Chu Lingxuan finally figured out why he always felt that Chen Afu looked familiar. It turned out that she looked so much like Lord Chen!
Even though Chu Lingxuan didn't say what was in his mind, Steward Luo understood what his master meant. He nodded and said, "Well, Madam Chen does look like Master Chen. Moreover, Wang gave birth to Madam Chen prematurely after being married to Chen Ming for more than seven months. This may be the reason why Madam Chen was once mentally retarded... Chen Ming was almost dead at that time, so how could... Madam Chen must be Master Chen's biological daughter without a doubt."
Thinking of the experience of the mother and daughter, Chu Lingxuan sighed and felt very sad. It turned out that there were women in the world who were as miserable and forbearing as his mother. For them, death might bring them relief, but for the sake of their children, they had to live with grievances.
And Chen Ahfu, she was so miserable when he first saw her, being bullied by the son of a county lieutenant. If he hadn't happened to see her and helped her, he didn't know what the consequences would be. No matter what, she was a real official lady and should have lived a noble life. Thinking of this, he felt that he should be better to Yan'er...
Chu Lingxuan took a sip of tea from the teacup and said sarcastically, "Mr. Chen has always had a good reputation as an official. People say he is gentle and polite, and he is a rare good official. Even the emperor praises him highly. But I didn't expect that he has such a big handle. If someone with ulterior motives holds on to it, his reputation will be ruined. I don't know if Mr. Chen really doesn't know the truth about what Chen's mother did, or if he pretends to be ignorant. If he knew, he let Wang get pregnant and kicked her out of the house. His character is questionable."
Luo Yuan bowed again and said, "Mother Chen is very smart. When she drove Wang Juanniang out of the Chen family, the news that Master Chen had passed the imperial examination in Hu'an Province had not yet spread to our Jibei Province, and he had not returned. Of course, whether the Tang family would rush back to report the news is unknown to others. Her statement to the outside world was that Wang was not virtuous and was very jealous. Her mother-in-law said that she did not understand poetry and songs, and was afraid that she would not be able to add fragrance to her husband, so she wanted to give her son another concubine. Wang was unwilling, crying and making a fuss, and even took the initiative to ask to leave. Mother Chen was so angry that she almost died of anger, so she had to drive her back to her parents' home. As for how Mother Chen forced Wang to ask to leave, how she asked Wang's stepmother to marry Wang quickly, but Wang was willing to remarry and did not tell the reason, it is unknown." He quickly added, "One of the reasons why Wang remarried so quickly may be to seek an identity for the child in her belly."
Chu Lingxuan slammed the tea bowl in his hand onto the table and snorted coldly, "No matter how eloquent that old woman is, she can't change the fact that her son drove Wang Juanniang away as soon as he passed the imperial examination! I hate people like this the most in my life. They do all kinds of bad things for their own selfish desires."
When Steward Luo saw that the master was angry, he also thought of his master being forced to become a monk, and felt bitter. After a moment of silence, he asked again, "Master, the lady from the Chen family is the daughter of Master Chen." He instinctively said the word "daughter", but then he felt that what he said was a joke, so he quickly changed his words and said, "Oh, she is Master Chen's own flesh and blood, and, are you still going to let her be a needlework master for Sister Yan?"
Chu Lingxuan said, "Of course we should continue to invite her. Yan'er likes her, and she loves Yan'er very much. She is the most suitable, uh... sewing master. Judging from her character and intelligence, even if she knows that Lord Chen is her biological father, with a grandmother like that, her father's true thoughts are unknown, and she will definitely not be willing to recognize her ancestry. The old lady of the Chen family will not be willing to recognize her for the sake of her son's official reputation. She has a connection with our mansion, which may be a good thing for her." He raised his head and said to the Luo steward and his son, "Her current family is weak. Here, you can take care of her and her family. You should do your best to take care of them."
Manager Luo and his son bowed hurriedly in response.
Chu Lingxuan added, "If there is really such a powerful force, I don't mind you using my name, or even the name of the Marquis' Mansion, to suppress them."
Manager Luo and his son bowed again. Before, Master hated them using his name to pressure others, saying that it would damage his reputation as an official.
…
Luo Yuan laughed again, "Master, you may not know yet, but the Nine-spice Braised Pork you like to eat is actually a recipe that Xile Restaurant bought from Madam Chen. Madam Chen's cooking is even better than the restaurant's. I wanted to ask Madam Chen to braise some food so that Master could bring it to the camp tomorrow. But I told my father about her mother Wang in the evening, and I have been waiting to report to Master, so I haven't had time to go to her house yet. Should I go and ask her to make some now?"
Chu Lingxuan waved his hand and said, "Next time, it's too late now. Besides, she just got home and is busy."
…
At night, Chen Ahfu was sleeping soundly when she was suddenly awakened by a sobbing sound. It sounded a bit like Wang's voice, so she quickly sat up, put her head close to the window, and opened the gap a little wider. The sobbing sound had become smaller, but if she listened carefully, she could still recognize it as Wang's voice.
Wang seemed to have covered her mouth, but the sobbing sound still came out, which seemed a little shrill and scary in the quiet night. Occasionally, Chen Ming's gentle voice could be heard, but it was unclear what he said.
A gust of cold wind blew, Chen Afu shivered, and quickly closed the gap in the window.
She lay down again, but couldn't fall asleep for a long time.
Wang looks weak and gentle, but in fact she is strong and patient. She must be very sad to cry like this.
Chen Ahfu felt bitter in her heart, and it took her a long time to fall asleep. Not long after, she was awakened by the crowing of a rooster. She thought that Wang must not have slept well at night, so she had to get up and make breakfast first. After breakfast, she had to water the vegetable garden, fetch water, and wash clothes. These outdoor chores could not be done by Wang in the next few days. After finishing these things, she still had to go to work in Tangyuan, so it would be bad for her to ask for leave on the first day.
I also thought that I had to quickly buy two servants to do these rough work. However, the house was too small and there was no room for two more people. It seemed that the plan to build a house had to be implemented in advance and could not wait until next year.
Chen Ahfu went out, it was still daybreak. The old courtyard was quiet, the three people hadn't gotten up yet, the door was locked and she couldn't go in to light a fire and cook. So she returned to the new courtyard with firewood and cooked in the kitchen. She had some refined rice, white flour and some seasonings.
She boiled the rice in the pot, mixed the flour, and took Zhuifeng to the vegetable garden to pick some green onions and dig a radish. When she came back, she made scallion pancakes and mixed some shredded radish.
She had just picked up a few eggs from the chicken coop and put them in the pot when she heard the door over there open.
It was Chen Ming who came out. He wanted to bring some firewood to cook. Chen Ahfu came over and said with a smile, "Dad, I have cooked the meal. You can go to my place and eat."
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