Chapter 81 Chapter 81 Two Chapters in One
After the Dragon Boat Festival, the weather was hot and dry with occasional rain. Jinniang asked Zhu Xiu Niang, who originally embroidered wedding quilts, to make book bags instead. The examination would be coming soon, and after that the provincial examination would be the exam. Business with scholars was good and few people bargained for prices.
Jinniang also put up a sign, saying that the book bags and poetry bags she sold had all been consecrated at the Daxiangguo Temple. Anyway, their place was very close to the Daxiangguo Temple, so there would definitely be a lot of people flocking to buy them.
Why do you say that? Because last year on Chinese Valentine's Day, the peach blossom sachets she designed were sold out.
Jiang Xian was also secretly advertising for Jinniang. He often carried a book bag and poetry bag made by Jinniang when he went out. He was originally a very outstanding person, and recently he was also known as the Zaojingshi. Of course, there were people who imitated his dress.
Jiang Xian asked Liu Douer to pretend to say it casually, saying that it was made in Wei's Embroidery Shop in Tianshui Lane, and everyone was flocking to it.
Jinniang didn't know all this. She was originally playing in the shop with her daughter. Yunjie is now a little model in the store. Whenever she wears new clothes and sits in the store, she can attract business.
Just after seeing off a customer who was buying children's clothes, I saw Chen Xiaolang talking to someone outside. Since Jinniang and her shop only have female customers, they let Chen Xiaolang set up a stall outside to sell things for scholars. This way, they don't disturb each other.
Chen Xiaolang usually just delivers goods and greets people, but today his stall is visited by people one after another.
Therefore, during dinner, Jinniang shared the good news with Jiang Xian: "Did you know? More than a dozen of those poetry bags were sold today. I didn't expect them to be sold out in one go."
If you sell a dozen of them, you can get nearly twenty strings of cash.
Jiang Xian is not the kind of person who does good deeds without leaving a name. He tactfully suggests that it might be his own contribution. Naturally, Jinniang gives him a sweet kiss. Jiang Xian hugs her waist and says, "Don't get excited. You're pregnant now."
My belly is almost eight months old, and the baby will be born in one or two months. I hired Mrs. Kong as the midwife, and asked a matchmaker to help me hire a wet nurse. After interviewing two or three people, I found the last one who was very good at coaxing babies and had enough experience. She even knew how to relieve hiccups.
However, considering that the foster mother fabricated a miserable family background last time, Jiang Xian personally investigated her background this time and found that her family background was very clean. That's why Jinniang chose her and asked her to come over a few days before the child was born, but this time she only signed a one-year contract.
The utility room upstairs was converted into the child's room, and the lathe bed and two old boxes were moved there.
When her family of four lived there before, they thought the house was very big, but now after having a child, they feel it is cramped again.
Jinniang had always managed household affairs well, so she told Jiang Xian about her plan for her parents. Jiang Xian was very surprised and said, "So what if we let my parents-in-law stay here? I think it would be more lively this way."
"Since we have our own little family, parents don't want to disturb us. But I think if you pass the imperial examination and get a job outside the capital, our house can't be left empty here, so let them wait for a while." Jinniang said with a smile.
Jiang Xian felt even more satisfied with Jinniang in his heart, because his wife was truly devoted to their family.
Originally, the house belonged to his wife, and he had no opinion on how his wife dealt with it. He hadn't even thought about these issues, but his wife knew everything clearly.
In this way, there is no need to worry.
"But if we really do this, will our parents-in-law have any objections?" This is what Jiang Xian was worried about.
Jinniang smiled and said, "Everything has two sides. How can we take care of everything? Now that we have said it, we are still the closest people. When our children grow up, we have more servants, and my brother is going to get married, there will definitely be conflicts. There will definitely be more problems, and we may even fall out. The friendship we have built over the years will also be worn away. Is this really good? Besides, my parents are not that kind of people."
Even if everyone is annoyed for a while, it will only be a minor annoyance. If the affection of all relatives is completely worn out, it will be counterproductive.
This incident also gave Jiang Xian a lot of inspiration. It turns out that some people don't have to be so thorough and considerate, or even have to have everything perfect.
Just like what happened with Peng Sanlang, no wonder Jinniang didn't persuade him to befriend Peng Sanlang. Instead, she said, "In life, you have friends at every stage. If he avoids you, it's not because he really hates you, but because the gap between you is too big. Meeting him would be torture."
He thought that if it were an ordinary person, he would definitely be afraid of being accused of being unfilial and would not dare to let his parents move out. But his wife was not afraid of these. Everything she did was to stop immediately if something bad was about to happen. Even if it was unpleasant at the moment, it would be beneficial in the long run.
He learned a lot about how to deal with things from his wife.
Jiang Xian also returned the favor by taking Yang Ge'er to poetry gatherings and even introducing him to some learned people. It would be a good thing if he could let his wife's brother find a famous teacher in the future.
June 8th is Jinniang's birthday. Since getting married, Jinniang feels that time has passed particularly quickly. When she was in Zhou's family before, how did she feel that every day was a year? Maybe hard days feel sad, while happy days pass by especially quickly.
Jiang Xian made her favorite crispy meat pie. Before, Jinniang ate too much and got a sore throat, so she didn't dare to eat it and had been abstaining from food for quite some time. Now that she could eat this, she was naturally happy.
This year she is exactly 24 years old, which is also her zodiac year. Jinniang touched the baby in her belly and said: "I hope you can give birth safely."
Jinniang's side was very quiet, but the old house was very lively. Jiang Fang and his wife were visiting to talk. Zheng had people prepare tea and snacks, and Jiang Yan and the Xu couple also brought Xuan Ge'er over, and everyone was having a great time together.
Jiang Fang also praised Xu, saying, "Sister-in-law has taught Xuan Ge'er very well."
Xu said a few words modestly, and Zheng followed suit, but while Zheng was speaking, Xu remained silent.
After the epidemic was over, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law felt disgusted with each other. Xu felt that Zheng was wasteful and extravagant and deliberately flattered her father-in-law, while Zheng felt that Xu was too domineering.
Even Xu often dressed poorly on purpose, and outsiders thought that she treated her daughter-in-law harshly after taking over the family, and she couldn't explain herself.
The relationship between the mother-in-law and the daughter-in-law is a mess. They have to pretend to be affectionate in front of outsiders, but when others leave, they want to spit at each other. But Xu still had to retreat respectfully, and Zheng still had to smile and say a few tolerant words.
After returning to the house, Xu felt pain in her back and chest, but she did not stop. She immediately said to Xuan Ge'er, "I met your uncle today and played for half a day. Go to the study and write."
The Xu family has two Jinshi (imperial examination) graduates, and they have their own way of studying.
However, Xu also felt sorry for her son. The weather was too hot, and her son had grown particularly fast this year. His old clothes no longer fit him. She asked Mrs. Gerhardt, "Have any clothes been sent over from Sweetwater Lane?"
In previous years, Wei from Tianshui Lane would give her son a fine inkstone and clothes.
Mrs. Ge shook her head: "No, Madam Wei is pregnant this year, so I'm afraid she forgot."
"There are several embroiderers in her shop, and it's not her turn to send anything." Xu felt that she was very polite. She even sent some small gifts to Wei on her birthday.
In fact, Jinniang didn't do much with Jiang Xian this year. Firstly, she had made enough clothes in the past, and secondly, she paid great attention to her own body.
This year's pregnancy felt much more stressful than the last time, so apart from doing work in the store during the day, she no longer sewed at night or in her free time. Besides, the two embroiderers in the embroidery shop were also very busy. Jinniang herself started out as an ordinary embroiderer, and she didn't want others to stay up late to do private work for her.
Ah Ying also said to Jin Niang in private: "It's good this way. She only sends some cakes and pastries worth less than fifty cents a box each time, but you always send a lot to Master Xuan."
"I'm too busy to take care of myself this year. Apart from the four seasons and eight festivals, I don't have time to take care of so many things. On her birthday, I even gave her a few feet of fashionable fabric. Anyway, I don't owe her anything." Jinniang didn't care.
As for Xuan Ge'er, she had no opinion about him, but the family's expenses were quite high this year. Naturally, it cannot be the same as in the past. Moreover, if Jiang Xianzhong takes the test and succeeds all the way, the silver money needed will probably not be a small sum, even the money he just paid for the wet nurse. The wet nurse hired by the foster parent this time is not cheap, more than ten taels a year.
The most important thing is that Xu has never given her own daughter anything decent, so she is just reciprocating.
Especially after she gave birth to Yunjie'er, everyone felt that she and Xuan'er gave gifts as if they were trying to please others because they had no sons, so Jinniang was also very annoyed, which was why she did not continue to refute her mother before.
Last year during the Mid-Autumn Festival when Jinniang was still the head of the guild, many gifts were given from various places in the Chamber of Commerce. But this year, only some merchants who had dealings with the embroidery shop gave gifts. Luo Yu'e was still a little emotional, and Jinniang smiled and said, "This is normal."
Just as she finished speaking, she saw Jiang Zhuangyuan's family sending a generous gift. After Jinniang asked Chen Xiaolang to write it down, she went to tell Jiang Xian.
Jiang Xian smiled and said, "My lady, this is just the beginning, don't be afraid."
In the past, it was usually Jinniang who talked and Jiang Xian listened. But somehow, seeing him like this today, his brows showed a bit of aggressiveness while he spoke, and Jinniang blushed slightly.
After the Mid-Autumn Festival, although Jinniang was about to give birth, she still helped her husband prepare the birth basket, which was very particular. The examination baskets were made of bamboo strips, willow branches, rattan or vines. She chose a square three-layered rattan basket with silver-wrapped corners and woven into delicate grids for easy inspection. The handles were also inlaid with gold flower pieces.
There's no way, her husband is a man who likes to be surrounded by flowers.
On the first floor were the cell roofs, cell enclosures, cell curtains, as well as food bags, roll bags, pencil cases, and even wax paper for wrapping cabbages, all neatly arranged. The second layer is for bowls and chopsticks, teacups, stoves, candle scissors, nails, and hammers. The third layer is for peeled longan meat, cooked lotus seeds, rock sugar, snacks, chopped salted eggs, small pieces of ham, baked cakes, rice, and some pickled vegetables, such as pickled eggplant and dried fish.
Of course, there are many small details, such as oilcloth, to prevent rain from falling on the paper when it rains. In addition, when copying, you may have to correct mistakes if you make them, so you also need to bring finishing touches and glue.
Jinniang also prepared the best candles and asked Luo Yu'e to come over and watch: "If my brother has an epiphany, you should also prepare some. Now is a good time to see it clearly."
Luo Yu'e felt dizzy when she saw this: "Why do we have to prepare even nails and hammers?"
"As soon as you enter the examination hall, you have to nail these up. They can protect you from wind and rain and keep you warm at night." Jinniang said with a smile.
As she spoke, she slapped her head again and said, "I forgot to prepare the sachet. I heard that if someone takes the imperial examination near a smelly toilet or goes to the toilet, his body will stink. You know your son-in-law, he likes to be clean."
In addition, several prescriptions of medicine must be prepared to treat coughs, as well as cholera, vomiting and diarrhea, and there are quite a lot of them.
I thought the small test basket would be ready in a short while, but it took two or three days to prepare.
On the day of the examination in Kaifeng Prefecture, Jinniang was still half asleep when she heard Jiang Xian getting up in the dark. She knew that if she woke up, her husband would have to comfort her for a long time again, so she just closed her eyes.
Before Jiang Xian left, he leaned over and kissed Jinniang on the forehead, then strode away.
Uncle Luo drove the car, while Luo Da and Liu Douer helped carry the things onto the carriage...
However, on the first day of Jiang Xian's test, Jinniang got angry. Fortunately, her parents were by her side, and Mrs. Kong was an old hand, so she felt relieved.
To be honest, giving birth is like the gate of hell, and no one can guarantee that they will be the lucky one.
Fortunately, Mrs. Kong was very good at comforting people. She just said, "Don't worry, Madam Wei. Your baby is in the right position and your belly is pointed. It's guaranteed to be a boy. If your husband gets pregnant, it will be a double happiness."
"Then I'll take your good words." Jinniang also hoped that Jiang Xian could find the solution.
This birth went even smoother than the previous one when I gave birth to Jun Jie'er, but there was one thing. Maybe I put too much force on my waist, and after giving birth, my lumbar vertebrae seemed to have dislocated, and I could only lie down.
But everyone was happy for her because she gave birth to a son this time.
Even Aying breathed a sigh of relief. Although she couldn't have children because of the mourning period, outsiders didn't care about that. My husband is only twenty-one this year and has a bright future, but I am twenty-four. If I don’t give birth to a son, how can I consolidate my position?
Looking at Yun Jie'er again, Ah Ying's eyes were filled with tears for some reason: "Girl, my wife is sleeping in there. Can I take you to your grandmother's place?"
"Okay, thank you Sister Aying." Sister Yun obediently let Aying hold her hand.
She was a particularly well-behaved and lovely little girl. These days, Jinniang was feeling heavy and seldom went downstairs, so she asked Luo Mama and Xi Qiu to take her to the study to read.
But Yunjie's good character was also cultivated by the madam. Even after Aying came to the Wei family, she learned how to read, do accounting and handle affairs from the madam. Therefore, they all hope that the madam will be well.
After the little boy was born, Jinniang was not feeling well and only saw her son a few times, but she asked Luo's mother Aying and Minzhi to take turns to look after him. Firstly, they were afraid that the child would be swapped, and secondly, they were afraid that the wet nurse would not be diligent enough.
Luo Yu'e had just gone to see her little grandson, and came in again happily and said, "They say a son looks like his mother. I think the little brother looks exactly like you."
"In this case, my daughter really doesn't want to have children." Jinniang held her forehead with her hand.
Luo Yu'e wiped the sweat off her daughter's face and said, "I know you've suffered a lot. Take good care of yourself during the confinement period. It's better than anything else."
"Okay, daughter understands." Jinniang lay down and wondered how Jiang Xian did in the exam.
At this time, Jiang Xian had been in the examination room for a day. He put the copied articles in the special book bag that his wife made for him, and he always felt a little hungry. So he took out the stove, took out a few small silver fish, and asked the soldiers to help him cook longan and lotus seed soup and steam some crispy cakes.
With money, people were quick to do things and brought the food to him in a moment. Jiang Xian picked up the spoon and ate, and couldn't help thinking of his wife. Doesn’t your wife know how her health is?
He shook his head, putting aside all these complicated things, and decided to prepare for the test first. If the test failed, his wife would still be busy.
My wife started working in the embroidery workshop at the age of nine and has been doing needlework for fifteen years. Although you can't tell from the outside, she really needs to rest and recuperate. Otherwise, she will be blurry-eyed and weak, and in a few years the lack of qi and blood will accelerate aging.
Thinking of this, he quickly finished his meal and continued to write.
After the exam was over and he left the examination room, although he was a little exhausted, he still ran home quickly.
When he got home, the shop was open and Chen Xiaolang was standing in front of the stall at the door. Jiang Xian knew that this was his wife's idea. She had always wanted to expand the shop so that everyone could make money.
Ah Ying had just seen off a guest and said with a smile, "Your clothes were made by our Madam Wei herself."
Jiang Xian went in through the side door, and the house became lively. He went upstairs in two steps. His mother-in-law was playing with Yun Jie'er in the small hall on the second floor. When she saw him, she said excitedly, "Shiliu Lang, Jin Niang gave birth to a little boy, and he is in there now. I have been worried about you. I wonder how you did in the exam?"
Jiang Xian thanked his mother-in-law and hurried in. Seeing his wife lying on the bed, he half-knelt on the ground and said, "Jinniang, I'm back."
This was the first time he called her name. When Jinniang saw him, tears started to flow. "When I gave birth, my lumbar vertebrae seemed to have fallen off. I was so scared. I don't want to have any more children in the future."
"Then don't have a baby." Jiang Xian made the final decision.
His family had three sons, and since the family conditions were not good, his second brother wanted to adopt him. As soon as my mother died, her position was taken by someone else. My father was no different. He would rather his wife be well than suffer.
She was someone who normally would be troubled by her menstrual period, but now she was suffering for such a long time.
Jinniang wanted to hug him, but Jiang Xian came closer, so she quickly covered her nose: "You smell bad. You stink."
Jiang Xian didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Okay, I'll go wash up."
He was very fussy about other people, but he agreed to everything Jinniang asked for free.
After he left, Jinniang realized one thing: he no longer called her "wife" but "Jinniang" instead.
This time, she also stayed in confinement for one and a half months, and her waist was completely healed. When Jinniang came out of confinement again, her son's name had already been chosen, a single character, Ning.
Jinniang was thinking about the embroidery shop, so when she got there, she told Zhu Xiuniang, "Stop making the book bag, and start making the veil, wedding quilt, wedding dress, and wedding curtains. I'll work with you, and it'll be quicker."
Zhu Xiu Niang didn't understand: "The list of candidates hasn't come out yet, and there will be a provincial exam next year. I'm sure we won't be able to sell all the poems in the scholars' bags."
"You are wrong. There are so many young candidates taking the exam this time, and the girls from wealthy families have already started looking for husbands. The wedding items in our shop are well-known. Just listen to me. You don't have to make school bags. We can make more children's clothes and wedding quilts and prepare them in advance. Just listen to me." Jinniang said with a smile.
Zhu Xiu Niang was surprised and asked, "My wife, you have given birth to a son, your husband might be relieved. But I see you look like nothing happened. If it were someone else, they would definitely be worried."
Jinniang smiled and said, "I am now worried about our business."
Even if Jiang Xian won, if you talk too much about it, others may not be happy to share your joy.
Even after she had told her mother about it for several days, her mother asked if her younger brother could win, saying that her younger brother was also very good.
Jiang Xian made the lunch dishes again. He was a picky eater and he became quite good at cooking after learning a few dishes. He could almost learn them after watching them a few times. The couple sat opposite each other while eating. Jiang Xian sighed, "I get sick of the food at banquets outside if I eat too much. The porridge and side dishes at home are still better."
"Hehe, what nonsense are you talking about?" Jinniang glanced at him.
Jiang Xian didn't understand.
Jinniang then said, "People who don't know would think you went to Qinlou and Chuguan, that's why you said these things."
"Ahem, my lady, please don't wrongly accuse me." Jiang Xian stood up suddenly, but remembering what he said, he pointed at Jin Niang and said, "You are really slandering me. But you are not just a simple culprit."
Jinniang was deliberately teasing him, and when she heard him say that, she couldn't help but laugh.
The result of the test would be announced in two months. During these days, Jinniang asked Jiang Xian to study at home. She also said, "The Art of War by Sun Tzu says that if one's chest is like thunder but his face is as calm as a lake, he can be promoted to general."
Jiang Xian obeyed everything. He thought that just like his wife being the leader, everyone else was extra calm, but he didn't even know whether he had won or not?
The embroidery shop was extremely quiet at first, but half a month later, a family came to return the wedding quilt, saying, "We haven't used this quilt for a single day. We just brought it here brand new."
Jinniang flipped through their purchase records and couldn't help but sneer, "You got the goods three months ago. I asked you to inspect them at that time, and you said they were correct and even put your fingerprints on them. Now I don't even know if you have stamped them. Why should I return them? If you return them, I won't be able to sell them."
"How can you be such a boss? My daughter died in the bridal sedan when she got married, so naturally she was not covered up." The man shouted at the top of his voice.
Ah Ying couldn't help it: "You guys are dead, but you still brought things in. It's really unlucky. Get out of here. We won't joke with you."
Jinniang naturally disagreed. Minzhi and Zhu Xiuniang came out to cheer them on. Seeing that the female soldiers of Wei's embroidery shop were very imposing, this man retreated in embarrassment.
However, after this person left, Jinniang was still very confused: "Didn't the Du family have a daughter who married into the richest family in South City? How could she die suddenly?"
Ah Ying asked, "Madam, the richest man in the south of the city was originally a servant in the Du family. Later, when he became rich, he wanted to marry the daughter of his former master. You can see that the Du family had long been impoverished, and he was eager to marry into the family. But the young lady felt humiliated and tried to commit suicide several times at home. Later, she swallowed gold and died in the sedan chair."
Jinniang sneered: "This kind of family background is simply harmful to others and oneself. The Du family may have come from farmers or poor families three generations ago, and they are conservative and unchangeable."
After she finished speaking, Aying glanced at Jinniang, afraid that she would think of herself, but she saw that Jinniang was calm. Aying thought that her wife always seemed to feel that she deserved the best things in the world and rarely complained about herself.
But just as the two of them finished talking, they heard the sound of gongs and drums outside. It turned out that someone had come to announce the good news.
Jiang Xianjie tried it! He is also the governor of Kaifeng Prefecture.
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