Chapter 155 Chapter 155 Two Chapters Combined into One
When Yun Jie'er returned home after being married for a few years, she always had a feeling that was both familiar and strange. Before she got married, she always felt reluctant to leave her home and her parents, and thought it was natural to bring her husband home. But after getting married, she understood more about the ways of the world, so Yun Jieer couldn't help but say to Jin Niang: "If we come back like this, when my younger brother's wife comes to live with us in the future, will it be..."
"Why are you saying this? I'm the one in charge of the family now. Every blade of grass and every tree in this house were bought by your father and me. Who would dare to act rashly without our permission?" Jinniang said with a smile.
Sister Yun thought that her mother's house had been expanded and they probably didn't live in the same place, so this was a good thing.
But she still said: "My daughter lives at home, and she brought so many people here. It's too expensive."
"In that case, why don't we do this: the government will provide tea, food, and clothes, and you will pay the monthly wages for the servants in your yard yourself. Jiaojiao and Shi'er will hire a tutor, and you and your brother-in-law will pay for it. You can also pay for your extra expenses yourself. This way, you will be at ease, and it is also a way to get along well for a long time." Jinniang said.
When a daughter gets married, it is equivalent to dividing the family property in advance, and providing food for the family is what her parents should do. But she still has to maintain her own little family. It might seem a bit awkward to say this, but she had to say it first.
The same will apply if Ning'er and Ding'er separate in the future.
Sister Yun once heard her mother say that when she was still running a shop at home, she and her grandparents were like this, settling the accounts first so that everyone could get along well. She hurriedly said, "This is what I should do."
Jinniang smiled and said, "However, I am the one who pays my grandson and granddaughter's monthly allowance. Don't fight with me for it."
"Oh." Sister Yun also laughed.
After Jiang Xian became the Chief Editor of Imperial Edicts, he was no longer as busy as when he was a local official, but he also became more cautious.
Jinniang entrusted the household to Yunjie'er for a few days, and took Aying to inspect the two farms. The most important thing in inspecting the farms is to check the accounts and eliminate some bad apples.
Jinniang scolded several people. After coming back, she asked Chen Xiaolang and Hutou to go to Suzhou to patrol on her behalf and told them not to show favoritism. If they did, they would be directly implicated.
On the day of the Warm Stove Festival, Jinniang invited the whole family to Fanlou for dinner. Yunjieer glanced at her mother and couldn't help but say, "Mom, this reminds me of my childhood."
"I remember that my brother-in-law also came to our house to play at that time, so I took you out for dinner." Jinniang said with a smile.
Wei Qilang said: "That's right."
"Don't worry, this is just the beginning. Our family must try all the delicacies in the corners of Bianjing and visit all the interesting places. The most important thing is that we are together." Jinniang said.
These words comforted Wei Qilang. He always felt a little uncomfortable living in his father-in-law's house. Fortunately, his mother-in-law treated them the same as always, except that she was stricter with his studies and still hoped that he would take part in the next imperial examination.
It was Jiaojiao's first time to watch sumo. She covered her eyes while watching, but she loved watching it, which made Yunjie'er and Jinniang laugh.
"Let's go to the gold and silver shop tomorrow and have them make a necklace for Jiaojiao and two hairpins for you. I see everyone likes the daffodil-patterned ones now. Your father made one for me when he was in Daming Prefecture. They look really nice when you wear them." Jinniang thought that she had already paid the rent for Jinliang Bridge, so it was a good opportunity for her to do some business with them.
Yunjie felt as if she was still a little girl at home, her mother taking her out to buy jewelry, food, and doing all kinds of ways to make her happy.
The next day, the mother and her friends made some jewelry, which was not expensive, only twenty-five strings of cash in total.
After returning, Jinniang took out the cherry wine, which was brewed in Luoyang. Cherries are only in season once a year and there is no time to waste. So this time she made some candied cherries, put them in white porcelain jars, and gave them to the children, and cherry wine to the women.
Luo Yu'e loves drinking and was very happy when she drank cherry wine.
"Mom, do you want to hang it in the well water to cool it down?" Jinniang asked.
Luo Yu'e waved her hands quickly: "I'm impressed by your words. I want to warm the wine, not drink it cold like you. You're not young anymore, you should drink it warm like me."
Jinniang smiled and said, "Look at you, you even speak your hometown dialect."
After dinner, Luo Yu'e, who was old, went to the garden to rest. Jiaojiao used to go to the girls' school at the Wei family. Now Wei Qilang has hired a female teacher to teach her, so she has to go to school first.
As for Yun Jie'er, she was still the same as before she got married, chatting with Jin Niang, making incense, or doing needlework.
Sister Yun saw that her mother had collected many famous peony picture albums in Luoyang, with various designs, and she felt like she had found a treasure: "This is great, my daughter can make a robe for your brother-in-law."
"Well, your son-in-law is just like your father, they both like to wear good things, which is perfect. This is the one I made for your father, so you are not allowed to copy it." Jinniang was afraid of wearing the same clothes as others.
There's nothing I can do about it; my daughter just loves the clothes she designs.
Sure enough, Yun Jie'er acted like a spoiled child and asked Jin Niang to help her design one, and she also said, "Mother, just help your daughter."
"Look at you, if Jiaojiao and Shiger saw this, how would you, as a mother, put your face?" Jinniang glared at her daughter.
Speaking of which, Jinniang is different from Luo Yu'e in that she only loves her own children, but her love for her grandchildren is also for their whole family, and it cannot be said that she has a particularly deep affection for them.
Are my feelings different from others?
She told Jiang Xian about this, and Jiang Xian asked, "If Ning Ge'er has a child in the future, would you be willing to take care of him?"
Jinniang quickly shook her head: "I'm not crazy, how could I find trouble for myself? I don't have enough energy to take care of my grandson. That's for the hardworking old oxen. I won't do it. I want to sleep more."
Jiang Xian couldn't help laughing. He finally understood why he liked her. She was truly self-centered and not the type that succumbed to the current worldly customs.
Speaking of Jiang Xian, although the court is now full of different opinions, he will not absolutely oppose Jiang Fang, but if he does something wrong, he will definitely point it out directly through his disciples.
Therefore, the Jiang family is now very popular.
But Jinniang said: "I always feel that your second brother is too impulsive and will be hated. Besides, the emperor uses you to oppose him, but once he falls, I am afraid your position will not last long."
Even Jinniang could see these things clearly, let alone Jiang Xian. He pretended to smile and said, "Anyway, my wife can make money, so I am not worried. If we are dismissed from office, we will live a good life in Beijing. Anyway, we still have our son, so we are not afraid."
"Things won't come to that. As I say, a person who has no desires is a strong person. Don't have too much power, otherwise it will be swallowed up by power." Jinniang was a little worried.
Jiang Xian became bolder when he remembered that Jiang Fang was still colluding with the empress.
But this person has always been like this, so he couldn't say anything.
Years ago, the Luoyang farm paid 900 strings of coins in rent, the shopkeeper Xiao paid 10,000 taels, the shopkeeper Tafang paid 1,200 strings of coins, and Chen Xiaolang and Hutou, who came back from Wu county, paid 1,600 strings of coins in rent and the rent from the di store.
Jinniang sorted out the reward money, dividends, monthly allowance, etc., and then put all the money she received this year in the warehouse in the east wing. After preparing money for the New Year, they first opened the boxes and everyone started making new clothes. Even the servants made a coat, not to mention the masters.
In fact, her family's fixed expenses are now similar to before. Jinniang doesn't have any extravagant hobbies, and Jiang Xian's salary can almost cover the expenses. The remaining bonus money can be used to pay for the expenses one by one. For example, the expenses on the farm are paid from the surplus of the farm, and the expenses on the shop are paid from the surplus of the shop.
Sister Yun made a robe for her husband, with delicate patterns and embroidery. Just as it was finished, two more sets of clothes were delivered. Yun Jie'er also had income from the rent in Luoyang and the house in Tianshui Lane. She gave tips to the people she brought with her and bought a jade crown and a belt for her husband. The relationship between the couple became even better.
Jiaojiao held on to the candied cherry jar tightly, and Yunjieer couldn't help but say, "Be careful not to damage your teeth. Grandma also told you not to eat too much every day, otherwise your teeth will be full of worms."
"Okay." She really loves eating cherries.
Wei Qilang stood on his wife's side on this point. After he put on the crown, he smiled and said, "Yesterday my father-in-law asked me to finish a poem today. Once I finish it, I will rest during the New Year. I have to go first."
Sister Yun nodded: "That's good."
My husband is really spoiled in the Wei family. Every time he reads a book, my mother-in-law would like to send him soup ten times. It’s different in the Jiang family. Even children are not allowed to go out until they finish their homework.
His father knew that Qilang was not good at poetry and prose, so he found a famous teacher for him and asked him to take his essays to the teacher for review every ten days.
Now no one dotes on my husband anymore. Everyone almost treats him as an adult, and he has grown up quickly.
You see, people actually know everything.
Yunjieer brought Jiaojiao and Xigeer to Jinniang's place for breakfast. Jinniang was smiling and said, "I was just wondering why you guys hadn't come yet."
On the table were wontons, noodles with gravy, fried dumplings, fried eggs, soy milk, porridge, red bean steamed cakes, roujiamo, fried meatballs, etc.
Jinniang always adhered to the principle of taking only as much as one can eat and not wasting anything. This way, the plates would be clean when they were cleared away and the servants could still eat.
Jiaojiao ate wontons. She loved food with soup, but Xiger was extremely picky about food.
"Just bring Xi'er to the next room to eat. He can eat whatever he likes and eat whenever he wants." At this age, Jinniang is completely self-centered.
Unexpectedly, Jiaojiao liked Jinniang very much and agreed with her words: "My brother is tortured every time he eats. Those who cry can't eat well, so let him eat in the next room."
Although she also had a grandmother, Mrs. Wei was very majestic. She was a nice person, but she always felt like there was something between them. At her grandmother's house, she always felt much freer. Except for occasionally coming over for breakfast, her grandmother usually let her mother and her sleep a little longer. She could even rest in her grandmother's bed in the room. Her grandmother would order people to satisfy her whatever she wanted.
After the adults finished eating, Xi'er's wet nurse said that he had eaten a few bites and was taken to the library to play by his uncle.
Sister Yun was very open-minded: "Let him go."
Jinniang smiled and said, "You don't have to come over for breakfast tomorrow. Just stay here for the winter. As for Shige'er, wait until spring comes and find a pediatrician to see if he is just picky about food or if he lacks something."
"My head is flattened from sleeping." Sister Yun shook her head.
There are no rules to follow at my mother's house. You can sleep as long as you want. Food is always available and someone will bring it to you just by asking.
She was free, but always a little worried. She said to Jinniang, "But I always feel uneasy. Why do you think that is?"
Jinniang smiled and said, "Because if you don't think about the future, you will have immediate worries. Your son-in-law hasn't entered the government yet, and this is your biggest worry. In fact, this is also very normal. Although you are married and have children, you have not escaped from the wings of your parents. You are either under the wings of the Wei family or the wings of the Jiang family. If you rely on the mountain, the mountain will fall; if you rely on the water, the water will flow. Your father and I are willing to take care of you, but if your father one day..., then where will you go?"
Jiang Jianing'er has already entered officialdom and is very diligent in his work. Ding'er will also have to go to school and take the imperial examinations in a few years. If Wei Qilang does not work hard, he will be left further and further behind by his peers.
When you are a child, most people will compliment you if they see that you have a good family background and are beautiful. However, when you grow up, if you do not have the corresponding ability, you will fall behind others.
Even though the Wei family had a good family background and Wei Qilang was able to enter the officialdom through imperial favor, the next generation of Shi Ge'er was still not successful. He was just a country gentleman with some money, possibly even worse than Zhang Jiulang.
Zhang Jiulang was the only legitimate son in the family, but he received a lot of the family property, which was still not enough for Wei Qilang.
This speech gave Yun Jieer a warning. She also told Wei Qilang about it and said, "My mother never talks about big principles. She just reads books, does needlework, and manages the family business every day. She is very tolerant of us. It's hard for her to say such things. Maybe there will be some changes in the court again."
Wei Qillang is also a smart man, but he comes from a wealthy family and has everything at his fingertips. Now he is in the Yue family, where his academic and family style are completely different.
Banquets and wine parties can be put on hold. Children’s studies come first, and any social engagements can be postponed.
Even Ding Ge'er, whom he always thought was playful, actually mostly went to the library to read or sleep in. In such an environment, he could not indulge himself.
This year, Ning Ge'er spent the New Year away from home. Fortunately, before Jin Niang left, she asked Aunt Bai to be his cook, which made him feel a little more at ease. Wei Qillang and Yun Jie'er spent the New Year at Yue's house. Except for the necessary social engagements in the first few days, everyone rested when they were tired. On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, they went out together to watch lanterns and guess riddles. It was very lively.
In the spring of the following year, Jinniang spent 5,400 strings of cash to buy five shops at Donghuamen. She also hired two craftsmen from Lingjinyuan and four assistants through a middleman to run the silk and velvet shop business.
She was familiar with this business. After all, the owner of the collapsed house said last year that the business in Damingfu was not very stable and she had to find a way out for herself. Fortunately, I have nearly 50,000 strings of cash in my hand now, and I can use one-fifth of it to do business without affecting any of the foundation.
Of course, she would also invest in some industries, such as the shipyard run by the owner of the Tafang House, in which Jinniang also invested five thousand taels.
But whether she is doing business or investing, she will not easily tell others, including her children.
Otherwise, children will have too high expectations on themselves and will not think about making progress.
At the end of February, the girl from the Lu family was escorted to Beijing by her mother and brothers, ready to get married. The original plan was to get married in March, but because Ning Ge'er could not report for work until April, the wedding could only be prepared in May.
The decoration of the new house began in March, including making colorful silks, freshly painting, and even arranging where to live for the servants who came with Lu Jiari's dowry.
Xu and Xiao Wu were both amazed when they came to visit, because it was equivalent to Jinniang buying a new house for her daughter-in-law. The waterside pavilion and the newly renovated mansion were all breathtaking.
Little Wu didn't say anything. Her husband had been granted imperial favor and passed the examination for the imperial palace, and was about to go to Xijing to serve as an official.
Mrs. Xu murmured to her daughter, "This house is also in your aunt's name, so no matter how much it is expanded, it will still be hers."
Zheng Jie'er took another secret look and thought that Uncle Sixteen's house was really beautiful.
In April, Ning Ge'er returned to Beijing to report on his work. Jiang Xian didn't even have to worry about his future. His father-in-law had someone recommend him to the Academy of Scholars for an examination. After passing the examination, he immediately worked as a proofreader in the Hanlin Academy.
Ning Ge'er looked at his mother spending money to buy them a yard and asked quietly, "You spent a lot of money again, didn't you?"
"It cost more than 5,000 strings of cash to buy it, and several hundred strings of cash to renovate it, so it's about 6,000 strings of cash, probably. We can't let your new bride live with you in the second courtyard. Besides, you're married now, so you have to live a good life as a young couple. It's also cheaper for you to receive your colleagues in the courtyard over there," said Jinniang.
Ning Ge'er said: "Mother always considers her son so thoughtfully."
Jinniang smiled and said, "Besides, the bride has a dowry of 30,000 strings of cash, and our family is not poor either, so you two are equal."
Many girls in Bianjing used their dowries to bully the boys because of the large dowries. Jinniang certainly did this to increase the confidence of her son.
Ning Ge'er was so moved that he could not say more: "Mom..."
"You are getting married soon, and your monthly allowance will be five strings of silver per month, groom," Jinniang joked.
Ning Ge'er scratched his head embarrassedly.
The girl from the Lu family delivered her dowry two days before the Dragon Boat Festival. Thirty thousand strings of cash was naturally a lot of dowry, and it stretched for dozens of miles, stretching endlessly.
The neighbors who used to hide at home all came out to watch the fun. Even Mrs. Meng couldn't help but feel jealous: "We can't finish eating all this dowry in several lifetimes."
Thinking of this, she looked at Miss Sun again, but Miss Sun had to pretend nothing had happened.
Jinniang asked Aying to go over and take a look, arrange the people, and explain the rules so that the people in the Lu family would have an idea.
Lu Qionghua got married the next day and entered the new house first. Her maid said, "In front of us is Youlan Pavilion, a waterside pavilion. The courtyard we live in is called Wangyueju, which is very large. There are also back rooms in the back, which are for you and your son-in-law to live in."
"I heard from my mother that the Jiang family prepared a huge yard for us, but I didn't expect it to be so big." Lu Qionghua said.
The maid smiled and said, "Outside of here is the Jiang Family Garden. Although it is not very big, it has lush trees and bamboos, and clusters of flowers. It is very exquisite. Through the corridor of the garden, you can reach Madam Jiang's main room. Yesterday, I asked the housekeeper of her family and learned that Madam Jiang has very few things to do..."
Lu Qionghua thought that she had met Mrs. Jiang and she was definitely not a person who had no plans. It could only be said that she used courtesy before force. If you don't do well, everyone outside will say it's your problem.
Soon, Lu Qionghua saw her husband come in. He was very tall, with broad shoulders and handsome appearance, which made her feel at ease almost as soon as she saw him.
The couple went to pay their respects to Jinniang and the others. Today, Jiang Xian and Jinniang were both wearing blue clothes embroidered with peonies, but Jiang Xian's was embroidered with yellow peonies, while Jinniang's was embroidered with red peonies. The couple looked extremely elegant.
After the newlyweds paid their respects to their parents, the elders each gave them a gift. Even Jiang Fang gave a generous gift. Needless to say, the others gave a generous gift, except for Mrs. Xu, who, as expected, gave a box of sandalwood combs.
Fortunately, on such a happy day, Jinniang didn't want to ruin the atmosphere for her. Anyway, when Zheng Jie'er gets married, she will give back something similar.
The newlyweds entered their bridal chamber. Jinniang was tired after a long day and her back and waist ached, so she quickly climbed onto the bed. Anyway, Jinniang had even prepared a small kitchen for them behind Wangyueju, so they didn't have to come over for breakfast.
Jiang Xian smiled and said, "You are such a generous mother-in-law."
"Wrong. This is what they call it's easier to manage one person than a group of people. You see, Aying is in charge of the yard here, and my daughter-in-law is in charge of the other one. She just needs to submit accounts and get paid every month. I will pick out the unreasonable ones, and it's up to her how to manage them. If she doesn't manage it well, I will manage her and she will be convinced. If she manages it well, I can let her manage the household." Jinniang said with a smile.
This is actually a good idea. Jiang Xian thought that other people's land business was almost always handled by men, so the so-called female housekeepers mostly transferred a sum of money from the external account to the family for food, accommodation and transportation. Those were fixed amounts of money, and they just had to follow the rules. His family runs an outside business, and his wife takes care of the internal accounts.
However, if the daughter-in-law cannot even manage the household accounts, you can only let her learn first.
Jiang Xian originally thought that his wife must be very confident in her future daughter-in-law, but he didn't expect that she was not superstitious at all about being the daughter of a wealthy family, nor did she believe that a large dowry meant strong ability.
There will be some good shows to watch in the future.
When Lv Qionghua and Ning Ge'er came the next day, they presented needlework to Jinniang, Jiang Xian, and Yun Jie'er Wei Qilang. Jinniang smiled and said, "You can go to the old house to pay respects to the elders later, and come back for lunch at noon."
When I got married yesterday evening, I took a look at my parents-in-law. They were both wearing the same blue jacquard dress, and they looked very young, not at all old. Today both of them were wearing spring clothes. The father-in-law wore a dark purple round-necked robe with a yellow bird embroidered on the exposed collar, which added a bit of liveliness. The mother-in-law wore a lilac tube top and a light purple double-breasted long jacket with a full-edge collar and gold-plated four-season flowers. There was a yellow bird embroidered on the cuffs, and an ivory white folded skirt underneath.
Even their hair accessories were similar. The father-in-law's hair was tied up with a hollow five-Buddha golden crown, while the mother-in-law's was a larger hollow five-Buddha golden crown. The only difference was that she used a pearl curtain comb on her forehead, which made her look much gentler.
Both her parents-in-law are smart and capable, and they love each other very much, so she has to be careful and prudent. Otherwise, if she offends either of them, she will have a hard time, even though they are a couple.
After the newlyweds had been married for more than a month, Jinniang saw that Lu Qionghua was really respectful and careful. Although she had some ladylike temper, she was straightforward and smart, so she let her take charge of the courtyard over at Wangyueju and just had to give her the accounts every month.
When Lu Qionghua heard her mother-in-law's encouragement, she instantly felt energized. She thought to herself that her mother-in-law usually only asked me to pay my respects on the first and fifteenth days of the month, and also said that I was in poor health and took good care of me. Now that she trusts me so much, I must manage Wangyueju meticulously so that I can take on the responsibilities of a clan wife in the future.
Yun Jie'er, who was standing by, thought to herself, everyone said that her mother-in-law, Madam Wei, was smart, but she was not as good as her mother in this respect. Her mother is in charge of people, arresting the big ones and letting the small ones go. In life, people are considerate of you and feel grateful to you, so they will do everything you ask them to do with their whole heart, which is better than anything else.
It is difficult for Mrs. Wei to delegate power. She gives some power to her eldest sister-in-law, who is very picky. In order to avoid being criticized, her eldest sister-in-law can obviously do a better job, but in order to avoid making mistakes, she chooses the most mediocre way to complete the task.
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