Chapter 123 Chapter 123 Two Chapters Combined
Zi Teng was the last year that she followed Jinniang in Wu County. It has been four or five years now, and she has already been receiving the salary of a second-class maid. But with Qingrong around, it was difficult for her to make a name for herself, just like Xi Qiu's situation in the past. Now that she had gone to Erlangjun's place, she could become the eldest maid.
Jinniang arranged two new maids to come here. Aying and Qingrong taught them the rules together. Both maids were only hired for five years. After five years, I will return to her home. It will be enough to have a few confidants in her home, which will save me a lot of worries.
The second brother had been carried to the east wing, and Bai Yangniang was feeding him. Fang Mama whispered to Zi Teng, "You should be more alert in this room. This wet nurse and the new maid are different from us. They were hired from outside and are just doing the job."
"Don't worry, mom. I know." Zi Teng said.
Luo Da had already made arrangements outside. Jiang Xian having a son was one good news, and getting promoted was another.
First, the Jiang family received the news. When Mr. Jiang Liu heard that a grandson was born, he asked Zheng to prepare a pair of anklets and necklaces for him to send to him when the baby was born on the third day of his birth. Mrs. Xu breathed a sigh of dissatisfaction, and then added another sigh, "Great, now they can be considered to have double happiness."
Seeing her mother-in-law pause for a moment, Xiao Wu said, "Why are you just standing there? Hurry up and get ready. We have to go over and take a look."
"Yes." said Mrs. Wu.
However, when her mother-in-law and daughter-in-law came here, Jiang Xian happened to be promoted. Xu thought that her husband had been promoted to the Director of the Imperial College last year, which was also the sixth rank. She didn't expect that her brother-in-law would catch up immediately.
Ah Ying saw the change in Xu's expression and tried to hold back her laughter for a long time. She felt her face almost twitching, and then she said, "Madam Xu, I'm sorry that you have to come over so late. It's just that my wife is a little exhausted after giving birth to my son, and she has already gone to bed."
"How is your sister-in-law?" asked Mrs. Xu.
Ah Ying smiled and said, "After I gave birth, the doctor made me a bowl of medicine and said I would be fine."
Xu said "Oh" and looked at the third courtyard. It was quiet, completely different from the sound of firecrackers and gongs and drums in the front yard. Xu looked towards the west wing again: "I'll go sit with Sister Yun and see if there's anything I can help with later."
"Yes." Aying prepared to follow.
Then Xu said, "You are busy in front, so you should go and take care of it first."
Aying winked at Xiqiu who came out, and Xiqiu welcomed Xu's mother-in-law and daughter-in-law in. It is said that Xu was not very familiar with Junjie and Ningge, after all, the two children were both assigned to work outside the home when they were old enough to understand. But Junjie was very polite. When she saw Xu and little Wu coming in, she hurriedly stood up to greet them.
"Good boy, stop busying yourself. We just thought that your mother had given birth and she can't take care of things. Our family is busy, so we came to see you." Mrs. Xu acted like a kind elder.
It’s a pity that Yunjie knew about these family grudges very early. As soon as her grandmother died, her aunt drove her parents out. But she didn't show it on her face, and said to Jiao Xing, "Bring me some tea."
Xu looked at the west wing again. There were three large rooms in total. The main room was furnished with a desk and bookshelves, the secondary room was used for living, and the dressing table was placed with a dressing box and a set of gold jewelry that had not yet been put away. Next to the mother-of-pearl bed stood two embroidery frames, one large and one small. Not far away on a fine-toothed table stood a Ding kiln box-style three-legged incense burner with string patterns. The incense balls burning in the incense burner had a sweet fragrance.
"Everyone says your mother is very lucky, giving birth to two younger brothers for you. Where does your younger brother live?" asked Mrs. Xu.
Sister Yun said, "It is placed in the east wing."
Mrs. Xu nodded: "This arrangement is very appropriate, but when he grows up, I'm afraid your yard will not be able to accommodate him, right?"
"My mother said that when Ning'er grows up, he will not live in the inner courtyard anymore, but in the east wing of the second courtyard. Then my little brother can live there." Sister Yun vaguely felt that this aunt was instigating.
Little Wu was listening to them talking behind Xu, and she felt that Yun Jie'er seemed different from her parents. Her father was very good at socializing and could get along with anyone easily, while her mother was the kind of person who wanted to be the best in everything. But she spoke in a calm tone and was always smiling.
Mrs. Xu smiled and said, "Good boy, your mother needs to rest for a while, so she may not be able to take care of you. Ning needs to study, so why don't you live with us over there?"
"Aunt, please have pity on me. I am willing to play with my little sister. But my mother asked me to finish embroidering that picture of flowers and birds, and then I will not bother you anymore." That's why Sister Yun didn't want to live in someone else's house.
Seeing that Jun Jieer was unmoved by her persuasion, Mrs. Xu did not show any expression on her face.
On the third day of the baby's birth, there were many guests. Madam Wei came in person. Anyway, Jiang Xian was quite capable. Their recommendation was one of the reasons, but he was able to be promoted directly on his own, which was his ability.
The basins of the midwives were filled with the ones thrown by the guests. Mrs. Wei lost a necklace inlaid with gold, Mrs. Zheng lost a silver-plated necklace and bracelet, Mrs. Xu lost a silver necklace, and Mrs. Zhang, who thought that her daughter would be the wife of a successful scholar when she got married and had a good relationship with Jinniang, lost a longevity lock.
There were also many people in the clan, such as Jiang Yan's wife Zeng, who lost the jade pendant of the child's pillow, and Aunt Qi, who lost a pair of gold rings...
After the baby bathing ceremony was over, the child was brought in. Jinniang looked at her little son and quickly asked Bai Yangniang to wrap him up and put clothes on him after his body was warm.
The youngest son's name was "Ding". Jinniang looked at the youngest son. His skin seemed whiter than hers and Jiang Xian's. She wondered what kind of snow boy he would be in the future.
Childbirth will bring about aging, which is irreversible. The only thing Jinniang can do is to reduce it as much as possible, which will make her body and mind better. After the guests had left, Aying put away all the gifts they had given in a box and wrote down each one.
"My sister-in-law just gave me a silver necklace? Last time when Xuan'er got married, my husband and I gave him six silver-gilt flower hairpins." Jinniang thought that Xu was too stingy.
Ah Ying said, "She is just like that. You didn't know that when you gave birth to Er Lang, he was outside entertaining guests, but she was there to provoke me to come over and even wanted me to live with them."
"She and I live in different houses. Even if she has any plans, I'm afraid they will fail, and we won't be under her control." Jinniang leaned back and yawned again.
Ah Ying smiled and said, "You should take a rest first. I shouldn't bother you with these things. It's just that these things are valuable and I have to explain to you."
"Nothing." I used to have too many worries, so I was afraid of being disturbed during the confinement period. Now, I have more good things and fewer worries, so it's no problem.
However, she looked at the list and said, "The Lady of Le'an County next door has also sent gifts?"
Ah Ying nodded quickly: "Yes, she is miserable too, she is still in mourning. Her husband died suddenly on the day you gave birth, and now she is a widow."
"It's not easy for a widow to be unemployed. Has our family sent anyone to carry out the funeral procession?" Jinniang asked.
Ah Ying smiled and said, "The master has asked my family to send it over."
Jinniang nodded: "That's good."
It is also said that the Lady of Le'an County is about 26 years old this year. Her husband was a playboy and a dandy who was away from home all day long. They had no affection for each other, and now he is dead. The brothers of her deceased husband in the Jinshen Marquis's Mansion wanted to take back the family property. Her father and stepmother had already passed away. Although her biological mother was still alive, she was just a clay Buddha. Who would stand up for her?
On the other hand, Jiang Shaoqing next door not only has a wealthy family, a good character, and a handsome appearance, but more importantly, he holds great power. It would be great if we could have his help.
It's just that she sent gifts a few times, and Mrs. Jiang returned the gifts but didn't invite anyone over, so there was no way they could get along.
Jinniang naturally didn't know about these things because she had to take good care of herself after giving birth, so none of the troubles could come to her. Fang's mother Aying and Qingrong are handling the affairs inside, while Jiang Xian is handling the matters outside, so she doesn't need to worry too much.
Jiang Xian is now in high spirits. Even the eldest lady of the Zhou family, Jiang, knows about it. She is still waiting for Jiang Xian to come to her house, but she didn't expect that the servants only sent an invitation to his son's third day bath, and he didn't show up.
She was talking to Zhou Cunzhi about Jiang Xian's faults: "These relatives are very snobbish nowadays."
After Zhou Cunzhi came back from Jiangling, he was appointed Jixian School Manager and Zhongshu Jianzhengguan, both of which were sixth-rank officials. However, the Jixian Prime Minister he served was the same as Jiang Yan, and he even worked for the Prime Minister now. But I didn't expect that Jiang Xian had only been back in Beijing for a year and had already gained the trust of Prime Minister Jixian so quickly.
Yes, he had studied with Liu Jixiang since he was a child, and the two of them had even compiled financial books. No wonder he was appointed as the Shaoqing of Taifu Temple so quickly this time.
He didn't think Jiang Xian was snobbish, he just said: "His family has a lot of things going on right now, how can he come to his house one by one."
But Zhou Cunzhi also noticed Jiang Xian's alienation. He thought of his mother's look and was afraid that he would blame her for his second sister's matter. She was not a small fry now, so it was natural for her to be like this. Therefore, he did not go there in person, but only sent someone to deliver gifts.
She stayed in confinement for 42 consecutive days before coming out. She looked a little plumper than before, and her face looked a little sallow due to inactivity.
The room began to open the windows, clean, and rearrange. That night, before Jinniang said anything, Jiang Xian had already brought back the bedding from the outer courtyard. He even said aggrievedly, "My lady, you don't know. I have been sleepless for several nights."
"What's going on?" Jinniang was drinking black chicken soup and didn't understand.
Jiang Xian said, "It's either too hot or too cold, or my heart is pounding. When I sleep in the garden, I always feel like I can hear footsteps and I get woken up several times in the middle of the night. When I move to the front yard to sleep, I always feel like there are mosquitoes."
Jinniang saw that his eyes were blue, and there were small granules on his forehead when she looked closer. His eyelids were swollen, so she said hurriedly, "You have really suffered. Don't worry, I have asked someone to clean up the room. It is now fragrant and there are no mosquitoes. You should also have a bowl of black chicken soup to replenish your qi and blood, and have a good rest."
It’s no wonder that this mosquito repellent was Jinniang’s clever idea. She doesn’t like to light mugwort because the smell is too strong. Therefore, every night after dinner, she asked the servants to close the windows tightly, use a copper mosquito lamp to smoke inside the mosquito net, cover the mosquito coils, and then light the mosquito incense next to the bed. Only a small amount of incense was allowed, and then she would change to sweet osmanthus or goose pear incense that could help people sleep. Then I put two basins of ice in the ice jar. When they came back from their walk, the room was sweet and cool. After washing up, they came in and made the bed again. The bed was covered with light-colored bedding, which was clean and tidy. I felt like sleeping as soon as I lay down.
But Jiang Xian had become accustomed to being taken care of over the years, and once he went outside, he couldn't sleep.
Sure enough, Jiang Xian saw that the bed was covered with osmanthus green sheets, a light yellow pillow with two little white rabbits embroidered on it, and a thin quilt covered with osmanthus flowers. There was a cool mat under the sheets. He lay down immediately without even drinking the soup.
Jinniang couldn't help but smile bitterly: "You, you, I don't know what to say to you, you are still like a child."
"My lady, I'm going to sleep." Jiang Xian secretly put Jinniang's silver sachet beside his pillow in his arms and went to sleep.
Jinniang, however, was in high spirits. She had finally unloaded the cargo. She was as light as a swallow. Although she could not make big movements, she was finally free. She had also heard that some women still had symptoms of heavy bleeding fifty days after giving birth, so she did not dare to take it lightly and just called all the children over to talk.
First, Bai Yangniang brought Ding Ge'er to the house. He was only a little over a month old, and he was wearing clothes that his older brothers and sisters had worn when they were young. This time it was not because Jinniang was afraid of wasting money, but because the pediatrician said that children have delicate skin, so they should wear old clothes that are close to their skin. She looked at the baby's belly button and saw that it was indeed wrapped in a four-inch square of soft and comfortable white cloth, and the umbilical cord was wrapped in a half-inch thick new cotton. She breathed a sigh of relief.
Babies of this era are particularly prone to umbilical cord wind, so Jinniang has to check them every day.
Now that he was completely dry and his belly button was deep, she helped her youngest son take off the cloth.
Bai Yangniang thought that her brother's umbilical cord would fall off quickly, but she was too careful and afraid that it would get wet, so she kept it wrapped and only untied it now.
"You have worked hard too." Jinniang said with a smile.
Babies are actually easier to take care of in the first month. They don’t cry and sleep a lot. But I need to feed him almost every half an hour or an hour. Now it is the second month. The baby cries a lot and is prone to bloating, so I have to burp him myself after feeding.
Bai Yangniang said, "What are you talking about, madam? This is my job."
"My brother has to burp the burp after drinking milk. If he can't burp it, you have to hold him upright for a while and then let him lie down. When he is awake, let him lie on his stomach more often. Remember?" Jinniang said.
Bai Yangniang nodded in agreement.
Jinniang also gave her a pair of silver hairpins and said, "Take good care of my brother, and I will definitely not treat you unfairly."
She learned from her experience this time and talked less about private matters with these foster nurses and maids, and more about their official business. She gave them appropriate rewards, assigned someone to supervise them, and that was enough for her to pay attention to it.
Compared with the younger ones, the two older ones, Ning Ge'er and Yun Jie'er, were much less of a worry. They brought their homework to Jin Niang to show her, and the three of them, mother and son, talked in private.
When Jiang Xian woke up, it was already dusk. His wife was reading a book on the couch. When she saw him wake up, she just smiled and said, "Look at the way you sleep. It's not convenient for the children to come in."
His clothes were twisted in a tangle when he was sleeping, and he looked like he was in deep sleep, just like Yang Ge'er, the sleepyhead.
"My wife, this is the best sleep I've had in months." Jiang Xian felt very happy.
Jinniang stood up: "Then I'll have someone set the table, you get up first."
Jiang Xian was about to pull her away again, but Jinniang held him back, "Don't be in a hurry. I'm afraid." She mentioned that she was afraid of heavy bleeding, and Jiang Xian stopped immediately, saying, "I'll ask Doctor Jiang from the gynecology department to come and see you. My wife is my most beloved person, and she must be well."
"Why are you so weird? You never said such corny words before. I can't stand such a confession." Jinniang glared at him.
When Jun Jie'er and Ning Ge'er were born, he was still very young and obsessed with fame and study, so he went to bed when he was very tired every day. This time when his wife was in confinement, he could not help crying every time he looked at the moonlight and missed his wife so much, but he couldn't tell her these words.
Jiang Xian said, "Oh, I'm hungry."
When Jinniang saw that he had put on his clothes, she quickly served him food. The dinner was very light, with steamed sea bass, fried lettuce, and egg custard. Even these dishes were almost finished by the couple.
It is now mid-September. After dinner, Jinniang counted the Mid-Autumn Festival gifts. Every year, she gives out as much as she receives, but she always has to pay the bills first.
After another ten days of recuperation, Jinniang heard that the official silt land was now being sold in western Beijing. The first-class red silt land was priced at two and a half to three strings of coins per mu, and the second-class flower silt land was priced at two to two and a half strings of coins per mu. The west of Beijing is Luoyang, not far from Kaifeng. Jinniang discussed with Jiang Xian about sending someone to Luoyang to purchase two hectares of land as a dowry for her daughter.
Jinniang learned from Mrs. Jiang Liu's experience that she must never use the family's capital, because the older people get, the fewer opportunities they have to make money. Just like Jiang Xian, although he is successful in his official career, he has experienced ups and downs in his career.
Previously, Luo Da had been sent out, but now he had to stay in the capital to make arrangements, so Jinniang sent Liu Dou'er out and gave him a total of 400 strings of cash, as well as cloth, gold and silver. These cloths were obtained during the Mid-Autumn Festival and Dragon Boat Festival in the past two years, as well as things for Ding Ge'er's third birthday ceremony. The more valuable ones were left behind, but the necklace given by Xu was taken away.
These were all top-quality brocade silks, some worth five or six strings of cash per piece, and some even worth ten strings of cash.
Of course, these were also the things she gave away from her own family.
The total amount of silver, money and items given was worth about 600 strings of cash, enough to buy first-class farmland and build some huts to store grain.
Ah Ying helped her husband pack his bags and said, "You should go there quickly and help me get this done. The village head will bring a few people from Kaifeng to take care of it. Then I can rest assured and teach you other things."
Liu Douer nodded: "Don't worry, I will make sure everything is done for my wife."
She and her husband discussed it, and Jinniang also said to Jiang Xian: "The rent money from Tianshui Lane has been sent to me. I spent money like water recently, so I have to start saving money now."
Jiang Xian said, "The family depends entirely on my wife's strategies." His daughter's dowry, land, shop, house, and even half of her jewelry were all prepared so quickly. This is not something that ordinary people can do.
The dowry was three thousand strings of silver, the house was divided into two courtyards and the business was good, worth two thousand strings of silver, the land was close to six hundred strings of silver, and there were jewellery, which made up almost six thousand strings of silver.
Probably because of his wife's behavior, he had no desire to be greedy for even a penny of the money, as he knew there would always be money at home.
However, he is now serving as an official in Taifu Temple, which is truly a lucrative position among lucrative ones.
Jinniang smiled and said, "You earn ninety strings of cash a month now. Our family can live on your salary."
His regular salary was thirty strings of cash, and he received a lot of extra allowances, even a lot of cloth, which was why Jinniang was not worried. The couple calculated the money again before they breathed a sigh of relief.
By October, Jinniang was finally able to go out. She had not left the house for two months since she gave birth to Ding'er. It happened to be Mrs. Wei’s birthday, so she had to go and congratulate her.
Others may not come to their birthdays, but they must go to other people’s birthdays.
What Jinniang prepared were two pieces of purple crane brocade, a load of longevity peaches, a load of longevity noodles, two boxes of crispy abalones and snails, two crystal geese, a jar of citrus wine, a box of jade girl peach blossom powder, two boxes of lip balm, and a longevity screen.
This longevity screen was embroidered by Jinniang at Yunjie'er's request. A white peacock is perched among rich peony flowers, symbolizing prosperity and wealth. Generally speaking, there are very few girls of Yunjie'er's age who can embroider such complex flowers, especially on both sides.
Therefore, Mrs. Wei was very happy when she saw it: "What a good girl, you are so good at needlework."
Sister Yun smiled shyly.
"Please stop praising her. You always tell me that you are embarrassed to take it over, for fear that people will laugh at you." Jinniang said this, but she was actually very proud.
When people saw that Jinniang was dressed elegantly and luxuriously, and was the aunt of the Wei family, and her husband was the brothers Jiang Yan and Jiang Xian, both of whom were successful candidates in the imperial examinations, many of them were moved.
This is also the effect that Jinniang wants. Wei Qilang is good, but he also needs a substitute. There is no need to stick to one tree.
Therefore, on the evening of the day when he returned home from the birthday banquet, someone went to ask Mrs. Wei: "I think the eldest daughter of the Jiang family is very pretty, young but very capable. I wonder if she can be married?"
Madam Wei smiled and said, "Of course not. What do you think? You want to talk about his daughter."
The man said, "To be honest, my eldest son is fifteen years old this year, not yet an adult, and is very diligent in his studies. I am just thinking of finding a marriage for him."
Madam Wei said, "You can send someone to ask."
Jinniang also received invitations from several families, all of which invited them to attend either a flower banquet or a polo match. She and Jiang Xian were analyzing the invitations together.
"You see, this infantry commander seems to be a military officer. Do you want to reject him?" Jinniang asked.
"Well, just reject it directly. We civil officials should not have frequent interactions with military generals." Jiang did not consider it at all, and even felt that the infantry commander should not have sent the invitation.
Jinniang took out another note and asked, "What about this one?"
Jiang Xian took it and looked at it. "The Imperial College's Chief Academician is a fourth-rank official who is in charge of the Imperial College. This is fine. We can go and take a look, but he may not agree."
There is also another person who is the Tianzhang Pavilion attendant, who is considered a senior bureaucrat.
The couple first picked out the family background, then thought about asking about the man's family situation, and observed for a year or two before getting engaged. During this period, she also helped her daughter save some dowry.
On the other side, Xu also mentioned her nephew to Jiang Yan: "You know about Kang Ge'er from my fifth brother's family. My eldest sister said that he is a handsome man and wants to be a matchmaker for him. But I don't want to let outsiders take advantage of him. Our niece Yun Jie'er is three years younger than him. We know each other well and are not like outsiders who hide things from each other. If they get married, then you and I will be worthy of your brother."
"This..." Jiang Yan didn't know what he was thinking.
Xu struck while the iron was hot and said, "Many people praise our Kang'er's knowledge. Even the Prime Minister Jixian said that he is the Xu family's top talent. Your sister-in-law's younger brother is so poor, but the Zhang family still took a liking to him at first sight. I think Shiliu Lang and your sister-in-law must be the same."
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