Hearing that Chu Lingxuan was back, Miss Chu excitedly jumped off the table and ran out. Dabao followed closely behind her, but was blocked by Mother Song and Qiuyue at the door. "Oh, it's too cold outside."
Chu Lingxuan walked into the restaurant, holding one child in his arms and holding his hand, looking like a good father with two children.
Chen Afu smiled and said, "Uncle is back. It's a perfect time to have mutton soup tonight to get rid of the cold." Then he put the bowl and chopsticks that Xia Yue handed over on the table and asked someone to bring some wine.
Chu Lingxuan smiled and said, "I was just thinking about this taste."
The family of four had a lively meal, and the servants came to put cloaks on them, and then they all went to the upper room. It was New Year's Day, and Dabao didn't need to do homework. He read the comic strips drawn by Chen Afu with the little girl, and Chu Lingxuan and Chen Afu sat aside and chatted.
Chu Lingxuan hadn't been back for such a long time, but it wasn't entirely because he was busy with official business. He also took time to go back to the capital to see how the Marquis's Mansion was preparing, and he also made suggestions for rectification...
The two of them were talking in low voices, and Chu Lingxuan would secretly pinch Chen Afu's little hand when the two children were not paying attention. Of course, the main person to be on guard against was Chen Dabao, because he was not as honest as Chu Hanyan, who kept looking down at the book in his hand, but would look up at them from time to time.
Miss Chu's biological clock was very accurate. As soon as the hour of Xu came, her eyes became sleepy. Chu Lingxuan had no choice but to stand up and say, "Girl, it's time to go home and rest."
Chu Hanyan pouted and said coquettishly, "Daddy, go home and rest by yourself. You sleep alone anyway. I like to sleep with my aunt. My aunt smells so good."
The little girl said it unintentionally, but Chu Lingxuan thought of the other side. Especially when he heard the words "Auntie Xiangxiang", his heart was throbbing. In two more months, he would not sleep alone anymore, and the sweet-smelling person next to his daughter would sleep next to him...
He smiled good-naturedly and said, "Okay, if my daughter wants to be with her aunt, then let's go."
Chen Ahfu was still a little depressed. She had waited so long for him to come back, and thought that she, a full-time teacher, could have a holiday, but in the end, she couldn't have a holiday. These two people, father and daughter, simply took advantage of her.
The next day, Chu Lingxuan even had breakfast at Laifu Garden. Today was New Year's Eve, and Chen Afu and Dabao would go to the big room to have a reunion dinner. At noon, the Chu family father and daughter returned to Tang Garden, and agreed to go to Lu Garden to have a New Year's Eve dinner in the afternoon.
Chen Ming and his family of three went to the village first because they wanted to worship their ancestors.
Chen Afu and his mother, as well as Xue Dagui and Qiuyue, who were carrying gifts, went to the main room together.
Dabao, Dahu and Daya were playing in the yard, while Chen Afu went to the room to talk to Chen Aman. Ever since Chen Aman got engaged to Yang Mingyuan, Chen Shi and his wife stopped letting her work and bought her a little girl.
Mrs. Hu said sourly, "Oh, both girls have become young ladies and don't have to work anymore. Poor Ah Ju, she is also a girl from the Chen family, but she is destined to work hard. Alas, I, the head of the family, started to support my brother at a young age. He didn't get to go to school and could only dig for food in the soil. Not only did I delay him, but also my son and daughter..."
Her physical illness was cured, but her old illness recurred. It is true that it is difficult to change a person's nature.
Old Lady Chen and Chen Ye were already in a bad mood, and they became even sadder after hearing her words. Her words hinted that her two younger brothers had made a fortune, their descendants were promising, and their family was far behind them.
At the dinner table, drunk Chen Ye started crying. Old Mrs. Chen saw her eldest son crying and she also wiped her tears with her sleeves. Then, Mrs. Hu and Chen Aju also started crying.
The problem is not poverty but inequality, which is vividly reflected in the three brothers of the Chen family.
Seeing their strong eldest brother crying in public, Chen Ming and Chen Shi were also very sad. They quickly said that they always remembered how good their eldest brother had been to them in the past and that they would never forget his kindness.
Chen Agui also advised, "Dad and mom, please don't be sad. Sister Afu gave us good seeds. I will take good care of the crops. When I have more money, I can buy more land and become a big landlord. I can also let my sister marry a good family and let Dad and mom live a good life."
Mrs. Hu cried, "When you become a big landlord, your sister will be an old maid, and her days will be cold."
Chen Ming and Chen Shi promised that each of the two families would give 50 taels of silver to the eldest family to buy land. Adding the 90 taels of silver in dividends from the eldest family this time and the 40 taels of silver given to the eldest family two days ago, they could buy more than 40 acres of land.
The eldest wife had 25 mu of land before, and later she made some money from growing watermelons, so she added some more money and bought 20 mu of land. If you add the 40 mu of land she bought later, then the eldest wife is considered a small landlord, second only to Gao Lizheng in Xiangluo Village, and even richer than Hu Laowu's family...
After everyone's persuasion, Chen Ye felt better.
Mrs. Hu was still a little upset that the restaurant's shares were not divided equally, and that Chen Ahfu could not pay the money. But when the man stopped crying, she wisely stopped making a fuss.
Zhang was so angry that her teeth were chattering, but she didn't dare to make a fuss. She got up and went to her room to cry.
Wang went over to persuade her, and she cried, "We dare not compete with your second branch. We just took the 90 taels of silver. This year, we have a dividend of more than 300 taels of silver, plus my monthly salary as the head of the family, and the money earned from the stewed skewers, so this year's income is more than 500 taels of silver. This sounds like a lot, but we have to pay back the money we borrowed from my father to invest in the company, and we also have to pay back the money for buying the yard, which leaves us with more than 200 taels of silver. We have to make a living, my Ah-Man is getting married in August, and I'm thinking about buying her a decent dowry. Ah-Yu is not a child anymore, and I have to save up a betrothal gift for him..."
Wang had no choice but to say, "If you don't have enough money, my family can lend you some..."
Zhang cried, "Originally I borrowed money to build their house, now I borrow money to buy land. Originally it was Hu who cried, now it's their whole family who is crying..."
Chen Ahfu just lowered her head and ate without saying a word. She had given all that she should give to the eldest wife, and she had done her best for them. As for Chen Ming and Chen Shi wanting to be buns, she had no choice.
It is better to teach a man how to fish than to give him a fish. She gave the first wife seeds and the third wife food recipes, all in the hope that they could make money and become independent. The only time she gave them something for free was the 10% stake in the first wife's restaurant. If she had known this, she should not have given them even this stake.
After dinner, the people from the second house returned to Lu Garden. On the way, Dabao and Alu used the fact that they had more firecrackers to lure Xiao Shitou and other children to play outside Fu Garden.
When they approached Lu Garden, they saw Mother Song holding Chu Hanyan at the gate of Tang Garden and looking out. Seeing them coming back, the little girl ran over happily.
Chen Ming felt that it was pitiful for Wang Laowu to spend the New Year alone, so he asked someone to invite him over.
There was only one table in the living room. Chu Lingxuan had an unusual relationship with them, so he ate at the same table with the Chen family. There were two tables in the sitting room. Several servants from Tang Garden, all the servants from Fu Garden and Lu Garden, as well as Zeng Shuang and Wang Laowu who had rushed back, ate here.
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