I have to say that Zeng Shuang is a really good general manager. He is smart, forward-looking, and can understand Chen Afu's ideas very accurately and apply them in accordance with the characteristics of this era.
Afterwards, Chen Ahfu went to the Nishang Embroidery Workshop again. This was not her dowry shop, but Chu Lingxuan's private property, so she still had to take care of it. Sometimes when she was interested, she would design some jewelry for the embroidery workshop.
During this period, Qingfeng was betrothed to the second son of Liu Er Zongguan, or it was Liu Er Zongguan's wife who asked for the favor herself. Liu Er Zongguan was always afraid that the grandmother would not treat him as her own, and hoped that his son would marry the grandmother's first-class maid so that he could have a better relationship with the grandmother.
Chen Ahfu asked Qingfeng and she agreed, so they arranged the marriage. Qingfeng is already seventeen years old, so she will get married next year.
Hong Fei is sixteen years old, but she hasn't met a suitable man yet. Hong Fei is pretty, capable, loyal, and has some martial arts skills, which makes Chen Afu very happy. Chen Afu has always wanted to find a suitable man for her, but even though many people have proposed to her, he has never been interested in her.
Xiayue and Qiuyue are already fourteen years old, so if there is a suitable candidate, it’s time to decide on them.
In a blink of an eye, it was April 10th, and Chen Afu's birthday had been postponed for fifteen days.
In the morning, Nanny Li asked someone to invite a doctor to the house to take Chen Afu's pulse, and it turned out that Chen Afu was pregnant.
Nanny Li was laughing so hard that she started laughing. She told Chen Ahfu to sit still on the kang and not make any noise, and to be extremely careful for at least the next three months.
Chu Hanyan and Li Xuan found out and happily surrounded Chen Afu.
Li Xuan, in particular, seemed to be too excited. Not only did he keep staring at Chen Afu's belly, he also kept asking "when will the baby come out?", as if he was extremely anxious.
Chen Ahfu was delighted and said with a smile, "It's too early. You have to wait until the end of winter or the beginning of December when it snows heavily before you can be born."
At noon, Dabao and Alu came back. When they heard the good news, they both grinned with excitement.
Chen Dabao said, "Mom, I hope you give birth to a girl this time. I like a sister as pretty as Yan'er."
Li Xuan was even happier when he heard this. He pulled Chen Afu's collar and said, "My father said that the sister born by my aunt will be my daughter-in-law, and he asked me to take good care of her."
Chen Ahfu twitched his lips when he heard this. What the hell was going on? Prince Rui was a romantic and unrestrained person, so why did he teach his son like this? It was outrageous.
Dabao and Miss Chu were both unhappy and said in unison, "No! Our sister wants to be with us and won't marry anyone else."
When Li Xuan heard this, he burst into tears. He said, "My father told me to take good care of my young wife and marry her when I grow up. My father told me for a long time not to forget..."
Chen A-Lu laughed and said, "Shame on you, you're still thinking about your wife at such a young age."
Chen Ahfu pulled Li Xuan to his side, wiped his tears and said, "If you are so young and you are already looking for a wife, people will laugh at you. Don't you think Uncle Lu is laughing at you?"
Chen Dabao was very upset. His sister was coveted by others before she was even born. If she was born as pretty as Yan'er, who knows how many people would covet her. After hearing what his mother said, he scratched his face with his fingers and shouted, "Little boy, sitting on the doorstep, crying for a wife..."
This made everyone burst into laughter.
Li Xuan felt even more embarrassed, his little head resting on Chen Afu's thigh, sobbing.
Chen Ahfu deliberately said, "Don't laugh, Xuanxuan doesn't miss his wife, he was just joking." He touched his head and asked, "Xuanxuan was just joking, right?"
Li Xuan raised his misty eyes, wanting to say, "I really want a young wife." But fearing that others would laugh at him, he nodded against his will and said, "Well, I was just joking just now. I don't want a wife."
He was so contradictory, yet he knew how to say things that were beneficial to him. Chen Ahfu was secretly happy, the little guy was getting smarter.
In the afternoon, Chen Afu asked someone to go out and buy two lactating sheep and some almonds.
The milk of pregnant women will become less and less, and it is not very nutritious. The two little brothers have been spoiled. They will not drink milk from other wet nurses except hers. Chen Ahfu had to use almonds to boil goat milk to remove the mutton smell. When the time comes, the almonds are wrapped in a cloth and a small piece of Yan agarwood residue is added. With that special taste, the two little brothers will definitely drink it. The two little brothers are already six months old, and they have added complementary food, and they only drink milk twice a day.
After the sheep were bought, they were kept in the backyard of the main courtyard for easy milking. Mother Lin had milked cows before and was very skilled in milking a small basin of milk.
Chen Ahfu entered the space, and in a small brocade box were a few toothpick-sized Yanchen wood chips. These wood chips were not as precious as green leaves, so Jin Yanzi pecked a few for Chen Ahfu and put them here for her to use in cooking.
Chen Afu saw that the golden beet lying on the ground was glowing green again. It must be sad, because the playful golden swallow had been out for more than ten days and had not returned.
Chen Ahfu picked it up and said with a smile, "Don't be sad, Beibei. The baby hasn't been to the forest to play for a long time. It's just a few days of delay. Come back to life soon. If you are alive, you can go out to play with the baby." He added, "Mommy is pregnant with a baby again. I wonder if Beibei will be his (her) older sister or younger sister."
Jin Bei's little body became warm again.
Chen Ahfu left the space and quietly handed the small stick to Hong Fei, saying, "This is a rare medicinal material that Master Wuzhi gave me. It can strengthen the body. Make a small bag and put it in with the almonds to boil goat milk. The almonds can be thrown away after boiling, but this small stick cannot be thrown away. Save it for the next time you boil it."
Hong Fei nodded, boiled the goat milk and let it cool.
The two little brothers were a little disgusted at first, frowning and refusing to drink, but after their two mothers coaxed them for a while, they finally drank. However, there were no bottles in this era, so feeding them with a spoon was a bit troublesome.
After dinner, Golden Swallow finally came back with Qiqi and Huihui. This time, they also brought two beautiful kingfishers. The children were very happy and played with the birds and Zhuifeng's family in the yard. It was very lively. Even the two little brothers were held by their mother and joined in the fun, clapping and shouting with very loud voices.
Miss Chu said to Jin Yanzi with a look of congratulation, "Jin Bao, I have good news for you. My mother is pregnant with another little girl."
She, Dabao and Li Xuan all hoped that their mother would give birth to a younger sister, so they had a preconceived notion that the baby in their mother's belly was a younger sister.
After hearing this, Jinyanzi opened her little beak with joy and was about to fly to her mother when Li Xuan grabbed her. She finally managed to break free from his clutches but was caught by Dabao again...
When the sunset faded away, the night came like a tide, and the full moon hung obliquely in the sky against the backdrop of the stars. The lanterns under the porch were also lit, illuminating the yard, and the children were having so much fun that they didn't want to go back home.
Chen Ahfu thought that they hadn't played like this for a long time, so she let them continue to make noise in the yard. She sat on the porch, holding her belly with one hand, watching them gently and peacefully.
The years were peaceful and quiet. If one did not think about the uncertain future of the family in the capital, such days would be rare and peaceful. Of course, it would be even better if Chu Lingxuan was at home.
Since they got married, they have been apart more often than together. It was like this when she lived in the countryside, and it was also like this when she moved to the capital. If there weren't so many little darlings around her, she would miss him more, and life would be more difficult, right?
After more than three years in this other world, she has far more concerns than she did in her previous life...
Just as Chen Ahfu was thinking, Jin Yanzi finally broke through a few pairs of devil's claws, flew over and hung on her clothes, chirping, "Mommy, Daddy Chu is so capable, I have a brother or sister again. Haha, I think you must have conceived her when you shook Beibei to the point of somersaulting. It must be, that's right!"
Chen Ahfu was speechless. This little thing was sometimes very naive, and sometimes very complicated, thinking more than humans. She reached out and grabbed it and gave it a brain-destroying blow. She wanted to scold it, but when she saw the girl not far away, she held back.
The golden swallow chirped a few times in displeasure and said, "You humans are so fake. You don't want people to say the truth."
It seemed to be true, and Chen Afu said nothing.
Jin Yanzi continued, "We also went to Fuyuan and Luyuan this time. They are so beautiful. Grandpa, grandma, and great-grandpa, they peeled melon seeds and peanuts for us to eat. They are so..."
As they were talking, Chu Lingxuan and the old marquis suddenly appeared at the gate of the courtyard. Behind them, there was Chu Lingzhi and Luo, the steward who had been running errands in the capital.
Seeing Manager Luo coming back, Chen Afu guessed that Chen Shiying's result must have come out.
Chen Afu and several children stood up and saluted the old marquis and Chu Lingxuan. The grown-up little girl Chu was too embarrassed to throw herself into her father's arms, so she gave him a standard blessing salute.
Chu Lingxuan was still a little disappointed, and said with a smile, "My daughter has grown up, and Yan'er has become estranged from her father." He smiled at Chen Afu and said, "My father-in-law is back..."
Old Marquis Chu laughed and said, "Tell my wife Xuan to bring some wine and food. I have wanted to eat the food you cooked for a long time. The third brother is fine, and the official position of Chen's father-in-law has not changed. Let Xuan'er tell you about their affairs slowly in the evening."
People feel refreshed when good things happen. Chen Afu hadn't heard such a hearty laugh from Old Marquis Chu for a long time.
She was also very happy, and quickly asked someone to bring water for them to wash their faces and hands. She personally led people to the small kitchen to cook.
Chu Hanyan and Chen Dabao told Chu Lingxuan about their mother's pregnancy as if they were presenting a treasure, and Chu Lingxuan was overjoyed.
Old Lord Chu was also overjoyed and asked Xiao Mo to quickly invite Chen Afu back so as not to tire her out.
Chen Afu shook her head at Xiao Mo, and she just sat aside and gave orders without doing anything herself.
Chen Ahfu expected Chu Lingxuan to come back soon, so she prepared ingredients in the small kitchen at any time, and kept the old stew soup. Time was tight, so she made a few easy-to-cook stews and a few refreshing side dishes. She also fried some pork with garlic sprouts. The garlic sprouts were grown by her own and fertilized with swallow manure, which was very fragrant. She also added a few bowls of wontons with chicken sauce, which was Chu Lingxuan's favorite.
While they were busy, Chu Huai came to the kitchen. He stood at the door, clasped his fists to Chen Afu, and said with a smile, "Grandpa was afraid that Grandma would be anxious, so he asked me to report to Grandma. Uncle's affairs are going smoothly, but it will take some time to get results. The Marquis and the Third Master will pay attention to this matter, so please don't worry about it. Master Chen's official position has not changed, and he is still the prefect of Dingzhou Prefecture. He was just severely reprimanded by the emperor, who also asked Master Chen not only to plant "high-yield grains" in the Dingzhou area, but also to assist in the promotion of other areas, and strive to make up for his crime... He is in good health, and we came back together, and he has gone home."
Chen Shiying was only reprimanded and was asked to make meritorious contributions while serving his sentence, which means that he will still be reused if he does a good job... This is much better than expected.
Chen Afu's heart, which had been hanging in the air, was finally at ease.
The dishes were served in the west wing restaurant. The old marquis sat at the same table with Chu Lingxuan and Chu Lingzhi. There was also a small table set up for Steward Luo, who had worked hard for several months, and two jars of blue and white wine were taken out.
Chu Lingxuan raised the corner of his mouth and said to Chen Afu, "Sit down and have a rest. Let the servants do those things."
The old marquis also smiled and said, "My grandson's wife is blessed. You must take good care of yourself and give me another fat grandson."
Li Xuan, who was standing nearby, said, "Aunt wants to give birth to a daughter, not a grandson."
The old marquis smiled again and said, "A granddaughter is also good. If we give birth to a granddaughter this time, we will give birth to a grandson next time."
Chen Ahfu's mouth twitched. She had always wanted to have more children, but after giving birth last time, she realized how painful and dangerous it was to give birth in ancient times. Even if the birth was difficult, she could not have a cesarean section, and had to give birth by herself. She also thought that if she had another daughter, she would not want to have any more children after that.
After the meal, after seeing off the old marquis and Chu Lingzhi, Chen Afu rewarded Manager Luo with one hundred taels of silver to thank him for his hard work over the past few months.
After sending the children away, Chu Lingxuan went to the bathroom to wash up, changed into a shirt and pants, and came out. Chen Afu took a towel to help him wipe his hair. He first glanced at her belly, and the smile on his face became even more intense. He pulled her into his arms and said, "Let the servants do these things. Don't work too hard."
Chen Ahfu buried his face in his arms, smelling the familiar smell, and felt very at ease. He said in a gentle voice, "You won't be away from home so often in the future, right?"
Chu Lingxuan smiled and said, "Well, I will be more relaxed during this period."
Chen Ahfu rubbed his face against his thick shoulder and said, "Then you have to go home every day..."
"Okay, I will try to go home every day." Chu Lingxuan's mouth curled up. He always thought that his wife was too independent and too smart, but he didn't expect that she could be so clingy.
After that, Chen Ahfu still let him sit down and insisted on drying his hair. Chen Ahfu liked his black hair very much, it was black and smooth, especially when he was about to dry it, it felt like cool and textured silk in his hands.
He said that Wang Cheng's case went very smoothly. When the emperor heard about this, he was furious and had people arrest the relevant personnel. A member of the Wang family who was involved in this case was also imprisoned in the Dali Temple. Wang Cheng and two witnesses were also taken to the Dali Temple and were strictly protected. Although the results have not yet come out, there is evidence and witnesses. The person who falsely claimed military merits and those who helped him will definitely be severely punished...
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