In June, because Minister Liu returned to the capital, Jiang Xian was dispatched on a mission to the Liao Kingdom, which would take a year or more. Jin Niang helped him pack two large trunks of clothes. For the four attendants, the long-term servant Liu Dou'er, and the young servant Hutou who were also going, she had the kitchen prepare wine and dishes to see them off.
Jiang Xian sighed softly, "When Brother Ning takes the prefectural school exam, I won't be there to offer him guidance."
"He's still young. Even if he doesn't pass, he should continue studying diligently at the family school. You should focus on your own affairs and not worry about home," Jin Niang said with a laugh.
How could Jiang Xian not worry about home? Although he mostly considered his own career, he also cared deeply about his children's futures. Furthermore, having a beloved wife at home, he always felt somewhat uneasy.
Jin Niang listened to him fret for a long time. When she heard the words "beloved wife," she laughed so hard her whole body shook. "What nonsense are you talking? I just turned thirty-five, and our daughter is almost of age. How can I be a 'beloved wife'? In a few more years, I could call myself an old woman."
Hearing this, Jiang Xian even got a little angry. "Don't talk like that, wife. To me, you are the most youthful, the most beautiful woman."
"Alright, alright, alright. Just don't get entangled with any women out there. If you do, I'll sweep you out the door and disown you," Jin Niang said, playfully tapping his nose.
Jiang Xian hugged his wife. "How would I dare? No matter how good other women are, they have nothing to do with me, Jiang Xian."
Naturally, Jin Niang believed her husband. Without that trust, their marriage would be meaningless. That night, the couple naturally shared many tender words.
The next day, after he left, Jin Niang had the gates closed to visitors. She then had Ying and others tidy up the library building. She also had a brazier set up under the corridor, with a desk and candlesticks placed inside. She personally worked with her son, Brother Ning, to categorize the books by classics, history, philosophy, literature, miscellaneous writings, travelogues, etc. She even compiled a catalog for easier retrieval in the future.
Brother Ning smiled and said, "Mother, your method is excellent. It will be much more convenient for me to find books in the future."
"My thought is that there are also impoverished students in our Jiang clan. After your father returns, if they wish to study, they can all come to our library to read or copy books." Jin Niang knew the Jiang family had a considerable collection of books, and over the years, she and her husband had also purchased books from various places. If poor scholars could also have books to read, it would be a good deed on her part.
Brother Ning looked at Jin Niang with admiration. "What you said is wonderful, Mother. The examination essays we've used can also be placed here. If there are scholars preparing for the imperial examinations, they can all read them. This is how a family truly passes on scholarship and culture."
Jin Niang smiled. "That's the idea."
She also had another thought: her son had always studied at a private school and might not realize there is always someone better. If diligent scholars from humble backgrounds could inspire him to greater perseverance, that would be a good thing.
Once the library was set up, it was soon July. Jin Niang now spent most of her time looking after Brother Ding herself or having Sister Jun do so. The wet nurse, Madam Bai's term had ended. Jin Niang had already paid her monthly wages, but taking pity on her for the difficulty of caring for Brother Ding, she still gave her a five-strings-worth banknote, along with a bag of white flour, two catties of pork, one catty of mutton, a bag of millet, six boxes of fashionable pastries, two doses of cough medicine, and a set of clothes Jin Niang had never worn.
Although Madam Bai was very reluctant to leave, she had received rewards from the Jiang family during holidays—things like handkerchiefs, copper coins, and cloth, all of which her employers allowed her to take. With this money, her family could live comfortably for a while, and she missed her own children dearly.
Young Master Chen sent someone to take her home. Worried that Brother Ding might not be used to it, Jin Niang personally took her son to sleep with her. In reality, children adapt better than adults. He didn't see Madam Bai and didn't look for her, lying obediently in Jin Niang's arms.
"When your father returns, we can start studying. For now, you just play at home with Mother, alright?" Jin Niang asked with a smile.
Because Brother Ding was the youngest child, the affairs of his older brother and sister were the most pressing, so Jin Niang couldn't personally teach her own child as she had before.
See, now she had to personally embroider a quilt cover for her daughter. Besides that, she had to manage the family business and find time to read herself, only then could she spare about an hour to spend with Brother Ding.
Brother Ning, however, was very much the elder brother. Every day after school, he would specifically play with his little brother for a while before doing his homework.
"Come September, you'll be taking the Kaifeng Prefectural School exam. You're not even ten yet. I'm not afraid you won't pass; I'm afraid you will pass, because then you'll have to live at the school. So, starting now, you must learn to make your own bed and manage your own affairs." Having worked outside from a young age herself, Jin Niang knew that a child without self-reliance, even if capable, couldn't last long.
For a son of an official family like Brother Ning, in the future he wouldn't need to take the regular provincial exam like other scholars from humble backgrounds. Instead, he would take the "Cao Exam," also known as the separate exam. What Sun Shichen mentioned back then about "qualifying for recommendation" actually referred to passing the Cao Exam.
Of course, the so-called Cao Exam wasn't highly regarded, as it often involved those who passed through connections. This was to prevent sons of officials from crowding out the advancement paths of poor scholars. Naturally, the pass rate for the Cao Exam was higher, but when it came to the Metropolitan Exam, that was for everyone, and those without real ability would still be weeded out.
Brother Ning smiled. "Mother, I'm not afraid. I'll manage once I go."
"Don't take it lightly. Later, I'll teach you how to fold quilts, make the bed, how to keep your money safe, and how to fetch water," Jin Niang said.
Her eldest son had been bold since childhood. After starting his studies, his demeanor became increasingly serious. He was quite courageous, upright, and impartial, completely unlike his father. Jiang Xian was, in short, someone who could please people anywhere, while Brother Ning possessed a certain sharpness more typical of a scholar from a poor family.
Once, when he went out to eat, he encountered two people arguing over a theft case. The child actually stepped forward, reasoned through the case flawlessly, and convinced both parties on the spot.
It's just that this child was too attached to home. "Although I can learn all these things, if I can live at home, I definitely want to live at home. I don't want to leave you, Mother."
Considering her son's young age, Jin Niang smiled. "Alright, of course. I also hope my son can live at home."
Mainly, the circumstances were different now. When her younger brother studied at the academy, it was simply too far. But Kaifeng Prefecture... it wasn't far from their home at all. With dedicated people to escort him, it was naturally different.
Brother Ning exchanged a few more lighthearted words with Jin Niang but still felt uneasy and went back to study.
On one side, there was maternal kindness and filial piety. On the other side, Lou Siniang was utterly disheartened. When she rushed to Qizhou,
Feng Sheng had already been ill for a long time. She used her silver to buy medicine and nursed her husband back to health. On their journey back, the couple naturally discussed the behavior of her two stepsons.
What kind of man was Feng Sheng? Seeing that Lou Siniang had come alone, he knew those two boys had been raised for nothing.
Seeing that he was of no use now, of course he was unwilling to come. Lou Siniang had gone to great lengths, traveling a thousand miles to find her husband; what virtue or ability did he, Feng Sheng, possess to deserve this? Therefore, after returning from Qizhou, Feng Sheng prepared to divide the family property and have his two sons establish separate households. When it came to the division, another big dispute erupted. Feng Lin had his own medical clinic with considerable income, but he became extremely contentious over every detail for the sake of his younger brother, Brother Guan.
"Father, for such a family division, we cannot only invite the Lou family. That would be truly unfair. My maternal aunt should be invited as well."
Upon hearing this, Feng Sheng fell silent. Over the years, he had accumulated a thousand mu of land, medicinal herb capital worth three thousand taels of silver, and two thousand strings of cash originally intended for Brother Yun. Now, he had no choice but to allocate one thousand strings of cash and three hundred mu of land to Brother Guan, and also helped him take a wife.
From then on, he became deeply disillusioned, and his once fiercely competitive spirit diminished by more than half. Lou Siniang originally had money of her own. However, the stepson she had once raised now treated her like an enemy, which was truly disheartening.
Feng Sheng said, "I exhausted my mind and strength for these two brothers of his, never expecting to raise such wolves and tigers. It is truly a family misfortune."
"Don't think like that," Lou Siniang said. "We've set the two brothers up separately, letting them establish their own households and giving them a sum of money so they can live comfortably. As for you and me, we both have medical skills. In the future, we don't need to be so aggressive; we can just focus on raising Brother Yun properly." Although somewhat disillusioned herself, Lou Siniang was not as extreme as Feng Sheng.
Feng Sheng then said, "In the past, when I taught the children, I always demanded they stand out from the crowd and judged only by success or failure. Now I see that one must first teach them to be good people."
He had been poisoned by a snake. Although he appeared normal now, the physician said his lifespan was likely limited. This was also the reason he insisted on dividing the family property—to at least preserve a portion of the wealth, fearing he might not live to see Brother Yun achieve success.
Lou Siniang wiped her tears. "Yes, let's pick a day and reopen the shop together."
...
Brother Guan, having received his share of money, invited his elder brother over for a talk. He had always followed his elder brother's lead, so he said, "Brother, now that we've moved out from the family home, perhaps we should seek out our second aunt and ask for her support."
Feng Lin was very calm. "As the saying goes, if relatives truly care, they will visit frequently. If they don't come to our door, there must be other reasons. If we show up uninvited, we'll likely just be treated as poor relatives. It's better for you to study hard. In the future, people will naturally associate with us more."
Brother Guan, who always deferred to his elder brother, nodded repeatedly in agreement.
Feng Lin smiled. "I, your elder brother, am not cut out for scholarly pursuits and have no connections. You are different from me. If you can pass the exams and enter the prefectural school, that would be better than me. I know you've just gotten married and have many expenses, so I've brought some money for you."
He was a very famous eye doctor, originally running his own pharmacy, and had considerable savings. Having also received a share from the family division, he took out fifty strings of cash to give to his younger brother.
Brother Guan thanked him profusely.
The two brothers even went to a nearby tavern for a drink, both getting quite drunk, but they had a thoroughly enjoyable time.
It is also said that the husband of Fourth Lady Zhou, Sun Shichen, was also drinking heavily. Having passed the imperial examinations and served three posts outside the capital, it had been nearly ten years before he returned to the capital. Largely relying on the help of Zhou Cunzhi and Jiang Fang, they all gathered together for drinks.
Fourth Lady Zhou also dined with her children, along with the wife of the eldest Zhou son, Lady Zhang, and the family of Third Lady Zhou.
When Lady Zhang heard Fourth Lady Zhou mention their chance encounter with the family of Jiang Xian forming a marriage alliance with the Wei family, she inwardly scoffed. However, she wouldn't show it in front of the younger generation, especially since her maiden family was the Jiang family, and Jiang Xian currently held the highest official position among the Jiangs.
Lady Zhang had fewer reservations. Although her brother's family had formed a marriage alliance with the Wei family, she herself was displeased. Last time, she heard that Jiang Xian's wife was whispering with her own concubine; were they perhaps discussing the matter of her passing off counterfeit goods? But she couldn't speak too explicitly, only joking, "Speaking of which, with such a family background, how come that young lady from the Wei family previously came to our house as a maidservant? Had we known earlier, we would have treated her better."
"They affiliated with the clan after going to Daming Prefecture," said Fourth Lady Zhou, who was acquainted with Madame Wang and Madame Ji and knew the situation in Daming Prefecture. She simply said, "It's just that the Wei family was very picky back then. Even the granddaughter of Lord Wang only married a son from a secondary branch. I really don't understand why the Seventh Young Master Wei has now chosen her daughter."
Third Lady Zhou didn't know these inside details and only heard Lady Zhang say, "Originally, there was no talk of choosing her family. It was just that Lady Wei had her son study literature with Jiang Sixteenth. Perhaps they grew up together."
Lady Zhang's words were subtle, but everyone understood the implication.
Fourth Lady Zhou thought to herself that Sister Jun was only thirteen or fourteen this year. How could she have developed secret feelings for a man? If anyone was to blame, it was more likely Wei Jinniang who taught her. Because she had met this Seventh Young Master Wei before; he was very proper and never glanced at the many girls in the family school.
If it really was Wei Jinniang's doing, then she was truly despicable, leading a good young girl, not yet of age, to act this way. At the very least, one should wait until after the hair-pinning ceremony or eighteen years old before discussing marriage. Thinking this, she shook her head.
Why was she so concerned about Wei Jinniang? Firstly, because she found this character's actions in the book the most inscrutable, and secondly, because Zhou Cunzhi's future prospects were tied to Jiang Xian.
These two completely unrelated individuals were now connected. Her brother's future was also her husband's future.
After the meal, Lady Zhang returned to her room for a spring nap. Third Lady Zhou first went to see her own mother, Madam Lü. Madam Lü had always been a clever woman and admonished her daughter, "In the future, you should also come back less often and live your own life well. Don't keep worrying about me. I'm doing just fine."
"Look at what you're saying. You're my mother; how can I not come back to see you?" Third Lady Zhou replied.
Hearing her call her "mother," Madam Lü looked around cautiously and said, "Don't let others hear you calling me that. It's not proper."
Third Lady Zhou shook her head and then asked about her second uncle and aunt from the second branch: "I wonder how they are doing in Hangzhou?"
"They're well, everything is fine. Your second uncle bought a very large villa in Hangzhou and even said he'd invite your father and your legal mother to retire there. Now that he has sons, he is completely content. Although your two cousins haven't been heard to possess great talent, they are more than sufficient to be wealthy gentlemen." Madam Lü felt that Lady Jiang didn't know what she was angry about all day; one must accept growing old.
Second Master Zhou and Wu Luan had come to terms with things. They had their own sons and had experienced the death of Third Master Zhou Shenzhi, understanding that peace is the greatest blessing. They had become much less attached to money and power. Even so, the money the second branch gave to the main branch and the dowries for the main branch's daughters combined probably amounted to tens of thousands of strings of cash.
Now, why is the main branch of the family financially strained? It's because they no longer have the second branch as their financial backer.
But to put it another way, it was also the second branch that inflated the main branch's appetite, making it very difficult for them to practice frugality now.
Third Lady Zhou sighed softly. Over there, Fourth Lady Zhou was talking with Lady Zhang, accompanied by her two daughters. Compared to Third Lady Zhou, Lady Zhang preferred Fourth Lady Zhou. This was because Third Lady Zhou treated all of Zhou Cunzhi's wives and concubines equally. When the son of Concubine Guo fell ill, she was even more anxious than the child's own mother.
In this regard, Fourth Lady Zhou handled things better than Third Lady Zhou; she did not go to the rooms of the concubines and lesser ladies to chat.
"Your eldest and second daughters are truly lovely. They must be approaching their hair-pinning age soon, right?" Lady Zhang asked with a smile.
Fourth Lady Zhou laughed, "They are still quite young."
Lady Zhang said, "They are not that young anymore."
In front of the two young girls, Lady Zhang couldn't speak openly about marriage arrangements, but the hint was strong. She even gave each of them a gold neck ring as a gift.
The Sun sisters, having spent years away at their father's official post, were now back at their maternal grandparents' home. The large estate and the kindness of their aunts filled them with joy.
But what about their marriages? When Eldest Miss Sun heard that Jiang Jun was to marry the Seventh Young Master of the Wei family, she felt nothing but envy. Back in the girls' school, they often bickered over the Seventh Young Master Wei.
She just wondered what kind of ideal husband her mother would find for them in the future?
Fourth Lady Zhou wasn't thinking about her daughters' marriages at the moment. After their return, their priority was to buy a house. For a modern person, buying property was paramount, especially since the Sun family had divided the estate. They received one thousand strings of cash, a house back in their hometown, two shops, and two hundred mu of land.
Although the Sun family was an official family, Old Master Sun only became a prefect in his forties or fifties and retired this year. To have accumulated this much wealth was quite respectable. However, the house in their hometown wasn't worth much; three hundred strings could buy a house with more than two courtyards. As for the two large shops, one brought in twelve strings a year in rent, the other a bit more at thirty-six strings.
Fortunately, they had saved six hundred strings from their years at the official post. They sold one hometown shop for five hundred strings and the other for seven hundred strings. Combined with her dowry money and income from farmland, she had a total of three thousand strings. They bought a large two-courtyard house and furnished it.
Even though this nearly depleted their cash reserves, her heart was filled with joy. No matter what, she was now a homeowner. She wouldn't sell the shops unless absolutely necessary, but the shops in their hometown weren't worth much anyway, so this was essentially an asset swap.
After buying the house, they still had the rent from several hundred mu of land and her husband's salary. Sun Shichen had risen from a seventh-rank county magistrate to a sixth-rank attendant censor, so his salary had increased considerably, which should be more than enough for their needs.
Meanwhile, Jin Niang was looking over the betrothal gifts sent by the Wei family. The betrothal gifts and bride-price were essentially for the bride's parents. Previously, Jin Niang had no family to prepare a dowry for her, so she had put everything into her own trousseau. Now that they were preparing to send a dowry for their daughter, they couldn't simply use the groom's family's gifts to pad their own contribution.
Otherwise, once the dowry was sent over, the Wei family would surely say the Jiang family was using the jewelry and pearls they sent to bolster the Jiang family's appearance.
Therefore, Jin Niang added another hundred strings to the one thousand strings sent by the Wei family. For her daughter, she had a pearl crown, a gold crown, and a chest of gold and silver utensils made. Furthermore, from last year's rental income, Jin Niang set aside five hundred strings for her daughter's dowry. She planned to add five hundred strings every year. By the time her daughter married, the cash at the bottom of the dowry chest would exceed five thousand strings. Combined with shops, farmland, gold and silver jewelry, and clothing, it would total at least over ten thousand strings, achieving her goal.
Because Jin Niang could embroider the quilt covers herself, she saved some money. She had started embroidering one quilt cover last year and had begun a bed curtain. The Guanyin Sending a Son embroidery was one-third complete and needed to continue.
"Madam, the mistress of the Huixian Lou restaurant is here."
Every festival over the past few years, Jin Niang would specially order wine from Huixian Lou. Several family banquets, including the celebration for Brother Ding's first birthday, had also featured feasts from Huixian Lou.
This mistress was the one who had recovered after receiving the Purple-Robed Guanyin embroidery from Jin Niang years ago. So, Jin Niang had a good idea why she was visiting.
When Jin Niang invited her in, sure enough, the mistress smiled and said, "My granddaughter is getting married. I would like to request an embroidered portrait from you, Madam, to place at the bottom of her dowry chest. I hope you will be so kind."
"We met in humble times. Since you come to ask me, how could I refuse?" Jin Niang replied.
Unexpectedly, the mistress from Huixian Lou made a grand gesture, buying two embroideries at once: one of Guanyin with a Basket and one of White-Robed Guanyin. She directly delivered five hundred strings of cash to Jin Niang's room, which was even more than Jin Niang had imagined.
Money went out, but fortunately some came back in. However, this money became Jin Niang's private savings.
"Ying, open the storeroom and bring out several bolts of cloth. Have the tailor come to make clothes for the servants. The labor cost will come from my private funds. Say it's for their hard work regarding the young lady's engagement," Jin Niang said with a smile.
Ying smiled, "Thank you, Madam, for always thinking of making clothes for us."
There were over thirty servants in the household, and the labor cost totaled six taels of silver.
Now, the path of being a "Complete Blessing" woman (a matron with both parents, husband, and children alive, often involved in weddings) was becoming less feasible. After all, there were too many high officials and nobles in the capital, and they were not particularly prominent. Straightforward transactions for goods were fine, but openly serving as a Complete Blessing woman for merchants might lead to gossip about improper connections, so she tried to avoid it as much as possible.
She herself didn't often consume bird's nest or ginseng. Tea was received as gifts through social exchanges. Rice, flour, and eggs came from the estate. Occasional expenses like buying books were easily covered by Jiang Xian's salary.
By the time Jin Niang finished the Guanyin Sending a Son embroidery, it was already the ninth month. Brother Ning was about to take his exams. As Jiang Xian was not at home, Jin Niang personally took the carriage to escort her son. Brother Ning pursed his lips tightly, looking nervous. She comforted him, "Don't be nervous at all. Put your finished exam papers carefully into your book bag. Otherwise, if someone plays a trick, deliberately bumps your desk, or spills ink on them, there would be no chance to fix it."
"Mother, I remember," Brother Ning said seriously.
Jin Niang smiled again, "That's good. Keep a calm mind, and everything will be fine."
Brother Ning patted his small chest, "Mother, I will definitely pass the prefectural school exam, to bring honor to you and to be a support for my sister."
Under normal circumstances, Jin Niang would say the family didn't need him to do that, but now that her son felt a sense of responsibility, she smiled and said, "Then I thank my son."
Brother Ning took after Jin Niang, having no picky eating habits at all. Coupled with years of archery and martial arts practice, he was taller than most children his age. Watching Luo Da escort him inside from the carriage, Jin Niang breathed a sigh of relief.
After seeing her son off, Jin Niang returned and began teaching her daughter how to make gold-foil appliqués for collars and handkerchiefs. She explained, "Buying the gold leaf and doing it yourself is much cheaper, as long as you have the carving blocks ready. Look, I have this carved dragonfly block here. When you're making clothes from green silk and sometimes don't feel like embroidering, you can just press it onto the collar like this, and you'll have two dragonflies. It doesn't use too much gold leaf either."
Sister Jun quickly learned the technique. Jin Niang gifted her a small box of gold leaf, and then mother and daughter went to the library to read. Nowadays, Sister Jun had mastered the moon lute, and her formal studies were complete. So aside from needlework, her days were spent reading, playing the zither, and blending incense—a rather comfortable and pleasant life.
"Mother, do you think Brother Ning will pass the examination?" Sister Jun was quite worried about her brother.
Jin Niang shook her head. "I don't know either. Many unexpected things can happen in the examination halls. Even if your brother doesn't pass, it's not a big deal. He can still take the exam for the Kaifeng Academy."
In the evening, when Brother Ning returned, Jin Niang saw his expression was fairly calm and felt slightly relieved. They waited a few days until the results were posted and learned that her son had indeed passed. At his young age, he had entered the prefectural school and could now be called a "cultivated talent" or a "xiucai" (scholar).
Jin Niang was overjoyed to the point of tears. She brought out the scholar's gown she had made for her son. "My good child, your mother is truly happy for you."
Brother Ning grinned for a moment, but then his face fell. "Mother, but now I have to go live at the school."
Sister Jun chuckled. "Mother, Brother, listen to me for a moment. Now that Brother Ning has passed, shouldn't we first inform our relatives? If guests come to visit, Mother, wouldn't it be good to invite Brother Xuan to come help manage things a bit?"
Jin Niang glanced at her daughter. "Why invite your cousin? It's more fitting to invite your brother-in-law. I'll send for him right away."
After all, you can't expect unfamiliar men and women to fall in love at first sight. They need to spend some time together, start as friends, and find some common topics of conversation. If the conditions aren't there, you simply have to create them.
