Chapter 53 Chapter 53 Two Chapters in One
When Jinniang received the message, she was stunned for a moment, then she grabbed a handful of change and gave it to the little one who was running errands, and asked Aying to pack some snacks for him, and then she went to tell Luo Yu'e the news.
"They asked you to go and talk with me." Jinniang said.
Luo Yu'e uttered "Ah", then hesitated and said, "I don't know those etiquettes either, I won't embarrass you then, right?"
Jinniang smiled and said, "Don't you still have me? What's more, we still have half a month to prepare. In fact, we don't have any demands on the Zhou family. People who don't ask for anything are the greatest."
Only those who seek official positions or have ulterior motives would be timid and afraid of making mistakes.
This year was the first year they spent in the new house. Luo Yu'e and Ju Xiang cooked, Chen Xiaolang helped, and Jinniang started making clothes for the mother and daughter.
Ah Ying said from the side: "Miss, why don't you say you can relax for a few days?"
"Aren't I already relaxing? I slept until noon today and just did some needlework." Jinniang thought that there was a difference between doing it for others and doing it for yourself.
Then, she said to A-Ying, "If you are not impatient to do needlework, go down and help them prepare the New Year's Eve dinner."
Ah Ying usually couldn't sit still, so when she heard Jinniang say this, she immediately went to the kitchen to help. Jinniang nodded secretly. This child really knows how to behave and is not the kind of person who would play tricks on others.
At noon, there were no rules of master and servant. Everyone gathered at one table to eat. After the meal, everyone prepared to take a bath and wash their hair, which really lived up to the saying "get rid of the old and welcome the new."
On the first day of the new year, Aying, Juxiang and Chen Xiaolang kowtowed to Jinniang together. Jinniang gave each of them sixty-six copper coins wrapped in red paper as a reward, and also gave each of them a box of osmanthus cake. The two women were given red silk ribbons, and Chen Xiaolang was given a headscarf.
Luo Yu'e also gave each of them a pair of silk shoes worth forty cents and a pair of straw sandals.
Jinniang's family was preparing to go out for fun. The corridors on Maxing Street, Panlou Street, outside Song Gate in the east of the city, and outside Liang Gate in the west of the city were all tied up with colorful tents. Inside the tents were all kinds of stalls, displaying all kinds of rare treasures, jewelry, jade, headdresses, clothes, flowers, etc.
"When we get tired of shopping, let's go to a nearby store for dinner. I'll treat you." Jinniang said with a smile.
Everyone clapped their hands and praised.
Luo Yu'e was thinking about going to Zhou's house, so she chose two pairs of silk flowers. Jinniang spent one string of silver to buy a gilt comb with a row of small pearls on it, and a pair of silver earrings with broken leaves. She felt painful for a long time after buying them.
It’s not that she doesn’t love these exquisite jewelry. As a girl, who doesn’t like these things? But the loan has not been repaid yet, and she is still far from her goal of one thousand strings of cash. So, she doesn't mind spending a small amount of money, but she will feel bad if she spends too much.
Ah Ying and Ju Xiang were both very excited, but their relationship was not very harmonious. Ah Ying was smart, good at dealing with things, and occasionally lazy, but she was not greedy and would not take gold or silver even if it was in front of her. Juxiang is okay at her job in the kitchen, but her mind is not quick. She is hardworking and submissive.
Jinniang took advantage of the strengths of both of them and planned to keep them.
She told them directly at the table: "I told you in advance because I was afraid you would be worried. After the New Year, I will call the matchmaker to come up and ask for your indentures. From now on, you will all be a family."
Ah Ying and the others were very happy. They were both in a dead-end contract, which meant a life-long contract. In the future, following a master like Jin Niang would be much better than living anywhere else.
The three of them have been here for so long, they are now well-dressed, have people who care about them, and the work is not too tiring. The people there are simple and friendly, so it is really a good place.
However, Jinniang also made a request to the three of them: "We don't have any big rules in our family, but I hope everyone can learn a new skill. Juxiang should learn to cook three specialties, Xiaolang should learn to identify various fabrics, and Aying should learn how to comb her hair. If you do well, you can take all the rewards from guests in the future. I don't want any."
It is easy for people to muddle through without goals, but with goals there will always be something to do.
All three of them agreed with a smile.
After returning from outside, Jinniang rested on the couch for a while. Ah Ying accompanied her to do needlework at night. She said, "For making clothes, we told people that it would take fifteen days, but it will take seven or eight days to make it. This way, we won't be anxious. Sometimes when something unexpected happens or we are not feeling well, we can make time for it."
"Girl, it would be great if we could make a fortune someday so you don't have to work so hard." Ah Ying thought that the girl worked so hard to make money and still had to support her, so she gave her a ring just now.
Jinniang smiled and said, "Who doesn't want to get rich? However, if a person without ability has a large amount of money, it is easy for others to take advantage of it."
After that, she reminded Ah Ying: "We are going to Zhou's house during the Lantern Festival. There are many noble ladies in the Zhou family. You should also see how they comb their hair. Remember this."
Aying patted her chest and said quickly that she would never forget it.
Except for the first day of the Lunar New Year when Jinniang went out, she spent the rest of the days cutting and embroidering. After finishing, she ironed them by hand and hung them on the hanger to avoid leaving any marks.
Before the seventh day, Jinniang finished making the clothes. When she opened the door on the eighth day, she began to embroider cloth appliqués of various colors of roses, peonies, and magnolias. When she was embroidering the roses, she referred to Huang Quan's "Butterfly and Rose Picture".
She was already very familiar with Huang Quan's paintings and could almost start painting after just a few glances. Fortunately, there were not many customers today, so she could concentrate on painting and embroidering.
Ah Ying sighed and said, "Miss, a few people came just now and asked questions and then left."
"This is normal. Which family can afford to make clothes every day? Even wealthy families only make a few new clothes every season." Jinniang received 25 strings of cash at the end of last month. Even if no one came before the Lantern Festival, she would have almost completed her task this month. What's more, it's only the eighth day of the first lunar month and there are still several days before the Lantern Festival.
Besides, hers is mainly an embroidery shop, not a tailor shop. Many families who are not so rich choose tailor shops to make clothes. Her parents find someone to make clothes for them at the corner of the alley, and they can get a piece of clothing for two or three hundred coins.
Ah Ying also took her own needle and thread. She was now a personal maid, and she had to make Jinniang's socks, underwear, and menstrual belts. She knew that although the young lady had collected some money last month, she had spent more than ten strings of cash on the three of them, and she still had to pay the money she had borrowed on credit, so there was actually not much left.
So, she was anxious.
Fortunately, on the tenth day, someone came to the house and wanted to have flowers embroidered on the hem of her hundred-fold skirt, one grass green and one pure white. Jinniang asked them to choose several patterns and charged them two strings of cash, asking them to make it urgently.
Just as she finished drawing the size, a maid came in and asked her if she wanted to make a hundred-child quilt. Jinniang shook her head and said, "I mostly make flower and bird embroidery patterns here. You can go ask somewhere else."
When she left, Luo Yu'e happened to hear it and couldn't help asking Jinniang: "Why don't you do this?"
"Mom, everyone has their own expertise. If I were good at embroidering figures, wouldn't I have chosen figures at that time? I'd rather do well in flowers and birds. It's better than anything else." Jinniang is self-aware. She doesn't have her own system or cheat code, nor is she a person with the most talent. She is just an ordinary person who is smart and hardworking.
Her skill in embroidering flowers and birds wasn't well-known to begin with, and if she continued to do something she wasn't good at, she would lose both sides.
Luo Yu'e thought about it and said, "That's right."
She now closes her stall early every day and plays in the shop in front. Now that someone washes her clothes and cooks her meals, her life is much better than before. I used to have frostbite on my hands, but this year it hasn’t happened much.
The Lantern Festival came in a blink of an eye. Jinniang was busy in the shop in the morning. She closed the shop at noon and started to wash and dress up. She had a thin layer of powder on her face and her eyebrows were drawn by Aying. It has to be said that some people are born good at something, and Aying is very experienced in makeup and hairdressing.
If she draws her eyebrows herself, it is easy for them to be uneven and not suitable for her face.
Her facial features are relatively low in volume, so she cannot go for a gaudy look. She needs to wear a fresh and elegant makeup to be lovable and more suitable for her. Because she was not married yet, her hair could not be tied up completely, so Aying only tied up the front part of her hair, put a gilded comb in it, and pinned two blue silk flowers on it. The color of the silk flowers matched the color of her clothes.
Standing up and looking at herself in the mirror, Jinniang was very satisfied to see that she looked much gentler and softer in the mirror.
After Aying helped Jinniang with her makeup, she called Luo Yu'e to help her put her hair into a bun. Luo Yu'e was the kind of person who would take an hour to change clothes every time she went out, and now that she was going to Zhou's house, she had all kinds of requests. She also said that the hairstyle that Aying helped her do looked too old-fashioned, and that Jinniang's powder was too thick.
"Mom, my Roland powder costs five cents of silver a box." Jinniang said angrily.
Luo Yu'e waved her hands: "Forget it, forget it, I'll just use the rice powder I bought for 80 cents to apply on my face. I'm not used to using such expensive things."
Jinniang reminded her, "You have to hurry up. Let's greet them and come back before they have dinner. Don't go there at dinner time, or they will think we are going to eat for free."
Luo Yu'e quickly apologized: "Okay, okay, my dear daughter, it will be fine in a moment."
Jinniang and Aying looked at each other and smiled.
Finally, the mother and daughter went out. Wei Xiong drove them there. When they got out of the car at Wuque Lane, Ah Ying supported Jinniang and asked, "Miss, which family is the Zhou family?"
"The Zhou family is everywhere here, and their three houses are next to each other." Jinniang looked left and right, and she felt like she was revisiting an old place, but this time she felt much more relaxed.
There was still a constant stream of people and cars in front of Zhou's house. Jinniang said to Aying, "Give the invitation to the doorman first."
"Okay, but will they ignore me?" Ah Ying was a little scared when she saw such wealthy and powerful people.
Jinniang smiled and said, "It's okay, go to the front and tell them first, and call me if it doesn't work."
Ah Ying nervously went forward to hand in the invitation. The people at the door asked them to wait for a while. Jinniang and the others waited for a long time before Xiangming came out. She smiled and greeted them: "Sister Jinniang, Madam Luo, you have been waiting for a long time. The eldest lady specially asked us to invite you to the theater to talk."
"Theater house? Are there any guests at home today?" Jinniang asked.
Xiang Ming whispered, "Yes, there are guests, and they are here to see the fourth young lady. The people from the first lady's family, the old lady's family, and the married young lady are all here. But don't be afraid, sister. The more people come, the better it will be for you."
Jinniang was stunned. What did this girl mean? When I asked her a few more questions, Xiang Ming refused to say more.
Along the way, Jinniang did not feel much, but Luo Yu'e and Aying were very cautious. After arriving at the theater, they walked over the waterside pavilion and went to the hall opposite. They waited outside again and waited for Xiangming to go in and talk before inviting them in.
There were beautiful people in elegant clothes and surrounded by jewels and jade. I don’t know what they were talking about, but they were all laughing.
But today Jiang brought her two sisters-in-law with her. A group of outside guests had already left at noon, and now the only ones left were her natal family members, and they were all talking here.
Just then, I heard Jinniang and the others had arrived, so I quickly let them in.
But when she saw the person walk in, she was very surprised at first glance. They had seen women with outstanding appearance before, but rarely saw one with such temperament. She greeted with a gentle smile, as if thousands of pear trees had blossomed overnight.
The change was so great that she could hardly recognize him for a moment.
It was Mrs. Wu who asked someone to bring two chairs for Jinniang and her daughter to sit down, and was asking them about their experiences over the years. Jinniang knew that when these ladies got together, they would arrange some people who could talk. Only with new people or new things could the banquet be more fun, and she became such a person today.
The fourth girl sitting at the bottom suddenly realized why Zhou Cunzhi fell in love with Wei Jinniang. She had always thought it was strange, but now it seems that she is really beautiful and very capable.
"...After leaving the mansion, I passed the examination and was admitted to the Wenxiu Academy. After entering the Wenxiu Academy, I helped embroider some things in the embroidery shop, so I bought some houses..."
Jinniang did not brag about herself too much. In her opinion, she could not even compare to Feng Sheng's wealth, so how could she show off her skills in front of the Zhou family.
Mrs. Wu was willing to help her: "I heard that the property was bought in Tianshui Lane, and it also has a storefront? Why don't you invite us over to have a seat?"
"At the beginning, I was short of money, so I only bought a piece of land. Later, I had someone build a house and a storefront. The place is too small, and I have only been open for a few days. I always thought that I would have the face to open the store when the business is better in some days. I never thought that Xiangming happened to be repairing kesi silk, so I shamelessly sent a holiday gift to you, and you ladies didn't mind." Jinniang spoke very modestly.
But Xiang Ming laughed and said, "Madam Wei is being modest. When I went to her shop, I didn't dare to go in. It has three wide storefronts, and you can see the building behind through the moon door in the middle. These storefronts in front and the building in the back were all thought up by her alone."
Jinniang quickly waved her hands: "Xiangming is getting more and more exaggerated."
Jiang smiled and said, "The buttered abalone snails you sent are delicious. I think they are better than those I have eaten elsewhere."
Little did they know that the ladies around were all shocked when they heard this. Jiang happened to give them the handkerchief given by Jinniang for them to admire. Everyone originally suspected that Jinniang's money came from illegal sources, but they did not expect that her embroidery work was really excellent.
Even Luo Yu'e said: "Originally, the people in the Wenxiuyuan said that if she took the exam for a female official, she would be able to be an embroiderer in the future, and it is not impossible to be promoted to the capital embroiderer. But she is filial, so she came back to do her own business."
The fourth girl calculated in her mind that the storefront, the mansion and the title deed were worth at least two or three thousand taels. With her skills, she made a lot of money every month, which was not much different from her own fortune.
"I heard that Madam Luo has a son?" Jiang asked.
Luo Yu'e smiled and said, "Yes, I have a younger son who is ten years younger than Jinniang. He is now studying with Wu Shizhao in the Hanlin Academy." After that, she pushed all the credit to Jinniang.
When Mrs. Wu heard this, she was surprised and said, "It turns out that Wu Shizhao is somewhat related to my mother's family."
After she said this, Jiang and her wives all had a greater appreciation for Jinniang. Everyone likes people with abilities.
Moreover, she answered questions fluently. For example, when Mrs. Jiang asked, "I heard that there was a lot of rain in the south of the Yangtze River last year, so there was a shortage of cotton and silk."
"Yes, so Kaifeng Prefecture is preparing to sell stained Zhejiang silk this year to alleviate the silk shortage. The first-grade silk is between one string and two hundred coins and one string and four hundred coins per piece, and the colored silk is only one string per piece. I happened to know someone from Lingjinyuan, so I brought a few pieces back. This undershirt of mine is made of the colored silk bought from Kaifeng Prefecture." Jinniang said with a smile.
Everyone saw that the pattern on the lining of her jacket was very exquisite, and they never thought it came from this source. Some ladies were also tempted.
Don’t say that rich people don’t like to take advantage of others. Rich people want to take advantage of others more. I heard from her mother that those men in brocade robes would bargain for the few cents of steamed buns she bought.
Looking at the sun, Jinniang smiled and said, "Ladies, it's getting dark, and we've already greeted you. I'll fulfill my long-cherished wish and won't disturb your fun."
She was originally a girl from the Zhou family. If she were to be too prominent, it might not be a good thing.
Originally, Jinniang was just a minor episode. This time, Jiang was mainly concerned about the marriage of the fourth lady. Although Han Xiao was a widower, he was only 22 years old this year and was still a popular man. Another prime minister even wanted to marry his niece's granddaughter to him.
Now, the purpose of Jiang letting Jinniang come here is to show that women's ability is better than anything else. Although the fourth girl was born out of wedlock, she was very filial and her brothers were both successful candidates in the imperial examinations. The prime minister's niece had no parents and no brothers, so how could she compare with the Zhou family?
So when Jinniang and her daughter left, Jiang smiled and said, "You can't judge a person by his appearance, and you can't measure the depth of the sea by a bucket. If this young lady Wei doesn't say anything about her family, just sitting there, I think she is no worse than an ordinary official's wife."
Mrs. Wu immediately said, "Who says it's not true? This child's shortcomings are due to his family background. There are many frivolous people in this world. If someone has a discerning eye and doesn't choose these, then he is truly blessed."
It’s a pity that Mrs. Han didn’t hear what he said, but the other people present did.
After Jinniang and her family came back, they were all exhausted. Luo Yu'e said, "I didn't dare to move at all there. I feel more comfortable at home."
"Mom, I'm going upstairs to sleep. I'm really a little tired." Jinniang yawned.
Luo Yu'e nodded.
Talking to these ladies is more tiring than working.
After the Lantern Festival, Jinniang continued to open the shop for business. No matter how the business was, she would always clean the shop and do embroidery every day without slacking off.
However, Feng Sheng was forced to slack off. When he went to the clinic after the Lantern Festival, he found that he had been slowly being marginalized. Important patients were being treated by the famous doctors invited by Zhao Taicheng from Huzhou, who even told him that his contract was about to expire and notified him to find another employer.
"But Prime Minister Zhao used to have a good relationship with us and he trusted you. How come he suddenly..." Rong Niang couldn't understand.
Feng Sheng said: "I originally thought that I would rise to prominence by curing the nobleman, but I didn't expect that after the nobleman recovered, he didn't want to see me again. Zhao Taicheng is such a smart man that he wanted to drive me away immediately."
Rong Niang had no other choice but to persuade him, "Why don't you find a clinic to be your own doctor? With your qualifications, you can do that."
Feng Sheng shook his head: "Even if he wants to drive me away, I won't leave so easily. I have leverage over him in my hands."
"What are you going to do?" Rong Niang was shocked and afraid that he would do something shocking.
Feng Sheng sneered a few times. The next morning, he disguised himself and secretly followed Zhao Taicheng, leaving early and returning late, and finally found some clues.
On the day of the contract termination, Zhao Taicheng even said hypocritically: "I wish you a bright future."
"Okay, thank you very much, but please look at what this is." Feng Sheng took out a piece of paper with Wutong Lane written on it. He folded his arms across his chest and looked at Zhao Taicheng.
Zhao Taicheng was shocked. Normally he was afraid of his wife, but since his wife had no children, he found a mistress outside and hid her very secretly. He did not expect that Feng Sheng would find out.
"What do you want?"
Feng Sheng smiled.
A moment later, Feng Sheng got on the carriage carrying the bag, opened it and looked inside. There was a neatly arranged stack of 800 strings of Jiaozi.
But when he went back and told Rong Niang about it, she always felt uneasy. She always felt that Feng Sheng was too calculating.
Feng Sheng smiled and said, "I have found a new clinic, which charges more than 20 guan per month, but I used to be the chief doctor." He proudly told how he knew about Zhao Taicheng's mistress and how he tracked her down...
It was the end of February when Jinniang learned that Feng Sheng had changed clinics. Their relationship had always been ordinary. Now Jinniang was fully devoted to her own clinic. When she heard her brother-in-law say this, she said something rare: "He does have some tricks."
But Rong Niang seemed a little dissatisfied, but Jin Niang didn't know why.
She earned a total of 38 guan in February, far exceeding her expectations, but 6 guan had to be paid for loans, and 1 guan was set aside for monthly payment, and she also paid taxes, so she only had a few dozen guan left.
Fortunately, on the first day of March, Wu took care of her business. Wu's maid Lanruo asked Jinniang to make two sets of clothes for Qin'er and send them to him. Lanruo did not bring the measurements, so Jinniang had to make a visit.
But on the way to visit Mrs. Wu, he happened to meet a young man, who turned out to be Zhou Cunzhi. After he passed the imperial examination, he had been exiled for three years. Now he had been promoted from county magistrate to prosecutor, and was drinking in the second room.
Although he was a bit unruly, he would quickly avoid her when he saw an unmarried woman.
It was just a quick glimpse, and it was quite stunning.
I heard from the servants of the second house that "It was none other than Miss Wei from the needlework room of the first house. She has now opened a shop outside. Our second wife remembers that she once saved our Qin Ge'er, so she specially gave her the business."
It turned out to be that Jinniang? Did he lose weight because he listened to what he said?
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