Chapter 147 Chapter 147 Two Chapters in One
It is also said that after Jinniang came back from outside, her feet were frozen, so she quickly took off her outer clothes and got into bed immediately. Yingluo and Cuihuan prepared a hot water bottle and a charcoal basin, and she warmed up in an instant.
The waiter brought hot tea over, and Qingrong took it over: "Have some quickly."
Jinniang smiled and said, "Don't worry about me. Just drink some first. We won't go out tomorrow. It's really too cold. I can hardly move my hands and feet. It's better to stay in the house."
After drinking a cup of hot tea, Jinniang leaned back on the pillow on the bed and felt much more comfortable. She looked at Aying and said, "Your daughter is still at home. Go back and see her first. You don't need to come over again."
Ah Ying was grateful in his heart. His son was now working for Ding Ge'er. Following Ding Ge'er, he would have no shortage of food and clothing. He could also get a monthly salary and learn a few words. However, her daughter was too young, so she hired a little maid from outside to look after her. She was really worried, so she went downstairs first.
But I didn't expect that in a moment, Aying came back.
"Madam, the third grandmother of the Meng family next door has given birth to a daughter. Madam Meng has already sent someone to visit her."
Jinniang said: "In that case, let's prepare the third-day bathing ceremony and send it over when the time comes."
Ah Ying agreed and went to the warehouse to prepare. She had been with Jin Niang for many years, and both the master and servant knew that everything should be prepared in advance and would not be delayed.
However, after Miss Sun gave birth to a daughter, she felt a little discouraged. It was not that she didn't like daughters, but that she would feel more confident after giving birth to a son. Zhou Si's wife was very surprised when she heard this: "You can't favor boys over girls. Boys and girls are the same. How can you know that there are no girls who can't have a bright future?"
"Mom, it's not that having a daughter is bad, but having a son is more secure. Daughters are still young, and it's also good for them to blossom first and then bear fruit." Miss Sun was still very persistent.
Mrs. Zhou Si was silent and thought about it.
After all, she said, "Whether you have a son or a daughter is not determined by you."
Miss Sun didn't understand the meaning of this sentence, but when she looked at her daughter in her mother's arms, she somehow thought of preparing a dowry for her early on, otherwise it would be extremely difficult to collect a dowry of 500 strings of cash, and she would be passively chosen by others in the future.
On the day of the Meng family's little daughter's third birthday, Jinniang sent Aying to present the third-day baptism gift.
On this day, Jiang Xian was taking a day off, and was talking to Jinniang, "The New Year is coming in a few days, are we still going to prepare opera wine this year?"
"I didn't prepare it this year, not for any other reason but because the weather is too cold. You don't know that a few days ago, after I went to the Wei family, my feet were all stiff when I came back, and I had to sleep for a long time before they warmed up." Jinniang said, still remembering how cold it was that day.
Jiang Xian couldn't help but ask his daughter: "How is Sister Yun?"
"Fortunately, the midwife said that she is pregnant. Our daughter has just married and hasn't found her feet yet. Every time she comes, it seems as if we are inferior to them. I want to wait until my daughter is firmly on her feet. After all, she has to walk her own path." Jinniang said.
In fact, Jiang Xian felt that his wife was more free and easy than her. She was the type who would do her best in everything she did, and even if the results were not satisfactory, she would not be upset but would be relieved instead.
This is how he treated his daughter. He found her a good son-in-law in the secular sense, gave her an extremely generous dowry, and her parents-in-law sent her gifts from time to time.
But in the end, she will let go completely.
If it were him, after paying a lot, if the result was not satisfactory, he would definitely fight and grab, and would never give up.
When the New Year is approaching, Ning Ge'er is also very busy. He is now the head of the dormitory. In addition to studying classics, policy essays, and poetry every day, the students of the Imperial College have to practice archery in the morning and evening.
In addition to academic studies, students who violate the rules must be punished according to the rules of the hall, and the performance of students in the hall must be recorded in a book every month.
Even in winter, the life of a Tai student was quite hard, as it was cold and freezing, and he had to prepare charcoal, pickled vegetables, etc. in advance. He was unwilling to mobilize his family's resources for these things, so he set up Huaguangzhai early, selected a place to sell charcoal, prepared it before winter, and asked two fair classmates to be responsible for the distribution.
After finishing all these, the New Year was approaching and Ning Ge'er was ready to pack up and go home.
Many of my classmates came to Bian Jing from other places to study, and they had to stay in Beijing for the New Year. Ning Ge'er was not the kind of person who liked to make friends, and he didn't have many good relationships. He preferred the friendship of gentlemen that was as plain as water.
Moreover, his father was the prefect of Kaifeng Prefecture, and he seldom revealed his identity in Imperial College. If he brought people back, they were all classmates with the same identity, but when people knew his identity, they would feel a sense of inequality.
"This is a jar of salted duck eggs and two pieces of bacon that I prepared specially for our dormitory. If you run out of money, remember to eat them." Ning Ge'er said as he waved goodbye.
Although he was only a 14-year-old boy, when it came to academics and work, he convinced his classmates.
When he returned home from the Imperial College, the first thing he did was to rush back to find his mother, so much so that he didn't even notice Jiang Xian when he passed by. He ran to the main courtyard, leaving Jiang Xian in a daze.
It is also said that Jinniang was discussing the New Year's Eve dinner, food for ancestor worship, etc. with Aying, Qingrong and others as the New Year was approaching. Unexpectedly, Ning Ge'er came back and hurriedly bowed as soon as he came back.
Jinniang stepped forward and helped her son up: "Hurry up, I was thinking about you coming back."
"Mom, I wanted to see you soon, so I came back early today. But don't worry, I have arranged everything in the room." Ning Ge'er said, patting his chest.
Jinniang felt that Ning Ge'er was actually the child who was most like her. He was not as sociable as others, did not like to take advantage of others, was generous when necessary, and was very responsible.
But this is also a very worrying life.
When Ning'er came back, Ding'er followed behind his brother as a little tail. Jinniang never praised one child and suppressed the other, so the two brothers had a good relationship.
When he came back, Meng Erlang and Meng Sanlang from opposite doors came over to talk to him. Ning Ge'er was a good student in the academy, and at home he was the son of the prefect and a first-class official.
Seeing his two brothers, Ning Ge'er smiled and said, "How did you know I was back? Let's go to the second hall and talk."
Meng Erlang was not as knowledgeable as his elder brother, nor as flexible as his younger brother Meng Sanlang, so he just laughed it off. Meng Sanlang said, "My brother and I just came back from my aunt's house and saw your carriage. We thought it must be you who came back, and when we asked, it turned out to be you."
"Come on, let's have a chat." Ning Ge'er also likes to discuss things that interest him with others.
…
Meng Sanlang returned home after having dinner at Jiang's house. His wife was still in confinement after giving birth, so he went to the study. The maid serving him in the study had bright red sleeves, fair skin and a slender waist.
His heart moved.
Originally, he had no such idea. After all, a family of scholars would soon have a concubine, which would be embarrassing for his wife. But Sun seemed very virtuous. Now that the Sun family had been promoted, he could not behave inappropriately.
…
New Year's Eve came in a blink of an eye. Last year, Yun Jie'er was at home, but this year there are only four of us.
Ning Ge'er was talking to Jiang Xian, "Dad, I heard that the new brother from the third room also passed the imperial examination. Will he take the provincial examination with Brother Xuan next year?"
"That's right." Jiang Xian nodded.
Ning Ge'er smiled and said, "I went back to the old house a few days ago to pay my respects to my grandparents, and went to the eldest house to meet Uncle Yan. He said he was going to set up a clan school. Why not keep the 300 acres that the clan originally donated to us as sacrificial land, so that our Jiang family can pass on the torch. Anyway, our family doesn't need the 300 acres, so why don't you do something good, Dad?"
In his opinion, Xu's behavior was simply outrageous. He had thought of a solution a long time ago, but there was no good way before. After all, his uncle had resigned from his official position, and his father had to take care of the eldest son's house out of emotional and legal reasons. He even had to go home every year to worship the ancestors.
But he didn't want to let Xu take advantage of him all the time.
Ever since he became the head monk, he wished he could spend every penny as if it were two pennies. With his two kan of living expenses a month, he could still save a few hundred pennies every month.
Jinniang and Jiang Xian looked at each other. In fact, the couple guessed that their son was dissatisfied with Xu, but Jinniang immediately supported her son: "He is right. Why not donate these hundreds of acres of land to the clan? Speaking of which, the eldest uncle of the eldest house has been unemployed at home for a long time. Although their family is still rich, it is not easy."
"Okay, then Brother Ning will say it on my behalf." Jiang Xian said with a smile.
Ning Ge nodded: "If you really want to let me do it, you can just write a letter and I will deliver it."
Jiang Xian responded to everything.
This matter was actually done. Jiang Yan saw that it was Ning Ge'er who came. Originally, the adults looked down on young teenagers. It's not that he really despises them, but he thinks they tend to be rash in doing things. However, Ning'er is young and organized, and when Jiang Xian is willing to hand things over to his son, it means he trusts him very much.
Jiang Yan talked with his nephew for a few more sentences and found that he was quick-witted and had a deep understanding of the big picture, so he agreed.
How to take this place back is Jiang Yan's business. Let him negotiate with the Xu family. If he can't handle this matter well, then the position of clan leader will probably be abdicated sooner or later.
After returning from the clan, Jiang Xian felt that his eldest son had really grown up.
He obviously lives a comfortable life, but he is completely different from Wei Qilang. He truly understands the sufferings of the world and is thorough and meticulous in his work. Because of this reason alone, the Xu family could not refuse, and this would also help them gain reputation for the family.
Xu was so angry that she jumped up and down, but there was nothing she could do. She could only complain to everyone she saw, saying bad things about Jiang Xian and Jinniang. Jinniang has become immune to these things. In the past, Xu had praised her for being so great in front of her family, saying that Jiang Xian was afraid of his wife and was not filial to his elders. There were people who had always told the couple about it, but they didn't break up out of consideration for each other's reputation.
Now that the three hundred acres of land have been taken away, Xu's true intentions are revealed.
But she could only complain bitterly, because Jiang Xian did not take the 300 acres back for his own use, but donated it to the clan for poor students to study.
Suddenly, the family lost half of its income, and the people from Xu’s family who came to borrow money went back in disappointment.
Jinniang looked at her son with a smile and couldn't help but praise him, "Good son, well done."
Ning Ge'er smiled and said, "It's a small matter."
But Jinniang didn't want to make her son worry all the time. Everyone in charge knew that as long as there was something on one's mind, one would not be able to sleep or eat well day or night. Only when the thing was done would one feel much better.
So, she said, "After the New Year, you should study hard in the Imperial College, and your father and I will take care of the household affairs."
Ning Ge'er likes to help his mother because he never worries about being backstabbed and what he does will be recognized by others.
Before the end of the first month of the lunar year, Luo Da said that a family living near their farm in Bian Jing wanted to sell land, all of which were top-quality land, and asked Jinniang if she wanted to buy any. Jinniang had some spare money now, so of course she wanted to buy it. One mu was worth almost three strings of coins, so she bought a hundred mu of land nearby, spending a total of two hundred and eighty strings of coins. The seller also gave her the farmer's indenture.
Let Luo Da handle these things, and he will get them done quickly.
Jinniang will not make any big investments now. Her daughter is getting married anyway, and the bulk of the money has already been spent. The houses and shops for her two sons were almost ready, and Jinniang had accumulated nearly a thousand strings of cash in private savings by selling embroidery, so she became cautious.
A person’s most glorious years only last for a few years. That’s why they say it’s harder to maintain a business than to start one. This is what I mean.
There is no way. Others have ancestral property to inherit, even the Meng family next door. It is said that when Mr. Meng died, he left behind a huge fortune, so the Meng family is so wealthy. Not to mention Jiang Yan and Zhang Jiulang, both of whom came from very wealthy families, something they could not compare to by nature.
Jinniang and the others can only earn their own money, so they have to be careful with their money.
Just like the bamboos in the garden last year, when she came for her birthday in the summer, she sold about ten bamboos and earned two strings of cash. Plant some bamboo this spring, and you might be able to sell more when it grows lush in the summer.
Jiang Xian doesn't buy antiques very often nowadays. But last time when his daughter gave him a dowry, she also brought him the antiques he had bought on weekdays, which made him feel very proud.
Like the flowers in the garden, when Jinniang has admired them enough, she will let Luo deal with them. She will contact the sellers herself and only need to hand over half of the money she gets. This way, both of them will make a profit.
It is easy to make money quickly by lending money at usury or investing in stocks, but she feels that the risks are too great and these are not the right ways. It is better to make some honest money and feel at ease.
Thinking of this, Jinniang started to embroider again. The gauze screens she used before were all embroidered when she was in Daming Prefecture. They were a little old, so she put them in the warehouse so that they could be displayed when guests came in the future. She could also embroider a new one and put it in her own home.
Luo Yu'e and Wei Xiong came over after the New Year. Jinniang said, "I'm afraid Yunjie'er will give birth at the beginning of next month. I will definitely go there. Please come over and help me take care of Ding'er."
Of course the old couple agreed.
Luo Yu'e also asked: "I heard that the person next door to you also had a child?"
"Yes, you have forgotten. I went there to have a drink." Jinniang said with a smile.
"I remember it now. It seemed like if I had given birth to a girl, I would have suffered a lot. I'm afraid I have to continue giving birth. Otherwise, people say that too many children is a sin for the mother." When Luo Yu'e was young, her menstruation only came once a quarter, so she had few children. It was okay for her to have two, but those who gave birth to ten or eight children said that they had a large family, but in fact they also suffered a lot.
Jinniang nodded: "That's right. By the way, I heard that your sister-in-law is pregnant?"
The sister-in-law was talking about Zhang Pingjun. Luo Yu'e heard it and said, "She got pregnant during the Chinese New Year."
"Since she is pregnant, has she asked you to take care of her?" Jinniang asked.
Luo Yu'e laughed and said, "She has many people around her to take care of her, so she doesn't need me either."
Jinniang thought that Ning Ge'er was a little more self-motivated in his studies, but Ding Ge'er was just a little kid who had to be supervised by Jinniang to study. He probably wouldn't listen to his parents, so she just said, "In that case, I'll let Ding Ge'er go with me to her sister's place. She's still young anyway. As for you and my father, you can help look after the house during the day. If your sister-in-law needs anything, you two can go over."
"Why make it so troublesome? We two can help take care of it for you." Luo Yu'e said.
Jinniang waved her hand and said, "This child originally started studying before the first month of the year. I was just thinking of letting him rest for a few days. His father is usually busy at the government office and can't take care of him."
Although children are innocent by nature, they instinctively know who is easy to talk to and who dares not do anything to them. Luo Yu'e and Wei Xiong treated him as their grandson, so they didn't dare to really discipline him. Children would take advantage of this and often act like a spoiled brat and cry.
Luo Yu'e thought that Jinniang thought they would definitely get close to their daughter-in-law, so she felt uncomfortable with this treatment. Therefore, she decided to stay here with her husband to help her daughter look after the house.
After all, they are the hosts of the house, and they play a calming role when Jiang Xian is not at home during the day.
When Jiang Xian came back that night, Jinniang said to him, "If I'm not at home, my parents might not be able to protect him, and I'm worried, so why not take him with me?"
Jiang Xian held Jinniang's hand reluctantly: "Are you really going? If you go to the Wei family, will they think we are going too far..."
It’s not that Jiang Xian doesn’t care about his daughter, but he is afraid that there will be any grudges because of this matter.
Jinniang smiled and said, "It just so happened that Madam Wei asked me to go over there, saying that mothers went over there when the eldest daughters, Fan and Wang, gave birth. Otherwise, I would have waited until my daughter went into labor and had someone come over to call for help immediately."
"In that case, you can stay there for a few days and don't miss home. I will be back, don't worry." Jiang Xian wanted to say something else, but now was not the right time.
Instead, Jinniang left Aying to take charge of the interpersonal relationships and asked Qingrong to reduce her baggage to two. She was not a really delicate woman. When she traveled from Jiangling to Bianjing, she was happy to eat cold meals, cold pancakes, and a handful of broad beans. When she went to someone's home, what she feared most was to cause trouble for them.
You could say she's not generous, but that's just how she is.
However, she also said, "Put more money in the reward."
She also brought two bags for her son, which contained spare clothes, shoes, socks, toiletries, etc.
But she did bring some things for Yunjie, including some soft, washed old clothes so that the baby would not feel uncomfortable wearing them, as well as a swaddling cloth made by Minzhi, a blanket, small clothes, a baby cap, small socks, bibs, cut-out diapers, and a bathtub and towel for the baby.
After all, Minzhi used to specialize in sewing children's clothes in Jinniang's shop. Since Yunjie became pregnant last year, Jinniang told her not to do other needlework and to concentrate on these.
Unexpectedly, at this time, Madam Meng came to visit with her daughters-in-law. Seeing Jinniang, she asked, "Is Madam Jiang being sent to the Wei family?"
"No, we're going to the Wei family. My in-laws said that when daughters-in-law are giving birth, they should let their mothers go with them so that they can feel more at ease. I think that's a good idea, so I'm going to go there tomorrow." Jinniang said with a smile.
Miss Sun was listening in the back and felt a little disappointed. She had thought that marrying into such a wealthy family would be like entering a deep sea, but she didn't expect the Wei family to be so considerate.
Madam Meng smiled and said, "That's great. Having my mother by my side is better than anything else."
Jinniang also told Mrs. Meng about the things she had prepared to see if there was anything to add. Mrs. Meng was not as clear as Miss Sun, who was very enthusiastic and gave many suggestions.
"I'm sure your daughter will give birth to a son if her belly is pointed." Mrs. Meng said flatteringly.
Jinniang smiled and said, "That's what I thought. If his family shows dislike for him, I will just take him home and raise him. Anyway, I have prepared clothes for both boys and girls. When my aunt got married, I also prepared patchwork clothes. I don't care about those things. They are still young."
Miss Sun thought that these were the words that could really make her feel at ease. Her mother always said that it was okay for her not to get married, but if she didn't get married, she would most likely be alone and helpless in the future. Her mother also said that one should not favor sons over daughters and that one must like daughters. But if the Meng family disliked their daughter, would she take her granddaughter home to raise her?
Miss Sun did not say that her mother was bad, but what she said always seemed unrealistic. Look, Mrs. Jiang never said those slogans, but she was able to send her daughter to a girls' school, and when she came back to Beijing, she would ask a Jinshi to teach her the Four Books and Five Classics, and the dowry for her daughter was almost ten times that of hers.
Now that her daughter is giving birth, she is fully prepared to go there so that her daughter doesn't have to worry.
She should treat her daughter like this in the future.
The next day, Jinniang took Ding'er to the Wei family and went directly to Qixia Pavilion, staying in the west wing.
The Wei family wanted to arrange a banquet in the evening, but Jinniang declined: "She could give birth at any time, so I'd better stay by her side. Otherwise, I won't be able to rest assured even if she eats."
She knew that saying these words would displease Mrs. Wei because it infringed upon other people's interests, but since she was called over, she had to be responsible.
Ning Ge'er is the same as her in this respect. If he doesn't do it, it's fine, but if he does it, he must do it without omission.
Of course, when Jinniang and the others came, the most eye-catching person was Dingge'er. The older Ningge'er grew, the taller he became. He looked very heroic and spoke with strong opinions. He was not easily swayed by others. Wei Qilang often called him to go out, but he would not necessarily go out. When Ding'er grew up, he combined the advantages of Jinniang and Jiang Xian. He had fair skin, was young, had long eyelashes, and was very close to Jinniang, making everyone envious.
With her mother and brother around, Yunjie'er's nervousness disappeared in an instant. She knew that her mother would be more considerate than she thought.
At night, when the labor started, Jinniang sent someone to invite the midwife from the ear room over. She ordered them to prepare hot water and new scissors, and asked the kitchen to boil ginseng soup.
The midwives all said, "Grandma Qi's fetus is in the right position. The amniotic fluid has broken now. I'm afraid it will be soon. You have prepared in time."
Jinniang smiled and said, "Just take good care of the baby, and then all these will be yours."
When the midwife saw that she was holding a pair of gold bracelets, her eyes lit up.
Wei Qilang was walking around outside, but Madam Wei said, "You should be more at ease, after all, her mother is in there."
Wei Qilang looked at his mother and said, "Mom, I don't know if this baby is a boy or a girl. If it's a girl, please don't—"
"Don't worry, if I still need your advice, I would have lived all these years in vain. Your wife got pregnant as soon as she got home, which shows that she is blessed with many children. Look at her mother, she also blossomed before bearing fruit." After Mrs. Wei finished speaking, she felt a little sad that her son even paid attention to such a thing.
Well, there is still hope for Mrs. Wei to give birth smoothly.
While the mother and son were silent, they heard a baby crying from inside. It turned out that Yun Jieer had given birth to a daughter, and both mother and daughter were safe and sound.
…
Jinniang came out holding the child and looked at Madam Wei and Wei Qilang, feeling relieved: "I have lived up to my parents' trust. The birth was finally successful. I am relieved."
It was hard to tell from such a young child, but Wei Qillang was so happy that he was dancing with joy. I didn’t know what to say.
Madam Wei glanced at her son and said to Jinniang, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, "This child is not resistant to anything. It's all thanks to you being here."
"If you ask me, the midwife you hired is really capable. I heard that she can correct the fetal position. If the fetal position is correct, it will be easier for the baby to be born smoothly." Jinniang smiled.
The two of them flattered each other, and Jinniang went in and handed the child to the wet nurse. Only then did she feel relieved and happy for her daughter. Her son-in-law was sincere to her daughter after all. She kept asking about her daughter...
In this way, she can hide her achievements and fame, and leave when her work is done!
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