Chapter 93 Chapter 93 Two Chapters in One
After returning from Woxuean, Jinniang went to see her children first. Xiqiu and Ma Yangniang listened to Jinniang very much and did not take the two children out when she was not at home. Jinniang, who had read too much social news, was very wary of people's hearts.
"Mom, why didn't you bring me any delicious food when you went out this time?" Yun Jieer asked, hugging Jin Niang's arm.
Jinniang touched her daughter's head and said, "It's my fault. I forgot."
Sister Yun shook her head: "Mom is the best mom, she can't be a bad mom."
Her daughter was very nice. Jinniang hugged her daughter and asked her what she did today and whether she had gone out. As the mother and daughter were talking, Jiang Xian came back. Yun Jie'er was taken away by the maid first, and then the couple talked together.
Seeing that Jinniang didn't look very well, Jiang Xian hurriedly asked what happened. Jinniang said, "I saw my elder sister today."
"Who?" A gust of wind blew by, and Jiang Xian almost thought he had encountered a ghost.
Jinniang quickly stood up, held his hand and said, "It's not a ghost, it's really my elder sister."
She had never told Jiang Xian about this before. After all, this was a family scandal. They were a married couple and it would be bad if someone could use it as a handle against them. Since we have met today, I won't be frightened if Jiang Xian sees me in the future, or if the servants recognize me, which would make me feel uncomfortable.
Now he told me the whole story, and said, "My mother told me when I was about to come here. She had promised Feng Sheng that year. She was probably afraid that if everyone knew about it, it would be bad for our reputation."
Jiang Xian thought that Feng Sheng had cheated on him, framed his wife for divorce, and married another woman. He was really scheming. But Sister Wei herself is not without problems. She can be seduced away by anyone, and she lives like this with two hundred strings of cash, and is content to eat coarse food.
He didn't understand, but he had to share his wife's worries, because his wife always considered him in everything.
"My wife, do you know? The fact that you told me all this shows that you truly treat me as a family member. In fact, it's already pretty good that your eldest sister was able to reach Wu County safely and has given birth to a son. We send her some gifts during festivals and holidays, which is our best intention. You are just her cousin, not her parent." Jiang Xian said.
Jinniang nodded: "I think so too."
Jiang Xian smiled and said, "Don't worry too much. I heard that the new county magistrate is coming to take office soon."
This is the real business. Jinniang pondered for a moment and then said, "Eldest sister said what if I was framed by my husband? At that moment, I only thought about whether I was suspected of cursing her husband, but forgot to answer this question."
Jiang Xian immediately expressed his loyalty: "My dear, I will never set a trap to harm you."
"Hmph, I just want to say that if you set a trap to frame me, I will definitely be like Wu Zixu. I won't be like Rong Niang, who has hatred in her heart but no rules." Jin Niang also criticized her husband.
Jiang Xian cursed Feng Sheng eight hundred times in his heart.
Fortunately, Jinniang was not the kind of person who would cry over someone else's coffin being brought to her home, and she quickly returned to normal. However, when talking to Aying and Chen Xiaolang, he gave another reason. He said that Rong Niang fell into the water and was rescued by someone. Later, both of them got married, so they kept it a secret and only asked them to send gifts for the four seasons and festivals.
Don’t even tell Fang’s mother about this. The less people know about it, the better.
Jinniang asked Aying to deliver a Mid-Autumn Festival gift to Rongniang's family on her behalf. In fact, Aying had never liked Rongniang very much. She felt that when her wife had not been engaged, she and Yingniang had treated their wife with condescending attitude. She had cheated on her husband before and was divorced, and now she lied to her wife, saying that she was rescued by someone. Maybe she had done something ugly again.
However, since my wife had given the order, Aying naturally went there as ordered.
Rong Niang was very happy to see A Ying. A Ying was a little angry at first, having walked such a long way on a muddy road. But when she saw that the place where Rong Niang lived was so poor that she could not even step foot, and the bed was made of straw, it was really very simple, A Ying also felt some sympathy for her.
"Madam, our wife asked me to come and see what you need. I will send it to you in some time." Aying said with a smile.
Rong Niang saw that Jin Niang sent a blue cloth jacket, a coarse silk jacket, a corner of lamb wine, two boxes of small cakes, half a pork, a small jar of salted duck eggs, two cough medicines, and two kinds of loose tea.
Ah Ying also smiled and said, "My wife said that in the countryside, if you send something too good, it might be targeted by thieves. Please don't be disgusted."
Rong Niang thought that her child had not eaten meat for a long time, and knew that these things might not be available for purchase even with money, so she thanked him again and again. After Aying delivered the things, she had to go back and report quickly, and she didn't dare to delay.
Before she left, Rong Niang called her: "Aying, can you help me say something to your wife?"
Aying was stunned for a moment.
**
The new county magistrate is a former Jinshi (imperial scholar). After passing the imperial examination, he was originally appointed as a judge in Qinfeng Road. Later, he was in mourning for three years. Now he has been reinstated and directly sent to Wu County. He must have some background.
The new county magistrate was quite Buddhist. After taking office, he let everyone do their respective duties. He even handed over the affairs of the county school to Jiang Xian, and assigned the task of catching thieves to Mei County Wei. As for taxation, he let Han Zhubu handle it.
Jiang Xian and his family's lives became much better, but the new county magistrate's wife was not one to be worried about.
The county magistrate's wife's surname is Wen, and Jinniang and the others don't know where she came from. It was just that it was their first meeting and according to etiquette, each of them presented water gifts first. Jinniang presented two jars of Jinhua wine, a piece of persimmon-calyx silk, a piece of square-patterned silk, two boxes of small cakes (moon cakes), a box of dew-dripping lilies, and a bag of southern incense.
Mrs. Tian sent two jars of fine wine, two baskets of crabs, two boxes of small cakes, and a bag of agarwood. Mrs. Bao gave two boxes of small cakes, a pair of knee pads, and a piece of cloth.
The three of them were still the same as before, Jinniang and Tianniang gave normal gifts, while Baoniang gave slightly less.
After the new Madam Wen arrived, she remained calm and just asked the people around her to inquire about the families of the officials in the county government. Madam Sheng, who followed her, was very good at inquiring and got some clues within three days.
"Han Zhubu's wife was originally the daughter of the Tongpan of Dengzhou. She had a very generous dowry and was very popular in the county government. Everyone, from top to bottom, liked her and they all called her Bodhisattva. Although Jiang Xianwei's wife was not the daughter of an official, she was from a scholarly family and had a lot of money. She was probably richer than Han Zhubu's wife, and she also had a reputation for being kind and righteous in the county government. Finally, Mrs. Bao from Mei Xianwei's family was a bit stingy. You can tell from the list. She was always trying to stir up trouble and make things difficult for the clerks in the county government." Mother Sheng said.
Madam Wen smiled and said, "Please sit down, Mom. It's amazing that you can plan so clearly in such a short time."
Mother Sheng was very careful and only dared to sit on the tip of the stool, not firmly.
Then I heard Madam Wen say, "Then please ask Madam Bao to come over and talk to you later."
"This..." Mother Sheng questioned, "This Madam Bao is not someone who is easy to get along with."
Madam Wen smiled slightly: "She has nothing, so she depends on me more."
Hearing Madam Wen say this, Mother Sheng also reacted. Yes, Madam Wei and Madam Tian have money, and their husbands are also promising. Han Zhubu comes from a prominent family and has his own family power. Jiang County Magistrate passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi. He also came from a prime minister's family, so he didn't need to curry favor with him. But it was different for Bao Niangzi and Mei County Magistrate.
If you have a low status, you have to find someone to rely on, and it will be easy to use them against you in the future.
Therefore, at the welcoming banquet prepared for Madam Wen, Jinniang saw that Madam Wen was very respectful to Madam Bao, and Madam Bao also spoke gently and tenderly, while the other ladies looked indignant.
Qin Dutou's wife went to Jinniang and said, "I think Madam Wen was deceived by her and thought she was a good person."
Jinniang smiled and said, "That's not something we should worry about. A journey of a thousand miles will reveal a person's true character."
Qin Dutou's wife thought that they were under the jurisdiction of the county lieutenant anyway, and the county magistrate's wife could not control them. Besides, Madam Wei was very calm, so there was no need for her to worry.
Little did she know that after she left, Jinniang was thinking about another thing. Rongniang asked Aying to tell her that Shang Dalang gave up his position as a minor official in Bian Jing for her, and now she wanted to ask Jinniang to help Shang Dalang find a job.
I guess this elder sister doesn't want to live a good life, she just wants to live a good life without any effort or hard work. If they were happy in poverty, why would they want to continue working as petty officials?
However, Jinniang also felt a little unbalanced. Am I working so hard just to let you, Rongniang, get everything you want without any effort?
Yes, you don’t like socializing, you don’t like working hard, and you don’t like to put in any effort. You just like to live your own life. Which woman in this world wouldn't want to get everything by just lying down?
It is indeed pitiful that you were framed by your husband, but from Jinniang's selfish point of view, it was not us who harmed you.
She is not that philanthropic, nor that generous. Besides, Shang Dalang already had a wife back then, and he was having an affair with Rong Niang when they rented Feng Sheng's house. This man may not be loyal to his wife. Wouldn't he return to his old ways if he saw a good woman in the future?
"Aying, we can just send her some things to help her improve her life in the future. I can't help her with anything else." Jinniang still decided to follow her heart.
In the future, if Rong Niang and the others are willing to use their money and the things she gave them to improve their lives and find their own way out, she will not have any complaints. It's just that I don't want to be like this anymore, so let her blame me if she wants.
She made up her mind about this matter, turned the page from her heart, and never thought about it again.
It is also said that before the Mid-Autumn Festival, Jinniang had already arranged fruits and snacks in the yard, and had people send hand-washing crabs from a nearby restaurant. At that time, everyone could enjoy the moon and eat crabs, which was a unique experience.
Mrs. Bao also came at this time. During the Mid-Autumn Festival reunion, Mrs. Bao naturally wanted to send her away. I gave away a few boxes of cookies, two chickens and two ducks, and a few feet of cloth that were sent by others.
Seeing how generous the gift was, Mrs. Bao said casually, "I saw Aying, who was with Madam Wei, in our village a few days ago. She seemed to be there as a festival gift."
Mrs. Bao was puzzled: "Could it be that there are some important people in our village who have not been here?"
"That's not the case. It's the same in our family." Mrs. Bao said with a smile.
Mrs. Bao was worried that she couldn't find any evidence to hold Jinniang accountable, and now that she had a clue, she would not let it go, so she asked Qiao'er to open the purse and give it to her sister-in-law, and said, "Then please help me find out what their relationship is."
Mrs. Bao agreed without hesitation.
After the Mid-Autumn Festival, Jinniang began to re-embroider the Purple-robed Guanyin that she felt she had failed at. This was a big project, so she devoted herself to it.
After getting up early and finishing the housework, Aying and Qingrong were also working. They were both taking apart and washing the quilts, and then they had to wash Jinniang's underwear. After Jinniang's instruction, Yunjie'er is now able to hold a needle and start sewing, and can also knit a few simple laces. Her chubby hands have become more flexible.
But Jinniang would not let her daughter do it all the time. She would let her do it for a while, then teach her to read and watch her trace the characters. What children need to exercise most now is the ability to concentrate. If they cannot concentrate on one thing, they will be distracted no matter what they do in the future.
After lunch, there was a letter from home at the post station. It was written by Yang Ge'er at her mother's request. There were two pieces of good news in the letter. The original owner of the house in Choushui Lane had no money to redeem it after the mortgage period had expired after ten years. After negotiating with the original owner, they paid an extra 100 guan (about 100 strings of cash) and successfully obtained the title deed and land deeds of Choushui Lane. They then spent another 100 guan (about 100 strings of cash) to renovate the house. My younger brother Yang Ge'er was admitted to the Kaifeng Prefecture School in the spring of this year and is now a student of the prefecture.
Jinniang was very happy for them, and she heard her mother thank her in the letter, otherwise they would not have the money to buy the property while supporting a scholar.
As for the things she left behind when she left, they sold them and now have found a new place to open a shop.
The shops in Bian Jing often liked to raise the rent if they saw that the business was a little better. This was why Jinniang did not build a back house at that time, but preferred to turn it into a shop.
She told Jiang Xian the news, and Jiang Xian was also very happy, "That's good, this way my father-in-law and mother-in-law won't worry about Yang Ge'er's future anymore."
"Yeah, I think so too. Even if he can't pass the imperial examination, I just hope he can pass the Jie exam. It would be great if he can make a living as a teacher in the future." Jinniang knew that those who could pass the exam were either from famous families or had outstanding talents. Yang Ge'er had neither of those qualities. If he could pass the Jie exam and enter the Imperial College, it would not be impossible for him to be an assistant teacher in the county school in the future.
Jiang Xian thought that his wife was as pragmatic as ever. It was rare for people to pass the imperial examination. Our county magistrate passed the examination at the age of 34, and now he is 40 years old and has been appointed as the county magistrate.
Therefore, he couldn't understand why Rong Niang asked Jin Niang to ask her for an official position. Jin Niang would not even ask her for anything even for her own brother? She even had strict requirements for her own children. Yun Jie'er was already tracing and doing needlework and arithmetic at the age of four. Ning Ge'er had to learn to eat by himself at the age of two and study with his sister every day.
When the two were happy, they heard news from outside that the eldest master of the Gu family had passed away. Master Gu was the richest man in Wu County and was very active in building bridges and roads and paying taxes. As the new wife of the county lord, Madam Wen also had to go to pay tribute with the wives of other officials in the yamen.
Jinniang and the others also attended the event in plain clothes. The Gu family was more familiar with Jinniang. Moreover, when Jiang Xian was acting as the county magistrate, although Jiang Xian was young, his ability to get things done convinced everyone. Therefore, the attitudes of everyone in the Gu family towards Madam Wen and Jinniang seem to be the same, but their attitude towards Jinniang is closer. Madam Tian will not argue about these things, but Madam Wen is extremely sensitive.
Although her last name is Wen, her personality is completely opposite.
Her husband is a man indifferent to fame and fortune. After passing the imperial examination, he liked to sit and watch the flowers bloom in all seasons. Instead, he found paperwork tiring. But Madam Wen was born into a family of officials. She was the second of three sisters in the family. She had not been valued by her parents since she was a child. In the end, it was her husband who passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi, which finally allowed her to be proud in her family.
However, her husband had just served as an official for one term when he went into mourning. After that period of mourning, he had no intention of resuming his official career. Now that he has finally got this good position, she naturally hopes that her husband can achieve something.
But the entire Wu County seemed to be controlled by Jiang Xian. Even if her husband didn't care, she couldn't help but care.
Now seeing the Gu family's attitude towards Jinniang, she is even more upset.
Jinniang was such a meticulous person that she had noticed that Madam Wen was not angry, but she did not immediately start begging in a servile manner. To put it bluntly, the gap between them is not that big, and they are not her servants.
"Miss Eldest and Miss Second, please accept my condolences." Jinniang stood up and persuaded Miss Eldest and Miss Second Gu.
Now that the eldest daughter has married a man at home, and her husband is an official's son, and with the help of Jiang Xian and others, they have not encountered anyone causing trouble. But Madam Gu privately told Jinniang, "There are some people who are trying to find out, and they think it's difficult to make a move in the clan. Fortunately, County Magistrate Jiang's letter is in our hands, so they dare not do anything."
"That's good. If you have any difficulties, just send someone to deliver a letter. We can't let anyone bully you." Jinniang knew how difficult it was for a woman to protect her wealth.
Old Madam Gu nodded and wiped her tears with a handkerchief. If her son were still alive, there would be no need to do this.
Jinniang asked someone to take good care of Old Madam Gu and also talked a lot with Madam Gu.
All these things were of course a good opportunity for Madam Bao to whisper something in Madam Wen's ears. Madam Bao was a capable person who could keep her eyes and ears open, and she had already noticed Madam Wen's expression.
As expected, Madam Wen said to Madam Bao, "If you hadn't said it, I wouldn't have known that her family and the Gu family had such a deep connection."
"Yes, what she said about being a blessed lady, maybe she is just doing it for money. I was just saying that our two families are both county lieutenants, so how come her family is so rich." Madam Bao said.
But Madam Wen is obviously not a shrew. After all, she is the wife of an official. If she wants to deal with someone, she must find a fatal move, or have real evidence. Otherwise, slandering others will not work, and she will probably be retaliated against.
When the Double Ninth Festival came, Madam Wen suggested that everyone go to the suburbs to climb mountains together. This was the first time she called on everyone, and Jinniang and the others naturally agreed.
It is said that Shen Zhijun had previously advocated a simple lifestyle, which had improved the atmosphere among the upper and lower classes. However, not long after, the old habits returned. When Tui Guan Yan hosted a banquet last time, almost everyone dressed up deliberately. Even the new Madam Wen wore a pearl crown. Aying urged Jin Niang to wear a new gold crown, but Jin Niang still wore her own silver crown with a Ruyi cloud pattern, with fashionable silk flowers on both sides. Originally, she would have worn a silver crown, but Tian Shi was also wearing a silver crown. Madam Bao had to wear a silver crown this time because Yang Dutou's wife said she was a gold crown last time.
All three of them wore silver crowns, but only Madam Wen was dressed luxuriously, which made Madam Wen, who was wearing a emerald crown today, feel proud. But she immediately adjusted herself and tried her best to look calm and composed.
After walking a few steps, they rested in the pavilion. Madam Wen had some Chongyang flower cakes served and said, "You can also try the cooking skills of my chef."
Jinniang and the others ate the snacks and thought they tasted just average. If you were to ask which family had the best snacks, it would naturally be Tian Niang's. But on such occasions, they all praised Mrs. Wen's family for doing a good job.
"I heard that there is a monument of merit in front. When my father was the prefect of Qingzhou a few years ago, he also saw a similar monument of merit, but it was in a different shape." Madam Wen said with a smile.
Jinniang thought that Madam Wen's father must be a high-ranking official, but she just listened quietly without showing any expression.
Madam Wen was even more shocked. The fact that he was so calm showed that he had a stronger backing.
"Madam Wei, I heard that you bought a large piece of land here." Madam Bao cracked pine nuts and said it just for fun.
Madam Wen was surprised: "Don't we have permanent land and official land? Why did we buy land?"
Jinniang said, "These are the government's after all. I have a daughter, so I have to think about some things for her. Otherwise, if I really wait until she gets married to buy them, I don't know if I can buy them. To be honest, because of this, our family is really thrifty."
"That's true." Madam Wen also had a daughter. When her eldest daughter got married, her husband had just passed the imperial examination and was not well off, so she gave her dowry land to her daughter.
What Jinniang said was reasonable. When Bao Niang saw that she had persuaded everyone to change their sides with just a few words, she was about to say something when Liu Douer rode over and said, "Madam, there's a letter from the Eighth Aunt."
It turned out that Mrs. Dou Er had arranged a marriage for her daughter Dou Yuan. She wanted Jinniang to be the wife of a happy man, and she even sent a boat to pick her up.
When Madam Wen heard this, she quickly said, "This Dou family is the family of Mr. Dou from Yangzhou."
"Yes, Mrs. Dou is my husband's aunt." Jinniang said with a smile.
Madam Wen immediately said, "I didn't expect that County Magistrate Jiang was from a famous family. How come I haven't heard you mention it before?"
Jinniang said hurriedly: "What's the point of being from a famous family? The master always tells us to be low-key and not bring shame to our ancestors."
Madam Wen praised Jinniang a few more times.
Because the Dou family came and made Madam Wen change her attitude, Madam Bao was throwing things around at home and said to Qiao'er, "They have reconciled, and I am really a villain in vain."
At this moment, someone outside said that Mrs. Bao was coming. Mrs. Bao snorted coldly, "Other relatives are so important, but my relative is a poor man who asks me for money every day." She refused to see her. Qiao'er was afraid that Mrs. Bao would be criticized if she couldn't get in. Knowing that Mrs. Bao was just being stubborn, she still invited Mrs. Bao in.
This time, Aunt Bao told a secret: "Aunt, I found out something important this time. It's about Wei."
"Oh, tell me about it quickly." Madam Bao was interested. As the wife of a county lieutenant, she was really suppressed by the Wei family and was not willing to accept it.
Mrs. Bao whispered in Mrs. Bao's ear for a long time. The more Mrs. Bao listened, the happier she became. She clapped her hands and said, "My goodness, I didn't expect that she was also born a maid. Look how she thinks she is pretending in front of me."
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