Chapter 105 Chapter 105 Two Chapters in One
Luo Da stayed in Daming Prefecture for three days. As usual, Jinniang rewarded him with two pieces of cloth and five strings of coins. She also prepared some travel expenses and some special products of Daming Prefecture for him to take back to his parents and the Sixth Master.
Before the New Year's Eve, Zhuangtou Fan and Manager Yao also hurried over, and Jiang Xian also came out to meet them. In addition to sending over 360 taels of silver, Fan Zhuangtou also sent over two jars of pickled shad and two jars of salted duck eggs, while Manager Yao sent over 200 taels.
Jinniang specially rewarded Fan Zhuangtou with 20 taels and Manager Yao with 15 taels, as well as some other clothes. She also asked Liu Doer to take them on a two-day tour in Daming Prefecture and helped them hire a boat to go back. This time, the two of them brought all the money first and asked Jinniang to pay their wages. Luo Da asked him to take out his money in advance and then hand in the rest.
Jinniang put all the money into the money box, and she took out 20 strings of Jiang Xian's salary to prepare for the New Year.
There is no way. They have spent too much money this year and have to save more. Otherwise, their plan to buy a house will be a long way off. Up to now, apart from the 4,000 taels that cannot be used, they only have 3,700 strings of cash on hand.
After sorting out the finances, Jinniang breathed a sigh of relief.
"On the way to Daming Prefecture, our family made clothes. Now we can just spend the New Year with peace of mind." Jinniang said with a smile.
Jiang Xian said: "My wife still takes good care of it."
"What is good to manage and what is not, our family is poor, so we have to sort it out more. Fortunately, your monthly salary has increased now, so you don't need to use the money you have. Master Song gets eight strings of cash a month, and the rest of the people get three strings in total. In addition, there are nine strings of cash left over from food and drink, and two strings can be deducted." Jinniang calculated.
Jiang Xian likes Jinniang like this, she is clean and clear in everything she does. It's so beautiful to see her so confident and confident...
The two of them discussed it, and then Ning Ge'er came in from outside wearing a hood, with his exposed nose red.
When the little guy came in, he bowed first and then ran over.
Jinniang joked, "Our Ning brother is indeed a scholar, and now he knows etiquette."
"Mom, when are we going to have a barbecue?" Ning Ge'er still remembered the barbecue that Jin Niang mentioned last time.
Originally, Jinniang was planning to have a barbecue last time, but Wu's son died and she was busy with follow-up matters, so she didn't have time to take care of it. I didn't expect that the little guy still remembered it.
Jinniang always took children's requests seriously. She said to Jiang Xian, "How about we have a barbecue tomorrow? We can do it behind the small window of Linglong Pavilion, how about that?"
Why do we need to ask Jiang Xian’s opinion? Mainly, I want him to bake.
Jiang Xian readily agreed.
"Child, kiss your father." Jinniang said jokingly.
Ning Ge'er really wanted to kiss Jiang Xian, so the father and son went over there to make trouble again. Jinniang got up and went to Yun Jie'er's west wing. The child was left alone and was actually doing needlework by herself.
The mother and daughter exchanged a few words. Jinniang talked about the barbecue tomorrow. She then instructed the maid to tell the girl not to wear light-colored clothes and to let her daughter go to bed early before returning to the main room.
Unexpectedly, the father and son who were quarreling just now fell asleep on the bed. Ning Ge'er was still smacking his lips. Jinniang tucked in the quilt for them and read poetry beside them.
The next morning, she went to Magistrate Wang's house with Madam Qian. At this time, Mrs. Wu had cheered up, but she could still see that something was wrong, so the two of them comforted her. On the contrary, Madam Wang, although the grandson was raised by her, she looked very calm when his death occurred.
Whoever’s child it is, he or she will love it.
But even in front of Madam Qian, she would not say these secret thoughts in her heart.
It was Madam Qian who came out of Wang's house and smiled: "I heard that you and the Wei family have recognized each other as relatives. This is really good news. Madam Wei is a person who is very ambitious. This is not easy."
"I don't know how we got along so well." Jinniang thought that God was very kind to her. Her luck was average at ordinary times, but she always had some good luck at critical moments.
Madam Qian saw that Jinniang was not a person who was scheming for personal gain. Although she was on good terms with them, she did not always come out. Whenever she heard people talking about salt permits, traffic permits or money, she would not say a word. It is said that if her subordinates gave her gifts, even if they were a little valuable, she would return them because her family was wealthy and she did not want any gifts.
However, it doesn’t mean that rich people don’t love money. Most people who are rich are still greedy.
When she came back from outside, the cold wind was blowing. When she got into the house, Ah Ying quickly helped her take off her raccoon sleeves and shivered, "My wife, it's really cold outside."
"You should also take better care of yourself. Get another hot water bottle from me. Rest early after work. Don't be like me before. I endured a long period just to make money. And Dou'er loves to eat and drink, so don't always talk about him. I have a box of steamed fruit filling that Madam Qian gave me. You can take some back." Jinniang said with concern.
Ah Ying loves these soothing words the most. Her wife always gives her money in private, so she doesn't care about those who sneakily steal things from the master's house.
At noon, the servants carried a green-glazed ceramic oven and some ingredients to Linglong Pavilion, and Jinniang and Jiang Xian took their children there.
Ah Ying was in charge of the tea room. She first prepared some basil drink and then went downstairs to make jasmine tea. Ju Xiang was also baking buns, and Chun Xian brought a fruit plate.
So Jiang Xian started to roast. After he finished roasting for the first time, he saw Jinniang and his children sitting in a row and looking at him. He put it on Jinniang's plate first. He had no choice but to give it to her first.
Jinniang didn't give it to the children like other mothers did, but wrapped it in lettuce and ate it. She also made one for Jiang Xian: "Just open your mouth."
Jiang Xian quickly opened his mouth and looked at Jinniang and just smiled.
In the past, he always felt that he had many friends and relatives, but in the end he was a lonely person without any help. At least he married a wife who planned everything for him, devoted her whole heart to him, and gave him such a good home.
First, Jiang Xian had roasted mutton, pork, and crucian carp. Jinniang ate the first portion and refused to eat more. The two children had also satisfied their cravings, so they were allowed to have tea and drinks. While they were talking, they heard from outside that Second Madam Zhen had arrived.
Jinniang smiled and said, "We are having barbecue right now, let's invite her over to have a plate."
Jiang Xian went to the study first, as it was not convenient for him to stay here.
From time to time, Dou Yuan came over. She was wearing a soft pink jacket on her upper body and a soft yellow skirt on her lower body. She was as delicate as a piece of jade, like a beautiful girl. Seeing that it was warm here and smelling the aroma of roasted meat, she sat down without hesitation and ate half a plate of meat and drank some drinks before saying, "I didn't expect my cousin and his wife to be so happy."
Jinniang smiled and said, "It's only because he's at home that we can do this. On weekdays, the children have to study, your cousin has to go on business, and I'm busy everywhere, so we can never get together."
The two chatted for a while, and Jinniang saw that she had something to do, so she went to the front hall to talk again.
It turned out that Dou Yuan came here for her brother's relatives. In fact, she didn't want Jinniang and the others to help: "Her cousin from her natal family fought with someone for a concubine and ended up beating someone to death. The lawsuit couldn't be accepted in Guantao, so it has been submitted to Daming Prefecture. Now they are asking us to find a solution. My mother-in-law said that we are all relatives, so we should settle the matter first."
Even though Jinniang and Dou Yuan had a good relationship, she would refuse the first thing she did when faced with this kind of situation: "This is a murder case. You can pretend to agree and just say that your cousin disagrees, and then you can reply. This way, you can also give an explanation to your family."
Killing someone means paying with one's life, and owing money means paying it back. This is the most simple will of the common people. There is no need to ask Jiang Xian, Jinniang can just refuse directly. Of course, we also have to help Dou Yuan think of a way out so that she will not be blamed.
Dou Yuan said gratefully: "This... won't cause any trouble to my cousin, right?"
"If you are asked to do something, and you help this person today and that person tomorrow, you will offend more people. Besides, your cousin is a very upright person. He would even return the valuable gifts from minor officials. You have done your best in this matter. The so-called 'fighting and killing' is one of the ten evils." Jinniang said seriously.
Dou Yuan knew that her cousin's wife was quite good at business. In the past few days, many managers and shopkeepers came to give her money, not only in terms of money, but also in terms of personal connections. Not only did she have a good relationship with Madam Qian and others, she was even related to the Wei family in this mansion, and she had only been here for a few months. These people are the ones who can do big things, while those who try to please others on a daily basis are the ones who are just trying to please others.
Dou Yuan sat with Jinniang for a while and then went back. She said in front of her mother-in-law: "I tried to persuade him, but my cousin refused to give in. I had no choice."
Her sister-in-law Zhuang said, "Sister-in-law, these are all relatives... My cousin sent five hundred taels of silver, let's go over there together."
"Money? I'm afraid you can't send it in. His family doesn't even accept tributes. They are only concerned about the public." Dou Yuan sighed.
Zhuang was quite dissatisfied, but she could not get angry either, so she asked her husband to talk to Zhen Erlang. Zhen Erlang did come over, and Jiang Xian asked the kitchen to prepare four hot dishes, four cold dishes, two soups, and six kinds of fine fruits, and the banquet was ready. Jiang Xian smiled and said, "Erlang is very good at studying. What will he do if he becomes the ruler of a region in the future?"
This was a question about his ambitions. Zhen Erlang did say something in a high-sounding manner. He was thinking about his relatives and was just looking for a suitable opportunity to speak. Then he heard Jiang Xian say, "I do have a saying. When you are in the academy, you should not let a single piece of paper enter the government. Erlang is a scholar. If he studies hard in the future, he will definitely rise to a high position in the future. I am afraid that even I will be behind him."
Zhen Erlang was also a smart man. He knew that it was not appropriate for him to speak any more about these matters, so he quickly said modestly, "Cousin, what are you talking about?"
After the meal, Zhen Erlang said goodbye.
Jinniang smiled and said, "A gentleman loves his mouth, a peacock loves his feathers, a tiger and a leopard loves his claws. These are all ways to treat the body."
Jiang Xian agreed: "My wife is right." But in his heart he was thinking that a fourth-rank official's indirect relative was not worth sacrificing his reputation for this. Five hundred taels are considered a treasure. His wife can earn one or two thousand taels a year by managing the household, not to mention saving four thousand taels.
But these were his true feelings, and he dared not tell them to his wife.
Last time he wrote poems to make it easier for his wife to win, but she refused. It was only then that he cooked a table of delicious food that she was able to coax her.
On the twenty-sixth day of the twelfth lunar month, Jinniang first went to deliver New Year gifts to her colleagues, the newly allied Wei family, and the Zhen family across the street. The gifts included a fresh lamb, two jars of Diliu wine, a piece of bright red silk, a piece of embroidered satin, and a hundred rose-filled pastries.
The door gods, couplets, plaques, peach charms, etc. were replaced in front of and behind the house.
All the servants in the house came to kowtow to Jinniang and Jiang Xian, and they gave them additional rewards such as handkerchiefs, silver, and rulers. There were also return gifts from the Wei family, including two ends of lake blue jacquard silk, a piece of bright red brocade, a fresh pig, a load of fruit snacks, two pots of daffodils, and two pots of wintersweets. Not to mention that the gifts from each family were almost the same, Jinniang accepted them all, so it wasn't a loss to give these gifts back and forth.
However, Dou Yuan was also busy after sending the return gift. Old Madam Zhen loved the hustle and bustle, so she had to plan the program for the Yunxiao Festival in advance. She was very busy. At this time, someone outside said that the third wife of the He family had come to deliver a New Year gift, so Dou Yuan had to put down the list in her hand and have someone bring the person in.
The third lady of the He family was of course Madam Zhou Er. She told Madam He that she came here personally to show her sincerity. Madam He thought that her current state was an improvement, so she let her come.
Dou Yuan had a lot of things to do. When Mrs. Zhou Er came in, she smiled and said, "Please sit down, Third cousin. How can I let you come over? I can just send someone to take you over."
"I have nothing to do anyway, so I might as well come to your place." Mrs. Zhou Er naturally came here with a purpose.
Dou Yuan thought that although she and Zhou Erniang were relatives, they were not familiar with each other, so she just wanted to say a few words. This week Zhou Erniang came here to inquire about Jin Niang's current power. Of course, she wanted to speak out loud and clear, but what if others didn't believe her or even took action against her?
So the two of them exchanged a few words indifferently, and then Madam Zhou Er put down her teacup and said, "By the way, I wonder what the origin of the wife of Magistrate Jiang whom I met that day was? We are all relatives, and I am afraid of offending her taboo."
Dou Yuan did not doubt her: "Oh, you mean your cousin's wife? Her family is not from an official family, but it is quite wealthy and she likes to study. Although her younger brother did not pass the imperial examination, he is also a student of the Imperial College. Don't worry about offending her. She is a very easy-going person."
The more Madam Zhou Er listened, the more strange it seemed to her. How could a slave suddenly marry a young man from an aristocratic family? The family is wealthy, where could a slave get so much money? Could it be that he stole the Zhou family’s money?
But if she asked more questions, Dou Yuan would become suspicious, so Zhou Erniang had to stop.
Originally, she could have asked Mrs. Zhou Si, but she was afraid that she would laugh at her in her heart and say that the maid she had humiliated was now an official's wife. So she decided not to ask again and wait until the third day of the New Year to come and listen to the opera.
**
On New Year's Eve, the children became listless after staying up for a while, so Jinniang asked the servants to make a pot of jasmine tea, and sat with Jiang Xian.
"I'll write a poem for you later. Although I've been busy these days, I haven't given up learning poetry." Jinniang said.
Jiang Xian nodded lazily. He knew his wife's level and was too embarrassed to expose it.
But when Jinniang took out the piece of poem, he savored it and found it quite interesting. If it could only be considered one point out of ten before, it is now worth five or six points. At least the parallelism is much neater.
"My lady, I'm not trying to praise you, but the poems you write are becoming more and more impressive."
Jinniang was delighted: "This is great."
Seeing her like this, Jiang Xian couldn't help but laugh: "I thought you had given up, but I didn't expect you to be more courageous after more setbacks. Not bad, not bad."
Being praised by her husband who was a successful Jinshi, Jinniang was so encouraged that she was so happy that she fell asleep with her head down like a chicken pecking at rice.
On the second day of the Lunar New Year, Mrs. Wei specially sent someone to pick up Jinniang and took her back home, just as if she were one of her own family members. Jinniang took Jiang Xian and their two children back home. The Wei family was a large family. Although Jinniang was not a real member of the Wei family, her husband was the magistrate of Daming Prefecture, and the Jiang family also had two Jinshi (imperial examination candidates). She herself was not a flatterer.
When relatives leave, just leave as relatives. There is no need to ask for help from others. Naturally, you look very calm.
The Wei family also had married daughters, but some married in Bian Jing, and some married officials with royal titles. So Jinniang actually became someone of high status.
"Third aunt, your nephew will offer you a cup of wine." Wei Qilang came over with a silver kettle.
Jinniang took it quickly and just smiled: "How can I let you hold the cup for me?"
Wei Qilang smiled and said, "My mother said so."
In fact, colds usually heal in about seven days. Jinniang knew that he would soon recover, so she sent the Purple-robed Guanyin over. Mrs. Wei truly felt that it was this embroidered portrait that saved her son, and she was very grateful to Jinniang.
Jinniang knew that Madam Ji must be trying to get her daughter married into the Wei family, but she didn't have that intention, so she never mentioned letting Wei Qilang go to her house to play, or letting Yun Jie'er play with him.
After he finished pouring the wine, Jinniang rewarded him with a pair of red envelopes, each containing six small silver fish.
On the third day of the first lunar month, Mrs. Wei brought Wei Qilang to Jinniang's house. Jinniang even specially served him a hot drink in a golden cup and said, "The house is so haphazardly decorated, please don't mind the mess."
Mrs. Wei saw that there was a rosewood screen in the outer room and a double-sided gauze screen embroidered with peonies in the inner room, which gave her a very luxurious look.
"Madam Third Aunt, you are too modest. I think your home is well decorated." Mrs. Wei said with a smile.
At this time, Wei Qilang wanted to go to the toilet, so Jinniang asked him to stay in the toilet next to her house. When the child came out, she just said, "Why are there flowers, sandalwood, and a stove in your toilet? I don't think it's a toilet anymore."
In fact, at that time, the bathrooms of wealthy families all had incense burners and drying ovens, but Jinniang's was more exaggerated, with fresh flowers, gauze lanterns, and hanging wind chimes.
Jinniang smiled and said, "To be honest, your uncle always runs back home when he has to relieve himself. Wherever I go, other places are fine, but this toilet must be clean and tidy."
Mrs. Wei scolded her son, "Look at you, what are you saying?"
"I think Qilang is a good kid and very observant." Jinniang thought that so many people came to my house, but few of them praised my toilet. Today, someone finally discovered the beauty of my toilet, and it turned out to be an eight-year-old kid.
Mrs. Wei asked again: "What do you usually do at home?"
"I just do needlework and take care of the housework at home. I don't need to worry about the two children."
Ning Ge'er was talking the most when he said, "Mom is taking us to the Linglong Restaurant in the back to grill meat. Daddy will grill it and we will eat it as a family."
When Wei Qilang heard about barbecue, his eyes widened: "Is it just behind?"
Ning Ge'er nodded heavily: "Yes."
Wei Qilang was very interested, but Jinniang did not invite him. She could not afford it if someone got diarrhea from eating such a phoenix egg. She is very sensible. Don't think that just because you are related to her, she is your nephew.
So, Jinniang said with a smile: "You are greedy again." Then, she said to Madam Wei: "My child is a greedy cat, please don't be surprised, sister-in-law."
"On the contrary, I like Ning'er like this. He looks so handsome." Mrs. Wei saw Ning'er wearing a bright red brocade robe, a blue silk belt, and a blue silk hood with gold prints on his head. The little boy looked so good, and it was joyful to see him.
The two chatted for a few words and then went to the Zhen family together. At this time, the Zhen family was already full of guests. Mrs. Zhou and her mother-in-law, Mrs. He, were also there. They watched Mrs. Zhen leave a room full of guests and flatteringly welcome Mrs. Wei. It would be fine if it was just Madam Wei, but there was actually Jinniang standing next to her.
I heard Madam Zhen say, "Your sister-in-law and your sister-in-law came together."
As the saying goes, there is a seventh-rank official in front of the prime minister. Since the Wei family next door has married into the Wei family, their wealth is naturally extraordinary, not to mention that he himself is a seventh-rank official.
Madam Zhou Er frowned: "Aunt and sister-in-law? When did Jin Niang and Wei Da Cao become related?"
However, it’s also good this way. The more glamorous she looks, the more she cares about everything now. At the same time, she was also afraid that people would expose her ugly side.
Mrs. Wei sat down, and Jinniang and Qianniang sat together. She was talking to Lan about writing poetry: "The peonies I planted at home are blooming very well. How about we start a poetry club when the time comes?"
Lan said happily: "Okay, as long as you prepare good wine, there is no reason for me not to go."
Jinniang was feeling happy when she accidentally caught a glimpse of Zhou Erniang's eyes looking at her, which had a hint of ill intention. Jinniang glared back without hesitation. She was not afraid that Madam Zhou Er would recognize her, because she didn't even have the qualifications to speak in such an occasion.
It was always Old Lady Wang, Old Lady Zhen and Mrs. Wei who were talking to each other. Occasionally, Mrs. Zhen and Mrs. Ji would interject, and others would think twice before trying to join in the conversation. Even Madam Qian found it difficult to say a word, let alone Madam Zhou Er.
Madam Zhou Er did try to tell others about it. She and Zhuang, who was accompanying the guests, said, "The wife of Magistrate Jiang seems like a servant in my house."
Zhuang frowned and asked, "What are you talking about, her cousin?"
"Yes, this is the aunt of Wei Dacao's family." said the eldest sister-in-law of the Luan family.
Mrs. Zhou Er was very upset. Finally, she walked up to Jinniang while she was watching the play and said, "I have something to tell you. If you don't come, I will make a fuss and let everyone know. I know you are Jinniang, who used to be a servant in my house. Don't play dumb. My third sister has told me everything."
Jinniang was so angry that she laughed: "Mrs. He San, you can yell as loud as you want. I'm not afraid of you."
She was actually not afraid and walked away leisurely.
By the time Jinniang reached this point, she had experienced similar situations before, and her psychological endurance was much stronger than before.
Madam Zhou Er knew that it was not easy for her to come here, so she immediately stepped forward and stood in front of Jinniang.
Jinniang looked at her: "What else do you want to do?"
"If you give me 15,000 strings of cash, we can go our separate ways from now on, and I will naturally not tell anyone about your ugly deeds." Madam Zhou Er was well-prepared for the matter. It was not easy for Wei Jinniang to marry into Madam Wei's family, and there were so many people staring at her and disliking her that they wanted to use this opportunity to bring her down.
Therefore, she had to ask for some money so that her daughter would have a dowry and even if they separated in the future, they would not have a hard life.
Jinniang narrowed her eyes: "Are you blackmailing me?"
"I see that you are now wearing a crown inlaid with kingfisher feathers, a sable fur coat, and brocade clothes. Your husband is an official, so this little money must be nothing to you," said Mrs. Zhou Er.
Jinniang laughed, "You are the second daughter of the Zhou family, married with a fortune, but now you have fallen to the point of begging. To be honest, I don't care about you at all. You are a mad dog barking at the sun and still think you are right. You are a fool."
"Are you really not afraid?" Mrs. Zhou Er felt that she was pretending to be strong.
Jinniang smiled again and said, "Look at me, then look at yourself. Who would think that I am a maid and you are the master?" At this point, she stopped smiling again and said, "You have humiliated me before, and I have already forgiven you generously. I never thought that you would not reflect on your own mistakes, but instead blackmail me. So I will not be polite to you."
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