Chen Ahfu had just finished checking the accounts and was about to go to the kitchen to cook two dishes. She had been so busy these days that she had not been in the kitchen and even wanted to eat the dishes she cooked. Then she heard old man Zeng come to report that a distinguished guest had come to the house, and it was Master Chen.
Chen Afu went out and saw Chen Shiying leading Chen Yulan and her two siblings into the yard.
Chen Ahfu thought that Chen Shiying would come here soon. This was the territory under his jurisdiction. He would definitely be interested in seeing such a good new watermelon. But he didn't expect that he would bring the three siblings with him.
She hurried over to greet Chen Shiying, and Chen Yulan and her brother greeted Chen Afu.
The three siblings looked around, all of them were filled with curiosity, and felt that the countryside was different from what they had imagined. In the yard, bamboo trees shaded the ground, flowers were in full bloom, and the house was also decorated with carved railings and painted pillars. There were a dozen bird cages under the eaves, and the birds in the cages were very pretty, with bright feathers and melodious calls. Beyond the courtyard wall, there were rolling green hills. There was another kind of charming scenery here.
"Sister, your house is so beautiful." Chen Yulan said while fanning herself.
"Yeah, I feel like there's fragrance in the wind." Chen Yuqing smiled again.
Chen Yuxia just smiled shyly and nodded.
Chen Ahfu smiled and said, "If you like, stay a few more days."
Several people entered the upper room, were served tea, and sat down.
Chen Shiying said, "Dad has wanted to come and see you for a long time, but never had the time. Today I am free, and your brothers and sisters want to come and see you, so I brought them along." He also praised the watermelons that Chen Afu had sent him, and suggested that he wanted to go and see the watermelon field.
Chen Afu said regretfully, "All the melons in the melon field near my home were picked a few days ago, and now there are no seedlings left. I am preparing to plow the land, apply some fertilizer, and plant autumn corn in a few days. If you want to see the melon field, you can only go to Wangshan Village."
Chen Shiying still wanted to go to Wangshan Village to see it with his own eyes, which would take half a day, and it might be too late to return to the city today. So he said that after lunch, he would take a carriage to Wangshan Village alone, and then stay in the farm there for one night. He asked Chen Yulan and her two siblings to return to Dingzhou Prefecture in the afternoon.
Chen Yulan, Chen Yuqing, and Chen Yuxia were unwilling. Chen Yulan said, "Dad will stay in Wangshan Village for one night, and we will stay at my sister's house for one night."
Chen Shiying shook her head and said, "You still have to go to school tomorrow, so you can't delay your studies. When you have a day off, you can stay at my sister's house for a few days."
Chen Ahfu hurried to the kitchen to lead Aunt Zeng and Chunyue to work. Aunt Zeng had already made several braised dishes, such as braised spareribs, braised pork liver, braised chicken, braised dried tofu, etc. These were the regular dishes at home. The old marquis came to Fuyuan for dinner every day, so he had to make these dishes to go with his wine. Because Chu Lingxuan was on leave today, he prepared more.
Chen Afu stir-fried bitter melon with meat, fish-flavored shredded pork, golden prawns, golden hook winter melon, and two-color mushrooms, and also mixed sweet and sour cucumbers, cucumbers with sesame sauce, refreshing watermelon rind, spicy and sour watermelon rind, and cold mixed shreds.
It's hot now, and eating these dishes is both refreshing and refreshing.
When she was almost ready, Chen Shiying called Chen Afu to the yard. He blushed and said that he had brought some gifts to the Wang family. He also wanted Chen Afu to invite Chen Ming and Wang to have a meal together. "… Your mother is my sister, and your father Chen Ming is my brother-in-law. We are all relatives, so just treat them as relatives. Qing'er and Xia'er haven't met them yet, so they should also meet them and give them gifts."
Chen Afu guessed that Wang and Chen Ming would not want to see Chen Shiying. Chen Shiying could treat them freely, but they could not treat Chen Shiying freely.
But since he had already brought it up, it would be bad for him not to go, so he took Chen Yulan's three siblings and the gifts for Lu Yuan to Lu Yuan.
Chen Ming, Wang and Old Lady Chen were talking in the upper room when they saw Chen Afu leading two gorgeously dressed girls and a young man in. Chen Ming and Wang knew Chen Yulan and guessed that the other two might be Chen Shiying's daughters.
Chen Yulan bowed to them, and Chen Yuqing and Chen Yuxia, following Chen Shiying's instructions, knelt down and kowtowed to Wang, saying, "Greetings, aunt. May you be healthy and have good luck."
Wang quickly helped them up, and with red eyes, she gave each of the two sisters a handkerchief she had embroidered herself, saying, "Good children, this is a handkerchief embroidered by your aunt, please don't despise it."
Chen Yuqing smiled and said, "The handkerchief is so beautiful. We all know that my aunt is good at embroidery."
Chen Yulan presented the gifts, including snacks, candies, and wine. She also gave Chen Ming a pound of bird's nest to nourish his body, and also brought some candies and wine for the old lady.
After sitting there awkwardly for a while, Chen Afu invited Chen Ming's family to have dinner at Fuyuan. Wang and Chen Ming both declined, using the excuse that the old lady was here and they wanted to accompany her, and asked Alu to accompany the guests at Fuyuan on their behalf.
Chen Ming whispered to Chen Afu, "When they leave this afternoon, let's pick some fresh cucumbers and vegetables for them. Your mother just made a few jars of fermented glutinous rice, so give them two jars. For a country family, these are the only wild game they might like."
The fermented glutinous rice wine made by Wang was quite similar to Chen Afu's, and the slag of Yan agarwood was also added to the well in Luyuan, so the taste was excellent.
Chen Shiying was disappointed to see that Wang did not come. But he liked Chen A-lu very much because he looked like Wang, handsome, fair-skinned, and well-mannered at a young age. A-lu also kowtowed to him and called him "uncle". He gave A-lu a jade pendant and encouraged A-lu to study hard.
Just as the place was getting busy, people from Tangyuan arrived, but only the old Marquis Chu, Chu Lingzhi, and Chu Hanyan came. They said that Chu Lingxuan had also gone to Sanqing County because of some urgent matters.
Chen Shiying and Old Marquis Chu were drinking at one table, while several others were eating at another. Both tables were placed in the dining room, with no screen between them. Even though there was only one more adult man, Old Marquis, Chen Yuqing and Chen Yuxia, who never left their houses, felt a little embarrassed. But the dishes on the table were delicious, better than those at home or even in restaurants, and they forgot to be shy as they ate.
At the dinner table, the old marquis told Chen Shiying that the watermelon was different because the seeds were bought from the foreigners. Chen Afu also had other unique seeds, which were given to her by Master Wuzhi. Now, not only Chen Afu planted rice and corn, but also their Tangyuan planted corn on a large scale...
Chen Shiying was very happy to hear about the special features of these seeds and the methods of processing them that the Fanren and Master Wuzhi had mentioned. He said, "If you can really use those good seeds of wheat, rice, and corn to grow new varieties, like these watermelons and cucumbers, to increase yields, improve taste, and reduce pests and diseases, it will be a blessing for the people of Dashun."
The old marquis said, "If these crops grow well, it will not only benefit the people, but also be a political achievement for you as a parent official. Although our Chu family will protect Ah Fu, you are the parent official of this area, and some things also need your support. Keep it secret when it is necessary, and block it when it is necessary..."
Chen Shiying quickly expressed his opinion, "Of course, of course. Not to mention that Ah Fu is my daughter, even if she is an outsider, I will strongly support such a great thing for the country and the people."
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