Chapter 56

Chapter 56

Jiang Xian was seated at the same table as Feng Sheng and An Ping, both sons-in-law of the Wei family. The three exchanged their ages and courtesy names, and An Ping let out a thoughtful "Hmm," saying, "Come to think of it, Shiliulang is actually three years younger than Second Elder Sister."

"What does that matter?" Jiang Xian himself didn’t care. He was still wondering why An Ping had brought it up—if intentional, this person wasn’t worth befriending; if not, then he was simply a bit slow.

An Ping had indeed only been curious and blurted it out. Seeing Jiang Xian’s indifferent reaction, he felt awkward and covered it up with a drink. Nearby, Feng Sheng was laughing so hard inside that his stomach hurt, amused by An Ping’s foolishness—no wonder even Ying Niang could manipulate him so easily.

But he certainly wouldn’t step in to smooth things over. He also inexplicably disliked Jin Niang, finding her too calculating. How had she managed to climb into a prestigious family like the Jiangs? Earlier, when he saw the betrothal letter, he’d thought the Jiang family had declined across generations, only to hear Sixth Uncle mention that his uncle now served in the Censorate, and the son-in-law came from a noble household. After that, Feng Sheng dared not speak too boldly.

Still, there was some resentment. People like them had to struggle, while these so-called scions of official families inherited everything effortlessly.

Yet Jin Niang’s marriage opened a new perspective—these so-called noble sons were actually short on money. It turned out money could buy a good match after all.

Luo Yue, on the other hand, was extremely attentive to her son-in-law, personally bringing him a bowl of lotus root and pork rib soup. “This is nine-pore lotus root from our hometown. If it weren’t for a fellow villager who runs a north-south grocery, we wouldn’t have found it. Shiliulang, try it—this kind of lotus root soup is the most tender. I stewed it myself.”

Jiang Xian took a sip. The lotus root was tender and sticky, breaking apart yet still connected. He smiled. “Thank you—it really is delicious. But in such hot weather, you should rest.”

“You just eat, don’t mind me.” Luo Yue loved being praised, but her son Yang Geer was a quiet type, and her daughter was busy from morning till night, rarely keeping her company. Her son-in-law, however, was quite the charmer.

Madam Jiang Liu then had her daughter-in-law Xu Shi pull Luo Yue over to sit and chat. Now that Luo Yue was no longer under financial strain, she rarely lost her temper and could even be quite witty. Rong Niang and Ying Niang were at the same table, watching their usually stern second aunt grinning like a Cheshire cat, which felt somewhat ironic.

Especially Rong Niang, who noticed that while the Jiang family appeared amiable toward the Weis, they were actually patronizing them.

Unexpectedly, at that moment, Chen Xiaolang ushered in a female court official. The woman wore a round-collared side-slit robe adorned with green tie-dye patterns, a yellow waist wrap tied with a silk sash.

As the hostess, Luo Yue stood first. “Miss, who are you looking for?”

“I’m a court official from the Embroidery Academy. I have business with Madam Wei.”

Luo Yue quickly called Jin Niang down. Jiang Xian immediately looked over and saw Jin Niang visibly relax at the sight of the official. The two stepped aside to talk. “Zhu Tingfang, did you pass the exam to become a court official?”

“Yes. After you left, I had nothing to do as an inspector. Coincidentally, a group of officials left the palace, and I managed to pass. I was originally assigned to the Bureau of Attire, but when the new embroidery head at the Embroidery Academy took ill, I was asked to take over. The previous head neglected duties entirely, so by Mid-Autumn Festival on the fifteenth of August, many garments still hadn’t been finished. I wanted to ask for your help, Madam Wei. Since you’re familiar with the Embroidery Academy, we can bypass the usual formalities,” Zhu Tingfang said with a smile.

She added, “I got your address from Broker Cheng—the go-between.”

Jin Niang thought to herself that this was a lucrative opportunity. She agreed immediately but added, “You’re in a hurry, but my embroidery shop is small—it’s just me. I might not be able to handle it all.”

“No problem. There are only seven pieces total. I’ll bring the fabric and threads. You know the standard rate.”

The garments from the Embroidery Academy were far more elaborate than ordinary ones, but working hard for a month on these seven pieces would earn thirty-five taels—a tidy sum. She agreed on the spot.

In truth, Zhu Tingfang was just a court official from the Embroidery Academy, but because she arrived in official attire, everyone assumed Jin Niang had connections at court, even wondering if she had powerful backing. After Zhu Tingfang left, Jin Niang noticed how differently people looked at her.

Luo Yue asked, “What did that court official want?”

“Nothing major. She just asked me to help rush a few sets of palace garments,” Jin Niang replied, not thinking it a big deal.

But to those unfamiliar with such work, it seemed impressive yet puzzling.

After the Jiang family had dined and departed, Luo Yue packed up all the leftovers and had the restaurant staff clear the tables and dishes. Families like theirs pinched pennies—half was set aside for the next day, the other half for the afternoon.

“Xiaolang, go ahead and open the door. I’ll change and start embroidering at the front,” she said. She needed to finish her current project before moving on to her dowry and the Embroidery Academy’s orders.

After all, once the betrothal letter was exchanged, the groom’s family would soon send the betrothal gifts—the formal rites.

This was the first time Ying Niang and Rong Niang realized Jin Niang was holding her own—she completed an entire garment in one afternoon, embroidered with elaborate patterns interlacing seven or eight threads. Truly impressive.

Still, Rong Niang kindly reminded her, “Jin Niang, doesn’t that hurt, bending over like that all the time?”

Who knew Jin Niang would reply so frankly: "That's exactly why I need to build my reputation while I'm young and save up money, so I won't have to work this hard in the future."

In truth, being her own boss now meant half as much work as before, yet she earned much more.

"Second Sister, have you mentioned the mortgage on your house to the Jiang family?" Ying Niang asked, having just heard her second aunt boast endlessly about Jin Niang buying land and building a house, making it sound like some grand feat.

Jin Niang smiled. "I'm paying it off myself, so there's nothing much to say."

Ying Niang thought to herself, *Isn’t that just lying?* She was already deeply envious—after all, she had once been the only sister who owned a house, only for Jin Niang to surpass her. Not only that, but Jin Niang’s husband was the most obedient and handsome among them, and now she was outdoing her again.

Of course, the rivalry between Rong Niang and Jin Niang was just sisterly rivalry—a few extra remarks on the way home, but otherwise, they rarely interacted.

Jin Niang brushed it off completely. At dinner that evening, she happily announced that the Jiang family had sent over an icebox, so they could enjoy iced treats like mung bean soup and fruits during the hottest days.

The whole family cheered. Wei Yang, a big fan of drinks, was especially thrilled. Ju Xiang also laughed, "Now we can skip daily market trips."

Regarding the icebox, Feng Sheng suggested to Rong Niang, "Why don’t we ask someone to get one for us too?"

Rong Niang shook her head. "Those aren’t cheap, and we’d have to keep buying ice. Forget it—we don’t have that kind of money."

Rong Niang had very modest desires. Her clothes, for instance, cost less than two hundred wen, and she only dressed up for special occasions. Most of the gifts she gave were things others had first given to her.

Feng Sheng knew his wife’s temperament well and didn’t press the matter. It was precisely her simple contentment that allowed her to care for him calmly when he fell ill.

While the Feng family hesitated to buy an icebox, the Zhou family had already started using ice. The fourth young lady’s quarters were so chilly she needed a robe, prompting her maid to fetch one.

Her marriage had already been settled—she was to wed the son of her father’s colleague, the prefect of Caizhou. After failing to marry Han Xiao, her family no longer paid her much attention. Her stepmother practically gloated at the prospect of her marrying poorly, as it meant less dowry to prepare.

Yu Xing returned with a box in hand. "Miss, the old madam sent you a set of head ornaments."

The fourth young lady opened the box to find three complete sets of headpieces—gold, silver, and jade—each consisting of twenty-eight pieces, with every imaginable design.

Yu Xing added with a smile, "I heard each piece weighs fifty-four taels, just for you to play dress-up."

The fourth young lady closed the box. "Grandmother is truly kind to me."

It was a pity her grandmother was too old to influence her marriage. Still, she had heard her future husband was handsome and talented, already a ranked scholar—which explained why her father had agreed to the match.

She had once disliked needlework, finding it tedious, but now she had to start stitching her own dowry items. Thinking of embroidery reminded her of Jin Niang. However, unless someone passed along news, she couldn’t very well inquire about a former maid.

Meanwhile, Jin Niang had set up a special embroidery frame for the Embroidery Academy’s orders. Though the work seemed intricate, seasoned embroiderers had their methods. She would first study the design, break it down, select the threads, outline the patterns on the robe, and then stitch section by section.

But most of her effort now went into preparing her dowry and betrothal gifts. The matchmaker had mentioned that the Jiang family’s betrothal gifts were extravagant, so their return gifts couldn’t be too modest. She also had to prepare gifts for the matchmaker—all costs her parents couldn’t handle, leaving Jin Niang to manage everything herself.

A petite mother-of-pearl bed alone cost sixteen taels. Armchairs, embroidered stools, a daybed, and a desk—all bought at slightly lower prices—still ran her eight taels. The carpenter had already started work, and the deposit had been paid.

As for silk, she allocated thirty guan specifically for this. The betrothal gifts for the Jiang family included a bolt of bright red peony-patterned gauze and a bolt of hibiscus-patterned gauze, costing six guan and four hundred wen; two bolts of translucent purple silk at three guan and six hundred wen; a bolt of small-patterned peony damask and a bolt of grapevine-patterned damask totaling three guan; two bolts of shadow-weave silk at five guan; and a bolt of brocade at five guan.

The remaining eight guan would go toward gifts for the matchmaker—two bolts of silk, four of translucent silk, and two of plain silk, which could be of slightly lesser quality.

For jewelry, she had already saved up during her time with the Zhou family: two gold hairpins, a pair of pearl hairpins, a pair of pearl flowers, three pairs of earrings, seven rings, and three silver hairpins. Over the years, she had also bought gilded combs and silver hair ornaments. Now, she had prepared one complete set of headpieces, costing twenty-nine guan for eight items.

She also spent one guan and five hundred wen on a fish-pillow crown.

Jin Niang’s money flew out the door, yet she still worried about their limited funds. To help, she stitched some gifts for her future in-laws, and the Jiang family reciprocated. By the Mid-Autumn Festival, she had completed the Embroidery Academy’s order and earned thirty-five guan.

When the Jiang family presented their betrothal gifts, they included a gilded silver crown, the "three golds" (gold bracelet, gold bangle, and gold pendant), a yellow gauze robe with gold embroidery, a gold-embroidered brocade skirt, a long red skirt, and various fine colored brocades and silks. Naturally, there were also tea, fruit, and festive treats like reunion cakes.

Jin Niang quietly remarked to Luo Yue, "See? The Jiang family is following the betrothal customs of scholar-official families for us."

Luo Yuhu was thrilled—who wouldn’t love a son-in-law who was rich, charming, and good-looking?

The matchmaker in the yellow beizi also carried back the betrothal gifts from Jin Niang’s side, and the Jiang family was pleased too. Leading the way were a bolt of purple gauze and a bolt of lotus-branch patterned luosilk, followed by a grape-purple rattan chest containing five pairs of shoes. Among them, two pairs of women's shoes were upturned-toe slippers with crimson satin uppers, each adorned with a pearl at the toe. The other three pairs were men's cloud-toe slippers. Additionally, a red rattan chest held a set of men’s clothing: a tri-colored Tang-style robe with white trim and a pair of trousers made of white silk.

Jiang Xian took a look and recalled what Jin Niang had said that day, feeling a surge of joy. The matchmaker then pointed out, “Look, there’s also an unadorned silk robe underneath—the needlework is truly exquisite.”

Another plain wooden rattan chest contained ten pairs of white silk socks, while yet another box held an assortment of exquisitely crafted pouches.

There were also separate boxes of silk flowers and velvet flowers, two pairs of hair ribbons for topknots, two sets of women’s clothing, and various fruit wines, tea cakes, and so on.

With the engagement now settled, Jin Niang finally relaxed. This month had been crazy busy. In addition to her work at the embroidery academy, she earned nearly 20 guan from her shop, bringing her total earnings for the month to 55 guan. After repaying 6 guan in loans, paying 1 guan in wages as usual, and covering 2 guan in living expenses, she managed to save the remaining 46 guan.

However, business slowed significantly after the Mid-Autumn Festival until the Double Ninth Festival, with earnings dropping to just 16 guan for the month. But this gave Jin Niang more time to focus on embroidering the quilt cover. The woolen prayer rug she had bought in the summer for 10 guan, along with 3 guan worth of woolen clothes, trousers, and socks, proved to be a godsend in winter.

The prayer rug could serve as a cushion or a mat, providing great comfort. As for her summer clothes, she had A Ying wash, scent, iron, and store them in trunks. These would later be sent over as part of her trousseau—one trunk alone was enough to model all her summer outfits.

By the tenth month, business picked up slightly, thanks to Jin Niang’s persistence. Rain or shine, she kept her shop open from dawn till dusk every day.

Unlike some nuns living in the embroidery alley who lacked storefronts and could only sell collar panels and jadeite flowers during the Xiangguo Temple’s open days, Jin Niang maintained steady operations.

The first day of the tenth month marked the Hearth-Warming Festival, a Northern Song custom where every household began heating their homes and hosting feasts.

For common families, this simply meant adding a few more dishes to the meal, while wealthy clans gathered their relatives for conversation. Jiang Shi’s husband had been posted to a provincial assignment, so she returned to her maiden home, where she learned that Madam Jiang Liu had indeed betrothed her son to Jin Niang.

“Aunt Six has lost her marbles, marrying into a merchant family,” Jiang Shi remarked.

Madam Jiang, the eldest aunt, refrained from criticizing her sister-in-law and only said, “Come now, not only is Shiliulang marrying a merchant’s daughter, but even Shisanlang’s wife comes from a family that runs a spice shop. As long as they’re happy with it, that’s all that matters.”

Jiang Shi frowned. “Even so, Shisanlang is a good-for-nothing, while Shiliulang is now highly talented and learned.”

Xiang Ming, overhearing this, felt a surge of delight and relief. She prepared two bolts of satin, a silver accessory set, and two silk flowers as congratulatory gifts. There was no helping it—the Zhou family was no longer what it used to be, and Jiang Shi had become much tighter with money. Even for Fourth Miss’s marriage, the family could only spare 3,000 guan at most, with the elderly madam contributing 500 guan and another 500 borrowed from the second branch.

Jin Niang was deeply moved upon receiving Xiang Ming’s gifts. Always one to plan ahead, she began searching for fur pelts in the tenth month. In the past, she had worn quilted jackets packed with wadding and hemp, which were so puffy she could hardly walk in winter—a far cry from the down jackets she was accustomed to in her modern life.

With earnings of 26 guan in October, her quilt cover completed, and half of her wedding dress finished, she rose early one day and went to the Great Xiangguo Temple. There, she spent 3 guan on a sheepskin to make a fur-lined jacket and used the leftover material to craft a lambswool windproof hat.

A Ying, having visited a hat shop, couldn’t help but remark, “They sell lambswool hats for 10 guan apiece!”

“Anything slightly well-made is sold at a premium,” Jin Niang replied. She adorned the hat’s exterior with camellia and ruyi motifs using gold-foiled fabric, intending to gift it to Jiang Xian for the Winter Solstice.

Because Jin Niang’s clothing was both lightweight and stylish, a fur merchant even approached her for collaboration, offering several pelts as samples. Of course, few could afford fur garments, and before the solstice, only two customers commissioned them.

Before the Winter Solstice, the Jiang family sent a matchmaker with a betrothal gift of 500 guan and pinned down the wedding date for the twenty-eighth day of the third month the following year. Later, for the solstice, they sent two sets of brocade clothing—a luxury few could afford. In Jin Niang’s shop, only officials or wealthy merchants could commission brocade robes.

In return, Jin Niang sent a windproof hat, an ivory-dyed plain satin long jacket, two gold-foiled waistbands, and a blue-ground crane-motif brocade short jacket. The crane-motif brocade alone cost 108 wen per tael, with one bolt weighing sixteen taels. Jin Niang cut just a few feet to make a shorter jacket and added lingzhi fungus embroidery on the collar panel.

The garments were first delivered to Madam Jiang. While Madam Jiang Liu was having a coughing fit in her chambers, Fang Ma exclaimed cheerfully, “Madam Wei’s craftsmanship is truly exceptional! It was worth using the family’s cloud-patterned brocade to make clothes for her.”

After sipping some hot tea, Madam Jiang Liu smiled faintly. “Indeed. My daughter-in-law from the eighth branch has been carping behind my back about favoring my youngest son. She forgets that when we sent betrothal gifts to her family, all they gave in return was cheap junk, and they even used our gifts to buy land, passing it off as her dowry. But this Madam Wei is different—she brings thousands of guan in dowry. After I sent two sets of brocade clothing, she reciprocated with gold-foiled fabrics and a brocade jacket. Go, deliver these to Shiliulang.”

Fang Ma promptly took them to Jiang Xian, who was practicing calligraphy at the time. His calligraphy was gracefully fluid, with strokes as light as a dancing dragon.

Upon seeing the clothes from Jin Niang, Jiang Xian immediately tried them on, especially the windproof hat, which looked far more stylish than his old one.

Liu Douer laughed. “Young master, you were just saying how your old hat always flattened your hair. This new one is ingeniously made.”

“Of course—have you forgotten who made it?” Jiang Xian replied, over the moon.

Once betrothed, the couple could not meet in person. Jiang Xian couldn’t even visit Sweetwater Alley anymore—all messages had to be passed through two matchmakers.

Jin Niang suddenly found herself with an extra five hundred guan and felt a strong urge to pay off all her debts at once. But she decided against it, reasoning that this money came from the Jiang family. If she used it all to repay debts, word would inevitably spread—what would people think of her?

Besides, she had no idea how things would go after marriage. For now, she needed to keep the money safe. After all, she was still capable of earning her own living.

After the winter solstice, the weather turned unusually cold. Jin Niang sewed a pigskin coat for her younger brother and had her father take it to the academy to keep him warm. She had previously urged her mother to buy materials during the summer when they were cheaper, but her mother had refused.

Luckily, her parents worked busily in the shop each morning and could return home at noon to warm themselves by the fire. Jin Niang had already stocked up on firewood and charcoal ahead of time.

She hung thick felt curtains over the door and pulled out her winter garment order book. In such cold weather, more people would need winter clothes. If possible, she’d rather charge less—otherwise, many might end up poorly clothed and risk freezing to death.

To her surprise, Rong Niang dropped in just then. Entering the warm shop, she sneezed from the sudden change in temperature and had her two boys in tow.

"Jin Niang, I just picked up Ying Niang’s daughter, and the cold on the way back was unbearable—I stopped by to warm up," Rong Niang said, shivering.

"Here, warm up with some tea," Jin Niang said quickly, motioning for A Ying to serve. "Why don’t you stay the night? Yang Ge isn’t home, so the boys can sleep in his room, and you can share mine."

She insisted out of kindness—traveling in such heavy snow could be dangerous.

Rong Niang initially wanted to leave but, recalling the icy carriage ride, agreed and sent the coachman back to inform Feng Sheng.

Once settled, Rong Niang looked at Jin Niang. "How are you dressed so lightly? Aren’t you cold?"

Before Jin Niang could answer, A Ying chimed in, "Our mistress is wearing a woolen jacket—of course she’s not cold! She could stay out till the second watch and still be warm."

Rong Niang recalled how she herself just stuffed extra cotton and hemp into her clothes during the coldest days. Feng Sheng’s most expensive garment was a paper-lined coat. Jin Niang was living more luxuriously now. Looking toward the back, she saw Luo Yue still wearing an old cotton-padded jacket.

She couldn’t help but ask, "Why didn’t Jin Niang make you a fur-lined coat too?"

"Those things are expensive. Jin Niang is preparing her own dowry—we didn’t contribute anything, so how could we ask for that?" The reason they got along so well with their daughter was because they were clear about money matters. Even the rent for their home in Foul Water Alley was covered by Jin Niang, who also hired help for cooking and laundry. For the dowry, the couple had only contributed twenty guan—the rest came from Jin Niang herself.

Irritated, Rong Niang gathered her children and left.

To Jin Niang’s surprise, despite the cold, customers still came for winter clothing. Seeing that her prices hadn’t increased, one woman said gratefully, "Thank you, Madam Wei."

"It’s nothing," Jin Niang replied. She’d stocked up on cotton ahead of time and now it was coming in handy.

She firmly believed that keeping warm and well-fed warded off illness—avoiding sickness was the greatest blessing, as even a common cold could be deadly.

Sure enough, Rong Niang didn’t share her view. After returning home in the heavy snow, she and her two sons caught colds—the younger one, already frail, developed a bad fever.

Even though Feng Sheng was a doctor, after treating them for seven or eight days, the boy was still coughing. Feng Sheng insisted it was just a cough and that he could still study, but Rong Niang blamed the illness on sending him so far away for schooling and refused to let him go back.

The couple had another heated argument over the child.

Meanwhile, Jiang Xian rode in a sedan chair to Fan Tower in the winter. When he arrived, the party was already in full swing. As he removed his slate-blue cloak with its faint Western floral motif, he revealed a blue brocade jacket embroidered with cranes, paired with a matching pleated skirt and a gilded sash. His fur-lined wind cap was also trimmed with gold thread.

The room was filled with scions of noble houses. Though they seemed casual, they were observant. One thought to himself, *They say Sixteenth Brother Jiang landed a fine match—now it’s clear why. He looks even more refined and distinguished, especially that wind cap—it’s a far cry from our bulky felt hats.*

Even when Jiang Xian took it off, his hair stayed perfectly in place.

Someone asked, "That wind cap is excellent—mine always flattens my hair. Where’d you have it made?" Jiang Xian smiled inwardly and thought, *My lady wife made it.*