It was clear that Lu Qionghua was not the flamboyant type, but she was very methodical. Jin Niang looked over the accounts she had kept and couldn't help but praise, "The way you've recorded these is excellent, very clear at a glance."
"Thank you for the praise, Mother. I feel unworthy," Lu Qionghua was very pleased to receive her mother-in-law's compliment.
Jin Niang smiled, "Why are you standing? Please, sit down. So, how are you holding up? Is your health bearing the strain?"
In truth, Lu Qionghua's previous so-called illness was largely a matter of the heart. Now, with her husband's career going well and her mother-in-law's affection, her overall condition was excellent. Moreover, most of the people in her courtyard were her own, so managing it mainly involved calculating expenses and drawing funds.
Therefore, hearing Jin Niang's question, Lu Qionghua quickly nodded, "I'm managing quite well."
"You know your own body better than I do. If you feel unwell, you mustn't push yourself. On ordinary days, just tell the kitchen staff what you fancy eating," Jin Niang said.
Lu Qionghua gave a light cough, "The small kitchen already prepares dishes I love. I even had an extra bowl of rice yesterday."
Jin Niang glanced at her, saw her complexion was indeed good, and nodded slightly, "That's good. Our household isn't large, so please don't stand on ceremony. If you want anything, just let me know."
Lu Qionghua found these words very comforting. She then drew the funds for the next month—the monthly wages and food allowance for the servants of Wangyue Residence, totaling sixteen strings of cash. With rice, flour, oil, eggs, and firewood already provided for the household, this sum was actually quite ample.
After all, Lu Qionghua also received a monthly allowance of five strings for herself. If she fancied something beyond the standard meals, she could buy it cheaply with her own money.
Thus, the annual living expenses and servants' wages for Jin Niang's household also amounted to around five hundred strings of cash.
And this didn't even include the monthly allowances for the children, which came to over two hundred strings. Fortunately, Brother Ning's official salary was also about two hundred strings, barely balancing it out.
Furthermore, the trees, bamboo groves, and flowers from the garden could be sold for money, offsetting another portion of the expenses. Only in this way could they manage to save. Money shouldn't be overly hoarded; one must both open new sources and regulate the outflow. Most importantly, waste must not become habitual.
Jin Niang had her own private savings, entirely from her embroidery work like Guanyin portraits and decorative screens with flowers and birds. Jiang Xian had his income from writing commissions. This way, the rental income from their shops could all be saved.
Like the shop in Wu County, who knows if it might become difficult to manage from afar or run into operational issues in the future. While it could make money, they should save a large sum and, later without greed, dispose of it if possible.
During the Mid-Autumn Festival, the velvet thread shop in Bianjing made a hefty profit, earning ten thousand taels of silver in just half a year.
Jiang Xian helped her carry the money to the cellar, thinking to himself, "If this continues, who knows how much we'll earn."
"All this is only possible because you and your father hold official posts at court. Using your name cards ensures smooth passage, and the shopkeepers wouldn't dare to abscond with the money. Otherwise, it's not easy for ordinary merchants to do business. Right now, we're sourcing raw silk from Huzhou, so it's cheap. In the future, if it becomes inconvenient to go to Huzhou or the supply chain is disrupted, it would be better to close the shop and just collect rent. Those with skill can make money; those without might go bankrupt trying to do business," Jin Niang said.
They made money but were not greedy for it. Jiang Xian thought his wife truly wasn't driven by desire.
However, he was also curious, "Then, my dear, how much do you think we need to save before we don't have to be like this?"
"At least a hundred thousand strings. My goal is a hundred thousand strings," Jin Niang said with a somewhat embarrassed smile.
In the future, when the two sons establish separate households, they will divide the assets—shops, land, businesses, servants—but the cash savings are for us, the couple, to use. Having money on hand gives both of us security.
As for the two brothers, those skilled at managing assets will naturally prosper. Those who aren't, well, with the land, they won't starve.
Jiang Xian looked at his wife and said, "I didn't realize you were thinking so far ahead."
And all his wife's plans included him.
"Of course. This way, you can also be at ease, right?" Jin Niang looked at her husband. She understood him very well.
Jiang Xian leaned on Jin Niang's shoulder, "As long as I'm with you, I'm not afraid of anything."
Jin Niang smiled, "It's because I'm with you that I can feel secure doing what I want to do."
The couple was very sweet. The next day, during his official day off, Jiang Xian even specially painted a portrait of Jin Niang. It was exquisitely done. Jin Niang felt it looked like it had a beauty filter, but she still quite liked it.
After the portrait was finished, Jin Niang simply had a meal set up in the flower pavilion and invited Sister Jun's family and Brother Ning's family over. They arrived quickly. Jiang Xian said, "Today, your mother is treating you with her private savings."
Jin Niang smiled, "It just so happens someone bought eight peony embroidery screens from me a few days ago. I made some money, so it's my treat."
Lu Qionghua looked at her mother-in-law. She hadn't expected her to have such skill and to mention it so openly. As her own needlework wasn't very good, she had always been amazed by the various embroidered portraits her mother-in-law had hanging up.
"Mother, look at you. Whenever there's something good, you always think of us," Brother Ning said.
Sister Jun also chimed in, "Exactly."
Her own needlework was actually quite good, but she never had her mother's proactive drive to actually earn money from embroidery. Her mother truly worked at it constantly, idle or not, always making a bit. This income, not from the family shops or land, counted as private savings.
After the meal, Jin Niang also gave each person a gift. Brother Ning received a jar of olives; Lu Qionghua and Sister Jun each received a painted round fan; Dingge'er got a pair of golden carp; Wei Qilang received a pair of fine leather boots; Jiaojiao and Shige'er both got an oil-paper umbrella, with Shige'er additionally receiving a wooden whistle that came as a freebie with something else; Jiang Xian got a green gauze hat.
The gifts weren't particularly valuable, but were meant to be little surprises.
Lu Qionghua loved the painted fan. "This single fan is like a complete landscape scene. It's truly beautiful."
"I also think these fan paintings are quite nice. They're selling like hotcakes over at Donghua Gate," Jin Niang said with a smile.
Lu Qionghua, who used to often mope at home, was now even receiving gifts, which made her very happy. Not to mention Wei Qilang, who was the type to always appreciate things from outside his own home, was delighted.
Furthermore, the eldest daughter of the Gu family, skilled in the art of miniature landscape gardening, sent over a potted landscape through someone. Jin Niang had it moved to the flower pavilion for everyone to admire.
The Jiang children were already accustomed to such gatherings. The two who had married in, Wei Qilang and Lu Qionghua, both found it very enjoyable. After everyone dispersed, Lu Qionghua strolled back to Wangyue Residence from the garden with Brother Ning and said, "Mother is really so kind. Knowing I love lotus seed soup, she packed me a full bowl of sweet lotus seeds."
"Naturally, my mother likes you very much. However, let me also tell you, my mother is the type who repays one act of kindness with ten in return, and the opposite is also true." Brother Ning knew his mother had been quite good to his wife initially, not even making her observe formal morning rituals, actively telling her to rest more, and just letting her manage their own courtyard.
But if Madam Lu didn't understand what was important, life would surely become difficult in the future.
Lu Qionghua, who usually seemed sharp, now smiled a simple, honest smile, "I've known that for a long time."
Brother Ning took off his own cloak and draped it over her: "You have a delicate constitution, be careful not to catch a chill."
Lu Qionghua's face flushed slightly.
By the end of the year, the daughter-in-law had been in the household for half a year. Madam Meng quietly asked Jin Niang: "How is her condition?"
"It's still early. Her constitution has always been frail. I just hope she stays healthy and well." Jin Niang truly meant this. The other day, when Lu Qionghua saw her skin peeling, she had even given her some homemade medicinal cosmetics, which Jin Niang applied and it cleared right up.
She had gained such a wonderful daughter-in-law, what was the point of nitpicking about such things all day?
Madam Meng was somewhat disgruntled.
Sister Jun and Lu Qionghua also got along very well. Both enjoyed studying rouge and ointments, often making appointments to concoct creams together. Sister Jun taught her facial treatments, and Lu Qionghua went home and did them for Brother Ning too, so there was often laughter and cheerful conversation.
Jin Niang spent her days managing household affairs, then doing needlework, sleeping, or reading, living quite contentedly.
At year's end, the Luoyang silk and velvet shop sent ten thousand taels, tenant rents brought in nine hundred and fifty strings of cash, the Bianjing silk and velvet shop sent thirteen thousand taels, and the rest was as usual.
Thus, adding up the silver and copper coins came to roughly seventy thousand strings.
Jin Niang found it inconvenient to take money from that, so she used a hundred strings from her private savings to have new clothes made for the whole family, give rewards to the servants, and purchase New Year goods. With Lu Qionghua and Sister Jun as her helpers, she was much more relaxed.
Seventh Young Master Wei received three sets of new clothes and two hair crowns for the New Year. Jiang Xian didn't take Brother Ning out for social engagements. Knowing he would take the provincial examination next year, he specifically had him bring his best essays and personally took him to visit renowned scholars.
Even Brother Ning often came over to chat with Seventh Young Master Wei. The two even reminisced about following Jiang Xian to visit scholars at night when they were children, laughing heartily.
Sister Jun, who had been about to enter, heard the laughter and ultimately did not go in.
Her husband had once been so doted upon. Now, although everything in their own home was good, he ultimately had no official rank. Before, he always thought that with the Wei family behind him, even the Six Ministers would have to defer to him, the Prime Minister's son. Only now did he realize that one can only earn others' respect through one's own efforts.
After the New Year celebrations, Lu Qionghua became pregnant. She was eighteen this year, at the peak of her beauty. Learning of her pregnancy, her delicate and timid manner evoked tender affection even from other women. Jin Niang sent a letter to Madam Lu in Luoyang, personally instructed the kitchen to take good care of her, and told Brother Ning some do's and don'ts.
As for Lu Qionghua managing household affairs, she still let her continue.
Lu Qionghua also felt that since she was only assigning tasks, it didn't count as heavy work. Jin Niang saw that although she was somewhat timid, the physician said the fetus was fine, so she agreed.
After returning from Wangyue Residence, Jin Niang said to Jiang Xian: "In a few more months, we'll have a grandson or granddaughter. Back in Daming Prefecture, you were sighing about how fast time flies. I think it's more fitting to sigh now—our son is having a child."
“But, my lady, how come I feel you haven't changed a bit?” Jiang Xian was truly emotional. It felt like the family had been through so much, yet even as a mother-in-law, his lady was still the same as before, saving money with him and arranging everything properly every day.
Jin Niang laughed: "You and your sweet talk."
Jiang Xian let out a sigh of relief. The court situation was quite complex now; being in the midst of it, he always felt a sense of calm waters hiding turbulent undercurrents.
Madam Lu soon hurried over from Luoyang. Seeing her daughter had her own small kitchen, didn't need to pay morning respects, her room was piled with tonics sent by the family, even the imperial physician came once every ten days to check her pulse, and the servants were all attentive, she felt reassured.
"Mother, everything is fine here. My mother-in-law and sister-in-law both take care of me. As for my husband, even though I'm pregnant, he rests in the study." Lu Qionghua said the last part with genuine happiness.
"You've married into a rare, good family. You must cherish your good fortune." Madam Lu had nothing more to advise. She knew well that if a maternal relative stayed too long, it would make others think she was uneasy.
Fortunately, although Lu Qionghua occasionally felt unwell, both Jin Niang and Sister Jun had been through it before and were very concerned about her, so they could quickly help her feel better.
Once the pregnancy was stable, Jin Niang also breathed a sigh of relief.
"Grandmother!" Jiaojiao was flying a kite in the garden and called out when she saw Jin Niang coming from the direction of the waterside pavilion.
Jin Niang looked up at the sky: "Jiaojiao, you're so amazing! Flying the kite so high. Are you hot? Should I have some drinks sent over?"
Jiaojiao bit her lip: "I want to eat 'Milk Sugar True Snow'."
"Alright, I'll have someone buy it for you. Are you still playing? If not, let's go rest in the main room for a while." Jin Niang yawned. She hadn't slept well last night either. Coming here early in the morning, she caught a cold breeze, and her right eye was twitching madly. She planned to go back and apply a warm compress to her eyes.
The temperature difference was too great now; cool in the morning, unbearably hot by noon.
Jiaojiao naturally agreed. Grandmother and granddaughter went back. Jiaojiao went to the bathhouse to wash up again, while Jin Niang started her warm compress. By the time she was done, the Milk Sugar True Snow had been delivered.
"It's so delicious." Jiaojiao squinted her eyes in enjoyment.
Jin Niang smiled: "Eat more if it's delicious."
"Before, whenever I asked Father to buy something, he'd always bring it back for me. But now Father is out all day and always forgets." Jiaojiao confided in Jin Niang.
Jin Niang said: "Your father is busy preparing for the imperial examinations now. He barely has time to drink water, let alone buy things for you. In the future, if you want anything, just tell me or your mother."
For the imperial exams, one had to submit writings in advance. Although Jiang Xian had taken him around before, he still had to attend various literary gatherings himself, making his own way. For Seventh Young Master Wei, who was once in a position of high status, having to humble himself was not easy.
But the imperial exams, in a way, also tested one's mentality.
By the eighth month, Seventh Young Master Wei had passed the provincial examination. The family was naturally happy for him, but he had passed the "special avoidance exam" (Bietou Shi), and the metropolitan examination was another hurdle. During this period, they had no choice but to have Seventh Young Master Wei study behind closed doors. Every day he had to write ten pieces, including poems, fu prose, and policy essays. In the evening, when Jiang Xian returned, he and Brother Ning would help him revise them. The next day, he would review the parts he had written incompletely or where the thesis was not cleverly presented, and so the cycle repeated.
Seventh Young Master Wei said to Sister Jun: "I'm practically being driven to death..."
Hearing such discouraging words, Sister Jun laughed: "Others would wish for your treatment but can't get it. You should just focus on writing properly. Tomorrow I'll give you a facial treatment, how about that?"
Encouraged by his loving wife, Seventh Young Master Wei regained some spirit.
At the same time, Brother Ding was admitted to the Kaifeng Prefecture School. However, Brother Ning and the family had another layer of concern, so they had him live at home, going out early and returning late every day to study.
Almost all usual family banquets were canceled. Even the Mid-Autumn Festival this year was just a simple family gathering in the garden. As for the old residence, they had Brother Ning deliver a generous gift to Master Jiang the Sixth.
In the ninth month, Lu Qionghua gave birth to a son, and Jin Niang was happy for her. Given her constitution, frequent childbearing might not be a good thing. Having a son early meant she had, in the worldly sense, completed her duty, and she wouldn't have to endure so much strain.
Before this, she could clearly sense Lu Qionghua's own anxiety. Even Madam Lu had sought her out to ask if the new bride was with child.
Jin Niang, for her part, had just received two dividend payments. She had previously invested five thousand strings of cash in a shipping firm, and this year they sent a combined dividend of one thousand strings. When others tried to persuade her to invest further, she simply turned a deaf ear.
"Is it only this much?" Jiang Xian was somewhat dissatisfied.
Jin Niang was speechless. "This is already a great deal. This isn't like the silk and velvet shop. You're taking dividends from them, but they have their own costs too. I've seen that even for those running tea shops, unless the business is exceptionally booming, ten shops might only yield a profit of five thousand strings."
It was also because Jin Niang, through her long-term embroidery work, noticed the rising prices of velvet thread and silk, deeply feeling there was a business opportunity. She had the capital on hand, able to take out several thousand taels at a time to purchase stock—not everyone possessed that kind of resources.
Furthermore, the official positions of Jiang Xian and Brother Ning provided a certain authority that kept things in order.
Jiang Xian chuckled. "My mistake, alright?"
"So shrewd out in the world, yet you talk nonsense with me on purpose," Jin Niang chided him with a glance.
While Jin Niang was still saving money, Fourth Aunt Zhou felt considerably more financially comfortable. The family now only had one son, Brother Rui. A house was ready for when he took a wife, and a betrothal gift of five hundred strings would suffice.
Sun Shichen now held the post of Deputy Assistant Director of the Bureau of Military Affairs, overseeing official promotions. Fourth Aunt Zhou, using her status as a 'woman of complete fortune' (a matron with both parents, spouse, and children living), had earned nearly a thousand strings. Adding gifts from others, it easily amounted to three thousand strings.
This time, they didn't hoard all the money. They took out two thousand strings to buy a single-bay shopfront, leasing it out for business, thus securing a steady income stream.
Of course, this idea came from Eldest Miss Sun. This year, Third Young Master Meng had passed the provincial-level examination. According to his teacher, his performance was such that aiming high had yielded a solid, middling result.
If her husband succeeded in the metropolitan examination next year, with her father in his current position, he could likely help with arrangements.
"I heard the Jiang family's son-in-law also passed the provincial exam this time?" Fourth Aunt Zhou asked.
Eldest Miss Sun smiled. "You mean Wei the Seventh? Yes, him. Actually, he had passed before, but later received an official post through hereditary privilege. After joining the Jiang family, they arranged for him to take the imperial exams."
"His father-in-law is in the Hanlin Academy. I suspect connections might be used," Fourth Aunt Zhou said, never having imagined that in this lifetime Jiang Xian would escape demotion and public scorn entirely.
Eldest Miss Sun shook her head. "Who knows? But I think, who wouldn't use such connections if they had them?"
Fourth Aunt Zhou said, "It's also thanks to your idea of converting old, unworn clothes and gifted tea and cloth into cash. Otherwise, we couldn't have afforded that shop."
"That wasn't my idea either. I once saw the Jiang family's servants transporting things and asked Madam Jiang about it. She told me." Eldest Miss Sun also had unused items from others, which she all converted.
Truthfully, Jin Niang hadn't been like this before. It was just that new clothes were made every year; after being worn a few times, letting them sit at the bottom of a trunk was too wasteful. It was Young Master Chen who found the place. Jin Niang compared several dealers, found this one asked few questions and was tight-lipped, so she often disposed of things there, getting a sum in return.
Of course, for pearl-embroidered garments or particularly exquisite clothing, Jin Niang would store them carefully. She had two chests for fur coats, two for lined jackets, and two large cabinets for gauze robes and summer gowns.
However, there was a loss this year as well. In the latter half, when Shopkeeper Cao went to Huzhou to purchase stock, the boat encountered heavy rain mid-journey. The goods weren't properly wrapped in oiled paper and were completely ruined. Four thousand taels vanished into thin air. Jin Niang didn't make him compensate, only had him clear the remaining stock and sent Liu Dou'er to sell off that shopfront directly for a hundred taels.
When Shopkeeper Liang in Bianjing heard about Shopkeeper Cao's misfortune, he felt half sympathy, half a warning to himself to be more careful.
That Shopkeeper Cao, relying on the silk and velvet shop, had built a family fortune for his own children, even reportedly just bought a house. Who could have predicted such a thing? Fortunately, the owner didn't demand compensation; otherwise, four thousand taels would have bankrupted him, forcing him to sell his children.
Her decisive handling of the matter also stemmed from not having excessive desires.
Others might be heartbroken over such a loss, but Jin Niang merely took an afternoon nap and recovered. She even said to Jiang Xian, "As the saying goes, losing wealth averts disaster. Look, our daughter-in-law had a smooth delivery, and our son-in-law passed the provincial exam. These are the things we should be happy about."
"Wife, are you truly not distressed?" Jiang Xian glanced at Jin Niang's expression. This wasn't forty taels, but four thousand.
Jin Niang waved her hand. "That Shopkeeper Cao earned a lot of money for me before. Let it be. Besides, I've disposed of that shopfront over there. We'll just collect some tenant rents in the future."
Fortunately, the Bianjing silk and velvet shop earned twenty thousand taels this year, making up for the loss.
After the New Year celebrations, Wei the Seventh was about to take the metropolitan examination. Almost every conversation with him revolved around this topic. Though his pressure was immense, he also felt somewhat reassured, after all, the daily practice of ten essay topics hadn't been in vain.
Moreover, his father-in-law had told him that Elder Master Wei's health was not good. If he didn't pass this examination, he might have to observe a three-year mourning period due to parental death, and it was uncertain if the Jiang family could continue to support him then.
Wei the Seventh knew well that the Jiang family had been more devoted to him than his own Wei family. His father-in-law and brother-in-law critiqued his essays, hired renowned teachers to tutor him, and even for his sake, didn't hold a grand celebration for his grandson's hundredth-day ceremony. Now, he could only burn his boats and fight with his back to the river.
In the dim light of morning, his wife had prepared the examination basket. It was said this was the one his father-in-law had used back in the day, for good luck. As he reached the doorway, he turned back to look at his wife. "Jun'er, take good care of yourself."
Sister Jun nodded with a smile, feeling an inexplicable pang of sadness. Her husband might feel he had never worked so hard in his life, but she knew the whole family had sacrificed for him. Yet, they weren't truly doing it for him, but for her.
This help asked for no return; they gained no benefit from it. They were simply exhausting their minds and efforts for her sake.
Fortunately, Wei the Seventh, fighting with desperate courage, finally passed the metropolitan examination, his name announced at Donghua Gate as the top candidate of the Third Class.
Jin Niang looked at the copied list of successful candidates. It read:
Third Class, First Place: Wei Jun, courtesy name Shenji, childhood name Seventh Son. Both parents living. Age twenty-six. Born the eighth day of the sixth month, during the Xu hour (7-9 pm). Mother's maiden name Zeng. Specialized in the fu (rhapsody) genre. Passed on first attempt. Elder brother Wei Qi, Prefect of Yongzhou. Elder brother Wei Chi, Reviewer at the Court of Judicial Review. Married to a woman of the Jiang family. Great-grandfather Feng'an, posthumously granted the title of Secretariat Director by virtue of his grandson Sun Bi. Grandfather Sun Heling, Vice Minister of Rites, posthumously granted the title of Grand Guardian. Father Sun Bi, Joint Manager of Affairs with the Secretariat-Chancellery. Registered origin: Daming Prefecture, Hebei. Father's occupation: Household Official.
