The Honest Man of the Red Chamber

"Grandma, my wife is not free today, let the younger one tell you that you don't need to go to her place. If you have nothing to do, you can go to the old lady's place or other yards for a walk."

Mrs. Li's companion, Man Jin's family, smiled respectfully at Wang Xifeng.

Wang Xifeng nodded lightly, "I see, you can go."

"Yes."

The Manjin family retreated and headed elsewhere. July is the festival of melons and fruits, and every family has the custom of offering sacrifices in autumn.The wife has to arrange the day of the sacrificial offering at home first, so that the managers below can take turns to arrange shifts, so that everyone can go home for the autumn festival.Besides, the seventh day of the seventh lunar month is a big day for begging for cleverness. In the garden at the end of June, flower trellises, flower trees, and swings have started. There are so many other things, she is the one who is in charge of communication, and she is only afraid that her legs will slip around.

Wang Xifeng looked at her own makeup in the makeup mirror held by Ping'er, and nodded in satisfaction, "Is Master still in the study?"

"Yes, grandma. Unless it's a big day or something serious, all the men in the family have to go to class on time and don't miss a day." Fu'er is a girl born in the family, with an oval face. A dimple, very cute.

She already knew this, but she had only been married for a month, so it was good that the girls were willing to tell her more.

"My wife is so busy every day?"

Before coming to the capital from Jinling, her mother repeatedly told her that she must please her mother-in-law. If her mother-in-law doesn't like her aunt, even if she wants to stay away from her aunt, she must first please her mother-in-law before she can gain a firm foothold in Jia's family.At that time, she was timid and agreed, but her aunt was gentle. Cousin Yuan Chun had the opportunity to tell her a lot about Jia Lian's childhood. When she was not married, she still thought about it. She also had to figure out how to reconcile the two of them.In the end, it didn't work out, and the relationship between people was fine.

From her point of view, her aunt really knows how to behave.Except for my aunt greeting the old lady in the morning, and occasionally the old lady asked her to talk and eat, she stayed in Rongqing hall, otherwise she would go back to the courtyard over there, and she would never interfere in the affairs of Jia's mansion. , Give the wife enough face.

Ning'er looked at the brilliant color embroidery of her new grandma, she looked like a concubine and fairy, she wanted to curry favor, and immediately said, "My wife starts at three o'clock every day, at the beginning of the morning, grandpa, grandma and girls go to say hello, at two o'clock in the morning I go to see the old lady, at three o'clock in the morning The master and the girls all go to the school. Generally, breakfast is eaten at the end of the day and the beginning of the day, and they must arrive before six o'clock. After eating with the master, the wife will rest and take a rest. At this time, there are many chores such as visitors or relatives and friends to deal with. When it comes to Shenshi, the master and the girls are back from school, and the wife is willing to talk to them Joking around for a while, eating snacks together. Then there were all sorts of things going on outside... the keys were handed over at night everywhere in Xushi."

The words were clear and plain, Wang Xifeng secretly admired him, it really is the family of the waiting family, and the rules are not bad at all.

Just as I was thinking of asking the old lady, I heard someone reporting outside, "The kitchen sent someone to find grandma."

what is this?

"Please come in." Wang Xifeng sat upright on the couch.

I saw a young boy wearing a light blue short jacket and a melon hat come in, and first kowtowed to Wang Xifeng to say hello, "Grandma."

"Well. Get up, what's the matter?" What will the kitchen ask her for?Wang Xifeng had more than a dozen thoughts in her mind. Could it be that the wife wants to test whether she wants to interfere with the housekeeper?

The boy said cheerfully, "If you go back to grandma, the younger one is called Wang Zong. He is a junior apprentice under the three apprentices of the master master Feng Dao. This month, it is the master's turn to cook the meals for the masters in the moon mansion, so I specially sent the younger one to ask grandma. , Is there any favorite taboo."

Wang Xifeng subconsciously looked at Ning'er. She really didn't expect that there are such rules when eating at Jia's house. She is young after all, and although she is smart, she is a little confused. Besides, the dishes she saw before were pretty good, and they were all exquisite and delicious. .

Ning'er whispered into Wang Xifeng's ear, "Grandma, you can just say, what do you like to eat and what you don't like to eat, the most important thing is whether you will eat peanuts, longan, etc. for rashes, wait for Doctor Zhang to give you After taking the Ping An pulse, they will adjust the menu according to your body."

Wang Xifeng said casually, "I don't have anything, I prefer spicy."

Seeing that Wang Zong immediately took out a hard-cover booklet from his sleeve, and took out a pouch from his waist, opened it and took out a small writing brush, and wrote on it, "Then, grandma, are you eating the Kung Pao chicken that was served to you yesterday?" Ding, do you think it is spicy or not spicy enough? Or do you think it is just right, is it salty or mild?"

Yesterday, I just focused on talking to Jia Lian. In fact, she really didn't pay attention to what she was eating. Wang Xifeng didn't hesitate, "It's about the same." She and Jia Lian both used it a lot, and they were quite happy with the food.

"Then I would like to ask grandma, the poultry that you often eat, do you like more chicken or duck? Or pigeon and white goose?...Do you like seafood or river fresh fish...Steamed or deep-fried?... …Do you prefer chewy or crispy green vegetables? Which of the following do you like pickles…” Wang Zong asked clearly and quickly while taking a pen to record, “Which one do you like? Kind of dim sum? Do you like it sweeter or lighter? Do you like custard? For example, which one do you like, lotus seeds or chestnuts?..."

After asking for half an hour, Wang Xifeng was a little puzzled by the question, so Wang Zong closed the booklet in satisfaction, "Thank you grandma, the little one will leave first. Although there are not many apprentices in the kitchen this year, don't worry grandma. As before, come to pick up the menu at You hour every day, unless there are dishes and snacks on it, you only need to wait for half an hour to add something else." Wang Zong handed a picture book to Ping'er, and Ping'er forwarded it to In Wang Xifeng's hands.

"okay, I get it."

"The little one will leave." Wang Zong retreated to the door before turning and leaving.

Wang Xifeng was hesitating whether to give a reward, but he had gone far away, so Ning An, whom she married as a dowry, asked An'er, "Doesn't this kind of reward need to be rewarded?"

"Reward?" An'er covered her mouth and smiled, "I can't give you a reward. Now there is no reward in Jia's family." She explained in a soft voice, "We all receive a monthly payment on the fifth day of every month. There are two rewards every month." How can you ask for rewards from the master? But, if you respond on time and don’t ask for extra leave, you will have a perfect attendance bonus. If you don’t pay for the whole year If you make a mistake, you can buy a lucky bag if you get an excellent grade in the year-end examination!" She was very lucky with the lucky bag last year, and she also won a pair of earrings and jade pendants with excellent water head, well, this is the pair she is wearing now.

Wang Xifeng's eyes widened, "What's the happy event at home..."

"There is a happy event in the family, and the masters have a lot of things to do. If we are busy, we may have double salaries! Like you married in, we Rongguo mansion up and down have added a month's monthly regulations." Fu Er said, and bowed to Wang Xifeng, "Speaking of which, I have to thank grandma, but it's all thanks to grandma." There are many good things this year, and everyone has a fourteen-month monthly routine!I hope that the old ladies and wives will be happy this year, and it would be great if they are willing to buy more lucky bags.

"Oh, so that's how it is." Wang Xifeng saw that the Jia family's way of doing things was indeed different from hers, and seeing that nothing happened today, she simply asked them to talk about it. "Then what if you do something wrong? Are you fined?"

Ping'er laughed and said, "Then you will definitely be punished. If you only reward but not punish, then there is no reason. Grandma, please know that, like me, I will take care of your grooming together with An'er. The lady housekeeper remembers that we are on this errand. If your head jewelry is missing one piece, we have to pay for it as it is!"

"That's more than that. If you don't see something and don't find it, then we have all made a big mistake and will be recorded as a serious demerit!" Fu'er replied, and she was afraid when she thought about it. This is a major demerit Remember, not only will I lose my lucky bag, but if I lose something big and I can't explain it clearly, even my family members will be implicated.It would be trivial to be relieved of the errand at that time, the most feared thing is that the whole family will be kicked out of Jia's mansion!Then I really don't know how to live...

Wang Xifeng nodded, she was responsible for everything, "Then what kind of girls are you all?"

Fu'er Ping'er said, "We, Funing Ping'an, are all newly promoted second-class maids. The first-class maids here have to wait for you to tell your wife's name before there is a corresponding regulation."

"Then how many places do I have as first-class maids here?" Wang Xifeng asked directly when she saw that they hadn't said the corresponding standard tone before.

An'er glanced at Ning'an, and said softly, "There are eight for the old lady, four for the wives, and you are the first in our eldest room... For the second wife, there are two for Grandma Zhu."

Wang Xifeng knew in her heart that her four dowries could not all be first-class maids in Jia's mansion, "What else? How much is the monthly rate?"

"If you ask grandma Zhu, there are two first-class ones and four second-class ones in her room. It turns out that there are only four little girls, but because there is another brother Lang, the daughter-in-laws in the house have changed from two to two. There are six of them, and their monthly bills are also second-class." Ping'er said, "Also, grandma, please know that with the old lady's big girl, the monthly bill is one tael of silver a month, and with the wife's is a dime. , the grandmothers are all [-] yuan. The second-class everyone is the same, they are all [-] yuan, and the little girl has no monthly money for three years, and then [-] yuan per month."

"Then how many monthly allowances do I have in a month?" Wang Xifeng asked curiously. This girl's monthly allowance alone is higher than that of her maids in Jinling. She was still tall before, wait a minute... Grandma Zhu has two first-class and four second-class, that is to say, she has two dowries and can only be a little girl?

An'er said, "Grandma, you are the same as me, every four or two months." She added, "Cong Er Ye Lan Geer and other unmarried ones are the same as girls, every two or two months. "

How much do you want to say?This seems to be a lot, but if it is really used for expenses, what is this little money enough for?

Looking at grandma's face, Ping'er guessed and said, "Grandma, you have a set of clothes every month and a set of jewelry every season. Whether you want to make clothes or jewelry outside or place an order in the second wife's workshop It's all right, and the wife will settle the bill with them every six months."

"My aunt... second wife's workshop?"

This is Ning'er's reply, "Yes, grandma. The second wife has Jinxiu Pavilion and Zhenqiaofang. They often have brocades and silks from overseas. You can also draw pictures and customize them. If you want to weave them into What kind of pattern, there is a weaving workshop in Shanxi that can weave any pattern for you. In addition, the masters of Zhenqiao workshop are all forged for our wives and grandmas in Jia's mansion. The craftsmanship is also ingenious, and the appearance can bring forth new ideas. If you sell it, there will be people scrambling to get it." It's a pity that her brother got admitted and became an apprentice with great difficulty, but it would take at least five years to graduate, and he didn't dare Recruiting people from the outside, right now I can't finish the work at home, and I can't buy it if I want to buy it.

Wang Xifeng only knew that her aunt Wang Ziling opened a Zhenwei restaurant, and there was a Bowei restaurant in Shanxi, but she didn't expect her to have other businesses?

"Anything else?"

"That's a lot!" Ning'er nodded and counted, "Bronze and iron woodware, clothes, shoes and socks, toy gauze, various kinds of porcelain, paper and pen books... By the way, there are food!" Well, there is no girl in Jia's mansion who doesn't have shining eyes, "Every festival, the sale of Zhenbaofang will be suspended, and only all kinds of snacks will be opened to people in Jia's mansion, and sometimes there will be chefs in person. Going to play."

"That's right, last time I happened to be off duty and ate a portion of stewed vermicelli. It was really delicious!"

"If you have a chance, you must try Feng Jiaban's grilled fish. Even the accompanying dishes are so delicious that you want to swallow your tongue."

"The sliced-skin duck from Li Yan's family is also a must! If I'm lucky enough to snatch one, I can take it home."

"You have a good idea, and you can return one! You are very lucky to get the duck breast."

Wang Xifeng saw them talking to each other, but was so greedy, "Can't we just order it?"

"Grandma, there's no such thing as ordering in Treasure Square. Anyway, it has so many things every day, the price is not high, and it closes when it's sold out. How do you order?" Fu'er said.

"Can't we order it in the mansion?" Wang Xifeng pointed to her opened it, and there were various dishes described in detail by the artist on it, including the dish of duck with sliced ​​skin.

Ping'er paused and said, "Can you order?"

"Can I order now?" Wang Xifeng vaguely remembered what the boy said just now, before Xu time.

Fu'er smiled and said, "Yes, wow, grandma, you are so kind. If you order it, we will have a good meal tomorrow." If grandma really ordered this dish, she decided to eat less tonight.

"Can't I order it right away?" Wang Xifeng asked puzzled, although it would take two hours, it's still early today.

"But if you order immediately, you will have to pay extra." Ning'er reminded, "If you order tomorrow's dishes today, if you add more dishes, you will have to pay extra."

Wang Xifeng didn't care, "It's okay."

The girls immediately went to let the little girl pass on the message, also, the new grandma's dowry is generous, so they don't care about the five taels of silver.

Wang Xifeng listened to the maids talking about the affairs in the mansion, tasted the skin duck was really delicious, saw Jia Lian came back suddenly, she hurriedly turned her head and wiped her mouth with a handkerchief, and said angrily, "My Master, why did you come back all of a sudden?"

"Quickly, wrap me two, I'm hungry for this." Jia Lian asked the maid to wash his hands, while beckoning Wang Xifeng to wrap him one too.

"...My lord, do you still need this?" Wang Xifeng was a little surprised, and still took out a small dough for him to wrap.

"No green onions, just add more sauce, um, yes, come and feed me~" Jia Lian opened his mouth to accept, closed his eyes and chewed contentedly, "That's the taste!"

The author has something to say: "Oh, oh, oh, look at you..." Wang Xifeng wrapped two more for him and fed him. Seeing that he was happy to eat, his heart was as sweet as honey, "I knew You like it, I'll order one more..."

Jia Lian hurriedly said, "No need, just one of them will satisfy your hunger. This one of yours is my monthly routine for more than a month!"

That duck is quite expensive!But Wang Xifeng said, "Hey, what is this worth? If you want to eat it, let them do it."

"That's not okay, my grandma. Unless there are guests coming, there are only two chances for me to suddenly change the menu for a tooth festival. If you really want to eat, remember to order. Besides, where did I get so much money..." Let the girls After everyone went down, Jia Lian turned around and handed her monthly case to Wang Xifeng from the cabinet, "I'm so sorry, I didn't save any money before."

Wang Xifeng opened the box in a daze, and there were a dozen or so red seals inside. There were about 50 taels of silver ingots, and the rest were scattered silver.I don't know why, the sum of these may not be worth as much as a piece of jewelry on her head, but she just feels that her heart is so soft that she wants to cry.

Jia Lian sighed, "Fortunately, I didn't spend the New Year's money before, and I always have two or three thousand taels." He looked at his wife, "I will study hard, as long as I am admitted to the scholar, my monthly schedule will be the same as that of Brother Zhu. Increase to 3000 taels. Then you can eat whatever you want!"

It seems that he didn't think about using her money for what she added. Wang Xifeng blinked away the slight wetness in his eyes, and wrapped another meaty sauce to feed him. She was already full.

This skin duck is really delicious.

———No Mrs. Wang, I will give you some~

Do you like Jia Lian like this?