Chapter 74 Chapter 74 Two Chapters in One
During the one and a half months that she was in confinement, the store's expenses were greater than before. First, the cost of fabrics, silk threads, and wool increased, and then there were the clothes that were returned.
"This is our old customer, why is he returning the goods?" Jinniang asked Aying.
Ah Ying said hurriedly, "She brought a piece of material and asked us to paint it for her. You know, except for you, no one else here has the ability to paint on the spot, so we said there were similar colors that you had painted before, so she could choose. She was very hesitant that day, and it took her almost two hours to choose the pattern and shape. Who knew that after Zhu Xiu Niang finished the work ahead of time, she said that the pattern was not what she wanted, and said that you usually took the initiative to help her cut the teeth, but this time you did it too perfunctorily, and she wanted to return the goods."
"Thank you for your hard work during the time I was away." Jinniang probably knew what was going on. Zhu Xiu Niang was just an ordinary embroiderer. She could do it but not speak. Although Aying was good at dealing with it, she was not the boss after all, and was not good at embroidery. This was why people returned the goods in confusion.
The income for this month and a half is only twenty-six strings of cash, but anyway, some income is better than no income.
With Jinniang's words, everyone's backbone was secured. She first asked Aying, "Have you finished making the powder puffs for this month?"
"Just a few more." Aying said hurriedly.
"Well, let's make this first. I have to go to the Ghost Market and Donghuamen early tomorrow morning, so you guys should get up early." Jinniang was full of energy now.
When Jiang Xian heard that Jinniang was going to the ghost market, he also wanted to go, "I'm worried about you going out alone, not to mention that you just came out of confinement, there's no need to do this."
Jinniang smiled and said, "I have been in confinement for more than a month, and my bones are covered with hair. If you want to do business, you need to go out more often to get some inspiration. You can't just work in isolation."
"So I'll go with you. I've never been to a ghost market before." Jiang Xian said.
Jinniang had no choice but to agree.
At noon, the couple ate at the same table. Jinniang touched her belly and felt it was amazing: "Now that the baby is born, I still feel a little uncomfortable."
"My wife, you have suffered too." Jiang Xian saw that it was really not easy for a woman to give birth that day.
"Actually, compared to many people, I'm better off. I have parents and husband to take care of me, and a wet nurse to look after my child. All I have to do is take care of myself. But we are both in mourning, so we have to be careful in the future." Jinniang was also afraid of having another child, as it would have a big impact on the growing shop.
Jiang Xian didn't know if he understood what she meant. He slept beside her obediently at night, and kept saying that bed was more comfortable.
Instead, he reminded himself: "We have to get up at five o'clock tomorrow morning, so let's go to bed early."
"Okay." Jinniang thought so and somehow thought of Rongniang and sighed slightly.
At three o'clock in the morning, they got up together. Jinniang changed into a gray porcelain blue cross-collared top and a closed skirt with a waistband embroidered with various flowers and birds, and an ivory-white shawl. Aying tied her hair with red silk, and there were simple pearl combs on both sides.
She was so elegant and lovely that Jiang Xian felt warmed in his heart.
Before getting on the carriage, Jiang Xian personally helped her put on a pine-colored cloak, "Don't catch a cold."
Jinniang had been to this ghost market many times, but this was Jiang Xian's first time there, and everything he saw was strange. Jinniang let him go, her eyes scanning the whole time. The colors sold in the ghost market this year were similar to the color on her body: gray porcelain blue, pine flower green, light apricot yellow, and lotus flower pink.
The tube top was changed to a full-necked one, and the skirt was changed from a folded skirt to a just-closed one, and the just-closed skirt was mostly in intermediate colors.
There are many vendors selling buttons in the ghost market. These buttons come in a variety of styles, with each button ranging from three to fifteen patterns. The number of buttons Jinniang could make now was mostly less than ten, so she bought ten buttons: pomegranate flower button, butterfly flower button, wind fairy button, flower basket button, willow leaf button, longevity button, maple leaf button, plum blossom button, autumn chrysanthemum button, and ginkgo button.
I also bought three colors of miscellaneous broken branches and flowers, a total of ten feet.
The ghost market closed at dawn, and Jinniang went to the cloth shop in Donghuamen again, selected a few pieces, left her address, and asked the owner of the cloth shop to deliver the goods to her, and settle the account every season.
Everything was almost done, and Jinniang took everyone back together.
In the morning, she began to design clothes, mostly using the interlaced colors of aprons to create a layered feel. She made these clothes herself and asked Zhu Xiu Niang to start making a quilt cover with a refreshing color such as white background, lotus leaves and mandarin ducks.
By the end of April, business was back on track.
Minzhi also made two sets of clothes for boys at the end of April. Jinniang had an idea: "Minzhi, I want you to mainly make small clothes for boys and girls. Tomorrow I will start drawing pictures, and you can draw some children's clothes for the Dragon Boat Festival according to my pictures. You must seize this opportunity, so that I can raise your wages."
"Yes." Minzhi responded quickly, as if he was full of energy.
Jinniang personally gave the two sets of clothes to Lin Ge'er and Guan Ge'er, but the two brothers were studying. Feng Sheng looked at her and said, "Second sister, thank you very much. Their mother passed away, thank you for still thinking about them."
It was normal for Feng Sheng to remarry at his age, and Jinniang certainly couldn't stop him. She said, "Brother-in-law is not a good person. My sister passed away at a young age, and I couldn't come back then. Now I am just doing my best."
"Second sister, don't be sad. You were recuperating at the time and there was nothing we could do about it." Feng Sheng said calmly.
Jinniang spoke a few more kind words, but her relationship with her two nephews was average. Even Rongniang usually only visited her once every six months or a year. She just said a few words of gratitude and then left.
After the Dragon Boat Festival, the news that Feng Sheng had proposed to Lou Si Niang came in. Ying Niang came over and asked Jin Niang, "Are we going to the wedding banquet?"
"No need for that. We are the eldest sister's sisters. Now that the eldest sister has passed away, it won't make any difference if we, the relatives in the past, go there." Jinniang shook her head.
Besides, she added, "Brother-in-law Feng didn't invite me either."
Yingniang was somewhat proud: "He did invite me."
"Then go ahead." Jinniang was not interested in this kind of dispute now. Seeing that Jinniang didn't care, Yingniang left.
Feng Sheng was not an important official in the court, nor did he need to observe filial piety for his wife. Normally, he would wait a year before remarrying. However, Feng Sheng proposed to get married at this time. I wonder if there was any hidden story behind Rong Niang's death?
Thinking of this, she made a short-sleeved shirt with a closed collar and a front button for her daughter, and quickly cut a pair of trousers. They even had patchwork clothes for sale in their store. Look, a woman who came in quickly bought one.
Originally, a patchwork coat should be made of a piece of cloth from the east family and a piece of cloth from the west family, but now all the patchwork coats are extremely exquisite. The one that was just sold was six coins of silver, which is close to six hundred coins.
No one expected that the children's clothing business would be even more popular than the adults' business. Although there are many people who wear new clothes for three years, old clothes for three years, and mend clothes for another three years, adults all have the same feelings for children and are eager to dress their sons and daughters more beautifully.
In order to prepare the lotus leaf half-sleeve for the Qixi Festival, Jinniang spent half a month drawing seven or eight styles, and Minzhi also rushed to make a set each.
Jinniang divided the work between her and Zhu Xiuniang, with one mainly making wedding supplies, the other making children's supplies, and Jinniang herself specializing in making clothes. If there was a lot of work, Zhu Xiuniang and Minzhi would help the store complete the tasks that needed to be completed first.
At the end of June, due to the children's clothing business, the store's business increased to 80 guan this month. Excluding the loan, taxes, monthly payments, living expenses and capital, she earned at least 60 guan.
At lunch, Jiang Xianzheng said to Jinniang, "Now that Jiang Zhuangyuan's wife is pregnant, what should we send over? Madam, you are always smart, help me make a decision."
"This is not difficult to do. Why don't we give her a patchwork shirt for the baby in her belly, a pair of belly-supporting pillows and side-sleeping pillows for pregnant women, and a longevity lock? " Jinniang asked.
You can make patchwork clothes and pillows at home, it doesn’t cost much. A silver gilt longevity locket costs more than one string of silver, and less than two strings of silver you can give it as a gift, and it’s very practical.
If she hadn't been pregnant, she wouldn't have really understood how uncomfortable it is for pregnant women to sleep.
Jiang Xian gave a thumbs up: "My wife is the one who knows how to choose."
After he finished speaking, he stole another glance at Jinniang. Jinniang was a little plump at first after the confinement period, but now she has completely lost weight, looks healthy and energetic, and is more beautiful than before.
Thinking of this, he came over again: "Madam, I have prepared some sheep intestines. I will rely on you tonight."
Jinniang blushed: "I know."
She and her husband were very harmonious in sex. Jiang Xian was often fascinated by his wife and could not help pinching her face and arms. Sometimes he even forced Jinniang to call him brother.
After the gifts were prepared, Jiang Xian asked Jinniang to go with him. After all, they were gifts for his daughter, and he also hoped that his wife would stop hiding behind him.
Naturally, Jiang Xian also told Jinniang about Jiang Zhuangyuan's situation: "He is a child of a poor family, and now lives in the house that the Song family gave as a dowry. It is said that he is quite henpecked."
"So that's how it is." Jinniang suddenly realized.
Although marrying a daughter of a wealthy family has its advantages, it is not something that ordinary people can afford.
Jinniang had met Song Niang before and made clothes for her. When they met this time, Song Niang seemed very friendly, so Jinniang did not flatter her. She just said, "I originally wanted to make a medicine pillow for you, but I thought that pregnant women should not take medicine casually, so I put ordinary cotton inside. And this pregnancy pillow can be used in the middle and late stages of pregnancy."
These things touched her heart. Madam Song also liked the patchwork clothes very much: "It is said that patchwork clothes can cure diseases, avert disasters and prolong life. Thank you very much, Madam Wei."
Because Jinniang had just given birth to a child, the two of them mostly talked about the child. Jinniang also talked about a lot of the detours she had taken. She didn't leave until someone outside said that Jiang Xian was leaving.
Madam Song had seen Jiang Xian through a screen before, and actually didn't like him very much. She thought that although he was young, he was able to get along with everyone, and most people couldn't control such a person.
But when I saw his wife today, she was completely different. She was sincere, careful and gentle. Although she was doing business, she was neither humble nor arrogant. I especially liked listening to her talk. She was a very sensible person, without any flattery.
Madam Song treated Jinniang with great courtesy and even gave her two boxes of tongcao flowers for her to wear. Jinniang went back and asked Aying to keep them. She didn't think it was a big deal. As long as Jiang Xian wasn't doing well, it would be impossible for him to get along with you on an equal footing, so she had very low psychological expectations.
It was also said that because the lotus leaf half-sleeve skirt sold well, Minzhi's salary was increased to five cents.
After paying her wages, Jinniang sold her old books to the silk shop and received another 45 strings of cash. She gave 5 strings of cash to Jiang Xian, saying, "Whatever books or inkstones you like, just go buy them." Jiang Xian said quickly, "Didn't you give me money this month? Why are you giving me more?"
"It's nothing. I made some extra money, so I'll share some with you." Jinniang said with a smile.
Jiang Xian couldn't help but say, "My wife is too good to me, but I have money in my hand, and my wife is saving it for me. When I need money, I can just ask my wife for it."
"All right."
It will soon be the first anniversary of my mother-in-law's death. Xu has sent someone to ask them to go to the grave together to pay their respects. Jinniang also asked Jiang Xian to prepare incense, candles and paper.
Speaking of Mrs. Jiang Liu, Jiang Xian couldn't help but sigh. It had been almost a year since his mother passed away.
The two of them exchanged a few words of sentimental emotion, and then Jinniang and Jiang Xian went to see their daughter together. Yunjie was just over four months old and could roll over. The little child has long eyelashes, milky white skin, and eyes like black grapes, which can melt anyone's heart. He wears a mint green belly-hugging top with a ruffled gauze dress of the same color, ivory-white slit pants underneath, and light pink silk stockings.
She looks like a little lotus fairy.
"My dear daughter, do you want to go out and play? Mother will take you to the store to play for a while, okay?" Jinniang hugged her daughter and was unwilling to let go.
Jiang Xian said aggrievedly: "My wife, you and your daughter both went to the store, so it's not convenient for me to go over. You are deliberately trying to tempt me." He also wanted to hug his sweet and soft wife and daughter.
Jinniang pretended not to hear it. She just put on the ruffled hat she made for Yunjie and went downstairs immediately.
Sister Yun is really lucky. It is usually too hot at noon and there is not much business. Jinniang also thought that there would be few people at noon, so it was a good opportunity for her to accompany her daughter.
At this time, Chen Xiaolang and Aying were both teasing the child, one holding a rattle and the other singing a nursery rhyme.
"My dear, look at my sister's arms, which are as thin as lotus roots. This dress fits her really well." Aying kissed sister Yun's arm.
Just at this time, a young woman came in. Jinniang knew her. She was the wife of the young master of the nearby Dongsijiaolou. Their family business was pretty good, but they were very stingy. Last year, I went to her embroidery shop and tried on twenty pieces of clothing, but didn't buy any.
But Jinniang treated all customers equally. She asked Aying to get up and entertain them, and Aying went over reluctantly. In this hot summer, everyone is sweating. If she tries on the clothes and finds that they smell of sweat, who would buy them?
Unexpectedly, she looked at Yun Jie'er, her eyes suddenly sparkling, and she looked at Jin Niang and said, "Madam Wei, this dress is so beautiful, did you make it? Do you have it for sale?"
There is a kind of people who are reluctant to spend money on themselves, but very willing to spend money on their children. They will always accept the same thing as their children without blinking an eye.
Even A-Ying was surprised: "I didn't expect her to be so forthcoming with her money."
"Yes, this is called the love of parents in the world." Jinniang kissed her daughter.
Holding her daughter in her arms, she went to Jiang Xian's study again and told him what had just happened. She said proudly, "I never thought that our sister Yun is such a lucky little kid."
Jiang Xian was still a little angry: "My wife just left with our daughter in her arms, ignoring me, so I won't talk to you anymore."
"Okay, okay, I was wrong, please forgive me." Jinniang looked at him with blinking eyes.
Seeing his wife like this, Jiang Xian couldn't get angry anymore. He sat down and played with the child with her.
By the afternoon, Jinniang had already sold three sets of children's clothes and also took on a job making clothes for dogs. She was just treating everyone to ice cream to cool off, but unexpectedly someone came to give her a gift, and it turned out to be from Lou Si Niang.
One box of black incense and one box of seven incense sticks.
They are all expensive spices, and two boxes would probably cost around five cents of silver.
"It's her business if she wants to marry Brother-in-law Feng. Why is she giving this to me?" Jinniang was silent.
Lou Si Niang was saying to Feng Sheng, "After all, the aunt of the Jiang family is the biological aunt of the children. We can't cut off this relationship. We can still visit each other in the future."
The couple had just gotten married, and Feng Sheng liked Lou Siniang very much. Although Lou Siniang was not as pretty as Rong Niang, she had good medical skills and good character, and her goals were the same as his.
After entering the family, although he did not treat his two sons as his own, he did not overpraise them.
"Madam is right." Feng Sheng said with a smile.
The Lou family felt that Lou Si Niang was too old, was one of the gossipy ladies, and had an average appearance. Now Feng Sheng had a large house with three courtyards in Jinliang Bridge. Although he had two sons, he was handsome, had a lot of wealth, and was the chief physician of Huichun Hall. The two got married very quickly.
Lou Si Niang had saved up nearly three hundred strings of cash for her dowry over the years. After she got married, she and Feng Sheng both wanted to open their own clinic. The two hit it off immediately. She took out her dowry and Feng Sheng also took out the money he had saved over the years, and the two of them prepared to rent a shop together.
At this time, Lou Si Niang naturally felt that there should not be a fire in the backyard, so she gave gifts to Jin Niang and Ying Niang.
When Feng Sheng was very young, he naturally liked beautiful women. But now he appreciates women with a good temperament like Lou Si Niang more. She is good at both housework and outside, and she is not emotional when handling things. This is a good mistress for his Feng family.
Jinniang rarely heard about the Feng family's affairs except from Yingniang's mouth because they had less contact. Now she and Jiang Xianzheng were going to her mother-in-law's grave with Yunjie.
Originally, Sister Yun shouldn't have gone. After all, she was still young, and it would be bad if she was disturbed by ghosts or gods. However, Mrs. Jiang Liu was very kind to Jinniang when she was alive, and Jiang Xian also wanted to take his daughter there to pay homage to her mother, so Jinniang agreed.
She helped her daughter put on a milky white gauze shirt with a closed collar and short sleeves embroidered with strawberries, a pair of moon-white silk trousers underneath, a pink gauze headband on her head, and white silk flat-toed shoes embroidered with strawberries on her feet.
Yun Jie'er was originally cute, and with her clothes on, Jiang Xian wanted to snatch the wet nurse's job and hold her himself, but Jin Niang said, "It's hot in August, and it's not easy for the child to go out. Let the wet nurse hold her, otherwise the child will be too hot and it will be bad."
Jiang Xian then let go awkwardly. Jinniang was really worried that the child would get sick, so she said to the nurse, "After we finish the ceremony, you can carry her to the shade of the tree."
The wet nurse should be.
Jiang Xian looked at his wife again. She was dressed simply today, in a lilac-colored dress, which looked very refreshing. She was holding a silk fan and gently fanning her daughter.
Jinniang came to her senses and saw him looking at her, so she quickly covered her face with a fan, and Jiang Xian then looked away.
The family of three went to Nanxunfang to meet up with Master Jiang Liu and Aunt Jiang Yan and Aunt Jiang Qi. It took more than an hour before they arrived at the cemetery. Jinniang said silently in front of Madam Jiang Liu's tombstone: "Don't worry, we will live a good life. I've brought your granddaughter here."
After the worship, everyone went to the house in front to rest. Sister Yun had diarrhea, perhaps because she had been exposed to the sun. Mother Luo and the wet nurse were taking care of her, and Jinniang was also a little worried.
Outside, Jiang Xian was talking to his family. He asked his brother-in-law Xue, "Has my brother-in-law come down with his errand yet?"
"Shiliulang, your brother-in-law has received the assignment, but there is one thing we still need your help with." Seventh Aunt said to her brother.
Jiang Xian raised his eyebrows: "We are all family, so we should not talk behind each other's backs. If you have any concerns, just tell me."
It turned out that after Xue's brother-in-law passed the imperial examination, he had been waiting in an official position for more than half a year. He had spent as much as 600 strings of cash on making friends and making friends with his peers. Now he had to go to another place to be an official. How could Seventh Aunt have any money left? Naturally, she hoped that Jiang Xian could help her. After all, Jiang Xian married a merchant girl.
In her opinion, men are the ones who make the decisions at home. As long as Jiang Xian agrees, Wei Shi won't be able to say anything. Besides, her husband has now passed the imperial examination and has been appointed to an official position, so it is only natural for the whole family to help him.
If it was before, Jiang Xian would not have thought it was a big deal, but when he lived in Tianshui Lane, he found that Jinniang and his parents divided their money very clearly and attached more importance to their own small family. Naturally, he could not just take the money from the family as the main source of income.
Therefore, Jiang Xian immediately took off his purse and said, "If you don't mind, all this money will be used as travel expenses."
He had a total of ten strings of coins on him, which Jinniang usually gave him as rewards for fear that he would go out. Now, after hearing what his sister said, Jiang Xian immediately took off his purse. Outsiders could see that he was sincere, but Seventh Aunt didn't know what to say. She didn't want such a small amount of money, she wanted at least a hundred strings of coins.
But she was proud of her status and would not speak so bluntly, so she had to keep silent.
Jiang Xian thought to himself, she acted like a good sister when he was asked to lend her money, but immediately changed her attitude when she was told she had no money. It seemed that her sister didn’t care much about him. When he thought back to when he and his wife were kicked out, this good sister never took care of us.
In this case, Jiang Xian pretended not to know.
After visiting the grave, Jinniang's throat began to hurt, perhaps because she had caught a cold. Yunjie also had diarrhea for two days. When the mother and daughter were sick, Jiang Xian was very anxious. Fortunately, they recovered quickly.
Having just sold a few sets of Mid-Autumn Festival children's clothing and dresses, Jinniang happened to talk to Jiang Xian at noon: "Now many people come to our store specifically to buy children's clothing."
Then Mrs. Ge, who was beside Xu, came over and said that Mr. Jiang Liu was about to marry Zheng, the daughter of the former Third Secretary, and the wedding would be held on the day before the winter solstice.
Jinniang saw that Jiang Xian's face suddenly became gloomy. After Mrs. Ge left, she immediately asked, "Is there anything wrong with this Madam Zheng?"
"The Zheng family is powerful and has a distinguished family background. Although Zheng was born out of wedlock, all of her sisters married rich or noble men. However, she secretly got engaged to a teacher when she was still young. The two were planning to elope, but the teacher ran away. She was even ready to commit suicide for love, but after she was rescued, the Zheng family sent her to be a nun for many years on the grounds of family misfortune. This matter caused a big fuss, and she was famous. Everyone knew her, so naturally I had heard of her." Jiang Xian frowned.
Jinniang sighed, "But this matter was decided by my great uncle, and my father was also willing, so we can't make any comments. Fortunately, we have separated, and future events have nothing to do with us."
Madam Zheng is 39 years old, and it is difficult for her to give birth again. Although Mr. Jiang Liu's family knows about him, outsiders still think he is the head of the family. He has a house, a shop, and land, as well as servants. His sons are all very capable, so he may be able to enjoy the blessing of being granted an imperial title in the future because of his sons.
After hearing what Jinniang said, Jiang Xian also said, "It's a good thing we moved out. Out of sight, out of mind."
Jinniang thought that the situation was not so good for Xu. She deserved it. It was her who had gone to great lengths to drive them out before, and now she was really suffering.
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