Chapter 409 - 406: Flattery (4000, two - s combined)
On the 16th day of the eleventh lunar month, Chu Lingxuan took a few witnesses to the Capital City. General Fu knew of Chen Shiying’s troubles and courteously offered Chu Lingxuan ample leisure.
Today, Afu needed to add to Aman’s dowry as she was to set off for the Capital City tomorrow, becoming the bride to the Yang family on the 30th day of the eleventh lunar month.
A day before, Afu lent a helping hand to Dabao and Alu in applying for leave. They both had good relations with Aman and wanted to hang out for the day. With the two of them not attending school, little Chu Lingzhi also enjoyed a holiday, and they all decided to spend the day playing together.
By late morning, Afu took all the children and animals from the ’Animal House’ to Chen Shi’s house.
At the beginning of the month, Chen Shi and Mrs. Zhang had approached Afu to borrow 100 taels of silver, which they intended to use as Aman’s treasure box silver and promised to return it once Chen Shi received his year-end bonus. They also mentioned about renting a courtyard house in the Capital City for Aman to rest until her marriage. Initially, Yang Mingyuan offered them a house for Aman to stay, but Chen Shi declined arguing about the absurdity of the bride’s family staying in the bridegroom’s house.
Afu contrarily thought of her three-story house in the Capital City which they could utilize to reside temporarily. This would save them from spending lavishly and was also a pleasant choice.
Chen Shi and Mrs. Zhang were extremely pleased and couldn’t help but express their gratitude to Afu.
Afu laughed and said, "We are all family here, there’s no need to be so formal. Ayu is competent, Atang is studious and Aman is dutiful. The road to prosperity for the third uncle and aunt starts here."
Overjoyed, Mrs. Zhang said, "Amitabha Buddha, aunt, I hope your words bring good luck."
Mrs. Zhang was dressed in the silk garment that Afu had given her two years prior, which had faded from repeated washes. The ornamental hairpin that she wore was also gifted by Afu and her dressing was noticeably modest compared to Mrs. Hu. Even though Chen Shi was the wine shop manager, he dressed decently. Despite being spouses, Mrs. Zhang’s simplicity made it seem as if she was several years older than Chen Shi.
Currently, Mrs. Zhang not only despised Mrs. Hu but also harbored grievances towards Mrs. Chen and Chen Ye.