Chapter 090 Chapter 90
This month, apart from cooking and learning how to make oyster pancakes, I also painted flowers. Although Yao Niang repeatedly felt that the flowers and birds she painted were too detailed and ugly, Shen Linfeng saw it and thought of something with Yao Niang.
"You painted these flowers very well, but the viewing period of peonies is almost over. I thought if we bind your drawings into a book, those who want to buy peonies can choose varieties without leaving home. In this way, the two of us can make some money from this garden. However, if you still want to appreciate them, just keep them at home. They are not worth much money anyway." Shen Linfeng said.
Yao Niang said as soon as she heard it: "Now that you are gone, I will have to stay indoors and hide away from all the dirty things that happened in the second and third rooms. Naturally, I will not invite anyone to come over, and there is no need for them to come and see. Anyway, there are still many exotic flowers and plants at home."
Shen Linfeng nodded: "I will keep a few of the most precious ones, and sell the rest as much as I can. Otherwise, after they wither, there will be nothing left."
Yao Niang smiled and said, "I like people like you who have a keen eye for work. My husband is the best in the world."
Actually, Shen Linfeng was also playing with Yao Niang because he found that she was particularly happy every time he gave her money. But to be honest, as the couple are the heads of the family, they have to behave themselves. Otherwise, they can't even run the family well, how can they be officials and manage the people of the world?
Shen Linfeng picked up Yao Niang first and said, "I have to work after eating so many oysters."
Yao Niang couldn't help but rest her head on his chest. Not to mention how many times the couple asked for water that night, the next morning Shen Linfeng started taking the flower album and asked two servants to go to the flower market with the flower album. If anyone liked any of the flowers, they would tell him the price. If they wanted any, they would let Rong An go over to negotiate.
In fact, Lu Shan'er was thinking the same way. Old Lady Shen gave Qingyi Garden to her youngest son. Qingyi Garden had a greenhouse and many rare and exotic plants. She used to make a living by selling flowers, but now she was the head of the family. The daughters-in-law were unwilling to take the lead. If she took the lead in managing the family, she couldn't live on money.
The external accounts were managed by the chief butler, and these were handed over directly to Shen Xunfu. She was in charge of the internal accounts, but the internal accounts could not go on like this. It looked glorious, but in reality, it would only last for five years, and she was afraid that she would have to spend money before she got it, but she had no other choice.
I heard that Madam Shen from the second house used all her money to rent out her properties and collected a fixed amount of rent every month. She also had a farm in Tongzhou where she planted many fruit trees, and she also had two shops in Beijing. However, Lu Shan'er did not have the capital to do so.
There were hundreds of servants in the house, and each daughter-in-law was served by twelve or thirteen slaves, not to mention their companions. The monthly salary of all the servants in the Shen family was several hundred taels of silver, and there were also clothes for all four seasons and daily living expenses. These were not small amounts.
Therefore, Lu Shan'er had no choice but to have someone harness a carriage to go out to the flower market to investigate. After the investigation, she asked the housekeeper to bring the merchants into the mansion to select flowers to sell.
When the news of the Third House's actions spread, the Second Lady frowned and said, "How can they allow those merchants to come in and out? They have no dignity at all, and behave like ordinary people."
The servants in the third room were also gossiping about Lu Shan'er secretly. The relationship between Second Madam Jiang and First Madam Qing was originally average, but when Han Ruohua came in, she knew that no matter how foolish her husband was, he would never mess around with his brother's wife, so she felt relieved and often talked to Han Ruohua.
Han Ruohua seems to have a good relationship with everyone, but she also knows that Xiaoqing's grandmother is a person who likes to set traps for others. Shao is a slightly better person. Her uncle is the Minister of Taichang Temple, her dowry is rich, and now she is pregnant. In addition, Shen Linjiang is obviously more kind-hearted than Shen Linqing.
As a result, the two of them became closer. Shaw liked talking to Han Ruohua. She always felt that Han Ruohua had a similar personality to her and every word she said could touch her heart.
"You said that our wife is young after all, and she allowed businessmen to come in and out. Look, our eldest aunt found out. I heard that she came to our house and asked if our family was short of money." Mrs. Shao looked incredulous.
Han Ruohua was surprised: "My eldest aunt is here?"
She knew that life in a big family was not as easy as she imagined. Everyone wanted to eat well, drink well and dress well, but they all ate from the public. The Han family looked good from the outside, but they were not doing well inside, otherwise they would not have allowed her to live in her aunt's house with her dowry.
Han Ruohua usually does her own needlework, and even when she gives gifts to others, she only gives gifts for her own skirts and old clothes that she no longer wears.
But I saw that Yan was well-dressed and lavish, sometimes I saw her changing four sets of clothes in one day, which was really extravagant. Now that she is the head of the family, I don't know what the future will be like.
Shao nodded: "Yes, our third wife is completely a street person."
"Second sister-in-law, please stop talking about the elders' gossip." Han Ruohua said.
"You are just so cautious, what's there to be afraid of?" Shao was not originally of this kind of personality, but ever since she became pregnant, has put her first. If she gave birth to a son, he would be the eldest grandson of the entire Shen family, and everyone her whole mentality has changed.
Han Ruohua smiled and said, "Second sister-in-law, we are not you."
Shao said, "You are the kind of person who doesn't care about anything. Do you think it has nothing to do with you? Once we get out, we can't escape. I'm afraid that my uncle's family will come and ask if we are poor and why we made such a big fuss."
"Yes, I heard that Madam wants to lay off some employees. If a family like ours were to sell off some of our employees, I don't know what people would think," Han Ruohua said silently.
Selling people? Shaw felt bad again: "Originally, I was pregnant, and Madam didn't tell me to hire a wet nurse or a midwife, so why are you laying off people? Normally, I feel that there are not enough people to serve me."
Han Ruohua also agreed with this point. She also said: "There are only two main masters in the first house, and there are hundreds of people in the family, but we have to lay off people in our family."
These things gradually reached Yao Niang's ears, and Yao Niang finally understood why Shen Linfeng took the flower book out. He didn't make a fuss. In fact, every rich family has tools to make a living, but they have to keep it secret and don't want others to know. Lu Shan'er's behavior is not wrong. How should I put it? It's just like the court. Who doesn't want a clean government, return land to the people, and reduce taxes? But now the people who occupy the most land are scholars and officials. The emperor of this dynasty shares the world with the scholars and officials. Who dares to reform? I'm afraid the end will not be too good.
The same is true even for a small family. People who are used to a good life, eating bird's nests all day long and wearing silk and satin all day long, all know that the Wuxing Shen family is a wealthy family, so how could they be willing to be frugal? She thought too simply.
Unless this person has already established a firm foothold and can be unstoppable with just one order, otherwise it will be very difficult.
In the evening, Shen Linfeng brought the silver back to Yao Niang. This time, he sold hundreds of pots of peonies, including famous ones and ordinary ones. The ordinary ones were dozens of coins, and the slightly better ones were a few dollars. In total, he sold the pots and the money for fifty taels of silver.
Yao Niang asked someone to put it away, and asked Shen Linfeng to sit down, then she said: "Now that you are gone, we won't be able to see each other for several months. I want to draw a picture for you and put it in my room, so that I can remember you by looking at it."
"Do you miss me so much?" Shen Linfeng coughed twice.
Yao Niang covered her mouth and said, "That's not necessarily true. I just drew it for fun."
Shen Linfeng immediately said: "Wait a moment, I'll go take a shower and change my clothes first."
"No, this is how you usually act. Sit down quickly. You've just come back from dinner anyway." Yao Niang asked him to sit down.
She was painting Shen Linfeng very seriously, stroke by stroke. While painting, she was thinking that they were actually husband and wife. He is worthy of being my husband, so handsome.
Shen Linfeng and Yao Niang became familiar with each other and became comfortable. Seeing Yao Niang giggling, he couldn't help but say, "Why are you giggling? You like me so much that you can't help yourself."
"Nonsense, I'm just afraid that after you leave, I'll be alone and some perverts will want to take advantage of me. So I'll hang you there and see who dares to do anything stupid." Yao Niang joked.
Shen Linfeng's expression became serious. Yes, as long as he was here, Yao Niang would naturally have someone to protect her. If he was not here, she would be alone and weak, and it would be difficult for her.
Seeing his stern face, Yao Niang immediately said, "Husband, smile. Why are you so sullen?"
…
An hour later, Yao Niang finished the painting. Shen Linfeng stood up and saw himself in Yao Niang's painting walking up Jade Mountain. The light shone on him. Shen Linfeng whispered a few words to Yao Niang.
Yao Niang said, "Aren't you being too careful? What if you get hurt accidentally?"
"What accidental injury? You're in your inner room, just don't let anyone touch you. Remember, if there is any danger, run here. Don't worry, I've been friends with Rui Long for so long, I've learned a lot from him." Shen Linfeng said.
Yao Niang had no choice but to let him go, after all, he was doing it for her own good.
However, before he left, he slapped his head and couldn't help saying to Yao Niang, "How could I forget to take a small picture of you with me? I was so busy with that office yesterday."
Seeing that he was upset, Yao Niang smiled and took out a painting of the Peony Fairy based on herself, with the words "Your wife, the Goddess Yan, hopes that you will return soon" written on it.
Only then did Shen Linfeng leave with satisfaction.
As soon as he left, Yao Niang closed the door and warned the concierge that if anyone came to see Shen Linfeng, please come back after a few months.
When Shen Linfeng was not at home, Yao Niang was free. She first asked people to buy all the new books from the bookstore and read them to her heart's content. Then she started to call in the mansion to paint her portrait. Don't think that everyone only needs talent, but also needs hard work, especially now that Yao Niang often has to deal with complicated affairs, she always feels that she doesn't have the talent she used to have, so she has to find it back.
The people below were scared to death. One of the managers said, "Grandma drew your portraits. If you run away or do something bad in the future, you can be tracked down thousands of miles away."
Sometimes it is very difficult to do something without distraction, just like the birthday banquet of Mrs. Shen Er. As the only female member of the first house, she must go.
Naturally, she came to bring birthday gifts, including an embroidered screen with a fairy crane depicting longevity, two loads of silver whisker noodles, three Yellow River carp, four boxes of snacks, five pheasants, and six platters.
The six platters include lamb platter, steamed fat chicken platter, pork roll platter, roasted roe deer meat platter, five-spice pork elbow platter and marinated fresh mandarin fish platter.
When these were picked out, they surpassed those of the three wives. Lu Shan'er gave these to Yao Niang last time, and she thought they were the same. Little did she know that Second Madam Shen's status was different from Yao Niang's. After all, Second Madam Shen was the elder and the lady of the later generation, so naturally the ceremony had to be more grand. So Yao Niang chose six as the number.
When Mrs. Shen Er saw Yao Niang, she said, "We are all family, why are you being so polite?"
"Aunt, this is your birthday celebration. Although it's not a full birthday, I think this is the first time I'm celebrating your birthday since I came home. I don't know what to give you. If there's anything wrong, please advise me." Yao Niang said with a smile.
Second Madam Shen was as eloquent as ever: "I couldn't be more satisfied with this birthday gift." After that, she invited Yao Niang to sit with a few sisters-in-law. When she came over, several people from the third room had also come, as well as the eldest aunt and Chen, the daughter-in-law of Shen's uncle's family.
Yao Niang and Shao had a quarrel, so naturally they didn't talk much. She sat between Chen and Qingda's mother. Chen was a gentle person among the relatives, which meant that she got along well with everyone.
Chen was asking Yao Niang, "I heard that my cousin is the chief examiner now?"
Yao Niang smiled and said, "She went there the other day."
"I don't know where we are going? But we are in Nanzhili?"
"No, I'm going to Nanchang Prefecture in Jiangxi. The chief examiners of Nanzhili are all keeping an eye on him. He was only appointed editor last year, so I'm afraid it's not his turn to get such an important position." Yao Niang was very humble.
Chen patted Yao Niang and said, "This is already very good."
Yao Niang nodded slightly.
Sitting near them was the wife of an editor. This Editor Huang was in the same list as Master Shen Er. She entered the Hanlin Academy as a scholar, and it was very difficult to get promoted in the Hanlin Academy. Now she is only an editor. She couldn't help but glance at Yao Niang. She was actually a young girl, and her husband was already an editor. Mrs. Huang thought to herself that this girl was so lucky.
Often at this time, the other sisters-in-law kept silent. Among the younger generation, Shen Linfeng was already an editor in the Hanlin Academy at the age of only 20. Now he was sent to Jiangxi to be the chief examiner, and he was also trusted by his superiors.
In fact, this person is already a stunning and extraordinary person in the Shen family. Even Yao Niang finds it very strange. If a person like Shen Linfeng were in the Yan family, it would not be an exaggeration to brag about him. Even Zhen would be dissatisfied in her heart, but she would have to praise him a few words on the surface. However, now that Shen Linfeng is such a talent, few people in the Shen family pay special attention to him.
This is a kind of collective suppression, silent suppression. Yao Niang sees it all and feels even more sorry for Shen Linfeng.
Grandma Qing saw that Yao Niang was wearing new kingfisher feathers on her head, jadeite on her hands, and a dress of sky-blue color. She looked elegant and lovely, and she could tell at first sight that she was extremely noble.
Looking at herself again, she was still wearing the hairpin she had worn during the Chinese New Year. She couldn't help but say to Shao, "Second sister-in-law, I see that the hairpin on your head is inlaid with Hetian jade flowers. It looks really beautiful."
Shao said proudly, "I'm wearing a Duobao Pearl Hair Crown for my hair today. You don't know that I really don't want to do those complicated hairdos in the summer. They weigh too much on my head."
The women in the family liked to talk about jewelry together. Everyone saw that what Shao wore on her head was extremely exquisite and even more modest. After Grandma Qing finished speaking, she saw that Yao Niang did not participate in the discussion and there was no expression on her face.
Yao Niang knew that none of the people in the Third House were good, but she was too lazy to talk to them. She had been married to Shen Linfeng for more than half a year, and he gave her a lot of money. Yao Niang didn't have much desire except that the painting tools and pigments were more expensive. Shen Linfeng would sometimes give her ten taels of ink as a reward, and she also had the interest on her dowry and the income from the farm, but she was too lazy to talk about it now because she was carrying gold ingots.
Shao is now in high spirits and often flatters Han Ruohua. Seeing that Grandma Qing talks to her more often, she feels that she is more popular than Yan.
Grandma Qing glanced at Yao Niang subconsciously, and seeing that there was no change in Yao Niang's expression, she felt very strange.
Being isolated must be very uncomfortable, and even Shao was so proud, Yan should be even more angry, but Yan did not react at all. In fact, according to her personality, she should not be like this, Qingda's grandmother was very puzzled.
Little did she know that Yaoniang grew up in the Yan family and was often isolated by Yingniang. She enjoyed this kind of solitude more and more. Only in solitude and silence can one learn things. Otherwise, useless socializing is useless. Moreover, sometimes when she heard them bragging, she felt that these people had no knowledge.
It's not that she looks down on people. She is very talkative no matter who talks to her. But she won't take the initiative to talk to others uselessly. She would rather spend her time socializing with people who are useful to her.
The second wife of Shen had a guest coming, and Wang went to greet the guest. However, Yao Niang recognized her at first sight. It turned out to be the wife of Zhao Linde, the second assistant. Zhao Linde was the Minister of Rites in those days and was Shen Linfeng's junior tutor. Yao Niang had even visited him in person a few days ago.
Mrs. Zhao knew Yao Niang better than Wang Shi. When she saw her, she said, "I was wondering why I didn't see you. So you were hiding here. Can Gong Ding be here today?"
"Master's wife is such a forgetful person. It is said that he went to Jiangxi a few days ago. He also told me to pay my respects to Master's wife often." Yao Niang made up nonsense.
Madam Zhao also said, "Our master had eczema on his legs a few days ago, and it was your Gong Ding who went around looking for medicine. This is how it was cured. The master said that among all his disciples, your Gong Ding was the most filial, and the master was very moved."
This is Shen Linfeng, he is really nice to people.
But when Mrs. Shen Er heard this, she remembered that her husband also suffered from eczema, so why didn't she see Shen Linfeng running around the city looking for medicine? He was really snobbish.
Yao Niang asked Madam Zhao to sit down, and Madam Shen Er went over to entertain the guests herself. She also said to Yao Niang, "You can sit over there and eat with them. You children can sit over there and talk properly."
"Yes." Yao Niang then said goodbye and returned to the table.
Grandma Qing was in a hurry and had no choice. She wanted to kill someone with someone else's knife. Her period was not coming this month and she might be pregnant. So she didn't want her child to have another brother. Besides, the Shen family had an unwritten rule that if a concubine wanted to give birth to a child, she had to find a decent and innocent family. That was a formal second wife.
Although the second wife could not shake her position, if she gave birth to a son, she would be the legal wife and there would be people who would compete with her in the future.
But she couldn't do such a crazy thing. If she failed, it would be no joke.
Sometimes I hear people say that it seems easy to kill someone with someone else's knife, but in fact, there are very few people who are willing to do it, and Yao Niang is even more so. The banquet prepared by Second Madam Shen only has eighteen dishes in total, but she looked through the records of the previous Shen family. Before the Second Madam Shen split up the family, she always invited the best guests for her birthday every year, with at least twenty dishes.
Back then, they said that the property would be divided but not the family, but in fact they were all taking advantage of the older house.
When I looked up again, I heard my eldest aunt say to Yao Niang, "My nephew's wife, I heard that you are very good at painting. Your second sister-in-law Jiang is pregnant now. Why don't you paint a small portrait for her? This is her first pregnancy."
The eldest aunt had just heard from the eldest grandmother that Yao Niang and Shao were having a quarrel and hoped that she could mediate the situation, so she came out to mediate.
Yao Niang laughed and said, "Aunt, you are joking."
She didn't say whether she painted or not. To put it bluntly, she was the boss and could paint whoever she wanted. But when you are outside, don't complain to your relatives or other people. Others will just treat you as a topic of conversation after dinner.
The eldest aunt can go and talk to Lu Shan'er, but she can't do anything to people like Yao Niang, because she is arrogant because she has done things that you have no right to say.
When Grandma Qing saw that the eldest aunt remained silent, she became as anxious as an ant on a hot pot.
Originally, she did not hold out much hope for this matter, but now she has an even greater desire to accomplish this. Since she cannot start with the Yan family, she can only start with the Shao family.
By the way, Grandma Qingda also knew what was on Grandma Jiang's mind. Grandma Jiang married into the Shen family with the help of her uncle. At that time, she always felt that she was marrying up, so she was wary of all women in the world, especially unmarried women, whom she almost regarded as thorns in her eyes.
In this case, she also knew what to do? Shen Linfeng was not at home anyway.
After the banquet, Grandma Qing helped Grandma Jiang walk away. She apologized first, "It's all my fault. I wanted to ask Auntie to mediate, but I didn't know..."
"Sister-in-law, don't mention this. I know you mean well, but others may not appreciate it. Some things don't need to be said." Shao didn't want to listen anymore.
Grandma Qing said, "Sister-in-law, I usually don't bother with these trivial matters, but now it's different. As long as Yan gives birth to a son, he will be a supervisor, and Dalang is very promising. You should always think about our family. If you are estranged, it will cause the third and first wives to be estranged. This is not worth it."
Shao was also stunned for a moment: "So what? Now the family has been separated. Besides, even if the family hadn't been separated, I would still have to take the imperial examination myself."
In Shao's view, her uncle was the Minister of Taichang Temple, so why should she ask others for help?
As the two were talking, they saw Shen Linjiang approaching. Grandma Qing then spoke more seriously in the name of the eldest sister-in-law: "I am not doing this for any other reason, but for the sake of our third branch. The son of Yan will be a child from the time he is still in his cradle. We, the Shen family, have been counting on the first branch for generations."
After saying this, Grandma Qingda left. Shen Linjiang was about to talk to Shao, but seeing that they were outside, he didn't say much.
But he didn't expect that Shen Bangyan heard all these words. He snorted coldly. He had just been scolded by his father. Many of his friends at home flattered him, but he was still unhappy.
It's fine that he has been said to be inferior to Shen Linfeng in his life, but could he be inferior to his own son in the future? If so, let Yan Shi bear a bastard and see how amazing their eldest wife is. Thinking of this, he saw the drunk You Da, his second aunt's cousin, who was strong, courageous, and skilled in martial arts. He was currently the catcher of Daxing County.
"Cousin, come here, I have something good to tell you." Shen Bangyan waved to You Da.
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