Chapter 52 Chapter 52 Two chapters merged into one
After a few days of peace and quiet, Ah Ying asked Jin Niang: "How can we find out who organized this?"
"Those people may be one person or several people. If they are really capable, they would not resort to such means. They are nothing but snakes, insects, rats and ants. Don't take them to heart." Jinniang said.
After her parents heard about this, her mother asked her father's former comrades to come around the store to scare off the villains. That uncle now works under the deputy head of the Palace Front Department, and he came over specially in military uniform.
But Jinniang knew that it was easy to dodge an open attack but difficult to guard against an arrow from the dark.
Therefore, she asked Chen Xiaolang to be more alert and take the money to his room before leaving the counter every day, lock up the valuable satin, and extinguish the charcoal basin in the embroidery room with water when leaving.
Chen Xiaolang was a little nervous and asked, "Girl, what if a thief comes?"
"No, arson and injuring people will result in life imprisonment. There is water in the tank outside that can be used to put out the fire. Besides, my father is at home, just shout for help from the back, do you hear me?" Jinniang looked at him and said.
Ju Xiang held the fire stick and said, "There's nothing to be afraid of."
Jinniang smiled and said, "You don't have to be so nervous. I'm just used to thinking about bad things first. Maybe those people don't dare to do anything at all."
Everyone was relieved after hearing her words. Luo Yu'e also smiled and said, "There are seven people in our family. Who dares to come to our house if they don't want to die?"
Ah Ying likes this place very much. The master is honest and simple, the mistress is cheerful and never bullies others, the young master is honest and studious, and the young lady respects her and is very kind to her. The family is harmonious and there is no conspiracy or dirty things. She held Jinniang's arm and looked at this and that.
"Then let's all go back and rest." Jinniang said.
Luo Yu'e put another layer of straw under Chen Xiaolang in the partition of the embroidery room. She touched it with her hand and found it was warmer, then went to her own room.
After seven or eight days, the sea became calm and everyone felt relieved.
It was almost the New Year's Eve, and my parents had already closed their breakfast stall. They planned to find another place near Tianshui Lane next year. After all, the prices of shops are always rising nowadays.
They got up early and had breakfast made by Luo Yu'e, which was pork tripe and rice porridge, which is a common dish for people in Anlu. They also bought it at a grocery store and were very happy.
After breakfast, people came to pick up the goods after the door was opened. After Jinniang checked the invoices, she asked Aying to hand them to them.
Half a month after opening, Jinniang had already earned 14 strings of cash. Seeing Jinniang cutting off the embroidered butterfly, Ah Ying couldn't help but ask curiously, "Miss, does anyone want this?"
"Yes, this is called applique embroidery. Someone taught me after I entered the Wenxiu Academy as an embroiderer. There is also someone who specializes in selling this in the Embroidery Lane in front. I plan to make a box of it. If someone asks me to embroider it at the end of the year, I can just sew it on." Jinniang does not regret going to the Zhou family and the Wenxiu Academy now.
She worked hard for three years at the Zhou family and became low-key and introverted. At the Wenxiu Academy, she learned to reflect on herself, how to manage people, and knew what to say in different positions and what different scenery to see. However, the fabric she wanted was not available here, so she went to Qu Fengying's house to choose. Aying quickly put on her cloak, and the master and servant came over soon.
"I want to see the cloud-like color." Jinniang asked the waiter to take it out. As soon as she finished picking it out, she saw an acquaintance.
It was none other than the former Third Brother Kuang. He was directing people to move a lot of colorful satin onto the carriage. Judging from the way he was shopping now, Jinniang thought he should have been made the manager.
I wonder if the Zhou family is going to have a happy event?
Counting their ages, the third girl is seventeen and the fourth girl is fifteen. I wonder which girl she is?
The fourth girl was sitting in front of the dressing table, watching the maid combing her hair. Her black hair was as smooth as silk, and her appearance in the mirror was even more beautiful.
Ruoliu smiled and said, "What happened on this end of the girl is really good."
Three years ago, Jiang Fang passed the imperial examination and was sent to work as an official in a provincial capital. The third sister was still young, and the Zhou family did not want her to get married and suffer, so they delayed her marriage for a few years. This time when Jiang Fang returns, the wedding will also be arranged.
However, the Zhou family is not as well off as before. I heard that the third sister's dowry was only 5,000 taels in total, 2,000 taels were used for the dowry, and there was only 3,000 taels left in the bottom of the box. When it came to her, there might have been even fewer, but at least she saved her elder sister's life, so she didn't have to marry and suffer the hardship of being a concubine.
Unfortunately, cousin Mei died of a cold and had been bedridden by the old lady for a long time. Now she can only stay with the old lady. In this way, Dad and Mrs. Jiang valued her more. After all, they all had to mourn when the old lady passed away.
"Let's go, let's pay our respects to the Madam first, and then go to the old lady to take care of her." The fourth girl stood up.
But when they arrived at Jiang's door, they heard the maid opening the curtain outside saying that it was Jiang's nephew from her mother's side who came to deliver a festival gift. The fourth girl waited in the side room first. After a while, she saw a young man in brocade robe coming out. This young man wore a jade robe and a golden crown, and his appearance was outstanding. It was unforgettable for people to see him once.
"Fourth Miss, this must be the sixteenth young master from the Madam's family," Ruo Liu said.
Jiang Shiliu, Jiang Xian?
After Zhou Cunzhi and his ilk were demoted, they were reinstated thanks to this man. The Fourth Girl had seen this man in the extra chapter of the novel. It was said that he was handsome and clever when he was young. It was also said that he was cunning, greedy for wealth and made friends with powerful officials. He was a complete treacherous minister. Of course, his end was miserable. He was demoted repeatedly and finally died in a foreign land.
The fourth girl went to the principal room and, as expected, saw Jiang smiling like a flower. Recently, perhaps because Jiang had reached menopause, she had a bad temper, but Jiang Xian was able to coax her into this state, which was enough to show his skill. No wonder Jiang Yan and Jiang Xian always came here together before, but now only Jiang Xian came.
"Mrs."
Jiang nodded and said, "My child, I have to take care of your third sister's wedding now. I'll leave you to worry about the old lady."
In fact, it was my sister-in-law Zhang who arranged the marriage for my third sister. My second brother Zhou Cun was sent away, and she was in charge of all the matters at home. There was no need for Jiang, but she just didn't want to serve her mother-in-law.
But the fourth girl still had to help make it up: "Madam, you've worked hard, everyone in the mansion knows it, I don't dare to worry about it, it's my duty as a daughter."
"Well, seeing that you are so sensible, I feel relieved. My good boy, you serve your grandmother so filially, your father and I will not let you down." Jiang hinted at something.
The fourth girl's heart skipped a beat, as this was talking about her own marriage.
Three years ago, my father had taken a fancy to Han Xiao, but such a young scholar had already been chosen as a son-in-law by Prime Minister Jixian. However, the girl was unlucky and died of illness a year after her marriage.
Could it be him?
**
In the south, the New Year's Eve ends on the 24th, but in the north it is really snowy and icy, so Jinniang asked Chen Xiaolang to sweep the snow at the door every day before coming in.
Jinniang embroidered eight butterflies today and put them in a box. She looked at the weather outside and said to everyone, "Let's close the stall early today. It's so cold outside, so there won't be many people coming."
Unexpectedly, someone came in. They looked outside and saw a pretty girl with a bun on her head. She was holding a bundle in her hands and coming in despite the wind and snow.
Ah Ying quickly stepped forward to brush off the snow for her and went to bring her some hot tea.
"Our lady's brocade dress has been torn. I wonder if it can be repaired?" asked the maid.
Jinniang looked at her for a long time before she said, "Si'er, are you Si'er?"
Although he had grown taller and become a little plumper, his appearance was still very familiar.
The maid was startled. She used to be called Si'er, but later changed her name to Xiangming. How come this lady knew her name? But she was alert and asked, "Excuse me, who are you..."
Jinniang has lost weight now, and she dresses differently. Her complexion is a little dark now, and she thinks Si'er must not be able to see her clearly, so she smiled and said, "Me, Jinniang, do you still recognize me? We used to be in the sewing room together."
Xiang Ming was shocked and couldn't believe it. The two told each other about their situations and sighed.
The needlework room was closed down after Jinniang and the others left. Later, she was transferred to serve Jiang, and now she is a third-rank maid in Jiang's room.
"I never thought Sister Jinniang would be so lucky." Xiangming was still immersed in the past.
Seeing that it was getting late outside, Jinniang started by talking seriously: "Are you mending clothes?"
Xiang Ming then wiped the sweat off her forehead and said, "Yes, the third lady is getting married soon. This is the lady's favorite dress. Who knew it got torn by a nail? I went to the embroidery alley in front and found no one who could repair it."
"This is palace-made kesi. Not to mention the embroiderers outside, even only a few in the Wenxiu Academy can mend it." Jinniang took a look.
Xiang Ming was surprised: "Can my sister do that?"
Jinniang smiled and said, "It will take at least five days to mend this kind of brocade, and at most ten days. But since you brought it to me, I will stay up all night for five days to mend it for you. You can send someone to pick it up the day before New Year's Eve. But the price will be high..."
She had to make things clear first, lest their relationship be ruined because of money.
Xiang Ming said, "It would be great if you could embroider, sister. I wonder how much it would cost?"
"Three strings of cash." Jinniang looked at the dress. The thread used for the thread could not be bought outside. She had saved some when she was in the Wenxiu Academy.
When Xiang Ming heard the price, he thought it was not expensive, so he went out and brought back a money box, and took out three taels of silver. Jinniang didn't want more, so she weighed it on a scale and gave her the extra two hundred coins.
Xiang Ming refused and said, "Just accept it, sister."
"That doesn't make sense. You should just take it." Jinniang knew that she was only a third-class maid now. The older maids in Jiang's room guarded their positions very strictly. It was not easy for her to stand out, and there were a lot of personal connections between the maids.
Seeing Jinniang's insistence, Xiangming didn't hesitate, but it was getting late and she had to go back home, so Jinniang asked her to keep the ticket and send someone to pick it up when the time came.
After sending Xiangming away, Jinniang discussed with her mother about sending some New Year gifts to the Zhou family: "It would be fine if they didn't find me, but now according to etiquette, we have to prepare some New Year gifts to send over."
Luo Yu'e also thought it was polite, but she was also embarrassed: "But they are from a wealthy family, I'm afraid they won't appreciate ordinary things. What should we give them as a gift?"
There are many ways to give gifts. Jinniang has no other requests from the Zhou family, so she will not give anything too expensive. Otherwise, it will make people think that you have made a lot of money. Therefore, the gift must be novel and interesting. "If it is ordinary rice, flour or pork, those people may not be interested in it. Why don't we go to Daxiangguo Temple tomorrow to see if there is anything new?"
The mother and daughter discussed it for a while, and seeing that Juxiang had already prepared the meal, they went to the living room to eat first.
The next day, the mother and daughter went to the dim sum shop in the morning and ordered four boxes of buttered abalone and nectar cakes in advance. They also sent Chen Xiaolang to Gaoyang Tower to order two bottles of Liuxia wine. Only then did they go to Daxiangguo Temple.
A group of nuns were selling headbands, wigs, pearl hairpins and other things there, and anything they liked was not cheap.
Jinniang shook her head: "Forget it, let's go inside and have a look. If it doesn't work, we can just send those rulers over."
The mother and daughter strolled around for a while, neither of them was satisfied. Fortunately, they later saw a unique piece of silk with green hibiscus, camellia and gardenia patterns sold by an official returning to Beijing in the east corridor. When they asked the price, they found out it cost four strings of cash.
That is to say, one piece of cloth was worth four strings of cash, and one foot was worth one hundred coins. Jinniang suddenly had an idea. One foot of cloth could make about a square handkerchief. She might as well cut some handkerchiefs out and stick a butterfly on one of them, which would be both elegant and beautiful.
"Shopkeeper, I want to buy a 4-foot-4 Luo."
The shop owner immediately moved his hand back. Seeing that he wanted to cut the hair to six feet, Jinniang would force her to pay for six feet, so she took out four coins from her purse and said, "I will only pay this much. If you cut more from me, I won't pay more."
The shop owner was exposed on the spot, but he was not angry. He slashed back with the scissors: "You are really powerful, little girl."
It is true that you cannot judge a person by his appearance. This young lady looks pitiful on the outside, but she is smart and capable on the inside.
Jinniang raised her eyebrows but didn't take it to heart.
When she returned home, the street was crowded with people. Jinniang was mending kesi silk. She had already figured out the idea yesterday, so she put it on another embroidery frame. "Girl, someone wants to order clothes for the Lantern Festival." Aying shouted.
Jinniang took a sip of tea and went out. Seeing the two mother and daughter coming over, she took out a picture album and said, "This is the dresses and jackets I have made for others over the years."
After saying this, seeing that her daughter was very shy, she couldn't help but smile and said, "I think you have a slender figure, and it's very suitable for you to wear a pleated skirt, which makes you look slim. If you use such satin to make a jacket, it will also look very beautiful, and it will also be suitable to embroider some butterflies and peach blossoms on it..."
As she spoke, she turned to another page. I have never seen this mother and daughter choose clothes by looking at pictures before. Everything they put on looked beautiful.
I want this and I want that.
Jinniang also noticed it and asked Aying to order some tea. Aying was also very smart and she knew immediately that this must be a big customer, so she ordered some tea right away and brought over two dishes.
"It doesn't matter, take your time to choose. If you don't understand anything, just ask me." Jinniang said with a smile.
In her previous life, when she went shopping, she didn't like others following her and introducing things to her all the time, so now that she became a boss, she would just stop at the appropriate time.
The mother and daughter looked at it for more than half an hour. They both wanted to make a jacket and a skirt. The mother made a medium-length green straight-collared jacket and a red three-stream skirt, while the daughter made a smoky-colored double-breasted long jacket and a pleated skirt.
"Do you want to get the fabric yourself or do you want it from our store?" Jinniang asked.
They all said they would use the ones from the store. Jinniang smiled and said, "There are two different prices now. If the collar is not embroidered, these four pieces will cost a total of 23 strings of cash. If the collar is embroidered, it will cost 25 strings of cash. Because we have to provide the cotton and fabrics for this, the cost is already quite high..."
In fact, the mother and daughter were already crazy when they were looking at the picture album, but they just suppressed their excitement temporarily. After listening to Jinniang, they nodded immediately and paid a total of 25 strings of cash, 5 strings of cash as capital, and a net profit of 20 strings of cash.
Jinniang gave them the invoice and breathed a sigh of relief. After the mother and daughter left, she sent Chen Xiaolang to buy cotton, asking him to look through it carefully so as not to get any bad cotton stuffed in there. She started by preparing all the necessary fabrics and silk threads, and she could do it after the New Year.
How could Jinniang not be happy after making such a big deal?
She now has to mend the kesi on hand. She needs to concentrate fully and not be distracted. The torn places are not big, but they are the important parts. No wonder many people dare not take it up.
When the tapestry was halfway through being repaired, Jinniang heard that Feng Sheng was ill, and she couldn't help asking, "What's wrong with him?"
"I don't know either. The doctor said he was fine, but your brother-in-law was irritable and couldn't sleep at night. He always had palpitations and woke himself up with fright. He sat up in bed in the middle of the night in fear." Luo Yu'e also found it unbelievable when she mentioned it.
As soon as Jinniang heard it, she knew it was autonomic nervous system disorder. Feng Sheng was competitive by nature, and after buying a mansion worth five thousand strings of cash, he had to work hard to make money. When he was anxious, he was prone to physical symptoms. She also suffered from insomnia before, but she would make time to catch up on sleep during the day, and would ask her servants to cook nourishing soup for her. She even knew what it meant to do things within her ability.
Originally, everyone envied Rong Niang. Although her parents had passed away, she still had a husband like Feng Sheng who was handsome and doted on her. Now that Feng Sheng was like this, Rong Niang actually felt that she had no one to rely on. Her second uncle and second aunt only came to visit her and left...
"It's all Jinniang's fault. If she hadn't lied to us and said she was buying a two-story house, you wouldn't have wanted to buy a three-story house." Rong Niang always felt that Jinniang did it on purpose.
Because after they bought the house, they later heard from Wei Xiong that Jinniang bought a house with only one entrance, but divided it into two.
Rong Niang now cries out that she has been cheated.
But Feng Sheng asked, "What did Prime Minister Zhao say?"
"I didn't say anything, I just wanted you to have a good rest. The New Year is only two or three days away, so it's just right to celebrate the Lantern Festival before going." Rong Niang said.
She also wished her husband could rest more, and of course had no objection to what Zhao Taicheng said.
Feng Sheng, however, felt vaguely uneasy. The New Year was a busy time for doctors. Some had eaten too much and had indigestion, some were hit by carriages on the road, some were injured from being crowded together, and some even caught a cold. How could he be allowed to rest for so long?
After saying that, he lifted the quilt and tried to get up, but Rong Niang stopped him and said, "The doctor prescribed some medicine for you to take, you need to rest now."
"I'm not an expert in medicine, nor do I have a background as an imperial physician like others. What if I get squeezed out this time?" Feng Sheng worried.
Rong Niang was not worried: "Didn't you say last time that there were other clinics that wanted you to go to?"
Feng Sheng shook his head: "If I leave here and go somewhere else in the future, I'm afraid I can only make a dozen or twenty strings of cash a month. What can I do? I want to go out, don't stop me."
Rong Niang stretched out her hands and said, "You are not well yet, so you cannot go out."
At Rong Niang's pleading, Feng Sheng finally agreed to recuperate at home.
Over there, Jinniang had also finished embroidering the silk handkerchief. She first cut the silk handkerchief with green hibiscus, camellia and gardenia patterns into a square handkerchief, locked the edges, and then pasted the previously embroidered butterfly on the handkerchief. Aying took a look and found that there was a butterfly embroidered on each piece of silk handkerchief, but they were all different. There were the graceful and gorgeous swallowtail butterflies, the petite and simple pink butterflies, and the pretty and romantic creepypasta.
"It's so beautiful, miss, you are a goddess." Aying said exaggeratedly.
Jinniang waved her hands quickly: "I can't take on this godly man, it's just a little thought."
On the day before New Year's Eve, Xiangming came to pick up the gifts as usual. Jinniang asked her to deliver the New Year gifts to the first and second wives. The first wife was her former employer, and Mrs. Wu in the second wife was also very good to her, so the gifts had to be delivered no matter what.
Xiang Ming saw that the gifts prepared by Jinniang were all top-quality goods, especially these silk handkerchiefs, which were truly luxurious and light.
The two of them had some time to chat a little more today. Xiang Ming talked about the Zhou family's affairs. "When our eldest daughter gave birth to our son, she almost had a dystocia. It is said that the fourth daughter took good care of him and saved him. From then on, the eldest daughter treated the fourth daughter better. As for the second daughter, she married into the He family a long time ago. She often wrote back to complain about the He family, but fortunately, Mrs. He is her aunt and she doesn't blame her. The third daughter got married in the first month of the year, and at least she managed to collect five thousand taels of silver. Then it was the fourth daughter's marriage. I heard that she was going to marry Han Tuiguan, so she had to take out another five thousand taels. Life at home is not as good as before."
"Yes, with daughters being married off one after another, the dowry must be heavy, so it must be so, but they are officials' families, so they are better off than us." Jinniang said.
Now the second branch of the Zhou family has children and granddaughters, and they need money everywhere. They will no longer be the money bag for the first branch as before.
Xiang Ming smiled again and said, "Sister Jinniang, have you decided on a marriage?"
"I, I'm still the same. I just came out of Wenxiuyuan not long ago, and this place has just opened. What's more, my parents are both small business owners. The people they like may not be what I like." Jinniang smiled bitterly.
Xiang Ming has always admired Jin Niang, and couldn't help but say, "Sister, with your character, appearance and talent, it would be a disgrace for her to marry a peddler."
She also had a plan in her mind. It would be great if the eldest lady was willing to find a matchmaker for Sister Jinniang. However, if she didn't say it now, she was afraid that it might not work out and everyone would be embarrassed. So she changed the subject and talked about some gossip.
When they returned to Zhou's house, Xiangming specially put the gift brought by Jinniang in the front, and said to Jiang: "What a deep fate, this kesi was actually mended by sister Jinniang, she also did embroidery in the Wenxiuyuan, but later she didn't want to enter the palace to take the examination for female officials, and wanted to show filial piety to her parents, so she bought a new house and a new shop in Tianshui Lane outside Daxiangguo Temple. From my opinion, the capital cost is several thousand taels."
"Oh? She is so capable." Jiang still had some impression.
Xiang Ming smiled and said, "Look at the handkerchief she gave you. She said it was for you and the Second Madam, and that it was too crude to be of any use."
Jiang opened the box and saw that the two handkerchiefs were indescribably pretty and delicate. She couldn't help but say, "This embroidery is really good."
Mrs. Wu, who was standing by, had never thought that Jinniang would be so lucky, so she suggested, "Sister-in-law, why not let the child come over and talk to her mother Yuanxiao?"
"Yeah." Jiang didn't comment.
Xiang Ming also kept it a secret: "Sister Jinniang has changed a lot now. The two ladies will definitely be surprised if they see her."
This aroused the interest of Jiang and Wu, and they both said, "Please send her an invitation. We can't wait to meet her."
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