Chapter 63 Chapter 63 Two Chapters in One
Juxiang cleaned the shop very well and also made breakfast for them, a bowl of steamed buns for each of them.
Jinniang was really hungry. She drank a bowl of soup and there was not much left. It was still more comfortable to be at home. Although the Jiang family is big, they are always uncomfortable with what they eat and drink. It is true that no place is worse than their own.
But she is also very lucky. Her husband is younger than her, but he is both talented and handsome. Her mother-in-law has never made her stand up for herself. Even though she has an average relationship with her eldest sister-in-law, they live far away, so her eldest sister-in-law will at most ignore her and nothing will really happen to her.
What's more, she has property and a house, and her parents and younger brother are all nearby.
"Aying, I plan to ask the head of the guild to hire an embroiderer." Jinniang said.
Ah Ying said: "You are right, but we have to look for the person carefully."
"Yeah, I think so too. Otherwise, sometimes we have to rush to make several sets of clothes, and we can make them faster." From selling silk people's clothes, Jinniang found that she could slowly transform from embroidery to design.
This way you can feel a lot more relaxed.
Jinniang’s salary was three taels of silver for the first month, including three meals. After a satisfactory month, she would be paid one tael of silver per month. You have to know that this is the salary for three years of embroidery in Shu Embroidery Pavilion. Even in the larger embroidery houses nearby, ordinary embroiderers can only earn two strings of cash at most, and the embroiderers in Wenxiuyuan can only earn two strings of cash.
She told the head of the guild about her request, and the head of the guild readily agreed. He then said with a smile, "Madam Wei, I thought you had closed your shop. People said you had married into an official family."
"Look at what you said, what official or not, my husband is just a scholar." Jinniang said.
Although many women in Bianjing City went out to work, many of them were from poor families who wanted to supplement their family income, or were widows. Most people still believed that after marriage, they should take care of their husbands and children.
After returning from the head of the troupe, Jinniang began to sew a few five-poison sachets. From time to time, some old customers came to visit her.
"Madam Wei, you see my dress is too plain, so I want to embroider some flowers on it. What do you think I should embroider?" asked Mrs. Bai.
Jinniang looked at the dress. The fabric was popular two years ago. It should be a new dress that someone gave her and kept in the bottom of the box. She didn't point it out, but just smiled and said, "I think the embroidery pattern is very good. Your dress is a rouge color, which is just right for the double lotus pattern. I'll show you the pattern."
Jinniang took out her booklet from Wenxiuyuan and handed it to Bai Niangzi. Bai Niangzi couldn't help but nodded: "Okay, this is it. I wonder how much it costs?"
"That depends on where you want to embroider. If you only embroider the edge of the neckline of this half-sleeve, it will cost three coins, but if you also embroider the cuffs, it will cost four coins." Jinniang said.
White Snake sighed slightly in her heart, she liked to wear good things and didn't want to wear something that was not so good. The Wei's Embroidery Shop in Tianshui Lane was famous for its fine craftsmanship and novel styles, many of which were not available anywhere else.
Her monthly allowance was only two coins. After thinking for a while, Bai Niangzi said, "Madam Wei, I have a cake of Jian tea. Can I exchange it for this?"
Jinniang thought that one cake of Jian tea cost one coin, which was a good deal. She smiled and said, "Originally it was not allowed, but Bai Niangzi is an acquaintance of mine. Well, I can embroider some broken branches on the hem of your skirt."
When White Snake saw that Jinniang agreed, she was very happy and asked her maid to go back and get it.
This cake of Jian tea was a gift from Liu Jixiang's wife. My mother thought it was too valuable and didn't want to give it to her. However, she was going to meet someone recently, so she couldn't wear too plain clothes. These people in Bian Jing were really snobbish.
Jinniang got the Jian tea and issued the ticket.
White Snake happily let the ticket be taken away.
In the afternoon, the head of the shop recommended a woman in her twenties, saying that she was a local and her husband helped out in the fruit shop. Unfortunately, he broke his waist while moving fruits some time ago, so she was asked to come out to supplement the family income.
Jinniang asked her, "Do you have any children?"
"There are three," said the woman.
"Is there anyone who can help take care of it?" Jinniang asked.
The woman shook her head: "I take care of them myself. I usually leave them at home."
"Okay, then I have three levels here. If you pass them, we'll try it for a month." Jinniang said with a smile.
She doesn't care whether she has family responsibilities or not, but she must be professional. The first step is to embroider flowers according to her picture album, the second step is to mend the holes, and the third step is to embroider her own specialty, and the time limit is within two hours.
"Two hours? No way. I have to go home to take care of my grandma and children." The woman looked at the sky and became very anxious.
Jinniang had no choice but to say, "That won't work."
The woman was talking about how pitiful she was, and Jinniang smiled and said, "Our embroiderers here have to sit here to embroider. How about this? If our embroidery shop is too busy in the future, we can ask you for help. How about that?"
"Okay, okay." The woman didn't even try it, and went back home because she was worried about her children.
Because the interview was delayed for some time, Jinniang quickly came into the embroidery room to embroider, and Ah Ying was beside her, sewing her menstrual belt. While sewing, she said, "You said that Lady Bai is also the daughter of an official, why did she exchange tea for embroidery?"
Jinniang said: "No matter how good she is, any random thing she takes out is worth a lot of money. Besides, as the daughter of an official, her status is very precious."
She didn't think much of White Snake. At her age, it was time for her to find a husband.
The daughters of local officials in Bian Jing might not have an easy time getting married, let alone the daughter of a sixth-rank official from another place. It is normal for her to make plans for herself.
In the afternoon, Jinniang and Luo Yu'e had dinner together. After not seeing each other for a few days, they had a lot to talk about when they were having dinner together again. Luo Yu'e smiled and said, "Once Juxiang comes back, I feel much more relaxed at home."
"I saw that Juxiang was useless over there, so I let her come back. It's just right." Jinniang said.
After dinner, Luo Yu'e asked her daughter privately: "There were so many people at the visit that day that I forgot to ask you, how is your son-in-law?"
Jinniang smiled and said, "Very good. He is now studying during the day and has given me all his private money. But I haven't treated him badly. My mother-in-law is sick and my sister-in-law lives far away from us. We can't see her unless she pays respects to us."
"That's good, that's good, you are lucky. When your mother married your father and was pregnant with you, the eggs your grandmother brought for me to eat during my confinement were all sold by your grandmother. I ate ten eggs during my confinement." Luo Yu'e was still angry when she thought about it.
Jinniang listened to her mother's chattering and felt as if it was still too late for her to get married.
It's a pity that Chen Xiaolang said that Jiang Xian was coming to pick her up, so Jinniang said goodbye to her mother. When she came out and saw her husband, she didn't seem to be anything special. Jiang Xian seemed to be acting like a spoiled child: "I haven't seen you all day today, so I came out to pick you up. Did you miss me?"
He didn't just say this casually, but he was already used to being intimate with Jinniang. But Jinniang thought about it and it seemed that she rarely thought of him, or even never.
But she was afraid that what she said would hurt his feelings, so she could only say, "Yes, a customer came to make clothes today, but he didn't have enough money, and he wanted to exchange a cake of Jian tea. I thought about the scene of us drinking tea together, and it would be great if I could bring some tea."
"Jian tea is also called wax-faced tea. It would be best if you bring some tea. Then I'll order a cup of tea for you, how about that?" Jiang Xian was a little disappointed to see Jinniang like this. He was a sensitive person and could understand other people's moods very well.
There are many kinds of couples in the world. There are those like his sister-in-law who make his brother breathless, and there are those who are as powerful as his mother, but his wife is not like that. She rarely gets angry, treats people sincerely, follows rules, and doesn't make any demands on others. It's rare to find someone like her.
No desire, no strength...
Jinniang was afraid that he would think too much, so she nodded with a smile.
After returning home, Jinniang washed up first. She planned not to do needlework in the evening. Otherwise, if she continued to do so, her eyesight might not be good when she was thirty years old. Besides, if you sit for a long time during the day, you need to rest more at night.
Jiang Xian was still reading in the evening, so Jinniang made chrysanthemum and wolfberry tea for her, and she asked Aying to dye her nails with marigolds.
Now is the girls' time. Minzhi brought hot water and helped Jinniang wash and wipe her hands clean, then used a file and small scissors to trim some edges and corners. Xi Qiu added a little alum to the reddest leaves of Impatiens, mashed it into a paste, and applied it evenly on his hands and feet, wrapping them with the leaves.
While they were helping Jinniang paint her nails, she asked them to guess a riddle: "I'll tell you the simplest one: a small iron dog guarding the gate. When guests come to visit, they leave when they see it."
The maids were guessing very lively. Jinniang put her index finger on her lips and said, "Keep your voice down. Don't disturb my husband from studying."
Everyone was talking in low voices, and Ah Ying guessed, "It's a lock."
"Yes, I have another one. This is not a riddle. What will happen to a white radish when it gets drunk?" Jinniang asked.
Minzhi immediately said, "Carrot."
Jinniang clapped her hands with a smile: "Minzhi, you are so amazing."
Jiang Xian smiled knowingly when he heard the laughter coming from outside. He liked this kind of peaceful and pleasant life, but it was not so quiet that it was creepy, and he was alone with only books.
After an hour, they picked the leaves and Jinniang came into the inner room. She sat on the bed with her feet raised and asked them to dye it again. Then she wrapped it in cloth and let it sit overnight.
Jiang Xian was reading a book when he saw a section of white and delicate legs like jade pillars exposed from under Jinniang's skirt. Her ankles were slender, her feet were small and exquisite, her instep was slightly raised, and her toes were rosy, which was extremely beautiful. For some reason, he suddenly felt thirsty. After drinking a pot of chrysanthemum tea, he still felt thirsty.
"Sir, what's wrong? Are you tired?" Jinniang saw Jiang Xian supporting his forehead with his hand, looking a little restless.
Jiang Xian said hurriedly: "No, I'm just a little thirsty."
Jinniang hurriedly asked the maid to pour him tea. The three maids looked at each other, all wishing to stay by Jinniang's side. It was only until she told Minzhi, who was at the outermost, to go that they went.
At night, Jiang Xian went to bed and tried to get close to her, but was rejected by Jinniang: "You stayed up so late and are still in a hurry. You made a fuss for two hours yesterday, and there were ten drops of blood and one drop of semen."
"I'm in good health." Jiang Xian was dissatisfied, like a child who couldn't get candy.
Jinniang said, "Be careful, I have painted my nails today. If you continue to make trouble, I will ignore you."
Only then did Jiang Xian calm down, but he insisted on sharing a thin quilt with her, which made her laugh and cry.
When she got up the next day, the maids helped her take down the cloth and washed it. Jinniang was very happy to see it. When I went to the shop today, Jinniang had already embroidered most of Bai Suzhen's clothes in the morning. There was not much business in the morning, so the head of the bridal department sent another person over in the afternoon. This person seemed to perform well, but he was too slippery and asked for a raise in wages before the work even started.
Fortunately, in the afternoon, Jinniang finished her embroidery and received another order, which required her to spend one string of silver to make a collar for Man Chijiao's long jacket.
Jinniang then began to cut the cloth, make samples, and string the silk threads.
In order to get married, Jinniang spent more than one hundred strings of cash on the dowry. She wanted to set another goal for herself, to pay back the one hundred strings of cash she borrowed in advance this year, so that she could pay off the loan early.
So, after returning home, she designed a set of clothes embroidered with persimmons and Ruyi, which consisted of a tube top, a middle garment, a jacket and a pleated skirt. The blue silk was matched with the orange and yellow color of the persimmon. The colors were pretty and beautiful, and most suitable for young girls to wear during the Dragon Boat Festival.
No, she had to find a suitable embroiderer quickly.
After finishing the painting, Jiang Xian came back. Jinniang went to greet him and asked, "Why did you come back so late today?"
"My aunt invited me to dinner, so I couldn't refuse."
It turned out that Jiang Xian went to Zhou's house today. Jiang invited him to have dinner and they talked for a long time.
Jinniang smiled and asked, "Did you go with Bage?"
"No, my big brother went to his uncle's house." Jiang Xian said with a smile.
Jinniang asked Banglue to find him a nightgown and said, "Go take a bath quickly. I will accompany you to review your lessons today."
Jiang Xian had been thinking about her since last night, and after drinking a few glasses of wine today, he even hugged her regardless of the presence of the maids. Several maids hurried out, but Jinniang held his shoulders and said, "Go take a bath and come back."
"My lady, do you know that I was thinking about you the whole time while drinking and reading today?" Jiang Xian was dissatisfied with Jinniang pushing her away.
Jinniang remembered that she had indeed ignored him yesterday, and she couldn't help but understand the situation, so she took his hand and said, "How about we go take a bath together?"
Seeing that he was already impatient, Jinniang couldn't let him touch her without bathing, so she whispered in his ear: "We haven't tried it anywhere else yet."
Jiang Xian picked her up and carried her to the bathroom...
An hour later, the two of them came out together. Jinniang gave him a reproachful look and said, "Your underwear has been torn to pieces. What should I wear tomorrow? I really want others to see what you look like."
It was rare to have a beautiful, capable, and kind-hearted wife, but their sex life was even more harmonious. During these days of marriage, he felt like a god every day.
Therefore, he knew he was in the wrong and said nothing in response to his wife's complaints.
He accompanied Jinniang to the bed to talk, and only asked: "Have you found the right person today?"
Jinniang patted her chest, evened out her breath, and said, "Not yet. There's something wrong here or there. It's okay. Someone will come tomorrow. It's not easy to find a job now."
Jiang Xian didn't really care about her embroidery shop's business, he was just looking for something to talk about. He turned over and looked at Jinniang: "Madam, I want to take you to visit Master Huang's home in a few days. The master's wife said she really wants to see you."
"Want to see me?" Although Jinniang was not afraid of dealing with people, she felt that making friends and socializing were very tiring. It would be better to make more money instead of spending that time on it.
"Yeah, it's actually just a family dinner. We just get together to chat." Seeing that Jinniang was a little nervous, Jiang Xian immediately spoke in a relaxed manner.
Jinniang looked at him and said, "Do you want me to go?"
Jiang Xian nodded: "I hope you go."
"Then I'll go." Jinniang smiled slightly.
However, she said, "Then what do you think we should send? I don't really know what they like."
Jiang Xian said, "You don't have to worry about this. Just let me buy it. The master likes to drink honey wine, and the mistress likes to eat fructose. I asked Liu Dou'er to buy them all."
Jinniang quickly stood up and wrote it down. She had a lot of things to do every day, and if she didn't write it down, she would easily forget it.
After taking notes, he came back to the bed and said nervously, "Since this is my first time here, and I don't know the temperament of the master and his wife, I'll say less. Wait until we get familiar with each other. Otherwise, if I say something wrong, it will be bad for you."
In fact, Jiang Xian's original intention was to take her out to relax. After all, he heard from Xi Qiu that Xu did not invite Jinniang when she went to participate in the Chuiwan game. But she never told him about these troubles, which showed that she was a little overly nervous. I couldn't help but think of her background. It was true that she lacked social skills, but she went there for her own sake.
Jiang Xian smiled and said, "Master's wife is a very nice person. Besides, there were many people there that day. How about just making some more friends?"
For Jiang Xian, making friends and socializing are as easy as eating. But for Jinniang, it is too difficult. She doesn't really want too much socializing because she can't concentrate on painting or embroidering if there are too many favors. Friends require time, money and emotions to maintain.
But if these words were spoken, Jiang Xian would probably find it difficult to understand, so she just nodded.
Jiang Xian said to her, "Go to sleep." He placed his hands on Jinniang's back and patted her rhythmically as if he was patting a baby. He waited until she fell asleep before getting up to read.
On the fourth day, Jinniang finally found an embroiderer who she thought was suitable. The embroiderer was thirty years old, with her head wrapped in blue cloth. Although her body was covered with patches, she looked very neat. She was originally from Pingjiang Prefecture and learned embroidery skills from her mother since she was a child. Her husband originally ran a small dyeing workshop, and the family was relatively well-off. However, because their son was abducted, the couple went to Bianliang and had almost spent all their money.
She and her husband wanted to find a job to support the family business. Otherwise, when they found their son in the future, they would not want to come back after seeing how poor their family was.
Jinniang admired them very much, and seeing that she had passed her three tests, she agreed to let her do it for a month first. If she passed the test in one month, she would start signing the contract.
"Mrs. Zhu, I'll give you the cloth and the pattern. You can make some ropes for the five poisonous creatures' sachets according to the pattern." Jinniang pointed to the picture album and showed it to her.
Mrs. Zhu saw that Jinniang was young and behaved in an orderly manner. It was said that she was once a palace worker. Even these patterns are extremely exquisite, she said: "Yes."
While she was working, she saw that Jinniang's hands were very steady and quick. She could tell at a glance that she was an expert, and she felt a little more in awe of her.
After Jinniang recruited people, she felt a lot more relaxed.
After she embroidered the collar, she made the clothes she designed herself, and asked Mrs. Zhu to familiarize herself with how she made them. She also asked her what she wanted: "Generally, I will make a set of clothes for you to wear, just like the new drawings in my album. You can see how I make them first. When someone orders them, I will let you make them."
Mrs. Zhu doesn't talk much, but she is very serious in learning. Jinniang can't help but nod her head. If she is unfamiliar with something, Jinniang will immediately give her instructions and tell her to take good care of her hands so as not to hook the expensive silk.
Unfortunately, the clothes she was wearing had just been finished and someone wanted to buy them as soon as she wore them out. Jinniang didn't have time to watch Mrs. Zhu make them and had to accompany Jiang Xian to Mr. Huang's house.
Jinniang and he were wearing matching outfits made for their wedding. Both of them had lotus flowers on their collars, looking like a newlywed couple. Jinniang sat upright in the carriage. Jiang Xian, who was sitting opposite her, was looking at her. Seeing her so dignified and lovely, and so serious, and remembering the two of them playing pranks at night, she was like two completely different people.
When they arrived at Mr. Huang's door, Jiang Xian got off the carriage first, and then helped Jinniang get off. After Jinniang got off the carriage, she took a deep breath.
"Mr. Sixteen is here. The master scholar is in front of the hall. Several disciples and old friends are also here, waiting for you." When the servant saw them coming, he immediately stepped forward and said.
Jiang Xian glanced at Jinniang, and seeing her eyes staring at him like a fledgling, his heart ached, and he couldn't help but say, "I want to take my wife to meet the Master's wife first."
A maid also came to pick up Jinniang, and she couldn't help but joked, "Don't worry, Shiliulang, I will bring your wife in myself."
Seeing that Jiang Xian was worried, Jinniang hurriedly said, "You go ahead, I'll just follow this mother in."
In wealthy families, men entertain men, and women entertain women, and they rarely mix together. Jinniang also knew the rules, so she urged him, "Go quickly."
So, Jiang Xianfang left.
Jinniang is like a kid in kindergarten. She feels confused and uneasy when her parents are around, but she actually adapts very well once their parents leave.
When she came over, there were already some female guests at Mrs. Huang's place. Jinniang even saw Miss Zhou Si, who was said to have just gotten married to the son of a prefect from another place.
The fourth girl also saw Jinniang. She had been married to Caizhou for more than a month when her father-in-law was promoted to the prefect of Xiangzhou Prefecture. Her mother-in-law was a cousin of Mr. Huang's wife. Because of this relationship, and her husband's good talent, she became Mr. Huang's disciple.
However, I didn’t expect to be on equal footing with my former slaves here.
"Mrs. Huang." Jinniang bowed.
Mrs. Huang had gray hair and was wearing a dark purple jacket with a brown skirt with gold trimmings. She looked very smiling and said to Jinniang, "Hurry up and sit down. Shiliu Lang is already very good-looking. I never thought his wife would be so beautiful."
Jinniang knew that when you didn't know someone at all, it was best to talk less and wait until you got to know them better, so she just pretended to be shy and looked very quiet.
Unexpectedly, Jinniang's silence made the fourth girl mistakenly believe that she saw that her former master was uneasy and was afraid that she would reveal that she used to be a maid, so she was unwilling to say more.
She wanted to say that Wei Jinniang was really overthinking it! I am not that kind of villain.
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