A few days after the Jiang family moved in, Madam Song sent over some welcoming gifts. Jin Niang also went over with housewarming presents.
Seeing Madam Song again, she hadn't changed much, still dignified and elegant. Yet, Jin Niang no longer felt the same awkwardness as before, likely due to the confidence her official title as a lady of rank now afforded her.
When Madam Song saw Jin Niang, a phrase came to mind. Though not perfectly fitting, it captured the sentiment well enough:
Once we were neighbors, now I am your subordinate.
She felt immensely grateful that back when Jiang Xian had passed the Kaifeng prefectural examination top of the list and later became a Presented Scholar, she had sent over generous travel funds.
"We must visit each other more often in the future," Jin Niang said somewhat stiffly. She had never been particularly skilled at social niceties and often worried about making others feel awkward.
Madam Song smiled. "That's for certain. I was just wondering how you've all been these years? I recall you were posted to the south of the Yangtze back then, weren't you?"
Jin Niang nodded. "Indeed. He served as an official in Wu County, then was later transferred to Daming Prefecture before returning to the capital. Speaking of which, it's been five or six years since we came back to the capital now."
Jiang Xian had been an official for nearly twelve years, and his promotions had been fairly swift.
Madam Song said, "I always knew your husband was no ordinary man."
"By the grace of heaven," Jin Niang replied with a smile.
After staying only long enough for a cup of tea, Jin Niang took her leave. This time, her housewarming gifts were quite substantial: four bolts of brocade, a fresh lamb, two boxes of pastries, and two packages of bird's nest.
Madam Song was originally the daughter of a high official, and her husband was a top graduate—people at the very pinnacle of society. But once her father stepped down from power, people quickly forgot their connections. Furthermore, her husband, because he had helped shoulder responsibility for a matter concerning the Song family, was impeached, which hindered his career.
Later, they managed to seek help from one of her father's former students. Unexpectedly, that man ordered her husband around with no respect whatsoever. Thus, he spent several years worn down in provincial posts. If not for a recommendation from his former chief examiner this time, he would not have been appointed as a Compiler in the Institute for the Veneration of Literature.
Such trials had smoothed away much of her husband's youthful sharpness. Madam Song's children were around the same age as Jin Niang's, especially her daughter, who had blossomed like a peony in spring, radiant and noble.
"Song'er, what brings you here?" Seeing her daughter, Madam Song's demeanor softened to its natural self.
Jiang Song slowly sat down. "Mother, why are you being so courteous to that Madam Jiang next door?"
"The Jiang family is not ordinary," Madam Song explained. "This Attendant Official Jiang was originally your father's student, but now their positions are reversed. He is a fourth-rank official, while your father is sixth-rank." As the daughter of an official, she understood this distinction all too well.
Seniority is important in official circles, but rank is even more crucial.
Jiang Song shook her head. "Had we known, we wouldn't have bought a place here. Our house near the Yi Qiu Gate was perfectly fine."
"That house near Yi Qiu Gate is large, but it's been vacant for too long, and it's also quite far. The area near the Golden Beam Bridge is livelier, and besides, it's closer to the Wei family," Madam Song said with a smile.
Hearing this, Jiang Song's face flushed.
While traveling upstream along the river, they had encountered water bandits and were rescued by the young master of the Wei family. Her father, seeing he was still young, tested him on his studies and found his knowledge solid. However, Young Master Wei the Seventh had to continue his journey, so the families parted ways.
Just then, her mother said, "Scholars usually marry later. Marrying too early can distract from one's studies."
Having grown up as she had, Jiang Song had never seen such a handsome man before—and not the delicate, pretty-boy type either. He could handle water bandits; that was no small feat.
Even she, usually so proud, felt a flutter of youthful longing.
Madam Song had a substantial dowry and was skilled at managing it. She planned to give her daughter a dowry of tens of thousands of strings of cash, which would be top-tier even in Bianjing. Her husband was now a respectable civil official, so marrying upward would still be quite possible.
As mother and daughter were talking, word came that Madam Meng from across the street had arrived, and Madam Song rose again to greet her.
Meanwhile, after returning from the Song residence, Jin Niang found herself smiling for some reason. Seeing his wife smile, Jiang Xian promptly asked, "My dear, what amuses you?"
"I was thinking of our days as a couple in Sweetwater Lane," Jin Niang said. "Back then, I spent all my time thinking about making money, even sewing book bags. In the blink of an eye, over a decade has passed. Doesn't time fly?" Although she still did needlework now, it was purely for pleasure, not profit.
Yet, those days of fervently earning money and sewing had also felt very fulfilling.
Jiang Xian took Jin Niang's hand. "My dear, these are the good days now."
"I think so too," Jin Niang agreed. "Seeing an old acquaintance today stirred up such reflections." The Madam Wei and Madam Meng she usually socialized with were met after their success. Suddenly encountering someone from the past made her reminisce about bygone times.
The next day, Brother Ning returned home on his day off from the prefectural school, bringing two classmates with him. One was surnamed Fang, the other Kuang. Jiang Xian and Jin Niang treated them like their own nephews. Young Master Fang, though not from a powerful aristocratic family, carried an air of calm composure, remarkably steady for his age. Young Master Kuang appeared very proper and upright.
After paying their respects to the adults, Brother Ning took them to his room to chat. Young Master Kuang scratched the back of his head quite honestly. "Jiang Ning, your house is like a palace."
Brother Ning shrugged. "Senior Kuang, you exaggerate too much. My home is nothing special. My parents worked hard to buy this house; it's far from the mansions of the truly wealthy. However, my parents love collecting books. After we eat, let's go to the library."
Both Fang and Kuang agreed.
At mealtime, the Jiang household did not serve a lavish feast, just a simple meal of six dishes and a soup: one cold dish, two vegetable dishes, two meat dishes, and one dish of fried meatballs.
As Jin Niang dined with Jiang Xian, she said, "I think both of Brother Ning's friends seem like fine young men. I hear next year Kaifeng Prefecture will select one Upper Hall student and two Inner Hall students to advance to the Imperial College. I truly hope they can all be chosen."
"What if our son doesn't pass the selection?" Jiang Xian's first thought was whether he should pull some strings.
Jiang Xian chuckled. "You're right, my dear. That's what I think too."
"That's good to hear." Jin Niang had been worried Jiang Xian might try to secure a backdoor entry for their son and was pleased to hear him say this.
After their meal, Brother Ning and his friends went to the library in the garden. Uncle Luo always called out to Brother Ning when he saw him: "Young Scholar is back!"
It was fine when family members said it, but hearing it in front of his classmates made Brother Ning blush crimson with embarrassment.
Fang the Fourth and Young Master Kuang covered their mouths, stifling laughs. The three went upstairs and, seeing the shelves packed with books, felt as if they had found treasure. Brother Ning said, "These new books must have been bought by my mother. Over there are the past examination essays and model papers, as well as our Jiang family's rare book collection. But those can only be read here in the library; they cannot be taken out."
What does it truly mean to be a family of scholars, passed down through generations? Fang Silang and Kuang Xiaolang pondered this, thinking that this must be it.
While they were studying, Jin Niang had someone send hot tea and snacks over, telling Uncle Luo not to go up and disturb them.
Her sons' classmates had visited once, and while the adults weren't particularly affected, Brother Ding was eager to play with his big brothers. Sister Jun, smiling, brought Brother Ding over to Jin Niang. "Look, little brother is also very fond of excitement."
“All children love playing with those older than them. But his brothers need to study and have no time to mind him. In a few days, when your father is on his day off, our family will go to the garden for a barbecue,” Jin Niang thought to herself that it really wasn’t good to have children at too advanced an age; her care and attention for Brother Ding were completely not as much as she had given her eldest daughter and son.
It wasn't intentional neglect, her energy simply wasn't as ample as before.
Barbecuing was, of course, Jiang Xian's specialty. He had already changed into a grey-black robe and, after having the servants light the fire under the eaves, started grilling. Jin Niang usually avoided grilled foods for fear of getting too much internal heat, but today, for this family activity, she treated it as her cheat meal.
Paired with warm almond drink, the aroma of the barbecue was irresistible. Jin Niang alone ate over a dozen skewers. Brother Ding also became much more playful, standing by Jiang Xian's side like an inquisitive little child. Seeing this snow-white baby, how could Jiang Xian not dote on him? The father and son pair whispered secrets no one else could hear.
Sister Jun teased her brother: "Second Brother, dance for us, and I'll give you this skewer too."
Brother Ding wasn't shy at all. He actually ran in circles, arms spread wide, wiggling his body. No one knew who taught him that.
After he finally finished his dance, his sister rewarded him with just one bite of meat.
The day was filled with joy, but the aftermath of the barbecue was real. Jin Niang sprouted two pimples on her forehead, Sister Jun developed a blood blister in her mouth, Jiang Xian had a toothache, and even Brother Ding suffered from a bit of constipation.
Subsequently, the family ate water chestnuts for three days straight and drank mung bean soup to recover.
At home, Jin Niang had already begun designing the wedding dress. With her years of experience as a 'complete fortune' matron of honor and attending numerous weddings, she had seen many bridal gowns.
Her daughter was tall and slender, giving her a naturally dignified bearing. Next year, she would have a 'drooping-shoulder crown' made for her, crafted from gold, silver, pearls, and jadeite. As for the wide-sleeved ceremonial robe and the decorative stole, she planned to embroider peonies. The underbust top would be embroidered with pomegranates, and the inner garment's front opening would be adorned with pearls.
Of course, they definitely wouldn't use northern pearls. She would buy pearls that looked round and mature. Jin Niang directly took fifty taels of silver to buy two thousand pearls.
With the current silver price being two strings of cash per tael, that came to about fifty copper coins per pearl. These were bought with her own private savings for her daughter.
One should not underestimate a set of dowry. The reason why, after she married into the Jiang family, most people (aside from someone like Madam Xu) didn't consider it a case of her marrying above her station was precisely because her dowry appeared quite substantial.
Now it was her daughter's turn, and for a girl from an official's family, it could be even less.
Jin Niang said she would start embroidering next year, but she liked to prepare things well in advance. So, once the design was drawn, she began sourcing the fabric and got started.
Over at Madam Zhou the Fourth's place, however, there was panic. She went to the goldsmith's to have fashionable jewelry made for her daughter, only to discover the price of gold was exorbitantly high. What used to cost less than thirty strings to make now required sixty or seventy strings for a single set.
Then there was the furniture. Red sandalwood was out of the question, yellow rosewood was also expensive, and even red padauk was priced high. They could only choose the more affordable chicken-wing wood.
"Mother, why are you in such a rush?" Miss Sun asked, seeing Madam Zhou the Fourth sweating profusely.
Madam Zhou the Fourth shook her head. "The old home just sent two hundred strings. I'm afraid it won't be enough for both the jewelry and the furniture. This tradition of lavish dowries is truly the death of people."
Miss Sun was taken aback. "Mother, it seems we haven't prepared the porcelain yet either."
