Chapter 94: Awkward

Steward Luo bowed and said, “Sir, I happened to meet Ms. Chen and Dabao, so I brought them along. Let Dabao play with young miss while Ms. Chen makes some osmanthus sticky rice dates that the young miss loves to eat.”

Chu Lingxuan raised his eyelids to glance at Chen Feng and Dabao, nodding slightly.

Dabao bowed and said, “I’ve met Mr. Chu.” He then greeted Chu Hanyan, “Sister Yan, I’ve brought Qiqi and Gray to play with you. They’ve learned a couple of new phrases, and I’ll have them say them for you.”

Although Chu Hanyan’s eyes had not been able to focus, upon hearing Dabao’s words, she surprisingly looked at him for a moment, and then looked away, seemingly peering past him as if gazing at something unknown.

Dabao felt a bit disheartened. Why did Sister Yan’s gaze only linger on him briefly? After all, he was the most handsome and likable child in the village.

What Dabao didn’t know was that Chu Lingxuan was pleasantly surprised. He had previously been informed by Steward Luo that Qiqi and Gray belonged to this child, and Dabao was the only person who could engage his daughter’s gaze, aside from himself, his mother, Granny Xu, and the swallow doll. He was also someone his daughter wouldn’t resist.

Unexpectedly, Granny Xu was jealous from that side and had created an excuse to discard the large swallow doll, causing great distress to his daughter. Thinking about this, Chu Lingxuan was filled with self-reproach. He should have dismissed that woman as soon as he returned to the mansion. Unfortunately, he had harbored a sense of optimism, intending to wait for the right person to arrive before sending her away, and then the incident had occurred.

Now that this child had arrived, with the birds by her side, perhaps Chu Hanyan would feel a bit better.

At that moment, something even more incredible happened. Chu Hanyan’s eyes stared blankly at Chen Feng as she reached out her hand. She murmured, “Birdie—flew, birdie—flew, flew…”

Chen Feng was taken aback. She wasn’t a bird, she is the master of the golden swallow.

Chu Lingxuan was overjoyed. This was the first time his daughter had actively reached out to someone besides himself and her mother. Moreover, she had uttered so many words.

He observed his daughter’s direct gaze at Chen Feng, then looked at the elegant, clean, and refined young woman before him. She had been brought by Steward Luo, so she must be reliable. After a moment of hesitation, he approached Chen Feng and handed over Chu Hanyan.

At first, Chen Feng was taken aback, but as Chu Lingxuan approached her, she instinctively took a step back. Seeing Chu Lingxuan’s stern expression and the sudden drop in warmth in his eyes, she quickly regained her composure, reached out, and took Chu Hanyan from him.

Chu Hanyan had been cradled horizontally by Chu Lingxuan, so when Chen Feng took her, she was also held in the same manner.

As soon as Chu Hanyan was in Chen Feng’s arms, she grabbed at the front of her clothes and nuzzled frantically against her chest, as if searching for a pacifier. After a few moments, it seemed she found what she was looking for and nestled her nose and mouth against it, unmoving.

Being subjected to such “intimacy” in public, Chen Feng felt mortified and indignant. Her expression stiffened, and her face turned as red as a cooked shrimp. She felt an urge to just toss the little girl out.

After a moment’s thought, Chen Feng realized the reason behind the situation. She had a handkerchief with agarwood shavings in her pocket. Though the scent was very faint, Chu Hanyan had still picked up on it. Perhaps the reason she had referred to Chen Feng as “birdie” upon seeing her was due to the scent of agarwood, which was also present on the Golden Swallow. The moment she caught that scent, she was reminded of the Golden Swallow. Although the little girl’s mind may not have been clear, her sense of smell was exceptionally sensitive.

But the action was just too, too, too embarrassing. Thankfully, she had a thick skin. If it had been a girl with a thinner skin, she might have burst into tears from embarrassment.

Chu Lingxuan was equally surprised by his daughter’s actions and felt his face flush. He cleared his throat and averted his gaze, saying, “Uhm… Thank you. Please take Hanyan to play in the room.”

Upon hearing this, Chen Feng hurriedly carried Chu Hanyan to the upper room.

She felt that she and this “hero” were truly incompatible. The first time they had met, she had been bullied and left lying on the ground, looking like a fool. This time, it was even more embarrassing and disgraceful.

Dabao followed her into the upper room, and Qiqi and Gray flew in as well.

The room was elegantly decorated with a fresh, pleasant scent of agarwood. There were two swallow dolls that Chen Feng had personally made placed on the canopy bed, as well as several on the rosewood table. Even the palace lantern hanging from the ceiling had two of them. Smiling little swallows were everywhere in the room.

From this setup, it was clear that the stoic “hero” was indeed a doting father.

Outside in the courtyard, Chu Lingxuan exchanged a few words with Steward Luo before leaving the Joyful Pavilion. Before leaving, Steward Luo informed his daughter-in-law, Mrs. Wei that Chen Feng and her son had not yet eaten.

Chu Hanyan had already had her midday meal and was now in her rest period. Smelling the comforting scent, she looked at Dabao beside her and then glanced at Qiqi and Gray perched on the table. Her eyes began to droop with drowsiness.

She was getting ready to sleep.

Chen Feng stood up, holding Chu Hanyan. She walked around the room for a bit, and soon the little girl drifted off to sleep.

Mrs. Wei smiled as she pulled back the pearl curtain in the bedroom, allowing Chen Feng to lay Chu Hanyan down to rest.

Outside the north window of the bedroom hung a birdcage, containing the cloud brocade sparrow they had given as a gift. It stood proudly in the cage, looking outwards like a regal princess, singing a gentle and melodious song. It exuded an entirely different demeanor compared to the chirping birds in the room.

Beneath the window stood an intricately carved jade-inlaid table, on which sat two medium-sized swallow dolls. Facing the window was a rosewood wardrobe adorned with floral carvings, and on the handles hung two smaller swallow dolls with wings outstretched.

Towards the right was an intricately carved jade-inlaid bed, with a pink canopy embroidered with clusters of gardenia flowers. Atop the bed lay a large swallow doll that was nearly identical to the one Chen Feng had made. However, upon closer inspection, Chen Feng realized it wasn’t her creation. Its colors were fresh, and the stitches were much finer.

Adjacent to the bed was a carved dressing table with an unexpected round glass mirror, something Chen Feng thought she would never see again in her lifetime. Against the wall, there was a tall stand supporting a large pink-glazed vase filled with vibrant chrysanthemums.

It was a pity that such a delicately nurtured girl had fallen ill.

Approaching the bed, Chen Feng gently laid the girl down and covered her with a silk quilt.

Once they returned to the living area, Chen Feng thought about the agarwood leaves inside the doll, a treasure that couldn’t be found anywhere else. If she could find that doll, even if it couldn’t be used for the little girl, she could extract the precious leaves. She then asked Mrs.  Wei, “What happened to the original large doll?”