The cannon fodder character in the "Dream of the Red Chamber" substitute marriage story tries to rewrite her life (6 installments). (Seeking...)
"Madam, the third son-in-law is not as dying as you said; he is alive and well."
I heard he's been able to accompany the Third Miss shopping for jewelry lately, and his health is visibly improving. Are you sure you're not mistaken?
Jia Wei frowned: "Impossible. With his health, even if he were still alive, he couldn't possibly go shopping with Third Sister to buy jewelry, let alone meet her as you say."
Where did you get this information? Didn't I give you money to ask the servants at General Feng Feng'en's mansion?
"Oh dear, my lady, you have no idea, General Feng'en's servants are all as tight-lipped as clams, you can't get anything out of them at all."
The person I asked had a cousin-in-law who worked in the household. He said that since the third daughter married into the family, the third son-in-law's health had indeed been improving day by day.
Many people say that the Third Daughter has a good birth chart, which indicates she will bring good fortune to her husband and children.
Before the third son-in-law got married, he was so sick that he was almost dying. But on the day he married the third daughter, his health suddenly improved, and he personally went to pick her up and perform the wedding ceremony.
Many people said at the time that he might be experiencing a final burst of energy before death, but he actually became stronger day by day.
Even the imperial physician who examined the third son-in-law found it quite astonishing. Besides the third daughter's auspicious birth chart, he couldn't think of any other explanation for his rapid recovery.
These words really hit Jia Wei where it hurt, and she immediately slapped the maid.
"Nonsense! Who doesn't know that Third Sister was born to bring misfortune to her mother? That her birth chart indicates she'll bring good fortune to her husband and children is utterly laughable!"
After kicking all the maids out, Jia Wei smashed the room to pieces, collapsed on the ground, and cried her heart out.
In her previous life, she married into General Feng'en's mansion, and she had to perform the wedding ceremony with a rooster, enduring endless ridicule from others.
Why is it that when that wretched girl Jia Hui marries over, that sickly man can get up and have a wedding procession and a wedding ceremony?
Ever since she married him, she has been a widow, and the lackeys in the general's mansion treat her like a thief.
Although she was nominally the general's wife, she never properly managed the household for a single day. She was treated like an ornament, pampered with fine clothes and delicacies.
Later, the sickly man died, and his entire estate was handed over to Prince Ping, Nersu. The only thing she could rightfully manage was her own dowry.
How come his health improved day by day after Jia Hui was chosen to marry him off to bring him good luck, and he was even able to go shopping with her?
They even said that San Ya's birth chart was auspicious, bringing good fortune to her husband and children. But who doesn't know that San Ya was born to bring misfortune to her mother? How come she became a lucky wife after getting married?
Why should that damned sickly girl die young, just like in her previous life? The suffering and offends she endured should be far greater for San Yatou.
Jia Wei prayed to all the gods and Buddhas in the heavens, asking them to bless Mingrui, that sickly man, so that he would die quickly.
Unfortunately, the gods and Buddhas did not hear her prayers. She waited and hoped, and what she finally got was that after the spring, Mingrui's health improved, and he accompanied Jia Hui to the estate in Xiaotangshan on the outskirts of Beijing.
In fact, corn was introduced to China as early as the mid-to-late Ming Dynasty, but it was only occasionally grown in the southwestern mountainous areas.
It was not until the late Qing Dynasty that it began to be widely promoted. During the Kangxi period, it was sporadically planted in the southwest and southeast regions and was regarded as a coarse grain, but it never attracted much attention.
The current corn yield is incomparable to that of later generations. As well as potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc., although they are grown in some areas, they have not reached a large scale and the yield is not high.
The Shennong system's function is farming. Jia Hui's task is to significantly increase the yield of grain crops through standardized planting methods with the assistance of the Shennong system.
Once the superior varieties she cultivates are promoted, she and the Shennong system will gain merit and a large number of points.
In ancient times, increasing grain production was considered a great merit, enough to be deified and have temples built.
Taking the Qing Dynasty as an example, in the south, a rice yield of two shi per mu was considered top-quality, while in the north, the wheat yield was less than 100 jin per mu.
To put it bluntly, if Jia Hui could achieve a corn yield of 10 shi per mu, she would be no different from a bodhisattva descended to earth among the common people. She would be the kind of person who would be worshipped as long as she was alive, and Emperor Kangxi could directly grant her the title of marquis.
The Shennong system gives a yield of 20 shi (a unit of dry measure), but modern improved corn only yields a little over 1,000 jin (a unit of weight) per mu (a unit of area). It really dares to mislead people.
Jia Hui believed it, but Mingrui didn't believe it at all. He suspected that the Shennong system had lied about the output by adding an extra zero.
The Shennong System was so angry that it simply ignored him. All the years of partnership were gone, and he didn't even believe it.
Look how kind the host is! She believes everything it says. It's so touching!
Another day of envying those who work 996. They're all systems, so why is it that it can be bound to such a reliable owner right from the start?
It endured countless hardships and wanderings along the way. If it hadn't happened to meet its host sister, it would probably have had to be reborn.
According to the plan given by the Shennong system, spring corn should be planted first. The seeds were ostensibly sent by Mingrui to the southwest to find and bring back, but in reality, they were provided by the Shennong system.
Jia Hui's farming experience all came from the space, where everything grew very well, so it was completely useless as a reference.
It's unrealistic to expect her to start from scratch; the superior varieties provided by the Shennong system are highly stable and suitable for generational propagation.
The people who went to the southwest to find corn worked so hard, which was also related to the generous rewards Jia Hui gave them; they brought back hundreds of kilograms of seeds.
Jia Hui carefully selected sixty jin (30 kg) of corn, intending to plant it on a hundred acres of land. Of course, she couldn't possibly do all the planting herself with so much corn.
She simply talked and acted as the general manager, while Mingrui was responsible for recording the entire planting and growth process.
Farming begins with spreading base fertilizer and deep plowing the land. For this experiment, the old steward selected dozens of the most capable tenant farmers from the estate.
As per Jia Hui's request, the land was divided into plots, with each person responsible for two mu (approximately 0.33 acres). Those who performed well would be rewarded, while those who performed poorly would be dismissed.
Mingrui smiled but remained silent, not telling her that those tenant farmers had been servants of their family for generations, and if they didn't do a good job, they wouldn't just be dismissed, but would be sold off directly.
The base fertilizer was an organic fertilizer formula provided by the Shennong system, and Jia Hui had sent people to the estate to collect it in advance. After all, there was no readily available compound fertilizer available for sale at the moment.
Before they arrived at the estate, the old steward had already spread all the base fertilizer on the ground as Jia Hui had requested.
In ancient times, plowing relied entirely on oxen and manpower. In modern times, a hundred acres of land can be plowed in half a day with a large tractor.
Nowadays, a cow can plow a few acres of land at most per day.
The key difference is that oxen are different from tractors. After working continuously for four hours, they need to rest and drink water, and their effective working time in a day is only about six hours.
If efficiency is lacking, quantity will make up for it. Ten oxen and a large number of strong laborers spent three days deep-plowing and ridging all the hundred acres of farmland according to Jia Hui's requirements.
While cultivating the fields, Jia Hui was not idle either. Under the guidance of the Shennong system, she prepared biological medicines.
This pesticide can both prevent underground pests from stealing seeds and soak seeds to promote germination, ensuring germination rate and survival rate.
When sowing, one person places two seeds in each hole, while another person covers the soil behind.
Jia Hui changed into some light clothes, picked up a small basket of seeds, and insisted on planting them herself. Mingrui followed behind, covering the seeds with soil, which terrified the old steward so much that he almost knelt down before them.
I've talked myself hoarse, but I still can't persuade these two troublemakers. Luckily, Jia Hui only did it on a whim, planting an acre of land, and then clutching her back and yelling in pain.
Yun Que rubbed her back impatiently: "I've advised you eight hundred times, but you insist on doing things your own way. Do you think farming is a fun thing?"
"You're playing around, and your son-in-law is joining in the fun, driving the old steward so crazy he's practically ready to jump into the river."
Mingrui lay on the bed without saying a word, resolutely refusing to admit that he was tired.
Jia Hui took his hand and used her healing powers to cleanse his entire body, and then cleansed herself as well.
The two looked at each other and smiled. Jia Hui pinched his thin but still handsome face: "Why do you insist on persisting when you're tired? You've just recovered. What if you overwork yourself and get sick again?"
Mingrui pulled her into his arms: "You were tired but you didn't dare to stop. If you could persevere, of course I can persevere too. That's what it means for a wife to lead and a husband to follow!"
After the planting was finished, Jia Hui had some free time. She asked Yun Que to copy all the various encyclopedias she had downloaded in the space before, and then she started tinkering around in the manor.
The easiest products to make are soaps and bar soaps. The oils in the raw materials can be lard, tallow, and various vegetable oils.
Jia Hui used the cheapest and most common lard and the relatively expensive tea oil.
Test the alkaline solution using filtered pine ash water and lime water respectively, and see what the differences are.
The soap contains soapberry powder to enhance its cleaning power.
The soap has various fragrances added, and gardenia fruit is crushed and boiled to extract the juice. The filtered juice is then mixed into the soap base, and after solidification, the soap turns a beautiful gardenia yellow color.
The auxiliary materials are salt and honey, and the molds are bamboo boxes and carved wooden molds made by the all-powerful old housekeeper.
The craftsmanship of those old artisans was unparalleled. Jia Hui described the mold she wanted to them, and the finished product they made was even more high-end than she had described.
They carve the characters for "fortune" and "longevity" from peach wood, as well as fish and flower reliefs, making incredibly exquisite soaps.
They even made improvements later, embedding dried flowers and gold leaf into the surface of the soap. With all that, it felt like a bar of soap wouldn't be worthy of its luxury if it didn't cost ten taels of silver.
Although Jia Hui felt she had already asked for an exorbitant amount, it was nothing compared to the cunning old steward.
"Madam's asking price is too low. There are plenty of wealthy people in the capital. A bar of soap like this, paired with an exquisitely carved sandalwood box, could easily sell for tens of taels of silver."
Jia Hui and Mingrui lived a happy and harmonious life on the estate, but Jia Wei, who married into the Su family, had a much harder time.
Su Jingxing is good for nothing except his face; he can't carry anything or lift anything, and he can't do anything but read books every day.
She doesn't care about anything at home, which sounds nice, but the management of the household is entirely up to her. However, daily life requires money, and all the expenses of the Su family are covered by her dowry.
Su's mother was always finding fault with everything, and her cousin, who was staying as a guest, didn't know what politeness was.
Just as she was getting angry, a maid rushed in to report that the old woman on night watch had seen her son-in-law, Su Jingxing, go to the guest courtyard that night and leave in the morning.
This infuriated Jia Wei, who arranged for people to keep watch, and within a few days they caught Su Jingxing and his cousin red-handed.
Jia Wei resorted to crying, making a scene, and threatening suicide, and several strong maids pinned down Su's cousin and gave her a good beating.
Su Jingxing was so heartbroken he almost cried. He angrily rebuked Jia Wei for being unvirtuous and jealous, and said he wanted to divorce her.
This really stirred up a hornet's nest, and Jia Wei had a huge argument with him. She stormed back to the Jia mansion with her maids and servants to complain to Jia Daishan.
After listening to her words, Jia Daishan sighed: "What's done is done. What's the use of making a fuss now? It will only push your son-in-law further away."
Back then, you insisted on marrying that Su Jingxing, and your aunt and I both tried to persuade you, but did you listen to even half a word?
"Alright, now that you're back, stay with your aunt for a few days. I'll have Su Jingxing beg you to come back."
Jia Wei hated her cousin Su so much she gritted her teeth: "I will absolutely not go back until he gets rid of that vixen."
Dealing with a poor scholar wouldn't even require Jia Daishan's intervention; Lai Da alone could handle it.
No matter how much Su Jingxing loves his little cousin, he was able to abandon her and marry into the Jia family back then.
Now, in order not to offend the Jia family, he can endure the humiliation, send his beloved little cousin to her death with a cup of poisoned wine, and then come to pick up Jia Wei with a smile.
Su Jingxing, who had lost his beloved cousin, hated Jia Wei to the core, but on the surface he pretended to be as if nothing had happened.
Every morning he would personally draw her eyebrows, and Jia Wei gradually lost herself in his daily tender care.
Su Jingxing would study diligently in his study until late at night every day. He didn't know if it was just his imagination, but he always felt that his head would split open whenever he concentrated highly while reading.
Even after consulting a renowned doctor, the only explanation was that the headache was caused by overwork, and that the patient needed to rest more and avoid staying up late to study.
However, his natural talent was only average, and he only passed the provincial examination by studying hard for many years. If he participated in the imperial examination in the spring, he would almost certainly fail.
If he didn't study hard, how could he pass the imperial examination, change his fate, and avenge his cousin who was forced to death by the Jia family?
Jia Wei didn't take Su Jingxing's headache seriously. In her opinion, Su Jingxing could pass the imperial examination as a second-class scholar in his previous life, so there was no reason for him to fail in this life.
As the spring imperial examinations approached, Jia Wei urged Su Jingxing to study hard every day.
Su Jingxing was annoyed by her nagging, but dared not get angry at her, so he could only endure the headache and continue studying.
The imperial examinations in spring last for three days each time, and for nine consecutive days, when Su Jingxing entered the examination hall, he was given a bad luck charm by the little system that came to him, and he was assigned to a bad number.
Adding to the problem, it rained during the night, and his cell leaked. He developed a high fever the next day, but forced himself to continue taking the exam. He collapsed on the morning of the third day and had to be carried out of the examination hall.
He didn't finish his exam paper, so his chances of taking the spring exam are ruined. Even if he recovers from his illness, he'll have to wait until the autumn exam to take it again.
Jia Wei was furious. She never expected him to make such a mistake. Instead of comforting or showing concern for him, she had a huge argument with him.
Su Jingxing was bedridden for three months after his illness, and when he recovered, he was so thin that he was just skin and bones.
The eldest daughter of the Jia family became a princess in the Crown Prince's palace, while the second and third daughters of the Jia family had already married. Inevitably, some busybodies would bring up the two of them for comparison.
You don't know until you compare. Alas, the third daughter of a concubine married a sickly man who was clearly on his deathbed.
As a result, after she married him, the sickly man's health improved day by day, and now he looks just like a normal person, except that he is a little thin.
It's hard to believe that just six months ago he was a sickly person who would gasp for breath after walking only a few steps.
Take another look at these two illegitimate daughters. Interestingly, these illegitimate daughters of a noble family have married a poor scholar with no family background or connections.
Could it be that this Scholar Su is exceptionally talented and has the potential to achieve the highest honors in the imperial examinations, and the Jia family has taken a liking to him and wants to place their bet in advance?
Upon further inquiry, it turned out that this scholar Su was unlucky; he drew a bad number, and the house even leaked when it rained.
Halfway through the exam, I got delirious from fever and had to be carried out. My chances of passing the imperial examination this spring are ruined! What a pity, such a shame!
Jia Wei comforted herself, saying that Su Jingxing was just unlucky this time. She would learn from this experience and try again next time.
Little did she know, Jia Hui had 996 keeping a close eye on Su Jingxing, thinking that if he wanted to pass the imperial examination, he should wait until his next life.
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