Chapter 5 Washing Three
"You are still young!" Su Yanli was worried about how his wife would spend her confinement, while thinking of a solution: "How about I go and bring Mother Dong back tomorrow?"
Su Ruojin reminded: "Dad, it's not that I don't want to give up the seven taels of silver on the table, it's really that the landlord wants to rob our mother Dong. Even if you go tomorrow, she will have a way to prevent you from taking mother Dong away."
Su Yanli, a scholar, had no way of competing with a shrew for a person. He was so angry that his temples ached.
Su Ruojin sighed inwardly. If she hadn't taught Dong Mama her cooking skills, the previous landlord, He Zhi, would have been so jealous of Dong Mama's cooking skills that he would have insisted on not paying the three months' late rent and keeping her there.
What a sin!
Su Yanli was so focused on his wife and children that he even ignored the delicious dinner made by his six-year-old daughter. He put down his chopsticks, thought for a moment, and said helplessly, "Okay, Shutong, I don't want you to send me off on duty anymore. Just follow Ah Jin and do whatever she asks you to do."
"Okay." Shu Tong happily cleared the dishes on the table. Since he earned eight taels today, he now looked upon the Second Lady as a lucky boy, smiling from ear to ear. He thought, if he could accidentally earn another eight taels tomorrow, wouldn't he get his monthly salary?
It makes me happy just thinking about it.
While her mother was in confinement after giving birth, her father finally gave in and Su Ruojin finally became the head of the family as she wished.
Originally, the family had no money, so they would just hold a symbolic third-day bath behind closed doors. Now that they have money, they should at least let the neighbors know, after all, it is a happy event.
The six-year-old chef brought her schoolmate to buy some eggs, dyed them red the next day, and told her neighbors the good news, saying that her younger brother would be having his third birthday the next day and invited everyone to visit her humble home.
In ancient times, the third day bath was very particular, but the Su family had just moved here less than half a year ago and had no relatives, so Su Ruojin asked the midwife, Ma Pozi, and followed the simplest process.
Firstly, the Su family really didn't have the money to buy something so extravagant. Secondly, it was winter and the weather was extremely cold. For the sake of her little brother's health, Su Ruojin didn't want to make a big fuss. Just a token of her appreciation would be enough.
Even though he was frugal, he still spent nearly two taels of silver, which made Su Ruojin heartbroken.
The ingredients for the feast have been bought, but who is going to cook? Su Ruojin is now a six-year-old child, and she really doesn't have the energy to cook a feast.
Shu Tong was worried: "How about hiring a maid from the pawnbroker to prepare the banquet?"
Su Ruojin shook her head: "No need."
"Do you want to ask the neighbors for help?"
Su Ruojin shook her head again: "They are giving me face by coming to see my mother and my younger brother, so why should they cook for me?"
"What should we do?" In the past, when the host gave birth, it was Mother Dong who took care of the banquet. Now that Mother Dong has been taken away by someone else, Shu Tong and his young master don't know what to do.
Su Ruojin smiled slyly, "Follow me."
It was not until they reached the place they rented before that Shu Tong realized, "You want to bring Mother Dong back to prepare the feast?"
"yes!"
"Hey, the night before yesterday you told the adults that Mrs. Xu was stubborn and wouldn't let us go, why are you here to take people away again today?"
Su Ruojin said mysteriously, "You don't understand this!" How could her father, a teacher in the Imperial College, have the nerve to argue about these trivial matters with an old woman? But she was different. Besides, she was sure of what kind of person Xu was before she came here to bring people.
The little girl's eyes and eyebrows moved, and she looked lively and energetic.
Shutong: ...
Why does the little master act like a cunning little fox?
When the former landlord, Mrs. Xu, saw Su Ruojin, she immediately spread her thorns like a hedgehog, glared at him, and said, "Hurry up and go back the way you came..." Facing the fair and tender little kid, the plump Mrs. Xu was kind enough to say good things by not scolding him in a harsh way.
Su Ruojin grinned, her eyebrows curved, just like the little boy sitting under Guanyin, "Auntie, my mother gave birth to my little brother, and I have to prepare a feast today..."
"Let's go..." Just as she guessed, Mrs. Xu refused to let Mrs. Dong go only if she wanted to bring her home for a feast.
Su Ruojin went straight to the point: "My mother said she wanted to teach Mama Dong two new dishes."
New dish!
Mrs. Xu's plump and round body was not innocently fat, it was the result of her delicious taste. When she heard about the new dishes, her eyes, which were squeezed into a slit by the fat on her cheeks, turned around several times. Her face, which was so tense just now, suddenly bloomed like a flower. "Oh my, Madam Su has another baby. Congratulations. It's just a matter of going home to prepare a lunch meal. What's the big deal? Go, go quickly."
Mother Dong had been standing in a secluded corner cautiously. When she heard that the landlord had finally given in, she happily wiped her apron with both hands and hurried to the young master, "Second Madam..." She was so happy that she almost cried.
Su Ruojin stretched out her little hand and held her, "Mom, let's go."
"Why."
The young master must have a way! He brought the person back with just a few words. Shu Tong followed happily.
Fatty Xu stood at the gate of the courtyard, staring at the backs of the three people for a long time without moving.
Su Yanli has no relatives in the capital, and only colleagues he is familiar with come to visit. Cheng Yingzhen has relatives, but she is a concubine's daughter born to a concubine's son, and has no sense of existence in the Earl's Mansion. Every year, she only brings some gifts and goes in through the side door to see her aunt two days before the New Year. She doesn't move around at other times, just like an orphan and a widow.
Su Ruojin didn't care that there were few relatives. Her father asked the male guests to sit in the main hall, and she took the female guests into the bridal chamber to see her mother. After a glance, she brought them out to the side room for tea, and then treated everyone to lunch at noon.
Three of Su's father's colleagues came, all of them were about the same age as him. The night before yesterday, some of them were really out when Su's father went to borrow money, and some asked their wives to come back and say that they had no money. Originally, they wanted to find an excuse not to come today, but Su Yanli said that there was a banquet at home and asked them to come.
Set up a table? Didn't they borrow money? They asked each other, but no one borrowed money from the other party. Could it be Lord Fan again?
Someone figured out that every time Su Yanli borrowed money from Lord Fan, it wouldn't be long before he would be promoted to a higher rank.
If the man with the surname Su was promoted again, he would be the chief clerk of the Imperial College from the seventh rank. This was a position in charge of the practical affairs of the Imperial College, and there was no one working in the Imperial College who did not want this position.
They came here today not to give Su Yanli face, but to test his strength. This person is okay in academics, but when it comes to practical matters... they don't see any ability in him!
Why did Lord Fan lend him money and promote him? What is their relationship?
Colleagues who have worked with Su Yanli for seven or eight years really don’t understand.
The three colleagues were busy asking questions, and their wives were certainly not idle either. Cheng Yingzhen was weak and had no strength, so they followed Su Ruojin closely and went into the side room to have tea, asking questions left and right, making it very lively.
Su Ruojin looked like a six-year-old girl pretending to be obedient and ignorant. In fact, her father did not borrow money from Lord Fan, which meant that her father would not be promoted recently.
The eighth rank and the seventh rank seem to be two levels apart, but in fact there is a qualitative change. On the surface, clerks below the ninth rank are not considered mainstream, and in fact, small officials below the eighth rank are not considered mainstream either. The eighth and seventh are the first watershed in becoming an official.
(End of this chapter)
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