Chapter 312 Working Together

Wake up early in the morning.

Jiang Miaomiao habitually lifted the quilt and sat up.

She was still in a daze for a while, waiting for Xier to bring her a toothbrush, tooth powder, and a towel.

As soon as I sat up, I shivered.

Tsk tsk! So cold.

I just remembered that it is already winter, and I am spending the winter in the capital.

It’s not a little colder than Jiangzhou.

She shuddered, her hair standing on end.

When Lu Qingyao entered the room, she saw her little girl wrapped in a quilt, sitting on the bed, yawning, and still a little dazed. "Is Miaomiao awake? If so, get up."

The little guy was wrapped tightly, revealing only his chubby little face and messy hair that looked like a chicken coop.

Lu Qingyao took the still steaming handkerchief from Xier's hand, covered her daughter's face with it, and wiped it.

After having her face wiped, Miaomiao instantly regained consciousness and muttered, "Mother, be gentler."

She brushed away the bangs that were stuck to her forehead, then slid off the bed.

"Mother, is Grandma up yet?"

"Get up early. Your grandmother asked everyone to have breakfast with her this morning. Don't be late." Usually, people would chat after breakfast. Her mother must have something to say to everyone today.

Lu Qingyao quickened her movements and took out the newly made jacket for her daughter to wear.

It fits well and looks good.

Today, not only my daughter got new clothes, but everyone in the mansion, including the servants, got new clothes. They were all sent from the family's cloth shop.

Jiang Miaomiao really likes her new jacket. She likes the color, the style, and even the pattern on the jacket.

A light yellow floral embroidered jacket with white fur trim on the cuffs, hem and skirt.

After all, it was made according to my own requirements, so I am very satisfied with it.

This can be considered as achieving freedom of dress from now on.

She sat obediently in front of the bronze mirror, letting her mother comb her hair, stroking her dog in her hand, her eyes falling on the furry hat beside her.

"Mother, I want to wear the hat that the princess aunt made for me."

"Okay, then mother will braid some pigtails for you." After putting on the hat, the pink and tender little face was revealed among the fur, and there were a few pigtails sticking up under the ears.

So cute.

After being taken care of by A Niang and Xier, Jiang Miaomiao went to her grandmother's courtyard.

In fact, she went to her grandmother's home every day.

A'niang said that she didn't have to study these days because her grandmother had returned, and asked her to cultivate more relationships with her grandmother.

So I took a few days off.

Although I no longer study, I still have to copy the calligraphy every day.

Miaomiao is very self-conscious.

I spent the morning with my grandmother and aunt, and in the afternoon I went to the princess's mansion to practice calligraphy.

Because she practiced calligraphy at home, her second brother would get angry with her whenever he saw her chicken claw-like handwriting.

Every time, A Niang would come over to take a look and then walk away silently.

She probably felt that what her second brother said was a bit harsh. After all, as a mother, her handwriting also sounded like chicken claws.

Every morning, she would have breakfast with her grandmother and aunt.

A-niang also said that with Miaomiao by their side, the two old people would eat a few more bites of food.

Miaomiao is a good boy in front of her grandmother, so naturally she can't say no.

For the sake of the health of the two old ladies, she had to get up early to eat and chat with them.

The elderly sleep little and get up early. My grandmother also has the habit of doing boxing in the morning. No wonder she is still in good health after being exiled.

But the grandmother also had a loud voice, and if her granddaughter didn't show up after the boxing match, she would come to find her in person.

As soon as he entered the yard, he started shouting: Miaomiao...get up, the sun is shining on your butt...

Jiang Miaomiao: ...

Well! !

In less than a quarter of an hour, the whole family knew that Jiang Miaomiao was staying in bed and sleeping in.

Although she is still a child, she is also very concerned about her reputation.

After having breakfast with my grandmother and aunt, I chat with them and then go to the backyard to feed the chickens, ducks and sheep.

My grandmother is very talkative and casual. She is a very cheerful old lady.

I guess my mother will be like her when she gets old.

My aunt listened quietly to my grandmother's words, nodded in agreement from time to time, and looked at the old sisters with a smile.

When they encounter potholes on the road, they will support each other.

If there is anything delicious, I will share it.

They give people the feeling that they are not sisters-in-law, but more like sisters.

Jiang Miaomiao watched her grandmother eat breakfast. She probably consumed a lot of energy after exercising, so she ate a lot.

It has little to do with whether she accompanies you or not.

She felt like she was being tricked by her mother.

Jiang Miaomiao’s favorite thing to do every day is to pick up chicken eggs and goose eggs. No matter her age, even if it was in the modern life in her previous life, she still likes it.

Pick up the white ones one by one and put them in the basket.

It feels like treasure hunting.

In her previous life, she photographed rural scenery and food themes, and spent her daily lives with chickens, ducks, and geese.

Perhaps it was a habit left over from her previous life, but now when she had nothing to do, she liked to tinker with small animals.

As for her old job, she just gave Aunt Xiuxiu some advice, but she only talked and didn't do anything. After all, she didn't even have a stove high enough now.

Miaomiao found that the two old ladies were quite energetic, so she took over the vegetable garden of her mother and aunt directly.

There is not much work in the vegetable garden in winter, mainly in the cellar.

As soon as my mother arrived, she expanded the cellar and buried leek roots in it. Now leek greens and leek sprouts have begun to grow.

The two old ladies were having a lot of fun cutting leeks.

Looking at the fresh and tender leeks in the cave in the backyard, Jiang Miaomiao couldn't help but admire the wisdom of the ancients.

I also understood why A Niang would rather live in a big house with a yard on the edge of the city than a small house in the city center.

This is simply too much room for maneuver.

If you raise animals such as chickens, ducks, geese, and sheep, their manure can be used to grow leeks.

My aunt said that although leeks are a common vegetable in summer, they are very precious in winter, especially leeks, which can cost dozens of times more than in summer.

My grandmother said that leeks were one of the royal dishes awarded by the court.

Because A Niang really understood business opportunities and had the right time and place to help her, she dug many cellars on the grassland outside Beijing and grew leeks to supply Yipinju.

With so many sheep and chickens raised, their manure would be of great use.

In addition, the canal was frozen in winter, and the grain ships could not reach the capital. It was usually unfrozen around Qingming Festival.

At this time, fresh vegetables such as leeks become particularly precious.

It is also the time when Yipinju in Beijing is doing the best business.

It can be said that among the restaurants in Beijing, Yipinju is unique.

The restaurant has unique ingredients that are different from other restaurants. There is an endless supply of mutton, bamboo shoots, wild delicacies and dried goods dishes, and now there is also a dish of leeks.

Jiang Miaomiao feels that what matters in these things is timing and scarcity.

Especially the bamboo shoots. They seemed okay when I was in Jiangzhou, but after arriving in the capital, the price has increased several times.

What’s more, the bamboo shoots shipped here are not the freshest ones with shells, after all, they cannot be preserved.

They are all processed and stored in sealed pottery jars or dried bamboo shoots.

Even so, it still increases a lot of transportation costs, so it is normal to be expensive.

Jiang Miaomiao actually helped think of various ways to keep the food fresh, and even asked her second brother to read many related books.

There is no way.

After all, we have air transportation in modern times, but not in ancient times.

Fortunately, there were ice cellars, and many things were transported and stored before the canal froze, which was barely enough to last through the winter.

Jiang Miaomiao discovered that the reason why the prices of many things vary so much is that they are expensive because of transportation and storage.

Especially the ice cellar, which must be kept open all year round.

Although there is a lot of ice in winter, the amount of food that can be preserved cannot be kept for a long time. After all, we have to survive the winter and wait for the spring when shipping is allowed to resume so that new food can be supplied.

So in fact, A Niang has been very busy since she came to Beijing.

Busy preparing ingredients.

All the food for the entire winter must be prepared before shipping stops.

Large quantities of bamboo shoots and live sheep had to be brought in before winter, especially the live sheep, which had to be transported to the capital in advance. Although they were lambs to be slaughtered, they still had to be transported to the pastures outside the capital in advance to adapt to the climate.

The grasslands outside Beijing are not big, there is nothing we can do about it.

Every inch of land under the emperor's feet is worth a lot of money.

After arriving in the capital, Jiang Miaomiao often heard her mother say something.

You only regret not having enough money when you need it!

I guess my grandmother called the whole family over today because she wanted to share my mother's worries.

It was quiet during breakfast.

Although my grandmother didn't have a rule of not talking while eating or sleeping, no one dared to speak.

My grandmother is very fierce when she scolds people.

Miaomiao, the youngest in the family, is also very good at reading people's expressions and eats her buns obediently.

There was not even a smacking sound.

Old Madam Lu glanced at everyone in the room before speaking, "I called everyone here today because Yaoyao has bought you all some winter clothes. You can go get them from the housekeeper later."

The younger generations all responded in unison and then thanked their mother.

Miaomiao saw that everyone looked happy, even her second aunt and cousin Yun, who were usually picky, became much more amiable.

This change began from the day she went to the princess's mansion.

After Miss Zhizhi came back, she showed off in front of Lu Zhiyun, saying that the princess was as beautiful as a fairy. The princess also asked someone to prepare many delicious foods for them.

When she left, she and Miaomiao each received a pair of small gold bracelets.

Originally, Lu Zhiyun didn't believe it and always felt it was too unbelievable.

But the maids all said that it was the nanny from the princess's mansion who sent the two children back.

Madam Lu continued, "It's been a while since you've returned to the capital. You're all healthy and strong, but you've gained a lot of weight in just a few days. Don't think that just because you have maids to serve you, you've returned to your former selves. Don't treat yourselves like young ladies and mistresses. I see that you've almost recovered. It's time to find some work for yourself. You can't let Yaoyao support you all the time."

"Mother is absolutely right. I am also bored and feeling anxious. I was thinking about what I can do for my third sister." Lan nodded repeatedly.

"That's exactly what my grandson wanted." Lu Mingxi stood up and said, "Grandma, I don't want to take the imperial examination anymore. I want to learn business from my aunt."

He had told his aunt about this before, and his aunt wanted him to make his own decision.

So he told it again solemnly to the whole family today.

Madam Lu looked at her daughter and asked, "What does Yaoyao mean?"

"Mother, I found a pottery jar in the Lu family's old house a while ago. Inside was some silver jewelry and banknotes. Converted into silver, it's worth about one thousand taels. I took the initiative to add another two thousand taels and invested it in the cloth shop I opened in partnership with the Sun family in your name. I can also collect some interest at the end of the year."

Pottery jar?

Several people looked at each other.

Only the men in the family would do such a thing. I guess it's their private money.

Except for Lin, almost everyone thought of who hid it, but they all kept silent.

Lin was afraid that her husband would spend money on other women outside and then bring them back home for no apparent reason.

All the money is in your own hands.

Lu Bingwen, the second son of the Lu family, is not that kind of person.

But thinking that it might be because he was away from home all year round and his wife only had one daughter, which made her always worried, he just let her do as she pleased.

Everyone knew that the money was most likely given by Mrs. Lu to her son.

Now it doesn’t matter who hid it, it’s all confiscated.

Old Mrs. Lu nodded. This was a good thing. The Lu family would not be able to recover in a short time.

The younger generations can’t just sit there and waste time; they have to earn something for themselves.

Zhizhi and Mingxi are both okay, but Zhiyun is the most troublesome one.

Age has taken its toll.

In exile, there is no hope and no despair.

Now that they are back, the mother and daughter are extremely anxious.

She even came up with the bad idea of ​​becoming a concubine to Duke Shen and then the wife of Duke Cheng.

Although she is her granddaughter, if she asks herself, Zhiyun's character is really not qualified to enter the Duke's Mansion.

She had suffered a great setback in the past because of the broken engagement, and then she went to the place of exile with them. They all felt sorry for her and were afraid that she would do something stupid, so they indulged her, but she became ignorant of the immensity of the world.

It was her fault after all.

If the marriage is arranged, the dowry will have to be prepared, which is another huge expense.

Maybe I will have to use Yaoyao's money.

It hurts to think about it.

She held her daughter's hand tightly. "Yaoyao, just as you said, I'll record every single one of these accounts. When your father and brother return, I'll have them pay you back with interest. A family thrives only when they work together. You'll be in charge of everything in this family. If anyone dares to complain, I'll whip them."

"Mother, what are you talking about? I am also a daughter of the Lu family. What matters most is that I help take care of my sister-in-law and the children so that my father and brothers don't have to worry about anything."

After Lu Qingyao finished speaking, she continued, "As for Mingxi and Zhizhi, this is my arrangement. Mingxi will follow me in business and manage the cloth shop. If she can handle things on her own in the future, she will be in charge of the cloth shop's business."

"Okay, I'll listen to you, aunt." Lu Mingxi agreed with both hands. He had been eager to become self-reliant.

He is the only male member of the Lu family in the capital, and has the obligation to support the Lu family.

There is no reason to let my aunt support the Lu family alone.

When little Zhizhi heard her aunt say her name, she ran over and stood in front of her, "Auntie, what about me? What can I do?"

"You should just study with Miaomiao. When you have free time, you can accompany your grandmother and aunt with Miaomiao to relieve their boredom." Lu Qingyao smiled and touched her head.

At this age, the ladies in the capital have already read a lot of books and started to learn the rules and etiquette.

But my little niece fell behind in her studies while in exile.

It needs to be replenished.

Mrs. Lan had no objection, as what her son meant was exactly what she thought.

My daughter is very happy that her sister-in-law has arranged someone to teach her.

She was living with her sister-in-law for free, and she didn't feel at ease. She looked at Lu Qingyao and said, "Third sister, see if there is anything I can do for you. Just make the arrangements."

Lu Qingyao had already thought about it in her mind, so she said directly: "How about helping me take care of the affairs of the mansion, sister-in-law?"

My eldest sister-in-law, Lan, is the daughter of my father's subordinate. She was engaged to my eldest brother since she was a child.

She was almost trained by the Lan family as the mistress of the house.

Although she was born into a family of military generals, she is both civil and military, and when she stands outside, she is a dignified and graceful lady.

Not to mention taking care of the rear house, Lu Qingyao felt relieved to leave the household chores to her.

Lan didn't expect her sister-in-law to trust her so much.

She didn't hesitate and took it without hesitation, "Don't worry, Third Sister, I will take good care of the house and won't let you have any worries."

This can be considered as doing my part to reduce the burden on my sister-in-law.

After hearing this, Lin couldn't sit still anymore. Her sister-in-law was clearly leaning towards the eldest wife.

All the good jobs have been taken by my sister-in-law and her family.

In the past, the eldest sister-in-law was the head of the Lu family, and now she is still in charge of the household expenses.

This family didn't treat her as one of their own.

She looked at Lu Qingyao eagerly, with a hint of dissatisfaction in her eyes, "Third sister, what about me and Yun'er?"

…