Chapter 132 Chapter 132 Two Chapters Combined
The Wei family also received the news that Ning Ge'er had entered the mansion school. Because Jinniang wanted to invite Wei Qilang to take care of the family business, Mrs. Wei was a little worried, so she asked her eldest son, Da Langjun of the Wei family, to come as well.
Since Jinniang and them were aunt and niece, she didn't need to be too shy and just said, "Your uncle is not at home. If anyone comes to visit, please excuse me."
"What are you saying, aunt? This is what we should do." Wei Dalangjun said with a smile.
Jinniang called Ning Ge'er over again and entrusted the task to them: "Thank you for your help."
Wei Qilang became closer to them and said with a smile: "Don't worry, aunt, my elder brother and I are in the hall. I haven't congratulated my younger brother Ning yet, but he has entered the government school at such a young age. If your uncle were at home, I don't know how happy he would be."
This was very appropriate. Jinniang looked at him and said, "Yes, when your uncle goes out, I am the only one who is worried about him."
After a few chats, the Wei brothers took Ning Ge'er to the hall, waiting for people to come and socialize. Jiang Yan from the Jiang family came over soon, followed by Xuan Ge'er, and Zhang Jiulang also came over quickly, and there were also Jiang Xian's colleagues and others.
Jinniang asked Luo Da and Chen Xiaolang to serve in the front hall. She also took out the incense that Hao Erlang brought her when he went to Beijing last time, and asked the waiter to make tea and serve snacks.
"Mom, Dad is not at home, so I have to ask others for help in everything." Sister Yun seemed to be thinking about something.
Jinniang said, "Yes, even if we have the ability, men and women cannot meet each other after all, and we have to let others entertain us. Now men and women cannot be completely equal, but we can at least find someone to arrange tea and snacks, which is better than doing nothing."
Sister Yun nodded: "You are right, someone should be writing down the gift list later."
"Well, I just talked to Qilang." Jinniang said.
Sister Yun thought that her seventh cousin was still very reliable at critical moments, and that must be the reason why her mother chose him. She always told her mother what was in her heart: "Mom, we heard some people say a few days ago that we married into the Wei family to curry favor with the rich and powerful."
Jinniang laughed and said, "When I married your father, your aunt ridiculed me in public. But so what? Which woman in the world would not want to marry a husband who is both talented and handsome, has a good character, and is extremely wealthy? I don't like false nobleness. If you can't find such a good husband, that's another matter, but if you can find one, why do you still have to be hypocritical? What's the point of marrying up and swallowing needles, and marrying down is definitely good? There are only one person with good character in this world, and most people are just ordinary people, with good and bad sides."
"Mom, you are always good." said Sister Yun.
Jinniang shook her head, "No, I have my faults too. I am not that broad-minded. I like to receive rewards for my efforts, so I always have to keep some for myself. I also hope to get a lot of benefits, and sometimes I envy others."
"Ah?" Yun Jie'er felt that her mother was not such a person. She felt that her mother was selfless to her and her brothers, and was even better to her father.
Jinniang smiled and said, "It's just that when I know it's wrong to do so, I will stop thinking these bad thoughts and try to do better. No one is perfect, you can't expect others to be perfect. As long as the person is kind, it's okay to have some shortcomings occasionally. But if the person has principled problems, such as gambling, whoring, stealing, and beating his wife, then no matter how good he is, it won't work."
At least she had observed Wei Qilang, even from childhood to adulthood, and the child did not have these problems now.
Yun Jieer understood. She leaned on her mother's shoulder and said, "Mom, I just want to lean on you like this, forever."
"Even if you get married in the future, as long as your mother is here, this will always be your home. No matter what others say, I will definitely accept you. But if you do something bad, I will never tolerate it." Jinniang said.
As Yunjie grew older, she talked to Jinniang more like a friend.
It was bustling outside. Jinniang asked the people from Huixianlou to come and prepare tea and food. Wei Dalangjun and Jiang Yan were both busy serving the guests. When the crowd dispersed and the guests had all left, only Wei Qilang came over to talk to the back, and he happened to meet Yun Jie'er on the corridor.
Wei Qilang paused and coughed softly, "Is my aunt in the main room?"
"Yes, mother is in the room. Thank you very much, seventh cousin, today." Sister Yun bowed.
Wei Qilang said in a panic: "Big sister, what are you talking about? This is all my responsibility."
Sister Yun smiled and said, "Cousin, please go in first. I'll order some tea and bring it over."
"Oh!" Wei Qillang was delighted.
Jinniang was talking to Ning Ge'er. When she saw Wei Qilang come in, she started talking to him affectionately again. Then Yun Jie'er brought people to serve tea. Although Wei Qilang didn't say another word to her afterwards, the tea he drank was refreshing.
It was getting late, so Wei Qilang went home.
Jinniang brought people to the hall to check it out. She first asked Aying to copy the gift list, and then had someone clean up. She was busy until midnight before she rested.
The next day, Jinniang and Yunjie helped Ningge prepare his luggage. It was already September, so they brought thin and thick quilts, and chose clothes without complicated embroidery, only comfortable ones.
In addition, there were snacks, cakes, silver, money, tea, etc., which filled a whole box and two large bundles.
Ning Ge'er and Jin Niang have very similar personalities. When they were first going to stay there, they were a little worried, but when they arrived at the gate of the prefectural school, they were actually calmer than the adults.
"Mom, sister, don't worry, I will be fine."
Jinniang took her hand and said, "Every three days, I will ask Manager Chen and your servant Chen Tong to send you food. If you need anything that is not cheap, just ask them to help you."
Ning Ge'er waved his hand, and when he turned around, he couldn't help crying, but he still insisted on moving forward.
However, when Ning'er went to the provincial school, Jinniang had trouble eating and sleeping at first. Fortunately, after three days, Chen Xiaolang went to see him and said that Ning'er had adapted well. People knew that Ning was young and took good care of him, so Jinniang felt relieved.
She was a person who could sit still, so she was constantly sewing. In October, she had finished embroidering another quilt cover. The rent for Jinliang Bridge, the rent for Tianshui Lane, and the money for Luoyang Zhuangzi were all sent over. Jinniang checked them and put them in the east ear room.
Now that Ding'er has moved into the wing room, the east ear room is empty, perfect for storing cloth and silver. The main reason is that Jiang Xian is not at home, otherwise it could have been placed in the cellar.
However, the relationship between mother and daughter has improved.
Sister Yun got up early and did needlework with her. In the afternoon, the mother and daughter went to the library to read and write. In the evening, they had dinner together and could chat all the time without feeling bored.
Of course, Ding Ge'er was always with her. At night, Jinniang would sleep with her youngest son and listen to Yun Jie'er telling stories to her younger brother. She lived a very leisurely life.
It is also said that in the winter month, Mr. Liu's daughter got engaged, and he invited Jinniang to be the bridegroom. Jinniang went to Liu's house in advance. Liu Jixiang's wife looked older than before, with wrinkles on her skin, and she became much more talkative.
When he saw Jinniang, he said, "We didn't have a good conversation last time you came over, but now we can talk."
"You are right. My master is on a diplomatic mission outside the border and we have children at home, so we cannot leave. We don't come to pay our respects to you often. Please forgive us." Jinniang said with a smile.
Madam Liu waved her hand and said, "Your husband is not at home, so you should keep the door tightly guarded."
Jinniang nodded.
Old Madam Liu said a lot of the same things over and over again, and Jinniang just nodded and said okay. When she had almost finished speaking, she went to see Madam Xun. In recent years, perhaps because Liu Jixiang was away, Jinniang and the others gave generous gifts after returning to Tokyo, and their relationship was still good.
"I'm talking to you again. That's what happens when you get older." Madam Xun said with a smile.
Mr. Liu and Ms. Xun had a lot of trouble in their early years, but now they get along very politely. Jinniang chatted with them for a few words before leaving.
But she didn't expect that after she came back, she would see Luo Da sending someone to tell her that the two young masters of the Feng family had arrived. When Jinniang heard about the two young masters of the Feng family, she was stunned for a moment.
Ever since Feng Sheng married Lou Si Niang, he has been avoiding them. Why did these two children come to him?
Thinking of this, Jinniang asked Luo Da to ask them what was the matter first.
Luo Da first invited them to the living room for tea and said, "I wonder what the two gentlemen are talking about? To be honest, my master is not in the capital."
Feng Lin sighed, "We just recently found out that Second Aunt is in Beijing, and Dad has separated us from the family, so we thought of going to her house to thank her. Back then, Second Aunt often sent her clothes and study supplies, and we brothers were very grateful."
…
Jinniang in the backyard decided not to meet them. If you don't meet some people, they will think you are heartless. If you meet them, they will hate you in the future.
So she had it said that she was not at home.
Ah Ying quickly went to the front yard, and first greeted Feng Lin and Feng Guan, then smiled and said, "What a coincidence! My wife has gone to the Liu family to help, and I'm afraid it will be difficult for her to return for a while. It's a coincidence that my wife has been thinking about the two gentlemen and has prepared a gift for them. But I don't know how the two gentlemen are doing. It's just right, I'll take it."
After hearing this, Feng Guan smiled and said, "I didn't expect that my aunt thought of us so much. We will come to visit her again in the future."
Feng Lin smiled but his heart was cold. After he left, he said to his brother, "If you are poor in a busy city, no one will care about you. If you are rich in a remote mountain area, you will have distant relatives. This aunt is now an official's wife. She only associates with high-ranking officials and nobles. She is not willing to associate with us. Don't come to visit us in the future."
"Why do you say that, brother? You see, this gift is quite significant." said Feng Guan.
The two brothers each received a pair of jade pendants, two rolls of fashionable satin, six tea cakes, a clay inkstone, and a pair of purses for the New Year.
Feng Lin said, "They just gave these to us to get rid of."
The two never met, and they stopped communicating with the second aunt, and just went about their business. Feng Lin continued to run a clinic and treat patients. Although Feng Guan did not pass the entrance exam to the Imperial College this time, he was still studying there.
Jinniang learned a lesson from Rongniang's incident, and she felt relieved when she saw that the Feng brothers did not come to her house again.
The next day, after Jinniang had dressed up, she asked the maid to help her daughter with her makeup. Because Jinniang was celebrating her birthday today, she dressed very elegantly. She wore a scarlet tube top dress with a plain long jacket. The collar was decorated with bright red peony patterns with gold prints. She wore a silver-gilt crown on her head and a pearl necklace with a teardrop-shaped ruby hanging on her forehead, making her look very charming.
As for the daughter, she wore a peony crown and had pearls adorning her brows, and she looked pretty and charming as well.
When the mother and daughter came to Liu's house, they found that Zhang and the fourth lady of the Zhou family had arrived. Madam Xun was talking to them. When she saw Jinniang and Yunjie'er coming over, she stood up and said, "I was wondering why you, the lucky one, haven't arrived yet."
"I have to send my son Dalang to school early this morning, so it's a little late." Jinniang sat down with a smile.
When Madam Xun knew that Yun Jie'er was engaged to the Wei family, she praised her even more. Yun Jie'er thought that this was just like everyone carrying a sedan chair. She thought that this was not for herself, but for that good marriage, so she did not act arrogantly, but was humble in every way.
Jinniang was very satisfied with such a scene.
Sister Yun thought that the reason why I was so calm was because I had everything, so I could be so humble and didn't need to struggle hard. However, life is like the surging waves, with ups and downs, and you must keep a normal mind.
Madam Zhou Si could clearly see that Madam Xun was very fond of Jinniang and her daughter, and there was no need to conceal this differential treatment. It was fine for her, but her two daughters...
However, in this world of fame and fortune, who would care about her little thoughts? Even she herself was able to come to the Liu family because of her relationship with the Zhou family.
Jinniang was thinking about completing the mission of Quanfu, so she left after saying a few words. The granddaughter of Liu family was promised to the son of a famous official, and she was younger than Yunjie'er!
The blessing gifts given by the Liu family this time were also very generous, including two hundred taels of silver, thirty silk flowers made of camellia, a load of tea cakes, one piece of brocade with eight halos and four colors, and a set of twenty-eight pieces of jewelry.
After returning from Liu's house, Jinniang put away her jewelry and silver, took out some of the remaining tea and sent it to the tea room, and put the rest in the west ear room, not to mention the cloth.
Gifts had to be given during the Chinese New Year anyway, so Jinniang used the brocade she had received to ask a tailor to make a few sets of clothes for Wei Qilang: two sets, one for Madam Wei, one for Master Jiang Liu, and one for Zheng.
"For clothes given as gifts, you can just ask a tailor for them. We make the clothes ourselves out of our love, so don't treat us like your nannies." Jinniang said to her daughter with a smile.
Sister Yun nodded.
The servants of the Jiang family now have a new set of clothes at least once a season, and they also receive wages. Even the masters never punish the servants without reason, so everyone works very hard.
Because the jobs here are unique to each person, it would be difficult to come back once you leave.
Mother Fang said with a smile: "My lady, in my opinion, auspicious snow means a good harvest. I think this year will definitely be a good year."
"Yeah, I think so too. From the first half of last year, I was busy with Yunjie's marriage, and in the second half, Ningge's examination was taken by the provincial school. With so many things to do at home, the time passed quickly. It was like when I was working in the embroidery shop, I was busy calculating the four seasons and eight festivals every day. After the Dragon Boat Festival, I looked forward to the Mid-Autumn Festival, just waiting for the big solar terms so that people would come to embroider clothes for me. Now it's almost time." Jinniang sighed.
While the two were chatting, there was a noise outside. It turned out that Wei Qilang had gone to pick up Ning Ge'er in person.
Seeing his two cousins coming in despite the snow and wind, the maids brushed the frost off their clothes. Jinniang quickly had someone serve hot tea and asked Wei Qilang, "Why did you pick him up today?"
"It was just a coincidence. I ran into Luo Da when I came out of You's house, so I came back with him." Wei Qilang said.
Ning Ge'er said, "Mom, I want to go to the library to read after dinner with my cousin."
"Okay, I'll have someone bring the charcoal basin over, and you two can go over later." Jinniang said.
Because Ning Ge'er could only come back once a month from school, Jinniang asked him more questions at the table: "Last time you said that there was another person living in your Qinxuezhai, doesn't that mean there are five people now?"
Ning nodded, "Yes, his last name is Fang. His family is just a poor family, but he passed the exam with his own ability. Although he is not rich, every time we go out for a meal, he is the one who pays the most generously. Every time, we rush to pay the bills, and my son wins twice."
"That's great. How about other houses?" Jinniang was worried that her son was too young and might be bullied, but she didn't expect that he had good relationships with other young families.
Ning Ge'er said, "Other dormitories don't have such harmonious relationships as ours. Some even frame others for stealing, and my son helps them out. Some yamen like to bully people, but they don't dare to bully someone like my son who is poor, ambitious and only studies."
Jinniang opened her eyes wide: "You are also a yanei now?"
"Maybe when he first went in, his mother told him not to wear anything eye-catching, and he was usually frugal, so they thought he was also from a poor family." Ning Ge'er said.
Jinniang was most reluctant to ask the teacher to pay more attention to her child. She always felt that it was better for the child to speak with his or her own ability.
Wei Qilang looked at his brother-in-law and couldn't help but say, "That's enough for you. If you keep lying to others, they will think you are unsociable. In fact, it's better for everyone to have normal interactions."
"Seventh cousin is right." Ning Ge'er also felt that it was wrong for him to lie. No, it wasn't really lying. Unless others asked too much, he naturally wouldn't tell everyone whose son he was.
After dinner, the two cousins went to the library to read, and then Sister Yun came over.
Although Jinniang created chance encounters for her daughter and son-in-law, she would never let them stay in the same room and cause gossip.
At the end of December, the eldest son of the Zhou family got married. Jinniang did not go to the wedding in person, but sent someone to deliver the wedding gift. Xu's daughter-in-law, Xiao Wu, gave birth to another daughter. This time, Jinniang had to go there and bring people to deliver the festival gifts, including clothes for Mr. Jiang Liu, fashionable satin for Zheng, and the baby's third-day baptism ceremony.
Although Jinniang had given two taels and six cents of silver to Xu in revenge last time, she had no grudge against the children, especially since Xuan'er and Xiao Wu had always been respectful to her. Jinniang asked someone to buy a silver-gilt necklace and a pair of anklets at a silver shop and sent them to them.
The Xu family did not come with the same momentum this time as last time, and Xu's nephew Xu Kang has not been engaged yet and is still single.
Don't say that this dynasty attaches great importance to dowry, but that is only for marrying scholars with official titles, not poor women. Of course, Jinniang would definitely not laugh at others. This was not Xu Kang's problem, but Xu's own ill intentions.
Jiang Yanzhi's wife Zeng said, "Why didn't Sister Yun and Brother Ning come?"
"Brother Ning is not on vacation yet in the provincial school, so it would be bad to leave him alone at home. So let Sister Yun take care of him at home, and she can also help take care of her younger brother." Jinniang naturally had to avoid some things.
Zeng nodded: "I see."
As they were talking, they saw the plump Mrs. Wu and her daughter, Mrs. Wang, the sixth grandmother of Wei, coming over together. Indeed, they were relatives of Mrs. Wu. Jinniang and Wu Niang were old acquaintances. She was hesitant to go up to her and talk to her, but Wu Niang took the initiative to call her as she did before: "Hello, Sister Wei."
"Madam Wu, we are really destined to meet each other." Jinniang stepped forward and held her hand.
It's fate, their daughters will be sisters-in-law in the future.
Mrs. Wu had just finished her confinement and finally got her wish and gave birth to another baby boy. She was talking to Jinniang, "I wanted to ask my sister to come over, but the child was born weak and couldn't stand the wind, so we couldn't even have a bath."
Like her, Jinniang had just given birth to her youngest son. Both of them were elderly mothers, so they had a lot to say: "Don't tell me, my youngest son was born with a small red spot on his head. He was born fair and we thought it was a birthmark, but one day it was accidentally broken and the bleeding wouldn't stop. My husband and I were shocked. The doctor said it was a head tumor, so we had to give him acupuncture and apply medicine. It took more than a month to heal. The child suffered a lot."
Madam Wu felt nervous when she heard this: "Is there such a disease?"
"That's right. Babies are very weak when they are born and cannot be left alone for even a day. Especially the belly button. I keep an eye on it every day, fearing that it might get navel wind."
Madam Wu was just trying to deal with it, but she didn't expect that Jinniang said what she wanted to hear. She asked again, "How do we do this?"
In this way, Jinniang shared a lot of her own experiences. Mrs. Wu now takes care of her child herself and does not let her mother-in-law take care of the child. Of course, she watched with great interest and listened very seriously.
The two of them were talking about something interesting, and Jinniang even suggested that she would go to visit him in a few days, and Madam Wu readily agreed.
Jinniang thought that the eldest lady of the Wei family, Mrs. Fan, was just okay, but her daughter would really be a sister-in-law with Mrs. Wang in the future, so she might as well find out more about them to know herself and the other side.
After Mrs. Wu finished talking to Jinniang, she went into the room to see her niece first. She saw that little Mrs. Wu had just drunk some brown sugar water, which is good for expelling lochia.
However, Madam Wu looked around and saw that the child was left here alone. She couldn't help but ask, "Why is there no wet nurse? You just gave birth and need to rest. If you leave the child here, it might make you noisy."
"I was just wondering. The wet nurse we hired picked up a bowl of pig's trotters and ate them randomly yesterday. She got diarrhea and we dared not let her breastfeed. The master is sending someone to invite another wet nurse." Little Mrs. Wu shook her head.
Wang was puzzled: "Cousin, how come this wet nurse doesn't know the rules? How much did she eat?"
Little Wu didn't say anything, but her trusted maid said, "Madam and cousin don't know, our eldest lady usually worships Buddha and has a very light diet. There is rarely any meat in the house. Yesterday, it was because of the third day of the lunar year that some meat was brought in. Not only the wet nurse, but also the other servants usually eat light soup. When they finally get a meal of oily meat, they try hard to stuff it down, and many of them have diarrhea."
Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.
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