Chapter 117

Chapter 117

In the blink of an eye, it was New Year's Eve.

The ancients valued customs and rules. After the Minor New Year, married daughters were not allowed to return to their family until they could come back collectively on the second day of the Lunar New Year.

But Jiang Chun didn’t care about these rules and returned whenever she wanted.

Madame Zhuang had scolded her once for this, but seeing that Jiang Chun didn’t listen, she didn’t say anything again.

After all, if the married daughter returned after the Minor New Year, it was said to bring bad luck to her family. Since the father-in-law didn’t mind, she didn’t need to interfere.

On the eve of the Lunar New Year, Jiang Chun had someone prepare the carriage early in the morning so she could return to her family.

When he heard this, Song Shian said he wanted to come too.

Jiang Chun didn’t refuse. Usually, Song Shian had to sit at the yamen every day and had various miscellaneous tasks to attend to on his days off, so he hadn’t visited the Jiang family much recently.

Now that he was on annual leave, it was only natural for him to spend more time with his father-in-law and make a good impression.

Although Madame Zhuang had already sent New Year gifts to the Jiang family some days ago, Song Shian still sent someone out to purchase half a cart of additional items.

Of course, the money had to be paid by Jiang Chun.

Song Shian had handed over his salary to Jiang Chun for management, and he only had the pocket money she gave him, which was just enough for him to add a dish at lunch.

On usual days, whenever he needed to buy something, he would send a servant or attendants to make the purchase, and then have the shop send the bill to Jiang Chun at the Song family residence.

Jiang Chun had Gui Zhi weigh the silver and settle the payment with the various shop clerks.

She said with a wry smile, “Mother-in-law has already sent New Year gifts, and I’ve also bought quite a few things. Why are you buying so much extra stuff now?”

Luckily, it was winter, so the cold air acted as a natural fridge; otherwise, with only Jiang He and Zheng Kun consuming them, half of these items would have spoiled.

Song Shian smiled and said, “The gifts you sent are from you, and the gifts I sent are from me. They’re different. When father sees the gifts I sent, he will be even happier.”

For Jiang He, the more gifts his son-in-law sent, the better the relationship between his daughter and son-in-law, which naturally made him happier.

Although the money was all from Jiang Chun, the significance was different.

Jiang Chun clicked her tongue and actually found Song Shian’s words quite reasonable.

He definitely knew more about social etiquette than she did.

The two of them took the carriage to the Jiang residence on Shengping Street.

The neighbor’s house had a new sign that read “Li Residence,” indicating that the Cheng family had already sold the property.

It was unclear whether this was to avoid suspicion or to temporarily avoid trouble.

In any case, Jiang Chun was quite pleased, as at least they wouldn’t be bothering her like a fly next door.

The Jiang residence had been cleaned to look brand new, with new red couplets pasted on the doors, and the courtyard was filled with a rich aroma as Jiang He and Zheng Kun were frying New Year goods.

Jiang Chun dashed to the kitchen.

She arrived at just the right time, as Zheng Kun was using a ladle to scoop a spoonful of meatballs into a porcelain basin lined with pancakes.

Jiang Chun picked one up and popped it into her mouth, her eyes narrowing in happiness.

"Oh, this flavor is so authentic, so delicious," she mumbled indistinctly.

Common folks love to fry holiday snacks during the New Year, mostly meatballs, radish balls, and fried lotus root, along with some fried dough twists.

With these fried goods, when relatives come to visit after the New Year, you only need to heat them in oil, making it very time-saving and effortless.

A prominent family like the Song family wouldn’t typically engage in such activities.

Now, the Song family already has twelve chefs, along with many apprentices and assistants, plus a steward responsible for purchasing and rough-labor maids in charge of cleaning, with dozens of people in the main kitchen.

They can easily host large banquets, so entertaining a few relatives is no trouble at all.

Jiang Chun ate about ten meatballs in one go, then clapped her hands and said to Jiang He, "Father, let me help Cousin with the fire. Go have some tea with your son-in-law."

Gui Zhi hurriedly said, "Grandma, let me handle the fire. I used to be a kitchen helper and am very good at it."

Jiang Chun smiled and said, "Alright, you take care of the fire, and I’ll chop the filling."

Jiang Chun smiled and asked Zheng Kun, "Cousin, what kind of dumpling filling would you like?"

Her main purpose for coming today was to help wrap dumplings.

Jiang He could manage lighting a fire at best; he knew nothing about cooking.

Zheng Kun could make some home-style dishes, but he was completely unfamiliar with making steamed buns or dumplings.

On usual days, their staple food was bought from the bun shop in the west market, either ready-made buns or steamed buns.

During the New Year period, the bun shop was closed, so they had bought two hundred buns in advance to stock up.

Zheng Kun smiled and said, "In our Qi Prefecture, people eat pork and cabbage dumplings during the New Year. Eating anything else just doesn’t feel like the New Year."

Jiang Chun chuckled, "Alright, we’ll make pork and cabbage dumplings then."

She rolled up her sleeves, opened the cellar in the main room, and went down to get a cabbage.

She peeled off the wilted outer leaves, washed it, and placed it on the cutting board, starting to chop rhythmically.

In the courtyard, Jiang He saw the Song family’s servants bringing things into the house. A large pile had already formed under the corridor, and he couldn’t help but click his tongue.

He then turned his head and, frowning, said to Song Shian, "Son-in-law, why did you bring more gifts? Previously, Mother-in-law had already sent quite a few New Year gifts, and Chunniang also helped purchase some New Year goods. There’s just Father and Brother Kun here; how can we possibly use so much?"

Song Shian smiled and said, "I bought things that are easy to store, like ham, dried chicken, dried duck, and dried seafood. Father and Cousin can take your time eating them; they won’t spoil."

Jiang He gave a smile that was happy but slightly troubled, "We don’t even know how to prepare seafood, so we might end up wasting these fine ingredients."

Just then, the kitchen emitted the rhythmic chopping sound again.

Song Shian took a few steps forward, peeking into the kitchen, where he saw Jiang Chun sitting on a low stool, chopping cabbage with a kitchen knife.

He pursed his lips.

This scene reminded him of the Jiang family’s home in Daliushu Village.

That New Year’s Eve, she had also sat like this, chopping cabbage with a kitchen knife to prepare pork and cabbage dumplings.

After chopping the cabbage and pork, she would clean the cutting board and prepare some vegetarian fillings.

After that, she would start cooking the dishes for the New Year’s Eve dinner.

Busy all day long, like a little bee that never gets tired, happily bustling about.

At this moment, he finally understood why she had said she wanted to live a simple, warm life in a small county town in her next life.

After watching quietly for a moment, he turned around and said with a smile to Jiang He, "Dad, I'll buy a servant for you."

Jiang He immediately waved his hand, repeatedly opposing, "No need, no need. We are a small household; how can we afford a servant?

Besides, our house is so small, and there's not much work to do. There's really no need for a servant."

Song Shian said with a smile, "It's cold outside. Let's go inside and talk slowly, dad."

Gui Pi asked Jiang He for some tea and went to brew a pot.

Song Shian personally poured a cup of tea for Jiang He and presented it to him.

Then, with a good-natured attitude, he analyzed the situation for him, "Dad, after the Fabric Store opens after the new year, my cousin-in-law will have to look after the shop during the day, and you will have to set up a stall to sell meat. That leaves no one to take care of the housework.

True, you can do it in the evening, but after a whole day's work outside, where will you find the energy to cook, wash clothes, and clean?

But if we buy a male servant who can cook, it will be different. During the day, while you are busy outside, he can do the laundry, cleaning, and other chores.

In the evening, he can prepare dinner in advance, so when you come back, you can sit down and eat right away.

Wouldn't that be much more convenient?"

Since the household only had men, hiring a female cook wouldn’t be appropriate, so Song Shian suggested buying a male servant.

Jiang He was somewhat tempted by his words but still chose to refuse, "I know buying a servant isn't cheap. It would cost at least ten to twenty taels of silver, and a male servant who can cook could cost up to thirty taels, which is quite a bit more expensive.

That's too expensive; we can't afford that."

Song Shian said with a smile, "Dad, don't worry about this. Chunniang is quite wealthy. She invested her savings in the foreign goods store run by my second sister-in-law, which is now making a fortune every day. While my second sister-in-law reaps the profits, Chunniang gets a share of the benefits.

A mere thirty-some taels of silver is well within her means."

He spoke conservatively, not revealing that Jiang Chun had a 40% share in the foreign goods store. This was a private agreement between Jiang Chun and Zhong Wenjin. Apart from them, only Song Shian and Song Shirui were aware.

It wasn’t to hide it from Jiang He, but to prevent anyone from prying the information out of him.

Even Jiang He had heard of the reputation of Shunfeng Foreign Goods Store, so he exclaimed in surprise, "Chunniang actually has shares in a foreign goods store?"

Song Shian nodded, "Yes. So, will you agree to let me buy the servant, dad?

With someone to take care of you at home, Chunniang can feel at ease. Otherwise, she would always worry about whether you are eating and drinking well, which would be taxing on her."

After a moment of contemplation, Jiang He finally relented, "Alright, I'll listen to you, son-in-law. Buy the servant."

Song Shian said with a smile, "Buying a servant is easy, but finding one who can cook, is efficient, and is honest and reliable is hard to come by. I'll entrust this matter to my mother and ask her to find a suitable person for you."

Jiang He said with a smile, "Then I'll trouble my mother-in-law. Thanks a lot, son. Please give her my gratitude."

While the father-in-law and son-in-law were having tea and chatting, Jiang Chun quickly finished chopping the cabbage and meat, then mixed them together.

She skillfully added the seasonings and quickly mixed everything together.

Then she started mixing the dough.

After a short while, the dough was ready and placed in a basin to rise.

Watching this entire set of tasks, Gui Zhi, who was tending the fire, was amazed and kept praising her, "Madam, you are truly efficient. The chefs in the main kitchen aren't as fast as you."

Jiang Chun smiled calmly, "Back in the day, I had to butcher pigs and set up meat stalls, and after that, I still had to come back and do household chores. If I wasn't efficient, I'd have to stay up late to finish my work."

At this point, she smoothly started flaunting her relationship, "I don't mind staying up late, but your young master insists on holding me to fall asleep at night, which really hinders my work."

Gui Zhi: "..."

Zheng Kun: "..."

Song Shian, who came over to check on the situation, also: "..."

Standing behind Jiang Chun, Song Shian chuckled softly, "My dear wife, you're not being nice. You're secretly speaking ill of your husband."

Caught red-handed, Jiang Chun wasn't afraid at all. She took a stuffed lotus root, bit into it, chewed, swallowed, and then said with a grin, "When did I say anything bad about my husband? I was clearly boasting about how good our relationship is, that we sleep hugging each other every night."

Song Shian smiled, looked down, and chuckled, "You argued well. You can continue to argue like this next time."

Gui Zhi rolled out the dough, while Jiang Chun wrapped the dumplings. It took a long while to finish wrapping all the dough and pork-cabbage filling into dumplings.

*

Jiang Chun stood up, stretched, and sighed, "I'm exhausted."

She hadn’t done housework in a while, having been living comfortably at the Song family.

Song Shian smiled, "Once we get a male servant who can cook for Father after the New Year, you'll be more relaxed on your visits back to your family."

Jiang Chun exclaimed, "Ah, my husband is going to hire a servant for Father?"

Jiang He actually agreed?

She had brought up the matter before but couldn't persuade Jiang He, who was very stubborn and refused to agree, so she had to drop it.

She looked up at Jiang He.

Jiang He scratched his head and said with an embarrassed smile, "My son-in-law insisted that I hire a servant, and I found his reasoning sound, so I agreed."

Jiang Chun huffed, "Hmph, my daughter can’t convince you, but your son-in-law can?"

Seeing his daughter's displeased expression, Jiang He quickly tried to please her, "My son-in-law only talks; you're the one who has to pay for it. He has no money."

If it were someone else, being told by their father-in-law that they had no money might cause some embarrassment.

But Song Shian remained calm, a smile still lingering on his lips, as if Jiang He was talking about someone else.

Jiang Chun turned to glare at Song Shian, "So, you're being the good guy while I'm the one paying? You've really got this all figured out, haven't you?"

Song Shian reached for her hand and said with a smile, "What can I do? I’ve handed over all my salary to you, my dear. Even if I wanted to pay for Father-in-law, I don't have any money."

Hearing this, Jiang He immediately turned to Jiang Chun, "Chunniang, my son-in-law is a man in an official position. He can't avoid socializing with his colleagues. How can you be so controlling and not leave him any money?"

Jiang Chun argued, "When men have money, they become bad. I don't leave him money for his own good. As for socializing with colleagues, he can put it on my tab. The shop staff can come to the Song family to collect the bill."

Jiang He's mouth twitched, intending to say a few more words to her, but for a moment, he couldn't think of the right way to phrase it.

After a pause, he softly hummed, "As long as you know where to draw the line and don't overdo it."

Jiang Chun nodded vigorously, pretending to be obedient, "I know, I know, don't worry, Father. I have it under control."

This was their little marital ritual, and Song Shian was more than happy to hand over his stipend to her.

If she didn't accept his stipend, he would actually become anxious.

*

Jiang He invited them to stay for lunch, so they ate at the Jiang family's home before returning to the Song family's estate.

At the Song family, the main kitchen was already preparing the dishes for the evening banquet.

Jiang Chun had a packet of chili sent over, requesting several spicy dishes, such as spicy chicken, twice-cooked pork, mapo tofu, and sour cabbage fish.

Then she had Gui Zhi bring out the clothes she would wear that evening, sat in front of the vanity mirror, and began applying cosmetics.

The eyebrow pencil was fine, but the ancient screw-shaped eyebrow pencil was still quite usable.

But with eyeliners, eyeshadow palettes, and eyeshadow brushes, Jiang Chun could finally apply eye makeup.

Her almond-shaped eyes were beautifully proportioned, large and round with double eyelids and long lashes, making them perfect for eye makeup.

She first applied the high-quality foundation she obtained from the check-in system to her face, then lined her eyes, and used the eyeshadow brush to apply the eyeshadow.

Song Shian walked over, leaned against the vanity, watched for a moment, and suddenly smiled, "My dear, are you preparing to perform in a play?"

Jiang Chun gave him a side-eye with half-done eyeshadow and snorted, "What would you know, you clueless husband? This is called eye makeup. I’m not done yet. Once I’m done, it’ll dazzle you!"

Song Shian chuckled, "Oh? Is that so? I'll be waiting eagerly then."

Her makeup skills were quite good, and since this eyeshadow palette was an easy-to-handle earth tone, it wasn’t too difficult to apply.

When she finished, she looked up at Song Shian and deliberately gave him a flirty wink.

Song Shian said in surprise, "My dear, you’ve got quite the artistic touch! With just a bit of eyeshadow powder, you've managed to deepen the contours of your eyes and make them more expressive."

Jiang Chun smugly lifted the corner of her mouth.

She then took out a tomato-red lipstick and applied it to her lips.

After that, she hooked her arms around Song Shian's neck, stood on her tiptoes, and moved closer to his lips, grinning, "My love, how about you kiss me? If you kiss me, your lips will get a little color too."

Song Shian turned his head to avoid her, laughing and scolding, "Dear, don't mess around. We're about to eat the New Year's Eve dinner in the main room soon. If my lips are red, it'll look ridiculous!"

Jiang Chun teased him on purpose, swaying her body and acting coquettishly, "I’m going to tease you, I’m going to tease you. I've applied foreign lipstick. Don't you want to taste it?"

She already had a pretty face, and her large, expressive eyes were captivating even when she was quiet, let alone with the added allure of the eyeshadow.

Combined with her deliberate coquettishness, Song Shian couldn't resist. His eyes darkened with desire.

He couldn’t resist any longer and pulled her into his arms, capturing her lips in a passionate kiss.

They exchanged a passionate kiss, and when they separated, sure enough, Song Shian's lips were glistening with a reddish sheen.

He smiled and commented, "Tastes like tangerine—delicious! If it weren't almost dinner time, I'd want more."

Jiang Chun: "..."

His nose was quite sensitive—this lipstick was indeed tangerine-flavored.

She took a handkerchief and wiped his lips, saying with some irritation, "I was just teasing you. Why are you acting like a teenager, so easy to tease?"

They were an old married couple; was it really worth it?

Amused, Song Shian replied, "You lured me in, and now you're blaming me for falling for it? Where's the justice in that?"

Jiang Chun realized she was being unreasonable and her defiance melted away. She said weakly, "I was wrong, but are you completely innocent?"

Song Shian chuckled and said, "I’m not saying I’m innocent either. After all, I couldn’t resist your temptation."

Jiang Chun's lips twitched, thinking it was kind of pointless to be bickering over these repetitive matters during the New Year.

She took out her lipstick and retouched her makeup in front of her hand mirror.

Then she decisively stood up, took Song Shian's hand, and said, "Let's go to the main courtyard."

*

Jiang Chun thought she would be the earliest, but when she arrived, everyone except the old lady Zhou Shi had already arrived.

Two tables of mahjong were set up and ready to go.

There had originally been only one set of mahjong in the main courtyard, but after Zhong Wenjin's foreign goods store made money, she brought out three more sets. An extra set was placed in the main house, and the other two were given to Second Madam Li and Third Madam Qiu.

At that moment, Madam Zhuang, Madam Li, Madam Qiu, and Zhong Wenjin were deep into a game.

The other table was occupied by Song Zhen Ting, Song Zhen Ping, Song Zhen Sheng, and Song Shirui.

Jiang Chun was surprised. She hadn’t expected someone as old-fashioned as Song Zhen Ting to play mahjong, and for money too—she had seen the copper coins stacked at their table.

As soon as Zhong Wenjin saw Jiang Chun, she waved her over. "Big sis, come take my place. I'm not good at mahjong. I've already lost half a string of coins."

Jiang Chun shook her head. "It's only half a string of coins. For you, a newly minted rich woman, it's pocket change. You can afford it."

Zhong Wenjin wasn’t worried about the loss; she knew her big sister-in-law loved mahjong and was just making an excuse to give up her seat.

Jiang Chun had been tired all afternoon and hadn’t had time for a nap, so she wasn’t in the mood for a game.

"You play. I'll sit and rest for a while." She waved her hand and sat down next to Song Shichu and her sisters.

When Song Shiying saw Jiang Chun's makeup, she exclaimed, "Wow, big sis, what did you put on your eyes? It's shiny and surprisingly pretty!"

Her enthusiasm caught Zhong Wenjin's attention.

Zhong Wenjin looked Jiang Chun up and down and laughed. "Big sister-in-law is wearing eye shadow, using imported cosmetics I helped her get from the foreign merchant caravan."

She praised, "Big sister-in-law, you're so talented. I only taught you once, and you've already mastered it—you're even better than me."

Jiang Chun smiled. "I can’t even compare to you. I just randomly painted my face and ended up looking like I'm about to perform on stage. My husband even said I looked like I was going to act in a play."

Zhong Wenjin boldly chimed in, "Big brother just doesn’t get it—he’s too much of a guy to appreciate this stuff. Don’t listen to him, big sis. Trust me, you look good."

Song Shiying chimed in, "I also think it looks good. Elder Sister-in-law, sell me a set of foreign cosmetics and teach me how to apply eyeshadow. I want to wear that shiny eye makeup too."

Since she had nothing else to do, Jiang Chun simply had Gui Zhi fetch her eyeliners and eyeshadow palettes. She then applied eye makeup for the three sisters, Song Shichu and the others.

Song Shiying, holding the table mirror that Zhong Wenjin had offered to Madame Zhuang, looked at herself from left to right, grinning from ear to ear. She pleaded with Jiang Chun, "I look so beautiful! Elder Sister-in-law, sell me a set of foreign cosmetics, please. I can't live without this shiny eye makeup."

Hearing this, Madame Zhuang teased, "Shian's wife, you should sell her a set. By next year, your second aunt will start arranging marriage prospects for her. She'll look much better when meeting potential suitors."

Upon hearing this, Song Shiying immediately pouted. "I don't want to marry! It's much more comfortable at home. If I marry into another family, I'll just end up being mistreated. It would be too suffocating."

Madame Li immediately grew agitated, slapping the eight immortals table, and angrily said, "What are you talking about now? Which young woman doesn't get married? You're not young anymore. If you don't hurry up and start meeting suitors, you'll end up filling a vacancy."

Madame Zhuang didn't like hearing this and hummed softly. "What's wrong with filling a vacancy? If the family and character of the husband are excellent, even marrying as a second wife could be acceptable. You can still have a good life."

Song Shichu, having lost her purity, would likely only marry as a second wife if she were to marry a man from a family of equal standing.

Unless she marries into a lower family.

We’ll have to see how things develop, but we shouldn’t let Madame Li, the second sister-in-law, shut down the conversation.