Chapter 131 Chapter 131 Two Chapters Combined
In June, because Liu Jixiang returned to Beijing, Jiang Xian was sent as an envoy to the Liao Kingdom, and this trip would take another year and a half. Jinniang helped him pack his clothes into two large boxes. She also asked the kitchen to prepare wine and food for the four attendants who were going with him this time, including the long-time attendant Liu Dou'er and the servant Hutou.
Jiang Xian sighed slightly, "When Ning Ge'er was taking the entrance exam for the provincial academy, I couldn't be there to give him advice."
"He is still young. Even if he fails the exam, he should study hard at home. You should focus on your own things and don't worry about home." Jinniang said with a smile.
How could Jiang Xian not worry about his family? Although he only thought about his own future most of the time, he also cared about his children's future. Besides, I have a lovely wife at home, so I am always a little worried.
Jinniang listened to him talking for a long time, and when she heard the word "dear wife", she laughed so hard that her whole body trembled: "What nonsense are you talking about? I just celebrated my 35th birthday, and my daughter is almost coming of age. How can I call her my dear wife? In a few years, I can call her my wife."
After hearing this, Jiang Xian was still a little angry: "My lady, don't talk nonsense. To me, you are the youngest and most beautiful woman."
"Forget it, just don't get entangled with any woman outside. If you do, I will kick you out and disown you." Jinniang scratched his nose.
Jiang Xian hugged his wife and said, "How dare I? No matter how good the woman outside is, she has nothing to do with me, Jiang Xian."
Jinniang naturally believed in her husband. If he didn't have this trust, their marriage would be meaningless. That night, the couple naturally said many sweet words to each other.
The next day, as soon as he left, Jinniang had the door closed and visitors refused to come. She asked Aying to take people to clean up the library and put a stove in the corridor, and set up several tables and candlesticks inside. She personally worked with her son Ning Ge'er to classify the books according to classics, history, miscellaneous books, travel notes, etc. She also made a catalog so that it would be convenient to take them out later.
Ning Ge'er smiled and said, "Mom, your idea is good. It will be cheaper for my son to find books in the future."
"I was thinking that there are also poor students in our Jiang family. When your father comes back, if those people want to study, they can come to our library to read and copy books." Jinniang knew that the Jiang family had quite a collection of books. Over the years, the couple would also buy books from all over the place. If poor students could also have books to read, it would be a good thing for her.
Ning Ge'er looked at Jin Niang approvingly: "Mother, what you said is very good. We can also put the Chengwen we used here. If there are scholars taking the imperial examinations, we can show them. This way, poetry and books can be passed down from generation to generation."
Jinniang smiled and said, "That's the truth."
She also had an idea that her son had been studying in a private school, not knowing that there are always people better than you. It would be a good thing if there were poor and ambitious scholars who could make her son more determined.
After the library was decorated, it was July in a blink of an eye. Jinniang now had most of her time to let herself or Yunjie take care of Ding'er. Bai Yangniang's term had come. She had already given her a monthly allowance, but now, out of pity for her taking care of Ding'er, she still gave her a five-guan Jiaozi, a bag of flour, two catties of pork, a catty of mutton, a bag of millet, six boxes of fashionable cakes, two cough medicines, and a set of clothes that Jinniang had never worn.
Although Bai Yangniang was reluctant to leave, she received rewards from the Jiang family during the holidays, such as handkerchiefs, copper coins, and cloth, which the employer allowed her to take out. Even this money was enough for the family to live on for a long time, and she missed her children very much.
Chen Xiaolang sent someone to send her back. Jinniang was afraid that Ding'er would not be used to it, so she personally took her son to sleep with her. In fact, children have stronger adaptability than adults. He didn't see Bai Yangniang and didn't look for her. He just lay in Jinniang's arms and was very well behaved.
"We can go to school when your father comes back. Now you can play at home with your mother, okay?" Jinniang asked with a smile.
Because Ding'er is the youngest child, the affairs of his older brothers and sisters are the most important in the family, so Jinniang cannot teach her own child personally as she did in the past.
Look, now she has to embroider a quilt cover for her daughter herself. Besides that, she also has to take care of the household business and read some books by herself, so that she can spare about an hour to accompany Ding'er.
Ning Ge'er really acts like an older brother. After school every day, he would play with his younger brother for a while before doing his homework.
"In September, you will take the entrance exam for Kaifeng Prefecture's School. You are only ten years old. Mother is not afraid that you will fail, but I am afraid that you will pass and have to live in the mansion at that time. So, from now on you have to learn to make your bed and take care of your own affairs." Jinniang herself had been working outside since she was a child, and she knew that a child who could not take care of himself would not be able to stay for long even if he had the ability.
Children of officials like Ning Ge'er will not have to take the Jie exam with other poor students in the future, but will instead take the Cao exam, which is a separate exam. What Sun Shichen referred to as "Fajie" at that time actually meant passing the imperial examination.
Of course, the value of the so-called imperial examination was not very high, because there were often people who had connections who were able to pass the exam. This was also a way to prevent children of officials from squeezing out the channels for poor children to advance. Of course, the chances of passing the imperial examination are high, but when it comes to the provincial examination, it is for everyone, and those who are incompetent will still be eliminated.
Ning Ge'er smiled and said, "Mom, I'm not afraid. I'll get it done when I get there."
"Don't take it lightly. I will teach you how to fold the quilt and make the bed, how to store money, and how to fetch water later." Jinniang said.
Her eldest son had been courageous since childhood. After going to school, his expression became more serious. He was quite courageous, upright and selfless, completely different from his father. All in all, Jiang Xian is likable no matter where he goes, but Ning Ge'er has the spirit of a student from a poor family.
Before, when he went out to eat, he encountered two people fighting a theft lawsuit. This kid actually ran over and made a perfect reasoning, which convinced the two people on the spot.
It's just that the child is too homesick: "Although my son can learn these, if he can live at home, he must live at home. My son, I don't want to leave my mother."
In view of her son's young age, Jinniang smiled and said, "Okay, of course, I also hope that my son can live at home."
The main reason is that the conditions are different now. My younger brother was studying in academy at that time, which was too far away. But Kaifeng Prefecture is not far from her home, and there is someone to pick her up, so it is naturally different.
Ning Ge'er chatted with Jinniang for a while, but still felt uneasy, so he went back to read.
On this side, the mother was loving and the son was filial, but on the other side, Lou Si Niang was disheartened. When she rushed to Qizhou, Feng Sheng had been ill for a long time. She used the silver to buy medicinal herbs to help her husband recover. When the couple came back, they of course also talked about the performance of their two stepsons on the way.
When Feng Shenghe and others saw that Lou Si Niang came alone, they knew that the two children were raised in vain.
Seeing that he was useless, of course he was unwilling to come.
It was difficult for Lou Si Niang to travel thousands of miles to find her husband. What virtue and ability did Feng Sheng have? Therefore, after returning from Qizhou, Feng Sheng prepared to divide the family and send his two sons away. When it came to the division of the family, there was another big quarrel. Feng Lin had his own clinic and made a lot of profit, but he was determined to pursue every grudge for the sake of his younger brother Guan Ge'er.
"Dad, if we divide the family like this, we can't just invite the Lou family over. That's really unfair. We should invite my aunt over."
After hearing this, Feng Sheng stopped talking. He had accumulated a thousand acres of land, three thousand taels of capital for medicinal materials, and two thousand strings of cash that he had originally intended to give to Yun Ge'er. So, he had no choice but to give out one thousand strings of cash and three hundred acres of land to Guan Ge'er, and also helped him marry a wife.
At this point, she was disheartened and her former competitive spirit was much less than before. Lou Si Niang originally had money. However, the stepson whom she once raised now treated her like an enemy, which made her feel disheartened.
Feng Sheng said: "I have worked so hard for the two brothers, but I never thought that they would raise such a rich wolf and tiger. It is really a misfortune for our family."
"Don't think like that. Let's separate the two brothers and let them start their own businesses. We can also give them some money so that they won't have to worry about food and clothing. As for you and I, we both have medical skills. We don't have to be so reckless in the future. Just raise Yun brother well." Although Lou Si Niang was a little discouraged, she was not as upset as Feng Sheng.
Feng Shengze said: "In the past, when I taught my children, I always wanted them to stand out, and only considered their success or failure. Now, it seems that I must teach them to be good people."
He was poisoned by a snake, and although he looks normal now, the doctor said that his life span might be limited. This is why he had to divide the family property no matter what. At least he could keep some of the money. He was just afraid that he wouldn't be able to see Yun Ge'er succeed in the future.
Lou Si Niang wiped her tears and said, "Yes, let's open the shop another day."
…
After receiving the money, Guan Ge'er asked his brother to come over and talk. He always followed his brother's lead, so he said, "Brother, now that we have separated from the family, why don't we go find Second Aunt and let her take care of us."
Feng Lin said calmly, "As the saying goes, if relatives really care about each other, they will visit each other more often. If they don't visit, there must be other reasons. If we visit them rashly, we will just be treated as poor relatives and be sent away. It's better for you to study hard so that they will visit us more often in the future."
Guan Ge'er always follows his brother's lead, so naturally he nodded repeatedly after hearing that.
Feng Lin smiled and said, "Brother, I can't study, and I don't have any connections. You are different from me. If you can pass the entrance examination to the provincial school, you will be better than me. Brother knows that you just got married and you need money a lot, so I also gave you some money."
He was a very famous ophthalmologist. He originally ran his own drugstore and had quite a bit of extra money. Some of the money was given to him when the family was divided. He took out fifty strings of cash and gave them to his younger brother.
Guan Ge'er thanked him repeatedly.
The two brothers also went to a nearby foot shop to have a drink. They both got drunk, but they were very happy.
It was also said that Zhou Si's husband, Sun Shichen, was also drunk. Since he passed the imperial examination, he had been sent to three remote posts, and it had been almost ten years since he returned to Beijing. Most of them were entrusted to Zhou Cunzhi and Jiang Fang, so they all gathered together to drink.
Mrs. Zhou Si also brought her children to have dinner with Mrs. Zhang, the eldest lady of Zhou, and Mrs. Zhou San's family.
When Madam Zhou heard Lady Zhou Si mention that they had happened to encounter the marriage between Jiang Xian's family and the Wei family, she sneered in her heart, but would not show it in front of the younger generation. After all, her maiden family was the Jiang family, and Jiang Xian was now the highest-ranking official in the Jiang family.
Zhang had fewer concerns. Although her brother's family was married to the Wei family, she was not happy. Last time she heard that Jiang Xian's wife and her concubine were whispering, she wondered if they were talking about the fake goods she had given them. But she couldn't say it too bluntly, so she just said it in a joking way: "Speaking of which, the lady from the Wei family has such a family background, how come she came to our house to be a maid before? If we had known earlier, we would have treated her better."
"They went to Daming Mansion to reunite with their family." After all, Mrs. Zhou Si knew Mrs. Wang and Mrs. Ji, and knew the situation in Daming Mansion. She just said, "It's just that the Wei family was very picky at that time. Even Lord Wang's granddaughter only married a man from a concubine's house. I really don't know why Wei Qilang chose her daughter now?"
Mrs. Zhou San didn't know about these inside stories. She only heard Zhang say, "I didn't hear that her family was chosen. It was Madam Wei who asked her son to study literature with Jiang Shiliu. I guess they were childhood sweethearts."
Zhang's words were subtle, but everyone understood them.
Zhou Si thought that Yun Jie'er was only thirteen or fourteen years old this year, how could she have secret feelings for a boy? It was almost certain that Wei Jinniang had taught her. Because she had seen the child Wei Qillang before, and he was very polite. There were so many girls in his family's school, but he never even glanced at them.
If it was really Wei Jinniang who taught her, then she was really too despicable. She was a good girl, not even an adult, and she did this. At least we have to wait until we reach the age of 15 or 18 before talking about marriage. Thinking of this, she shook her head.
Why is she so concerned about Wei Jinniang? The first reason was that she felt the person in the book was the most unpredictable, and the second reason was that Zhou Cunzhi's future depended on Jiang Xian.
Two completely unrelated people are brought together. The brother's future is also the husband's future.
After the meal, Zhang returned to her room. Mrs. Zhou went to see her youngest daughter first. Mrs. Lu was always a smart person. She warned her daughter, "Come back less often in the future and live your life well. Don't worry about me all the time. I'm fine."
"Look at what you said. You are my mother, why can't I come back to see you?" said Mrs. Zhou San.
Lu Xiaoshuo heard her calling "mother" and hesitating, then said: "Don't shout so that others can hear you. It's not good."
Mrs. Zhou shook her head and asked about the uncle and aunt of the second house: "I wonder how they are doing in Hangzhou?"
"Okay, everything is fine. Your second uncle bought a huge villa in Hangzhou, and he also said that he would invite your father and your stepmother to go back home to live there in their old age. He is very content now that he has a son. Although I have never heard that your two cousins are talented, being rich men is enough for them." Lu Xiaoniang felt that Jiang Shi didn't know what she was angry about all day long, and people should accept their old age.
Master Zhou Er and Wu Luan thought it through. They had their own sons and had experienced the death of the third wife Zhou Shenzhi, so they knew that safety was a blessing. Although they cared less about money and power, even so, the money that the second wife gave to the first wife as dowry for the first wife's daughters probably added up to tens of thousands of strings of cash.
The reason why the first wife is short of financial resources now is that she no longer has the financial backer from the second wife.
But to put it another way, it was the second wife who nurtured the first wife's appetite, making it difficult for the first wife to be frugal.
Madam Zhou Si sighed slightly. Madam Zhou Si was talking to Zhang with her two daughters. Zhang liked Madam Zhou Si better than Madam Zhou Si. Because Zhou Sanniang treated Zhou Cunzhi's wives and concubines equally, she was more worried than herself when Guo Xiaoniang's son got sick.
In this regard, Madam Zhou Si did better than Madam Zhou San. She did not go to the rooms of the concubines and young ladies to talk.
"Your eldest and second aunts look really lovely. They are about to reach marriage age, right?" Zhang asked with a smile.
Mrs. Zhou Si smiled and said, "But he is still young."
Zhang said, "Not small anymore."
In front of the two little girls, Zhang was reluctant to mention marriage, but she left a strong hint and even gave each of them a gold necklace.
The eldest and second daughters of the Sun family were both on official duty away from home for many years. When they returned to their grandparents' home, they were very happy to see such a big house and such nice aunts and aunts.
But marriage? When Miss Sun heard that Jiang Jun was going to marry Wei Qilang, she was nothing but envious. You know, when they were in girls' school, they often quarreled because of Wei Qilang.
I just don’t know what kind of ideal husband my mother will find in the future?
Mrs. Zhou Si is no longer thinking about her daughter's marriage. After they come back, she plans to buy the house. For modern people, buying a house is the most important thing, especially when the Sun family divided up the family. They got one thousand strings of cash, a house, two shops, and two hundred acres of land in their hometown.
Although the Sun family is a family of officials, Mr. Sun was appointed as a prefect when he was in his forties or fifties, and retired this year. It is already good enough for him to save up this amount of furniture. But the house in my hometown is not valuable. Three hundred strings of coins can buy a house with more than two entrances. The rent of the two big shops, one is 12 strings of coins a year, and the other is a little more, 36 strings of coins.
Fortunately, they had saved 600 guan from their work outside over the years. They sold a shop in their hometown for 500 guan, and another shop for 700 guan. In addition, she had dowry money and income from land, a total of 3,000 guan, which she used to buy a large house with two entrances and some furniture.
But in this way, the money in her hands was almost gone, but she was very happy in her heart. After all, she was a house owner. She would not sell the shop unless she had no other choice, but the shop in her hometown was really not worth much money, so this could be considered a replacement.
After buying the house, there were still several hundred acres of land to rent and her husband's salary. Sun Shichen's salary had increased significantly from a seventh-rank county magistrate to a sixth-rank imperial censor, and it was more than enough for him.
It is also said that Jinniang was looking at the betrothal gifts and dowry sent by the Wei family. The betrothal gifts and dowry are actually given to the bride's parents. Jinniang's parents were unable to help her buy a dowry before, so they put all the money into her own dowry. Now that they have to send their dowry over, they can't use other people's betrothal gifts to make up the number for themselves.
Otherwise, once the dowry was delivered, the Wei family would definitely say that the Jiang family was using the jewelry and jadeite sent by their family to save face for the Jiang family.
Therefore, to the one thousand strings of cash sent by the Wei family, Jinniang added another one hundred strings of cash and made a pearl crown, a gold crown, and a box of gold and silver utensils for her daughter. In addition, with the rent money from the family last year, Jinniang put another five hundred strings of cash into her daughter's dowry. Anyway, if I lend out 500 strings of cash every year, by the time my daughter gets married, there will be more than 5,000 strings of cash at the bottom of the box. Add to that the shop, fields, gold and silver, jewelry, and clothes, and there will be at least 10,000 strings of cash, and my goal will be achieved.
Jinniang saved a lot of money because she could make quilt covers for her daughter. She had already embroidered a quilt cover since last year and started embroidering the gauze curtains. She had embroidered one third of the fertility-giving Guanyin and would continue.
"Madam, the lady who owns Huixian Tower is here."
In recent years, Jinniang would go to Huixianlou to order wine for every festival. There were also several banquets at home, including Dingge's one-year-old birthday celebration, which was held at Huixianlou.
The lady of the host family got better because of the purple-robed Guanyin that Jinniang gave her, so Jinniang knew roughly what she was doing when she came to the house.
After Jinniang let her in, the lady from the landlord's family smiled and said, "My granddaughter is getting married, and I want to ask for an embroidered portrait of you as a treasure. I hope you will be considerate."
"You and I have known each other since we were little. How can I not respond when you come to ask me for help?" Jinniang said.
Who would have thought that the lady from Huixian Tower was also very generous and bought two paintings at once, one of Guanyin carrying a basket and the other of Guanyin in white. She directly took five hundred strings of copper coins and sent them to Jinniang's room, which was more than Jinniang had imagined.
She lost some money, but fortunately she got some money back, but this money was Jinniang's own private money.
"Aying, go to the warehouse and get some cloth, and ask a tailor to come and make clothes for the servants. I will pay the wages from my private pocket. Just tell them that I am sorry to trouble you all about the girl's engagement." Jinniang said with a smile.
Ah Ying smiled and said, "Thank you for troubling me, madam. You always want to make clothes for us."
There were more than thirty servants in the mansion, and their wages totaled six taels of silver.
It is no longer feasible to follow the path of Quanfu people. After all, there are too many high-ranking officials in Beijing, and they are nothing. It was fine as long as the money and goods were paid, but if she openly pretended to be a married woman to the businessman, she was afraid that people would say there was some connection, so she tried not to do it.
She didn't even often eat bird's nest or ginseng, and the tea was sent to her as gifts. The rice, flour, and eggs were from the farm, and the occasional book purchases were enough for her to spend with Jiang Xian's salary.
When Jinniang finished embroidering the Goddess of Fertility, it was already September and Ning'er was about to take an exam. Because Jiang Xian was not at home, Jinniang personally took her son over in a carriage. Ning Ge'er pursed his lips tightly, a little nervous. She comforted her son, "Don't be nervous. Put the completed test paper in a school bag. Otherwise, if someone teases you and deliberately bumps into your desk and splashes ink on it, you will have no chance to repent."
"Mom, I'll remember it." Ning Ge'er said seriously.
Jinniang smiled again: "That's good, everything will be fine if you keep a calm mind."
Ning Ge'er patted his chest and said, "Mom, I will definitely be admitted to the provincial school, which will bring honor to you and provide support for my sister."
If it were any other time, Jinniang would definitely say that the family doesn’t need you, but now that her son has a sense of responsibility, she smiled and said, “Then I have to thank my son.”
Ning'er is mostly like Jinniang. He is not picky about food. He practices archery and martial arts all year round. He is taller than the average child. Jinniang was also relieved when she saw Luo Da sending him in on the carriage.
After Jinniang sent her son back, she taught her daughter how to make a gold-plated collar and handkerchief. She also said, "It's much cheaper to buy the gold foil and make it yourself. You just need to prepare the engraving. Here I have a carved dragonfly. When you make clothes on green silk and sometimes you are too lazy to embroider, you can put two dragonflies on the collar like this. You don't need too much gold foil."
After Yun Jie'er learned it quickly, Jin Niang gave her a small box of gold foil, and the mother and daughter went to the library to read again. Now that Yunjie has learned to play the Yueqin, she no longer needs to read books, so apart from needlework, she reads books, plays the piano, and makes perfumes. Her life is quite comfortable.
"Mom, do you think my brother can pass the exam?" Sister Yun was very worried about Brother Ning.
Jinniang shook her head: "I don't know either. Many accidents happen in the examination hall. Even if your brother fails, it's not a big deal. It will be the same if he takes the exam at Kaifeng Academy."
When Ning'er came back in the evening, Jinniang was relieved to see that he looked fine. She waited for a few days and had someone check the list. Only then did she know that her son had passed the exam. At such a young age, he entered the provincial school and could be called a "Maocai" or "Xiucai".
Jinniang cried with joy and took out the shirt she had made for her son: "Good boy, mother is really happy for you."
Ning Ge'er grinned for a while, but then said unhappily, "Mom, but my son has to live in the school."
Sister Yun said with a smile: "Mother, brother, listen to me. Now that my brother has won the lottery, should we first tell our relatives? If there are guests coming to visit, should mother ask Brother Xuan to come and help arrange things?"
Jinniang glanced at her daughter and said, "Why invite your cousin? It will be cheaper to invite your son-in-law. I will ask someone to invite him right away."
It's not possible to expect strangers to fall in love with each other at once. They need to get along for a while. At least start as friends and have some common topics. If there are no conditions, we have to create them.
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