Zhen Fei rises up in the Red Chamber

Different people, with different identities, standing in different positions, naturally look at problems from different angles, and make even more different decisions.From Mammy's point of view, such a thing as planting flowers is not in line with her status as an uncle, but when it is reported to Mrs. Zhen, it becomes a small and interesting thing.

"Oh? He said planting flowers. This kid, I don't know what happened to him. He had such an idea, but it's an elegant thing. I heard from the master that this kid can't learn the piano, and he doesn't have much talent for painting. Only playing chess can still catch my eye, and I can play the flute to some extent. I was worried that if I go out in the future and make friends with people, I will lose some talk. Now it’s good, he will give it to me. I found another one and came out, so I have a heart."

Mrs. Zhen is very satisfied with Zhen Fei's hobby, and thinks it is very good, but looking at the nuns next to her, the girls look puzzled, and she knows that they really don't understand the affairs of these aristocratic families. , my knowledge is superficial, and I have no face, so it's rare to share it with them kindly:

"You don't understand, this kind of flower looks lowly, it's not a decent thing, but it has to be divided into what kind of flower it is, and the person who grows it. If ordinary people grow flowers, they are mostly to earn money to support their families, no matter how elegant they are. Once it is contaminated with the smell of copper, it will naturally be vulgar and low-level, but if people like us have no worries about food and clothing, and they are literati, it will be different. It is interesting and refined. , It is to cultivate the piano skills, and it is a decent thing to say it. In addition, the flowers grown at that time will have more famous products and precious flower seeds, which will be the best choice for gifting etiquette among friends , You said, is it more sincere to send half of the ordinary objects, or to send famous flowers cultivated by oneself? "

Although girls and women don't understand why the same flowers are planted, but the flowers are different if the person is changed, and the flowers are not the same flowers?Have they changed their appearance, but from what their wives said about giving away, they still understand that even they themselves, giving away bought things and giving away things made by themselves are also divided into relatives and estrangements. Naturally, I can appreciate the weight here.

Nanny Qin, who is the most embarrassing by Mrs. Zhen's side, spoke first:

"If you want to say this, it's true that when the servants and children give gifts, the clothes, shoes and socks made by themselves are only available to the closest elders. Most of the other families just buy some fabrics and snacks. Speaking of which, the fabric of the clothes is more valuable than the ones made by hand, but that's it, the ones made by hands are heavier, more intimate, and we like it when we look at them. Isn't it just that kind of heart?"

Don't think that a servant must have a bad family background, no matter how bad the family background is, the longer you work in a big family, the better your life will be, especially if you are a servant of two or three generations, and several members of the family live in the mansion. Carrying errands, life is very comfortable.Think about it, food and clothing are all expenses of the mansion, and the monthly money is almost all saved for nothing. From time to time, when there are happy events in the mansion, you can get some rewards. You can also have happy money. In this way, even if you don’t skimp and don’t be greedy for money, it’s not a small amount if you save it for decades. At least you can buy a house and buy more than ten acres of land.

Not to mention other people’s families, it’s the Zhen’s family. This is not considered a first-rate family in Suzhou who just bought a servant to be a rough envoy. That’s two clothes a year, a monthly fee of 40 yuan per month, and food and lodging are all in the mansion. Here, if you are promoted to the second class, it is five hundred dollars a month, the first-class girl is eight hundred dollars, the mother is one or two, the steward, the steward is one or five hundred dollars, and the housekeeper is two or two. The monthly money of this uncle Fei is even.And above the first-class girl, these people have four sets of clothes a year. In this way, no matter how they calculate, almost all the basic expenses of their own family can be spent in this mansion.Isn't it just saving money?Like this Nanny Qin, herself, her man, her son, daughter, all of them are servants in the mansion, four people, four monthly money, add up to three or two more than a month, a year for this family You can have more than [-] taels, how do you spend it?

Buying land, buying a house, they are almost all set up a few years ago, and even the money for marrying a daughter-in-law has been saved. The remaining money is of no use except for gifts and emergencies. ?In this way, the person facing each other will naturally become more arrogant, loosen their hands, and have a little more confidence in what they say.She was the first to respond to Mrs. Zhen's words, which really makes sense.

Except for her, most of the others are wealthy people among the servants of the Zhen family. Even if they are not comparable to Nanny Qin, they are naturally better than others. It is not difficult to understand Mrs. Zhen's words with regard to position, so after Nanny Qin finished speaking, everyone nodded along, even Nanny Wang, who came to report in a hurry, also smiled:

"It's still my wife who can see through. The old woman is slow-witted. After the wife said so, isn't it the case? Even if I only send a pot of flowers, I will see it. I planted it by myself. It took a lot of thought. It can be seen I put people in my heart. It’s also because the old woman is ignorant, and the uncle has said a lot, but the old woman can’t understand any of the dull plums, so I can be anxious.”

As soon as Nanny Wang said this, she felt better at first, but when she heard the last one, Mrs. Zhen couldn't help but burst out laughing:

"You, it's really... What's lifeless, what plums, are you greedy, want to eat plums? That's plum wife and crane son. There is an allusion here, it is about Lin Bu, a hermit in the Song Dynasty who lived in seclusion When I was in Gushan, Hangzhou, I planted plum blossoms all over my residence, and I also raised two white cranes in my residence. I took the plums as my wife and the cranes as my sons. Nowadays, it is often said that people are noble and pure, without desires or desires. You are so kind, unexpectedly..."

Mrs. Zhen was really laughing so hard that she was about to burst into tears, and she continued after a long while:

"Fortunately, you've got a little edge. Isn't this plum the fruit of plum blossoms? Just don't let outsiders know about this, or they will laugh at you for being ignorant. It's not like our family. Those who go out, let me follow them without shame."

As a master, it is absolutely very casual to make jokes about servants, and there is nothing inappropriate about it, so Mother Wang doesn't care at all, she loses face, looks at Mrs. Zhen smiling, and can laugh at herself a few words:

"Isn't the servant here with the wife? Otherwise, how dare the servant speak out? Even if you don't understand these things, at least the servant knows how to hide. If you don't understand, shut up, don't ask anything, and you can get confused if you don't say anything." passed."

It was fine if she didn't say this, but Mrs. Zhen couldn't help laughing when she said that, even the other people around couldn't help but cover their mouths.When Mr. Zhen came over, he heard the laughter in the room, he was a little dazed for a while, he didn't know what was going on, so he entered the room, asked a few words, and heard his wife talking about Wang Nao's clumsy words, He also laughed and commented:

"This is a good way. If you don't say it, you will think that no one will laugh at you. You will save your face. It's just that you don't ask if you don't understand. If you don't talk about it, then you will never understand. Like this time, you Although it was a joke, you are always clear about the plum wife and crane son, so you can show off when you meet in the future?"

Master Zhen was in a good mood today, and it was rare for him to join in the jokes. He gave advice to Nanny Wang. Mrs. Zhen's eyes flashed, and she asked Nanny Wang how to cooperate with Zhen Fei and how to deal with it. With a wave of his hand, he sent the person away, then turned around and asked:

"Master, is something good going on today?"

Two husbands and wives have been together for so many years. It's normal to know each other's mood swings with just one look and one tone of voice.

"It's not a happy event, it's just that I'm in a good mood. I just received the news that a few friends who took the scientific examination together finally won the exam this year. It's a turnaround. I'm in a good mood. I want to come to Suzhou to participate in this year's exam. Wenhui, thinking that I can see old friends, I am a little happy."

Speaking of the Wenhui, this thing is definitely common in Jiangnan. Once a month is a common thing, but this year's Wenhui in the early winter is more lively. The reason is very simple, that is, this year is the year of autumn , Students from all over Jiangsu have gathered in Jinling. After the scientific examination is over, some people will not go home immediately, but wander around and study in some surrounding cities, and Suzhou is the first choice.So there are naturally more people coming, and even people from Zhejiang who have just participated in the Qiuwei in Hangzhou also come to make do with it, so it is even more lively.As for the people that Master Zhen mentioned about taking the scientific examination together, he was naturally one of them.

It’s just that Mr. Zhen still felt a little sad. He was 24 years old when he became a Juren, and Zhen Fei was not yet born. Although he was considered a young talent, he was worried about not having a son. Now, it’s been 12 years in a blink of an eye. My son is almost six years old, and those few just passed the exam this year. It can be seen that in Jiangnan, the imperial examination is brutal. If you think about it, you know that dragons do not live with snakes, and those who can be friends with Master Zhen are talented, even if they are not outstanding. It's not much worse, but this one Juren has stumped them for 12 years. Thinking about myself, I failed three times in a row. Although there is an element of bad luck, I have to say that these 12 years, I am really a little wasted.

Thinking of this, Master Zhen, who was still happy for his friend just now, sank again.