Steward Fan and Manager Yao went to the capital to deliver the rental money, never expecting to run right into Wei Yang's wedding. Jin Niang had them stay to enjoy a cup of celebratory wine before leaving. This time, Manager Yao brought five hundred and thirty strings of cash, and Steward Fan brought over three hundred strings. Jin Niang was just giving them each twenty strings as their wages, and additionally rewarded each with two bolts of fashionable satin, two boxes of wedding cakes, and a jug of lamb-sweet wine.
Steward Fan hadn't known the full circumstances of the mistress's maiden family before. Now, seeing that her younger brother had actually passed the imperial examination and become a Presented Scholar, his respect and awe increased another layer.
This money, added to last year's seventeen hundred-odd strings from the rental of the warehouse and the house on Sweet Water Lane, came to two thousand five hundred strings in total. She took fifty strings and had Luo Da and Ying work together to manage the wedding preparations for her brother. The remaining silver, combined with the five hundred-odd strings she already had on hand, was separately packed away in the back, making a total of three thousand strings. This was Sister Jun's dowry fund, absolutely not to be touched.
Jin Niang also called Wei Yang over and said, "The Zhang family girl will be marrying over soon, and you and your wife will be taking up an official post together out of the capital. I've already spoken with your brother-in-law. We'll have two of our family's retainers, Ding San and Zhao Wu, go with you to ensure your safety."
"Sister, I truly never thought I would actually pass. I'm still in a daze. Honestly, being an official or not doesn't matter to me; I just want to be together with everyone," Wei Yang said, still feeling a bit fearful at the thought of holding office, as he rarely even argued with others.
Jin Niang laughed, "Well, what can be done? You just happened to pass."
For some reason, Wei Yang thought of Second Brother Hao's attitude and felt a chill. "He didn't pass, but I did. I haven't been boasting about it, yet he suddenly became cold and distant towards me. We often studied and discussed knowledge together these past few months..."
So that was the reason. Jin Niang smiled, "If it were me, I might not have that breadth of mind either. You passed, he didn't. He's naturally upset. Since that's the case, why not be a bit more understanding? However, you must also be careful. I heard of a scholar who passed the provincial examination being lured to the Xiaoyun Pavilion, where he was plied with drink until he died. Now that you are a Presented Scholar, who knows how many people would love to see you stumble, drunk and living in a dream. You must look out for yourself."
The siblings talked for quite a while, mostly with Jin Niang giving advice and Young Master Yang listening. Finally, Jin Niang gave him ten strings of cash. "Take this for your expenses. Don't be stingy."
Young Master Yang refused. "Sister, the Wei clan gave me fifty taels, and my future father-in-law gave me five hundred strings as 'floor-spreading money.' I'm not short of funds now."
Seeing he truly wouldn't accept it, Jin Niang said with relief, "Alright, then I'll keep it. I'll use it for your wedding expenses anyway."
Speaking of which, when the engagement was first settled, Lady Zhang had commented on the Wei family's humble circumstances. Little did she expect to be proven wrong so quickly, with Wei Yang, so young, already becoming a Presented Scholar.
Zhou Cunzhi had even told her to send congratulatory gifts over. Seeing she hadn't made arrangements yet, he directly had the external steward deliver them. He personally went to the Jiang residence to offer congratulations as well. Jiang Xian also called Wei Yang over for a talk. After leaving the Jiangs, Zhou Cunzhi went to Zhang the Ninth's home.
"You have a good eye. That young master Wei is indeed a simple and honest fellow."
When choosing a son-in-law, one should pick this kind—no crafty schemes, yet scholarly.
Zhang the Ninth laughed, "I saw that Shushi was specifically tutoring him, and considered that he was a National University student. Furthermore, Jin Niang is capable, and the Wei family has joined the clan. Even if he hadn't passed, he might still have had prospects. I didn't expect him to be so promising, achieving success in consecutive examinations this time."
His daughter would soon be an official's wife! No, he had to hurry and press the Wei family to hold the wedding soon. Nowadays, there were particularly despicable people who would snatch others' betrothals.
Seeing Zhang the Ninth was distracted, Zhou Cunzhi didn't stay long. After getting into his sedan chair, he thought that his twenty-year-old self would never have imagined his nearly-forty-year-old self would be like this.
Jin Niang was unaware of these complicated matters. She only felt the Wei family was becoming a few degrees more enthusiastic towards her, showing a genuine intention to interact as equals.
Before, there was always a sense of Jin Niang seeking favor from the Wei family. Now that the Wei family had truly produced a Presented Scholar, while they couldn't be completely on equal footing, her confidence was much stronger.
Just as she was thinking this, her stomach moved. She let out an "Aiyo." Brother Ning quickly ran over and pressed his ear against Jin Niang's belly. "Mother, the baby is turning over again."
Jin Niang stroked her son's little head. "You were like this too when you were in my belly."
"Mother, I want to do my homework here with you today." For some reason, Brother Ning wanted to be closer to his mother. After all, he used to live inside her belly too.
Jin Niang was also happy for her son to be closer to her. "Alright, you can do your homework here later. Go back to your room and eat first. Mother will go lie down on the couch for a bit; my back is a little sore. Come back after you finish eating."
Once Brother Ning left, Ying smiled and said, "With our young master passing the examination, the most displeased person is probably Madam Xu. She puts on the airs of a scholarly family all day, yet no one from her own family has become a Presented Scholar. She still relies on the master. Let's see how she can still put on airs in front of you in the future."
"I just told you, the Wu family girls all appear modest, polite, and delicate, but they are not to be trifled with. The other day, I saw that young Madam Wu. The way she speaks and acts is the spitting image of the Madam Wu we met in Daming Prefecture. Both mother-in-law and daughter-in-law care about their reputations. Who knows who will outdo the other in 'virtue' then?" Jin Niang shrugged.
Ying chuckled quietly. "You're right. The two of them will have to compete to be the more 'virtuous.'"
After chatting about this for a while, Jin Niang added, "The young master is getting married now. We should buy more servants for our household. We'll clear out a room in the west wing of the second courtyard to use as a tea room, for brewing medicine and making tea in the future. Also, we need to buy a wet nurse and two maidservants to serve them."
Ying took note. "Actually, you need to add two people here as well. Qingrong is reliable and often accompanies you. But Ziteng is only good for rough work, not delicate tasks. I'm not comfortable leaving her to watch the rooms either."
"Alright, I'll leave all these matters to you to handle," Jin Niang said.
Then she slapped her forehead. "I almost forgot. Next time Steward Fan comes, have him bring some high-quality timber. We should prepare Sister Jun's dowry furniture ahead of time. Look at the Zhang family, talking about marrying off their daughter and doing it right away."
Ying also grew concerned. "Who knows when we'll manage to save enough money like this."
"Yes, the shop on Golden Beam Bridge has been vacant for almost half a year. I'll ask someone to inquire about it again tomorrow." Jin Niang still felt there were too many places needing money lately, so she couldn't invest, as a rash investment could easily lead to losses. For now, she had to focus on the child in her belly.
If she gives birth to a good child, well and good. But if it's a wastrel, even a vast family fortune could be squandered.
Having helped with Ruyan's wedding preparations before, Ying knew the ropes. Young Master Chen was the internal steward, Luo Da the external steward. Once funds were allocated from the accounts, everyone got busy. They first tidied up the side courtyard, then hung lanterns and decorated with colorful streamers, hired a chef, engaged a bridal sedan chair. The household servants weren't numerous, but they were all capable.
"The front hall can accommodate six tables, our flower hall can seat three tables of guests, and setting up a few tables in the garden should be sufficient." Jin Niang, supporting her belly, went to the front to have a look.
Just after saying this, as she was about to return, she saw someone from outside delivering a gift, said to be from the neighboring County Mistress. Jin Niang opened it to find a box of dewy jade hairpin flowers, two jars of grape wine, and four boxes of fashionable pastries from Fan Tower.
She also noticed the servant was dressed in a white silk undergarment and a blue silk jacket, very well attired. Jin Niang took the visiting card to read; it was written: Wife of the Second Son of the Marquis of Jin'an, County Mistress Le'an.
So it was a noble from the aristocracy and imperial clan. Jin Niang promptly said, "Recently, our household affairs have been busy, and we were unaware of new neighbors arriving. When we have time another day, we will certainly pay a visit to offer our respects."
With that, she had Ying reward the servant with one tael of silver and sent Nanny Fang to deliver a box of orange cakes, two boxes of Huixian Lou pastries, along with six tails of perch brought by Steward Fan and two jars of Qiongbo wine.
Upon returning, Nanny Fang explained, "After the old Marquis passed away, the Marquis's estate was divided among the heirs. That's why the couple is now living next door to us."
"Hmm, our husband is a civil official. Associating with the imperial clan and nobility is generally not for us, to avoid giving censoring officials a handle." Jin Niang was very cautious in this regard.
Nanny Fang quickly agreed, "You are quite right."
They had just finished speaking when Sister Jun arrived. She had just been in the garden learning the yueqin. Jiang Xian had specially hired a master to teach their daughter the yueqin, but it couldn't interfere with her studies, so she usually practiced for one hour in the afternoon after school.
The child already had a foundation from her time in Daming Prefecture, and now her learning focused more on refining finger techniques and learning scores.
Jin Niang smiled, "Why did you come straight here?"
"Mother, the house is very noisy." Sister Jun was accustomed to quiet.
Jin Niang smiled and said, "Once your uncle is married, and his official appointment comes through, everything will settle down. However, you can't entirely blame the environment; you must also learn to concentrate with single-minded devotion."
As for Sister Jun, being eleven years old, she wasn't entirely unaware. She said, "Mother, I know Uncle passing the imperial examination is a great thing for our family, but I feel Grandfather and Grandmother treat Uncle better."
At this point, Sister Jun didn't yet understand the concept of favoring sons over daughters, as such things didn't happen in her own home. Her parents doted on her and her brother equally; when her brother was mischievous, he was even made to apologize.
But not every family's situation was like this.
So it was about this. Jin Niang smiled, "But what can be done about it? If I spent all my time fighting over such things, I'd be trapped there for my whole life, unable to break free."
This was also why back then she preferred to strike out on her own, earning her own money, her own dowry, even buying her own house. She knew that even parents might not be entirely reliable.
Sister Jun nodded, somewhat understanding. Jin Niang kissed her daughter's forehead. "There are many unfair and unequal things in this world, but we must strive for our own standing, understand?"
"I understand. I love you the most, Mother." Sister Jun sometimes felt very fortunate.
Jin Niang thought some children are born knowing how to love, while others take everything for granted no matter how well you treat them.
Meanwhile, Ying first brought back two maids skilled in making tea and pastries. Because of their expertise, each cost fifteen taels. Their tea service went without saying, being excellent, and they could prepare all sorts of fancy varieties.
Brother Yang now lived in the small side courtyard within the garden. The west wing room happened to be vacant, so the small inner room served as their resting place, while the outer room was for brewing tea and decocting medicine.
This way, things were easier for Juxiang as well; she no longer needed to make pastries, leaving that to the tea room maids, Huizhu and Xiaoyun.
Jin Niang also asked them, "I heard you can make many kinds of pastries? What are you particularly skilled at?"
Xiaoyun smiled, "This servant is most skilled at making disu baoluo ('dripping butter spirals'). I can also make things like the 'Ting'er'."
The so-called "Ting'er" was a pastry where dough was kneaded with pagoda tree flower juice to color it like dark tiles, malt sugar pulled into threads to form carved railings, jujube paste sculpted into rockeries, mung bean flour shaped into moss patterns, and a pond made from solidified mung bean jelly. This set of pastries formed a miniature garden, something scholar-officials particularly enjoyed in spring.
This was also why Jin Niang wanted to handle the banquet this time with their own kitchen staff instead of hiring outside catering services, saving a large sum of money. Otherwise, hiring a slightly famous cook would require sending a sedan chair to fetch her, costing one to two hundred strings per visit.
"And Huizhu?" Jin Niang asked the other maid.
Huizhu smiled, "Besides preparing tea, this servant can also make candied winter melon fish, carved plum blossom balls, green plum lotus leaves, carved golden kumquats, honeyed bamboo shoot flowers, carved ginger, and other preserves. Originally, my mother was a cook, and she taught me a dish called 'Crab Stuffed in Orange.'"
"Good. Tomorrow, first make some of your specialties for me to see." Jin Niang couldn't just take their word for it.
The next evening, Xiaoyun made several of her specialty pastries. First was the "Ting'er," which cost less than one qian in materials but would sell for at least three to five qian of silver outside, and often made carelessly. This one, however, was very well done. Then there were the disu baoluo, with a dense, creamy texture, also quite good.
Huizhu's preserves took longer to make, but she sent over some beverages. Jin Niang couldn't drink much, so she called Brother Yang over. Brother Yang loved drinks the most, and after he said they were all good, Jin Niang felt reassured.
The two maids were thus settled in the household. Then Luo Yu'e came to say the tenant was no longer renting the house in Foul Water Lane.
"That old woman next door to ours, the one who got robbed, keeps several fierce dogs. We've talked to her repeatedly with no improvement, and now it's making our property hard to rent out." Luo Yu'e was exasperated.
Jin Niang said, "How about just leaving it empty for now? Anyway, you and Father are living with me now."
Luo Yu'e suddenly said, "Jin Niang, actually, I'm thinking of selling or pawning the house to someone. Look, even if we don't live with you in the future, when we bought those fifty mu of land in the outskirts, there was originally a small manor house where we could live. Otherwise, constantly having to rent it out and collect money is too troublesome. We'll give you the money from the sale. As for those few dozen mu of land in the countryside, after we're gone, they'll go to your brother."
"Mother, you should keep it for your own use." Jin Niang refused.
Luo Yu'e waved her hand. "I don't need it."
"Then how about this: after selling the house, keep one hundred strings for yourself. You can give the rest to my brother or me, as you wish." Jin Niang suggested.
Luo Yu'e acted decisively. She and Wei Xiong took a carriage to find a broker to sell the house, but Foul Water Lane had a poor environment, making the house difficult to sell.
Setting aside their efforts, the shop at Golden Beam Bridge finally found a suitable tenant: a gold, silver, and jewelry shop. The monthly rent was sixty strings, amounting to seven hundred and twenty strings a year.
Jin Niang finally breathed a sigh of relief. "After waiting over half a year, it wasn't in vain. These moneylenders or gold and silver shops usually don't operate for just a few days. This time we should have stability for at least three years."
After calculating the various family assets, the Sweetwater Lane property brought in 456 strings of cash annually, the rental from the Golden Beam Bridge was 720 strings, the rent from the 200 mu of land in the capital was around 160 strings, the profit share from the warehouse was 1,200 strings, the land rent from Wu County was 360 strings, and the Wu County hostel brought in over 500 strings. The total came to 3,396 strings.
However, current expenses were also high. The monthly wages for the estate stewards, shop managers, senior stewards, skilled workers like the tea master, and the maids in the household alone amounted to over a hundred strings a year, and that was just the base salary, not including extra rewards. Then there were the children's education costs, writing materials, ink, paper, and inkstones, which also came to about a hundred strings a year. Gifts for the various seasons and festivals, along with everyday clothes and jewelry, required setting aside at least another hundred strings.
Fortunately, she planned to offset all these expenses with Jiang Xian's official salary.
Thinking of this, she first took out some Shujin brocade in a "ten splendors" pattern, some pale yellow satin, and a few bolts of fashionable Jiangnan satin. She hired an outside embroiderer to come to the house, spending ten strings on labor, to have new clothes made for everyone to wear when Brother Yang got married.
She also took her mother and daughter to the gold and silver shop they rented out—which also served as patronizing the tenant's business—and bought a pair of eggplant-shaped gold earrings, a ruyi hairpin, and a silver comb for Luo Yu'e. For her daughter, she had a lightweight gold headdress made. As for herself, Jin Niang chose a seven-branch bridge-style floral-pattern gold hairpin. Finally, before leaving, she bought a dark jade crown for Jiang Xian.
These gold and silver items were also a matter of personal dignity. Jin Niang would buy them once or twice a year; one couldn't just save money without ever spending it.
For instance, for her daughter, when the time came for her dowry, having one gold crown and one silver crown made would be sufficient. As for jewelry, one set a year was enough; there was no need to have more made.
Returning home, Jin Niang gave the dark jade crown she bought for Jiang Xian to him. She then heard from him that Hao the Second Young Master was taking his leave. Jin Niang was puzzled, "Isn't he studying at the Imperial College in the capital?"
Jiang Xian shook his head, "This is precisely why it's often hard for sons of wealthy families to achieve much. You always say Brother Yang is lazy, but the problems I set for him, he'll think until his head aches to solve them. That's why he often says he has a headache and wants to sleep."
"Alright. Since he's leaving, you should offer him some good words of comfort," Jin Niang said.
Jiang Xian smiled, "Don't worry about that."
Hao the Second Young Master left first without saying a word to Wei Yang. Jin Niang, however, prepared travel gifts for him on his behalf, simply saying throughout, "If you come to the capital in the future, please visit our home again. Don't stand on ceremony."
This made Hao the Second Young Master breathe a sigh of relief. He truly felt Wei Yang was not his equal, yet Wei Yang had passed the exam. But Wei Yang wasn't a bad person either; he simply couldn't face his own failure. It was good that Madam Jiang didn't mention anything.
After Hao the Second Young Master left, Jin Niang had the guest room cleaned. She heard that Shopkeeper Yao, on his trip to the capital, had brought some Jiangnan silk and made a small profit. He was quite adept at handling people and had sent Jin Niang two gold-dusted handkerchiefs, two bolts of fashionable satin, three boxes of "Jade Maiden Peach Blossom" powder, twenty boxes of rouge, and twenty boxes of lip color.
Sister Jun, who was nearby, said, "Mother, Nanny Rong says the hostel in Wu County is very profitable. How come Shopkeeper Yao gives you roughly the same amount of money every year?"
Jin Niang smiled, "You, child, are still too young. He is a capable man. Only he can run the business on such a scale. But without my family's influence, he might not have been able to establish the business there. If I were in Wu County, and when your brother grows up and can help me inspect the shops, these subordinates wouldn't dare to embezzle so freely. But right now, I'm too far away to exert effective control. If I were to confront him now, what would happen to the Wu County hostel? Who can guarantee that a replacement manager would be better? Sometimes, when your power is insufficient, you have to bear it for the time being."
This Shopkeeper Yao was clever and resourceful, but not truly a wicked or bad person, so Jin Niang simply turned a blind eye.
Take Luo Da, for example. He was a good man and competent at managing the estate, but completely incapable of running a shop. Renting out the property had actually narrowed its prospects. But because Luo Da was loyal, he remained the chief steward.
"In the future, you will have all sorts of people under you. It all depends on how you use them."
Back in Daming Prefecture, Jin Niang had already taught her daughter how to read account books and ledgers. Now, when organizing various banquets, Jin Niang also began to keep her daughter by her side to familiarize her with the proceedings.
In early April, Luo Yu'e pawned the house in Foulwater Alley for 360 strings. She wanted to give all of it to Jin Niang, but Jin Niang would only accept one hundred strings, saying, "Mother, it was you who taught me that having money in hand keeps one's heart at ease. Why don't you and Father keep 160 strings for yourselves, as a pension? As for the remaining hundred strings, give it to the new bride."
"To the new bride? Not to your brother?" Luo Yu'e didn't understand.
Jin Niang laughed, "Mother, the Zhang family favored Brother and is bringing a large dowry, but we shouldn't take it for granted. You should personally give her this hundred strings; it represents your trust in her. Moreover, although our Wei family is not wealthy, you and Father have your pension money and income from the land, so she won't have to support you. This way, both sides can get along well."
Luo Yu'e nodded.
The Zhang family sent their daughter over in mid-April. Her trunks, cases, and bedding filled several courtyards, and the small side courtyard was also decorated festively. Madam Wei sent her eldest daughter-in-law, Lady Fan, and the wife of the Sixth Wei son, Lady Wang. Lady Wang was the biological daughter of Madam Wu and had gotten married in Daming Prefecture at the beginning of the year, then came to the capital with her husband to study.
Today, Luo Yu'e wore the hairpins and earrings Jin Niang had made for her at the gold and silver shop, looking quite splendid. As they were chatting and laughing, tea and pastries were served.
This time, the family had specially hired a maid skilled at making tea pastries. Indeed, Lady Fan remarked, "These butter pastries shaped like abalone shells are made so exquisitely."
"They're just something the servants threw together. I've troubled you both, my dear nieces-in-law, to help today," Jin Niang said.
Both Lady Fan and Lady Wang demurred.
The next day, the bride entered the household. This time, they didn't hire the full banquet service, but all the dishes were selected by Jin Niang. The first course was a platter of freshly cut fruit, arranged in red, green, and yellow cubes. Then came a platter of assorted dried fruits, followed by carved honeyed fruits, and after that, the "ting'er" delicacies.
Even Steward Fan's table had these "ting'er," which were so exquisitely crafted that people hardly dared to eat them.
At this point, drinks and wine were served. They happened to serve the grape wine sent by the neighboring county magistrate's wife to the female guests, while the male guests drank aged wine from the Huixianlou restaurant.
Only then was the main feast served. Juxiang's specialties—appetizers like yangtouqian and grilled lamb chops—were served as the opening and closing dishes. In between were Madam Wang's crystal goose and Huizhu's crab meat cooked in orange, along with a few less remarkable dishes mixed in, which surprisingly also received praise.
Steward Fan truly had her eyes opened today. Although their table was only for the outer courtyard staff, they ate as if a whirlwind had swept through. As they left, each person also received a box of wedding sweets.
Regardless of how the newlyweds got along, on the third day when she returned to her maternal home, Zhang Pingjun said to her mother, "My mother-in-law gave me a hundred strings for our expenses. It really took me by surprise."
Madam Zhang then inquired in detail about her daughter's daily life. Zhang Pingjun replied, "My sister-in-law is with child, yet she is considerate of me. She often has the tea room send over some delicate and exquisite pastries for me to enjoy. My mother-in-law is straightforward and cheerful. She lives separated from us by two courtyards, and she told me there aren't many formal rules about paying respects in the household, and it's better for everyone to be at ease."
"That's good, that's very good. In my view, your situation now is truly advantageous. Your husband has passed the imperial examination and become a scholar-official. Your sister-in-law and mother-in-law are not troublesome people. This is far better than being in a grand, high-status household where you'd have to constantly watch the moods of your mother-in-law and sisters-in-law. However, since they treat you well, you mustn't put on airs either. Don't be like your aunt. If your husband gets a provincial posting, you should go with him. Otherwise, while you might enjoy comfort for a time, you could find your household plundered in the future." Madam Zhang was both happy for her daughter and making plans on her behalf.
Truly, one worries for one's child for ninety-nine years out of a hundred.
