Chapter 108 Chapter 108 Two Chapters in One

After the Dragon Boat Festival, Dou Yuan came over. Jinniang immediately invited a doctor to come over and take her pulse carefully through the curtain. Only then did she confirm that she was indeed three months pregnant.

The doctor talked about some precautions, Jinniang wrote them down, and gave the doctor the consultation fee. Then she said to Dou Yuan, who was so happy that she was silly, "Look at you, you are so happy, aren't you?"

Now that Dou Yuan has Jinniang as her place to go, she can do things here that she doesn't want others to know, which is much more convenient. Her menstrual period was irregular and had not come for two months. The nurse next to her said that she might be pregnant, but she didn't dare to call a doctor in case it was a false alarm and she would end up being laughed at.

Fortunately, my cousin’s wife immediately arranged for a doctor, and she became a little hesitant after the diagnosis.

Jinniang said, "Now that you are pregnant, you must be careful about your diet and not work too hard. Also, don't take too many supplements and don't eat too much, otherwise the baby will be too big and it will be difficult to give birth."

Who would say this unless they are close friends?

Dou Yuan listened very carefully, wrote down everything, and felt relieved.

Because the diagnosis was confirmed, Dou Yuan asked someone to spread the news after she returned, and Madam Zhen also invited a doctor to visit her, so she was naturally very happy. Jinniang knew the news in advance and asked Minzhi to make a patchwork dress, which was something their embroidery shop had made before. Jinniang made flat shoes for her and pasted the uppers herself, and also made a pillow for pregnant women. As for the supplements, I won't go into details.

Even one's own mother might not be so attentive. Dou Yuan thought that it was no wonder that her mother was so kind to her cousins ​​and their wives. Now she finally understood what it meant to plant trees for the benefit of future generations.

Even if it's my mother-in-law, it's hard to control her because her relatives live across the street.

Zhuang was very jealous. Her family members had come to visit her before, but they were not so considerate and thoughtful. They just talked about having a boy, which put her under a lot of pressure. She gave twenty taels of silver and asked the nun in the temple to bless her.

After finishing Dou Yuan's affairs, Jinniang calmed down to make the quilt cover and took an hour in the afternoon to recite poems, read poems and look up allusions. After finishing their homework, Ning Ge'er and Yun Jie'er were free to do whatever they wanted.

Yun Jie'er was doing some needlework because she was about to pray for cleverness, while Ning Ge'er went to the garden at the back to learn how to play the game of pitching pots and jumping ropes.

"Junjie, when it snowed last year, Aying helped you pierce your ears. You have been wearing these earrings. Now that I see that your ears are healed, I will give you a pair of earrings later, okay?" After Jinniang finished embroidering a flower, she remembered this and went to her dressing box to find a pair of gold earrings made of bamboo leaves for her.

Little girls just need to be neat and tidy on weekdays, but they will feel more confident if they dress up for big occasions.

Sister Yun happily handed it to Jiao Xing and asked her to put it away. Just as she was about to say something, someone outside said Ruyan was coming. Jinniang had no choice but to invite Ruyan in. Ever since Ruyan's tea shop opened last year, she has had capital, good skills, and a backer, so her business has been doing well.

I don’t know what she is doing here at this time?

Ruyan was about to greet Jinniang when she saw her, but Jinniang smiled and said, "Don't be polite. You usually don't come to my house in such a hurry. Did something happen to you?"

Ruyan still felt a little scared when she said this: "I always thought that learning medical skills and coroner skills were useless, but today I was almost involved in a murder case."

It turned out that a guest who often came to her house for tea died after returning home after drinking tea at noon. Her family came to Ruyan to ask for an explanation. Ruyan went to take a look at the corpse. She could tell at a glance when the person had died and even knew what kind of poison the person had been poisoned with. Naturally, she refused to be fooled and reported the matter to the police in person. Thus, the matter was resolved.

Jinniang handed her the tea and said, "Calm down. In fact, it's rare to encounter such things in business. Now you can handle things on your own. No one will dare to blackmail you in the future."

Ruyan's visit was not just for this matter. She said, "I have a client who originally opened a house in Daming Prefecture, but he didn't have enough capital. He had 70% and I had 30%. I contributed a total of 15,000 taels of capital."

"Don't show your money to others." Jinniang reminded in a low voice.

Ruyan smiled and said, "My lady, I have taken note of your instructions. I just wanted to say that I took one of the shares and gave it to you. Please don't refuse. Listen to me, I am alone here, and fortunately I have your protection. Before that, you also sent me to learn medicine and coroner--"

"Ruyan, we have been in office for almost a year. In another two years, I'm afraid we will have to go somewhere else, and we may not be able to protect you in the future." Jinniang looked at the money and felt it was just a trouble.

Ruyan said, "My dear, you are not here, but the Wei family is here. I am not doing this for these relationships. You have been good to me, but I have never been able to repay you. I feel bad about this."

Jinniang understood what he meant. It is hard to repay a favor. She saved her and raised her for several years, but she didn't ask for anything in return. Instead, she gave her protection.

If such a great favor is repaid with money, one will not be able to use the favor to force others in the future.

Only then did Jinniang agree.

This share is worth five thousand taels, and you do not participate in the management, only receive dividends at the end of the year.

Jinniang told Jiang Xian about this matter and asked him to go and investigate first. Jiang Xian thought that his wife was cautious, so he checked it out before agreeing. Jinniang said to Jiang Xian, "Ruyan is different from Madam Gu. Madam Gu is purely seeking protection and has been very kind to me. I don't want her money. But if I don't take Ruyan's money, she will be frightened. Maybe she knows that I have connections with the local wealthy families, the Zhen family and the Wei family. Even if I leave in the future, she can still use my protection."

With the Zhen and Wei families as guarantors, Ruyan will have no problem doing business in Daming Prefecture for thirty years.

"She is really smart. If she really wanted to repay you, why didn't she give it out earlier? Now that she sees that you have established contact with the Wei family, she rushes over here." Jiang Xian said.

Jinniang said hurriedly, "She is not such a person. To be honest, she has a bad fate, so it is normal for her to be wary of others. Now that I have this one, I will introduce her to Cousin Dou and Madam Wei, so that I will not let her down."

Jiang Xian knew that his wife never liked to owe others anything, so he let Jinniang do it. He also found it strange that those who were thinking of ways to squeeze others for money every day couldn't squeeze much money. But people like Jinniang were afraid that others would give them money, so the money always found ways to come into her hands.

So, when Dou Yuan was pregnant, Jinniang would ask Ruyan to go in every now and then to check her pulse, and would also ask Ruyan to make peony-shaped snacks for her to send to the Wei family.

In addition, Ruyan Tafang’s business was short of money to pay for various services, so Jiang Xian personally asked someone to get it done and send it over.

In June, Jiang Xian went out on a business trip. Ever since he heard Jinniang talk about Di Renjie, he followed Di Renjie's example and always conducted strict investigations when handling cases. He redressed more than twenty unjust, false and wrong cases. This time, he was going out again for a case.

"Who is following?" Jinniang asked.

Jiang Xian said, "Besides Master Song and his two attendants, there are several clerks from the Procuratorate."

Jinniang said, "How about giving each of them a glass of wine and a roast goose?"

"It's up to you, my lady." Jiang Xian thought that his wife had always been generous and never treated them unfairly. This was one of the reasons why he could get along well with his subordinates.

Jinniang asked Chen Xiaolang to pack and send it over. She also selected two gauze robes and a cloak, and packed a small bundle for her husband: "These outer clothes are not enough to change every day, so I prepared ten pairs of underwear, one pair for each day, and the same for socks."

After entering the inner room, Jiang Xian hugged his wife from behind and said, "Come with me..."

Of course, family members cannot accompany the case to investigate, which is unprofessional. But Jinniang knew that her husband was just being coquettish, so she smiled and said, "Okay, then I will become small and stick to your chest."

The two of them stayed together for a while until Ning Ge'er came home from school.

Seeing the bags piled on the table, Ning Geer couldn't help but ask, "Mom, where are you going? Why are there so many luggages?"

"Your father is going out of town on business." Jinniang said with a smile.

Ning Ge'er clenched his fist and said, "My son must eat a lot and grow fast, so that he can help daddy fight bad guys in the future."

"Of course. Brothers fight together to kill tigers, and fathers and sons fight together in battle." Jinniang and Jiang Xian both laughed.

Jiang Xian left overnight. He worked very hard. Jinniang stayed alone tonight and had insomnia. She was much happier in Daming Prefecture than in Wu County. Wu County always felt restrained living with so many officials' wives. Now she was much more familiar with the officialdom and had made several friends. She felt much more open-minded.

The next day, she got up in the morning and was doing housework and sewing when a letter arrived. It was sent from Wu County. It turned out to be a letter from Gu Qingru, saying that she and He Yanei were very loving after marriage and soon became pregnant. However, when her ex-husband Shang Qilang learned of her marriage, he came to harass her. So, she and He Yanei returned to Chen County, the hometown of the He family, and asked Jinniang to send any letters she had in the future to Chen County.

Jinniang was speechless: "Since Shang Qilang and Sister Gu have divorced and are married to each other, why do they act as if others have wronged him? Could it be that only he is allowed to get married in this world, and no one else is allowed to get married?"

Mother Fang waved her fan and said, "Fortunately, He Yanei treats Madam Gu well, which is better than anything else. Shang Qilang is probably greedy and thinks that Madam Gu will still be waiting for him in Pingjiang, so he will not lose out in the future."

"Tsk tsk, luckily Sister Gu got married. It must have pissed him off to death." Jinniang felt somewhat happy when she thought of this.

Dou Yuan, who lived next door, also received a letter from Zhen Erlang. Last time, when she was pregnant, Mrs. Zhen sent someone to bring the letter to him. He actually wrote back, saying that he was happy to know that she was pregnant and urged her to take good care of herself.

Dou Yuan is no longer so anxious. If she had received the letter before, she would have been very happy, but now she feels it is meaningless. She was young and had once longed for love. Her husband fell in love with her at first sight, but the reality was that even if her husband became an official in the future, she, as the mistress of the house, would be trapped in this house for the rest of her life.

Looking at Miss Yang again, Dou Yuan saw the envy that could not be concealed in her eyes, but she did not feel proud at all.

What good is there if it is so difficult for a couple to stay together? Yet, there are still many people who envy her for a life like this.

The mother beside Madam Zhen came in again and said, "Madam, the magistrate's wife sent two more ends of light gauze. She said that although the gauze is not very good, the colors are green-yellow on one end and crabapple on the other, both of which are excellent colors. She said that it is good for making headscarves or skirts, so she sent it over."

"She is so polite. Let's give a tip to the servant who delivered the cloth." Mrs. Zhen felt that the color was really exquisite.

Miss Yang thought that Magistrate Jiang was Dou's cousin, and that Magistrate's wife often gave him gifts like this, so Mrs. Zhen couldn't do anything to her daughter-in-law, and instead had to accept the favor.

It’s great to have the support of my family.

When Dou Yuan heard that it was Jinniang who sent the gift, she thought that her cousin's wife always thought of her when good things happened, and that this was also a disguised way of supporting her.

It is really hot this year. I heard that the fields are very dry. Jinniang took two pieces of summer cloth and cut them into pieces for the servants. Minzhi became busy here. These were extra income. If someone asked her to make clothes, they would exchange items for them or pay her directly. Because as a seamstress, she only made clothes for four masters, and others had to pay her extra if they asked her to do clothes for them.

Of course, some people also asked others to do it. Mother Fang asked the widow next door to do it, and Aying asked the tailor Huang to do it.

But Minzhi had made a lot of money here. Chen Xiaolang even said to his wife, "You earn much more than I do now."

"Don't give me that. You run errands for my lady outside and you get a lot of rewards." Minzhi said with a smile.

The couple worked together and both wanted to live a good life. Minzhi thought of her own aunt, who had worked in the Jiang family all her life but was eventually kicked out because the family could no longer afford to support her. They had been slaves all their lives, and thought that they would live and die in the Jiang family. But they never expected that this would happen to them, and they would not be able to make a living, and eventually die in poverty.

Jinniang also bought a lot of mung beans, and when summer comes, she will ask Juxiang to make mung bean soup to cool down.

In the evening, Yun Jieer came back from school. She learned horse riding today and looked very energetic. She also said, "Sister Ji doesn't want to learn to play polo. I think she thinks it's dirty. But my daughter spent so much money, it would be a waste if she didn't learn it."

"That Miss Ji looks very gentle. It's better that she doesn't learn. You have one less person and the teacher will teach more seriously. Go and wash up first, and then come here to do needlework. There is only half a month left before the Qiqiao Festival. If we can't get first place, we will at least get among the top three." Jinniang stroked her daughter's face and said.

Sister Yun nodded and went back to the west wing. Xi Qiu quickly asked the maids to bring water. After she had washed and dressed, she went to the main room, where Jinniang taught her needlework.

"Mom, do you think our daughter can win?" Yun Jie'er was also a little uncertain.

Jinniang smiled and said, "Just try your best. Even if you fail, your craftsmanship will definitely be better than before."

"That's true." Sister Yun also understood this truth.

Jinniang also sat nearby and continued to embroider the peony and ribbon bird quilt cover. She was quietly thinking that this time it was all hosted by Madam Ji, and she didn't know how it was going.

Soon it was the day before the Chinese Valentine's Day. Jinniang went to Madam Qian's place first. Madam Qian was a very open-minded person. Before the marriage, she had some complaints about her daughter-in-law's family background, but after she got married, she was very nice and even gave her a box of things to put in the room to show off.

She was saying to Jinniang and Lan: "I just hope she can give birth to a grandson, whether it's a boy or a girl, and then I'll be happy."

"Why are you in such a hurry? You just walked in." Jinniang said with a smile.

Women in ancient times could never escape the topic of having children. Jinniang quickly interrupted and Lan also echoed, "Yes, it's still early. Your eldest brother still needs to study, isn't this a good thing?"

Madam Qian had two sons. The eldest son was as tall and thin as a bamboo pole, but his literary talent was mediocre. The second son was chubby, but as smart as a ghost. However, his smartness was not in studying or becoming an official, but only in making money. The second son of the Dong family studied at the Bai Lu Dong Academy. When he returned home, he bought a lot of gauze to resell, just like Jinniang. It was from him that Jinniang bought the twelve rolls of light gauze.

After a while of chatting about family matters, Madam Qian said, "Tomorrow is the Qixi Festival. I'm afraid someone is trying to make his daughter famous, and everyone else is just a stepping stone. Otherwise, let Yunjie not attend."

"It's okay. She has been preparing for a long time. How can I ask her not to go? Anyway, we all have eyes to see whether she embroiders well or not." Jinniang said with a smile.

It is not necessarily a bad thing for children to suffer some setbacks sometimes. If they imagine the outside world to be too perfect, it will be a bigger blow to them.

Madam Qian patted Jinniang on the shoulder and said, "It's good that you are so open-minded. It's just a group of kids playing around, don't take it too seriously."

"Yeah." Jinniang said, and then said goodbye and left.

Unexpectedly, they passed by Zhou Si's carriage. Zhou Si's mother happened to rent an inn to stay in. Their Guantao County was still some distance away from the provincial capital, so they had to come a day earlier.

Originally, it was not impossible for her to live with Mrs. He, but something happened in Mrs. He's family, and Zhou Si Niang had no chance to go there and bring bad luck upon herself. Fortunately, Mrs. Zhou's two daughters were very well-behaved. They did not complain even after sitting in the carriage for several hours.

"We'll be fine tomorrow." Zhou Si Niang comforted her two daughters.

Soon it was the evening of the next day, and Jinniang brought Yunjie to the Ji family. Almost all the families with daughters came dressed up. Originally it was held at the prefect's house, but now it is hosted by Madam Ji. Old Madam Wang has come early, and it seems that she is here specifically to support Madam Ji.

It was rare that Madam Wu was so calm. When she saw Jinniang and the others coming, she greeted them and talked to them.

"I see that you have lost some weight." Madam Wu said to Jinniang.

Jinniang wiped the sweat off her face with a handkerchief and said, "I'm a bit summer-sick. I don't know why this year, but it's so hot that I don't even dare to go out."

Fortunately, Mrs. Ji invested a lot of money and placed ice basins under the seats on the balcony, so Jinniang felt much cooler after sitting there for a while. Looking at Madam Zhou Si again, she has also arrived. Although it is not far from Guantao to the provincial capital, the fact that she can come here shows that she is now a popular figure in front of Old Madam Wang.

However, this occasion is not a competition between them, but a competition between the children.

Yun Jie'er is eight years old this year. She still has some baby fat, wears three buns on her head, has two gauze flowers on her hair, a lotus on her ears, bright eyes and a proper demeanor.

Mrs. Ji prepared an incense table in advance, on which were placed fruits, dried fruits, etc. The girls had to gather together to worship the Weaver Girl first. After worshipping the Weaver Girl, several people sang and played the "Song of Begging for Skill", and the girls followed along. Only then did they begin to formally beg for skills.

The first item of the competition is to thread a seven-hole needle. Whoever threads the more needles has the most skills. Whoever loses has lost the skill and has to give the gift he has prepared to the winner.

Each of the girls had a table with lanterns hung on both sides. Jinniang saw that as soon as Yunjie heard the start, her little hands began to thread the needle, and the speed was astonishing.

In fact, the environment can have a great influence on people. Jinniang is not idle every day, and Jiang Xian is also busy, so her daughter rarely has the idea of ​​lying down, and she is also very motivated.

In less than an incense stick of time, the gong was struck. Some of the girls wanted to secretly thread another one, while others looked regretful. But Yun Jie'er was confident, as she had practiced it many times at home. Just now she glanced at the second Miss Ji next to her, her needlework had always been good, but today even though she was very fast, she was still not as good as herself.

If she won today, her mother would definitely be very proud of her.

Unexpectedly, Old Lady Wang announced: "The third daughter of the Ji family wins, she is wearing the most." After that, she took it out for everyone to see.

Sister Yun looked at Miss Ji San in astonishment, unable to believe it. But when she saw that she had indeed threaded more threads, she had no choice but to admit defeat. Her mother told her that if she loses a bet, she should accept the consequences and lose with grace.

Maybe Ji Sanniang practiced day and night at home, but she was definitely not as hardworking as anyone else.

However, getting second place was not disappointing. She smiled and gave the gift she had carefully prepared to Miss Ji San. It was a necklace she had made herself, and the small jade beads on the necklace were bought with her own pocket money that she had saved for a long time.

Miss Ji San was a little embarrassed at first, because what she presented was not made by her at all, but the praise from Old Lady Wang and the gifts given by everyone made her feel elated and happy.

Of course Jinniang saw all of this. She was very pleased with her daughter's performance. She did not curse, regret or even lose her temper because of the loss. But she still waved to her daughter, and as soon as Yun Jie saw her mother, she ran over immediately.

"My daughter is so great. I was so happy when I saw your little hands pass through it so easily." Jinniang said, touching her daughter's face.

Sister Yun touched the back of her head and said, "I thought I was the fastest. I should be the first."

"You are number one in my heart. You performed very well today." Jinniang said.

Sister Yun's eyes sparkled when she received her mother's praise.

Jinniang hugged her daughter and looked at Madam Ji indifferently for a while. She thought that Madam Ji might have made a wrong move. Even in the imperial court's talent selection ceremony, if the title of top scholar was between that of a child from a poor family and that of an official, the poor family would generally be chosen for fear of unfair treatment. Mrs. Ji thought she had concealed the truth, but she didn't realize that it might cause a bigger backlash in the future.

This is like an awards ceremony, where an actor who is recognized as having good acting skills did not win the award, but the award was given to an actor whose acting skills are not even ranked high. This cannot calm the anger of the public.

By then, it might cause a huge backlash from others, ultimately harming both others and yourself.

And as for this old lady Wang, if you sit high on the altar, everyone will respect you, but if you come down in person, I'm afraid everyone will look down on you.

This old lady Wang thought she was good at winning people over. Last time, she heard Madam Ji talking about having a completely blessed couple. Since both of them were hers, why not let them get closer.

"Mrs. Ji, didn't you say that your niece is in need of a perfect match for her marriage? How about I let Mrs. Sun be the perfect match?"

Madam Ji always wore a very attentive face. She glanced at Lady Zhou Si and saw that although she wore gold and jade on her head, her skirt was plain. Lady Jin Niang, who was sitting next to her, was wearing a gilded skirt and a golden crown on her head. She looked more respectable.

But when Old Lady Wang spoke, Mrs. Ji quickly agreed.

As for Mrs. Zhou Si, she knew that Mrs. Jiang had been very reluctant to give gifts to Mrs. Quanfu, and she felt that this was a way to make a fortune, so she said to Mrs. Wang as if jokingly: "If there is such a good thing in the future, please introduce it to me."

Madam Wang smiled and nodded at her: "Look at you, you are such a money-grubber."

Jinniang thought, well, her daughter’s first place was taken away, and her extra income would be taken away too. Doesn’t she look so easy to bully? Since you are like this, don't blame her.