After hearing this, Bin Ju quickly took out her handkerchief and wiped her tears: "It was my fault that I was so confused!"
Eleventh Lady's eyes were slightly wet, and she pointed at Mother Song and said, "This is Mother Song. I believe you have met her before. When she was young, she served the Madam Dowager, and the Madam Dowager specially recommended her to be the housekeeper in our house. You should meet her too!"
After hearing this, Bin Ju walked forward respectfully and bowed to Mother Song.
Mother Song bowed in return, saying she dared not, and said with a smile, "I have heard that Miss Binju in Madam's room is a loyal and honest person. Now that I have met her, I know that she is also easy-going and generous."
"I don't deserve such praise from my mother!" Bin Ju said modestly.
Amber smiled and covered her mouth: "Mother Song also says the wrong thing sometimes!"
Everyone was stunned.
Amber smiled and said, "Sister Binju can no longer be called 'girl'. You have to call her 'Wan Daxian's'."
Everyone laughed.
Binju blushed and scolded Amber: "You are the only one who can talk!"
She reveals some of the honesty and straightforwardness she had as a girl.
Eleventh Lady looked at her with joy and asked her, "Have you eaten yet?"
Bin Ju shook her head: "Not yet! I wanted to greet you first before going back to Goldfish Lane."
Eleventh Lady pondered for a moment and said, "Wait for me for a moment. I will go to greet the Madam first, and then we will have dinner together."
Bin Ju said hurriedly, "No need. If we are any later, the city will be under curfew."
There are still two hours until curfew.
You said this because you're afraid of having to explain yourself in front of the lady!
Eleventh Lady ordered Binju: "Follow me!"
Bin Ju replied “yes” and followed Shiyi Niang into the house.
Eleventh Lady asked the maid to bring a stool for her to sit on. She went into the room, washed up, and came out, sitting beside the kang and talking to her.
"Where's Wan Daxian?"
"I went to Butler Bai's place."
Mother Song, who was standing nearby, added, "Butler Wan and his wife came early in the morning. Butler Wan was inconvenienced in the inner courtyard, so he kowtowed to the lady and went to see Chief Butler Bai. Wan Daxian's wife has been waiting for you here!" She changed her words according to Amber's words.
"When will Wan Daxian return to work?"
"Manager Bai gave me forty days' leave!"
It takes a day to walk from here to Wan Daxian's house. Shiyi Niang asked, "Where are you going to stay tonight?"
Bin Ju was not used to talking to Shiyi Niang about this. Blushing, she whispered, "Let's rest in Goldfish Lane."
"So, what are your plans for the future?" Eleventh Lady asked softly.
Bin Ju's face turned even redder, and she stammered, "Da... Xian, you have one day off every month. My mother-in-law said that it's not good for us to separate like this. She asked me to rent a house nearby so that Da Xian can have hot meals and someone can help with the laundry. We plan to go out and look for a house tomorrow. Let's get it done before he starts working."
Eleventh Lady was somewhat surprised at the open-mindedness of Wan Zongyi's family.
"This is Hehuali, and renting a house here is probably not cheap." She pondered, "Wan Daxian is only a fourth-class steward now, and he needs to be promoted to second-class before he can live in the group room. We can ask Manager Bai to think of a way to make room for you in the cross-courtyard. But those who live there are only third- and fourth-class stewards or old women and maids, so it may be a bit messy..."
Before Shiyi Niang finished, Bin Ju hurriedly said, "Madam, I'm not asking you to find a house for me. Daxian has already inquired about it. He said that there are two or three empty courtyards behind our mansion, and only the gatekeepers and cleaners are left. The main house dares not be touched. But the gatekeepers dare to rent out the wing rooms where the servants live. Eight or nine taels of silver a year is enough. The two of us have also discussed it. He has a salary of twelve taels of silver a year, and the mansion provides food and clothing, so the twelve taels of silver can be left untouched." At this point, she pursed her lips and said, "I'm fine." He smiled, "Now I know that Madam is very far-sighted. You followed Master Jian to embroider, and I benefited from it. I took a few door curtains I had embroidered before to the wedding shop to sell. He said that others were given ten taels of silver, but mine was better embroidered and the patterns were new, so he gave me two taels of silver more. I calculated that each piece was three taels of silver. I can embroider one piece every three months, which means twelve taels of silver a year. The current price of rice is eight cents a bushel, which is enough for the two of us to eat for four or five months. And there is also the dowry you gave me. Even if I have a child, I won't have to worry!"
Eleventh Lady was stunned when she heard this: "You, you have a child?"
"No, no." Bin Ju shook her hands repeatedly, her face red as if blood could drip out, "It's not that I have a child, it's that my mother-in-law said that we are not young anymore, and asked us to have a baby earlier..."
Eleventh Lady couldn't help but laugh.
I'm afraid one of the important reasons why Wan Zongyi's family let Binju follow Wan Daxian to the city was that they wanted to have a grandson sooner!
She thought about it.
The two of them didn't wait or rely on others, but worked hard to plan their lives. I should respect their efforts. Moreover, as long as Wan Daxian worked hard, the annual salary of a third-class steward was 15 taels, the salary of a second-class steward was 20 taels, and the salary of a first-class steward was 40 taels...
Eleventh Lady nodded slightly: "Okay. You guys just look for a house first! If anything happens, we can discuss it later."
Binju breathed a sigh of relief.
Wan Daxian said that if you want others to look up to you, you can't always rely on others. You have to bear the bitterness yourself, and then you can enjoy the sweetness.
She thought this made sense. She had been worried that Eleventh Lady would disagree.
Eleventh Lady smiled and called Amber, "Send a little maid to tell Manager Bai that I'm keeping Binju for dinner, and ask Wan Daxian to come pick her up in an hour."
"Madam!" Bin Ju stood up quickly.
Eleventh Lady waved her hands: "Just listen to me." Then she instructed Mother Song, "Let our own small kitchen fry some shad, make some yam chicken soup, stir-fry some pickled bamboo shoots, and stew some crystal pork elbow." At this point, she smiled at Bin Ju, "I remember, this dish is your favorite!"
Binju smiled a little embarrassedly and said, "Madam, you have a really good memory!"
"I'm not old yet!" Eleventh Lady joked with her and said, "Cut some goose feet and duck breasts that were used up in wine lees before the New Year and make some seasonal fresh vegetables."
Mother Song calculated that this was as much as the amount she would give to entertain the grandmothers. No wonder everyone said that Bin Ju was the most proud person in front of the Fourth Madam. She did not dare to be negligent and said hurriedly, "Madam, don't worry, I'll go right away!"
Eleventh Lady asked Zhu Xiang to sit with Bin Ju, and she went to see the lady.
The lady knew that today was the day Bin Ju came back home, so she said before she could say anything: "I don't need you to serve me here. You can talk to Bin Ju and then treat her to a meal. It will be a favor she has shown you."
Eleventh Lady was very grateful and said, "I was just about to tell you about this! I didn't expect you to speak first."
The lady smiled and patted her hands.
Eleventh Lady returned to her own courtyard and asked Amber, Zhuxiang, Luyun, Hongxiu, Yanrong and others to come and accompany Binju. Mother Song directed the little maid to set the table, and Eleventh Lady sat at the table on the kang. Mother Song brought a small square table and placed it beside the kang. Binju, Amber and others sat around it, and everyone talked and laughed while eating.
A few days later, Bin Ju came to tell Shiyi Niang that she had found a house. It was less than a cup of tea away from Xu's house. She made a pair of shoes for the gatekeeper and reduced the price of the house from eight taels of silver to seven taels of silver.
Shiyi Niang was very happy to hear this. After hesitating for a long time, she asked Zhu Xiang to bring a large stack of Korean paper to Bin Ju: "… to paper her house. And by the way, take a look at what her living place is like?"
She was afraid that Binju would only report good news and not bad news.
Zhu Xiang covered her mouth and laughed, but she came back after a meal: "The place is pretty good. It faces south and has two main rooms with a small step back. There is a pomegranate tree at the door and a banana tree behind the door. Although it is a bit remote, there is a private alley outside the door, so it is quiet. I just think it is a waste to use the paper you gave me to paste the wall. I said I would keep it to write for my brother-in-law Wan!"
Eleventh Lady laughed, then sighed: "Binju, now she is really married!"
Zhu Xiang stood aside and laughed.
Hong Xiu was surprised and asked, "Can marriage be true or false?"
Seeing that she didn't understand, Eleventh Lady changed the subject: "The second day of April is the full moon of Fifth Sister's eldest son. You asked her to help with sewing and make some small clothes. Go and see how it's going?"
Zhu Xiang left immediately.
Hong Xiu couldn't help feeling a little embarrassed.
A little maid came in and reported: "Madam, the Xiang family's eldest uncle and grandmother are here!"
Eleventh Lady was very surprised: "The eldest aunt of the Xiang family? Is the one who came to see me the second wife?"
The little maid smiled and said, "She said she came to see you."
Why don’t you go to see the second wife but come to see me first?
Apart from Xu Siyu's marriage, Eleventh Lady couldn't think of anything else that she needed to see her about!
"Please invite Madam Xiang in!" she instructed the maid, then changed her clothes and went to the door to greet her.
There was a hint of unhappiness between Mrs. Xiang's brows, and because of her tall stature, she looked a little menacing.
Eleventh Lady found it even more strange.
Even if the marriage between the two families failed, they just need to make it clear. Why do you come here with such a stern face? Is there some misunderstanding?
She smiled and sat down in the hall with Mrs. Xiang. After the maid brought the tea, she took a sip from the teacup and her expression eased.
"Last time my sister-in-law was sick, you bothered us to ask our aunt to bring some things to visit her. I'm so sorry." She said politely, "Today I came here specially to thank the fourth lady!"
If Mrs. Gao was really sick, she would have specially thanked the Second Madam for visiting her. Although she shouldn't have been grateful to the point of tears, she should have been happy. Why did she look so reluctant?
Eleventh Lady guessed secretly.
The reason why the Second Madam was so sure that the marriage between the two families could be accomplished was because Lord Xiang agreed to the marriage without hesitation. Could it be that Mrs. Xiang was forced to renew her old relationship with him under pressure from Lord Xiang?
"Mrs. Xiang, you're welcome!" She responded to Mrs. Xiang. "I should have gone to visit in person, but there were so many things going on at home during those days. Is Mrs. Gao's illness getting better?"
Mrs. Xiang greeted her and said, "Thank you, Fourth Madam, for your concern. My sister-in-law has recovered a long time ago. But my sister-in-law has always been strong, and her sudden illness made people worried, so I stayed to take care of her for a few more days."
"I heard that Madam Xiang grew up with Madam Gao, so I guess they have a special bond. It's reasonable for her to serve her for a few more days."
The two of them exchanged pleasantries over half a cup of tea.
Mrs. Xiang suggested meeting the old lady: "...I should apologize to her for being disrespectful in the temple last time!"
It was very rude at that time. Eleventh Lady could not make the decision on behalf of the Lady Dowager. She smiled and accompanied Mrs. Xiang to the Lady Dowager.
※
Post the draft first, and catch bugs later!