The daily struggles of divorced women in ancient times

The next morning, Xia Mianwan woke up again to the sound of roosters crowing. She yawned and stretched. She was too sleepy yesterday and slept with the two kids.

Xia Mianwan quietly got dressed and got up, ate a piece of toast and drank a glass of milk, and then she felt full. There was a lot of toast in the supermarket, but if you eat a little, you will have less. Xia Mianwan thought about how to make toast and decided to find someone to build an oven at home.

After a while, the Chen family came to tell Xia Mianwan that there was a school opened by a scholar in Dongmen Old Street. The scholar was a member of the Wang family in the capital. The scholar had good character and good teaching skills. He had already produced several students.

Her son was only 4 years old, and Xia Mianwan thought it would be a good idea for him to study with the Juren, so she agreed.

"Let my daughter stay at home with Yu Jie'er for a while, and I will go with you to see Mr. Wang." The eldest sister-in-law of the Chen family said readily.

Xia Mianwan smiled and agreed, "Mrs. Chen, thank you for your help."

"No trouble, no trouble."

If one wants to become an apprentice, one must naturally bring gifts. Xia Mianwan thought about it and remembered that she had bought several pieces of particularly good Hui ink on the way to Yanzhou, so she hurriedly went to find them.

The inkstone and Hui ink are already a generous gift.

Everything was ready. He called Chen Ge'er and after he dressed him, he took Chen Ge'er and Chen Saozi out the door.

"Mrs. Chen, I want to find someone to come to my house to build an oven. Do you know who has better skills?" Xia Mianwan asked.

The eldest sister-in-law of the Chen family hesitated for a while and said, "My eldest brother from my mother's family can do it, but the price will be higher."

Because they were her own family members, Chen's eldest sister-in-law was a little embarrassed to recommend them. After all, her eldest brother's craftsmanship was indeed very good and the materials he used were very solid. She was just afraid that Xia Mianwan would misunderstand that she had selfish motives.

Xia Mianwan could see what Mrs. Chen meant, so she smiled and said, "Then I'll leave it to Mrs. Chen."

Seeing that Xia Mianwan's expression did not seem reluctant, Chen's eldest sister-in-law smiled and agreed, "Okay!"

Dongmen Old Street is the oldest street in Yanzhou City, and most of the families living here are wealthy. Mr. Wang's house is not very big, but it has a strong scholarly atmosphere.

Mr. Wang looked less than 30 years old, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes. He was very good-looking. How could he not take the imperial examination at such a young age? Xia Mianwan speculated secretly.

Mr. Wang brought Chen Ge'er to the study, and it was Mrs. Wang who entertained Xia Mianwan and Chen Dasao.

Mrs. Wang had an oval face and smooth skin, and looked much younger than Mr. Wang.

"Does Brother Chen have a famous name?"

Xia Mianwan smiled and replied, "Yes, my brother Chen's surname is Zheng and his given name is Yichen."

"What a nice name!" Mrs. Wang praised with a smile and invited the two to have tea.

Mrs. Wang saw that although Xia Mianwan was just an ordinary person, she behaved properly and responded appropriately, and she liked her a little. When she saw that the gift Xia Mianwan prepared was very much to her husband's liking, she felt that Xia Mianwan was not an ordinary person.

After a while, Mr. Wang came out with Chen Ge'er, with a satisfied smile on his face.

"Although your brother is young, he has a good foundation. He is very good. I will accept him. The tuition will be paid every six months, five taels of silver per half year. Is there any difficulty?" asked Mr. Wang.

Xia Mianwan smiled and bowed, "Thank you, sir. No problem."

Mr. Wang nodded and went back to the study to teach the other children. "Brother Chen, please come back tomorrow."

……

Xia Mianwan thought that it would take a long time to go back and cook, so she said to the eldest sister-in-law of the Chen family, "Mrs. Chen, today is a coincidence, let's go to a restaurant in the city to eat together. I have been in Yanzhou for so long and have never been to a restaurant."

The eldest sister-in-law of the Chen family was embarrassed and quickly shook her head and said, "How can this be embarrassing?"

Xia Mianwan didn't care. "It's okay. I will start preparing to open the shop tomorrow. How about you start working tomorrow?"

The eldest sister-in-law of the Chen family was eager to go to work as early as possible, and she responded cheerfully: "I'm just waiting to go to work."

"Tomorrow you can send Chen Ge'er to Mr. Wang first, then come back to help me take care of Jie'er and clean the house. If Su Su is willing, you can bring her over."

"it is good."

As they were talking, they arrived home, picked up their three children, and went to the largest restaurant in the city.

Although Chen's eldest sister-in-law has always known that Pinxiangxuan is very famous, she has never eaten there. After all, a meal here can cover the living expenses of her and her daughter for a long time.

After entering Pinxiangxuan, Chen's eldest sister-in-law and Susu felt a little awkward, but Xia Mianwan was very natural. He called the waiter with a normal expression and ordered a few dishes.

Chen Ge'er and Yu Jie'er were very well-educated. Seeing that Susu was a little embarrassed, they went together to cheer her up.

"Honey-roasted spring goose, sheep's head fish, pot-sticked fish fillet, first-class pot, Tai Chi shrimp, first-class tofu, cabbage with ginger juice, and rock sugar lily horse soup." The waiter announced the names of the dishes while serving them.

The eldest sister-in-law of the Chen family stared with wide eyes and thought to herself, "My goodness, so many dishes must cost a lot of money!"

Xia Mianwan was very excited. This was her first time to eat in an ancient restaurant and she must taste the food.

"Let's eat!" Xia Mianwan excitedly raised his chopsticks and picked up a piece of fish fillet. The fish fillet was so tender without any fishy smell. The chef's cooking skills were extremely high.

Xia Mianwan's frown relaxed as he ate. Seeing that no one else had picked up their chopsticks, he urged them, "Eat quickly. Don't be polite. It's delicious!"

Now, Chen's eldest sister-in-law and Susu were no longer polite. They picked up their chopsticks and picked up their favorite dishes and started eating.

Xia Mianwan picked up some dishes for Chenge'er and Yujie'er. After a while, the two little kids were eating happily.

Yu Jie'er is really a little foodie. She pinched her little hands and said, "Mom, it's delicious!"

Xia Mianwan nodded as he ate the food, "Delicious!"