Chapter 99 Chapter 99 Two Chapters in One
Spring is here, Jinniang washed and put away all the fur clothes. Yunjie'er and Ningge'er's fur coats were made bigger so that they could continue to wear them for two or three years.
Everyone in the family is busy taking apart and washing the thick bedding and putting on new thin quilts.
It just so happened that Jinniang sent the new maidservant to Yunjie'er to the kitchen to learn cooking. When she gets married in the future, she will have Jiao Xing who is good at needlework, another maidservant who is good at cooking, and Fan Si who can manage the farm. In this way, she will have a complete team.
But what parents have prepared is for them. Whether or not you can control these people in the future depends on Sister Yun herself.
Xi Qiu and Fan Si got married in the spring, and their house was next door to Liu Dou'er and his family. However, Fan Si had to manage the farm with Fan Zhuangtou, so he only came back once every few days. Xi Qiu has tied her hair up. She usually takes care of the two maids in Yunjie'er's room and becomes more and more concerned about Yunjie'er.
A new chief clerk came to the county government office. Jiang Xian said before that the new chief clerk was in his forties, but in fact he was already fifty years old, which was not considered old. As the saying goes, a man of thirty is old enough to become a scholar, and a man of fifty is young enough to become a Jinshi. He took his old wife and son with him to take up the post.
Jinniang first asked Juxiang to make a box of rose cakes, and also prepared three baskets of fish and shrimp, a piece of pig's trotter, and two pieces of colorful satin.
It’s not that she prepared something expensive, but Madam Wen only prepared these things, so she couldn’t go overboard.
The new clerk was also over fifty years old and was called Mrs. He. Her family was quite particular and gave her a piece of crabapple red silk with tortoise-back pattern, a piece of small silk, half a sheep, two boxes of snacks, and three boxes of fresh fruit.
Ah Ying was sewing the soles of shoes. She couldn't help but say, "Madam, the He family has only one son. He Yanei is a student in Nanjing. I heard that the main wife of the family passed away a few years ago, so their family is quiet."
The Nanjing Imperial College was not in Nanjing, Jiangsu today, but in Shangqiu, Henan, and the current Nanjing was called Jiangning Prefecture at that time.
"That's good." Jinniang felt relieved.
As usual, Madam Wen hosted a welcome party for the He family, and Jinniang also went to have a meal. Later, she invited Madam He to come over for dinner, and the two of them were able to talk.
When Mrs. He saw Jinniang wearing a brocade dress, with pearls and jade on her head, and behaving in an elegant manner, she already had a good impression of her. After a round of drinks, she was seen to be well-educated, well-mannered, and elegantly spoken. Her children came to greet her, and they all looked like a perfect match. Mrs. He hurriedly took out gifts.
Jinniang smiled and said, "How could I have taken away your things?"
Mrs. He insisted, and Jinniang asked Yunjie and Ningge to express their gratitude before leaving.
Mrs. He was old. She burned incense and prayed to Buddha at home all day long and never caused any trouble. She had settled down in the county government office. Jinniang has gotten used to this kind of separation, but Wenniang is a little emotional: "Of the three people I met when I came here, only you are here now."
Madam Tian followed her husband to Liyang, and no one knew where Madam Bao went. No wonder people say that although officials come and go, the clerks remain unchanged. But Jinniang has gradually accepted all of this, from frowning on her face to now. She persuaded Wen Niangzi instead: "Life is full of regrets, and the water flows eastward."
This sentence comes from Li Yu's "Meeting Again: The Flowers in the Forest Have Faded in Spring", which means that the regrets in life are like the river flowing eastward, never-ending. She used this sentence to persuade Madam Wen that regrets are the norm in life. Instead of dwelling on the irreversible past, it is better to let go of these regrets and cherish every day of her life.
Seeing Madam Wen nodded, Jinniang was quite happy.
How could she know that after she left, Madam Wen said to Madam Sheng beside her: "What did Madam County Lieutenant mean just now?"
Mother Sheng shook her head. How would she know?
It is also said that there are many diseases in spring. Shen Zhijun's son suffered from cough. Old Madam Shen wanted to go to the temple to worship Buddha, and the wives of the officials accompanied her. Jinniang, who had her hair combed in a lily bun, wrapped in plain gauze and with a golden comb in front, also followed them. She actually discovered that these ladies might not really believe in Buddhism, but when things were beyond their human power, they would place their faith in gods and Buddhas.
Another reason is that most women have a stronger sense of morality. They may not think anything of some things that men do, but women will often reflect on themselves. This is also the reason why there are so many people praying to gods and Buddhas.
Although Jinniang didn't believe in it in her heart, she copied the scriptures and appeared very pious.
There is no way to ensure that the people below will follow suit unless the leaders set an example.
Although Shen Zhijun was a very honest person, his family members were not always like this. Yun Jieer said that she saw several strings of prayer beads on Shen Wujie, saying that they were given to her by her subordinates as a gift.
After finishing a vegetarian meal, Jinniang listened to Buddhist teachings for a while before going back yawning. Ah Ying was even more nervous than a chicken pecking at rice. After a jolt, she woke up and said, "My wife, this Buddhist teaching is too profound. I still don't quite understand it."
"It's normal that you don't understand. If you can comprehend Zen at your age, that would be amazing." Jinniang said with a smile.
When I returned to the county government office, I heard that Gu Qingru had come, but seeing that there was no one there, she left.
Jinniang thought that since she didn't leave any message, she probably just came to talk, so she sent someone to Xi Que Lane to ask the next day. Gu Qingru said that she just came to talk and it was nothing serious. Therefore, Jinniang planned to invite her to talk before the Cold Food Festival.
Ruyan came to visit again. Originally, it was Jinniang who had been supporting her. Later, she went out with Jiang Liujie, and she was able to get some of the money from the medical consultation, which was enough for her own use.
Today she prepared a crystal goose, two roast ducks, four fresh chickens, and six plates of birthday peaches to celebrate Jiang Xian's birthday. Jiang Xian was twenty-five years old this year. Although he could not be considered a full birthday winner, he was still the third most important person in the county government.
Ruyan is actually quite sensible. Normally, she hardly says anything in private unless Jiang Xian is out investigating a case, and she always gives gifts to Jinniang.
Jinniang smiled and said, "Thank you for taking the trouble to prepare these things."
"What are you talking about, madam? If you hadn't saved me, I would have been buried in the river long ago. I wouldn't be who I am today." Ruyan said.
Jinniang didn't mention these things. She said that one shouldn't really expect others to remember the favor of saving one's life. Because the world is fickle and people are human, she only said: "I have already looked back on the past, and you don't have to remember all this. Just follow Jiang Liujie and tell me if you need anything."
This made Ruyan feel a little terrified. She asked, "Why are you so nice to me?"
Seeing her like this, Jinniang understood the reason and couldn't help but say, "That's because I lack a female doctor. It's not good to let others treat my illness. Besides, my husband is a county lieutenant. If he can be a county magistrate somewhere else in the future, wouldn't it be better if he had his own coroner?"
So that's how it is. Ruyan breathed a sigh of relief: "I will definitely help you."
However, Jinniang also said: "If you can make a career as a female doctor, open a shop in the future, and take in a few apprentices and employees, you won't have to worry about your livelihood." She could only use examples around her to help others find the direction of their efforts, just like she knew that Lou Si Niang lived a good life relying on the medical fees.
After hearing this, Ruyan felt that her life became more promising.
Besides, Jinniang was thinking about her own business. If she smuggled silk with her, she would not be able to find a silk shop to accept it immediately after getting off the boat. It would also not be convenient to take it directly to the government office, so she could just leave it in the workshop.
If the Di Dian was for merchants to live in, then the Ta Fang was a warehouse. Especially since Wu County was located in the Jianghuai area, water transportation was cheap and developed. Many people transported rice and grain directly to Beijing and then stored the goods in the Ta Fang. Pay rent and storage fees.
However, she might not be able to afford it in Bian Jing, but Pingjiang is an important port on the canal, so she could still take a look.
The first person she told about her plan to open a shop was Gu Qingru. Gu Qingru smiled and said, "That's great. Why not ask the broker to ask?"
"I can't ask anyone to come over from the county government office, otherwise some people might try to curry favor with me, which is not good." Jinniang was afraid that people would give her gifts, as they might be too hot to handle.
Gu Qingru understood, so she called a few familiar brokers over. Jinniang heard that these collapsed houses were all built by the water, and many wealthy families started their fortunes with the collapsed houses, and also built teahouses and shops.
However, it is said that the smallest Tafang also has hundreds of houses, so Jinniang can only sigh in despair. However, if Tafang fails, she can still open a store.
In addition to being a place for people to live, a didian also serves as a warehouse, and it can be opened near a post station so that merchants can store their goods. If it is too expensive in a big city, then a didian can be opened in the countryside.
She didn't need to look for Gu Qingru for the follow-up matters. She was also afraid that Gu Qingru would help her, which was not good. It was not good for friends to interfere in business, and it would be even more difficult to sort out in the future.
She also took into account the fact that her husband might have to leave his post in June, so she made a plan in advance so that no matter where he went, unless it was a very remote place, anywhere would be feasible.
"If we open a store in another place, we can use the name Jiangnan Residence, and then invite Sister Hua to help. She has three sons and one daughter, and she doesn't have a very good relationship with her mother-in-law. She can cook some Jiangnan dishes, and then the merchants here will naturally be willing to stay when they ship goods over. I will divide these guest rooms into official rooms, humble rooms, and dormitory rooms. If the family members are not available, we can hire an agent." Jinniang said with a smile.
She can't open a big store, but she can open a small one.
Jiang Xian thought his wife was really a talented person. She didn't just talk nonsense. When she discussed with him, she had a detailed plan. She even drew clear drawings of how to decorate the guest rooms and the humble room.
"My lady, I think other places are not as prosperous as Wu County. Since we are going to do it, let's do it in Wu County. Leave it to me to find a place. After all, I catch thieves all day long and I am familiar with the whole county. My lady, please take a rest." He said.
Jinniang smiled and said, "Okay, but the imperial envoy is coming, do you have time?"
Jiang Xian raised his eyebrows: "Those who are capable should do more work."
Soon Jiang Xian found two places. One was a shop near the west city gate. It was said that it was originally a black shop. It operated normally during the day, but killed and robbed merchants who came alone at night. It was Jiang Xian who caught this group of people and some of them had been executed.
There is also a place thirty miles away from the city, where an old man and his two sons run a shop. The old man is a butcher, but his shop turns out to be a black market, not only killing people and robbing their goods, but also selling human flesh.
This reminded Jinniang of the human meat buns described in "Water Margin". She didn't expect they really existed.
"Why are all these shops shady?" Jinniang was still a little scared.
Jiang Xian, who was usually very afraid of ghosts, was very brave: "But it's cheap. There was a murder case there, and the owner of the host family was at a loss."
Jinniang was tempted when she heard the price. She was not afraid of murder and said, "You are an official in Wu County. You usually have a group of people to gather information for you. However, if we go to other places to take office, they will lose their livelihood. It is better to choose one or two capable and reliable managers."
Jiang Xian took Jinniang to see two places. Jinniang felt that the one at the city gate was better. It had five front rooms and a total of three floors. There was a pavilion on the top of the mountain, and there were six side rooms on both sides. There was a living room, a pit toilet, and a kitchen in the back, and an additional bungalow was built.
The original price was five hundred and sixty taels, but now it can be bought for two hundred taels.
She did not take out cash for the two hundred taels, but used tea to pay it off. She had earned a lot of tea from being a Quanfu woman over the years, and was originally planning to sell it and use the money to give to the landlord, but the man asked for the tea directly, saying that he wanted to take the tea to do a business in another place. So Jinniang paid it all to him and took the red deed in her hands.
After getting it, I cleaned and painted the house first, and then changed the sign.
The guest rooms, which are the upper rooms, have bright windows, clean desks, bamboo couches, tea stoves, vases and incense burners on the desks. They are all on the second and third floors. Even the lower-class rooms were fumigated with mugwort to repel mosquitoes, and the same was true for the dormitory beds. The bungalow at the back was used as a collapsed house. Jinniang had someone put a jar at the door of each room to prevent water from leaking.
There are guards at the door to ensure absolute safety. No unauthorized people are allowed to come in, especially at night. They must have a pass to enter the store.
Jiang Xian chose a man named Yao Fang to be the shopkeeper. This man used to be in the army, was very strong and good at dealing with people. His son is sixteen years old this year. He has been to school for two years and can recognize a few words, so he is just right to help with the account keeping. Then there is Hua Saozi's family. Her two older sons do odd jobs, and her daughter works with her in the stove to prepare tea and meals.
So, when the shop officially opened during the Qingming Festival, Jinniang hung her own purple-robed Guanyin in the hall to ward off evil spirits. The embroidered image was very exquisite, like the Buddha's light shining everywhere. She also asked Manager Yao to set up a box at the counter for those who found something and asked them to hand it over to the front desk. She also had people patrol at night to ensure the safety of the guests.
The hotel also has a preferential system. If guests stay in the rooms, breakfast is included.
Manager Yao earns two strings of cash a month, and Sister Hua earns three cents a month. The two of them receive their monthly wages from Jinniang. The rest of the people have to work for a month first. Only those who adapt well can stay to work. If there are any who steal or are lazy, they will be sent back.
The normal price for a room in the upper building is 100 wen a day, and they are all in the front building. The middle room is 60 wen a day, and the dormitory is cheaper, 20 wen per person, and 15 people can sleep in one room. As for the warehouses, there are seven of them, and each one earns ten strings of cash a month, which is the bulk of the money.
This does not include food and drink expenses. If the house is fully occupied and the warehouse is full, the company can earn about 700 strings of cash a year. If the house is half full, the company can earn about 300 strings of cash a year.
People who were originally afraid of this place saw the Purple-robed Guanyin as soon as they entered the door. They stayed there for a night with doubts, but they found it very safe. Gradually, business improved.
While Jinniang was thinking, she put the employment contracts of Yao Fang and Hua Sao's family into the box.
Seeing Ah Ying coming over, he smiled and said, "My wife, I'm back."
It turned out that Jinniang was sending Aying to deliver two pots of peonies to Gu Qingru. She had bought more than a dozen pots of peonies from Yangzhou and moved them to the Di Hotel, asking Manager Yao to decorate the guest rooms. There happened to be two pots that looked really good, so she sent them over.
I heard Ah Ying say, "Madam, Madam Gu asked me about the He family's son. It seems that the He family sent an official matchmaker to propose marriage."
"Ah? How did they meet?" Jinniang asked.
Ah Ying smiled and said, "It was that time when you accompanied Madam Shen to worship Buddha, and Madam Gu came to look for you, but she came to nothing and never expected to meet He Yanei."
He Yanei had been a widower for several years, and there was only one maid serving him in his room. The important thing was that Mrs. He was a nice person.
"What did you say?" Jinniang asked.
Ah Ying said: "I just told the truth. I can see that Madam Gu is about 70% willing."
Jinniang said, "He Yanei is interested in her, so he proposed marriage. It can be seen that he is sincere. The He family has quite a bit of wealth, and he is the only son, so he doesn't need to worry about the sisters-in-law."
In the past two years, many matchmakers have come to her house. Jinniang asked Jiang Xian to help her check a few of them, but none of them were satisfactory. Some of them were playboys who were only after money, or some of them were lying about wanting to take a concubine. A talent like Gu Qingru, even though she is in her thirties, is still talented and beautiful. Jinniang also hopes that it would be better if she could marry a decent man.
When it comes to He Yanei's performance, He Zhubu and Mrs. He are not very satisfied. Mrs. He even asked Jinniang about it, and Jinniang said a lot of good things: "Mrs. Gu is both talented and beautiful. She owns two large clothing stores and an embroidery store in Pingjiang, not to mention cash. In fact, these are all external things. The most important thing is that she is a kind and righteous person. You just mentioned her original husband's family, the Shang family, who offended someone back then, and Mrs. Gu took out money to make up for it without saying a word. Later, his family got pregnant and forced her to leave, but she never said a bad word all these years."
Mrs. He smiled reservedly and asked, "How did the county lieutenant's wife get to know this lady from the Gu family?"
"It was more than ten years ago. At that time, the imperial court recruited women who were good at embroidery from the public. We were all selected and met in the embroidery academy. Madam Gu was specially selected by several nobles to be the embroidery leader because of her excellent embroidery skills. Even I was promoted by her." Jinniang praised without reservation.
In fact, according to Mrs. He's idea, her son should marry another daughter of an official family. Gu is a few years older than her son, a merchant, and has been divorced before...
But after hearing Jinniang's words today, she decided it immediately.
The fate of life is so magical. You may not find your soulmate even if you talk about marriage every day, but with a quick glance, your destiny may come.
Gu Qingru asked Jinniang to be her bridegroom, and since both she and He Yanei were getting married for the second time, it would save a lot of red tape, so Jinniang naturally agreed.
She also told Gu Qingru about some of Mrs. He's preferences that she had observed: "She is a very serious woman, she doesn't talk much and spends most of her time worshipping Buddha."
Gu Qingru listened very seriously, and she added: "Thanks to my sister for always persuading me to go out and walk around, otherwise, I would not have encountered such a good marriage."
"Why are you saying this, sister? It's obvious that you are both talented and beautiful." Jinniang didn't think she had any credit at all.
Gu Qingru was a little shy and changed the subject to ask Jinniang: "How is your store business?"
Jinniang said, "It's OK. At first, some people were worried and advised us not to open a business there. We didn't believe in evil, so we bought it. Anyway, we have all the staff and it's in a good location near the city gate, so we can take our time."
The imperial envoy has already arrived in Liangzhe, and Jiang Xian is very busy outside. His abilities are indeed outstanding. At least what Jinniang saw was that he knew the entire Wu County and even the Pingjiang Army like the back of his hand. Take the search for a shop this time for example, he could tell the population of a certain town or village, which roads were difficult to travel, which people were the most cunning, and which places were difficult to govern without even thinking about it. He was definitely a capable official.
In addition to helping the county magistrate manage Wu County, the county school under his charge was also full of outstanding talents. When the imperial envoy came, he even praised Jiang Xian a few words.
In the middle of the night, Jiang Xian came back from outside. Jinniang made him some hot tea and asked, "Why are you back so late?"
"I've gone to make arrangements again. It's impossible for everything to be fine as usual. Now that he's here, there are more things to do." Jiang Xian was very tired.
Here, Jinniang asked Ziteng to prepare hot water, let him wash up casually, and then told the kitchen to send over rice porridge and some side dishes. Jiang Xian didn't eat much outside today. The dishes outside were delicious, but they were all laced with too much sauce. After eating too much, his mouth felt salty and stuffy.
After eating a few mouthfuls of the porridge at home, Jinniang told him about Gu Qingru and He Yanei's marriage: "They said that the engagement gift will be sent after the Dragon Boat Festival. I will also go to Gu's house at that time."
Jiang Xian said, "Speaking of which, my wife is the lucky one. If she hadn't associated with you, she would have had a hard time meeting He Yanei, and there would have been no such marriage."
"Don't flatter me for everything. In fact, this matter has nothing to do with me." Jinniang shook her head and did not think it was her own credit.
After a few days, the imperial envoy left. Jiang Xian breathed a sigh of relief and went to the store again. He came back and told Jinniang that business was pretty good today.
Jinniang smiled: "At least I didn't use the capital I had. At least I know how this store is run."
Jiang Xian thought that if the business of this store was normal, two or three hundred strings of cash a year would be enough. Adding the three hundred strings of cash from the farm, it would be six hundred strings of cash a year. With about one thousand strings of cash in Beijing, it would be fifteen or sixteen hundred strings of cash a year, which would be enough.
The couple thought about it, and the next day Jinniang gave Gu Qingru another bag of silver: "Sister, you just opened the store and invested in my name. If I didn't accept it, I'm afraid you would feel uneasy. Now that you have a good home, my husband's transfer order is expected to arrive next month, so I will return it to you."
Gu Qingru finally understood Jinniang's painstaking efforts and was deeply moved: "It is worth it for me, Gu Qingru, to have a friend like you in this life."
After the Dragon Boat Festival, Jinniang made Gu Qingru a blessed woman. Gu Qingru gave her a emerald crown, two sets of pearl clothes, two sets of flowered clothes, four pieces of gold gauze, two pieces of red-ground eight-point brocade, two pieces of gauze, two pairs of jewelry, two boxes of dried fruits, two boxes of fresh fruits, two pots of wine, six silver beads, and a load of tea cakes.
Jiang Xian, who was standing by, saw his wife putting the things away. He knew that every time his wife got married, she would look at the matchmaker's gift list and only accept it if she thought it was about right, and she never gave anyone an excuse to take advantage of her.
Time flies and seasons pass by. Soon it was June and Jiang Xian received a transfer order, and he was promoted to the position of magistrate of Daming Prefecture.
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