Wealth and glory seek stability

There were corals, jades, and countless gold and silver pearls, filling up a whole box.

"You are so lucky. These sets of jewelry are given to the top maids around the Madam when they are about to get married. They are kept as a treasure in the bottom of the box. You got two sets at once."

Jian Xi noticed the envy on Qiangwei’s face, and picked out a set of gold and jade jewelry with good water content and put it in her own small box.

"Sister Qiangwei, I didn't have much before, and I always wanted to repay you for your care when I had the chance. This time I have the chance, so I picked out a set. If you like any of the headgear, you can pick one too. Just consider it as my gift to you."

Qiangwei thought that Jian Xi was too young to know the value of these jewellery. "You know, if you sell the worst set of these jewellery, you can get four or five hundred taels of silver. You gave away five hundred taels of silver."

"Too much is as bad as too little. I am young and have no roots in this mansion. I am afraid I cannot handle all these things if I am given them. I am where I am today thanks to Sister Qiangwei's care. I didn't have anything worthy to present to you in the past, so please don't refuse. If you think the gift is valuable, please say a few good words for me in front of the lady in the future. Thank you very much." This gift must be given out today.

As the head of the lady's room, Qiangwei may not seem to be very prominent at ordinary times, but she has an irreplaceable place in the lady's heart.

The most important point is that Qiangwei is a family-born child, that is, the daughter of the lady’s confidant.

Caiyun and Lai Xi told her about this in the tea room.

If she wanted to gain a stable foothold in Magnolia Court, she had to find a strong backer.

I also heard that Xia had already found a husband for Qiangwei, who was the manager of the farm where she came as a dowry, and they were waiting to get married as soon as Qiangwei reached the age.

Jian Xi's tough attitude towards gift-giving really shocked Qiangwei.

"In this case, I can't refuse. If you have anything in the future, you can come to my room to find me. You have been in this courtyard for a long time. After the Dragon Boat Festival, I will return to the lady and promote you to a second-class maid."

"Thank you very much, sister."

"Would you like to change the jewelry you chose? This gold-inlaid jade is good and worth six hundred taels of silver, but it is not rare. It is better to choose this red jade. Red jade is rare. Even if you take one thousand taels of silver, you may not be able to buy it outside."

The effect of gift giving was immediately apparent, and listening to people's advice led to a full meal.

Jian Xi immediately put down the gold and jade headpiece in her hand and picked up the red jade jewelry that Qiangwei mentioned.

She didn't know the value of jewelry in this era, she only knew that gold was a good thing.

Qiangwei picked out a set of ruby ​​head ornaments and put them aside. "It's all thanks to you today. These rubies are the same as the set of rubies on your hand. They are all from foreign lands. My mother said that they were the dowry of the old lady. Because these sets of head ornaments are worn by young girls and there are no decent girls in the mansion, these jewelry are usually used by the old lady as gifts. You are lucky to have caught her eye."

Then Qiangwei kindly told Jian Xi some jewelry knowledge.

Jian Xi wanted to take notes, it always helps to learn more.

Qiangwei is not very old, but she knows the value of all kinds of rare treasures like the back of her hand. She knows more about them than some professional treasure appraisers. When she encounters something that Jian Xi doesn't understand, she will stop to explain how to store and care for jewelry.

Jian Xi was once again glad that she had made the right decision in giving the gift. This was the difference between charging money and not charging money!

"As a maid in the lady's room, you need to store and maintain jewelry, furs, cloths, as well as check accounts, manage affairs, comb hair, embroider, arrange flowers, brew tea, cook, etc. You need to know a little bit. People often say that it is better to marry a maid from a wealthy family than a girl from a poor family. This is the reason. Maids from wealthy families have vision and experience, and are good at managing household affairs." After saying this, he looked at Jian Xi with a serious face.

"..."

Could it be that Qiangwei was training her as a successor? !

Thinking about it again, this is not a bad idea. The teacher should not miss out on this cheap opportunity. These things are the skills she will rely on for survival in the future. When she buys land and has her own property in the future, she will definitely have to learn how to manage it.

"Please teach me, sister!"

"Then follow."

Arrived at the warehouse where the cloth was stored.

Jian Xi's eyes were almost blinded by the light.

No wonder Magnolia Court is so big.

There are several large warehouses for storing things.

Various types of cloth are arranged according to color and material.

There were several large brocade bags in the corner, bulging with things.

"what is this?"

Qiangwei walked to the grid where the gauze was stored and was rummaging through something. "That's charcoal. Cloth can't be exposed to moisture when stored. Putting some charcoal in it can absorb moisture."

It turns out that people in ancient times knew how to use activated carbon to dry the air!

"These are the two rolls of silk that the Madam ordered to be given to you. The other three rolls are soft moon-white cotton cloth. They are all from last year and will get moldy if they are not kept. The Madam said that she would take some of them out to make underwear for the little girls, so your share will be given to you directly."

As for how much to give, it is up to Qiangwei to decide within her power.

Jian Xi touched the cotton material, which was soft and smooth, and looked very comfortable.

"Thank you, Sister Qiangwei."

"It's afternoon now, it's time for a nap, I'll help you move it over, otherwise it will be too conspicuous if you carry so many things back with so many people around."

"Yes."

Jian Xi was thinking about how to distribute the pieces of cloth.

The two pieces of silk were used to make some summer clothes for her and the little maids in the house. The silk fabric is clear and translucent, just right for summer.

Three pieces of cotton cloth are just right for making some undergarments and underwear, which can also absorb sweat when worn inside.

Three pieces of cloth were not enough, so I bought some more to make a set of clothes for my cheap brother.

Ever since Shen Nanxing joined the army, someone would send money to Jian Xi every month, saying it was Shen Nanxing's salary.

This cheap brother who came for free really had nothing to say to her.

It would be nice to make him a few sets of clothes to change into in the army.

As she had no errands recently, Jian Xi went back to the house and put her things in order.

She had bought a large box a long time ago to store her things.

Caixia, Laixi and Caiyun were all on duty, so there was no one in the room.

Jian Xi took out the cloth and placed it on the bed. She cut the clothes a few inches larger according to the body shapes of the people.

The food in the palace is good, and the people are in the growing period, so a few more inches of clothing can be worn for more days.

I stretched myself and realized that making clothes was really tiring.

I guess some of them should be back by now.

Jian Xi took out two taels of silver from the box and went to the preserve shop in the mansion to buy ten plates of fruit.

Everyone in the palace has their own set rules. If you want to eat something else, you can pay and have it made. The servants can also take the opportunity to make some money. These are all tacit secrets known to everyone.

Commonly known as - unspoken rules.