Chapter 5 Family Matters Family Matters
Xu Erpeng was shrewd and had already prepared gifts for the apprenticeship ceremony in the blue-and-white mule cart: two geese, a basket of eggs, two feet of blue silk, a ream of paper, a new book, and two coins' worth of cloves.
Ru also had a female disciple who studied medicine under her. She was about twelve or thirteen years old and dressed very fashionably. She wore a white gauze shirt with a lilac-colored cotton vest over it, and a sand-green trailing skirt with gold branches and leaves underneath. Her hair was styled in a drooping bun and adorned with a flower and jade ornament. She had beautiful eyebrows and eyes and was very approachable.
“This is my niece, Xi Niang. She has learned some skills from me,” Ru Shi introduced.
Miaozhen hurriedly stepped forward to greet her, but Xiniang stepped aside and simply smiled, saying, "From now on, we will be fellow disciples."
This woman, Xi Niang, seemed distant, but her voice was simple and honest. Miao Zhen smiled and called her "Senior Sister," which pleased Xi Niang so much that she took off her sachet and gave it to her.
Miaozhen immediately accepted the gift and then kowtowed to Ru Shi on the prayer mat, thus formally becoming her disciple.
Because Miaozhen usually attends girls' school, she comes over after school at 3 pm every day and goes home at 3:45 pm. She rests for one day every ten days, and this day is over from the morning.
The date was set, and the Xu family hosted a banquet for Scholar Mei. Scholar Mei was dressed in a Taoist robe and had a beard that covered his mid-fifties, giving him a rather otherworldly and venerable appearance.
During the banquet, Scholar Mei invited them to his home for the festival, but Xu Erpeng only smiled and said, "I would like to go, but my elder brother will pick up my parents and we will go together during the Mid-Autumn Festival."
Therefore, it was difficult for Scholar Mei to persuade him otherwise.
When the old man was quite drunk, Xu Erpeng had his servants personally escort him home.
Miaozhen will officially go to the girls' school after the Mid-Autumn Festival, and she will also go to the Tao family to learn medicine after the Mid-Autumn Festival. Now she has a rare few days of free time, which feels like the last few days of summer vacation, so she naturally wants to have a few days of fun.
August is the time for the provincial examinations. Xu Erpeng had already had the printer print the articles of the chief examiner, deputy examiner, and examiners of the eighteen departments for sale. Some middlemen, just to make a profit, ordered the books from the study early on and then took them to places such as the examination hall, prefectural school, and county school to set up stalls and sell them.
Another type of business involved selling books on boats, also known as Zhili Book Boats. These people also traveled to Jinchang to purchase goods.
These people were like fishermen in the sea; some of them would always come to Rulin Bookstore to buy books. Xu Erpeng also made a small profit. At the dinner table, he was talking to Madam Mei: "I just made two taels of silver. Although it's not much, I'll be happy if they come a few more times."
Miaozhen sighed, "Father spent a lot of money on his daughter this time."
"It's not much money, but you should learn the skills. That's better than anything else," Xu Erpeng said, unconcerned.
Miao Zhen thought that her father was a writer of storybooks and had a relatively open mind. If she were in another family, would they raise their daughter like this?
After the meal, Mrs. Ma from next door came over. The Ma family owned a portrait studio; in the Ming Dynasty, portraits were paintings, and they specialized in painting portraits for people. The Ma family's storefront was a two-story building, and the first floor also ran a framing business. Madam Qiu rented a south-facing courtyard in their house to run a girls' school, which was recommended by this kind-hearted Mrs. Ma.
"Mrs. Xu, we are having a tea party in a few days at Huanghuadang. I wonder if you would like to come?"
During the Ming Dynasty, many people saved every penny to travel, and the people of Suzhou even considered it shameful not to travel. Tea parties were a way for women to socialize. Normally, even maids in ordinary households rarely left their homes, and only tea parties and incense gatherings offered them such opportunities.
It is said that there are also pilgrims from Shandong who go to Wudang Mountain together to offer incense.
Madam Mei was also tempted, but she said helplessly, "My little boy can't be left alone, and he's still breastfeeding. I'll go with you when he's older."
Mrs. Ma wasn't annoyed, she just smiled and said, "Alright, when your son is older, we can go together again."
Ms. Mei readily agreed with a smile.
Mrs. Ma then mentioned that after the Mid-Autumn Festival, Lady Qiu opened her school: "She is different from others. Other teachers only know classical Chinese, but I don't know how she taught them. My daughter used to speak in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz, but now she dares to speak in front of people and is much more confident."
Madam Mei ordered someone to bring out pine needle tea and asked, "I heard that this Lady Qiu was originally a nun who left the nunnery, is that true?"
“That’s true. She came from an official family and was proficient in poetry, calligraphy, painting, music, and chess. She was also skilled in needlework and cooking. I once ate her stir-fried mushrooms, and I almost ate my tongue off. It’s a pity she became a widow, so she built a family temple next to the lotus pond. Later, the temple burned down, and the family she was originally betrothed to had moved to the capital, so she returned to secular life. After that, she worked as a cook in the prefect’s mansion. Later, the prefect was promoted and left, so she rented our house and opened a restaurant,” Mrs. Ma said.
Madam Mei clasped her hands together and said repeatedly, "Amitabha, I am relieved to have such a person teaching my Zhen'er."
Mrs. Ma waved her handkerchief, her words full of praise for Madam Qiu: "Indeed, I heard that she was originally trained to be the mistress of a wealthy family, and she even knows how to manage the household and do accounting."
Although she hadn't yet developed a deep relationship with Lady Qiu, Madam Mei was already quite impatient after hearing these words.
Unexpectedly, Mrs. Ma said, "It's just because Madam Qiu's tuition is a bit higher. Originally, Mrs. Wei from the paper horse shop sent her daughter here to study for three days, but then she felt bad about the money and made a fuss about getting a refund. After getting the refund, she saw that other girls were studying well and became very jealous. So she went around saying that girls should be obedient to the three obediences and four virtues and should stay at home to be well-behaved. Can you believe there are people like that?"
Miao Zhen thought some people were just that bad. For example, when she used to tutor students during the pandemic, she helped a high school student improve a lot and hoped that the student would get good grades on the final exam. However, some parents felt that their child's grades were poor because of online classes at home, so they reported the student to the education bureau. As a result, the final exam was canceled that year.
Ms. Mei clicked her tongue twice upon hearing this.
Seeing that Mrs. Mei agreed, Mrs. Ma had an audience and did not forget to praise herself: "It is better for a girl to be literate. Nowadays, if a family has some spare money, who would let their daughter become illiterate? If I may say something inappropriate, it will be better for her to get married in the future."
Madam Mei agreed with this: "Yes. We used to have a neighbor who was like that. He wouldn't let his daughter go to school or learn embroidery. He was afraid that his daughter would marry into another family and become a good match."
The two women were talking enthusiastically when Miaozhen heard the conversation turn to marriage, so she quickly took her leave.
As soon as she went out, Mrs. Ma saw that she walked lightly with her feet unbound and immediately said, "Why doesn't your daughter have bound feet?"
“Her father forbids it, and besides, I also feel pain,” Madam Mei said dismissively.
Mrs. Ma laughed and said, "That's just like my family. My Yulan is also spoiled by her father, so we just let her be."
During the Mid-Autumn Festival, my third uncle's family made a lot of Qiaoguo (a type of pastry), so business was booming. People from both the city and the countryside came in droves to buy them. For almost a month, they made a daily turnover of 300-400 grams. In addition to my grandparents helping out, they also hired three other employees, one of whom was my third aunt Bao's nephew.
Xu Erpeng brought over two braised ducks, a large watermelon, and two boxes of water chestnuts.
Seeing that her second brother's family always came and went in donkey carts, and that the blue-and-white donkey looked strong, and that her second sister-in-law Mei and her niece Miaozhen were dressed in brand-new clothes, with several servants following behind, Xu Si Niang was extremely envious. She immediately went over and whispered something to Old Lady Xu.
As soon as they arrived, Xu Dalang from the eldest son's family came over with his wife and daughter. Miaoyun came over to talk to Miaozhen, and when Miaozhen saw the silver-gilt butterfly hairpin in her hair, she quickly praised it as "beautiful".
Miaoyun smiled and said, "This was a gift from someone else."
Huang was talking to Mei: "I've just taken on a job teaching a deputy commander's daughter needlework. The lady of the house is a very kind person, and she likes our Miaoyun's cleverness, so she let Miaoyun stay with me at her house. I gave her some jewelry and clothes, and she loves them very much."
Huang then went on to say that the lady of that family originally came from a prestigious family, and how different she was in every way.
Everyone envied Miaoyun's extraordinary encounter, but Xu Erpeng thought to himself that his elder brother's daughter, like his elder brother, always had benefactors to help her. He himself did not have such good luck. If he also had benefactors to help him, he would at least pass the imperial examination and become a scholar. Even if he did not become an official, he would still be a gentry.
Everyone envied the eldest son's wife, but Miaozhen glanced into the corner and saw that the eldest son's wife had only brought over a small watermelon and two bags of edamame. She understood what was going on.
After everyone arrived, it was Uncle Xu's turn to cook. He is an excellent cook, and the table was laden with braised duck, roast chicken, fried fish, several cold dishes, and two kinds of soup.
As usual, the adults sat at one table and the children at another.
At the table, Old Mrs. Xu was saying to Xu Erpeng, "We're always busy at home and don't have much time to take care of Fourth Aunt. I'd like to invite Fourth Aunt to stay at your house for a few days so your wife can teach her some needlework, how about that?"
Xu Erpeng sneered inwardly. His sister-in-law was already an embroiderer, yet his mother wasn't looking for her, but instead was looking for his own wife. He laughed and said, "Mother, my little boy is only a little over six months old and needs someone to take care of him. What are you doing here, Fourth Sister? There's no one to look after him."
"She's grown up now, she doesn't need you to take care of her anymore. Doesn't Miaozhen have two maids to serve her? Let Fourth Sister sleep with Miaozhen." Old Madam Xu thought she had made the right arrangements.
Miaozhen was immediately unwilling to accept this. Not to mention that Xu Siniang had conjunctivitis, her space had been taken over by her.
But Old Mrs. Xu specifically asked Miaozhen, "Second daughter, what do you think about letting your aunt come and play with you? Aren't you scared living alone?"
"I'm not afraid. I'll be going back to school after the Mid-Autumn Festival. My aunt has left, so she'll be all alone," Miaozhen said quickly.
Grandma Xu was very embarrassed when she heard this, and the matter was naturally dropped.
Xu Si Niang was also angry, ignoring Miao Zhen both at the table and behind the table. Miao Zhen didn't need her to pay attention either. There's always this kind of person who thinks they're right just because they're weak, and feels entitled to give others what they have just because they see others doing well.
After finishing his meal, before even paying respects to the moon, Xu Erpeng, eager to return to write his story, took his family directly into the carriage.
When he got home, he said to his wife in private, "If she comes, who knows how much trouble she will cause and make us a laughing stock in the neighborhood. Our daughter spends so much money on her schooling and only associates with moderately wealthy families. If she ruins our reputation, people will look down on us and say all sorts of things."
He had experienced this firsthand. When he was a child, his parents couldn't afford to run a rice shop, so they worked as porters in other people's rice shops. When his classmates asked him, he told them the truth, and as a result, he was looked down upon for two years.
Madam Mei nodded slightly: "That's true." She always listened to her husband. The family looked good now, but they were still in debt. It was already difficult for them to support their eldest daughter. Her sister-in-law wanted everything she saw, and if they didn't give it to her, she would complain and the neighbors would say they were stingy.
Then Xu Erpeng said, "This is a small matter. I'm afraid that if she says she's just staying for a short time, but then she stays for a long time, she might even get married in our family and we'll have to pay for her dowry. That's not a small amount of money. I've already planned to save up a large dowry for Zhen'er after the debt is paid off. I can add some dowry for her, but I can't be the one to be taken advantage of."
This left Madam Mei in a difficult position to respond to.
Xu Erpeng sneered: "The two elders have been helping Third Brother from morning till night, but they haven't given him a single penny. Last time they said they wanted to buy a spinning wheel for Fourth Sister, which should have been Third Brother's responsibility, but they were afraid that Bao Shi would get angry. They kept talking to me about it, and I bought it for them because I felt sorry for them. It cost several dozen taels of silver, and even if I used it myself, it would take two or three years. At the time, I thought that if Fourth Sister had such a spinning wheel, she could at least save some money, and in the long run, we would be more relaxed. I never thought she was so short-sighted and always shirked her responsibilities. I guess I misjudged her."
He learned his lesson from Xu Siniang's case. Even with his own daughter, he only agreed to send Miaozhen to study medicine after observing her for more than half a year, because he saw that Miaozhen was truly persistent.
On the other side, Old Mrs. Xu comforted Xu Si Niang: "If you don't want to go, then don't go. It's no big deal. You're heavily in debt, and who knows how many more days you can stay. What's there to be so proud of?"
After saying that, she handed a slice of watermelon to her daughter. Xu Si Niang usually didn't have many snacks to eat. Her cloth was of average quality and she couldn't sell it for much money. She had to save it up to buy some flowers to wear.
She rarely gets to eat melons that are so fresh and sweet.
While eating the melon, his arrogance subsided somewhat.
Bao, who had been eavesdropping outside, came in at this moment. She swayed her shoulders and just laughed, "Mother, sister, Second Brother came over today, riding in that big donkey cart, with several maids and servants. He really had quite the airs. I think the families living nearby are also quite distinguished. If you could live there, you would surely be able to find a good match. Mother, you should be honest. Second Brother is worried about Second Sister-in-law. If you send her there, we'll all be family after all."
After hearing this, Old Mrs. Xu seemed to be deep in thought.
Late at night, Xiao Xi and Xiao Tao ironed Miao Zhen's clothes for the girls' school and hung them on the rack.
Miaozhen packed two satchels, one for girls' school and the other for the Tao family's house. After packing, she looked up through the window and saw the big, round moon. She couldn't help but clench her fist and cheer herself on; tomorrow would definitely be a good start!
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