Chapter 43 Chapter 43 Two chapters merged into one
Jinniang has always felt that she is ordinary, so why did Gu Xiutou take a fancy to her? Some even promise them huge profits.
It is true that wealth and honor can be sought at the risk of one's life. If she has no father, no mother and no relatives, being a female official in the palace would certainly be the best choice. But she is probably suffering from the lack of a way to enter? But now, she doesn't need to take such a risky move. Once you enter the palace, it's like being in a deep sea. This dynasty does not kill scholars and officials, but the slaves and palace maids are in many dangers.
When she was in Zhou's family, she was still in danger of losing her life, but Gu Xiutou was just painting a rosy picture for her and asking her to work hard for him. With Gu Xiutou's looks, it would be no problem for her to enter the palace as a concubine, but she was sent to the Wenxiuyuan to be a small embroiderer. They recommended her to enter the palace, firstly because she was not good-looking and would not be snatched away by others, and secondly because she was a poor girl and was very easy to control.
They are indeed businessmen, painting big rosy pictures for themselves and asking themselves to risk their lives to work for them, which is actually for their own good.
At that moment, Jinniang smiled and said, "Gu Xiutou, thank you for your appreciation of me, but I am a person who doesn't like to be restrained by nature, and I am usually quite unrestrained. I also have parents to support, so I am afraid that such a rich and successful path will disappoint your expectations."
As expected, when Gu Xiutou heard her talking like this, she felt that she was even more employable. She was an embroiderer recruited from the people, and she did her work meticulously. She had been watching her for a long time. Last time, she deliberately dropped a silver coin worth 25 taels next to her, but she didn't even look at it. Later, when she came over, she pointed it out to her.
According to Gu Xiutou's daily observation, although Wei Jinniang's family was poor, she was generous and had a very good character.
Therefore, Gu Xiutou still advised: "If I ever become successful in the future, I will definitely regard you as my confidant."
This means that if she becomes a concubine, Jinniang will also become a senior female official. However, Jinniang thinks that first of all, she should wait until you enter the palace and become a concubine. Secondly, there will be no good end if you try to get the skin of a tiger. Now Gu Xiutou can't beat the concubines in the palace. If something happens in the future, she might be used as cannon fodder.
Just like the last embroiderer, the emperor doted on the imperial concubine, so he ordered his servants to please her by making robes that exceeded the standard. After being impeached by the ministers, the embroiderer was made a cannon fodder, so she declined the offer.
Therefore, Jinniang still said: "I appreciate your kindness, but my family has already arranged a marriage..."
"I see." Gu Xiutou couldn't force it.
Jinniang also breathed a sigh of relief. This reason was of course just made up. She had experienced several matchmakers coming to her house and felt that they were unreliable. She had to improve her own standards and not allow just anyone to come to her house in the future.
I can build a towering tree on my own, why should I rely on others for charity?
Years ago, Jinniang bought two sets of flowery jackets to sell in Jinxiu Pavilion. These two jackets, together with the shoes and purses that Jinniang had made a few months ago, earned her as much as thirty strings of cash. She did not tell her family about the money. No matter who asked, she said that she earned thirteen strings of coins a month, three strings from the Wenxiu Court and ten strings from extra income. This amount was not enough to make people look down upon her, nor would it make people jealous.
Her family members didn't ask how much money she earned. Now her parents' business was doing much better than before, and they smiled more happily.
It is best not to exchange money for Jiaozi nowadays. Jiaozi are issued indiscriminately and some cannot be exchanged. There are only three places to hide money. Jinniang has three. All the silver jewelry she got from Zhou's family are placed in a small box. These things cannot be used for daily expenses. They are locked with a copper lock and placed at the bottom of the wardrobe, covered with clothes.
As for the other two places, no one knew about them except her, not even her parents.
"Jinniang, come out and have some soup."
Hearing her mother calling outside, Jinniang hurried out. Luo Yu'e had stewed pigeon soup, which was very nutritious. After drinking a bowl of it, Jinniang took a steamed bun to eat.
My parents would take back any steamed buns that were not sold in the shop.
When my parents took over the new shop, my third uncle took the initiative to lend them twenty-five strings of cash, which even made Jinniang astonished. Later, she found out why Third Uncle had so many friends, because he often lent money to others. He didn't like to buy property and lived in the worst black hole-like house, but he wanted to have a status, so he maintained it by borrowing money.
Look, after lunch, the third uncle handed over an account book and said to her father, "I have to go collect the debt now, so I'll borrow the donkey cart from my second brother."
Wei Xiong smiled and said, "Just take it. You too should buy a donkey cart as soon as possible so that it will be cheaper to travel on weekdays."
Uncle San sighed: "I would like to buy it, but where can I buy it?"
Jinniang and Luo Yu'e, who were standing by, knew that it was their Third Aunt who wouldn't allow it. Their Third Aunt once said that she would not give up if their Third Uncle bought a donkey cart. Wei Xiong stood up and lent him the donkey cart. His uncle politely said that he had stewed mutton at home and would ask Yingniang to bring it over later.
After Uncle San left, Luo Yu'e helped her husband mend his clothes and asked Jinniang, "Last time you told me which shop has better cotton. I want to make a cotton-padded jacket for your father. He hasn't worn any decent clothes in all these years."
Jinniang didn't have time to make clothes for her family now. Her spare time was almost all spent making clothes for Jinxiu Pavilion, so she just said, "I know a tailor named Zhao. You can take the cloth there. He has cotton. A cloth jacket costs 300 coins. If he asks for more, you can find another one."
"Okay, I'll be there soon." Luo Yu'e also felt sorry for her husband.
Their family's relationship became much more harmonious because their third uncle lent her money, but they almost stopped communicating with Rong's family. To put it bluntly, it was all because of Rong Niang. Feng Sheng was an outsider and he had no feelings for their family, so even though Jin Niang was angry about what he did, she didn't take it too seriously. Rong Niang was their relative.
Just like the way his third aunt was, his third uncle tried hard to mend the relationship.
This year's New Year's celebration was more relaxed than last year. The shelves in the courtyard were hung with bacon and cured pork ribs, there were seven or eight jars of various pickled vegetables in the kitchen, two large rice jars were filled, and a large basket of eggs was placed aside.
Jinniang stretched and went back into the house to count the money she had saved. Last year, she brought more than 100 strings of cash from the Zhou family. Thirty strings of cash were spent at home, so there were still 100 strings of cash left. However, she earned 130 strings of cash this year, which was more than she had earned in the three years at the Zhou family.
This means he has more than two hundred strings of cash, a number that was unthinkable in the past. However, he is still eight hundred strings of cash away from one thousand strings of cash, and is still far from becoming a middle-class family.
Jinniang clenched her fists, wondering if it was because of the pigeon soup that she had a good sleep.
In the evening, parents had already prepared food, and the younger brother was reading a book under the lamp. When they saw Jinniang come out, the whole family was in great joy. Luo Yu'e looked at Jinniang again: "You didn't listen to your embroidered head, will she make things difficult for you?"
"A small thorn? No. Gu Xiutou is quite beautiful, and has always been a threat to others. At this moment, if she gives someone else a handle on her, she will never be able to enter the palace." Jinniang said.
Besides, Gu Xiutou is not that kind of person. After getting along with him for about a year, Jinniang can still see that. This Gu family has great ambitions and wants to make profits for her family and herself, but she is already in her twenties. If she was really capable, how could she have survived to this age? Even if she really entered the palace, she would probably only be favored for a few years.
Luo Yu'e was also worried about her daughter. She said, "Once you enter the palace, it's like entering a deep sea."
"You can say this too." Jinniang said with a smile.
The next day, they went to the Wenxiu Courtyard. They were busy making a robe for the Empress in the last few days. Jinniang always felt that the arrangement was not good-looking, but the Empress's dress was not something they could interfere with. In the Wenxiu Academy, they are called embroiderers and this is what they mean. All clothing must follow etiquette and cannot be original. Everyone must do their duty. Even if you have many ideas, they must not be out of the ordinary.
This way there is no creativity, it is just repetitive and boring embroidery of the same piece of clothing.
Fortunately, it was only a few days, and the seven-day holiday would be coming soon. Jinniang endured these days, rested at home for three days, and then started making clothes again. In the past few years, she hasn't had a single New Year's Day where she could really rest, but when one has a goal, one doesn't feel tired anymore.
Early in the morning on New Year's Eve, Wei Xiong went out to put out the night incense. As soon as he opened the door, he saw several ragged men at the entrance of the alley. He was so scared that he hurried back and told Luo Yu'e about it.
Jinniang knew why. She often bought folk tabloids to read. Yes, there were already folk newspapers in the Northern Song Dynasty at that time. The content was varied and the price was not expensive. They were all for entertainment.
"I heard that there is a severe drought in several places, so refugees have entered Kaifeng. Let's keep a close watch on the door. Mother, let's not cook meat today, and let's cook as little as possible. The court will definitely have a way to provide relief when the time comes." Jinniang suggested.
Ordinary people like Jinniang read newspapers not for any grand ambitions, but it can help them avoid some troubles.
Wei Xiong even bought a fish yesterday and prepared to braise it today. After hearing what his daughter said, he just said, "Well, let's stay indoors and go out as little as possible."
"How dare refugees come in from under the emperor's feet?" Luo Yu'e was skeptical.
Jinniang nodded: "It's true. Wen Shuhui from our Wenxiuyuan had her meat, rice and money stolen from her family. She was complaining bitterly."
Most of the people living in this stinky alley are renters, and only a few actually own their own houses. Last time, someone knocked on the door deliberately to cause trouble, but when they heard that it was Jinniang and her family's own house, they didn't dare to say anything.
Jinniang was alert, but others were not. One example was Mrs. Cai who lived next door to them. She loved to show off and often said that she wanted to have gold inlaid in her teeth. One day, in order to show off her wealth, she even took out her gold necklace and gold bracelet in front of her mother.
Mrs. Cai and her daughter-in-law are making smoked chicken, which is Mrs. Cai's specialty and is only eaten during the Chinese New Year. The so-called smoked chicken is made by soaking the chicken in clean water for an hour, then steaming it for a while, taking it out and coating it with a secret sauce, and then slowly roasting it on a small red clay stove. Don't rush it, it needs to be heated evenly before turning it over, and it can't be burnt.
Roasting it so slowly, not to mention the refugees outside, even Jinniang felt hungry just by smelling it.
"Sister, it smells so good." Yang Ge'er also said.
Jinniang patted her brother's shoulder and said, "Hold on. I have some almond cakes and candied haws. I'll bring them to you later."
The family had a quick lunch at noon, and all felt hungry, so they hurried to bed. Wait until the afternoon to open the door and see if there is no one there, then cook some food. After all, it is New Year's Eve.
Jinniang's guess was correct. They were woken up by Cai Po's crying during their nap. Jinniang and Luo Yu'e went to visit her and saw that Cai Po's ears were bleeding. She was crying and complaining, "Damn thieves, they ripped my gold earrings away."
Cai Po's daughter-in-law was also crying, saying that all the smoked chicken strips and steamed buns they made were snatched away. They had already called people from the yamen to come over, but they had already run away without a trace.
Seeing that they were indeed pitiful, Jinniang's family sent some rice cakes and rice. As for the eggs and meat, Luo Yu'e rarely showed any compassion and just said, "There's no need to let anyone know about our family background, otherwise if they get involved, we won't be able to get rid of them."
When she was in Jiangling before, Jinniang had to study and learn a craft, so she didn't know her family well. Now when she looks back at her parents, she feels different from before. His father appears to be kind and righteous, always obeying orders, but in fact he always does things due to moral requirements, and he only cares about himself. His mother seems to have a bad temper, but in fact she is very saintly, and she is willing to give everything for others as long as they are a little softer.
So this year, she often guided her parents so that they at least knew how to protect themselves.
"Mom is right. Dad, go out and take a look. If there are no unfamiliar refugees nearby, we can start preparing the New Year's Eve dinner." Jinniang said with a smile.
Naturally, these people didn't dare to come after they had robbed a fortune. Luo Yu'e and Wei Xiong began to prepare the wine and food, and even Jinniang helped to peel quails. For a moment, the place became lively.
The same is true for the Zhou family. A year has passed, and the eldest daughter of the Zhou family has already married and is pregnant. This is the greatest joy of the Zhou family. What makes me even happier is that Zhou Cunzhi, the second son of the Zhou family, has passed the provincial examination and is about to take part in the palace examination.
Zhang was serving Jiang a bowl of almond soup when Jiang said with a smile, "Brother Cun will take the imperial examination soon. You are now the head of the family. Remember not to look down on your peers and be polite when dealing with them."
Once you enter officialdom, every word and action will be scrutinized.
Zhang may have been aware of these principles, but he still agreed with a respectful attitude.
After serving her mother-in-law, she went back to have dinner, but she saw the fourth girl on the corridor. The fourth girl greeted her with a smile, and Zhang also showed a touch of pity.
The fourth girl lost her biological mother and was in a difficult situation, but she was able to understand the world and had upright character, unlike her mother.
"Where is the fourth young lady going?" Zhang asked.
The fourth girl smiled and said, "I'm going to the old lady's place. Cousin Mei asked me to get some fancy patterns."
The aunt and sister-in-law said goodbye to each other, and when the fourth girl was walking in a deserted place, she felt sad for some reason. She had not expected that Miao Xiaoniang would have two lives in this life. When she was about to give birth, she was still smiling and saying that if she had another son, she would do so in the future. However, the person was gone in the blink of an eye. That was all, but all the people who served her mother during her lifetime were sent away, and she bought a coffin for ten taels of silver.
But she was not a fool. Miao Xiaoniang should have been dealt with by Wu Luan in advance, but now for some reason, Miao Xiaoniang died a few years in advance.
In the book "Strategies for Filling a Household", Miao Xiaoniang persuaded the wet nurse of Qin Ge'er to harm Qin Ge'er, resulting in Wu Luan almost losing two lives. I don't know if it's because I traveled through time in this life, but the plot in the book is completely different.
Wu Luan dealt with the people around Qin Ge'er in advance, and gave birth smoothly, but her mother died.
Now that her three older sisters have married, she has no one to rely on. She has no choice but to be careful and diligent everywhere, and she also has to try to please people. The old lady was the one she wanted to rely on. Although she was old and not in good health, she was still alive at the end of the book.
The old lady's place was quite lively, with Mei Pan'er and the third young lady both there. The third young lady was becoming more and more calm and composed, for she had married such a talented man and her future was already secured. She recalled the many conflicts she had with the fourth young lady in the past, and now that she had seen that she had lost her mother, their relationship had improved.
The fourth girl walked in. She saw that cousin Mei had a worried look on her face the whole time, and she knew that her situation was worse than hers. Although she had lost her mother Miao, she still had a younger brother from the same mother, and he was a respectable lady in the family. She had a very good relationship with Mei Pan'er. When Miao Xiaoniang passed away, Mei Pan'er specially introduced her to the old lady.
She also gave me a peach and I gave me a jade in return.
When the old lady was tired, she told Mei Paner in person: "Cousin, I want to congratulate you on your upcoming wedding."
"What are you talking about, little girl?" Mei Pan'er's marriage is neither here nor there. How can she settle down if her future is uncertain?
Of course, the fourth young lady heard only a few words when she paid her respects to Jiang yesterday. Even though her sister-in-law Zhang is the housekeeper now, it is not so easy for Jiang to give up power.
"My cousin from the Han family has passed the provincial exam. I heard he is very talented."
It would be better if she didn't listen to this. After hearing this, Mei Pan'er looked at the fourth girl with a wry smile.
The fourth girl knew what was in the book. Han Xiao and Han Qilang were finally granted the title of Duke and appointed as Prime Minister. Jinshi in the Song Dynasty were very valuable. Her father had been promoted to an official in the Ministry of Revenue. Her cousin was originally the granddaughter of Old Lady Han, and now she is a good match for her cousin Han.
Mei Pan'er said, "Fool, that's probably because of you."
she? The fourth girl shook her head. The book did not say that she married a scholar, but rather that she was married to her eldest brother-in-law as a second wife.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, Jinniang accompanied her parents to the Fengqiu Gate in the north of the state. There were colorful tents everywhere, and the stalls along the street were filled with hats, combs, jewelry, jade, various head ornaments, clothes, collar brushes, etc.
Luo Yu'e wanted to buy flowers for Jinniang to wear, but Jinniang refused: "The ones you bought for your daughter haven't been used yet. It won't be too late to dress her up after she loses weight."
"You always say you want to lose weight, but you're so busy that not only haven't you lost weight, you've become even rounder than before," said Luo Yu'e.
She then said to her daughter: "Who says fat people can't dress up? The fatter you are, the more you should dress up nicely."
Next year, my daughter will be seventeen years old, which is already a bit old. Ordinary girls at this age are ready to get married or have already been married. My daughter's marriage is still not settled. How can her parents not be anxious?
But the daughter was very opinionated and even her parents couldn't persuade her otherwise.
Jinniang is like this. She takes the initiative in everything to avoid being passive. She must achieve her goal in doing what she wants to do. After saying that, she looked through the embroidery on each vendor. She had been in the Wenxiu Academy for a long time, and she was always careful not to overstep her bounds when doing needlework. She had to embroider meticulously according to other people's designs. Although she also went to the Jinxiu Pavilion, she was unable to see the true embroidery skills of a private individual.
Only by learning from others can you make further progress.
To be honest, if a woman can put aside getting married and having children, and not worry about what to do at a certain age, then she can truly specialize in her career and even live a comfortable life.
"Mom, look, this person is embroidering daffodils with her hair." Jinniang pulled her mother over to see.
Luo Yu'e was amazed and pointed at the daffodils embroidered on the other side of the gauze handkerchief and said, "I still think this one looks good."
Jinniang laughed. They were experts, so when they looked at embroidery, they would look at the needlework. But the people who really bought embroidery were not experts. They just wanted it to look good.
Wow, daffodils and gerberas are really beautiful when put together. The contrast between the bright crimson color of the gerberas and the green color of the daffodils complement each other. The colors are bright but not gaudy, and they look more vibrant.
It turns out that it is worthwhile to take a trip out. We cannot just work in isolation.
Originally, the family planned to go to Daxiangguo Temple the next day, but Jinniang was reluctant to go out and was only focused on drawing the patterns and designs.
Another person who was equally busy was Feng Sheng, who was originally accompanying his wife and daughter on a trip, but was called back halfway to help someone with his illness. He has no backing, and although his medical skills are not bad, he does not have connections like others, so he will be blamed if he is not careful.
It is precisely because of his diligence that he now earns more than 50 strings of cash a month. Although it is a bit tiring, he will be able to buy a big house in the capital in the future and let his sons study under famous teachers. Then he will die without regrets.
Therefore, as soon as someone called out, he immediately had someone drive over and asked the servants to send Rong Niang and her son back.
However, there were few servants in the Feng family, and Rong Niang and her son were separated in an instant. They were even almost bullied by the man. Fortunately, the servants found them in time, otherwise the consequences would be disastrous.
…
For others, the Chinese New Year is a matter of excitement or life and death, but for Jinniang it means successfully making a new dress and even selling it on the Lantern Festival. If her guess is correct, she can get at least 15 strings of cash.
However, the Wenxiu Court also started to get busy. The new candidates were about to be called out by Donghua, and the court wanted to make new clothes for them. This task fell on Jinniang and others.
Make a rough outline first, and then make some changes when you meet the Jinshi himself.
In this way, Jinniang will not have much time to do private work.
Calling out the names of the students at Donghua was what a good man should do. Zhou Cunzhi was ranked sixth in the first class at a young age. He should have been feeling proud, but then he saw Han Xiao, who was only nineteen years old but had a higher ranking than him.
He is not a jealous person, but he usually thinks he is much better than Han Xiao, but now someone has surpassed him.
Just after the names were called out, a group of female officials in blue came over and interrupted Zhou Cunzhi's thoughts. The person standing in front of him and measuring his clothes looked very familiar.
Jinniang also felt somewhat friendly when she saw Zhou Cunzhi. There was actually someone she knew here. She hurried forward and smiled and congratulated him, "Second Young Master, congratulations on your Donghua roll call."
"It's you, Fatty...Jinniang." Zhou Cunzhi had a photographic memory and remembered everyone's name.
Jinniang smiled and said, "It's me. I am so lucky to be able to make clothes for Erlangjun again."
Zhou Cunzhi thought he was dazzled, but he was still happy to meet someone he knew. However, he was a very awkward person, and was notoriously harsh in his words. Not only was he arrogant, but he was also tired of stupid people. Therefore, he just said, "Since you are a female official, you should pay attention to your appearance. No matter how smart you are, if you look stupid, the emperor may not notice you."
Jinniang was originally very happy, knowing that he had misunderstood her as a female official, but it was not easy for her to explain herself. "How can you say that a girl has a good appearance and figure like this?"
"Hmph." Seeing that he couldn't even spit out ivory from his mouth, Jinniang stomped her feet in anger, then turned around and ran to measure other Jinshi's size.
Leaving Zhou Cunzhi disheveled in the wind.
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