Chapter 72 Chapter 72 Two Chapters in One
This year, Jiang Xian is in mourning, so he cannot be like in previous years. Jinniang thought that she would celebrate the New Year at her husband's house, but unexpectedly, she would still celebrate it at her own home. She was in a good mood.
But her stomach felt heavy and she couldn't go anywhere, so she originally planned to rest. But after lying in bed for a whole day, she felt bored. Then she realized that the freedom and relaxation she wanted was relaxation after work, not lying down completely. She could not be a lazy person at all.
So, he made some arrangements for his delivery in advance. Mother Luo had breastfed Jiang Xian before. Although she was called a mother, she was not that old, just over 40 years old, which was just the right age for him to help take care of the child. Jinniang asked Aying to live in the attic of the ear room, and asked Luo's mother to live in the compartment upstairs.
As the midwife, we hired a well-known lady named Mrs. Kong, and even paid the deposit in advance.
After finishing the arrangement, she started painting on Jiang Xian's desk. The albums left over from before were already very old and needed to be refurbished. Their embroidery shop has already rushed out a batch of white pleated skirts, all of which are intended to be sold before the Lantern Festival. After the Lantern Festival, business will be average.
It just so happens that her due date is around February, and she will have to stay in confinement for more than a month, so she has to make the spring clothes in advance.
This year's fashion is different, so she needs to come up with some ideas. Looking through her old albums, she finds that although her skills were not as good as they are now, her color matching was bold and not artificial.
She finished drawing one carefully before standing up and looking at her husband.
At this time, Jiang Xian was reading a book. When he saw Jinniang coming over, he smiled and said, "You have been here for an hour and you haven't said a word to me."
"I'm afraid of disturbing you too. Okay, now I'll concentrate on accompanying you. What are you reading?" Jinniang looked at the cover of the book.
Jiang Xian raised the book and said, "It's just a book of scriptures."
Jinniang smiled and said, "Well, I only know a few words, so I won't pretend to know."
"Madam, why did I see the tax collector coming a few days ago? He collected so much." Even Jiang Xian felt that the commercial tax was too much.
Jinniang said sternly, "Taxes are ultimately collected from the people and used for the people. We are businessmen and our lives are better than those of ordinary people who farm. You should pay what you should pay. If you don't pay and I don't pay, then what will the court use to fight wars and build roads?"
Jiang Xian thought, she is really very upright. Some people try every possible means to evade taxes, but his wife prepares taxes in advance.
He held Jinniang's hand and said, "Madam, what you said makes sense, but there are people in the world who are not like that, which is enough to show that you are sincere."
"I know that there are prime ministers' family members who lend money at high interest rates, and even the literati who are so rich and powerful, and they keep saying in the court that they are pleading for the people. But so what? I can't control others. I just need to do my own thing. If it were me, I would not want so much power and money. It is enough as long as the money and power can protect ourselves." Jinniang had a rare heart-to-heart talk with her husband.
Jiang Xian sighed: "My wife is really indifferent."
"I'm not indifferent. When I see something delicious, I want to eat it. When I see something fun, I want to play with it. What about my husband? What is his ambition?" Jinniang asked.
Jiang Xian smiled and said, "I don't have any big ambitions. I just want to carry on the legacy of my ancestors and not take on the name of my ancestors."
Jinniang stroked his face and said, "This is not a big ambition. This is already a very big ambition. However, don't put too much pressure on yourself. I feel that being an official is not easy."
She had read many literary masterpieces in her previous life, so she could only say a few simple things: "If you are too upright, I'm afraid that the water is too clear to have fish, and you won't be tolerated by the officialdom. If you are too smooth and sophisticated, you won't have a stand as an official, and your career will be smooth for a while, but you may be easily eaten by the big fish. Those who serve the country and the people will also suffer grievances. It's not easy for the monarch and his subjects to get along well. In short, I think it's very difficult."
In the past, Jiang Xian rarely had the opportunity to be so open with her, because he did read a lot of books, and his wife usually talked about family matters or told jokes with him, rarely like this.
I didn't expect her to be so insightful. Jinniang knew that it was not that she was insightful, but that she came from a thousand years later and had condensed the thoughts and conclusions of countless people, so naturally her ideas were different.
"Madam, so if you say so, I won't be an official anymore?" Jiang Xian asked with a smile.
Jinniang shook her head: "Of course not. You learn the arts of literature and martial arts and sell them to the emperor. If you pass the imperial examination, you will know whether you can be a good official. If you are good to the people, I don't need to say that the people will probably give you the umbrella of the people." After that, she put her arm around Jiang Xian's arm and said: "I think you will definitely be a good official."
Jiang Xian opened his eyes wide and teased her: "That may not be the case. What if I am a traitor?"
"If you are a traitor, then I will sever all ties with you." Jinniang was not joking.
Jiang Xian hurriedly said, "Come on, let's talk about something light-hearted. Who do you admire the most?"
Jinniang thought for a moment and said, "It should be Wu Zixu. Didn't Sima Qian say that he was a brave man? He abandoned small principles to avenge great humiliation, and his name will be passed down to future generations."
"Wu Zixu?" Jiang Xian was very surprised.
In fact, he had also heard his mother-in-law talk about his wife's life. She had worked hard for decades to build up her family fortune. Although she was obviously beautiful, she never used her beauty to take shortcuts. She was very self-disciplined and did not covet any small advantages.
Not comparable to ordinary women.
Thinking of this, Jiang Xian felt his scalp tighten.
Jinniang glanced at him and said, "What's the matter? Do you think I'm not as gentle as a woman?"
"No, I just think my wife has good taste." Jiang Xian smiled.
Jinniang raised her eyebrows: "My dear, you are mocking me."
Jiang Xian quickly said no, and Jinniang looked at him seriously again: "I always feel that if people are driven by interests, they will eventually become neither human nor ghost. Anyway, no matter whether you become an official or an ordinary person in the future, I will not hold you back."
After saying this, Jinniang touched her stomach again and said, "I'm a little hungry. I'll go to the side and have some snacks. You can read slowly."
"Okay." Jiang Xian knew that Jinniang didn't eat much on weekdays and only ate a few more snacks during the Chinese New Year. He was afraid that he would eat too much, so he naturally agreed.
Seeing that the dish was well cooked, Jinniang ate five or six pieces and then went out to pour herself some water. After coming back, she continued to draw a fancy picture and even hurriedly ate half a bowl of lunch. Jiang Xian was with her, so he dared not relax even more.
While others visit relatives and friends during the New Year, this couple does the following.
On the seventh day of the first lunar month, Jinniang had someone open the door. There were not many people at that time, so Jinniang asked Minzhi and Zhu Xiuniang to rush out the powder puffs for February. It would be fine if they had their own shop, but the key was that things that were to be delivered to others had to be rushed out first.
The three of them chatted as they worked, and it went pretty quickly. They finished in five days, which was more than enough time.
Jinniang and Zhu Xiuniang started making spring clothes again. She said, "I'm afraid I'll have a baby by then, so we need to have some stock in the store so that people don't have nothing when they need it."
Zhu Xiu Niang advised Jin Niang: "You should take care of yourself first. Giving birth is a very painful experience for a woman. You must take good care of yourself during the confinement period."
"Yeah." Jinniang smiled.
In fact, there was also Wang's Silk Shop who wanted to poach Zhu Xiu Niang, but Zhu Xiu Niang didn't even look at them. She thought that the good thing about Wei's Embroidery Shop was that they were humane, followed the rules, the owner was fair, and there was no open or secret fighting, so it was good this way.
It is also said that Jinniang has opened for business, but Rongniang is still celebrating the New Year at home, and she is having someone stew some meat soup for the children. Lin Ge'er is now a young boy, and said awkwardly: "Mom, this meat is too rich."
"You grew up eating the meatballs I made. Didn't you love them very much?" Rong Niang disagreed.
Lin Ge'er said, "Mom, why don't you make crabs? We've eaten crab stuffed with oranges at Lou's house, and it was delicious."
Speaking of the Lou family, Rong Niang couldn't help but think of Lou Si Niang. Like Jin Niang, she was still unmarried at an older age. She inherited family skills and was a female doctor, but her appearance was not as good as Jin Niang's.
My husband has been very close to the old man of the Lou family recently and has also taken his sons to the Lou family.
I don’t know how the Lou family is so attractive. My husband often goes to the Lou family to discuss medical skills, and my son also speaks highly of the Lou family.
In such a big house, she didn't even have anyone to talk to. She wanted to find some comfort outside, but in the end, she felt that it was not possible and returned the hairpin to the owner. In any case, she has a husband and a son. What would happen if she were discovered?
This feeling continued when she met Jinniang and Jiang Xian during the Lantern Festival. She felt that her relationship with Feng Sheng was actually abnormal.
For example, Jiang Xian was still a student preparing for the imperial examinations. Although he was a child of such a noble family, he was very considerate and thorough in everything he did, not to mention Jinniang. The two of them seemed to have endless things to talk about. Jinniang was actually telling a very boring story about eating glutinous rice balls when she was a child, but he was very supportive and kept praising Jinniang. The smile on Jinniang's face never faded.
It seemed that Feng Sheng had never been like this before. He kept bragging at the dinner table about who he knew and which important person's house he went to for medical treatment. He was talking completely to himself, and in the end no one even agreed with him.
After the food was cleared away, Feng Sheng asked again, "Why did you change the owner of your shop?"
Jiang Xian said, "Oh, the lease period between his family and mine has expired, and another friend happened to introduce us to a new family. My wife and I thought that family was also suitable, so we rented it to them again."
"Your storefront is bigger than my second aunt's, and in a good location. It would be a big source of income if you rent it to a money lender," Feng Sheng said thoughtfully.
The money house is old and rich, and it is not easy for ordinary people to find it.
The Feng family was on the way back in the carriage. Feng Sheng and Rong Niang were very silent. However, Lin Ge'er asked Rong Niang, "Mother, the second and third aunts are working, why don't you go and do something?"
Rong Niang was awakened by these words. She stammered, "Mom is doing this for you and your brother."
I took such good care of my child, but in the end, I was stabbed in the back by my own child.
**
On the same Lantern Festival, Jinniang mentioned the lantern that Jiang Xian gave her last year and found it out: "Look, it's as good as new. Let's light it up and put it next to the bed."
"After the mourning period is over, we can go out and guess riddles openly and win one for you, okay?" Jiang Xian stayed up too late today and was completely exhausted.
Jinniang smiled and said, "Of course, but do you know what I was afraid of just now?"
Jiang Xianqi asked, "What are you afraid of?"
"I was afraid that you would say I would ask someone to buy one for you later, so I prayed silently. We are so familiar with each other, so please stop doing this." Jinniang clasped her hands together and looked at him with a smile.
Jiang Xian laughed and put his hands behind his head: "Am I a burden to you in this way?"
Jinniang waved her hands quickly: "No, I just feel that being too thorough and considerate is tiring. It's good for me, but I'm afraid you'll be tired."
After saying that, she put on her lipstick and prepared to go to bed.
Now that she sleeps outside so that it is convenient for her to go to the toilet, Jiang Xian still subconsciously helps her cover herself with the quilt. He couldn't sleep today, thinking that the provincial exam would be in February. If he got the answer, he would be able to take part in the exam now.
If I tell others about these troubles, they will either respond in a high-sounding manner or make a fuss about it. But only when I tell my wife, she will act perfectly normal.
"The provincial exam will be held next month, right?" Jiang Xian asked.
Jinniang said, "Yes, if I wasn't pregnant, I would definitely make some fancy pencil cases and let Xiaolang set up a stall in front of the Imperial College. Maybe the business would be good."
Jiang Xian looked at Jinniang. Even in the dark, he could tell that she was joking. He couldn't help but pinch her face.
Jinniang comforted him, "I know you are depressed, but everything is the best arrangement. I think you will be more calm in three years. You will be able to walk leisurely in the garden and take the exam with a smile on your face."
Seeing that Jiang Xian was still sad, she added, "I'm afraid that when our champion Jiang rides his horse through the streets, he will be so proud and happy that someone will pick him as a son-in-law!"
This sentence really made Jiang Xian laugh. He pinched Jinniang's nose and said, "I thought you had nothing to be afraid of, but it turns out you are afraid of something."
Jinniang smiled and said, "Of course. Now there are only the two of us at home. We have a good relationship. When you really graduate from high school, there will be more people around you. As the saying goes, it is easy for a couple to share adversity, but difficult to share happiness. We don't know what the future will be like, so let's cherish the present time and work hard to live a good life every day. It's better than anything else."
Such worries are justified. Jiang Xian is sincere now, but who knows what will happen in the future?
Living life to the fullest in the present is the most worthwhile thing.
Jiang Xian didn't expect Jinniang to have such an idea. He thought that his wife loved him too much, so she was worried about gains and losses. "No, no matter who catches me, I won't leave. I will just wait for my wife."
"So good." Jinniang looked at Jiang Xian expressing his loyalty and stroked his face.
Jiang Xian's mind was filled with scenes of himself being kidnapped and his wife being sad and upset. He had completely forgotten about the provincial and palace examinations, and he actually fell asleep in a daze.
The next day, when he woke up, he saw Jinniang staring at him and smiling.
"What's wrong?" Jiang Xian touched his face.
Jinniang said, "I'm afraid my young husband has been snatched away. Hurry up and help me deliver a shipment today."
"Me?" Jiang Xian felt strange.
Jinniang nodded: "That's right. On the eighth day of the first lunar month, a family sent me a 'Kesi Peacock Painting' and asked me to help repair it. Later I found out that the man in the family was actually a learned scholar. I don't know if it will be of any use to you?"
After hearing Jinniang say the name, Jiang Xian was surprised and said, "It turned out to be him."
"You know I won't get involved in these kinds of relationships with people. I'd rather just leave after sending the gift. But you're different. When you send it over, teach him how to maintain it, and I'll also give him a pair of gloves. If we keep going back and forth like this, won't we become friends?" Jinniang said.
After Jiang Xian heard what Jinniang said, he couldn't help but say, "Madam, you are actually quite sociable."
After saying this, he felt like a fool. When his wife was in the Wenxiu Courtyard, she was able to get her brother to become Wu Shizhao's disciple. Isn't that right, Wu Shizhao is not an ordinary person? It's just that he never helps others easily. Even after making so many clothes for the daughter of Song Zhengzheng, he was too lazy to curry favor with her.
Jinniang pulled him up and said, "It's up to you. If you think it's okay, then help me deliver it. If you don't want to, then I'll let Xiaolang deliver it."
"I'll go, I'll go." He has to seize every opportunity.
"Don't force it. If he's difficult to talk to and is a weird old man who doesn't appreciate talent, then we should just ignore him." Jinniang said this because she was afraid he would be frustrated.
Jiang Xian hugged Jinniang, feeling deeply moved. If others knew how sad he was, they would probably feel sad too. But only his wife took everything to heart and put it into action.
This was the first time Jiang Xian delivered goods for her. Jinniang was not worried that he would deliver the goods to the wrong place, but she was worried that he would not be able to see the person.
Ah Ying joked, "I don't think you were that nervous before."
Jiang Xian, however, had an unusually smooth journey. When he met this great scholar, the man was so impressed by his demeanor that he couldn't help but chat with him for a while. Upon learning that Jiang Xian was also a scholar and had once been a disciple of Master Huang, he began to test him on the spot.
As for the result, Jinniang knew it when Jiang Xian came back in high spirits.
"Thanks to my wife, I am able to meet this Xiao Hanlin today. He is truly a learned scholar." Jiang Xian also brought back a few books, saying that they were given by Xiao Hanlin.
Jinniang shook her head: "This is all due to your own merits. It has nothing to do with me. It's because you learned well that others value you."
Jiang Xian also said: "I really didn't expect that he is also the teacher of Jiang Guyan of the Imperial College. Madam, I have read Jiang Guyan's articles. They are very well written and insightful. Everyone is willing to get to know him."
"Oh, Jiang Guyan is the husband of Mrs. Song, right? I even helped the Song family prepare the dowry last year." Jinniang knew the answer.
Jiang Xian nodded immediately: "Yes, it's him."
Jinniang asked him to help her wind the thread while she started to split it. She yawned again: "That was a lucky coincidence. It means we are lucky."
"What good luck? It's just that my wife cares about everything for me." Jiang Xian knew Jinniang very well. Due to her outstanding embroidery skills, especially her expertise in solving some difficult and complicated embroidery problems, she had a bad temper and was very tough. She would not ask for help from anyone easily and was a very strong-willed person. It was because of him that I came up with this idea.
But afterwards he never took any credit for it, always saying that he was the one who learned well and that was why others liked him.
As the two were chatting and laughing, they saw a guest coming. Jinniang asked him to go to the study first, and she came out to greet him. Unexpectedly, the guest was none other than Jiang Xian's aunt, Liu, the adoptive mother of his second brother, and followed by the third lady.
Jinniang was about to bow, but Liu held her back and said, "You are pregnant, so there is no need to bow. Sit down quickly."
"Yes." Jinniang sat down and reminisced with them about Madam Jiang Liu. After exchanging a few pleasantries, she said, "Aunt, Shiliulang is studying in the study. I'll have someone take you there."
No matter how much Liu showed she missed Jiang Xian, or how much she confided her difficulties, or how much she said, Jinniang was always polite.
Liu agreed and asked the third girl to stay and talk to Jinniang. The third girl looked at the surrounding environment with a smile, praised it, and asked Jinniang: "Have you hired the midwife and wet nurse?"
"A midwife has been hired, and a wet nurse is being looked for these days." Jinniang said with a smile.
The third girl is different now than when she was in the boudoir. When she was in the boudoir, she was very delicate and good at writing, but now after getting married, she is wholeheartedly thinking about her husband's family. She has given birth to two sons now, and looks a little plumper.
She didn't expect that Jinniang not only managed the shop herself, but also kept everything in order.
Even if they wanted to show their favor, they had no chance. Just as Liu handed a land deed to Jiang Xian and said, "Your sister-in-law has already accepted it. Now that your mother is gone, you three brothers are left. I am not blessed to have a child. I heard that your father has already found a new husband. You are the youngest, how can he take care of you in the future? Although your wife is good, you can't always rely on her. Look how hard she works. She is so pregnant and still doing needlework."
Jiang Xian was quite ashamed of what Liu said. Jinniang, who had come to see him, came in holding her belly and said, "Aunt, we appreciate your kindness. Before my mother-in-law passed away, she gave us a few acres of land. Although we are not rich, we can at least ensure that we have enough food and clothing."
Jinniang doesn't understand the big principles, she only knows what it means to be grateful for what you have received and to be grateful for what you have received.
When the mother-in-law was alive, she had no contact with Liu at all, and even refused to accept their gifts. Now that they have two shops, a house and land, why should they covet those things?
Even if it doesn't exist, you shouldn't accept it.
A real man should act with integrity and be as bright as the sun and the moon.
Jiang Xian listened to Jinniang's words and said hurriedly, "Yes, aunt, our family property was divided in advance, and now it's all managed by my wife. Now my life is better than when I was at home."
Liu never thought that a playboy like Jiang Xian, such a sensible man, would become a man controlled by a woman after getting married.
However, Wei was not her daughter-in-law after all, so she couldn't get angry. If she treated Wei badly, it would be bad if Wei tortured Jiang Xian in the future.
"Forget it, since you are living well, your aunt will be relieved." Liu came here of course hoping to make the brothers reconcile and not have any grudges in the future. Otherwise, if Jiang Fang becomes more and more powerful in the future, it would be bad if his own brothers came out to sabotage him.
Jiang Yan and Xu were very close, but Wei came out to stop them, so her plan naturally failed.
Jinniang would not offend her, and said with a smile: "Aunt is visiting suddenly, and we are not prepared. I will invite Aunt to a banquet next time when the baby in my belly is born."
Liu naturally left with her daughter-in-law. Jinniang glanced at Jiang Xian and said, "I didn't ask you to accept it. You won't blame me, will you?"
Jiang Xian shook his head: "I didn't want to accept it in the first place, she was just doing it for my second brother's future."
Jinniang nodded: "We don't want her things. If we don't have desires, we will be strong. If we take them, even if you are right, you won't be able to explain it in the future."
"My lady is right." Jiang Xian certainly knew what his lady meant.
Jinniang thought to herself, since I can move out with Jiang Xian, I will naturally take good care of this beautiful flower in the world. I don’t need anyone to nag me.
Time passed quickly and it was February. Jinniang had just finished settling the accounts for January when she went into labor and gave birth to a daughter that night.
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