Chapter 462 - 453: Family Disgrace Becomes Public
After dinner, Chen Afu and the others returned to Tang Garden. Chen Afu did not meddle in the affairs concerning Wang Laohan. Now that Wang Cheng had become an official, and both Hu Laowu and Luo Yuan were dealing with the situation, she was sure the matter would be satisfactorily resolved.
In the late afternoon, Luo Yuan and Dabao came to the Yanxiang Pavilion. Luo Yuan relayed that after the banquet, Chen Ming, Wang Cheng, Hu Laowu, and Luo Yuan locked themselves in a room with Wang Laohan, Wang Cai, and Mrs. Wu to discuss terms. Wang Cheng agreed to give Wang Laohan fifty taels of silver, with an additional retirement gift of five taels each month. However, he stipulated that his older sister, Mrs. Wang, should no longer send any money because she had married into the Chens and was a daughter-in-law of the Chens’. If Wang Laohan still insisted that Mrs. Wang give money, the prescription fee would be reduced to two taels... Wang Laohan and Mrs. Wu were hesitant to accept these conditions as they had aspirations to experience the luxurious life in the capital city, however, Wang Cai agreed readily. Hu Laowu then cornered Wu and intimidated her until she reluctantly agreed, also persuading Wang Laohan to agree along the way.
After Luo Yuan had left, Dabao squeezed into Chen Afu’s embrace and said, "Dear mother, grandmother and grandfather, you all are truly kind. Even though times were hard back then, you never thought of selling me for silver."
Chen Afu used a cloth to wipe off the sweat on his forehead, smiling while saying, "This just goes to show that my son is destined to have good fortune, hence he landed in a benevolent family like ours."
Dabao again earnestly said, "Mother dear, I will study hard and make a name for myself; I won’t let you raise me for nothing."
"Good, we shall look forward to thriving off your prosperity in the future," said Chen Afu.
The following day, the first day of the seventh month, Chu Lingxuan took his family back to the capital city, and Wang Cheng’s family also returned along with him. Chen Ming would stay behind because he had to tend to the farming.
Before they left, Mrs. Chen and Chen Ye surprisingly came to the Tang Garden and gifted Chen Afu with some local products. Mrs. Chen could not stop thanking Chen Afu for her assistance to the Chens. According to Wang Cheng, they had also asked Wang Cheng to bring some fresh vegetables and local produce to Chen Shi.