Chapter 139 Chapter 139 Two Chapters in One
Yunjie'er has a wide range of social contacts, but they are not deep. She usually follows her mother to learn how to deal with things, and she has discovered a truth deeply. There is a sense of distance between people. It is better to be polite to each other. Otherwise, if you get too close, it will be easy to get separated.
So when the Jiang family next door arrived, Madam Song brought Miss Jiang as guests, and Sister Yun just treated them politely.
Jiang Song glanced at Sister Yun and felt that there might be someone better than him. She was proud of her beautiful appearance and outstanding talent, not to mention her family background. Her mother was the daughter of the prime minister and her father was the top scholar in the imperial examination.
But seeing this young lady from the Jiang family, her appearance and temperament are both first-rate, her needlework is also very outstanding, and her conversation is also very elegant.
Jinniang was talking to Song Niangzi: "You just moved in, how is the house being cleaned up?"
"I always feel that things have changed and people have changed. The capital is more lively than before. It used to be very quiet in Jiangzhou, and I even thought it was too quiet." Madam Song said with a smile.
Jinniang said, "In fact, the place where we live is not bad. There are many officials living nearby. It is in the outer city, and the houses are generally large. The area is also busy, so it is a bit quiet in the midst of noise."
While the two were talking, Cuihuan and Yingluo both came up with the tea.
Ever since she started to have a fever last month, Jinniang has been drinking heat-clearing tea. The nights now are not very cold, but if she wears less, she will easily catch a cold. If she wears more, she will easily get a fever again.
Jinniang took a sip of tea and listened to Song Niangzi say, "I remember your daughter seemed to be older than mine."
"She will be seventeen soon (fifteen years old in her current year, sixteen years old in the next year), so she should be older than your daughter." Jinniang said.
Madam Song asked, "I wonder if I can give it to her?"
"The marriage was arranged a few years ago. His partner is my nephew from my mother's side." Jinniang said with a smile.
Madam Song thought to herself that Wei Jinniang was just a merchant's daughter, so her nephew must be a merchant's son. This was too short-sighted. But she didn't show any sign of it, and said, "It's good to have a close relationship."
Jinniang would not take the initiative to tell others that she was related to the Wei family. When a person has everything, he or she is too lazy to show off. Instead, he or she is afraid that others will take advantage of her. She has encountered such a thing several times.
Therefore, she did not explain much, but just asked Jiang Song: "Is your daughter engaged?"
"Not yet. If you have a good boy, don't be stingy." Madam Song said.
Jinniang smiled and said, "Of course. I think your daughter is the best in our Bianjing. Few people can match her elegance and grace."
These words touched Mrs. Song's heart, and she naturally spoke a few humble words.
After leaving the Jiang family, Madam Song and her old friend Madam Zhou Si soon invited her to come over. Madam Zhou Si was busy buying furniture for her daughter these days, and although she was very busy, she still came quickly when Madam Song invited her.
The two of them became much closer and talked about the past for a long time.
After reminiscing about the past, Mrs. Zhou had a meal at the Song family, which was a feast for the gluttons. Jiang Song talked to the second daughter of the Sun family, but felt that there was nothing much to say.
After they left, Jiang Song said to his mother, "This girl from the Sun family is stupid, I don't like her."
"I heard from her mother that they had studied for many years." said Mrs. Song.
Jiang Song shook his head, "It's just so-so, nothing special. Among all the people my daughter has met since she came back, only the eldest daughter of the Jiang family is pretty good, and she's very well-spoken. I saw an embroidered picture of Guanyin hanging in her house, it's very beautiful, so when it comes to the Five Dynasties painters Hu Yi, Zhu Yao, and Zhang Tu, she actually knows all of them, but the second daughter Sun doesn't even know Diao Guangyin."
Madam Song thought that Zhou Si was from the Lin'an Zhou family after all, while Wei Jinniang was just the daughter of an ordinary military household. It was really a changing world.
But she still warned her daughter: "You have always been arrogant, but this is not good. As the saying goes, you can't judge a person by his appearance, and you can't measure the depth of the sea. Don't show your likes or dislikes on your face."
"My daughter knows." Jiang Song knew that her mother had recently started hanging out with old friends for the sake of her father's future and her marriage.
The affairs of the Song family had nothing to do with Jinniang. Jinniang got up early and sent people to deliver the New Year gifts to various places, and also asked people to send hot meals to the mansion school for her eldest son.
Ning Ge'er took the lunch box and asked Chen Xiaolang to take it back. He returned to the dormitory cafeteria, opened the lunch box, and saw a bowl of chicken wonton soup, a bowl of rice, a plate of steamed buns with meat patties, and a few of his favorite dishes, a full plate of crystal pork knuckle, fried pigeon, cold jellyfish, stir-fried shrimp with peas and rice, and two kinds of seasonal vegetables. There was also a bag of fried crispy little silver fish, which he knew were for his roommates.
This is how thoughtful my mother is. Whenever she has something delicious, she shares some with her classmates.
There were six people living in his dormitory now, and Ning Ge'er was not that great. He brought the food in, took out the steamed buns with meat patties first, picked up some vegetables on an empty plate and put them on the middle table for everyone to share, and poured some fried silver fish into each of their bowls, and ate slowly by himself.
Of course, some of his roommates’ families also sent him meals, and some even gave him stewed pig brains as a treat. But Ning declined the offer as he really couldn’t eat it all.
Ning Ge'er is not the most hardworking one in the school. He knows how to balance work and rest, and he is not the most sociable one, but like Jinniang, he manages to get people around him together very well.
"Jiang Da, your fish is fried very well. The intestines and internal organs of such a small fish are actually taken out cleanly." said Kuang Xiaolang.
Ning Ge'er said with a smile: "If you like it, eat more. If it's not enough later, you can get more from me."
The classmates were also very sensible: "Enough is enough."
After finishing his meal, Ning Ge'er went outside to fetch water to wash the dishes. Then he returned to his room and put on the fur coat and boots given by his family. He also put another layer of blanket under the bed. Only when he felt warm did he start reading.
I heard Kuang Xiaolang say, "If I can't get into the Imperial College, my family won't let me study."
Ning Ge'er looked at him and said, "You are only a few years older than me. Why doesn't your family allow you to study? Don't say discouraging words. Push yourself and you will succeed."
In fact, he was not a child prodigy at all, nor was he a person who could persevere, but he would find ways and use his own perseverance to just get into the Imperial College. The number of candidates admitted to the Imperial College was much higher than that outside.
If he can pass the imperial examination and become a Jinshi, his mother will become honored because of her son. In the future, she won't need her father anymore and he can ask for an imperial decree from her. Who dares to look down on her?
I remember when I was in the Wei family, my mother always did more than others because she was not the real sister-in-law of the Wei family. The embroidered portraits she worked so hard on were given away for free. When my seventh cousin came home, he worshipped her like a bodhisattva.
He also couldn't help crying when he heard that his father had to go to school and his mother was pregnant with him and had to sit and embroider even though she was pregnant.
The twelfth lunar month passed in a flash, and by the time Ning Ge'er returned home, it was already the end of the year.
The house was bustling with activity. It turned out that the boss from Daming Prefecture had come to send money, and the farmland in Bianjing had also sent chickens, ducks and sheep. Everyone gathered together.
When Jinniang saw her son coming back, she immediately said, "Come and have a cup of hot tea, and then we can talk properly."
Ning Ge'er smiled and said, "Mom, last time you said you wanted to eat the steamed buns from our school, so I brought them back for you."
"Really? Then have someone take it to the kitchen and heat it up. I'll eat it later." Jinniang heard that the chef who made the Fuxue steamed buns was the son of the one who made the Taixue steamed buns. She had wanted to eat Taixue steamed buns for a long time, but Yang'er was a slow doctor and would never remember these things. She still cared more about her son.
Ning Ge'er saw his mother's eyes light up and said hurriedly, "Mom, I'll bring it back for you next time."
"You should eat by yourself and don't starve yourself." Jinniang was very touched by her son's filial piety.
Ning Ge'er told Jinniang a lot of things about school. Jinniang was rarely surprised. She always analyzed things from her son's perspective and praised him from time to time.
Jinniang also said, "You usually like to sleep with the pony that I made for you. You won't let me throw it away, so I've sewed it for you. Remember to go and see it later."
Xiao Ma is her son’s Abebe, and she never thinks that she has to throw away her son’s toys just because he has grown up.
Ning Ge'er begged Jin Niang again: "If my son is admitted to the Imperial College, can he live at home? My son really doesn't want to live in the school dormitory anymore."
Seeing her son's expression, Jinniang couldn't help but nodded: "Okay, I'll grant you this small request."
Ning Ge'er was very happy.
Jiang Xian walked in from outside and asked with a smile: "What are you talking about?"
Ning Ge'er made a face and went out first, while Jin Niang said to her husband, "How come you guys are fine, but I'm angry again?"
Jiang Xian didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "I don't know either."
"The dividends from the collapsed house were delivered today. I think we can buy a house with two entrances and three rooms next year. Then, if my two sons separate, they will both have a place to live." Jinniang said with a smile.
Jiang Xian scratched his head: "My wife, you are preparing for a rainy day too early. Our oldest is not even thirteen years old, and the youngest is only five."
Jinniang looked at him and said, "Don't think that we will have more money as we get older. You won't know that people can only make a lot of money for a few years. It's better to buy some property while you have money. It won't hurt your bones."
"Okay, I'll listen to my wife." Jiang Xian thought that his sons were still young, but putting himself in their shoes, his own situation at the time was also hard to describe.
Jinniang's family had saved almost 90% of their daughter's dowry, so there wasn't much extra expenses, so they were of course in a good mood.
At lunch, Jinniang's food always made people around her salivate. Today, she ate the steamed buns filled with syrup that her son brought back. After taking a bite, Ding Ge'er licked his lips eagerly and said, "Mom..."
Jinniang laughed and said, "This is what your brother gave me. Ask him if you can have a taste of it. If you can, I will give it to you."
Ding Ge'er looked at Ning Ge'er immediately. Ning Ge'er of course agreed. The reason he agreed was because his mother respected him. Seeing this, Jinniang gave the steamed bun to her youngest son, who took a bite of it. Ding'er swallowed it, shaking his head as if he had taken a magic pill.
Everyone watching laughed.
After dinner, Jinniang and Yunjie'er took care of the housework again. Yunjie'er used to be Jinniang's assistant, but now she can take care of the household affairs by herself, checking the account books, assigning work, and rewarding and punishing the servants.
Just like my mother said, no one is born to do great things. Everything starts from small things and accumulates slowly.
"Mom, my daughter has learned the Suzhou code for the account books of the collapsed house. Since these are dividends, we are not involved in the management, so we just took a quick look at them. But there seems to be something wrong with this account on the farm." Sister Yun pointed out.
Jinniang took a look and hummed, then asked Luo Da to call the head of the village over, questioned him personally, and gave him a beating.
After finishing the housework, it was already dark. It gets dark early in winter. Jinniang has been saving leather for her daughter every year over the past few years, and will find an embroiderer to make twelve pieces by the end of next year. By then, there will be more clothes in the house than we can wear out, and Jinniang’s previous clothes will be too many to wear out.
At night, the couple went to rest. Jiang Xian's feet were cold, so he insisted on putting them in Jinniang's leg. Jinniang kicked him, but he still acted like a spoiled child.
"My lady, you are my little stove."
Jinniang turned over and looked at him: "But you shouldn't freeze people."
Jiang Xian said obediently: "I know I was wrong, is that enough?"
Jinniang hugged him with a smile and said something else: "You told me that you wanted to transfer Yang Ge'er to Beijing. It is impossible for me not to expect good things from my own brother. However, the ability must match the position, otherwise there will be disaster if the virtue is not worthy of the position."
You are not capable of being an official, but you want to harm the government, and then there will be many people who will try to harm you.
Jiang Xian smiled and said, "Don't worry, he is a seventh-rank official in the Ministry of Works."
"Is it okay? He's a Beijing official." Jinniang knew how difficult it was.
Jiang Xian said, "I am here. Your brother is good at these things. Now that he is an official, even if he has a thousand abilities, he cannot succeed without the support of the court."
You definitely can't rely on the Zhang family, as they are just officials in the government now.
The Wei family didn't know Wei Yang very well, so the best thing was Jiang Xian's support. When Jinniang heard this, she also hoped that Wei Yang could work hard and make a living for his own family in the future.
The next day, the snow was getting heavier, but Jiang Song from next door sent invitations to Yun Jie'er and the Meng and Sun sisters, asking him to go to their homes to enjoy the snow and write poetry.
Probably under Jinniang's guidance, the Jiang family's children would feel bored if they were too idle. They all liked to take a break from their busy schedule, which they found more interesting.
Sister Yun thought that she lived nearby, so she finished embroidering the uppers of the last pair of shoes, then put on her fur coat and asked someone to go over with an umbrella.
Jinniang also warned her: "Don't let the wind blow."
"I understand, Mom." Sister Yun said and walked away.
Girls don’t have much time to play, and Jinniang also wants her daughter to go out and play, so she lies on the couch and reads a book. In the afternoon, Sister Yun came back having won the prize.
Jinniang asked, "Did you have a good time today?"
"It's okay. No matter who wins or loses, everyone has something to win." Sister Yun said with a smile.
Jinniang patted her daughter's head and said, "Our children are usually very tense, so it's good for them to play like this."
It was difficult for Jinniang to relax, and the same was probably true for the children, so she hoped her daughter could be better than her. Sister Yun said, "Mother, I feel like Jiang Song is trying to compete with me."
"Oh? How do you mean?" Jinniang asked.
Sister Yun smiled and said, "I met the two sisters from the Meng family first, and they have a good relationship with me. As for the sisters from the Sun family, Miss Sun Er is very easy-going. Miss Sun Da took her younger sister out to socialize. She will marry into the Meng family next year, so I helped them get to know each other, and Miss Jiang was unhappy."
This kind of competition between women should be noticeable without words.
Jinniang would not ask too much about such things. Even adults and children should have privacy.
The girls of the Sun family had a fruitful harvest. Not only did they bring back two pots of camellia, but they also established a good relationship with their future sister-in-law in advance. There is a poem by Wang Jian of the Tang Dynasty that says, "I go into the kitchen for three days, wash my hands and make soup." If you don’t know your aunt’s eating habits, send your younger aunt to taste it first.
It is better to build good relationships with the sisters-in-law first than to make one more enemy.
The second Miss Sun said to her elder sister in the carriage, "Sister, the second Miss Meng is more straightforward, and the third Miss is gentle, and they both seem easy to get along with. I also want to thank Miss Jiang today. She introduced us to each other and said good things about us."
"Silly boy, she has everything, so she is willing to be a good person. When you have everything, you will also be calm and indifferent."
It seemed that the Sun family had to live frugally for her dowry. After paying the deposit for furniture and jewelry, they also had to prepare tea sets, cups, bowls and chopsticks, and even new clothes and fabrics for the bride, which all cost a lot of money.
But it is obvious that the Jiang family is in good financial condition and they are confident.
People know etiquette when their granaries are full. If you have everything, why bother to be so fussy?
Miss Sun Er thought that her sister was too bold in getting married and actually arranged the marriage on her own. Fortunately, her mother was open-minded and now she is marrying a bastard.
Now he envies the girl from the Jiang family again, not knowing that it is because of this good marriage that her father has been promoted repeatedly.
The two girls from the Sun family came to Mrs. Zhou Si again. Mrs. Zhou Si was counting the money, as she had spent quite a bit on the New Year gifts. Mrs. Zhou San saw that Mrs. Zhou Si gave her daughters a lot of complaints when she saw that they were giving their daughters chicken-wing wood. It is said that ordinary country gentry families all use red rosewood, but she is from an official family, and her daughter's dowry is poor and laughable, so she has to change to bright red rosewood.
I was so anxious that I didn't have a good year.
Jinniang was also busy. She was mainly making wedding dresses for her daughter. According to Jinniang's previous plan, Yunjie would have a complete rest this year and would not have to do needlework. She also asked a gynecologist to take her daughter's pulse, saying that most women suffer from qi and blood deficiency and asked her whether she needed nourishing treatment.
I will be getting married in March next year. It seems like there is still a year left, but time flies so fast.
At this time, Jinniang had already sewed beads on the edges of the front of her middle garment and had begun cutting the outer sleeves. While she was doing this, Yunjie helped out by teaching Dingge'er his lessons, which helped to lighten his mother's burden.
"I see that your hair has gotten much better after these days." Jinniang said with a smile.
Sister Yun smiled and said, "It's because mom asked me to drink Ma Yin every morning and do the Baisuo dance. I feel like I have endless energy now."
Jinniang was relieved: "Don't be like me, sitting for a long time and hurting your waist and legs. Yes, I talked to Huizhu and asked her to teach you how to make crab stuffed with orange. This is a specialty dish. When will you serve it? This is your unique skill."
"What you said is true, but why would someone be willing to teach me his unique skills?" Yun Jie'er was puzzled.
Jinniang smiled and said, "Huizhu wants to turn the living contract into a dead contract. Since they are all members of our family, there are no more concerns."
So that's how it is. Yun Jie'er knew that her mother had slowly mastered all kinds of skills. She had nothing to do, so she went to find Huizhu. In order to please Yun Jie'er, Huizhu even taught her how to pickle duck eggs and spicy vegetables.
"Miss, don't underestimate my spicy dishes. I used to cook for a wealthy family, but they didn't want to eat because of my spicy dishes." Huizhu now considers herself a member of the Jiang family, and of course she is thinking about Sister Yun wholeheartedly.
When Jinniang heard about it, she also agreed with her daughter to learn it. This spicy dish is very similar to the tea brewed with water from Sichuan in her previous life, and it is delicious.
As for pickling duck eggs, some people pickle them only to make them salty, while others pickle them to make them have a strong fishy smell. It is not easy to pickle duck eggs well.
The secret to Huizhu is to add cabbage: "The cabbage will turn the radish pink, a very beautiful color. Also, some people add water at random in the last step, but this is not allowed. You must add boiled and cooled water, so that white flowers will not grow."
Yunjie quickly took notes and took out the dish after seven days. She asked Juxiang to stir-fry beef with spicy vegetables. It was so delicious that it went really well with rice. Jinniang even sent a plate to her eldest son who was studying in the prefecture school as a snack.
"Mom, I didn't expect that ordinary side dishes could taste so good." Jun Jie'er herself was surprised.
Jinniang smiled and said, "Look at what you said. There is no distinction between expensive and cheap dishes. It's just a matter of whether they suit your taste. You don't have to do everything yourself. Chunxian has learned the skills from them."
But the kitchen maid knows how to do it, and the master cannot be completely idle and ignorant, just like Jinniang has a needleworker in her family, but Jinniang herself is more skilled in embroidery.
Yunjie knew what her mother meant, and she learned how to pickle duck eggs from Huizhu. First of all, insiders know that salted duck eggs are made differently from other eggs, and they have to be green-skinned duck eggs laid by mallard ducks.
But the most important thing is the ratio of mud water and wood ash. After kneading it, put it in a jar and leave it for one and a half months.
"Doesn't that mean we won't be able to eat the duck eggs pickled by my sister Yun until the next month?" Jinniang asked.
Sister Yun smiled and nodded.
After a month and a half, Jinniang finished making the wedding dress. She finally breathed a sigh of relief that her hard work was not in vain. The dress, paired with the shoulder-length crown, was extremely luxurious.
Yun Jie'er's eyes were also lingering on the clothes, and she heard Jin Niang say, "Mother has been embroidering for you for several years, I want to eat two pickled duck eggs."
"You can give mom a jar of it." Yunjie hurried to find Huizhu.
But at this time Wei Qilang came back from outside. He was standing at the door and was seen by Madam Song and Jiang Song who were visiting the Meng family. When they were about to speak, they saw Wei Qilang go straight into the Jiang family next door.
Madam Song didn't expect that they actually had dealings with each other. She was worrying about how to contact the Wei family. It was really like searching for a needle in a haystack, but it turned out to be something she had found without any effort.
It is said that the reward for being a Quanfu Ren in Bian Jing is very high, and her family is not short of money. Last time, Wei Jinniang took the initiative to mention the matter of being a Quanfu Ren to Madam Meng, and it seems that she also likes yellow and white things. It would be great if she could lure him with money and ask Wei Jinniang to introduce one or two people.
Madam Song couldn't help but ask Madam Meng: "Is Madam Jiang close to the family of Wei Daxueshi? I seemed to see Qilang from Wei Daxueshi's family go to her house just now."
Madam Meng covered her mouth and laughed: "What are you talking about? Wei Daxueshi is Madam Wei's cousin, and Wei Qilang is Madam Wei's son-in-law. They will get married next year."
"What?" Madam Song was somewhat incredulous.
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