Chapter 118 Chapter 118 Two Chapters in One
After deciding on the house, Jinniang took Luo Yu'e and Wei Xiong to see it. The two fell in love with it almost immediately. Jinniang smiled and said, "I have already told Shiliulang that the east wing of the second floor will be for you and dad to live in, and the west wing opposite will be for your younger brother and the future master hired by Ning Ge'er to live in."
Luo Yu'e and Wei Xiong were both uncomfortable and couldn't explain.
"If he gets married, I won't be able to keep him. But now Yang'er is studying, and he has his brother-in-law here to teach him. He will be released in August soon." Jinniang said.
Luo Yu'e thought her daughter and son-in-law were both good people, but she couldn't live there for free. After her son got married, they would go to the suburbs of Beijing to buy a few acres of land, and they would build a house in the countryside. They would come to the city often to visit their daughter and stay for a while.
After all, this house was not bought by the daughters alone. If they live here for a long time, people will definitely gossip.
Seeing that both their parents liked the place, Jinniang and Jiang Xian called the broker and gave Mr. Pang another 7,000 strings of cash. The remaining 600 strings of cash were paid with the four remaining gold bracelets, a pair of gold hairpins, 60 cakes of 3-jin Jian tea, 20 rolls of old silk, 20 rolls of flowered silk, and spices.
After getting the red deed, Jinniang and others moved in first. The couple lived in the main house, their son lived in the east wing, and their daughter lived in the west wing. Now those married people like Aying can live in the side rooms at the entrance. Jiang Xian's wet nurse, Luo Mama, was sent to guard the garden, and Jinniang sent Luo's eldest daughter-in-law to plant flowers and trees in the garden.
Ma Yangniang also asked her to be responsible for washing clothes and moved her to the outer courtyard. Jinniang also asked Minzhi and Chen Xiaolang's son to be Ning'er's book boy, and bought a suitable maid to serve Ning'er together with Peilan.
After the personnel arrangements were made, household affairs had to be taken care of. First, the guest rooms needed to be cleaned, second, the tiles needed to be repaired and the paint needed to be applied, and finally, the home was decorated. A bamboo curtain was hung under the corridor to block out the scorching sun, and two water tanks were placed at the door of the room, one planted with water lilies and the other with camellia.
The furnishings in the house were even more gorgeous. Jinniang bought a new six-post bed with carved boxwood doors and gave her original mother-of-pearl bed to Yunjie to sleep on. She also bought a black lacquered and gold-painted long table with a black lacquered and gold-painted bamboo leaf pattern stool. In the outer room, there was a raised-head Arhat bed. On the wall behind the bed hung a basket-carrying Guanyin embroidered by Jinniang, and the surrounding area was surrounded by gauze screens embroidered by her.
After a quick arrangement, Jinniang and Jiang Xian went their separate ways. Jiang Xian went home first to tell Master Jiang Liu, Jiang Yan and others that they had moved into a new house, while Jinniang took Luo Yu'e to Madam Wei's place.
The Wei family was not only a prominent family in Daming Prefecture, but also lived in a large house in Bian Jing. Luo Yu'e was wearing the new clothes that Jinniang gave her, and she felt a little uncomfortable.
"Mom, even though Madam Wei is not someone else, we don't have to reveal all our secrets to others. In this world, there are very few people who don't treat others differently based on their status." Jinniang advised.
Luo Yu'e said she understood, and Jinniang taught her how to deal with it word by word, and only then did she feel relieved.
After the two sedan chairs entered the second gate, Madam Wei's confidant, You Mama, came out to greet them. You Mama was also an old acquaintance of Jinniang. Jinniang said hurriedly, "It's not easy to get to the capital, and the first thing I want to do is to bring my mother to see my sister-in-law."
Mother You smiled and said, "After you handed over the visiting card, our lady has been looking forward to your coming."
Mrs. Wei did not live in the main house, but lived under the shade of the trees on the west side. Whenever Jinniang walked over, she could feel a sense of coolness. At this time, Mrs. Wei's daughter-in-law, Fan, was at the door welcoming the mother and daughter in.
Fan was about twenty years old, dignified and well-behaved. Her father was also a Hanlin scholar in the court.
"Sister-in-law, I brought my mother here to talk to you. I also want to invite you to come to our house in a few days. It will be lively then." Jinniang said with a smile.
Mrs. Wei readily agreed: "Okay, it's just too hot, and I'm a little lazy and don't really want to move. We have to choose a good day carefully."
"Don't worry, we plan to set up the dinner in the flower pavilion. It's very cool there." Jinniang said.
Luo Yu'e on the side did not dare to interrupt. She used to think her daughter was quite capable, but she could still see some emotions. Now that she had been away for six years, she had become much more tactful in her speech.
Mrs. Wei looked at Luo Yu'e, who looked to be in her forties or fifties, with fair skin and a pretty figure, like a country lady's wife. However, her hands had marks of frostbite and her joints were thick, suggesting that she was the result of doing rough work. But his expression seemed to be full of energy and not the kind of person who would look sad or worried.
When Jinniang mentioned Jiang Xian's transfer to Tokyo, she said hurriedly, "I didn't expect that either."
Madam Wei smiled and said, "I didn't expect this. My relative, Grand Secretary Fan, admires your son very much and personally recommended him to the Grand Master. It's also because your son has political achievements and is a good writer."
Jinniang understood. It turned out that it was Academician Fan who recommended him. Then why did Jiang Yan say that he helped?
What is going on?
After that, the others said a few more words to each other. Jinniang quickly said goodbye and took Luo Yu'e out. She said, "Now that you have come to visit me once, you don't have to come often in the future. Don't be afraid."
"We can't get on the high platform like this." Luo Yu'e also breathed a sigh of relief.
Jinniang shook her head: "Mother, if my brother passes the imperial examination one day, everything will be fine. Then I will help him find a wife, and our family will get better and better."
The only thing she lacked was her birth. If the Wei family wanted to change its fortune, all hope would rest with her younger brother.
Luo Yu'e held her daughter's hand and said, "If it weren't for you, I don't know what our family would have done."
"Why are you talking about this? I bought you a maid. You can buy 50 acres of land first. You don't have to do business in the future." Jinniang knew that her parents had been working from dawn to dusk for too many years and their health was badly damaged. She also hoped that they could rest more.
Luo Yu'e calculated that she still had 200 strings of cash in her hand. If she took out 100 strings of cash to buy 50 mu of land, it would be enough. The remaining 100 strings of cash could be used for her son's marriage.
After returning home, Jinniang took another bath. The best thing for her now was to set up a room in the west wing as a bathroom. After washing her hair and body, she returned to the room and lay on the beauty couch by the window, enjoying the breeze, feeling very comfortable.
Xu was also sweating. Jiang Yan never coveted a penny, and Xu only relied on his salary and the income from the land. This was actually very good for Xu. But when she heard that Jiang Xian's family bought a large house of six acres and hundreds of pavilions and towers, she couldn't help but say to Jiang Yan, "I'm not gossiping about him, but that house is worth tens of thousands of strings of cash. Where did they get so much money?"
Jiang Yan smiled and said, "I asked, and Shiliu Lang said that my sister-in-law is very good at business."
"She is a woman. Even if she opened the embroidery shop before, she could only earn a few hundred strings of silver a year at most. But a house would cost tens of thousands of strings of silver. Third uncle's official position is not high, and his salary is not enough to support so many people." Xu always felt that Jiang Xian might have embezzled public funds. Since her husband recommended him, would she be jointly liable?
Jiang Yan was also full of doubts after hearing this. He thought carefully and said, "It's okay. We will go to their house in a few days to ask them."
It is also said that after Jinniang took a short rest, Jiang Xian came back, and she stood up and said, "This time when we bought the house, we almost used up all the tea, silk, and spices we had saved over the years. Today I heard from Madam Wei that it was Hanlin scholar Fan Zhenfan who recommended you. I want to prepare another generous gift for you to deliver. What do you think?"
"My eldest brother also told me that he heard that Grand Scholar Fan admired me very much, so he recommended me to the Grand Prime Minister." Jiang Xian thought that his eldest brother had never said anything to him when he was in Wu County. Now that Grand Scholar Fan recommended him, he immediately recommended himself as well. Is this because he is afraid that others will say that he is not on good terms with his brothers, and is just doing a favor? Or do you really want to help him?
Unconsciously, the two of them felt less grateful to Jiang Yan.
She also said that now all that was left were three rolls of brocade silk, 60 kilograms of pepper, and the ginseng and bezoar given by the old doctor who bought their house last time.
Jinniang had no choice but to open the money box and said, "Use these twenty strings of cash to buy a generous gift and send it over. We should keep these ginseng and bezoar."
Fortunately, she only paid out 7,000 strings of cash, and now she still has nearly 2,000 strings of cash in her hand. Jinniang cannot waste any more. Seeing that Yun Jie'er is already ten years old, she has to save the dowry money for her daughter first. She can't just throw up her hands and say she has no money when the time comes.
Jiang Xian took the money and asked Luo Da to buy gifts. He then changed into a new robe and went to Fan Zhen's house early in the morning.
Not to mention that Fan Zhen accepted his visiting card, after listening to a few words from him, he knew that he was quite talented and he admired him very much.
She also said that they now lived near Jinliang Bridge, and they had a house in Jinliang Bridge that was rented out to someone who sold wigs. Jinniang always felt that the rent was too low, so when the wig seller wanted to renew the contract this year, she bargained with him and simply refused to rent the house to him.
"Clean the shop and repair it, then we can rent it out." Jinniang said.
Luo Da didn't know what to say. He thought that as long as he rented it out, he would make money. It didn't matter if it was a little less, he would still make money. But Jinniang feels that if the market price drops too much, it will be difficult to rent the house.
The owner of the shop in Tianshui Lane actually let people live in the house without their permission. Jinniang naturally terminated the contract, asked them to pay the rent for a few months, and drove the people away.
She and Jiang Xian handle things differently. Jiang Xian will use someone if he sees that he is useful, regardless of his character. Jinniang is now more inclined to human character. Even if you have some strengths, you are not trustworthy, tell lies all the time, and try to be clever. When dealing with such people, you think you can control them, but you will easily fall into trouble.
With two shops closed in succession, Luo Yu'e and his wife spent about 100 strings of cash to buy 50 mu of land, which they rented out. Now everyone felt that they were living off their savings.
Lian Yunjie said to Jinniang, "Mother, my daughter doesn't want to eat snacks or wear new clothes anymore. I still have a lot of old clothes."
Jinniang smiled and said, "Don't talk nonsense. We have guests coming tomorrow. Don't worry, I've prepared everything."
Sister Yun held the stringed wooden bird in her hand and said, "This is a gift from my uncle. When I drag the string, the bird will flap its wings and run away. It's really fun."
"Your uncle has very deft hands. He was quite good at these things when he was a child." After talking to her daughter, Jinniang gave her some instructions on needlework and went to Yangge'er.
Brother Yang has grown very tall and is now about 21 or 22 years old. However, he has a few small pimples on his face, probably because he loves to eat fried dough rings and chicken bones too much.
Now he was hiding in his room eating. When he saw Jinniang coming over, he hurriedly stood up and tried to pass the food to her. Jinniang smiled and said, "Eat it yourself. Are you afraid that mother will say that you don't eat the main meal, but eat this instead?"
"Hehe." Yang Ge'er scratched his head and laughed.
Jinniang added, "You will be taking the exam again in August, are you confident?"
Yang Ge'er's mouth was as tight as a clam, and he was extremely cautious: "I don't know."
"Okay, okay, I won't ask anymore." Jinniang smiled and shook her head.
With Yang'er's status as a Taiyuan student and a brother-in-law who is an official, even if he fails to find a good marriage, he can still find a good one for himself, and it will be no problem for him to start a family and build a career.
However, she also instructed: "I will introduce you to Madam Wei tomorrow. We are already related. You can call her sister-in-law like me, understand?"
"Well, sister, shall we call ourselves the Hebei Wei family from now on?" At his age, Yang Ge'er is very interested in these things.
Jinniang nodded: "You can also say that our branch will belong to the Anlu branch in the future."
Yang Ge'er laughed and said, "I used to always hear about who came from where, but I didn't know how to tell it. Now it's all right."
We all went through adolescence, and everyone has experienced these vanities. But Jinniang also reminded: "If you pass the imperial examination, people will naturally recognize you. If you don't, they won't care about you for three to five years."
"Sister is right." Yang Ge also agreed.
But he seemed to be a person with little mental strength. He fell asleep after eating the fried bones. Jinniang knew that he was very hardworking in the Imperial College on weekdays, so she let him go.
Everyone's mental strength is truly innate. People like Jinniang and Ning Ge'er, as well as her mother Luo Yu'e, are all particularly mentally strong. Yang Ge'er is always drowsy and gets a headache from reading too much.
The next day, the Jiang residence became lively. The first to come were Jiang Xian's father and stepmother, followed by his brother, sister-in-law, nephews and nieces. They brought two pieces of silk, six square handkerchiefs, a sheep, two boxes of fresh fruits and a jar of wine.
Jinniang didn't see Xu the last time she went to the old house. When she saw her this time, she was a little surprised. Xu used to be quite thin, but now she had puffed up like a dough.
"Sister-in-law." Jinniang called out.
Xu also said in a friendly manner: "It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back."
They chatted casually, as the male guests were talking in the hallway of the second courtyard, while the female guests were talking in the third courtyard. Xu saw that Jinniang's place was surprisingly luxurious and elegant, with black lacquered chairs painted with gold, gauze screens all around, and gold plates and silver cups.
"Sister-in-law, you are becoming more and more successful now. You bought such a big house. I am sure your brother will be very happy for you when he tells me about it." Xu slowly tested.
Jinniang sighed, "I'm not trying to make fun of you, sister-in-law. We both spent all our savings and borrowed some money. Otherwise, how could we afford it?"
Xu suddenly realized that it was a matter of borrowing money. She was asking how her family could suddenly buy a house. This couple is extravagant and lives on borrowing money. I wonder if they will borrow money from them when they don’t have enough money?
Just as she was thinking about the news outside that the Second Madam of the Zhou family and Madam Zhang had arrived, Jinniang stood up to greet them again, and Zhang's aunt and sister-in-law came over together. Zhang had never worked with Zhou Cun in these years. It was said that the couple seemed to be in harmony but not in harmony. However, the maids were unwilling to find out more. They only saw that Zhang was wearing a hollow golden crown with five Buddhas, a moon-white tube top inside, and a colorful camellia-painted shirt outside. She looked very wealthy.
"We are truly blessed with so many distinguished guests. Second sister-in-law Zhou and sister-in-law Zhang Jiu, please take a seat and let's chat together." Jinniang smiled and made a gesture of invitation.
Zhang saw Jinniang wearing a crown adorned with emerald green, a crystal hairpin on her head, emerald green bracelets on her hands, and a gilded silver sachet around her waist. She looked completely different from before and looked even more wealthy and noble than herself.
These daughters of officials are now living worse than a peasant? How could they be willing? It's just that they are more cunning than Miss Zhou Er and will not say it out easily.
But I heard someone outside say, "Mrs. Wei, the Hanlin scholar, is coming."
Mrs. Wei? Xu asked hurriedly, "Is she Wei Dacao's wife?"
Jinniang smiled and said, "That's right."
She hurried out to greet her. It was such a hot day, but Mrs. Wei was very gracious to come. Jinniang introduced her to the other female relatives. She called her sister-in-law, and Mrs. Wei called her third aunt. This made everyone think that Jinniang was from the Wei family in Hebei, and her family had just fallen on hard times.
Even Xu was distraught. She had always had a sense of superiority, thinking that her father was a Jinshi, her uncle was also a Jinshi, and they were born into an official family. She didn't expect that her brother and sister-in-law were also Jinshi now.
No wonder Academician Fan was willing to speak on Jiang Xian's behalf; this was the reason.
Of course Jinniang ignored her and waited for Jiang Xian's aunts to come over. Then she took everyone to the flower pavilion. Everyone saw that this garden was three-quarters artificial and seven-quarters natural. There was an unexpected cool breeze and all kinds of fragrances wafting into the air.
Several people who were supposed to play and sing had already arrived. Jinniang didn't allow them to sing anything lively or too sad, but only to sing something elegant and quiet so that everyone could have the feast together.
This banquet was specially prepared by the people from Huixianlou. There were all kinds of food from land and sea on the table, which could be said to be a feast for all.
After the banquet, Jinniang asked someone to call Yang Ge'er over to pay her respects. Seeing that Yang Ge'er was a young man with a scholarly air, Madam Wei rewarded him with a pair of gold and silver ingots.
Jinniang smiled and said, "He will take the imperial examination this year, and he will benefit from your blessing."
"Your brother is a handsome man, he will definitely be one of the best." Mrs. Wei said with a smile.
Jinniang privately gave Madam Wei a bezoar and high-quality musk and said, "I am sorry to bother you with my husband's affairs. I don't have much to give you. These are just what I got. Please don't despise them."
After saying this, Mrs. Wei left first.
Except for the Jiang family, everyone left after dinner. Master Jiang Liu was unable to move when he saw the study in the garden. This was Jiang Xian's study now, which was originally a waterside pavilion converted into a study.
Jiang Xian smiled and said, "Our corner building was originally a library. After we settle down in a few days, we will decorate it there."
"In that case, I will donate some books as well." Master Jiang Liu was eager to move into this garden, as there was a small courtyard in this garden.
It’s okay to stay for a short time, but not for a long time, after all, they are following the eldest son.
Jiang Xian said, "When the time comes, you can come and stay for a few days." Then he said to Jiang Yan, "Brother, let me show my filial piety."
Jiang Yan just smiled.
After seeing off the guests, Jinniang ordered people to clean up the mess, she was so tired that she almost collapsed.
I also saw Luo Da outside saying that someone wanted to rent the shop in Tianshui Lane. He said that the owner was going to rent all of them as a restaurant, that is, the three large front shops, the building in the back and Jiang Xian’s study would all be used as a restaurant, and he was willing to pay 38 strings of cash a month.
"It might be a little dirty, but—"
"Do you think that man is an honest person?" Jinniang asked.
Luo Dalian said hurriedly: "He said he was from Liangzhe Road."
There are many north-south teahouses in Tianshui Lane where Jinniang lives. They are always crowded with customers. Now they have been converted into restaurants, which is not a bad thing. Anyway, the prices offered are still quite high. She agreed, and the two sides quickly signed a contract. The deposit was kept for an extra month, and they signed a one-year contract directly, and agreed that the price would not be raised within three years.
In this way, Jinniang quickly earned 494 strings of cash, and she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Jiang Xian was also happy to know that the house in Tianshui Lane was rented for such a small amount of money. Jinniang said, "I will also write to Manager Yao and Village Head Fan, asking them to come over slowly next spring."
"My wife has always been very docile, so there's no need for me to worry about her." Jiang Xian is now working as a housekeeper. He is in high spirits and his family's financial resources are solved, so he is also very happy.
Jinniang smiled and said, "We suddenly spent so much money that I couldn't sleep at night just thinking about it. Fortunately, the store is now doing well, so I feel relieved."
Now that Jiang Xian is an official in the capital, instead of waiting in the local areas and having to interact with the wives of bureaucrats at all levels, Jinniang has a lot more free time. When she had free time, Jinniang would take out the housewarming gifts that everyone had given her a few days ago and look at them.
The two pieces of Hu silk from Mrs. Xu were not suitable for wearing now, but the six handkerchiefs could be used on weekdays. In addition, there were the two pots of peony flowers, two squares of bright red felt, and two baskets of crabs sent by Mrs. Wei. The crabs had been eaten in the past few days.
What Zhang Jiulang's family sent was fashionable food and two gilded handkerchiefs. The gifts from others were fine, except for the Jiangnan brocade that Zhang sent. Jinniang originally cut some to make tablecloths, but she didn't expect it to fade after being washed for the first time.
Did Zhang buy fake silk?
Of course, Jinniang didn't believe that Zhang sent fake goods. She privately told Mrs. Zhang, "I wonder if Zhou Ersao was cheated by a dishonest businessman. Not to mention her, we can't be on guard against anything we buy now."
"That's true. Don't worry, I will definitely tell our aunt." Mrs. Zhang was also anxious. Fortunately, Jinniang was not someone else. If it was an outsider, they would definitely think that it was sent intentionally.
Jinniang felt relieved to see that she was so understanding and righteous.
Mrs. Zhang left Jinniang and told Zhang Jiulang about the matter first. Zhang Jiulang is now a minor official thanks to the favor of his father and father-in-law, and he is quite comfortable relying on the influence of his father and father-in-law.
"I think my aunt must have been fooled by the servants. Now her nephew is getting engaged and her family is busy, so she didn't think about these things. Fortunately, Wei told me privately that she is not someone else. If she is sent to someone else, how will they see her?"
Zhang Jiulang put away his folding fan, and after a moment's silence, he said, "I can't go to the inner house, so I'll just say you're sick tomorrow and ask you to come back. If we find the liar, we'll have to have the government arrest him."
The couple discussed it and invited Zhang back the next day. Mrs. Zhang told her about it, but Zhang refused to admit it. "Why would I give her a fake one? She might have deliberately ruined my reputation to extort money. I heard from her sister-in-law that she spent a lot of money on buying the house and even borrowed money. Who would have thought that she was so short of money that she came to accuse me?"
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