey cart today.
Before leaving, Dabao nervously reminded Chen Feng, “Mom, have you kept the silver and gemstones safe?”
Chen Feng reassured him, “Son, Mom has hidden the things securely, no one will find them.”
Only a chill was added to the autumn morning. Mrs. Wang laid a mattress on the cart and helped Chen Lu lie down, covering him with a small quilt. After placing three large baskets and two baskets at the back of the cart, Mrs. Wang, Chen Feng, and Dabao finally got on the cart.
They waved goodbye to Chen Ming, who stood at the fence gate, watching his figure grow smaller until it disappeared.
Zhui Feng continued to accompany them out of the village and only stopped, teary-eyed, after several people persuaded it to. Dabao had already told it to stay at home and keep watch and accompany Grandpa. He also told Qiqi and Gray to play more in the woods and bother Grandpa less. He specifically cautioned them to only go to the western woods that Golden Treasure often took them to and not wander around, fearing they might get lost and not find their way home.
Xiangluo Village wasn’t far from Dingzhou’s capital city, just over fifty miles away, passing through Zhongning County midway. Because the entire route was flat, the journey could be completed in a little over three hours. This meant that if they left in the early morning, barring any mishaps, they would arrive by noon.
Chen Feng donned her bamboo hat, and the group sat on the cart, chatting and enjoying the scenery along the way. Time flew by. This was a plain area with many fertile fields, a land of plenty, and it seemed quite peaceful.
After an hour of traveling, Chen Lu, who had been watching the sky, suddenly pointed upward and said, “Quick, look, those two birds, one large and one small, look like our Qiqi and Gray.”
They all looked up and, indeed, they resembled Qiqi and Gray, flying in their direction.
As they got closer, it was indeed them. The two birds landed, with Gray landing on Chen Feng’s hand and Qiqi landing on Dabao’s hand.
Dabao scolded them unhappily, “Why don’t you ever listen? This isn’t a road you’re familiar with. What if you can’t find your way back?”
Chen Feng also said, “We’re here for important business and don’t have time to watch over you. What if someone tries to buy you? Go home.”
Gray and Qiqi were unwilling to go back and struggled, flapping their wings, calling “Mom,” “Dabao,” and “Uncle.”
Both Dabao and Lu couldn’t bear it and spoke up for them, “Let them come, and we’ll make sure to hide them well.”
Gao Lao laughed heartily, “These two parrots are truly clever. No wonder the village was talking about someone eyeing them a few days ago, it wasn’t until Steward Luo’s son spoke up that they weren’t snatched.”
Helpless, Chen Feng cleared out a basket used to store sesame and placed them inside, covering them with a cloth.
On the road, not only wealthy gentlemen but even two strong men could have “bought” them.
They were still some twenty odd miles from the Dingzhou capital, and they frequently spotted soldiers in uniform. Although Dingzhou wasn’t a provincial capital, it had been a strategic location for many dynasties, hence the many garrisons in the vicinity. Additionally, being close to the capital, and with the Northern Canal passing through, it served as a crucial transportation hub and was economically prosperous, rivaling the wealth of the provincial capital, Shi’an Prefecture.
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Loving the story <3