Chapter 9 Chapter 9 Extra Chapter The King of Hell fights, and Jinniang wins...
"You mean, Madam didn't give a penny as a reward?" Jiang looked at Yanhong and asked.
Yanhong nodded: "That's right, Jinniang in the sewing room is famous for her good craftsmanship. She stayed up late and lit the lamp to rush to make clothes and send them. I heard that she fell on the way and was kicked out by the lady who pointed at her nose and criticized her."
Jiang raised her eyebrows and said, "She is from a wealthy family, yet she is so mean. Go to the back room quietly and give the child two coats. I remember last year I had a yellow silk coat that was made bigger, and I also had a blue Hang silk coat that was given to me by my servants. I haven't worn it yet, so give them all to her."
Yanhong was surprised and said, "You think highly of her, and you rewarded her with two coats like this."
Jiang smiled and said, "You are still jealous. I have my reasons for doing this."
There are some things that cannot be said to Yanhong, because Yanhong and Luying, who are by her side, are better dressed than the daughters of ordinary minor officials when they go out. The more the aunt criticized her people, the more she praised them. This meant that she knew that the aunt was unwilling to give any reward, so there was nothing wrong with her people, but the aunt.
By then, if the old lady wants to accomplish something and the servants do their job perfunctorily, she will definitely be in a bad situation.
And Jiang happened to not want this lady to come back. If she didn't come back, the old lady's money would be used as dowry for the girls in the first house. Otherwise, the family would have to pay out money, which she didn't want.
So, after Yanhong gave two jackets to Jinniang, she spread the news everywhere, secretly revealing the fact that the lady's aunt did not give any reward money.
Jinniang was very happy to get two jackets. She was also glad that Fang Qiaolian went to her godmother's house for dinner today. Qin Shuang'er and Jiang Shanjie were not in the room, so she quietly put them away and continued to wear her own jacket.
On New Year's Eve, the room was cold and deserted, but Jinniang felt very comfortable. She went to the tea room to fetch water, took a bath and washed her hair. When her hair was half dry, Fang Qiaolian came back first and even brought hot chestnuts for Jinniang.
"Thank you very much." Jinniang said with a smile.
Fang Qiao Lian smiled and said, "What are you thanking me for? You might as well do as I did and find a godmother and keep her for the future."
Unexpectedly, Fang Qiaolian told her about her plan. Jinniang shook her head and said, "I am different from you. My mother didn't agree with me coming to Beijing. If I stay in the mansion, they will probably come to my house in the future. Will the godmother you recognize now deduct your money? You should be careful."
Fang Qiao Lian said, "She wanted to take my money, but I refused. I just gave her a hundred bucks a month and asked her to help me buy some expensive things. It would be good for her to make friends with me."
"Well, that's great. Let's not talk about this anymore. I'll hear Lan Xue and the others say tomorrow that there is a customary reward. I wonder if we have it?" She didn't come to the Zhou family to make friends, but to make money.
However, the Zhou family is really kind. These girls who have only been here for a month or so also receive regular rewards, which are year-end bonuses. Old maids like Yanhong and Luying get ten taels a year, while maids like Lanxue who have skills get five taels a year. There are also handkerchiefs, sweat towels, and rulers. Even those hired from outside like Jinniang get two taels.
When they returned to the sewing room, Madam Chen gave each of the four of them a reward of 200 coins. Jinniang and the others gave Xiao Si and He'er a pair of purses each, with ten coins in each purse.
Everyone was in high spirits.
During the New Year holidays, the sewing room was relatively quiet, and Jinniang and the others slept well for a few days.
When Lan Xue brought the clothes and asked her to mend them, she said a lot: "It is said that the eldest son of the second house is in poor health, and the second house is preparing a coffin and preparing for a happy occasion. But what a coincidence, the second wife is pregnant."
"Really?" Jinniang poked the needle with a thimble, a little surprised.
The last time she went to her aunt's house, she saw the second wife, Mrs. Wu, from a distance. Mrs. Wu should be about 32 or 33 years old.
Lan Xue was fanning the small clay stove with a fan. This was a small hanging pear soup cooked for Jiang. There were also several beautifully arranged fresh and dried fruits on the side. She took a piece of snow pear and stuffed it into Jin Niang's mouth. She said, "Of course it's true. My sister works in the second house. She gets twice as much reward as I do. The second master is very rich. She usually gets more reward than me. Now, if the second lady gives birth, she will get reward again."
"That's such a happy event." Jinniang took a bite of the pear. It was juicy and delicious. Anyway, the affairs of the second house had nothing to do with them.
There was a hole in Lanxue's jacket caused by fire. Jinniang selected a piece of similar color to patch the hole first, and then casually embroidered a small flower. Lanxue was happy to see it, and even gave her two extra pears and two tangerines.
Seeing Jinniang refuse, Lanxue said, "Just accept it. I don't have anything better to give you."
The maids from wealthy families who can achieve a certain status are really very knowledgeable about the ways of the world. Last time, thanks to Yanhong, Jinniang got two coats. She was thinking about what to give as a gift, but Lanxue reminded her to go to the kitchen and ask someone to prepare some snacks, as Yanhong might not like them. Instead, it would be better to give her something she is good at.
So he turned around and went to the east side room in front, and saw Yanhong bowing first: "Thanks to my sister for speaking up for me in front of the lady a few days ago, the lady rewarded me with two jackets, but I have nothing, so I didn't give my sister anything, so I delayed it."
Yanhong smiled and said, "I didn't say that for you. It's not easy for you to come to the mansion to work."
"Sister, you are naturally chivalrous, but if I don't repay your kindness, what kind of person would I be? It happens that I have some pearl-white satin left over from cutting clothes last time, so I wanted to use the pattern of your shoes to embroider three-drunken hibiscus flowers on them. I just don't know if you want flat-toed shoes or something else?" Jinniang only had some scraps of cloth, which Mrs. Chen would not take. The only slightly larger piece of cloth she had was this pearl-white satin.
After hearing what Jinniang said about "Three Drunk Lotuses", she was somewhat tempted: "Let's just make flat shoes. We maids usually walk outside a lot."
She drew the pattern of shoes here again, and asked Yanhong if she had any crooks on her feet. Seeing how meticulous she was, Yanhong praised her again and said, "Just take your time and give it to me after the Lantern Festival. Don't come here so often these days. During the New Year holidays, the master, the second young master, and the madam's nephews all come to pay their respects. It would be bad if they offended me."
Just as Jinniang was about to say yes, she heard a maid coming over and saying, "Sister Yanhong, the Madam wants you to come over. She said that Miao Xiaoniang is pregnant."
Yanhong, who had been slow and composed just now, stood up suddenly. Jinniang thought to herself that she always said in modern times that in ancient times the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children was not obvious and the system was based on the father, but is there really no difference at all? Not to mention ancient times, even in modern times, how can one allow others to sleep soundly beside one’s bed? Judging from Yanhong's expression, it doesn't look like everything is alright.
Jinniang thought that Miao Xiaoniang was pregnant and the eldest lady was uncomfortable. She was afraid that the sewing room would have to make clothes and shoes for the newborn boy or girl. She didn't expect that this was the beginning of a family feud in the Zhou family. Of course, this is a story for later.
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