Chapter 252 Return Gift
After hearing what Dabao said, Chen Afu laughed, and seemed to be looking forward to that scene. She said, "Okay, mother will wait for that day. So, it's not just mother who likes her son, and it's not just your sister and Chu... Daddy, there will be more and more relatives who love and rely on you. Isn't it?"
Dabao nodded, and smiled sweeter.
After coaxing the naughty child, let him go to bed for a nap.
Chen Afu packed up the things and took some vegetarian snacks and dishes to Luyuan to add to their evening dishes.
As soon as she went out, she saw a carriage parked at the door, and it turned out that Qingfeng got out of the carriage.
She came over to Chen Afu and bowed, and said with a smile, "The master and the lady sent me to celebrate the birthday of the eldest lady."
Chen Afu smiled and invited her into the house, asked her to sit down, and served tea.
Qingfeng didn't dare to sit on the chair, but sat on an embroidered cushion. She took out all the gifts given by the masters.
Chen Shiying and Jiang gave a pair of gold filigree and pearl-inlaid hairpins, Chen Yulan gave an exquisite ox horn comb, and Chen Yuqing and Chen Yuxia each gave a handkerchief embroidered by themselves. The embroidery of the handkerchiefs was very good, and Chen Yuxia's handkerchief should have been embroidered by Aunt Lu.
Chen Afu smiled and thanked him, and asked Qiuyue to accompany Qingfeng for dinner, and Old Man Zeng to accompany the driver for dinner, and arranged accommodation for them, and sent them away tomorrow.
After finishing his work, Chen Afu went to Luyuan.
Luyuan was a busy scene, and many women came to help. Gao and Wu's sisters-in-law helped Aunt Mu cook in the kitchen, Chen Aju was making a fire, and even Hu Laowu's daughter-in-law, Gao Lizheng's daughter-in-law and Old Lady Chen were sitting in the yard picking and washing vegetables.
As soon as Chen Afu entered, everyone smiled and congratulated the birthday boy.
Chen Afu smiled and expressed his gratitude again.
The yard was very harmonious, except for Hu. She sat under the tree and stared at the roof in a daze, looking uncomfortable, which made Old Lady Chen and Old Lady Hu glare at her from time to time.
Wang took the teapot and filled the tea bowls on the stone table with water, and said with a smile, "Don't just work, stop and drink some water." She called Chen Afu into the house and whispered, "That Mrs. Hu is really annoying. Who are you showing off to? Hum, the birthday gifts your grandma and the first wife gave you are so heavy that we have to hold them. If you don't accept them, I'm afraid your grandma and uncle will be suspicious. If you accept them, look at Mrs. Hu, she is almost throwing her face to the ground."
It turned out that Old Lady Chen, Chen Ye, and Chen Agui had discussed for a long time yesterday and felt that the first wife had made a lot of money relying on Chen Afu, and Chen Afu had such a good relationship. If the relationship was good, he would help the first wife in the future. They unanimously decided to give a better birthday gift this time. The old lady went to the town and spent two taels and five cents to buy an open silver bracelet, plus a pair of silk embroidered shoes made by Gao for Chen Afu, which she felt was a decent birthday gift.
Hu was unhappy. She had never worn a silver bracelet in her life. Besides, the girl and the second wife were very stingy and didn't remember any favors. The big restaurant only gave the first wife 10% of the shares, and the second wife only bought them a cow after making so much money. So she said, "Isn't it said that the girl is very rich? Why would she want things from us poor people? I, the head of the family, worked hard to raise my second uncle, and they haven't even said they would give me a bracelet."
Chen Ye and Old Lady Chen scolded again. Hu didn't dare to say anything, but she was still unhappy and couldn't suppress it.
Chen Ming, who followed in, said, "My eldest sister-in-law is a stupid woman who only takes in and never spends. Ah Fu, don't argue with her. Just do it for your grandmother and uncle's sake." He also scolded Wang, "Why bother your daughter with these trivial matters?"
Chen Ming had just invited the servants of the Luo family and the two families in Tangyuan who had a good relationship with him, as well as Liu Lizheng of Shangshui Village, Yu Landlord and Yu Lizheng of Guqiao Village to come to Luyuan for a drink.
Chen Ah Fu was puzzled and said, "It's OK if you invite Luo Guanshi and the others. If you don't invite them, they might come on their own initiative. Why do you invite those Lizheng and landlords? We don't have much contact with each other normally."
Chen Ming smiled and said, "Dad didn't plan to invite them at first. This morning, I heard that those people sent someone to the village to ask about our family's invitation. Dad thought, since they want to come, let's take the initiative to invite them. These people are all well-known people in the neighborhood." He pinched his beard and was very proud, thinking that he, Chen Ming, was already a person that the big people in the neighborhood were vying to make friends with.
Chen Afu nodded, talked for a while, and then returned to Fuyuan, and asked Dahu and Daya to go to Fuyuan with her. Chu Lingzhi had already arrived, and was pulling Dabao, who had just woken up, to the backyard, and the children went to the backyard to play.
At the end of the afternoon, the men went to Luyuan one after another. The country people had loud voices, and their laughter could be heard clearly even in Fuyuan.
Not long after, the Chu family also came to Fuyuan. When Mr. Chu heard the noise in the next yard, Chen Afu said that those were the people who came to celebrate his birthday.
The old man said to Chu Lingxuan, "Afu is a girl, it's not good to greet these men. Let's go over and sit and chat with them. Grandpa will live in Tangyuan for a long time in the future, and he should also have a good relationship with the local snakes here."
Chu Lingxuan nodded and took Chen Dabao with him. Dabao is Chen Afu's son, and he would go over to accompany guests in the evening. When Chu Lingzhi saw him, he also made a fuss and followed him.
When the old Marquis Chu and his men came over, they were so scared that they stood up. Except for Captain Xia, Hu Laowu, and Liu Lizheng, the others couldn't even speak, including Chen Ming and Chen Ye.
The old Marquis Chu laughed and talked to them, telling them not to be nervous, and thanked them for taking care of his future granddaughter-in-law Chen Afu and his great-grandson Dabao.
The old man stayed with Dabao for dinner. Chu Lingxuan didn't like this kind of occasion, so he took Chu Lingzhi back to Fuyuan.
Chen Afu said to Mrs. Chu San embarrassedly, "It's a bit noisy here, Mrs. San is not used to it, right?"
Mrs. Chu San laughed heartily, "When Chu Lang and I were at the border, those rough guys were even more noisy. I'm used to this kind of noise."
In the evening, after seeing off the Chu family, Chen Afu began to prepare return gifts.
Because she went to the Chen Mansion to recognize her relatives in a hurry, she did not prepare filial piety for Chen Shiying and Jiang, nor did she prepare gifts for Chen Yuqing and her three siblings. This time, she sent them together. She sent embroidered satin slippers to Chen Shiying and his wife, panda dolls to Chen Yuqing and her sister, and a satin gown to Chen Yulan. The slippers and dolls were samples she had made for the embroidery workshop before, and the gown was for Chen Alu. The gown was a little long, and Chen Yulan, who was half a head taller, could wear it. Send more homemade snacks and fruit cucumbers tomorrow.
The gown that Chu Lingxuan wanted last time has been made, and she also made a purse to match it. Mr. Chu will stay in Tangyuan for a while, and then make him a set of clothes. As for Mrs. Chu San, a woman who grew up in the palace has no shortage of good things. Chen Afu thought for a long time and gave her a green leaf agarwood. Also give Chu Lingzhi a panda doll.
The things were ready, and it was already midnight.