One afternoon a few days later, Chen Ahfu was sitting on the kang wearing a half-new and half-old cotton jacket. She was teaching the two little brothers how to play with building blocks, while little girl Chu was learning how to knit with Madam Li beside her.
Perhaps her development was affected when she was young, the little girl's finger joints were not very flexible, so Chen Afu asked her to practice her finger joints by making more knitting nets.
The weather was getting a bit warmer now, and there was only a pot of charcoal burning in the room, and even the kang was not heated. There was a thick mattress on the kang, and I didn't feel cold at all when I sat on it.
Chen Afu and the little girl were often amused by the two little brothers and laughed.
At this time, the maid in the outer courtyard presented a notice from the Zhennan Marquis' Mansion, saying that the lady of the mansion, Madam Ma, would come to visit the eldest sister of the Chu family tomorrow morning. Also coming with her would be the eldest sister of the Chu family's aunt, Ma San Nainan, and her cousin, Ma Si Girl.
The Marquis of Zhennan’s Mansion is Concubine Ma Shufei’s maiden home.
Chen Ahfu frowned, but they came anyway. She said to the little girl, "Someone from the Ma family will come to see you tomorrow morning, so you don't have to go to class."
The Marquis' Mansion hired an old teacher to teach Miss Chu.
The little girl nodded and continued knitting.
The next day, Chen Ahfu dressed the little girl up. She wore a soft satin jacket and long skirt in a rain-blue sky blue, a pomegranate red jacquard brocade fur waistcoat, embroidered plum blossoms on the sleeves and skirt, and two jade rabbit hairpins on her head. Although she didn't wear makeup, the little girl was still incredibly beautiful.
At about 9 o'clock in the morning, Mrs. Ma and her three companions were brought to the bamboo pavilion.
Chen Afu was waiting at the door of the upper room with the little girl in his hand.
Madam Ma was about 40 years old, with delicate makeup and a suitable body shape, and could be considered a beautiful middle-aged woman. Behind her followed a woman in her 30s and a girl of twelve or thirteen years old.
Madam Ma is the nephew-in-law of Concubine Ma Shu, the cousin-in-law of Rong Zhao, and also an elder of Chen Afu. Chen Afu bent his knees and smiled, "Madam Ma."
Madam Ma first looked at Chu Hanyan, then took Chen Afu's hand and said with a smile, "Mrs. Chu, thank you for taking such good care of Yan'er."
Chen Ahfu smiled and said, "Yan'er is my daughter. We have a deep mother-daughter relationship, so of course I have to treat her well."
Madam Ma choked for a moment, then smiled and said, "Yes, Yan'er is so lucky to have a mother like you..."
Before she finished her words, Ma San's grandmother pulled Chu Hanyan and started crying. She said, "Sister, you have grown up so much. It's great that my sister-in-law can rest in peace in heaven."
Miss Ma Si also pulled Chu Hanyan and said, "My cousin looks like my aunt, and is very pretty." After saying that, she also wiped away her tears.
Chu Hanyan shrank back in fear and held Chen Afu's hand tighter.
Chen Afu's eyebrows frowned.
Madam Ma also frowned. She thought, this family is full of useless people. She had told them several times at home to take things step by step, slowly win the girl's heart, and then build a good relationship with the Chu family... No wonder it was useless for Ma to marry Chu Lingxuan. The Marquis's Mansion gave her so much dowry, hoping that she could help Princess Rong Zhao. In the end, she didn't help at all, and she died of illness at a young age. It was a pity that the thousands of taels of silver were gone without even a sound.
She said angrily under pressure, "Although you are my aunt and cousin, this is the first time we meet, so don't scare me."
Ma San's grandmother quickly smiled and said, "Oh, it's my fault. I was just too happy to see my niece, so I didn't care about that much." She added, "Sister, your grandpa, grandma, and uncle all miss you very much."
Several people entered the hall, sat down and served tea. Miss Chu kowtowed to Madam Ma and Ma San. Madam Ma took off a pair of jade bracelets from her wrist and gave them to the little girl as a gift. Ma San took off a long peacock hairpin made of pure gold and inlaid with an emerald and several rubies from her head and gave it to the little girl as a gift.
Chen Afu guessed that the peacock gold hairpin must have been given to Ma San's grandmother by the Ma family, so that she could give it to the little girl as a gift. When Ma San's grandmother took it off, her hands were shaking a little, and Ma Si's eyes were also very reluctant to let it go.
That’s right, all the accessories on Grandma Ma San’s body combined are not as valuable as that hairpin.
Chen Afu smiled and took off a golden hairpin from his head and gave it to Miss Ma Si as a gift, which made her look a little happy.
Chen Afu thought to himself that the little girl should not be allowed to have too much contact with her grandparents, who were so low-key and short-sighted.
Several people gathered around the little girl and started talking. Madam Ma and Ma San talked about how they and their families missed the little girl and how they hoped she would return to Beijing soon.
Chen Ahfu was not polite, and told how the first time he saw the little girl, she was so thin and pitiful, how timid and introverted she was, how he racked his brains to make food for her, and how he tried to make her personality more outgoing.
Since Chen Afu couldn't say that the little girl was stupid, he could only say that she was thin.
Madam Ma's face turned red and white, and she was very confused. If it were in the past, she would definitely not be polite to Chen. Chen was just the daughter of a fourth-rank official, and her husband was not only a marquis, but also the emperor's uncle. But now it was no longer possible. Concubine Shu and Princess Rongzhao were busy with their own affairs, and the marquis followed the wrong person and was assigned to the Second Prince's party. He was not favored by the Emperor, let alone the Crown Prince.
The Marquis just wanted her to reestablish her relationship with the Chu family through Chu Hanyan.
Madam Ma wiped her eyes with a handkerchief and said, "To be honest with Madam Chu, it was all those evil slaves who deceived Her Royal Highness the Princess. We only heard about these things later. Oh, I was heartbroken for a long time after I heard about it..."
Grandma Ma San suggested, "Children are not interested in what we adults are talking about. Sister Yan, take your cousin out for some fresh air."
Miss Chu looked at Chen Ahfu, who nodded at her, and she stood up and took Miss Ma Si out. Madam Huang and Miao'er followed the little girl closely and served her.
Since it was the first time that the Ma family members came to visit, Chen Afu still invited them to have lunch.
After dinner, Grandma Ma San suggested that Chu Hanyan return home to stay for a few days, saying that the little girl’s grandmother had become ill because she missed her little girl so much.
Chen Ahfu smiled and said, "Yan'er was frightened by evil people when she was young, and she is very timid. Except when she follows me, she never leaves the house alone. Not to mention staying, she can't even play. So, since she was young, the elders in the family would not allow me to let her go out alone."
Madam Ma forced a smile and said, "That's my sister's maternal grandparents' home, not someone else's. Would they harm her?"
Chen Ahfu said in embarrassment, "How about I send someone to the outer courtyard to ask the old marquis? Only if he agrees, I will dare to release him."
Madam Ma and the others were helpless and had to wait for others to go to the outer courtyard for instructions.
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