In the afternoon, Chen Dabao had not returned yet. The family had run out of firewood, so Wang went to the west of the village to collect firewood. She went there wearing gloves. No one in the family dared to let Chen Afu go alone. There were dense forests and few people there. No matter how strong she was, she could not beat a man.
Without Jin Yanzi and others to accompany her, Chen Ahfu did not dare to go. She thought that she would have to pay for firewood in the future, and she could not keep pretending to be poor.
As the sun sets, Chen Dabao has not returned yet. Chen Afu can no longer sit still. She comes to the yard and looks eastward with Chen Ming under the tree. In the distance, the old farmer in the rice field is still busy, and the golden rice has been harvested almost completely.
Chen Ming sighed, "It's hard for Dabao. It's not easy to accompany a noble. Not only do you have to smile, but you also have to be careful not to say the wrong thing. Even we adults are worried, let alone a child like him."
Suddenly, two birds appeared in the eastern sky, circling high in the sky, as if waiting for someone who had fallen behind. Then, a carriage was vaguely seen coming towards us, and they seemed to be circling over it.
As the two birds flew closer and closer, I could see clearly that the big bird was Huihui.
When they landed in the yard, the carriage also stopped outside the fence gate. It was the carriage driven by Manager Luo himself.
Manager Luo got out of the car and carried Chen Dabao, who was holding Zhuifeng, down. A middle-aged woman got out of the car, wrapped in silk and wearing a jade hairpin.
Chen Dabao called out loudly, "Mother, grandfather, uncle, sister Yan'er likes the smiling little swallow very much."
Chen Ahfu went to open the door, and Steward Luo pointed at the woman and said, "This is my son's mother. My master asked her to tell you something."
Chen Ahfu smiled at the woman and said, "Mrs. Luo."
Then they quickly invited the housekeeper Luo and his wife to come in. Since the carriage couldn't fit through the small fence door, they opened the gate of the new courtyard and pulled the carriage in.
Manager Luo and his wife took down several pieces of satin and a package from the carriage and were invited into the west room.
This couple are the most powerful nobles in these villages, and no one else can invite them.
Chen Ming came over to keep them company, Chen Afu served tea, and Chen Dabao brought peanuts and candies to entertain the guests.
Aunt Luo first praised Dabao for being sensible and pleasing his master, and then said with a smile, "Ms. Chen is very skillful and has a clever mind. The little swallow doll she made is so much loved by my sister." She covered her mouth with a handkerchief and laughed a few times, then said, "Oh my God, this is the first time I've seen a swallow that can laugh."
Manager Luo laughed twice. He had been paying attention to the beautiful bird this morning and thought that the young master would definitely like it. But he never expected that the young master actually liked the stuffed doll. Fortunately, Dabao took it with him. If he had not taken it with him, it would have been a big mistake.
Aunt Luo pointed at the pieces of satin and a small bag of cotton and said, "One doll is not enough, so my master wants Miss Chen to make a few more. My sister can take them to the capital to play with, and she can also change them. If you can't use up all the satin, keep it to make some clothes for your family."
Chen Afu was delighted. Not to mention that so much satin would definitely not be used up, just being able to maintain a close relationship with Tangyuan and gain the attention of Manager Luo and his wife would bring too many benefits to his family.
He smiled and said, "It is our blessing to be liked by the noble. With so much good satin, the dolls we make will be even better."
Aunt Luo smiled and nodded, then continued, "My mistress said that although she didn't recognize the bird, she knew at a glance that it was not an ordinary item. My sister didn't want to take your things for free, so she said that she would let my master take a look at it and then let my boss transfer the money to you."
Chen Ahfu hurriedly shook his head and said, "How can I accept money for something I gave to Miss Chu?"
Aunt Luo smiled and said, "Our master has said so, Miss Chen will keep it when the time comes."
Pointing at the package, he said, "This is a gift from my mistress to Dabao. Thank him for accompanying my sister these two days. He and my sister had a great time. My mistress also said that Dabao is my sister's first friend. Please invite Dabao to Tangyuan to play again tomorrow." He quickly explained, "My sister has a rather aloof personality and doesn't like making friends, but Dabao has won her favor. It's not easy."
Manager Luo and Aunt Luo were both very kind. After explaining things, they drank two sips of tea out of courtesy and then got up and left.
Chen Afu and Chen Ming saw them off and saw many villagers pointing and talking in the distance. Some of the brave ones who felt they had some face shouted at Manager Luo.
As soon as the carriage left, someone standing outside the fence asked Chen Ming, "Second Brother Chen, how did your family know Mr. Luo?"
Chen Ming laughed and said, "It's Dabao. He has won the favor of the young master of Tangyuan and has been playing in Tangyuan for two consecutive days. Master Luo just sent him back."
Chen Afu was secretly happy, but Chen Ming's father was still cunning.
She quickly asked about Chen Dabao's situation in Tangyuan.
Chen Dabao said that sister Yan'er liked the swallow doll very much. She would not let go of it and even ate the meal obediently. Abbot Liaochen was very happy and treated him better. The servants' attitude towards him was much better than yesterday, and they did not mention buying him or Qiqi and Huihui. The beautiful bird was also very pleasing, with a very pleasant voice, and sometimes it could even make sister Yan'er look at it...
Chen Ahfu was relieved after hearing this. She went back to her room to look at the five pieces of satin, which were radiant and smooth as a mirror. They were the same colors she had used to make the little swallows: bright blue, moon white, crabapple red, ginger yellow, and light scarlet.
In the package, there were two bags of candy, two bags of snacks, and two rolls of rice paper.
The master that Manager Luo was talking about must be Abbot Liaochen. She is such a thoughtful and charitable woman. Last time she gave them pens and ink, and this time she gave them paper, both of which Dabao and Alu can use.
Thinking of what Aunt Luo said about asking her master to give the ten-colored sparrow silver, she laughed even more happily. Since it is not an ordinary item, it must be worth hundreds of taels of silver.
When Wang came back and saw the satin, she was surprised and said, "My God, this soft satin is produced in Wuzhou, Jiangnan. It's very expensive. It's a pity to use it to make dolls."
Chen Ahfu laughed and said, "We think it's too expensive, but rich people don't." He added, "It seems that the girl will leave in a few days. Mom, come with me to make dolls these days. Make more dolls of different sizes."
Wang said angrily, "Xiaoyanzi is only so small, how big can she become?"
Chen Ahfu smiled and said, "Mom, you're right to listen to me."
A few people were talking and laughing in the new courtyard when they heard the voices of Hu and others coming from the old courtyard. The eldest wife must have heard some rumors and came to inquire about the news.
Chen Afu didn't want to see Mrs. Hu, and was afraid that she would come to the new courtyard to complain. So he asked Mrs. Wang to take some candies and snacks to the eldest wife, and specifically asked them not to tell anyone about the satin in the house. If Mrs. Hu knew about it, she might rush over and forcefully take some satin. Chen Ming and Mrs. Wang knew Mrs. Hu's character, and smiled and nodded.
Chen Afu also said that she and Dabao would eat by themselves in the new yard at night and would not come over.
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