Chapter 116 Chapter 116 Two Chapters in One
"Sister Luo is so good." Jinniang was touching Zhen Luo's little bald head and felt it felt very good.
Dou Yuan also pinched her daughter's feet, and said lovingly: "During the Cold Food Festival, the Han family sent a generous gift. I am really happy for her."
Jinniang smiled and said, "Mrs. Liu is a very particular person."
Although the eldest son of the Han family was born out of wedlock, he was still the eldest son, and Han Xiao respected her very much. Madam Liu's position was very stable, and the concubines all tried to curry favor with her.
Dou Yuan touched her belly and said, "I don't have any other hope, I just want to have another son, so that the Zhuang family won't be so arrogant. This way, our Luo Jie'er will have someone to rely on in the future."
"Don't worry, you and your wife have a good relationship now. This is a matter of time." Jinniang came to the ancient times. She could only stick to some of her own ideas, but she would not interfere in other people's lives.
Dou Yuan asked again with a smile: "Is my cousin not here today?"
"In the study. Now the Transportation Department, the Criminal Justice Department, and the Grain and Oil Department are going to start evaluating the performance of officials. This year it is particularly strict. I heard that an official who was recommended two years ago went to Beijing but failed the selection by the Ministry of Personnel. Won't it be strict this time?" Jinniang said.
Dou Yuan said, "Even for my husband, the imperial examination was very difficult. Even if you want to be appointed by imperial favor, it is very strict. You have to be over 25 years old, and you have to take exams on policy essays and poems. Even the law requires you to answer half of the ten questions correctly to pass."
It is not easy to be an official, and Jinniang thought it would be simple before.
As the two were talking, they heard that the boy from the third room had vomited milk.
"If you vomit milk, just call a doctor." Dou Yuan said.
Jinniang thought that because Zhuang had given birth to two sons, she became more arrogant than before and ordered her sister-in-law Dou Yuan around for no reason. Even for such a small matter as hiring a doctor, Dou Yuan had to go and ask him in person.
In this case, Jinniang couldn't stay any longer, so she handed the child to Luo Jie'er's foster mother and said, "I'll go back now and come back to talk in a few days."
"Cousin~" Dou Yuan hated Zhuang to death. She had finally found an opportunity to talk to her relative, and Zhuang must have done it on purpose.
Jinniang smiled and said, "Go and get busy."
"Okay." Dou Yuan had no choice but to ask someone to invite someone.
But after Jinniang came back, she saw Ruyan coming and invited her in.
Now that I know Ruyan is getting married, I come here specifically to send myself a message.
"There is such good news. I wonder which family is proposing the marriage?" Jinniang asked hurriedly.
Ruyan smiled and said, "He's not some high-ranking official, but the accountant of my store."
"Where is he from?" Jinniang asked, afraid that she had trusted the wrong person again.
Ruyan said, "He is a local of Daming Prefecture. The deed to the teahouse I rented belongs to his family. It's just that his parents passed away and he is not good at running the business, so he rented it to me. But don't worry, although his parents passed away, his grandfather is still alive. He is not very wealthy, but he has some influence in the local area."
Seeing her clear-headed analysis, Jinniang smiled and said, "Okay, that's good. We don't know if we can stay in Daming Prefecture this year. If not, I'll be relieved to see that you have a home."
Ruyan had no relatives, so naturally she wanted to ask Jinniang to help her. Jinniang agreed as she wished and cleaned up a room for her in Linglong Pavilion so that when the time came for her to get married from the Tuiguan Mansion, no one would dare to bully her.
Jinniangyin had received Ruyan's share of money before, but she was not allowed to pay for her wedding this time. Ruyan was considerate and said, "You helped me to arrange the wedding and let me get married in the mansion. It's already a great favor. I have to pay for it. I really have no place to live."
"Don't say that. This is what I should do." Jinniang said.
Ruyan was a considerate person. She knew that Jinniang often married people with auspicious gifts, so she had no choice but to say, "You don't want me to pay, but I invited you to be my bride, so I must accept the wedding money."
After a while of pushing and pulling, Jinniang had no choice but to accept it, but she also used it all for her wedding.
First, he bought her two clever maids and a servant, and then gave the indenture to Ruyan. He also asked a tailor to sew eight blankets and eight quilts, and an embroidery workshop to make shoes, socks and clothes for the bride.
These are just small things, and there is also the mother-of-pearl bed, screen, beauty couch, dressing table, etc. that I bought for Ruyan.
The family was also very busy. Ruyan felt very embarrassed. Her wedding date was set urgently, but she wanted others to take care of it and didn't pay her. The money she finally gave to Quanfu was all spent on her.
Jinniang had prepared her own dowry before, and she still had the list from that time. Now it was quite easy for her to draft it according to the list.
When the man heard that Ruyan was the cousin of the magistrate's wife, he was also very happy, and his grandfather took out a hundred strings of cash as a betrothal gift. Jinniang included her in Ruyan's dowry. Two days before the Dragon Boat Festival, Ruyan was married, and three days later she brought the man home.
Jinniang saw that the man did not seem to have any ulterior motives, and Ruyan was also a smart person, so she prepared gifts for them. In fact, Ruyan relies on her just like she relies on Madam Wei.
She married into the Wei family, but the Wei family treated her like an aunt, so she would also treat Ruyan in their shoes.
Ruyan saw that the gifts included jewelry, colorful satin, honey, steamed cakes, goose eggs, tea cakes, geese, sheep, and fruits, filling two carts.
"My lady, the judge is really good to you."
"Yes, she saved me when I was in trouble, and now she is the one who arranged my marriage. It shows that there is loyalty among us women."
Having been in the world of prostitution for a long time, she doesn't trust anyone. The girls in the brothel all have different faces. They are ruthless in snatching business and everyone is used to deceiving each other.
But this Madam Wei was not a weak person who could be bullied. She was even quite scheming. However, she knew about her own schemes and deceptions and was not angry. Instead, she was quite understanding of her.
Because she could see how difficult it was for her, and everything she did was just for self-protection.
…
After Ruyan's marriage was arranged, it was already May, and Jinniang was already asking someone to look for a house. No matter where his term ends, the positions in Daming Prefecture are almost full now, so he probably won't stay in Daming Prefecture forever.
Mother Fang said, "It would be great if we could go back to Beijing. Daming Prefecture is good, but Beijing is even better. We don't have to move back and forth like this."
"As the saying goes, moving three times is like having a fire once. We don't want to do that, but there's no other way. My husband is taking up a new post, so we have to leave with him." Jinniang said with a smile.
Mother Fang also nodded: "You are right, we can't let my husband take the office alone." The wife can also make a lot of good relatives, which is better than anything else.
However, Fang's mother said to Jinniang, "Why are you so kind to Ruyan? Although she gave us a share, if we weren't behind her, she would have been eaten alive long ago."
Jinniang smiled and said, "Since ancient times, great kindness is like great hatred. If I don't ask for anything, she can't repay my kindness, and I'm afraid she will definitely have a deep hatred for me in the future. But if I ask for the money, it's only natural, and I'm afraid she will think I'm taking advantage of her, so marrying her off this time is fair."
Mother Fang suddenly realized that everything he said was logical and well-founded.
Moreover, she did not take these things for granted just because she saved others. Her understanding of human nature is simply outrageous.
Ah Ying sent the broker away and came in again and said, "Madam, do you know that the Xia family spent twenty strings of cash to buy a house?"
"Twenty strings of cash to buy a house? What house did she buy?" Jinniang asked.
Ah Ying said, "It's a three-story house in the north of the city, with more than twenty rooms in total."
Jinniang frowned: "Was it a gift from the merchant?"
"No, it's a private house." Aying said.
Jinniang said, "That's really strange. Who would sell such a big house for only 20 strings of cash? I think there must be something fishy about this."
When Jiang Xian came back, Jinniang told him about this matter: "I think we can investigate this matter. If the judge writes your evaluation randomly, it will be a handle."
Jiang Xian nodded: "My lady is thinking about this."
"Let's stop talking and eat first." Jinniang said with a smile.
The servants began to serve the meal, and Jinniang asked someone to stew some nourishing soup. She had been quite worried recently, so she drank some nourishing soup.
After dinner, Jinniang began to clean up the boxes. In the past three years, Jinniang really didn't dare to buy anything extra, for fear that it would be difficult to move them when she moved. By then, the things will be too bulky and heavy, which is not good.
Therefore, her current New Year gifts are all made by giving away the tea and silk cloth she already has.
Last year, Luo Jieer got engaged to the eldest son of the Han family, and Jinniang received 100 taels of silver and cloth and raw silk. She was talking to Jiang Xian, "Last time, I bought a pair of jade pendants for Wei Qilang at the jade shop. I originally wanted to use the 100 taels I got from the Zhen family, but later I used the saved tea and silk cloth to pawn them off, and emptied out six boxes. But we have to keep some back as gifts, as there are many favors in the capital."
These were all decided by Jinniang. Jiang Xian never cared. Then he heard Jinniang say, "We can keep some clothes for future wear. There are also some clothes that we don't want to wear anymore, but the materials are really good. We might as well take them to the pawn shop."
You must practice decluttering, otherwise these clothes will just be at the bottom of the box when you take them back.
Jiang Xian was a little embarrassed: "Madam, why don't we rent two big boats to go back?"
"I know you are reluctant to do so, but some of your clothes you haven't worn for two years. After we buy the house this time, you won't have to bring everything with you even if you go to work as an official in other places in the future." Jinniang advised.
Jiang Xian pulled Jinniang to sit down and said, "Madam, that's not the way to say it. We have a lot of stuff and it would be a pity to throw it away. Why don't we let Liu Dou'er take a batch of unworn clothes or bulky items back to Tianshui Lane first? Isn't that the best of both worlds?"
Jinniang was just afraid that they had too many things and it would be too high-profile when they returned.
Thinking of this, Jinniang said, "This is great. Let's have them quietly find a broker to ask for the price of a house with three courtyards or a garden. This way, we can find it right away after we go back for a few days. However, if we don't go back to Beijing so quickly, we will have a lot less luggage to carry when we go to the next place."
Jiang Xian thought, my wife really won’t believe anyone’s promise until the last moment.
So steady.
After receiving the order, Liu Doer took a few people and transported forty boxes and crates back three days later. Those boxes and crates were filled with mostly tea, raw silk, cloth, robes, embroidered screens, books, etc.
He left before dawn in the morning, so many people were unaware of it.
The supervisor's evaluation came out, and someone Jiang Xian knew had told him that he was rated top, so he breathed a sigh of relief.
As for Madam Xia, Jinniang and Jiang Xian also found out that this house was bought by Lord Xia after Madam Xia took a fancy to it. After Jiang Xian sent Cao Da to collect evidence, he held the evidence in his hands.
Madam Xia was still unaware of what was happening. She was discussing with Judge Xia: "We have to hold a housewarming party and make it a good one."
"It's up to you, it's up to you." Xia Tongpan was happy as long as Madam Xia didn't bother him.
Mrs. Xia thought this was a good thing. When Judge Xia left, another woman selling Cuihua came to the door. These gossipy women loved to hang around in wealthy families, spread news, and cause trouble. Unfortunately, Madam Xia had a bad relationship with all the ladies here, and she looked down on the ladies of the minor officials under her because their status was too low.
"Madam Judge, I have some new jewelry here. Let me show it to you," said the old woman.
Madam Xia smiled and said, "I called you over because I heard you say that the Chief Justice has a brother-in-law who is too short to marry, right?"
The old woman said, "You have a good memory. He is a decent man, but he is short. They said that if you can find a good marriage for him, they will give him 30% of the matchmaker's fee."
Mrs. Xia was shocked when she heard that. It was two hundred taels. She immediately had an idea: "I do know a family with a beautiful girl. Her family is also a scholarly family. The rice in the house is rotten. The girl's grandfather was a teacher at Songshan Academy, and her father was a clerk in the government office."
The mother-in-law was delighted: "If there is such a good thing, I will trouble you."
Madam Xia tried to mix up both sides, but the girl's family did not agree after meeting the boy. Madam Xia also wanted to use her status as the judge's wife to put pressure on them.
…
By the end of May, the marriage was actually settled. Mrs. Xia was so happy that her mouth was crooked with smile when she received the matchmaker's money.
When Jinniang heard about this, she also found it incredible: "Ms. Cheng is beautiful and passionate, why did she marry a man like Luo Tixing's brother-in-law? It's really like a toad wanting to eat swan meat."
The appearance is really not matching.
"It's all Xia Huazi's fault." Aying said bluntly.
Xia Huazi is the nickname given to Mrs. Xia by everyone, saying that she likes to take advantage of others.
Jinniang was speechless: "Where can you find someone like her? Isn't this harming people? Why is she matchmaking everywhere, bringing people together without caring whether they are suitable or not."
"Fortunately, my lady, you asked the doorman to stop her. My family is also an official, otherwise we would not dare to say anything if we met such a person." Aying was also amazed at Madam Xia.
Jinniang sighed: "After all, people like her are a minority. Most officials are very concerned about their reputation and would not be like this."
As the master and servant were talking, Chen Xiaolang came in and said, "I greet you, my lady. Your transfer order has arrived today, and you have been promoted to the position of Attendant of the Ministry of Internal Affairs."
The Recorder was a sixth-rank official who was responsible for recording the emperor's behavior and words. Although his official position was not very high, he could be considered a close minister of the emperor. Jiang Yan himself was only a sixth-rank deputy minister of the Censorate. Could he have such great ability?
"Aying, let Juxiang and Chunxian prepare a banquet so that we can celebrate today." Jinniang said with a smile.
The matter that had originally worried her so much has now been resolved, and Jinniang finally relaxed.
The Zhen family next door soon heard the news, and Zhen Erlang and Dou Yuan came to the door immediately. Jinniang said, "We were planning to wait for your cousin to come back and invite you to dinner. It's a good thing that you come now."
Dou Yuan stepped forward with a smile to congratulate them. Although something happened in their Dou family, her cousin was about to go to Beijing to serve as an official, so she was not without support and was naturally in a good mood.
Jinniang was talking to him and his wife, and Ning Ge'er and Yun Jie'er also came to pay their respects. Zhen Erlang was just about to ask Ning Ge'er how far he had progressed in his studies, when he heard Ning Ge'er say, "I just started studying The Great Learning in The Book of Rites."
"How far have you learned?" Zhen Erlang was a little surprised that the child was only six years old and had already studied to the university level.
Ning Ge'er recited a passage, and Zhen Erlang said to Jinniang, "Sister-in-law, if this child is well educated, he will definitely be better than his teacher in the future."
"Don't praise your brother-in-law too much. A child who is good at childhood may not be a good person when he grows up. I will be very happy if he can be a person of integrity and responsibility when he grows up." Jinniang smiled and touched her son's head.
Ning Ge'er does have a very similar personality to Jinniang. He also likes to play, but he knows how to do his job well and is very perseverant.
Even if I grow up, I wonder if I can be as diligent as I was when I was a child.
They talked for a long time, and when they heard someone say that Jiang Xian was back, they congratulated him again. Jiang Xian was also in high spirits, and then Jinniang told the servants to serve the dishes.
On this day, even Jinniang, who usually didn't drink much, drank a few glasses and her face became very hot.
The men went out to talk again, while Dou Yuan helped Jinniang into the inner courtyard and advised, "Cousin, you are going back to Bianjing soon, and I am a little reluctant to let you go."
"I can't bear to leave you either." Ever since they arrived in Daming Mansion, their relationship with Dou Yuan has been like that of a family.
Dou Yuan pondered for a moment, and finally spoke her mind: "Cousin, when I saw Ning Ge'er today, I thought of my brother. My brother was also like this when he was young, very smart and clever in studying, but who would have thought that he would be a nobody when he grew up. So I want to persuade you to have another child since you are still young. If one is not good enough, there is always another one."
She was giving sincere advice, and Jinniang knew that Dou Yuan was doing it for her own good, so she listened to her advice: "Since I gave birth to Ning Ge'er, I have been recuperating for five or six years, and now I am in much better shape than before."
When I return to Beijing, I'll have bought a house and settled down, so it's not impossible.
Dou Yuan smiled and said, "It's great that my cousin thinks so."
In fact, what Dou Yuan didn't say was that it is easy for a couple to share hardships, but it is difficult to share happiness. With my cousin's intelligence and talent, if he achieves great things in the future, will he also get a few concubines to show off? They are such a loving couple, how should my cousin's wife cope with this?
But she couldn't say these words out loud.
Not to mention how happy Jiang Xian and Jinniang were, they would be going to Beijing soon, and the most important thing was to deal with the problem of the house first. Jinniang had already asked a realtor to help her, and now that the date has been confirmed, someone has come to see the house.
Their house is in a good location, near several officials' households. It was cheap when Jinniang and her family bought it. Later, Jinniang renovated it, and it must be sold for at least seven hundred taels to be worthwhile.
While selling the house, Jinniang went to Wei's Girls' School and personally spoke to Mrs. Shen to help her daughter drop out of school.
In any case, my daughter has made great progress in the past three years. She is good at studying and writing, and she can even play polo, cuwan, toss pots and make incense. She will not be afraid even if she returns to the capital in the future.
Madam Shen smiled and said, "Sister Yun is good at playing the Yueqin. When she goes to the capital in the future, you can help her find a teacher to teach her how to play the Yueqin."
"Okay, thank you for taking care of me here. Sister Yun, kowtow to Madam Chen three times." Jinniang said to her daughter.
Respect your teachers and others, and you will respect yourself more.
Yun Jieer knelt down and kowtowed three times before she followed Jin Niang out. She even sighed like an adult, "Even if you have built a pavilion thousands of miles away, there will always be a day when it will be disbanded. In our female school, one person leaves today, another leaves tomorrow, and now, even I am leaving."
"Yes, that's why people often say that the days that can be seen at a glance may be good. Always deal with familiar people and familiar things." Jinniang did not deny her daughter's words.
Sister Yun smiled again and said, "Anyway, I just want to be with my parents and brother forever."
Jinniang rubbed her daughter's face, and the mother and daughter went home together. They saw Madam Liu coming again. She came to see Cheng Yi off, and Jinniang hurriedly thanked her.
Madam Liu smiled and said, "It's great that you can return to Beijing."
"You still have two years in your term, and it will be over soon. We will meet again in Beijing then." Jinniang said with a smile, holding her hand.
The two of them talked for a long time, and because Fang Ya came over, Madam Liu took her leave.
It turned out that someone came to see the house. It was an old couple with their granddaughter. The old man was originally a medical officer, but now he has retired and returned to his hometown due to old age. After they saw it, they were very satisfied. Everything was tidy. Jinniang also promised to leave all the furniture such as the bed and the round table to them, a total of seven hundred and forty taels.
The old man did not pay with actual silver. He first took three pairs of gold bracelets, each weighing seven taels, which offset half of the silver. He also took a seven-tael ginseng from Shangdang and top-quality bezoar, which offset a total of twenty taels. The remaining three hundred strings of silver was paid in cash.
While the house contract was being processed, Master Song helped to hire a boat, and Jinniang and the others were busy having a farewell dinner. The Zhen family and Madam Liu did not say anything more. Even the Ruyan and Wei families had their own invitations and ceremonials.
What's more, Ruyan even said that the boss of the collapsed house had a boat that traveled north and south, and that he could spare a boat to take them to Bian Jing, so there was no need to hire another boat.
Jinniang was naturally happy. The boss also understood her intention and said that Jinniang's dividends would be sent to Bian Jing every year in the future. She thought it was no wonder that the boss had built such a big business before he was thirty years old. He was really knowledgeable and sensible.
But Jinniang did not take advantage of him. She stuffed a pair of gold bracelets into his pocket as travel expenses. After all, they were worth more than one hundred taels, and it was about the same price from Damingfu to Tokyo.
But in the evening, the group packed up all the boxes and cages and sent them to the shore. While Cao Da was dealing with the carriages at the carriage shop on the shore, Jinniang actually saw Zhou Si Niang and his group again.
It turned out that Sun Shichen's political achievements were mediocre, but with the help of his father's friends in the officialdom and Zhou Cunzhi, the Wu family was entrusted with the task of getting him a county magistrate in Shangzhou, a seventh-rank official. Originally, Sun Shichen thought that this selection of officials was a good one, but when he heard that Jiang Xian was about to return to Beijing to serve as a sixth-rank attendant, he almost vomited blood.
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