Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty

Chapter 26: Chapter 25 Low Standard Men Chapter 26: Chapter 25 Low Standard Men Storing her sewing kit, Chen Afu tied knots while reading along with two little boys.

Soon after, Mrs. Chen came in despite the rain.

The old lady’s face was extremely unpleasant. She initially wanted to vent her anger on Mrs. Wang, but failing to find her, she took her son to the West Room instead.

She whispered to Chen Ming, “I’ve been feeling heavy-hearted… couldn’t sleep well last night.”

Chen Ming was taken aback and asked, “What’s wrong, Mom? Who upset you?”

The old lady huffed, “It’s all because of that foolish girl.”

“Afu upset you? How?” Chen Ming asked, astonished.

Mrs. Chen said, “Afu has recovered, and she is a good girl. If she hadn’t registered as a woman’s household, she could have married into a wealthier family, and you guys would’ve received a substantial bride price. Now that she’s done that, those seeking to become her live-in husband are all penniless. My foolish son, you guys have raised her for fifteen years, paid for her medical treatment, even got her a child, and spent at least several dozen silver taels on her. Not only does she refuse to repay her debt to you, but she also took a mu of land from Alu to set up her women’s household. Oh my dear Alu, poor limping child, lost his land as well. It’s a significant loss.” Finishing her sentence, she pounded her chest, vexed.

Chen Ming quickly consoled her, “Mother, Afu and Dabao are both good-hearted children. They wouldn’t forget that the Chens have raised them. Besides, it’s well known that Afu was once mentally challenged, what decent family would willingly pay a huge sum to marry her?”

“That’s not necessarily true. Mrs. Hu said that a wealthy family in town was asking about Afu. They lost interest when they heard she registered as a woman’s household,” Mrs. Chen retorted stubbornly.

It appeared Mrs. Hu was involved, no wonder Mrs. Chen was so upset.

Chen Ming didn’t think highly of Mrs. Hu, but because she was his sister-in-law, he couldn’t speak ill of her directly. However, now Mrs. Hu had incited Mrs. Chen to blame Afu, and he had had enough of it.

He said, “Mother, you’ve been living with my sister-in-law for many years, can you really trust her completely? If there’s such a good family, wealthy, and living in town, who wants to marry Afu, she wouldn’t just tell you about it, she’d sabotage it quietly and favor Aju instead.”

Chen Ming didn’t say this out of malice; indeed, it was something Mrs. Hu was capable of.

Mrs. Chen thought about it and agreed. Mrs. Hu was certainly that kind of person. She was too hasty and fell into Mrs. Hu’s trap. Still stubborn, she said, “I know Mrs. Hu doesn’t have the best intentions, but you and Alu have suffered significant losses. You raised that girl for over a decade, and lost a mu of land owned by Alu.”

Chen Ming smiled, stood up, walked to the East Room, fetched a finished sewing basket, and asked, “Mother, do you find this sewing basket attractive?”

It was a square-shaped sewing basket. The lining was a moon-white cloth, sprinkled with colorful little flowers and green grasses.

Surprised, Mrs. Chen asked, “This is a sewing basket? Oh my, I have lived many years and this is the first time I’ve seen such a delicate and beautiful sewing basket.”

Chen Ming laughed, “This basket was produced by Afu after she recovered from her illness. She said she would make more of them and sell them at Lingyin Temple. The money could then be used to get proper medical treatment for Alu.”

Mrs. Chen felt better after hearing that. She had heard from Chen Shi, her third son, about a Qianjin Medical Clinic in the capital city that excelled at treating bone injuries. Yet the consultation fee was exorbitant, unaffordable for average citizens. Even wealthy families from Capital City frequented the clinic for consultations.

If Alu could have his limp leg treated there, then the biggest worry of her life would be resolved.

“It seems the girl does have a conscience,” Mrs. Chen sighed, then returned the sewing basket to Chen Ming, advising, “You better hide this quickly. Don’t let others see it, especially not Mrs. Hu. I can help and make more of them, so we can sell more and save for Alu’s treatment.”

Chen Ming laughed, “No need for that, Mom. I’m slow at making baskets. Afu alone is enough to sew the cloth on the baskets.” He dared not mention that the basket was made by Mrs. Wang during her idle time, for fear of Mrs. Chen’s wrath.

Mrs. Chen followed up, “Now that Afu has recovered, they wouldn’t expect your household to continue to support them, would they?”

Chen Ming nodded, “Hmm. If Afu’s recovery is complete, she definitely won’t burden us anymore. She even said that when they have earned money, she will make sure we live comfortably. Like a son, she’ll look after us.” He glanced at Mrs. Chen, added, “She also recognizes the kindness you and my older brother have shown her, so she wants to be filial to you both. Prepare to live comfortably, Mom. Once Afu gets better, she’ll become very clever.”

Hearing that, Mrs. Chen was even happier.

Mrs. Chen and Chen Ming talked obliviously, unaware of a third ear eavesdropping outside the room.

Dabao hurried back to the East Room and relayed what he heard to Afu and Alu. Afu felt a chill down her spine, relieved that she had registered as a woman’s household, so her matrimonial issues were beyond others’ control.

Afu had her life planned out.

In this life, if she met a man who truly loved her, she would wed–no, it should be ‘take him as husband’. After all, it wasn’t easy for a woman with a child to live in ancient society, particularly because of her outstanding beauty, she was sure to attract unwanted attention from men. Furthermore, she had led a lonely life in her previous life, always wanting to have several children, particularly a daughter. The dream remained unrealized when she died, and she hoped to make it come true in this life.

If she didn’t meet a good man, she would remain unwed for her entire life. No matter how hard life might get, she wouldn’t marry. Anyway, she already had a son, and her kind-hearted parents and brothers.

In this life, Afu was much more pragmatic than in her previous one; her ideal man bore no resemblance to the “tall, rich, and handsome” stereotype.

Upon contemplation, she summarized four traits of her ideal man in ancient times–she referred to them as “four-good” men.

First, he should be decent-looking, meaning a proper set of facial features and a complete set of limbs. Preferably, he should be taller than 1.7 meters, or at least 1.65 meters. This request for height wasn’t for the sake of appearance, but rather, for physical labor and combat, as both she and Dabao were physically weak.

Second, he should be loving and considerate towards his wife and child, gentle in temperament, and genuine towards her and Dabao. He should allow her to look after her natal family, and not be the kind of man who often beats up women and children, or is foolishly filial–unwilling to grow up and depend entirely on his mother.

Third, he should be of decent character, a law-abiding good citizen, without any bad habits. He must be self-reliant and not someone who is slothful, seeking to live off others for life.

Fourth, he should be clean, brushing his teeth, washing his face, and cleaning his feet daily, and taking baths every few days. She couldn’t stand men who don’t keep their teeth clean, or had an offensive body odor, no matter how good they might be.

The so-called “four-good” men with such basic standards, Afu later realized, were considered extraordinary catches in rural parts of this world. They were hard to find. For a woman like herself, who sought a live-in husband, such men were even harder to find. Of course, this is a tale for another time.

Considering that Mrs. Chen had no say in her matrimonial affairs, Afu felt secretly pleased. She would wait and see if she could meet her “four-good” man with the basic standards first.

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