Although the dishes on the table were crude, it was nice to have hot dishes in this cold winter. Mi Niang had lived a hard life and was not picky. Seeing that Xian Ge'er couldn't finish his meal, she broke open the steamed bun and said, "Why don't we think of a new way to eat it and put our Xian Ge'er's favorite egg custard in it?"
"good."
Only then did Envy start to eat. Mi Niang then said to Xia Lian, "Have them cut the steamed bread into slices and fry it in the pot. It's best if it's charred and fragrant. Otherwise, Envy won't be able to eat it."
The word "kang" here comes from the Huguang dialect, which means "frying".
Xia Lian smiled and said, "It would be faster for me to find a place to do it for Xian Ge'er myself."
Xia Lian had always been outgoing, and now that she was married and had a child, she was even more outgoing than before. Seeing this, Mi Niang couldn't help but smile and nod.
Jian Ningchu, who was sitting opposite her, saw this scene and couldn't help thinking that she had also wanted to live a life like this in the past, taking care of her husband and children, a plain and simple life is the simplest, but it is also the life that people look forward to most. However, such days are gone forever and are getting farther and farther away from her.
Mi Niang didn't care. After all, no matter what, she just had to survive.
Jian Ning spoke very little at first, as if she was afraid to say more. Mi Niang was tactful and didn't ask. Instead, it was the child Envy Ge'er who eased the awkwardness in the middle.
Otherwise, how can I talk to her? Ask her if she is okay now?
Nonsense, his house was ransacked and he was kept in captivity, how could anything be okay?
Fortunately, Fang Weiyan came over after a while. When he came back, Xia Lian just brought over some steamed bread slices, one of which was sprinkled with fried garlic, and the other was sprinkled with coarse white sugar.
In the past, Fang Weiyan enjoyed himself very much. He never got tired of fine food or delicate minced meat. When Mi Niang ate pickled pepper, he seldom ate it and even jokingly called himself a spicy girl. But now he would eat as soon as he sat down. Gu Wangshu also sat at the same table with him, next to Jian Ningchu.
Mi Niang asked the kitchen to bring a few more dishes. She loved both sweet and savory steamed bread slices. When she was about to eat, she saw Fang Wei Yan taking away the sweet ones.
She was speechless: "What are you doing? This is for my son."
Gu Wangshu was surprised that Mi Niang was so rude. He was still thinking about the principle of husband and wife, and didn't know how unhappy Fang Weiyan was. However, he didn't expect Fang Weiyan to smile and say, "I'll just try a few pieces."
"The last time I ate at home, I let you have one piece but you refused. Now you're still trying to get it. Just leave two pieces for the jealous guy."
This scene surprised Jian Ningchu as well. Her parents had not had a good relationship since she was young. Her stepmother was too respectful to her father. As for her grandparents, although their relationship was gentle, they were too old and did not seem to understand how a normal couple should get along.
Now, when Mi Niang was scolding, Fang Wei Yan was listening with a smile, while Xian Ge'er was looking here and there, but the atmosphere was very harmonious.
Fang Weiyan quietly told Mi Niang about Wangshu's plan. Although Mi Niang felt a little uncomfortable, she felt that this was an imperial order and the imperial order could not be violated. So after dinner, Mi Niang told the servants that she and her sister had met by chance, and her brother-in-law had lost a lot of money in business, so her sister and brother-in-law were going to join them.
Of course no one would doubt it, because Jian Ningchu and Mi Niang look about 60% similar. Even Mi Niang's younger brother is not that similar to her. Xian Ge'er also calls her "Auntie" all the time.
As they were on their way, Mi Niang asked Fang Weiyan curiously, "Do you think we really look like sisters?"
Fang Weiyan shook his head: "Although they look similar in some ways, their temperaments are very different."
Jian Ningchu is like Dodder, but Mi Niang is always very determined and has her own opinions.
"At least I feel they are different. You can tell they are different people at first glance." At the same time, she was very disapproving of Gu Wangshu. She didn't know whether he truly loved Jian Ningchu or just treated her as a substitute, but it was undoubtedly a very disgusting thing.
Just like what Fang Weiyan likes is this person, not the so-called appearance. People's appearance will eventually age and change, but people's hearts are different.
Mi Niang asked again: "Do you think they are actually husband and wife?"
Because Jian Ningchu seemed to be very unfamiliar with Gu Wangshu. For example, she knew exactly what Fang Weiyan liked to eat and wear, but Jian Ningchu knew nothing about Gu Wangshu.
"Hehe, why do you ask this?" Fang Weiyan basically doesn't care about these things.
Mi Niang laughed twice.
But when it comes to Cangzhou, the prefect of Cangzhou is a student of Lu Rufa and a fellow student of Fang Weiyan. This person was two grades earlier than Fang Weiyan. He was promoted to prefect with the help of Lu Rufa and was quite capable of doing things.
The prefect of Cangzhou held a welcoming banquet, and Mi Niang dined with his wife. The lady was about the same age as Xu, but she treated Mi Niang as an equal. Because Cangzhou borders Shandong, the prefect's wife knew a lot of information.
"Sister-in-law, you come from a prominent family, so you will definitely have no problem socializing. But I want to remind you that everyone in Shandong's officialdom knows that this person is not easy to mess with."
Mi Niang put down the bamboo chopsticks in her hand, and couldn't help but think, "Please teach me. I am young and ignorant. It would be bad if I offended others."
Seeing her humility, Madam Jiang also knew that Fang Weiyan and her husband were brothers from the same school, so she told him everything she knew: "You know that there are four big families in Shandong officialdom that are not easy to mess with, but they are also closely related, which is beyond the reach of others."
Mi Niang naturally didn't know.
I only heard Madam Jiang say, "There is a saying in Shandong that goes, before entering Shandong Gate, you must first bow to Wang Gate."
Wang Men?
"But the Wang Clan of Langya?"
"It is the Wang family of Runan, a branch of the Wang family of Langya. Five of them have passed the imperial examinations, and they are very prestigious. They are also the leaders of the four major families. The ancestors of the Wang family entered the inner court three times, and their grandson was also a local earl."
Mi Niang nodded, and then listened to Madam Jiang: "The other is the Gucheng Jiang family. It's not the Jiang with three drops of water, but the Jiang in Jiang Ziya. Three generations of the Jiang family have served as the chief priests of the Imperial Academy. Although they are no longer as powerful as before, the highest-ranking official in the family is also employed in the Southern Ministry of Rites. The other is the Fengcheng Yu family. They have inherited the title of first-class lord and guarded Liaodong for generations, and they are very famous."
"I have heard of General Yu." Mi Niang also heard in the capital that General Yu was the governor-general of the three borders.
Mrs. Jiang hesitated for a moment and said, "There is one last family, the Zhang family in Dengzhou."
The first three families are not in Dengzhou, and Mrs. Jiang mentioned Dengzhou last. It must be that his family is the most difficult to deal with. Dengzhou is also the place where Fang Weiyan will take up his post.
Mrs. Jiang said, "The ancestors of the Zhang family once had a high-ranking official like the Transport Commissioner, who also served as a salt official in the most famous Huaiyang area in the world. The old lady of the Zhang family came from the Wang family of Runan. The Zhang family has six branches in total, and they are quite lively and prosperous. They are all extremely wealthy. I heard that the toilets in their houses are all made of gold."
Mi Niang smiled.
Mrs. Jiang smiled and said, "This is just a rumor. Although it is hearsay, there is always a smoke without fire."
"Then may I ask, the person you are talking about is not easy to mess with, but is he from the Zhang family?"
Madam Jiang looked like a teachable child. She said, "The Zhang family is not only a powerful local family, but also has many relatives with the other three families. The old lady of the Zhang family I just mentioned is from the Wang family, but that's enough. The main thing is that the girls of the Zhang family -"
"I heard that they are very unrestrained. There are three girls who have left and returned home. Each of these girls has a business on hand. They are not ordinary people."
Being unrestrained is not a good word for a woman. Mi Niang probably understood what Mrs. Jiang meant. There were many girls from the Zhang family who had left the family, and even if they returned home, they did not strictly abide by the rules of a court lady. In particular, Mrs. Jiang specifically said this to her because Fang Weiyan was young. Although he was demoted, he was still a fifth-rank official.
Of course, Mrs. Jiang's implication was that a one-time affair was nothing, after all, the man was young, and even if he didn't go out to play, it wouldn't hurt to be a little romantic. But it would be bad if he had sex with a beautiful snake woman.
It's harmless to ask for some money, but it would be really troublesome if your official reputation is ruined.
Mi Niang poured herself a glass of wine and toasted Mrs. Jiang: "Thank you, sister-in-law, for telling me this."
Mrs. Jiang thought to herself that she had given a reminder, but it was hard to say what would happen in the future.
After staying at Jiang's house for one night, they set off early the next morning. This time, Jian Ningchu rode in the same car with Mi Niang and her son. Of course, Mi Niang herself was not a mother, and all the care of the children was done by the wet nurse. She spent most of her time reading travel stories and eating cakes by herself.
Jian Ningchu felt that she had to reshape her three views. When she was going to marry into the Marquis's Mansion, she naturally did some homework. Everyone praised her sister-in-law Ruan for how well she taught children and how hard it was to raise children. When Jian Yuehua looked down on Mi Niang everywhere, they all thought she was doing it out of jealousy.
I didn't expect to see it with my own eyes today, it was true, she actually didn't take care of the child much, she fed the child in front of outsiders, but behind the child was taken care of by the wet nurse and maid, and she just read books and rested.
Just as it was not long into the morning, she already held her forehead and said to the servants, "I want to rest for a while. I'm grateful to you guys for not letting her make a fuss."
The wet nurse quickly said yes.
But it was impossible to control a child of this age. Seeing this, Jian Ningchu had no choice but to coax the child together with the wet nurse.
At noon, Mi Niang finally woke up. When Envious Ge'er saw his mother, he happily said, "Mother."
"My dear baby, I'll ask them to make some hot cheese later. We can drink it and then eat some dry food, okay?" Seeing that Jian Ningchu was taking care of the child for her, Mi Niang expressed her gratitude again.
Jian Ningchu didn't know what to say because Mi Niang seldom said anything to her. She didn't seem to be the kind of person who could deal with people well, but instead did what she wanted.
She was highly praised by Gu Wangshu, but I didn't expect it to be like this.
But she was really comfortable this way. Although they were driving, Mrs. Qin, who was also taking care of the baby, also sent a maid over, but she still did everything herself and was exhausted.
Jian Ningchu wondered whether the Three Obediences and Four Virtues that she had learned in the past were correct.
It is said that women obey their fathers at home and their sons after their husbands die. If a woman marries a bad husband, it will be useless no matter how good she is.
But Mi Niang really overturned a lot of traditional ideas. After Ruan Mi Niang had a good rest, her skin was as soft as a baby's and her face was rosy. She also wrote down poems and asked someone to pass a note to Fang Wei Yan from time to time while waiting for the car to stop.
Fang Weiyan would come over from time to time and ask her if she was tired. She would actually act coquettishly and say she was tired, which would make Fang Weiyan look distressed.
Compared to Jian Ningchu who was observing Mi Niang all the way, Mi Niang was not in the mood to pay attention to him because the journey was already tiring, and she had to think about all kinds of things, which was exhausting.
Besides, the jealous boy has already learned a lot on weekdays, so he naturally needs to rest and sleep during the journey so as not to overdo it.
Fortunately, Hebei is very close to Shandong. After crossing Hebei, you will reach Shandong. At the post station, Mi Niang took a thorough bath and washed all her hair. Only then did she feel that she was alive.
When they were away from home, Mi Niang and Fang Wei Yan were worried about Xian Ge'er's safety, so the child rested with them at night. Mi Niang's hair was too long to dry in a short time, and she couldn't lie down, so Fang Wei Yan and Xian Ge'er slept in the same quilt.
Who knew that both the father and the son were unwilling. The jealous brother wanted to be with Xiangxiang's mother, and Fang Weiyan also wanted to have a talk with his wife.
Mi Niang yawned and said, "It's okay to be bumpy every day. I need to rest after being bumped every day."
"It will be here soon." Fang Weiyan smiled.
"Well, Zhixiao, how about the poem I wrote today? Although it was written by an anonymous person, it has a more broad state of mind, and people who read it can't help but feel refreshed."
They often do this as a couple, sharing anything good they see.
Fang Weiyan recited it once, and out of envy of his brother's good memory, he actually followed suit. The father and son, one teaching and the other reading, seemed to be in great harmony.
Mi Niang kissed each of them in approval.
She was about to speak, but couldn't help yawning: "Wei Yan, did my eyelash get into my eye again?"
"Come here and let me see."
She was always like this, and her eyes were rubbed red. Fang Weiyan quickly lifted her chin and looked at her carefully.
Suddenly, the room was filled with warmth.
Elsewhere, the room was also full of beauty. Jian Ningchu could no longer bear it and curled up her body, but she felt jealous and ashamed in her heart, as if she was a tool for sexual release.
"We will arrive in Dengzhou soon. I will arrange your household registration for you. You should have a closer relationship with Mrs. Fang so that you look more like sisters." Gu Wangshu said lightly.
After sex, he would never say a word of comfort to her but would talk to her calmly.
Jian Ningchu also returned to her usual self, without any of the urge to shout out that she had just been unable to control. She said, "I understand."
"It's not that I know, it's that I have to do it. I'm not joking with you, the water in Dengzhou is deep." Gu Wangshu could naturally see that Jian Ningchu and Mi Niang were not very close. Although they looked similar, they were very distant.
This won't do. Their current identities are Fang Zhizhou's aunt and brother-in-law, and they come from a merchant family, so they must curry favor with the Ruan family.
Otherwise, even if they are your sisters, they may not necessarily help you.
Jian Ningchu misunderstood, thinking that he only had Mi Niang in his heart, not knowing that she was not what he thought. But she never said bad things, and Mi Niang was just a little lazy, so there was nothing wrong with her.
She was feeling sulky, but Gu Wangshu turned over and fell asleep.
The next day, Mi Niang looked at her dark circles under her eyes and couldn't help but ask, "Did you not sleep well last night? Take a nap today."
Jian Ningchu forced a smile, pulled at his collar, and cursed Gu Wangshu eight hundred times in his heart.
After continuing on the road, the son celebrated his third birthday on the road and officially became a three-year-old child. Mi Niang weighed him and said, "Oh, my dear, I can't hold you anymore."
Qin said, "I heard that Shandong people are very tall, and their steamed buns are bigger than their faces. Young Master is tall now, and I'm afraid he will be even taller in the next three years in Dengzhou."
"If our Envy Brother grows too tall, he will be a giant." Mi Niang tickled her son, and Envy Brother chuckled.
After entering Dengzhou, Prefect Xu sent people to greet Fang Weiyan and others. Fang Weiyan first went to meet Prefect Xu and his colleagues in the government office, while Mi Niang took everyone to her residence behind the government office.
Generally, when officials brought their families with them to take up their posts, they would live behind the government offices.
Even though the six ministries had houses for officials who could not afford real estate, the ones who lived in the main house were of course Mi Niang and her husband, the side room was for Xian Ge'er, and the east side room was reserved for the guests Gu Wangshu and his wife Jian Ningchu.
As for Chen Yiming and his wife and guard Liu, they all lived in the outer courtyard. There is a difference between inside and outside.
Outside, Mi Niang always called Jian Ningchu her sister, and couldn't help but say, "Sister, we are here for the first time today, and you only have two maids there, which may not be enough. I will assign two more maids to take care of you. After you have cleaned up, we can have dinner together, how about that?"
Jian Ningchu was busy and didn't say anything good.
In fact, Jian Ning initially felt that Mi Niang treated her strangely. In fact, they seldom talked to each other in private, but she did take good care of her, but was the kind of person who was indifferent to her.
But she knew that Mi Niang meant well. The two maids following her were actually female guards who knew some fighting skills. They were placed by Gu Wangshu to receive information from her. These people would not really serve anyone.
Compared to the capable girls brought up by the Fang family, she is far behind.
So I accepted it.
Little did she know that Mi Niang said to Chun Tao and Xia Lian: "She is nominally my sister. If I don't get closer to her, wouldn't it be too fake? But she has been missing since the house was raided. Now she is under the command of Gu. If I ask too much, it will be awkward. When people are too familiar with each other, it is easy to have no secrets. She and I are destined to be different people, so why should we be intimate with each other?"
At that time, Xia Lian also asked: "Why do you say that we are not the same kind of people?"
Mi Niang said, "The marriage between the two families failed. If I have close contact with her, what will the people in the Marquis' Mansion think of me in the future? Besides..."
Mi Niang didn't say anything after that. In her previous life, Gu Wangshu actually coveted her. In this life, having Jian Ningchu, who looks so much like her, by her side, it is hard not to have some associations.
Therefore, it is right not to have much contact.
The prefect hosted a dinner for everyone. His wife also invited Mi Niang to join them for dinner. Prefect Xu's wife was about forty years old. The maid beside her was holding a blue-eyed cat with pure white fur, just like a Persian Hu Ji.
Mrs. Xu has thick eyebrows and thin, tightly pursed lips. She looks like a very opinionated person.
"I've heard that Fang Hanlin is coming to our Dengzhou, and our master has been preparing for a long time. I never thought that he would really come. Madam Fang, since he is here, you should make the best of it. If you have any inconvenience in Dengzhou in the future, you can come to me."
Mi Niang smiled and said, "Thank you for your kindness, Madam Governor. I was completely clueless. I feel relieved after hearing your words. I have never been to Dengzhou before. I wonder if you have any advice for me?"
Madam Xu raised her hand and signaled the Pipa girl to stop playing. The girl stopped playing immediately. Then she said, "I don't deserve your advice, but you are from the capital, so I'm afraid you don't know the local rules. In Dengzhou, you don't have to eat lingo, but you can't offend the local wealthy families. Naturally, we women just need to take care of our husbands and children. Sister, please don't think I'm nagging."
Mi Niang said, "Hey, sister, you have good intentions for me, how could I not know that? Sister, you kindly advise me, how could I not know that, although men are responsible for the outside world and women are responsible for the inside world, as women, we are the wife of the husband's honor, and we can't fight for anything for men, but we can't hold them back either."
"Today is our first meeting, but I have to say that you are a wise person, sister."
After she finished speaking, she looked at the young Mrs. Fang who was sitting opposite her. She was wearing a lilac-colored jacket with fur trim, a skirt of the same color, and a white jade hairpin on her head. She looked elegant and well-educated.
Mi Niang personally took the jug and poured wine for Madam Xu: "As time goes by, you will know that I am the easiest person to get along with."
Banished from the capital to the countryside, even a phoenix of noble character had turned into a crow overnight. It seemed that she was quite aware of current affairs and took the initiative to pour wine for herself. However, Mrs. Xu also knew when to stop and remembered her husband's instructions, which was to win over the people of the Fang family while guarding against them at the same time.
"Don't be in a hurry, sister. Come and try our famous dish, the Pulled Apple."
This dish of pulled apples is indeed a famous dish, sweet but not greasy, and the texture is just right, but not hard. Mi Niang nodded: "It is indeed a famous dish, very delicious, sweet but not greasy, and has a sweet fruity aroma."
Mrs. Xu nodded: "As long as my sister is happy, however, do you know who owns the largest apple orchard in Dengzhou?"
Mi Niang shook her head in confusion.
"We are from the Zhang family, a famous wealthy family in Dengzhou. Everything you eat, use, and wear comes from the Zhang family."
Hearing Madam Xu start praising Dengzhou right now, Mi Niang thought, could it be that Magistrate Xu has a close relationship with the Zhang family?
But soon, Madam Xu added, "I said this not because it has anything to do with the Zhang family, but since ancient times, a strong dragon cannot defeat a local snake. Your Prefect Fang was born as a poet, and he is not familiar with the difficulties of being an exiled official. Our old man has been exiled for more than 15 years, and I know too well that being a local official is not easy. Don't look at me as Madam Shangguan now, but I have suffered a lot of humiliation. Look at the scar on my hand."
As she spoke, Mrs. Xu rolled up her sleeves to show Mi Niang. Sure enough, there was a scar that looked like it had been burned by fire. It must have been burned many years ago. The flesh there was white and looked like a caterpillar. It looked very ugly.
Mi Niang had a look of shock on her face, and the maids behind her were also surprised.
"This happened when our grandfather was the county magistrate. There were disasters everywhere and our grandfather was preparing to collect grain. However, the local wealthy families wanted to hoard grain and sell it at high prices. Our grandfather refused, and as a result, our family was almost burned to death." Mrs. Xu burst into tears when she mentioned this.
Mi Niang also praised: "Prefect Xu is truly a man of high moral character, and truly a good official who cares deeply about the people."
Mrs. Xu said from the bottom of her heart: "So I advise you, although you should do things for the people, don't offend those powerful people."
Mi Niang nodded repeatedly, very convinced.
Because she mentioned that she had children at home, she left after eating for an hour.
Back in the room, Jian Ningchu came over to ask about the situation. They all came here to investigate the corruption case, so they shared information with each other, and Mi Niang might even bring Jian Ningchu to the banquet at that time.
So, Mi Niang told Jian Ningchu exactly what happened today.
When she heard that Mrs. Xu had a burn on her hand, she couldn't help but say, "It seems that this Governor Xu is a good official."
Mi Niang sneered, "Sister, you are too naive. She just said that. Who knows if it is true or not? This is also a kind of intimidation, so that we can soften our attitude towards these local nobles from the beginning. Although it is said that we should be polite before we use force, if we are so soft at the beginning, she will probably let people come to our house one day."
"I'm afraid she is a lobbyist that the Zhang family has already bribed. She is using both soft and hard tactics. You must not be fooled. I think that even though everyone knows that our Fourth Master has been exiled, as the saying goes, a thief's heart is filled with guilt. I'm afraid that someone will try to find out the truth. We don't need to worry. Others will come to our door on their own."
Jian Ningchu is a weak daughter. Although she is called "Miss Quan", she is only in the inner house. Her attitude towards things is always to make friends with others. If there is a big problem, it is not her turn to solve it. This is what she always feels is the sadness of being a woman. She never thought that Ruan Mi Niang is different. She seems to have a natural sensitivity and is not afraid of anything at all.
This made Jian Ningchu admire her very much, and she also thought, no wonder Fang Weiyan would rather marry her than Jian Yuehua, who was the granddaughter of the Minister of Revenue. She is indeed very knowledgeable. If it were Jian Yuehua, she would just complain about other people's dress, clothes and talk, but she would not think so much.
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