Chapter 59 Chapter 59 Two Chapters in One
As Rong Niang's only remaining elders, Luo Yu'e and Wei Xiong had to go over to help advocate for something. However, Luo Yu'e originally had a violent temper, and it was difficult for her to listen to the two of them speaking.
Rong Niang said that after she found out that Feng Sheng had quarreled with her several times, she wanted to ask a matchmaker to find a husband for her, and all the wives she found were from official families. Feng Sheng said that Rong Niang and a minor official who was rented in their house had been flirting with each other and were in love with each other.
Luo Yu'e was thinking about her own daughter. Her daughter was getting married soon. If it was revealed that her cousin was getting divorced, her daughter's reputation would be damaged. Moreover, people always advised reconciliation rather than divorce. So, she had to use her trump card: "You two as parents can do whatever you want, but what about Lin and Guan? Master Feng, you are more knowledgeable than me. I don't understand the truth. I only know that people's hearts are separated by their belly. How can a stepmother treat someone who is separated by her belly? Rong Niang, I also want to say something to you. You are usually very enthusiastic. When you are too enthusiastic, you lose your sense of propriety. Your parents are gone. The closest blood relatives to you in the world are your two sons. Can you bear to leave them?"
Feng Sheng said, "Second aunt, I don't ask for a wife from an official family, I only ask for a wife who understands justice. Rong Niang is always too lenient with her children. She has never earned a penny and doesn't understand how difficult it is to survive in Bianjing."
"You are always like this. Can you eat a big fat man in one breath? Lin'er is a good student, but Guan'er is weak. You can't just force him to study without caring about him." Rong Niang was also very stubborn.
In fact, ever since he got sick, he could feel that Rong Niang was impatient with him, so Feng Sheng had the intention to marry her, and Rong Niang also found comfort from the widower official...
Luo Yu'e is also an experienced person. It is easy for the couple to work together when they are in the most difficult times. Once their lives are good and they have choices, they start looking for the next partner.
Seeing the two people arguing, Luo Yu'e also held her forehead with her hand.
In fact, if Rong Niang had not really decided to divorce, she would not be willing to tell outsiders about her ugly deeds. Her second uncle and second aunt were not very close to her.
Seeing that they were in a stalemate, Luo Yu'e and his wife had no choice but to take Rong Niang home to stay for one night. Otherwise, they would have to stay here and get up early the next day. They also wanted to let Rong Niang calm down.
When they came back, Jinniang was chatting with a guest, her face beaming with joy: "Look, if you don't add the shawl, it will be rather dull, just a skirt, but if you add the shawl, the whole person will have a more elegant feeling. You don't have to use my shawl, if you have a similar one at home, you can use yours, and this way you can save money."
The guest still held Jinniang's hand and said, "Thank you so much. You helped me comb my hair and match my clothes today. I just so happen to have a light yellow shawl at home..."
"Then I suggest you change into white. You see, you have paid so much money for clothes, but you hesitated because of a shawl. Otherwise, you can go back and look for it. You must change into white." Jinniang said.
The customer thought the same and made up his mind: "Then I will order a scarf."
Jinniang smiled and said, "Okay, one tube top, one narrow-sleeved jacket, one pleated skirt, and a shawl with eight embroidered patterns. The tube top is embroidered with a parrot and magnolia pattern, and the collar of the jacket is embroidered with a parrot and magnolia of the same color. The fabrics are all the best. That's twenty strings of cash in total. Come back in about twenty days to get it."
The customer paid promptly. Jinniang gave her the invoice and said with a smile, "Please keep the invoice safe. We only recognize invoices and not people."
…
Rong Niang watched from the side and realized that Jin Niang was actually quite good at doing business. On the surface, she was retreating in order to advance, but in fact she pressed forward step by step and finally completed a large business deal.
Jinniang had been waiting for the whole day but there was no business, but unexpectedly, a big customer came.
Seeing Rong Niang coming back, she also heard about Rong Niang's story. She didn't ask if they were really getting divorced. She just said, "Sister, you can get a divorce, but where will you live after the divorce? Where will you eat? And you are still so young. If you marry again, how will the dowry be divided? You have to think about these things carefully."
Rong Niang was speechless for a moment.
The two sisters now slept in the same bed. Rong Niang saw that there was a mother-of-pearl casket on Jin Niang's dressing table, and several boxes were placed on the floor.
Therefore, she asked a completely unrelated question: "How much dowry has my sister prepared?"
Jinniang was not shy about it: "We have to gather thirty-six to carry it over. In a few days, I will have to send another set of furniture, as well as clothes for all four seasons, cloth, porcelain, jewelry, and bamboo articles. I prepared them all myself. In fact, there is still a lot missing. I can only do more work."
"So many..." Rong Niang was shocked.
Jinniang smiled and said, "Big sister, the dowry is also my confidence, and it is all earned by myself. This is also why I asked you, what are your preparations after the divorce?"
"I, I didn't think too much about it." Rong Niang just didn't love Feng Sheng anymore, but she didn't think about anything else.
Jinniang sighed, "Big sister, if you lean on a mountain, it will fall; if you lean on water, it will flow. Take me for example. I am getting married now, but if the relationship between husband and wife is not good in the future, I still have my own property and shop. I can raise my children alone and I can survive without anyone. But what can you do? That petty official is already thirty years old and still rents your house. Even if he is a good person, a poor couple will always have many problems. If you don't think about what you are going to do in the future, changing a man will definitely not solve your problems."
Rong Niang had never thought about such a profound question, nor had she ever felt that she would have such great ability.
She was a little confused: "But I'm not like you, I can embroider, I can't do anything?"
"Nonsense, you don't know anything. Aren't you a good cook? You can also make rouge." Jinniang smiled when she said this.
Sometimes Rong Niang felt that she wanted to be independent and strong, but sometimes she felt discouraged and confused.
When it comes to women's independence in the Northern Song Dynasty, Jinniang can only touch upon the subject. After all, even in the 21st century, it is still difficult for many women to be independent. But at least it can allow her to think clearly about what path she should take?
Rong Niang sighed: "Your brother-in-law actually knows that I don't like money, so he gave me the land deeds and house deeds, but there is not much money in the family, after all, we still have to pay off the loan. Apart from the house, there is nothing else that can be divided."
"Sister, that's not the way to say it. If you really want to divorce, you should be prepared to let your brother-in-law sell the house and give each of you a share. You also have to think carefully about whether your brother-in-law or you will raise the child." Jinniang couldn't let her get away with it.
Rong Niang was silent for a long time before she said, "Jin Niang, you are right. I haven't thought about anything yet. I am too impulsive."
"Sister, now that you have figured it out, when you return to the Feng family, think about the fundamentals of making a living that I mentioned. When the time is right, you will know that this is the only way to be at ease."
The next day, Jinniang asked Wei Xiong and Luo Yu'e to do as she said and ask Feng Sheng if he had thought about how to divide the property and raise the children in the future when they divorced. Feng Sheng's heart sank. Are all the house deeds with Rong Niang?
At this time, Wei Xiong came out and said, "I see that neither of you has made up your mind. Why don't I persuade Rong Niang to live a good life together?"
Feng Sheng finally reacted at this time and thanked Wei Xiong sincerely for the first time.
It is said that after Rong Niang returned, she originally wanted to find someone to teach her cooking skills, but she felt that most cooking skills were just child's play and it was difficult to find a real master, so she learned how to make perfume powder.
Of course, these are all things that happened later. After Jinniang's family sent Rongniang away, Jinniang spent eight days making the set of embroidered shoes at hand. Only then did she realize that she had finished making her own embroidered shoes last month, but had forgotten to give the needle and thread to the man's family. On the second day of the wedding, she had to present colorful satin and needle and thread to the elders.
These needlework include shoes, pillows, purses, fan covers and so on.
"No, it's too late. I'll paste a few shoe uppers and get a few samples and ask the little nun Jing'an in front to help me make them. As for the purse and fan covers, I can just go to Jinxiu Pavilion and Binyun Tower to buy some. They don't cost much." Jinniang didn't want to humiliate herself.
She wanted to earn 500 strings of cash because that was what they had agreed upon before they came in, and any extra money she earned would be with herself. She would not be willing to risk her own life doing needlework for elders whom she had not seen for hundreds of years, and these things are not expensive to buy.
I had given her shoes as a present when we got engaged last year, but she thought I didn’t need to give them again, but she never expected I would have to give them again.
Ah Ying gave Nun Jing'an three coins of silver and said, "You should embroider plum blossoms and bamboo leaves on this orange pair to make bow shoes. Embroider orchids on the purple satin to make bow shoes. Also, make a pair of 'wrong shoes' with this black satin and this red satin, and a pair of 'phoenix head shoes'. In addition, embroider eight pairs of stockings in total."
Jing'an was a timid person, and every time the work she did was sold by the senior sisters without being paid. Jinniang knew this, so she asked Aying to give her the money directly and also gave her a box of chestnut cakes.
"Please thank Madam Wei for me." Jing'an said.
Ah Ying smiled and said, "If you do a good job for our girl this time, we will definitely look for you if there is work in the future, but you have to be quick."
Jingan nodded seriously: "Don't worry, I will definitely do it quickly."
The problem of shoes was solved. Jinniang went to Binyunlou and found that although the styles were exquisite, they were no longer fashionable. She had to go to her old employer, Jinxiu Pavilion, to buy some. The top-quality purses cost one hundred wen each, so Jinniang bought two pairs, just enough for Madam Jiang Liu and Mrs. Xu. The medium-quality fan cases were given to her father-in-law at sixty wen each, so Jinniang bought six directly. She also had the remaining few hundred wen, so she used them all to buy the lower-quality purses at thirty wen each, which made exactly six pairs.
One string and three cents, and it's all done.
As for Jinniang, after she finished embroidering the set of 20 strings of cash for the customer, she took on two more jobs of making narrow-sleeved jackets, earning a total of 4 strings of cash.
Fashionable furniture was also delivered and placed in the corridor, covered with a curtain to prevent it from getting dusty.
Of course, her parents were also busy with her marriage. Luo Yu'e specially hired sedan bearers to carry her dowry, prepared the wedding banquet, wedding candies, and decorated the house.
Looking at the date, it is already March 18th, which means Jinniang will get married in ten days.
But now there is still a shortfall of nine strings of cash.
She recalled the scene of people wearing shawls when she went out a few days ago. Some people did not like to wear a tube top with a jacket, but they could wear a skirt with shawl. She happened to have a piece of white crepe with a double lotus pattern.
She wore a plum green brocade blouse with broken crabapple branches, a scarlet chicken-heart blouse underneath, and a scarlet pomegranate skirt with a pattern of grapes and parrots. With this shawl, she looked pretty before, but now with this outfit she looks like a classical lady, looking even more noble and dignified.
"If this set can't be sold, I can wear it myself." Jinniang said to Aying.
Ah Ying smiled and said, "I don't know why, when other people get married, they think about how they will be after they get married, and how their marriage will be, but you are only thinking about making money."
"Then I have to keep it up. If I really think that it's a one-time thing after we get married, then I'm doomed." Jinniang said.
The two chatted for a while, and Juxiang brought over some chicken soup. Jinniang asked her to sit in front for a while, and only reminded her: "We will go to the Jiang family in a few days, and we will have to stay there for a while. You should also pack your bags, and we will go together when the time comes."
Originally Juxiang was a maid, but after coming to the Wei family, she worked in the kitchen, and she had her own freedom.
Now that she was going to follow Jinniang to Jiang's house, Juxiang felt a little at a loss: "What should I do after I get to Jiang's house?"
Ah Ying glanced at her and said, "Of course I have to serve the young lady. She will make the bed in a few days and the dowry will be delivered. Don't you have to watch over it? Although the eldest and third young ladies are your sisters, they may not be devoted to them. When the time comes, we two will help."
Ju Xiang then nodded, roughly knowing what she was going to do.
Sure enough, when Luo Yu'e mentioned going to the Jiang family to make the bed, Rong Niang had been trying to get a divorce last time, and it was Jin Niang who persuaded her. She was quite enthusiastic and agreed immediately, and said to Luo Yu'e: "Don't worry, I will be guarding the new house when the time comes."
Yingniang had agreed at first, but when she heard that she had to stay there overnight, she felt it was too tiring and decided not to go.
"After all, Rong Niang doesn't have any bad intentions. Ying Niang is different. She always says nice things, but she is not someone who can really help." Luo Yu'e sighed.
You should know that when Yingniang got married, Wei Xiong was busy running around.
Jinniang smiled and said, "I had expected her to be this kind of person. In fact, I didn't have any expectations for my elder sister. When the time comes, I can just ask Juxiang and Aying to help make the bed."
Luo Yu'e said, "Our family is small and we have no one to help us with anything. We have to do everything ourselves. The Jiang family is definitely better than ours. It's more convenient to have more people to do the work."
The Jiang family did have many people in each branch, but not many people were helping out. When Xu saw that the wedding tent was crooked, she quickly asked someone, "Hurry up and get someone to straighten it."
After a while, Madam Jiang Liu's maid came over and said, "Mrs. Eighth, Madam asked if you have prepared the makeup items. She asked you to send them over to her to have a look."
Xu smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'm ready."
The girl left with a smile.
Mrs. Xu couldn't help but count her hands and said, "The veil is made of gold, and it has to be from Deshenglou. One veil costs nineteen strings of cash. I also bought a top-quality bun, which cost four strings of cash. I also got six boxes of pollen from Xiangfenlou, and each small box costs three hundred coins. The wedding gift cost more than twenty strings of cash."
We want to use all the best things, but the money at home is limited.
Not to mention the wine and water feast, but she didn't dare to be perfunctory to her mother-in-law because her mother-in-law was also a shrewd person.
When she was young, her father loved to hold her in his arms and write on his knees. Her handwriting was very good. But now she has to deal with the daily necessities of life, so she has no time to write about this.
But she is the eldest daughter-in-law in the sixth room, and no one can find fault with her.
On the way, they met Jiang Xian. Xu smiled and asked, "Where are you coming back from, Shiliu Lang?"
Jiang Xian smiled and said, "I came back from Mr. Huang's house. Shiliu Lang would like to thank my sister-in-law for helping with the marriage. You have worked hard."
"Shiliulang, you are too polite. We are all family, so please don't say two things." Mrs. Xu smiled.
Jiang Xianyi bowed and said, "Then I won't bother you anymore. I still have to go to my mother to pay my respects."
Xu also returned the greeting: "Please do as you wish."
Jiang Xian went to Madam Jiang Liu and said, "Although I have not yet become a disciple of Mr. Huang, I have helped Mr. Huang's brother solve a difficult problem. It is only a matter of time before I can do so. Don't worry, mother. Your son will definitely not fall behind in his studies."
"Okay, mother knows your ability. Your father and brothers have worked hard for so many years just for studying, but the road to imperial examinations is not easy, so you don't have to be too persistent." Mrs. Jiang Liu herself is an extremely competitive person, but now she has to believe that wealth and poverty are all determined by fate.
The mother and son exchanged some private words, and Mrs. Jiang Liu said, "In a few days, the new bride will be married, and you should spend more time with her."
Jiang Xian was a little embarrassed: "My son is getting to the point of becoming a disciple. If he is always at home, it will be bad if he becomes estranged."
Madam Jiang Liu thought to herself that Ba Lang was more ambitious than Xu, while Shi Lang, who was adopted, was naturally intelligent and a man of innate knowledge. Only Shi Lang was more ambitious than Xu, so there was no need for others to urge him.
But she couldn't bring up the subject again, so she just said, "Your fifteenth brother got married at the end of the year. His wife is as lazy as a snake. She can't make soup, and her needlework is crude. She has to be urged to get up three or four times a day. It's a pity that your seventh aunt emptied the family fortune to marry such a poor official's daughter. She has to make hairpins today and clothes tomorrow. Now she is suffering terribly. Look, she just sat here for a long time before leaving."
When they met, Mrs. Jiang Qi was very happy to see that the girl was particularly fair, pretty, well-educated, and knew a little bit about brewing tea and mixing perfumes. She decided to bring her home as soon as possible, but she never expected this to happen.
Jiang Xian smiled and said, "It is said that all that is good is rotten. I have heard that many sons of officials who are in a poor family also sell their family's belongings to show off in order to marry a good wife. It is the same for women and men. Fortunately, my son took a liking to Madam Wei at first sight, and Madam Wei is not that kind of person."
"Of course. Madam Zhou Er once told me that when she was at the Zhou family, the fourth brother of the Zhou family accidentally ate something and his face turned red. No one dared to step forward to take responsibility. It was Jinniang who saved the fourth brother. Afterwards, everyone asked her if she was afraid, but she said she had never thought about it and just did it anyway." Madam Jiang Liu praised.
This made Jiang Xian even more excited.
…
Jinniang was selling a collar she had just embroidered. When she looked up, she saw a customer coming in and looking at the clothes she was wearing.
"Do you have other styles of shawls like this?"
"Of course there is. The atlas I designed is here. You can take a look at it."
Jinniang smiled and took the album forward. The customer flipped through a few pages and was amazed. "In that case, can I make a set for you? I want all five sets. As a woman, you know that tube top really doesn't suit me."
There were no shaping underwear in ancient times, so if you didn’t have a naturally straight figure and thin shoulders, wearing them would be a disaster.
"Okay, I'll have someone deliver it to your home on the 27th." Jinniang said.
The guest was puzzled: "Why is it the 27th?"
Jinniang smiled and said, "Because I will be getting married on the 28th."
After deducting the cost, the five sets of clothes can earn a total of 40 strings of cash. It is not easy to make five sets of clothes in seven days. Fortunately, she does not need to embroider, so all the clothes this time are well matched.
She did not dare to be careless and started working after measuring the ruler. Unexpectedly, although business seemed average in March, a big customer came in the end.
However, the customer only paid twenty strings of coins, and another twenty strings of coins had to be paid on the day of delivery. However, Jinniang had already completed the task ahead of schedule.
While doing needlework, she was also telling Aying which quilt was on the bed and which quilt was on the bed.
Three days before the wedding, the Jiang family sent flower buns, gold-plated veils, flower fans for five boys and two girls, pollen, wash necks, and painted money to urge the wedding to start. Jinniang sent back a gold and silver double-breasted imperial robe, a silk flowered futou, a green robe, boots, and a hu tablet.
The day before the wedding, Aying and Juxiang went with Rongniang to deliver the dowry to the Jiang family. The dowry had actually been written down when the engagement was made, but it was written more clearly now.
Members of the Jiang family also came to watch the ceremony. The first one to come in carried in ten mahogany boxes. Ah Ying took the key to open them. Everyone looked over and saw that they were filled with clothes for almost all four seasons. They were all made of silk, satin and gauze. You couldn't even put your hands in. They were all high-end clothes.
Seeing that the Jiang family’s housekeeper had completed the registration, Aying locked the door and had someone carry the things into the new house.
Then came furniture, bamboo articles, porcelain, etc., followed by quilts, bamboo mats, tents, door curtains, blankets, etc. Ah Ying said, "This quilt has six covers and six covers, eight bamboo mats of various colors, twelve door curtains, two brocade tents, two gauze tents, two gauze tents..."
Originally, thirty-six loads were prepared, but now there are forty loads, and there are also various kinds of silks and jewelry at the end.
There were about three loads of silk and satin, and the last two loads were filled with jewellery. First was a headdress, all nine pieces made of gold filigree and inlaid with gems. Then there was a jewellery box filled with a wide variety of pearl flowers, combs, gold hairpins, rings, earrings, bracelets, curtain combs, etc., not to mention the jewellery given by the Jiang family. The last two loads were filled with house deeds and land deeds.
Xu thought to herself that she had underestimated Wei, as she had forty-eight loads of dowry. When she got married, she only had thirty loads.
In addition, there was a dowry of silver hidden in the bottom of the box, which was written as one thousand strings of cash, and all of it was sent over.
Even Aunt Jiang said, "In my opinion, the bride's dowry is probably as much as three or four thousand taels."
Everyone gasped. Madam Jiang Qi said to Madam Jiang Liu, "When the Zhou family betrothed their daughter to Fang Ge'er, I also went to watch the ceremony. It seemed that there were only five thousand taels."
Mrs. Jiang Liu smiled.
…
As for Jinniang, she was waiting for the person who came to pick up the clothes to pay the remaining twenty strings of cash before she could settle the bill. Unexpectedly, she had completed an impossible task and not only earned five hundred strings of cash for her dowry, but also thirty strings more.
When Chen Xiaolang saw Jinniang's expression, he thought that his girl was not so excited when she saw Mr. Jiang, after all, money was the key.
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