Chapter 70 Chapter 70 Two chapters merged into one
The Wei Xiaoniangzi Embroidery Shop in Tianshui Lane has reopened after more than a month, but the furnishings inside are completely new. There used to be a couch in it, but now there is a bed with a bright mattress with rich flowers, a green bamboo gauze curtain, and the horizontal curtain is embroidered with peonies.
The original round table in front was changed into a long desk, on which were placed several head coverings embroidered with mandarin ducks playing in the water, magpies climbing on plum trees, and blooming peonies, as well as red phoenix-head shoes, cloud shoes, and various purses, sachets, fan cases, powder puffs, oil rubbings, etc.
On the east side of the desk are various hanging clothes, including jackets, skirts, tops, and crotchless pants.
In the front was a small dining table with a plate of dried fruits and tea on it, and a smart maid was there to make tea and greet the guests.
The counter in the middle is much lower than before, like a desk, with an embroidery frame next to it and a booklet in front of the desk, which contains pictures of flowers of the four seasons, wedding dresses, etc.
There is also a Ge kiln vase on the desk. The fresh flowers in the vase make the place look full of vitality.
The person who just came in was the old acquaintance Bai Niangzi. She was very happy to see Jin Niang: "When I came here last month, your door was still closed. It's finally open now."
"I have some things to do at home, and also the shop needs to be rearranged. By the way, Lady Bai, here are some new dresses we made, you can take a look." Jinniang smiled and asked Aying to serve tea, then stood up and helped her introduce them while holding her belly.
Jinniang was the one who made these clothes, so she was naturally good at introducing them: "Chrysanthemums bloom beautifully in autumn. Look at the delicate stamens of this one. Three kinds of needlework were used for one flower, and it was decorated with twisted blue and purple silk threads, which gave it a sense of elegance. Other clothes wrinkle easily when worn, but the fabric I used this time hardly wrinkles, and it won't lose its shape even if worn for a long time."
White Snake touched the dress and thought it was really good. The dress she bought from Wei's embroidery shop was really excellent. But she asked, "I have a similar piece of material. Can I make a jacket of similar shape?"
"Sure." Jinniang smiled.
White Snake naturally asked about the price, and Jinniang said, "The normal labor cost is three strings of coins, but if you want to buy it, I'll give you a cheaper price of two strings of coins and five cents, just to make a good start."
The maid of Bai Niangzi couldn't help but say, "Madam Wei, we are old customers, please give us a discount."
"If I can afford it, I will naturally do it cheaper. You see, you didn't bargain, so I just reduced the price by five cents. In the past, the prices in my shop were all what we said." Jinniang said with a smile.
Bai Niangzi signaled to the maid to give money, and the maid took out the money. Jinniang took the money, put the cloth away, measured the size, and issued a bill of lading to them.
It is also said that after White Snake went out, she hurriedly said to the maid: "Put the ticket away and don't let anyone see it."
Her husband's brother was to be transferred far away, and she and her husband were to go with him. Her sister-in-law was the head of the family, and when others gave gifts to her, she returned them. The gift was given directly to her. She saw that the material was really good, and she didn't know who to return it to, so she simply took it out and made herself a dress.
Jinniang sat down and continued embroidering. The embroidery shop must make clothes for the change of seasons in advance, so they start making wedding dresses in autumn. What she is making now is an eight-panel pomegranate red folded skirt. After the pleats are made, she starts making a waist belt with lantern-patterned fabric and embroidering on the waist belt.
She embroidered until noon, then went to the guest room and then went to the study with a smile on her face.
The study room housed Jinniang's previous antique display cabinet and a number of furniture. The couple had lunch in the first hall of the study room. Xiqiu and Juxiang brought over dishes and soup, including boiled duck soup, chestnut cake, two kinds of stir-fried seasonal vegetables, and another kind of pickled vegetable.
"You guys go downstairs and eat. You don't need to serve here. I'll come and clear the table later." Jinniang said with a smile.
They brought a few servants from home, including Uncle Luo and Mother Luo, their son and daughter-in-law, Liu Douer, and Minzhi Xiqiu.
Uncle Luo helped drive the carriage, his son served as Jiang Xian's attendant, and Liu Dou'er served as a servant. Uncle Luo and his wife slept in the warehouse and helped to look after it. There were three small side rooms, one for Uncle Luo's son and daughter-in-law, one for Liu Douer, and the other for Minzhi and Xiqiu. As for the original old man, Chen Xiaolang, he still lives in the embroidery shop and also looks after the shop. Aying lives upstairs, and Juxiang lives in the woodshed.
As for the monthly wages of the Jiang family's servants, only Minzhi has recently learned needlework and can work in the embroidery shop. Jinniang gives her three hundred coins. Uncle Luo probably just looks after the door, so he gives her two hundred coins. Liu Dou'er gives her two hundred coins, and Uncle Luo's son Luo Dalang gives her two hundred coins.
After Jiang Xian moved in, he naturally felt that Jinniang's house was not as big as Jiang's at first, and he was a little uncomfortable with it. However, his study was bigger than the one in Jiang's house, and their living place was not small either. The upstairs was for them and his wife, so he gradually got used to it.
At least the food at home is much better, and the people who came here also said it’s better here.
Jinniang used a serving chopstick to pick up the belly of the fish and gave it to him, then said, "We rent our shop in Jinliang Bridge to someone to open a teahouse, and we only make fifteen strings of cash a month. Isn't that too little? My shop is only half of yours. If we rent it to someone else, we can get ten strings of cash a month."
"I'll go and take a look when I'm free." Jiang Xian said.
Jinniang smiled and said, "Then don't forget it."
Jiang Xian looked at Jinniang. She was really very tenacious. She worked for three consecutive days to move and never showed any sign of complaint. She even came back on the first day and directed everyone to set up the house with a bulging belly. After a busy day, she even bought crabs for everyone to eat.
She was always happy and cheerful, and even immersed herself in her embroidery career for a moment, and was too lazy to talk to herself.
Although they were very close to each other, his wife was in the embroidery shop and he could occasionally catch a glimpse of her pretty figure when she passed by the study after going to the toilet, but she never came to see him.
But maybe because of this, Jiang Xian was very calm, very calm.
After dinner, Jiang Xian asked her, "Are you sleepy?"
"I'm not sleepy. I need to take a slow walk before going back to the shop. It's the first day of opening, so I have to be there." Jinniang said with a smile.
Jiang Xian stood up and helped her walk around the study. He asked again, "Madam, why don't we have dinner with my parents-in-law? Isn't that a bit bad?"
"No, my parents like to drink porridge at night. We have different tastes, so there's no need to force it."
In fact, it was Jinniang who was very observant. Jiang Xian was a child of aristocratic family, and he had very high standards of etiquette and was picky about words. Her parents were just ordinary people. Her mother liked to put her legs on the chair when she ate, and her father ate very loudly. It was okay for them to sit at the same table occasionally, but over time, it would become a torture for both of them.
Just like when she was in the Jiang family, she had no intention of integrating into the family and continued to do business, so she didn't want Jiang Xian to compromise.
Besides, sometimes her mother was very emotional. When her brother came back, she would keep talking about him at the dinner table, becoming more and more excited. She could tolerate it, but why should Jiang Xian endure it?
She also said these words to her parents, who expressed their understanding. After all, they didn't want to be pretentious all the time.
Jiang Xian originally thought that if he lived in his wife's house, would he become like a son-in-law? But now it seems that this is not the case at all. My wife is really good to him. This kind of goodness is not just caring about him, but respecting and tolerating him.
She would not pry into his privacy or ask questions in an attempt to control others.
It was really comfortable to get along with her. Even though they had been married for more than half a year, he didn't get tired of her at all. He even liked her more. No, he was even obsessed with her.
In the afternoon, Jinniang had just finished making the pomegranate skirt and asked Minzhi to take it to the back to iron it and then hang it in the front.
Just as she finished her work, the owner of the perfume and powder shop came in. She was originally planning to buy a pomegranate skirt, but happened to see the powder puffs made by Jinniang. The texture was fine and the embroidery patterns were elegant and refined, so she ordered the powder puffs immediately.
"This is not enough. My perfume powder sells hundreds of boxes a month. I just happened to place an order for plum, orchid, bamboo and chrysanthemum. I wonder if you could make a batch for me?" said the perfume powder shopkeeper.
Jinniang agreed immediately and drew the design the next day. The owner of the powder shop was very satisfied and agreed to order 100 powder puffs a month. Each powder puff was 80 wen, which was 8 strings of cash a month.
Jinniang is very disciplined in doing things. She has special contracts that are only valid after fingerprints are pressed.
Excluding the costs, Jinniang could still earn seven strings of cash, so she started doing it. At the same time, Minzhi was also asked to learn from her. If she didn't learn well, she couldn't send defective products to others. Minzhi knew that her salary was higher than Xi Qiu's now, but she could only work in the shop. In terms of craftsmanship, she was far behind the real embroiderers, so she could only work very hard.
Look at Zhu Xiu Niang, she was able to master it immediately after learning it after a few times, and she is good at Suzhou embroidery, especially her embroidery skills.
The three of them worked together to complete one hundred powder puffs within three days. Afterwards, Jinniang still asked Zhu Xiu Niang to embroider the quilt cover while she continued to make the padded jacket.
Under Jinniang's guidance, Minzhi made a few more powder puffs and put them on the stage for sale.
Ah Ying quickly sold a veil with a pattern of mandarin ducks playing in the water. The price of the veil was three strings of cash, which was considered a relatively medium price.
After lunch, Jinniang asked Jiang Xian, "Do you have anything to do in the afternoon?"
"What's wrong?" Jiang Xian asked immediately.
"It's nothing. There's a market at Daxiangguo Temple today, and I want to go and take a look. Every time some officials go to Beijing, they will bring local products to sell, so I might as well go and have a look." Jinniang said with a smile.
Jiang Xian agreed immediately.
The couple changed their clothes before going out. Jiang Xian was very happy to see an ancient clay inkstone. He had excellent handwriting and loved these things.
Jinniang said, "If you like it, just buy it. Don't worry about the money."
"Madam..." Jiang Xian was a little hesitant. You know, now that the couple has moved out, they can eat and drink their own food and drinks. The rent of the shop in the public house will not be paid until next year, and now almost all the money they use is Jinniang's.
She had made him a set of clothes the day before yesterday, and had people buy his favorite food every now and then, and now...
Isn't this just living off a gigolo?
Jinniang asked Minzhi to take the purse and pay the money, then handed him the inkstone: "Here."
Jiang Xian suddenly felt that being a gigolo seemed pretty good.
Jinniang also bought the cloth she wanted. "Your red silk with children's play patterns looks good. I'll buy one. I'll also buy this piece of plain silk with patterns. But it looks a little worn. If you want five strings of cash, I can't buy it. If you can give me a discount, I'll take two strings of cash."
"Madam, two strings of coins is too little, isn't it?" The man refused.
Jinniang said, "This pattern of playing babies is from Jinghu Road. There was a flood last year and the silk has swelled. If I didn't tell you, you would think I was easy to deceive. I tell you, winter in Bianjing is coming soon. When the time comes, you won't be able to sell these silks. Forget it. I wanted to do business with you, but I'm leaving now if you do this."
Jinniang was about to leave, and the man shouted, "My lady, forget it, just take it."
Jiang Xian, who was standing by, was stunned. He then saw Jinniang asking the maid to leave with the cloth.
Jinniang looked at him and said, "Do you think this is very mercenary?"
Jiang Xian hurriedly shook his head, fearing that Jinniang would think he despised her: "No, I think you are amazing."
Who knew Jinniang said unexpectedly: "Well, that means you are not a poor scholar. If you are like this, I will not look down on you in the future."
Jiang Xian laughed: "My lady is right."
"Then let's go back." Jinniang said again.
Jinniang's life soon became smooth, and Xu also got what she wished for. Although the person who rented their garden spent twenty strings of cash a month in rent, not forty strings, she was already very happy with the money.
The first thing he did was to drive away his brother-in-law and his wife. From then on, his expenses were reduced by half. Now, he had more than 200 strings of cash in rent coming into his account. He was smiling so hard that his mouth was about to split.
Mother Ge was very impressed: "Now the Sixteenth Young Master and his wife have moved out, and the son-in-law has been awarded the title. If he passes the provincial examination, he will definitely be sent out to live in another place in the future. This house will be completely yours."
"Yes, fortunately they didn't have a quarrel and didn't break up. My husband won't blame me." Xu sighed deeply.
Of course, others just didn't say it in front of Xu. Aunt Jiang told Jiang when she went to Zhou's house: "Fortunately, Shiliu Lang's wife is rich. She built a study room on the spot and moved in. Otherwise, where would they live?"
Jiang didn't like Jinniang in the first place, but now that she heard about it, she thought that at least Shiliulang was living in Jinniang's own house, otherwise he would have to go to his wife's parents' home or the couple would have rented a house.
"This Xu seemed nice before, but I didn't expect him to be so bad." Jiang said.
Aunt Jiang sneered, "This is what happened when the Sixth Brother's wife left. Last time, Brother Xian's wife fainted while she was pregnant during the funeral. I saw that Mrs. Xu also looked impatient."
Jiang was speechless: "This person is really bad. Jinniang was the most dedicated child in our family."
Xiang Ming, who was serving tea, thought that the lady had previously thought that Sister Jinniang had turned out to be a phoenix from a sparrow, so she had specifically targeted her. Now that she saw her being ridiculed by others, she felt sorry for her.
It seems that the so-called wind direction really changes in waves. People should not care too much about other people's opinions.
People in the Jiang family knew the news quickly, but Jiang Xian's friends found out a month later. By that time, Jinniang was already more than six months pregnant and had just completed a large order, buying two wedding quilts for twenty-six strings of coins, a veil for three strings of coins, and two pairs of embroidered shoes for more than two strings of coins.
Although it seems easy to sell, it is not easy to embroider. Jinniang gave Zhu Xiu Niang an extra five cents of salary this month as a reward.
Therefore, when Jiang Xian's friends Peng Sanlang and Zhang Jiulang came over, Jinniang directly took out some silver money and ordered a table from the restaurant so that Jiang Xian and his friends could have a good meal.
Zhang Jiulang looked around and couldn't help but smile, "This place is not bad, it's very bright."
Peng Sanlang also said: "It looks quite new."
"That's right. After my wife married me, she was afraid that I would come here to find her, so she built a study. The fir wood used here is three hundred years old, but we moved here in a hurry." Jiang Xian was also very satisfied with this study, which was decorated very elegantly.
His two friends were also polite and didn't mention the fact that the Jiang family had separated them. They just said that this place was not bad either. Jiang Xian smiled and said, "Yes, in just such a short month, my wife made several sets of clothes for me. I have nowhere to wear them. Now I am in mourning at home and cannot go out."
"Not to mention the daily fresh fruit delicacies. There are so many food stores in our area, both north and south. I've almost eaten all the food on the whole street."
Peng Sanlang was extremely envious when he heard this. Jiang Xian even said lightly, "There are also many people who want to ask my wife to sell clothes to them. A sea merchant sent some Huaibai fish to us, and we couldn't finish it at home."
The result of such pretense was that Peng Sanlang had to borrow clothes and Zhang Jiulang had to take away the food.
Jinniang felt very happy after listening to this. How could one describe Jiang Xian? He was not a particularly principled person. If he made good friends and met good people, he would be very good, but if he met bad people, he would also be the same.
However, Jinniang thought that Peng Sanlang, Zhang Jiulang and others were all good people. Seeing that both the host and the guests were having a great time, she could only feel happy for Jiang Xian.
As for Jiang Xian, because he was good friends with Zhang Jiulang, with the help of Zhang Jiulang, he planned to rent the shop at Jinliang Bridge to a money house for 40 strings of cash a month. Jiang Xian quickly finalized the deal and took back the rent of the tea shop and the one-year rent of the money house and gave them to Jinniang.
"My husband is the one who gives away money, but they just don't know the value of gold and jade." Jinniang pinched his face affectionately.
In this way, they earned more than 500 strings of cash, and the two men stared at the money in a daze.
Jiang Xian said, "My dear, I plan to buy some wine for my father-in-law and some headwear for my mother-in-law. You can choose the headwear."
Unexpectedly, the first thing he thought of after receiving the silver money was this. Jinniang immediately nodded and agreed. She added: "Although we are in mourning this year, we must prepare the New Year gifts in advance and save the rest of the silver money. When you become rich in a few years, you will have many places to spend money."
It costs money to take care of things, hire legal advisors and clerks, and maintain servants.
Jiang Xian smiled and said, "Okay, I'll listen to you, ma'am."
Obviously with this money, Jiang Xian felt much better. He was also a man who cared about his reputation. Although his wife treats him very well, the title of "giant live" is not a good thing.
The couple took some time to go to a jewelry store. Jinniang only helped her mother to look for a pair of gold-plated silver butterfly hairpins, but Jiang Xian wanted to help Jinniang make a set of jewelry and also bought her a pair of bracelets.
"What for? I don't need it." Jinniang said hurriedly.
Jiang Xian said, "My lady, just listen to me. Although you are naturally beautiful, the Buddha still needs a golden body."
Only this time did Jinniang agree.
Wei Xiong and Luo Yu'e were very happy to receive gifts from their son-in-law. They became more and more concerned about Jiang Xian, which made Jiang Xian feel the warmth of the Wei family.
Although his parents-in-law often quarreled, they had nothing to say about him. Of course, he also found that every time the family was tense, his wife would come out and the atmosphere would change with a few words.
Just like now when the two of them came back, mother-in-law made pork ribs and lotus root soup for him to drink, and said: "I know you like roasted mutton, so after your father and I closed the shop, we followed your father's comrades to a village 20 miles away to buy a sheep. The sheep there don't have such a strong fishy smell, and the mutton is also tender."
Jiang Xian hurriedly thanked them, and Luo Yu'e smiled and said, "Why thank me? This is what I should do."
After the couple finished speaking, they said to their daughter, "You said you bought some ringo but you didn't eat them, so they were all wasted."
Jinniang is deeply influenced by modern ideas, such as eating an apple a day can keep away colds. But she didn't like to eat it, so she left it all. Now when her mother mentioned it, she said, "Just eat your share later. I really can't eat it."
"If we don't eat it, it will all be wasted." Luo Yu'e grumbled.
She is just like that. If others give in a little, she will start talking non-stop. Jinniang quickly interrupted her: "Okay, okay, stop talking. Can I force myself to eat something I don't like? I love goose pears, but you bought Laiyang pears and blamed me in the end. I wanted to eat crispy apples, but they were all powdery and I couldn't eat a single bite."
After Jinniang said this, Luo Yu'e muttered: "Look, my son-in-law never says anything bad about me, but you find fault with me every day. My son-in-law is still the best."
It's really strange that most mothers-in-law in the world are picky about their daughters-in-law, while most mothers-in-law in the world like their sons-in-law.
"It's no use trying to please your brother-in-law, he is mine." Jinniang smiled.
Luo Yu'e poked her daughter's forehead with a smile: "I've never seen anyone so shameless."
Jiang Xian on the side also laughed. He knew that Jinniang was afraid that he would feel uncomfortable here and like an outsider, so she cared about his feelings. Sometimes his father-in-law would scold his mother-in-law for buying too many things and being a spendthrift, or the two of them would quarrel over buying an inappropriate amount of fish. Often at this time, his wife would come out and get angry.
But in fact, he didn't mind, because although he and his wife were ordinary people, they were straightforward and had nothing to say about their children.
After they finished their meal, Jiang Xian said to Jinniang, "Madam, don't worry about me. In fact, I feel more comfortable here. Really, you can see that my face is a little rounder than before. Madam has taken good care of me."
"Sir, this home belongs to both of us. I certainly won't worry that you won't be able to adapt." Jinniang held his hand and said impatiently, "Tomorrow I will wear the jewelry you bought for me and let others envy me."
Jiang Xian nodded immediately, and Jinniang stood up again and said, "Then I won't disturb you from reading. I'll go to the front first. If you are tired, go to the couch and take a nap."
After she finished speaking, she walked away holding her belly. Jiang Xian thought to herself, I really hope you can stay.
In the afternoon, Jinniang continued to do needlework. She had just finished a flower and bird skirt and asked Aying to iron it. Minzhi took out a dark blue satin cloak and put it here with Jinniang. It was made for her father-in-law and was to be delivered during the winter solstice. Jinniang wrapped it in a bundle.
On the day of the winter solstice, Xu was counting the accounts when she heard from outside that Jiang Xian was coming with a winter solstice gift. The Sixth Master invited him to have dinner, so she soon met Jiang Xian.
He did not look shabby because of moving out. He took off his plain Hangzhou silk crane cloak in Buddha-head green, revealing a moon-white robe with dark silver thread patterns and floral patterns. He looked even more outstanding, like a child of an aristocratic family. He was full of energy and vigor, and his every move was more carefree and unrestrained.
This, what is going on?
Living with merchants in the poor alleys of the market town, I don’t feel depressed at all, but it feels even better!
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