Chapter 171: Madam’s Hard Work
Niu comforted herself that it was because Zhang Yaosheng was diligent and studious and had a strong desire to make progress, but looking at the husband of Madam Jiang in the yard over there…
Mrs. Niu was feeling annoyed when she heard the sound of footsteps outside. She looked out from a distance and saw Song Jingyun passing by her door.
He walked in a hurry, as if he was in a hurry to get home.
They were both from farming families, and their husbands were both studying at Wende Academy. No one was more noble than the other. Why was she living a tight life at home, with not much oil and water in her meals, while Jiang could buy all kinds of dishes from the restaurant? Niu rolled her eyes, walked through her narrow and short yard, went out the door, and stopped Song Jingyun.
"Mr. Song." Mrs. Niu bowed.
"You are..." Song Jingyun thought for a moment, "Sister Niu?"
He remembered that this Niu was Zhang Yaosheng's wife, but they seldom met each other on weekdays and he did not have a deep impression of her. He only remembered that she had a daughter, but the way she looked at her daughter was not loving enough and even had some disgust.
Accustomed to the love that Jiang Youcheng and Liu showed to Jiang Mixia and him, Song Jingyun also felt that as parents, they should be kind and caring to their children. Even if they were strict in teaching them, the loving look in their eyes could not be hidden.
This is obviously not the case with Mr. Niu.
Song Jingyun didn't understand why someone wouldn't love their own children, and he didn't like Niu either. He took a step back calmly, "I don't know why Sister Niu stopped me?"
"It's nothing serious." Niu looked at Song Jingyun.
She had seen Song Jingyun before, but she had only seen him from a distance and did not look closely. Now, looking at him from a close distance, she found that Song Jingyun was only about twenty years old, with red lips, white teeth, and regular eyebrows. His face was even more handsome than that woman's. More importantly, he was tall and slender, and his stature was neither fat nor thin. Just standing there, he exuded the calm and restrained aura of a scholar, which made people admire him.
Niu was illiterate and could not remember a few words of literary writing, but when she saw Song Jingyun, she racked her brains to think of a few words to praise him.
Then she thought about her husband Zhang Yaosheng. Although he was also a scholar and had passed the imperial examination three years ago, he was fat and had big ears. If he hadn't usually worn a long gown, making his identity very easy to recognize, at first glance, he would have looked like a butcher.
We are all farmers, so why can Song Jingyun be so generous? Niu felt sour in her heart that she spoke with a bit of harshness, "But I also want to remind Mr. Song of something."
"I wonder if Sister Niu has any advice for me?" Song Jingyun's tone became more distant.
"It's not really a teaching, but just a reminder to Mr. Song to take good care of your wife."
Hearing Niu mention Jiang Mixia, Song Jingyun became a little nervous, "What happened to my wife?"
"What's wrong? Your wife is a wife, but she stays at home all day long. She doesn't make clothes or pick up needles, doesn't light fires or cook. She only knows how to go out and buy food and drinks in various ways. How can she be a virtuous woman?"
Niu spoke with great enthusiasm, as if she was letting out all her grievances. "You are Madam Jiang's husband, you must discipline her and teach her what it means to be frugal and manage the household."
"My husband is older than you. Since you call me sister-in-law, don't blame me for saying these few words. Even if our family is well-off, we can't afford to spend it like water. It's better to live a long and steady life. Don't wait until all the money is spent before you realize what it means to regret..."
Song Jingyun frowned and listened for a while, then nodded vigorously, "I understand what Sister Niu said."
"It would be best if Mr. Song understood." Niu felt happy when she saw Song Jingyun's statement.
"Oh, my wife has worked so hard." Song Jingyun sighed.
Because he was greedy, she had to go to different places to buy various dishes every day. It was really difficult for her to walk so much and buy them in different ways.
Song Jingyun said, "It's time to hire a few servants for my wife."
In the past, his parents and Ergou helped with household chores, and he could also share the housework. But now they live alone, and he is busy studying in the academy, so Jiang Mixia has to take care of all the big and small things at home by herself, which must be very hard.
If I can buy a few that I like, in addition to keeping them at home in the county town, I will also bring two home to relieve my parents of the workload.
Song Jingyun had not thought about this at first, but it happened that today in the academy, he heard others talking about his mother's worrying about the housekeeping and the servants' clumsiness causing trouble, so he started to think about this matter.
After Niu said this again, Song Jingyun became even more determined about this idea.
It just so happened that he had earned some money from competing in poetry and couplets with others since he entered the academy, and together with the money from selling the books he copied while practicing calligraphy, it was quite a bit. He estimated that it was enough to buy three or four servants.
Song Jingyun was thinking about this matter, but Niu was just standing there in amazement.
These men are all very concerned about their reputation. Normally, if they hear others talking bad about his wife, most of them would feel embarrassed and would have some resentment in their hearts.
But Song Jingyun not only didn't feel ashamed, but felt that his wife was working hard? Going to restaurants to buy food all day long, what was the hard work of Madam Jiang?
"Mr. Song, you must have misunderstood. I meant..." Niu quickly argued.
Song Jingyun waved his hands hurriedly, "Thanks to Sister Niu's reminder, I know what to do."
"My wife is waiting for me at home for lunch. If you have nothing else to do, Sister Niu, I'll take my leave now."
After saying that, Song Jingyun hurried away and entered the gate of his own yard.
Niu stood there in a daze for a long while.
After coming to his senses, he stamped his feet.
What the hell is going on!
Is Song Jingyun's brain or ears not working well enough to not understand what is being said? Or is it...
Men all care about their reputation and would not speak ill of their wives in public. Even if they don't like it, they will just agree with them and go home to teach them a lesson.
Well, that’s for sure. Then just wait for Madam Jiang to suffer a setback.
After thinking about this, Niu felt much better and turned around to walk home.
The gates of the courtyards in the county town all have thresholds, especially the one at the Niu family’s house. After they moved in, they specially made a threshold, and the threshold is higher than that of ordinary families.
In Zhang Yaosheng's words, he is from a wealthy and powerful family. His family is not high enough, so the threshold should be high enough.
Whenever Niu went in and out of the house and stepped over the threshold, she would often think about this matter and always imagine the scene when her home would become a wealthy and powerful family in the future.
This thought inevitably makes me distracted.
Plop! I am guilty. I am addicted to reading novels and don’t want to write...
But I think it's pretty good. Hehehe, does any cutie want the title of the book?
(End of this chapter)
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