Chapter 75 Chapter 75 Two Chapters in One
Before autumn came, Jinniang bought some furry rabbit skins for her daughter, preparing to make her a fur coat or cloak. As for herself, she had already made two new fur coats in the past two years and would not make any more. Jiang Xian had also just made a tiger skin coat last year, so there was no need to make another one.
The store now has a fixed customer base for children's clothing and wedding supplies, and Jinniang's clothes are also exquisite and unique, so her income is naturally higher than before.
Exquisite patchwork clothes have even become a fashionable item for gifts. Even the fourth daughter of the Zhou family sent someone to pick one out from the Wei family embroidery shop. Aying has just packed it in a box and presented it to her.
The fourth girl came over and talked to Jinniang, and said with a smile: "I see your business is very prosperous."
"Not many people come here on weekdays. Fourth Miss is very lucky. Your coming here has brought me several businesses." Jinniang said with a smile.
The fourth girl spent several hundred coins to buy this patchwork dress, but when she saw someone coming to buy a wedding quilt, which cost thirteen coins, the man bought two without blinking an eye, which cost twenty-six coins.
The Wei family embroidery shop was originally an inconspicuous one, but now many people mention it for making flower and bird skirts and children's clothes. This is why the fourth girl came here to buy something.
This is unique and has gained some fame.
But he is good at speaking and is very humble in front of his old master.
The fourth girl also hurriedly said: "You are too modest."
Jinniang smiled and continued with her work. She had nothing to say to the fourth young lady. Just as a guest was coming outside, Jinniang smiled apologetically to the fourth girl and went forward to greet the guest. Seeing this, the fourth girl tactfully left.
It turned out that this guest was buying dowries for his relatives. Jinniang couldn't help but say, "We have door curtains, wedding quilts, purses, and embroidered shoes here. If you need more, we can help you make them."
Because she had been married and the Jiang family had complete etiquette, she would make anything that a wealthy family wanted, and she was very careful about it.
The man first took a look at the items here and thought they were of exquisite workmanship, so he ordered two tents, two door curtains, two wedding quilts and a set of wedding clothes. Jinniang paid a total of 55 strings of cash and also gave her a pair of purses.
Seeing that Jinniang was sincere and attentive, and that the materials she used were all of good quality and all ready-made, the man packed them up directly and immediately had someone take them away in a car.
Because of this, the bed was originally covered with bedding, but now it was all empty. It looked too ugly when empty, so Jinniang had no choice but to put her own dowry sheets and quilt on the bed to make it not look too shabby when empty.
Zhu Xiu Niang was also asked to rush to make the wedding quilt. At the end of August, she was paid more than her usual salary and was also given two boxes of shortbread.
Her place is different from the Zhou family. She just needs to work during the day and get her job done. There is no need to stay up late at night. There is charcoal fire in winter and ice in summer. If the performance is good, Jinniang will give her commission.
However, Jinniang once again sighed that the wedding industry is indeed a highly profitable industry.
No, just after finishing this business, Jinniang heard that her father-in-law, Master Jiang Liu, had come. She was such a smart person that she knew that Master Jiang Liu was probably here for the betrothal gift. Mrs. Jiang Liu had spent all her money on her coffin for Jiang Xian's marriage, which was why her family didn't even have funeral clothes or supplies after her death.
Jinniang asked Master Jiang Liu to invite him to the study, and asked Xiqiu to serve snacks and tea so that the father and son could have a conversation.
When Master Jiang Liu saw his beloved youngest son, he felt a little ashamed: "After your mother passed away, I had no one to take care of me. Your uncle arranged a marriage for me..."
"Father is in his prime, and we, as his children, can only be relieved that there is someone to accompany him." Jiang Xian had been comforted by Jinniang before, and thinking that the couple had already moved out, he didn't have to deal with them anyway, so he felt much more relaxed. In other words, if the father is alone and has a serious illness or a minor disaster, no matter how good the sons and daughters-in-law are, it is not as convenient as the couple to take care of him.
…
Jinniang didn't know what the father and son talked about. She only knew that Master Jiang Liu didn't take anything from the Wei family, and Jiang Xian gave Jinniang fifty acres of land.
Jiang Xian said, "These fifty acres of land are next to the fifty acres of land allocated to us by the government. We can build a small farm there. With the one hundred acres of land given to us by mother, we will have two farms now."
People who have never farmed before may not understand that one hundred acres is roughly equivalent to the size of seven standard football fields. Jinniang couldn't help but say, "This year, we have a lot of things to do at home. I gave birth to Yunjie, so it's not easy for me to go far. But now that we have the farm, you and I should go and inspect it. We should know where our land is."
"My wife is right." Jiang Xian was well aware of how willful he could be when he had a virtuous wife at home.
However, Jinniang was somewhat puzzled and asked, "Since father is getting married soon, how can he give us land?"
Jiang Xian smiled and said, "Of course, my cousin's aunt promised him a farm of 100 acres in order to silence him. My uncle arranged this marriage and he also gave me some money since he knew that our Sixth Branch was short of money."
Jinniang sighed, "I was judging others by my own standards. Since my father has given us fifty acres of land, we cannot just accept it. I will ask the embroiderer in our embroidery shop to help make my father's wedding dress. I will also send the bride's veil and wedding dress."
Jiang Xian thought that his wife was really kind. Of course, his father wanted to get these things for free and wanted Jinniang's embroidery shop to help him do these things. But after he poured out his heart to her, his wife took the initiative to pay him, which made her feel bad.
"Forget it, my lady, you are very thoughtful. I will send someone to tell my father." Jiang Xian called Liu Dou'er and asked him to go to the Jiang family and tell him.
Fortunately, business in September was not very good, so Jinniang also did these with Zhu Xiuniang. After they finished the work at the end of September, Jiang Xian delivered it personally. As the saying goes, things that are far away are more fragrant than things that are close. As for Xu, whom he lives with every day, Master Jiang Liu feels that she is too stingy and not as generous as Jinniang. Look at the things that people sent to him. If they were bought outside, they would probably cost dozens of strings of cash.
Jiang Xian was quite good at speaking: "My son and his wife have not taken care of the business this month because of doing these things. They even asked my son to send 20 strings of cash, saying that it was to celebrate his father's wedding."
The 200 strings of cash dowry for Mr. Jiang Liu was paid by Mr. Jiang Da. Although the daughter of the Zheng family had some family background, she was only 39 years old and her dowry was not that high. Mr. Jiang Liu was marrying a second wife, so naturally she could not be as good as his original wife.
But Xu still had to prepare the betrothal gifts, so she was naturally unhappy. Although she didn't show it on her face, Master Jiang Liu was no fool and naturally heard what she said, and was somewhat dissatisfied with Xu.
Looking at the gifts and money given by Jinniang, he knew that his daughter-in-law was kind-hearted and virtuous.
"What should I say as a father? On the day of the wedding, ask your wife to call Sister Yun over. I have something to give her." Master Jiang Liu said with a smile.
Jiang Xian said hurriedly: "She is just a little girl, how could she take your things away?"
Master Jiang Liu waved his hand and said, "I think Sister Yun is a blessed woman."
The father and son exchanged a few words, and then Jiang Xian went to visit his uncle who had returned from central Fujian, and they reminisced about the past.
When Xu heard that Jinniang had sent her the wedding dress, she was glad that she had saved a lot of money. But at the same time, she heard her father-in-law praising Wei, which seemed to be belittling her, and she felt very upset.
For a man of this age, the father-in-law is still involved in women and remarrying. He is the head of the household, but he still has to support a new mother-in-law. It's really depressing.
Jinniang could imagine how Xu felt, but now she and her husband were like Mr. Jiang Liu and his relatives, not living under the same roof, so naturally they didn't need to see each other every day, and there weren't so many things to do.
It is also said that the eldest son of the Liu family came home and said that Liu Jixiang heard that Master Jiang Liu had just married a new wife, and thought of Jiang Xian, so he asked him and Jiang Yan to go to the Liu family to study together. Jiang Yan had already become a disciple of his brother-in-law's father-in-law, so he agreed to it on behalf of his brother. Jiang Xian also knew his brother's good intentions, so he told Jinniang and said, "I'm afraid I have to live over there."
Jinniang nodded and said, "Then I will prepare your jacket and coat for you. Just send someone back to get whatever you want."
However, Jinniang was puzzled: "Why did Liu Jixiang ask you to come to his house to study again?"
Jiang Xian was not sure why, but it must have been Liu Dalang who helped to intercede for him, as he was always a warm-hearted person. Madam Xun had made a big fuss before, but probably after seeing him get married and have a daughter, she realized that she and Mr. Liu had nothing in common, so she relaxed. Now there is this opportunity.
Fortunately, Jinniang was not the kind of person who would ask questions, so seeing that he didn't say anything, she didn't say much. She just packed his luggage and gave him another fifty strings of cash, but Jiang Xian refused.
Jinniang said, "Money is a person's courage. I know you are not a person who spends money recklessly, but if you want to add a dish, give a reward, or send a gift to someone else's house, you need money."
It is not easy to earn this money. When business is normal, it is good to earn fifty strings of cash in two months. But Jinniang is very clear that if she is too tight on money and lets Jiang Xian be stingy, it will be bad if he goes astray.
Seeing Jinniang busying around for him, he hugged his wife from behind and said, "My dear, I can't bear to leave you."
"You don't have to be reluctant to leave me. Just don't be indecisive and go to brothels less often." Jinniang said mischievously.
Jiang Xian immediately tickled her after hearing this: "Good job, you're teasing me now."
He is more worried about his wife than himself, Jiang Xian thought.
Jinniang said seriously, "Look, I packed your daily changes of clothes, including underwear, jacket, jacket, stockings, etc., into seven sets in total. I know you have sweaty feet, so I brought you two more pairs of shoes and ten pairs of socks. You should wear them according to my matching. It won't look good if you match them randomly."
Since marrying his wife, he has never had to worry about money, and he has too many clothes to wear. He knows that this is all thanks to his wife, and reluctantly said, "Today I will wash your hair for you."
Jinniang nodded with a smile.
Not to mention that the two of them were entangled in love at night. When Jinniang woke up in the daytime, Jiang Xian had already gone to Liu's house. She thought about what happened last night, recalled it for a while, went to the next room to see her daughter, and then went to the shop.
She didn't have to have lunch with Jiang Xian at noon, so she could just paint and write in the shop and spend more time on making clothes. I have to say that after getting married, there are so many complicated things to do that it’s hard to have a moment of peace.
Even after Jiang Xian had been away for about three days, Jinniang had already become accustomed to sleeping alone.
But Jiang Xian was not used to it. Of course, the Liu family treated him well and personally allocated a small courtyard for him to live in. Liu Ji was also very concerned about his studies, and Liu Dalangjun also helped him make friends.
On the surface he behaved very properly, but privately he felt uncomfortable. Normally he would have lunch with his wife and then go to see Sister Yun, but now he was eating alone.
Needless to say, when my wife goes to Daxiangguo Temple, I usually accompany her. They also go to the ghost market and play together in the Immortal Tower...
On the one hand, he warned himself that a real man should not indulge in love affairs, but on the other hand, he really missed his wife.
In particular, my wife likes him to wash her hair the most. If he is not around, her hair will definitely not be washed properly. If my hair is not comfortable, I will definitely have a bad day.
However, Madam Liu had always liked Jiang Xian, and now that Jiang Xian had moved in, she was very happy. If Jiang Xian had not been in mourning, she would have allowed him and his wife to move in together.
Therefore, with a little instigation from Jiang Xian, Mrs. Liu sent someone to invite Jinniang to come over for a talk.
Jinniang didn't know that it was her husband who was making trouble. She thought that Mrs. Liu was very serious when she met her. Now was the time for eating hairy crabs in autumn, so she went to Mrs. Huang and picked out two baskets of fat crabs, two boxes of exquisite orange preserves, two boxes of rose cakes, and some shawls for Mrs. Liu and Madam Xun.
Upon hearing that Jinniang was coming, Madam Xun also came over to see her. She wanted to know what Jiang Xian’s wife was like.
This was also Jinniang's first time visiting the residence of the Minister of Personnel and Envoy of the Three Departments. She felt that she must not embarrass Jiang Xian, so she behaved in a dignified manner all the way and did not dare to look around casually.
When he entered the room, he saw Madam Liu and Madam Xun, and he hurriedly bowed and greeted them.
Even though Madam Xun was such a picky person, when she saw Jinniang, she secretly praised her beauty. She wore a sky-blue silk bodice and an ivory-white embroidered shirt, which made her neck look slender. The string of crystal beads around her neck made her skin look fair and attractive. Her blue porcelain-colored half-sleeved skirt, with an apricot-colored shawl, made her look even more charming.
She was definitely not bright and beautiful, but from the sight of her standing there with a faint smile on her face and from the way she exchanged a few words with me, I knew that she was a pure, charming, intelligent and smart woman.
"How can I let you spend so much money? I treat Shiliulang like my own nephew." Mrs. Liu was quite satisfied when she saw the gift from Jinniang.
These are not the common cakes and snacks on the market. The boxes they come in are also unusual and obviously made with great care.
Seeing that Madam Liu was an expert in this field, Jinniang smiled slightly. She was most afraid of a good gift being thrown away secretly. Even if she gave a good gift, people would not know its value, so it was a waste. So she said sincerely, "My husband often told me that Madam and the eldest lady treated him very well. I don't know what you two like, so I hope you can forgive me."
People say it's a waste of money, but in fact they have seen all kinds of good things. You have to say that you are scared, you can't really say that your things are worthless. If it is too valuable, then you may have something to ask for. If it is not valuable, then you don’t care about others at all.
Mrs. Liu asked again, "How long have you been married?"
"To answer Madam, we have been married for more than a year."
"Do you have any offspring?"
"I have a daughter who is more than seven months old. She can be played with now." Jinniang said, thinking about her daughter. The little girl is so cute that she is now playing in the shop.
As she was talking, Madam Liu tasted the rose cake and said in surprise, "This is different from what I usually eat. The rose sauce I usually eat is too heavy, but this one is extra sweet."
"Yes, some jasmine powder is added to the rose. Jasmine is naturally sweet and fragrant." Jinniang answered with a smile.
Madam Liu looked at Jinniang again and nodded again: "I heard that you live in Tianshui Lane now?"
Jinniang did not say that when Xu drove them out, the family scandal would be exposed unless it was absolutely necessary, and she would also suffer losses, so she smiled and said, "Yes, Tianshui Lane is not far from the mansion."
Mrs. Liu saw that she was very careful in her words and always smiling. The scarf she gave her was a red Luoshen pearl with small clusters of flowers. It looked very gorgeous and could be matched with blue, white, stone blue, and eggplant flowers, which are the clothes that older people like to wear. She was very happy and said, "You can stay here for dinner later. It's a good opportunity for you two to meet each other."
Jinniang said shyly, "He has only been here for a few days, so I just let him study here."
Madam Liu, who was of her age, really liked the affection between young couples. After lunch, she asked someone to send Jinniang to Jiang Xian. But after only three days, Jinniang saw that he looked aggrieved and joked, "Could it be that you haven't seen me for a long time? You don't recognize me."
"My wife." Jiang Xian quickly hugged her and came in, closing the door. Jinniang was startled: "Ah, if you act like this, people outside will think we are doing something in there."
Jiang Xian said: "We are a proper couple, why should we care what they do."
Jinniang then took his hand and sat down: "Have you slept well these days? I brought some orange preserves, which are my new discoveries. By the way, don't you like persimmon cakes? I also brought a box of Huanggui persimmon cakes, but you have to remember not to eat them with crabs."
"I just miss my wife, everything else is fine." Jiang Xian gently stroked Jinniang's hand.
Jinniang said, "It's already September, and the Chinese New Year is just a few months away. You can't spend the New Year at someone else's house. If you want to come back on weekdays, just say you want your daughter to come back and see you, and they won't say anything."
She also did not object to her husband maintaining a relationship with the Liu family. People always say that even a poor family has a way out. A farmer's son like her brother would never be able to make a name for himself if he had no connections at all.
At this time, the trend of circulating manuscripts was still quite popular in the Northern Song Dynasty, and Jiang Xian was also making friends with many people at this time, which she also knew.
But she also felt sorry for her husband.
For young couples, the most difficult thing to endure is separation.
Jiang Xian thought this was a great excuse. He could go back to see his wife often. He felt better and didn't find it so unbearable anymore. He asked Jinniang and Madam Liu about what they saw.
Jinniang told him everything and added, "Madam Liu gave me a pair of gold bracelets as a gift. I'll take them out and show them to you."
As she spoke, she took out some jewelry from her purse. Jiang Xian took a look and said, "Then keep it well. You have too few jewelry. I'll go with you to buy another set at the end of the year."
Jinniang knew that the money shop would pay the rent at the end of the year, so she agreed with anticipation.
If a husband doesn't give his money to his wife, who else can he give it to?
The couple talked for another cup of tea, and Jinniang patted his hand and left.
After returning home, Jinniang went to the shop first to continue making padded jackets. She also asked someone to buy cotton and rabbit fur in advance to make winter coats.
Ah Ying smiled and said, "Madam, someone just bought three sets of clothes for children in one go."
"Oh, that's great." Jinniang smiled.
After embroidering for a while, Luo Yu'e came back and said with a smile: "Your father is sending jackets to the academy today. Your brother will be back in October."
"Then let's go for a stroll around Yuxian Tower together." Jinniang clapped her hands and smiled.
Jinniang sells two types of embroidered items, children's clothing and wedding embroidery. More items have been sold and by mid-September, I have already earned 500 strings of cash. It's just that my expenses are a little higher this year.
Luo Yu'e asked about her daughter's visit to Liu's house again. When she heard that her daughter was fine, she was relieved and said, "That's good. Our daughter is not afraid of any big occasion."
"Mom, how is your and Dad's business now?" Jinniang asked.
Luo Yu'e said that their place had been closed for a long time and business was not as good as before. They would change the location after the New Year. She also said, "There is no other way. Your brother's monthly study expenses for writing brushes, inkstones and paper are a lot of money. We can't stop."
In recent years, the rent of Choushui Lane has been more than 30 strings of coins a year. Excluding the rent of the store and the money for his son's education, he can save 50 strings of coins a year from the business. His daughter takes care of his daily life, and they now have a surplus of more than 100 strings of coins.
Jinniang praised: "If you need money, please tell me. Also, my husband told me that he would take Yang Ge'er to visit the Liu family during the New Year. Please tell Yang Ge not to be nervous when the time comes."
"Yeah." It's nice for the whole family to work together.
In a blink of an eye, it was time for the warming party. Yang Ge'er came back, and Jinniang helped her brother cut satin to make a more colorful dress. Jiang Xian also came back, and they went for a stroll around Yuxian Tower together. Luo Yu'e even bought Jiang Xian a portion of his favorite roast goose and persimmon cake. The mother-in-law and son-in-law got along like mother and son.
Jiang Xian originally planned to come back and get closer to his wife, but he didn't expect Jinniang to be busier than him. She was embroidering a picture of Guanyin and said, "Wait a moment, I want to finish embroidering the Buddha statue."
"Madam, when did you learn to embroider this?" Jiang Xian was puzzled.
Ah Ying brought in some water and was covering her mouth with her hands as she laughed, "My dear, our lady wants to compete for the first place."
"Aying." Jinniang said angrily.
Jiang Xian asked quickly, "I haven't been home for a month. Is my wife going to be the head of the group?"
Jinniang said modestly, "No, you are just listening to Ah Ying's nonsense. I just learned the needlework for embroidering Buddhist scriptures. I just learned it casually."
Jiang Xian thought that although this guild leader was a businessman and not an official, and had no power, he often moved between businessmen and government officials. To a certain extent, he possessed the nature of a "clerk", akin to a "local tyrant" in the industry, and his influence was sometimes even greater than that of government officials!
It's not that the lady is incapable of doing so. She was originally the head embroiderer of the Wenxiu Academy. In the past few years, the Wei family embroidery shop has become famous in Bian Jing for its small but exquisite design. Moreover, the lady has a noble character and superb craftsmanship, and she has a say both in the government and among the people.
Many of those who wanted to repair kesi paintings were recommended by the lady who was the head of the guild. By the way, it seemed that the lady had been the head of the guild for two years.
"My wife, you are so ambitious. I am ashamed of you." Jiang Xian wiped the sweat off his forehead.
Jinniang then embarrassedly told the truth: "In fact, the current head of the group is ill and needs to rest for a year. Even if he is really elected, he will only be the acting head of the group, not the real head of the group."
"Now that you're on it, who dares to stop you from getting off?" Jiang Xian said.
Jinniang laughed, “Hehe.”
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