The oil bottle of the Red Chamber

The third sister You never negotiated with Mrs. You too much, so after hearing this, she didn't know what Mrs. You meant.I had no choice but to smile.

Mrs. Chen smiled and said, "The two of them are brothers and sisters of the same mother, so they naturally get close to each other. Besides, the third sister likes to wear red, and some children like new colors."

After finishing speaking, she ordered Chunlan to take Bao Geer out of Third Sister You's arms, and said with a smile, "Hurry up and take it. Third Sister is still young and doesn't have much strength, so don't tire her out."

The old lady You smiled slightly, as if suddenly remembering something, she told Ruyi: "I remember Ziyu's Xiafeng came to visit a few years ago, and she honored two red feather gauzes. Since the third sister likes to wear red, let's pull some Ruler make her a cloak..."

After thinking about it, he added a sentence: "At the same time, I will make one piece for each of the eldest girl, the second girl, and the fourth girl, and also make a small dress for Brother Bao to wear outside. If there are any left , and make a cloak for your wife too."

Mrs. Chen might as well that Mrs. You said these words, hurriedly got up and apologized with a smile: "Oh, you can't help it. I heard that this big red feather yarn is very expensive, and it costs sixty or seventy gold in the market. Moreover, it is soaked in the rain and not wet, so luxurious. Wouldn’t it be a pity to give such a good thing to the second sister and the third sister? After all, those two children are still growing, and they can’t wear them after two years. Or give it to the third sister? Let the old lady make a cloak."

The old lady You laughed and said, "I'm so good, I can't compare to you young wives and girls, how can you wear red and green? You listen to me, just do it like this. Ask them to cut out a pair of clothes. Here's a cloak, it'll look nice to people when you're out and about."

Seeing this, Mrs. Chen had no choice but to thank her.

For a while, the third sister handed Bao Geer to Chunlan, so she got up to thank her.The mother and daughter chatted and laughed with Mrs. You for a while, until after dinner, and then returned to the main courtyard with Brother Bao and the two red feather gauzes.Under the light, Chen looked at the two gleaming pieces of gauze, and said with a smile: "This old lady, I don't know what kind of madness she has, but she is more generous today."

He also ordered Qiuju Ming'er to send the most famous tailor in the garment industry outside, and still said with a smile: "Since the old lady ordered, we have to do it. Let the girls come to my courtyard tomorrow to have their clothes tailored."

After that, she still smiled and said to Sister You: "You are destined. I don't know what is wrong with the old lady's taste. As far as I know, even if she treats her granddaughter, she is not so generous. But nothing Being courteous... I'll just wait and see."

Third Sister You looked at Chen's complacent look, pondered for a while, and asked doubtfully: "Could it be... the old lady's idea of ​​the dowry shop?"

When Mrs. Chen heard the words, she was taken aback.He hurriedly turned his head and asked, "How do you say that?"

The third sister You smiled and said: "The old lady is young and widowed. After all these years of raising her son and grandchildren, she has to deal with the relatives and old friends of the You family. With only a widow, she can make the You family go up and down. It’s not to say that everything is in order, but there hasn’t been any big trouble. Mom doesn’t really think the old lady is a fool, does she?”

After hearing this, Mrs. Chen couldn't help but remain silent.Fang laughed for a long time and said: "I'm just thinking wildly now. It doesn't matter after all. Just wait for the old lady to make a move. Anyway, don't take advantage of the bastard. No matter what she wants to do, I will take the benefits first, and the rest will come to you." I'll talk about it later."

Third Sister You smiled when she heard the words, "I didn't expect Mom to still have the Wei-Jin pride of 'I'm drunk today'."

Mrs. Chen curled her lips, smiled at Third Sister You and said, "Don't drop your book bag in front of me. I don't want to do that."

On the next day, Chen Shiguo ordered his family to invite a skilled tailor from outside to measure the girls, because after making the cloaks of the four girls and Bao Geer's small clothes, they were not enough for Chen. Shi re-cropped.Mrs. Chen simply wrapped up the rest of the ruler and gave it to the eldest girl as a dowry. She still smiled and said: "If these rulers are taken out alone, they are not enough to make clothes. After you marry Ningguo Mansion, they can be used Get some people. It's rich and generous. Keep it."

Seeing this, the eldest girl hurriedly got up and declined.Mrs. Chen didn't wait for the eldest girl to open her mouth, she put her hands on the elder girl's shoulders and asked her to sit down, and said with a smile: "Listen to me, that's right. That's it, what do you want to say. I'm so tired of talking Headache."

Seeing Mrs. Chen like this, the eldest girl had no choice but to get up to thank her, and accepted it with a smile.Yin said again: "We missed our good things."

Mrs. Chen said with a smile: "Since it belongs to our family, if you don't give it to you, who else will it?"

In the next few days, it was just trivial matters in the house and boudoir, and there is nothing to describe.

In the blink of an eye, it has entered March, and the world is full of fragrance, and a hundred flowers are competing for beauty.

That day, Mrs. Chen was chatting with the eldest girl, second sister and third sister at home.I just said that the fried quail I ate yesterday tasted good, and I wanted to order the kitchen to make another dish today, but someone outside the door said, "He Cai's family is here to greet his wife."

As soon as Chen's heart moved, he knew that there must be some clues about He Wangsheng looking for a shop outside.The busy man brought in He Cai's family.

The little girl who passed on the message agreed to go.When he came back for a while, he really attracted He Cai's family to enter the door.

The He Cai family first bowed to the Chen family and the three sisters, and then flattered them with a few nice words, and then turned to the topic.

Sure enough, as Mr. Chen expected, He Wangsheng searched in Chang'an City for several months, and finally found two shops that met Mr. Chen's requirements.

The two shops are on Gulou West Street, and one is near the east section, which deals in silk and satin cloth.The monthly income is not bad, there are purchase channels, and the source of customers is relatively stable.The big boss behind the scenes wants to follow her husband's family to the south to take up the post, so she wants to get rid of the property in Chang'an as soon as possible, so that she can exchange some cash for management and preparations after taking office.There is also the meaning of being afraid that the whip will be too late, and the steward here will play tricks.

The other one sells rouge, gouache, and spices, near the middle of Gulou West Street.The size of the shop is similar to that of the silk shop, except that the young owner of the spice shop was forced to pay for the loan.Therefore, if you want to sell it for silver in a hurry, the price will be higher.But because of the good location, some people are interested in it.

He Cai's family explained the situation of the two shops clearly, and stood aside with hands tied, waiting for Chen's instructions.

Mrs. Chen looked back at the eldest girl, and said with a smile, "What do you think?"

When the eldest girl heard this, her face turned red, she hurriedly lowered her head to fiddle with her belt, and said timidly: "I will obey my mother's orders."

When Mrs. Chen heard the words, she just smiled.Turning around and asking He Cai's family, "What prices do these two shops want?"

When He Cai's family asked, he hurriedly replied: "The silk and satin shop asks for 560 taels including the inventory inside, and the spice shop asks for 700 taels."

The price was higher than what Chen thought, and he frowned unconsciously.He fell silent.

Seeing this, the third sister You knew that Mrs. Chen wanted to have some private conversations with He Cai's family, so she hurriedly got up and said with a smile: "Didn't Mom say that I would eat fried quail at night, so I ordered the kitchen to make it. Now The days are getting warmer and longer, and I feel a little sleepy if I don't sleep in the afternoon. I should go back and catch up on sleep."

Hearing this, Second Sister You hurriedly smiled and said, "What's so interesting about sleeping in broad daylight. I read a book yesterday, and there's a sentence in it that I don't like. Come here and I'll read it to you. Explain to me."

The eldest girl hurriedly got up and smiled, "Sisters want to discuss books? Then I will join in the fun and listen to the elegant words."

Seeing that the three sisters were so bright and transparent, Mrs. Chen couldn't help laughing and said: "Since that's the case, you go first. Come back after dinner. I'll ask the kitchen to make two more dishes you like."

The eldest girl, the second sister and the third sister all laughed and said yes.For a while, they filed out of the main room.At that time, only Chen's family and He Cai's family were left in the room, along with their confidant maids.Mrs. Chen had to ask long and short questions about the business, and asked if there was any room for the price to be lowered.He Cai's family's inquiries were answered one by one.

Not to mention how the Chen family negotiated with He Cai's family, but only said that the eldest girl followed her second sister and third sister to the second sister's bedroom, and she still had the matter of running the dowry shop hanging in her mind, so she was inevitably a little absent-minded.

When the second sister and the third sister saw each other, they couldn't help but smile at each other.Chat some boudoir fun with the big girl.

At dinner time, You Ziyu went to the court and returned to the mansion, and he was happy to finish the meal.Mrs. Chen ordered her sisters and aunts to go separately, and explained in detail what He Cai's family had mentioned before in front of Mrs. You and You Ziyu.It was difficult to choose between the inside and the outside, and it meant to buy both shops.

Mrs. You and You Ziyu only wanted to spend 1000 taels of silver to buy the dowry for the eldest girl, but when they heard that the price of the store that Mrs. Chen was looking for was obviously beyond the budget, they couldn't help but ask questions.

However, both You's mother and son knew the truth of value for money, and they didn't blame Chen's for this matter.

Mrs. Chen said with a smile: "If it's my idea, we spent a lot of money like water, and now it's not worth it to care about three or two hundred taels. Besides, I don't know the two shops." I’ve seen it with my own eyes, but I know the area of ​​Gulou West Street. There are shops in that area, but I’m afraid there will be no such shops after passing this village.”

After hearing this, Old Madam You and You Ziyu felt a little tempted.

When Mrs. Chen saw her, she had to say: "What's more, the dowry for the eldest girl will be shown to the Ningguo Mansion in the future. Such a decent person, not to mention the eldest girl, even our You family will look good. When the time comes I am afraid that the girl is more grateful to the old lady and the master for their compassion and love... The eldest girl has a face in Ningguo Mansion and can speak well, so she will have to help her mother's family in the future."

The reason why the old lady You and You Ziyu talked about this marriage for the eldest girl was just to take this opportunity to cling to the Ningguo Mansion.Hearing what Chen said, he became even more motivated.

Mrs. Chen still kept talking, babbling: "Old lady, master, don't blame me for speaking honestly. As the saying goes, we can't bear to let our children not be caught by wolves. Our You family spent thousands of taels of silver for the eldest girl. Don't you want to bear this?" A sip of money..."

Before saying a word, the old lady You and You Ziyu looked at each other, and they had already made up their minds.The old lady You smiled and said: "My words are really good. You are a stepmother who is not only virtuous and aware of the overall situation, but also full of satisfaction in planning for the eldest girl. You are better than her own mother. I originally said This matter is up to you to handle, since you have decided so, we naturally have no objection."

You Ziyu also echoed when he heard the words.He smiled again and said to Chen Shi: "It's been hard work for you this time."

Hearing this, Mrs. Chen said with a smile, "I can't be praised by the old lady and the master. These are what I should do."

Having obtained the consent of Mrs. You and You Ziyu, in the early morning of the next day, Mrs. Chen took the right card and made a check on the account, paid the money, and ordered He Cai's family to take the money and hand it over to the owners of the two shops. Afterwards, how to handle the transfer of ownership will be handled by He Wangsheng, the son of He Cai's family.

A few days later, He Wangsheng finished all the chores, so he had to visit the house again to say hello and present the two house deeds.

Mrs. Chen received the deed, and ordered Chunlan to prepare a first-class seal to reward He Wangsheng, and prepared an additional 50 taels of silver, which can be regarded as a reward for He Wangsheng's hard work in the past few months.

When He Wangsheng received the reward, he had to kowtow to thank him.Mrs. Chen asked a few more questions about the business in her shop, and then ordered someone to send He Wangsheng out of the house.

In this room, Mrs. Chen took the two house deeds and went to the upper house to reply to Mrs. You.When Mrs. You saw the deed, she couldn't help but smile.They all praised Mrs. Chen for her neat handling of affairs, and she was indeed a man who knew how to be a housekeeper.

When Mrs. Chen heard the words, she had to say a few words modestly.Mrs. Youyin said again: "This shop has already been set up, my daughter-in-law has already figured out who will be in charge?"

Mrs. Chen was taken aback, and just about to answer, she heard Mrs. You said casually: "I also heard that you ordered someone to bring Mrs. Wu's companion back from the Zhuangzi, and after a while, It is specially for marrying a big girl as a dowry to Ningguo Mansion. This is because your thoughts are delicate, and there is nothing wrong with it. It’s just that Wu’s thoughts are shallow, and he comes from a poor family, so the dowry she brought is not I don’t understand these economic methods. It would be inappropriate to suddenly ask them to manage the two shops of the big girl on Gulou West Street. It’s not that I doubt their loyalty, but I’m afraid they don’t have the ability.”

Mrs. Chen heard what Mrs. You meant, she pondered for a moment, and asked with a smile: "This is my negligence. I wonder what the old lady's plan is?"

Upon hearing this, Old Madam You smiled and said, "I'm getting old now, so I don't want to pay attention to these household chores. If it wasn't for the big girl, I wouldn't think about these things. It's all out of love, I'm just afraid that she will suffer. You also know that the big girl has a compassionate temper and a soft face. She doesn't know what to do if someone says a few nice words. Wu's dowry is even closer to the big girl than others. But Whether they can use it or not is uncertain. Let me be honest... If they really needed to use it, Aunt Lan would not have pushed her to Zhuangzi in the first place. What do you think?"

Mrs. Chen pondered for a moment with downcast eyes, and could only smile and said: "The old lady's words are very true."

The old lady You just smiled: "I know your heart, and I understand your difficulties. You entered the door at the back, and the big girl is getting older. Whether you are near or far, the size is really hard to judge. So you think about calling Wu's companion back, even if something goes wrong, it will be the matter of the leader, and it has nothing to do with you—"

After hearing this, Mrs. Chen hurriedly stood up and argued: "The old lady said so, the daughter-in-law is really wronged to death. I only regard the eldest girl as my own daughter, how can I think so."

Old Madam You didn't care when she saw Mrs. Chen like this.She still smiled and said: "You also said that you regard her as your own daughter, after all, she is not a real daughter. Even if she is a bit hidden, that is also human nature. Besides, as a stepmother, you have done a good job in every move, There is nothing to criticize. I am not looking for you to talk about this matter. "

When Mrs. You said this, she pondered for a moment, and said, "I have a man here, the youngest son of Zeng Wu's family, the comprador of the Outer Court. His name is Zeng Guodong. He is 30 years old this year. He usually works with his father in the Outer Court. , I also know the business of these businesses. Do you think... assign him to the big girl to manage the shop, okay?"

When Mrs. Chen heard the words, she didn't know how to reply.Mrs. You laughed again: "I remember that there is a silk and satin fabric in the big girl's dowry shop? I don't know if there is a scarlet feather yarn in the silk and satin shop... By the way, you said you bought it earlier. How much money did the two shops cost in total? I am old and lack energy, so I can't remember."

Chen: "..."