Chapter 27 New Clothes and New Gifts "How can they be so perfect..."
Wang Gou'er's family was all stunned.
After the group from Linjia Village left, the clan elder lamented, "When the village school opens, I'll have to go and listen to the lessons. Consort Wu's carriage is so... good, I can only think of one word: good."
Everyone laughed.
"So this is what you meant by asking the Rongguo Mansion to mediate!" Wang Gou'er glared fiercely at Granny Liu, but he didn't dare to actually fight her or even say a few harsh words, since he would be relying on his mother-in-law for a living in the future.
Wang Gou'er's legs went weak, and he sat down on the ground with a thud, clutching the cloth bag tightly in his hand: "My Wang family... has only lasted three generations, and all that's left in my hands is this bag of copper coins."
"Zhou Rui's wife said it was the first and fifteenth of the month... How could I have believed her!" Granny Liu slapped her thigh in frustration. "She was just making it up! She never intended to tell the Rongguo Mansion! I clearly went to their house, and I saw the Imperial Garden!"
"Yes, yes, yes! We can't let them get away with this!" Wang Gou'er suddenly rushed out and shouted at the backs of the group, "It was Zhou Rui who asked me to do this! You can't let Zhou Rui get away with this!"
Looking at the frenzied Wang Gou'er, then at her own mother pounding her chest and stamping her feet, and at her two trembling children, Liu touched the swollen handprint on her face and felt that she had no tears left to cry.
"How did things come to this?"
Why wasn't that guy surnamed Mu beaten to death back then?
He went to the battlefield at the age of fourteen, how could he possibly come back!
Wang Gou'er's family stayed there for a day, until nightfall, when hunger brought them back to their senses.
Wang Gou'er sat on the kang (a heated brick bed) drinking alone, while Granny Liu helped Liu Shi cook.
"I said..." Granny Liu lowered her voice and said, "He has 125 acres of land, and he hasn't saved anything all these years?"
"What's the point of talking about this now?" Liu looked impatient, clearly trying to avoid the topic and not even wanting to think about it.
"If he had money, why would he have needed you to beg for his money back then? He drank every day and needed meat every few days. After that affair, the village treated us even less like family... How could he possibly save any money?"
Grandma Liu still couldn't believe that 125 acres of land could turn out like this.
"What's so unbelievable about that?" Liu sneered. "Isn't our family the same? When I was a child, I could often go to the homes of this official or that gentry for banquets, and I could even call the second wife of the Rongguo Mansion 'Sister Wang.' In just twenty years, I'm not even as good as Wang Gou'er."
Granny Liu was speechless after being poked in the head. She wanted to say something, but then a loud crash came from the main room. She hurriedly followed Liu Shi to see what was happening and found that the wine pot and cups had all been smashed to pieces on the ground, and there was still some unfinished wine, which had soaked a large area.
"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river! I refuse to believe that I, Wang Gou'er, can't make something of myself! My ancestors were far more capable than you!"
After he finished cursing, he saw Liu Shi and Granny Liu staring at him from the doorway, and he angrily said, "Hurry up and cook!" He also added dejectedly, "We'll pack things up tomorrow morning."
After dinner, it was already dark, but unfortunately, no one in the Wang family felt sleepy.
Wang Gou'er tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep.
With one person sleeping in the same bed, Liu, who was sleeping next door, naturally couldn't sleep either, but she didn't dare to comfort her.
When she went out to fetch water, she could hear a few words of advice. She heard that a doctor would come to help everyone recover their health in a couple of days, and that when spring came and the weather wasn't so cold, they would be able to hold a needle and thread again, and there would be embroiderers to teach them needlework.
In the village school, nothing was taught for free.
They just want to learn a trade, whether it's carpentry, blacksmithing, hunting, or butchering, Uncle Zhongyong can find a way for them. The only requirement is that the child must be willing, not just what the parents think is good.
Several strong and capable men are said to be going to Pingnan Town to join the army in the spring.
Old Sun also called his son, who worked as an accountant in town, back to work as a shop assistant in Uncle Zhongyong's shop after the New Year.
Furthermore, villagers consigned their grains and dried goods to Uncle Zhongyong's general store, and he didn't take a single penny from their commission.
When traveling to the capital, one could stay at the residence of the Earl of Zhongyong, and the mule cart ride was free. Linjia Village was 120 li from the capital, and a proper mule cart ride would cost at least 100 coins per person. During festivals, the price would rise to 120 coins, and in the days leading up to the New Year, even 150 coins would be a scramble.
The village has planned not to sell any pigs this year, so everyone can have a good New Year.
Not to mention the magnificent ancestral hall, and the white marble stele at the entrance of the hall, which is inscribed with local history and the reputation of the village.
I heard that the ancestral hall also enshrines a golden hoe bestowed by the Emperor Emeritus.
She had never even seen a golden hoe... None of this was relevant to them.
"What are you crying for! Don't you think life is hard enough?" Wang Gou'er kicked Liu Shi down.
The next morning, Wang Gou'er's family, with mournful faces and swollen eyes, began packing their belongings. During this time, someone from the village came to check on them.
After Wang Gou'er and the others left, he spat on the ground and said, "You're so snobbish!"
Although Wang Gou'er's family had declined with each generation, they were still much better off than ordinary farmers. In addition, they had received a lot of good things from the Rongguo Mansion a few years ago, so there was nothing broken in his house, and he didn't bother with repairs. Most of his things were about 70-80% new.
In a home like this, tidying up is naturally quick.
By the third night, everything that could be taken away had been packed up, and the unwanted items were piled up in the yard.
Now that things have come to this, Wang Gou'er has actually had a good night's sleep.
The next morning, Wang Gou'er, seething with anger, went to find the village's mule cart. Before the driver could say anything, Wang Gou'er said, "What? You're not going to take me? Your master wants to send me away, so don't ruin your master's plans!"
The driver glanced at him, then slowly mixed another bucket of corn kernels into the fodder before asking, "How many cartloads do you need?"
“Two,” Wang Gou’er said casually. “Mule carts for people, ox carts for goods.”
"Three strings of cash," the driver replied. "Three strings for a mule cart, five strings for an ox cart."
"You—" Wang Gou'er softened again: "You've taken too much. It's not going to end up in your pocket anyway, so what do you need so much for?"
The driver poured water into the trough again before saying, "Your mother-in-law's house is 140 li away. It's too far to travel in one day, and no one travels from there to here. The return trip will be empty, and it will take three days round trip. You can do the math yourself. I've even given you a discount. By the way, you'll have to pay for the inn and the round trip."
Wang Gou'er hesitated for only a moment, after all, there was a person wearing armor and holding a knife staring at him not far away.
"Okay, let's go now."
The driver called for others to help hitch up the rickshaw, adding, "Carrying luggage is extra."
"Here, here, take it all!" Wang Gou'er said irritably.
After about an hour, everything was loaded onto the cart. Wang Gou'er kept cursing and swearing, but finally climbed onto the mule cart and said, "Let's go."
As soon as he stepped out of his house, Wang Gou'er saw the Mu family at the corner, including Mu San, who should have died on the battlefield.
Wang Gou'er gave a cold snort and turned his head away.
Not far away, Mu Chuan glanced at Mu Dazhuang and said, "Keep an eye on it."
He took the log used for siege warfare from the person next to him; a log that would take four people to carry, he could carry and run on his own.
Mu Chuan carried the logs and rushed towards Wang Gou'er's house. There was a muffled thud, and the ground trembled slightly. Wang Gou'er's house had collapsed.
Wang Gou'er was stunned, muttering to himself, "At least wait until I'm gone..."
Two of Mu Chuan's men followed behind Mu Dazhuang.
"The general was the first to storm the village. The gate was so sturdy, with a stone roof behind it, and it only took one shot."
"It's a bit thinner than the one from before, but the house isn't very big."
Mu Chuan returned carrying the log, and Mu Dazhuang sighed slightly, saying, "Actually, I knew Wang Gou'er was nothing to fear as soon as you came back. But... I still had to do this, otherwise I wouldn't be able to live with myself."
Uncle Mu Daniu looked much more relaxed than before: "You've gone over, but I haven't."
He climbed onto the oxcart that was waiting on the side. This oxcart had a canopy, so he could lie down and sleep, which was much more comfortable than the carts that only carried goods.
Mu Daniu laughed loudly, "Wait for me to come back for dinner."
Mu Dazhuang actually laughed: "You'll be back in three days. Do you want us to starve to death?"
Wang Gou'er walked and stopped along the way, arriving at Granny Liu's house just after noon on the second day.
Grandma Liu's house was a bit bigger than Wang Gou'er's. It was a small courtyard with two sections, three rooms in the front and three in the back, and two small rooms in the courtyard used as a woodshed and a kitchen.
"It's perfect that the two of us live in the front yard," Liu said with a forced smile. "Let Mother take the children and live in the back yard."
Wang Gou'er suddenly remarked, "Serving a ruler is like serving a tiger; I don't believe he'll have a good end!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than another oxcart stopped not far away, and a familiar face jumped off the cart—Mu Daniu, carrying a stick and limping, but walking faster and faster toward Wang Gou'er.
"He's coming to break my legs!" Wang Gou'er hurriedly ran into the house.
Mu Daniu was not in a good position, and after taking two steps, he suddenly stumbled. He managed to brace himself with the stick in his hand so as not to fall. He turned around and called out. The soldier who had been accompanying Huang Guihua and Shan Liniang to fight Wang Gou'er also jumped off the vehicle.
Mu Daniu handed him the stick: "You do it. I'm not strong enough. I'm afraid I won't be able to break it with one blow, and it will just become a way to vent my anger."
Wang Gou'er panicked so much that his hands and feet went weak: "You're not venting your anger right now!"
Mu Daniu said, "No, this is retribution. No one can escape the wrath of the heavens!"
With a thud, Wang Gou'er howled, and Mu Daniu finally understood. He laughed and said, "Let's go back and eat noodles with soybean paste."
"Why...why..." Wang Gou'er was in so much pain that he could barely speak.
Mu Daniu chuckled and squatted down, supporting his lame leg: "If you hadn't stayed until now, were you expecting us to help you carry your luggage? Alright, what's a grown man with a broken leg? Don't act like a woman and cry all the time. That's what you said back then, you should live well with your broken leg."
As the twelfth lunar month approached, Mu Chuan brought his whole family back to the capital and moved into the Imperial Household of the Earl of Loyalty and Courage, a gift from the Emperor Emeritus.
His housewarming banquet was scheduled for the 18th of the twelfth lunar month. He had already taken advantage of the banquet at the ceremony where he recognized his godfather once, so this time it was just a simple get-together. The banquet was of the finest quality, and there was even an opera troupe, which would make the guests who had given generous gifts feel better.
The Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion split into three routes. Mu Chuan arranged for his family to go to the western route and then went to find Bai Zhong to inquire about the news.
"My second uncle broke his leg ten years ago. Does the Imperial Medical Academy have any imperial physicians who specialize in orthopedics?"
Bai Zhong thought for a moment and said, "It's better to find a doctor outside who treats sprains and bruises than an imperial physician. The masters in the palace are all very noble, and they might not have a fracture even once every ten years or so."
Mu Chuan then went to find a famous orthopedic doctor in the capital.
The doctor, surnamed Zhang, came over, took his pulse, and carefully examined his bones. He said, "There are no bone spurs, and it's growing quite well, but it's growing crookedly. You can use some plasters; although it won't cure it completely, at least it won't hurt as much on rainy days. Or you can break the bone and set it again, and then you won't limp when you walk."
Mu Chuan looked at his second uncle.
Mu Daniu didn't hesitate: "Reconnect."
Dr. Zhang left some ointment to relieve the soreness, and said, "You need to take good care of yourself, your body is still too weak. But you don't need to take care of yourself too much, otherwise it will be difficult to break your bones."
recuperation? This is something the imperial physicians excel at, so Mu Chuan asked Bai Zhong to recommend a royal physician from the Imperial Hospital who specializes in health preservation.
"Hmm... still weak. Eat more good food first. I'll write out a diet plan for you later. Eat well for a month. Go out and get some sun when it's sunny. I'll come back to check on you after the New Year and prescribe some tonics then. Take good care of yourself, and you'll be much better by spring. But maintaining good health is a long-term process, so don't slack off."
Once outside the hall, the imperial physician reiterated to Mu Chuan, "Don't let him touch ginseng, deer antler, or tiger bone for now; he's too weak to take such tonics."
Mu Chuan agreed, then went to see the gifts they had prepared for Miss Lin. He picked out a few minor issues, wrote an invitation by hand, and then went to General Li's house.
As soon as he entered, he saw Li Chengwu, who looked worried, come out to greet him and called out listlessly, "Fourth Uncle."
"What's wrong?" Mu Chuan asked. "Last time I went to my hometown and ate noodles with soybean paste, I was quite absent-minded. I was busy then and didn't ask you."
“In twenty days, I met three girls,” Li Chengwu told Mu Chuan. “My grandfather—” must have gone mad.
Li Chengwu's eyes darted around: "When is Fourth Uncle getting married?"
Mu Chuan smiled and said, "Guess."
He felt that the progress was good. After using the beauty cream given by His Majesty for two months, many of the dry lines on his face had disappeared.
If she looked forty when she first came back, she's thirty now. When they meet, Miss Lin will definitely be shocked.
Now that he is Miss Lin's brother, no one will misunderstand.
Mu Chuan went to General Li's study to finalize the banquet arrangements, while the Rongguo Mansion was also worried about Mu Chuan's banquet plans.
"Even your Wang family didn't receive an invitation?" Jia Lian asked incredulously.
Wang Xifeng glanced at him and said, "What's so strange about that? My uncle can't possibly know everyone."
"The governor of nine provinces... can't even control Pingnan Town?"
"This... I'm not an official of the imperial court, how would I know? They haven't inspected that area yet."
As the couple were guessing, Ping'er came in and said, "The Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion has sent something to Miss Lin again."
Wang Xifeng scoffed, "You should ask Lin Daiyu instead of me. You escorted her back to her hometown, helped with her Uncle Lin's funeral, and even carried the coffin back to Suzhou. It's been more than half a year. Surely there must be some connection between you. If she asks, you'll definitely be able to go."
"You—" Jia Lian glared fiercely at Wang Xifeng, then turned and left.
Although Wang Xifeng's words provoked Jia Lian, she knew what was important and what was urgent. She put two pieces of ginseng in her mouth and, when she felt a little better, asked Ping'er to help her dress up and went to Grandmother Jia to inquire about the news.
Two people came to deliver things to Miss Lin today: Granny Shen and Granny Yi.
"This is the general's tailor; his skills are superb," Granny Shen said to Lin Daiyu with a smile, her tone as if she were coaxing a child.
But this kind of coaxing wasn't just empty flattery; it was a genuine expression of hope that everything was going well for her. Lin Daiyu hadn't experienced this kind of comfort in a long time, and she found it somewhat unusual.
“I was wondering why she hadn’t said a word when she came last time. There were only two food boxes, one of which contained snacks. I thought Shen’s mother was too weak.”
Lin Daiyu then looked at Granny Yi: "I've heard that experienced tailors can tell the size at a glance. I want to see this old lady's skills today."
Granny Shen laughed so hard her eyes disappeared. The fairy maiden spoke so sweetly. The entire Zhongyong Earl's mansion was blessed.
"I'll show you the eighteen-pound steel sword the general forged for me later. It originally weighed only eighteen pounds, but it was later plated with gold, making it even heavier."
Granny Yi coughed twice, and tried to push past Granny Shen, but instead took two steps around her and placed the two large bundles on the table.
The first one we opened was the one with the wooden box on top.
"This is the name you gave to the general's niece after she gave birth. This is her return gift."
When the wooden box is opened, a set of exquisite straw-woven furniture is revealed.
Lin Daiyu's eyes lit up: "Thank you for me—Yousheng. I like it very much." She took a small table and stool and placed them on the table: "How can she be so steady? I heard she's only three or four years old. She's so skillful."
Inside, there are not only these items, but also a large straw-woven bed, a dressing table, an eight-immortal table, and an altar, etc.
"Originally, she only wove one set of tables, chairs, and benches," Granny Shen said with a smile. "Later, the general saw it and said it was very good for playing house. He asked her if she could wove anything else. The young lady said that of course she could, but she was afraid that if the young lady waited too long, it would seem like she was being negligent."
Lin Daiyu's dimples never disappeared. She playfully asked, "General, do you know everything? Have you ever played house?"
Granny Shen was taken aback; this was a difficult question to answer.
She hesitated, "Maybe, possibly, perhaps... when no one's around?"
Lin Daiyu turned her face away with a laugh, as such a bright smile was a bit impolite.
Granny Yi was unhappy that Granny Shen was keeping the fairy maiden, so she also brought out her own skills.
"This is for your family to wear regularly, worn under outer garments, so it has no embroidery or lining, and it's very soft."
Lin Daiyu took the vest made of cashmere yarn; it was exceptionally soft and not itchy at all.
She turned up the sleeve of her jacket to show Granny Yi: "Mine is also lined with cashmere, but it doesn't feel as comfortable as this. Is this cashmere from Beili?"
Lin Daiyu certainly knew her stuff. The Lin family was wealthy and powerful, and she was the daughter of the Salt Commissioner of Lianghuai. Which salt merchant under Lin Ruhai's jurisdiction wasn't richer than the Xue family? Her mother had married into the Rongguo Mansion during its heyday; what good things hadn't she seen?
“Exactly. It’s undyed, it’s its natural color,” Granny Yi replied. “The one you’re wearing is made of blue velvet.”
"Please thank the general for me. What else did he give me?"
There was also a pack of socks made of cashmere yarn and two pairs of knee pads.
Lin Daiyu was quite happy to see the socks. The imperial physician Wang, who had treated her earlier, had said that her blood and qi were not abundant enough, so her hands and feet would be cold when the weather got cold.
These socks are worn over the sock liners and are very warm.
But knee pads... Lin Daiyu's reaction was quite direct. She shifted her gaze to the upper left and whispered, "I'm only sixteen years old. I'm not old enough to wear knee pads yet."
Both Granny Yi and Granny Shen laughed.
“And this. This is a long vest.” Granny Yi shook out the clothes, and Granny Shen spoke first: “I’ve come many times and seen that the young lady wears a lot of red, so I told the general that. But the general said that young girls rarely have the right to decide what to wear. It’s all arranged by their elders. They told us to wear all kinds of colors.”
Lin Daiyu felt a warmth in her heart, and she said shyly, "Please thank the general for me. I... I do indeed like bright and vivid colors."
She looked at the long vest in Granny Yi's hand. It was a papaya yellow with a hint of orange, and the collar was made of plain yellow satin with light green embroidery. It was indeed a very vibrant color combination, and there was also a layer of cashmere inside.
Next was a light purple long jacket, embroidered with pink thread mixed with gold thread, and the cuffs, collar and hem were also sewn with a circle of small pink pearls.
"I like this one too!" Lin Daiyu put it on immediately.
Because of the sewn-on pearls, it naturally has a drooping feel, making it very imposing when you walk.
Lin Daiyu walked around twice, then sat down in her jacket and urged expectantly, "I think there's more in the bundle."
"This set is bright red, a new outfit specially prepared for the Chinese New Year."
The upper body is a slightly longer jacket, embroidered with leaves and flowers in apple green and pale yellow thread, and the lower body is a pleated skirt, embroidered with plum blossom branches in gold thread mixed with two slightly darker shades of red thread.
Both are lined with cashmere, making them warm and lightweight.
"I like this one too! I've said it so many times, but how can everything be so perfect?"
Granny Yi smiled so wide you could see her back teeth. She said, "It wasn't just me who did it; the embroiderers in the manor also contributed a lot."
Lin Daiyu was somewhat troubled. Simply giving money as a reward for something like this was definitely not enough. But... she didn't have that many things to give as rewards.
However, she still had time to think about the gifts since she hadn't finished giving them all.
"This is an invitation specially given by the general. I will come to pick you up at the beginning of the fourth hour of the twelfth lunar month," said Granny Shen. Mu Chuan had also given her instructions to say whatever was on her mind. Granny Shen had also heard Zhang Qiang say that the Jia family's daughters never went out.
"Bring a personal maid, two maids who do menial tasks, three sets of clothes to change into, and a hand warmer. No need to give gifts; unmarried girls don't need to give gifts either, since you were invited by the general."
Lin Daiyu often went out when she was a child, and her family often had guests. However, since she came to the capital, she had only visited the East Mansion and the Wang family. She did not know the rules for visiting guests in the capital.
But now it sounds no different from home.
Bringing three sets of clothes is for changing clothes; otherwise, why would it be called "changing clothes"? It's because you need to change clothes every time you go.
Lin Daiyu nodded in agreement, but noticed there were other things inside the bundle.
Granny Yi took it out, and it was... a rag doll?
"They're made of cashmere." Granny Yi arranged the two dolls in a certain position and had them sit on the chairs that You Sheng had given her.
"When the general saw the straw furniture made by the girl, he specifically ordered us to make this according to the size. The clothes he wore were also made from leftover scraps of cloth."
As she spoke, Granny Yi took out a ball of cashmere and a needle, demonstrating to Lin Daiyu: "If there is any flat spot on the doll, just poke it like this, and it will be fine."
"It's so exquisitely made." Lin Daiyu gently touched the doll's eyebrows. "Are these all embroidered? The braids are made of cotton thread. When I was little, my family even had a special kiln that fired a lot of ceramic dolls for me." Lin Daiyu smiled and said, "No wonder the general asked Miss Yousheng to make a whole set of furniture. This... I need to think about what to give in return."
She got up and went to the multi-treasure pavilion to take a look. She pointed and Zijuan brought down two wooden boxes.
“This is a purse I made for Miss Yousheng. This—” Lin Daiyu opened the wooden box: “This is a set of bookmarks I painted a few days ago according to the twenty-four solar terms. You can take them back and share them. And this is a small silver ingot in the shape of melons and fruits. It would be perfect for the children in the family to play with.”
As Lin Daiyu spoke, she pointed to the clasp on the silver ingot: "Thread a red string through it, so that a child won't accidentally swallow it."
When Granny Shen and Granny Yi left, they were both beaming with joy.
After seeing the two old women off, Lin Daiyu glanced at her pocket watch. Although it was almost time for dinner and she still needed to pay her respects to her maternal grandmother, she thought... there should still be time.
She took the doll and hurried towards the brothel.
In the entire Jia family, Qingwen was the best at needlework.
Of course, she would have to make the baby clothes herself, but her needlework skills weren't good enough to make clothes yet, so she wanted to ask Qingwen to make a paper pattern for her first so she could continue.
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Author's Note: A kind friend provided a life-size cashmere doll, but that was difficult to carry and a bit tiring to raise, so I exchanged it for a 12-point doll. And a complete set of furniture!
Another friend, Shiyiyue, suggested "fresh fish, since girls in southern Jiangsu mostly love to eat fish and know how to eat it," and that dish is already being cooked.
Lin Daiyu needs everyone's care and protection.
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