Chapter 136

Chapter 136

Stepping out of the old residence, both mother and daughter let out a sigh of relief.

Yun Jieer, still young and spirited, couldn’t help but say, "This grandmother keeps saying she’s about to die, that she’s all alone and has no status—it’s so irritating to listen to. Does she really think my father would secure her an honorary title instead of his own mother?"

"She’s not competing with your birth grandmother. She just wants your father to petition for her title the next time he gets promoted. I was just humoring her," Jin Niang said with a laugh.

Yun Jieer was puzzled. "Why can’t she just wait? By the time she married into the family, Father and you had already moved out. We send lavish gifts for all seasonal festivals—isn’t that enough?"

Jin Niang explained to her daughter, "Haven’t you noticed? When there’s work to be done, hardly anyone steps up, but when it’s time to take credit, everyone rushes forward. That’s just how the world is. Whether you like someone or not, you have to share the same roof unless you’re capable of being completely independent, like your father and me. We rely on ourselves, so no one can control us. Whatever she says, I won’t commit your father to anything, so she won’t get what she wants, and there’s nothing she can do about it."

Yun Jieer sighed. "Mother, I don’t want to get married anymore."

"Fine by me. You can stay at home and just reel in Wei Qilang instead," Jin Niang teased her.

Then she continued, "Look at your cousin from the Dou family—the one who used to live across from us in Daming Prefecture. Her sister-in-law gave birth to two sons and bullied her for not having any. The smugness was unbearable. That’s why people always say, ‘Better to be born anything but a woman, for a lifetime of suffering and joy lies in others’ hands.’"

Yun Jieer leaned against Jin Niang. "That’s such a depressing thing to say."

"Lower your expectations in everything, and you might be pleasantly surprised. Set them too high, and you’ll only be disappointed," Jin Niang said, patting her daughter’s hand reassuringly.

When they returned home, Jin Niang brought up the matter casually to Jiang Yan. He wrapped an arm around her and said, "I never realized she was so obsessed with official titles."

Jin Niang looked at her husband. "Well, I gave her some vague responses. She didn’t seem too bad off—her chins were practically spilling onto her neck."

Zheng Shi was itching to make trouble, but Jin Niang and her family didn’t even live with her, and she wasn’t Jiang Yan’s birth mother. Sending her the occasional tonic and visiting a few times was already more than enough. The Jiang clan’s Jiang Yan and his wife even praised them for their filial piety everywhere.

During the Mid-Autumn Festival, Jiang Yan invited Sixth Uncle over. Ning Geer also returned home. That year at the prefectural school, he had studied diligently to be selected for the Imperial Academy, reciting poetry and composing essays impromptu. Sixth Uncle held his grandson’s hand and said to Jiang Yan and Jin Niang, "You two must nurture this child well. Don’t constrain him."

Jiang Yan laughed. "Father, are you saying our Ning Geer is some heaven-sent genius?"

Of course, his eldest son made him proud. Born into wealth yet no stranger to hardship, he had grown ever more unconventional as he got older. But he didn't play favorites—he was fair to everyone.

He had a mind of his own, and even his own father couldn’t sway his ambitions.

A man like this didn’t become an official just for the sake of it. Who knew? He might rise to great heights someday, leaving his father eating his dust. But for now, the boy was still young—no sense in spoiling him with excessive praise.

Sixth Uncle said, "I have my reasons for saying this."

After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Luoyang rents came in—270 taels of silver. Jin Niang placed it in the western side room. The money they had saved up before was stored in the cellar beneath the main courtyard, originally built for hiding gold and silver. Only the two of them knew about the secret passage below.

By the time the Double Ninth Festival came around, Jiang Yan had found a tutor for their second son, Ding Geer. The boy had just turned three, about the same age his elder brother had been when he started his education.

As usual, Jin Niang converted the western wing for the child’s study. This time, the tutor was an elderly scholar with a quick wit, not the stern type. Jiang Yan really knew how to handle things—at least the child wouldn’t grow to dread his studies.

On the first day after lessons, Ding Geer came home with a book bag shaped like a rooster, his long eyelashes wet with tears. He immediately threw himself into Jin Niang’s arms. "Mama!"

"My little boy is such a softie," Jin Niang said, lifting him onto her lap.

Ding Geer giggled, plump as a little dumpling. "Mama, the tutor’s lesson on the *Hundred Surnames* was exactly what you taught me before."

Having already taught Yun Jieer and Ning Geer, Jin Niang now followed the time-honored classical approach for Ding Geer’s education—no slapdash methods.

"Hmm, did the tutor assign any homework today?" Jin Niang asked.

Ding Geer nodded.

Jin Niang said gently, "Then let’s make sure our little scholar remembers his homework every day, alright?"

Ding Geer beamed.

Soon after, Yun Jieer came over again to help her younger brother with his homework. They only ate together after Ding Geer finished.

A month later, Ding Geer no longer cried when going to school, and Jin Niang could finally relax. She had just finished sewing another set of bedding for her daughter, which she packed into a cotton bag and sealed.

The porcelain she’d custom-ordered for her daughter from the Ding kiln arrived—white-glazed bowls with lotus-petal carvings, white-glazed ewers, white-glazed five-legged incense burners, white-glazed carved washing basins, white-glazed long-necked vases with lotus motifs, white-glazed porcelain pillows...

She checked the base of each piece, where the character "Jiang" was engraved, and nodded slightly.

Often, once such items reached the in-laws' home, they might get mixed up with other household items through daily use, making ownership unclear. But with a character engraved at the bottom, there would be no confusion.

These items also needed to be reviewed by Yun Jieer. She couldn’t just rely blindly on the dowry list without knowing the actual pieces included.

Just as Yun Jieer arrived, Third Sister Zhou dropped by. Jin Niang quickly rose to greet her. Nowadays, Jiang Fang was highly regarded by State Councilor Shen, and Third Sister Zhou’s status had risen accordingly.

Spotting the uncovered boxes, Third Sister Zhou couldn’t help but praise, "Such beautiful glaze!"

"Precisely because the glaze is so fine, I had to wait a year to secure these through a trusted connection," Jin Niang replied with a smile, instructing servants to carry the boxes away before offering tea.

Third Sister Zhou remarked, "I just visited Nanxun Lane. Madam Zheng is recuperating well and mentioned you send her a pig’s trotter every day."

"You are what you eat. Since we don’t live nearby now, we can’t visit daily, so this is the best we can do," Jin Niang said.

Third Sister Zhou thought Jin Niang’s actions were faultless, but her habit of mentioning every visit to the old residence to Jin Niang was merely a formality—everyone did the same.

After exchanging a few more words, Third Sister Zhou left and went to Fourth Sister Zhou’s home.

Once the sisters met, Third Sister Zhou felt compelled to remind her younger sister, "Today, I visited Jin Niang’s home at Jinliang Bridge. They’re preparing dowry items—such fine white-glazed Ding ware! You should hurry and finalize yours too. Your child will be old enough to marry next year."

Fourth Sister Zhou sighed, "I’ve been looking, but nothing’s caught my eye."

"You must act quickly. By the way, how much dowry do you plan to give your eldest daughter?" Third Sister Zhou mused, thinking she might be able to introduce some useful connections.

Fourth Sister Zhou considered the income from two plots of land—totaling 280 guan—along with her husband’s salary and some side income, bringing their savings close to 300 guan. Since girls these days often married at eighteen or nineteen, she still had about three or four years left. She estimated, "I plan to prepare 1,000 guan for Eldest Miss Sun. I’ll also give her the 100-acre estate that was part of my own dowry."

With a second daughter to consider, she couldn’t give everything to the eldest. Still, Eldest Miss Sun would also receive additional gifts from the Sun clan.

A thousand guan was actually not a small sum—though incomparable to the Zhou family, who had generations of high-ranking officials and shrewd management. The Suns were an ordinary official family, and the fact that Fourth Sister Zhou’s household could afford a house in Bianjing was already commendable. Both daughters would have to manage with this.

Hearing this, Third Sister Zhou assumed she had the funds readily available and smiled, "That’s good, then. It’s quite decent."

"That’s what I think too. After all, I have two daughters, and their ages aren’t far apart." In truth, Fourth Sister Zhou was already feeling anxious—two daughters meant 2,000 guan!

Third Sister Zhou wasn’t fully aware of their situation. Since Jiang Fang had been adopted into that branch as the only son, and given his long tenure and higher official rank, she assumed Fourth Sister Zhou’s family was similarly well-off.

Of course, the pressing matter was her daughter’s marriage. Her husband’s rank wasn’t particularly high, so she asked Third Sister Zhou to help find a match, especially since Third Sister Zhou’s husband was a close associate of State Councilor Shen.

Third Sister Zhou agreed at once, "Very well, I’ll look into it for you."

True to her word, Third Sister Zhou acted swiftly and soon found a potential match—a family Jin Niang also knew: the son born to a concubine of Madam Meng across the street, the late Lady Huang’s child. Vice Minister Meng outranked Sun Shichen by two grades, and Madam Meng was an imperial relative. The Meng family was quite wealthy, living in a sprawling five-courtyard estate.

Sun Shichen and Fourth Sister Zhou both felt this match was unsuitable because Meng Sanlang was born to a concubine. Though he studied, still...

Privately, Eldest Miss Sun asked Third Sister Zhou, "Auntie, how is Meng Sanlang’s scholarship?"

Third Sister Zhou replied, "He’s very studious. You may not know this, but among the three Meng brothers, Meng Dalang married the daughter of State Councilor Shen’s in-law, the Lin family. Both the second and third sons are scholars. We recommended Meng Sanlang precisely because of his academic prowess."

Even Jin Niang knew about Jie Yu Qiao’s pregnancy—her future looked bright, let alone someone as astute as Jiang Fang.

Moreover, Zhou San herself was a child of a concubine and knew well the hardships faced by those of secondary-lineage status, which drove her to study even harder.

“Then I’m willing.” Eldest Miss Sun thought that if this courtship process continued, she would soon turn fifteen—who knew how much longer it might take? Hadn’t the Wang family’s daughter also married a concubine-born son of the Wei family? Whether legitimate or not, what mattered was a man’s scholarship. If he excelled in learning, even an illegitimate son would be treated with ancestral-level respect by his family. But if he was incompetent, what use was being legitimate?

Zhou San raised her eyebrows in surprise, never expecting her niece to be so decisive.

Since Sun Shichen’s father had already left government service, his rank, though high in the eyes of commoners, made it difficult for his daughter to marry into a higher-ranking family—to put it bluntly, Eldest Miss Sun’s dowry was only a thousand guan, which was far from enough.

Take Jiang Xian’s daughter, for example. The reason she could marry into a higher family was twofold: first, the marriage reinforced family connections, and second, Jiang Xian’s career was flourishing. After returning from Liao, he was appointed Imperial Secretary and was soon to be promoted to Academician of Baohe Hall, a fourth-rank position.

By year’s end, Jin Niang saw the imperial edict appointing Jiang Xian as Academician of Baohe Hall.

Meanwhile, the youngest son of the Meng family across the street, Meng Sanlang, was also engaged—to none other than Eldest Miss Sun, daughter of Zhou Si. Madam Meng, unaware that the Sun family knew Jin Niang, even remarked to her, “This match was arranged by my husband. The girl’s aunt is the wife of Academician of Tianzhang Pavilion Jiang Fang, and her father is among the most upright among the scholar-officials—truly a fine match.”

Madam Meng thought that since her concubine-born son was marrying the daughter of a minor official with an average dowry, it wouldn’t overshadow her own sons, so she didn’t mind.

Jin Niang reflected that while Magistrate Meng held a Fifth Rank position and Sun Shichen was only sixth-rank, Meng Sanlang, though a concubine-born son, was still a valued scholar in a civil official’s family. The Li family next door had even married their daughter to a clerk’s son.

Besides, the Mengs were no ordinary official family—Madam Meng was a member of the imperial clan, and their household was wealthy. It wasn’t a bad match at all.

Fang Ma, seated below Jin Niang, knew of Zhou Si’s two daughters and remarked, “I recall her eldest daughter is about the same age as our Yun Jieer—both old enough for marriage. How come she’s only just settled on a match?”

“I’m not sure either,” Jin Niang shook her head.

Eldest Miss Sun had consented to the match herself, though Zhou Si blamed her daughter for being shortsighted. As a time traveler from the modern era, she knew that a man’s legitimacy mattered little, but family connections mattered.

“Madam Meng isn’t Meng Sanlang’s birth mother—she won’t truly care for him. Besides, with your prospects, you could find someone better later,” Zhou Si insisted, feeling her daughter was marrying beneath her.

Eldest Miss Sun replied, “Even if it’s beneath me, I won’t regret it, Mother. I’d rather settle this sooner. As for Second Sister, you should start matchmaking for her too. Look at our cousin from the Zhou family—once the family's golden child, but now? With Uncle demoted, who knows what the future holds?”

As the saying goes, it’s best to prepare for rainy days. As long as the Mengs remained Imperial relatives, minor troubles wouldn’t touch them. Even if they avoided factional strife, no one would target them.

Zhou Si hadn’t expected her daughter to think so far ahead. She felt her daughter was overthinking things, leading her to settle for a concubine-born son. But since the girl was determined, she agreed.

Though the Mengs were arranging a marriage for a concubine-born son, they still followed proper etiquette. While the betrothal gifts weren’t as lavish as those for Meng Dalang and Meng Erlang, they were still generous. Madam Meng even told Jin Niang that when it came to the bride price, they planned to give five hundred guan.

Five hundred guan was the standard for official families—Madam Jiang Liu had followed the same standard for her own daughter.

Still, matchmaking wasn’t settled overnight. Jin Niang listened but didn’t dwell on it.

Come spring, Innkeeper Yao and Manor Manager Fan arrived in the capital together, allowing Jin Niang to amass ten thousand guan in household assets. Knowing Jiang Xian had been promoted again, they even stayed to pay their respects. Jin Niang had Ding Geer’s tutor review the account books—since he had no vested interest, his assessment would be honest.

Jin Niang thought to herself that the land in Luoyang was always meant for her daughter. When the girl married, she’d also give her a shop, ensuring an annual income of six to seven hundred guan—a considerable amount.

Her daughter’s dowry was still five hundred guan short of five thousand, which would take until next year to save.

She had to finish all the embroidery by year’s end. Next year, she’d spend the whole year sewing her daughter’s wedding gown.

But after seeing Jin Niang’s own wedding dress, Yun Jieer tried it on and wanted to wear it—she didn’t want her mother to go through the trouble again. The embroidery had taken too much of her energy, leaving her less relaxed than in previous years. Besides, her mother’s gown had only been worn once and was still brand new.

Jin Niang wouldn’t hear of it: “There’s still a year or two to go. Oh, right—I asked Innkeeper Yao to bring Yue kiln celadon and ‘secret-color’ porcelain, including some dressing cases.”

Yun Jieer came to see them and immediately loved them.

Yet Jin Niang didn’t forget to tell her the cost—not to make her feel guilty, but to prevent extravagance. Many families scraped together their money only for their children to squander it recklessly. She didn’t want her children to think wealth came effortlessly, so she always made sure they knew.

The six bridal quilts, two years in the making, were finally done. For the bed canopies, Jin Niang embroidered only one—a light gauze jasmine canopy—and bought a gold-threaded one. Yun Jieer, meanwhile, embroidered two canopies herself and, with Min Zhi’s help, completed the chair backs and table runners. Now Jin Niang began embroidering entryway hangings. Spring’s warmth made it the perfect season for needlework—she planned four designs, each depicting flowers of a different season. This year, she’d focus on the entryway hangings and the wedding headdress.

Min Zhi worked on smaller items like oilskin protectors, pouches, fan cases, and shoe uppers, while Yun Jieer embroidered pillowcases and sewed footwear for the Wei family.

As for the pouches, headscarves, sweat towels, powder puffs, and oiled cloth wraps to be given to the servants of the Wei family, Qing Rong was assigned to make them, and she had completed all of them over the past two years.

While these tasks were underway, Madam Meng heard from Madam Li that Jin Niang’s Guanyin image was exquisitely stitched and decided to purchase one for her second daughter. This transaction brought Jin Niang an income of two hundred strings of cash.

From this sum, she took out twenty guan—first giving ten guan to Min Zhi as extra reward for her labor, and another five guan to Qing Rong. Qing Rong quickly shook her head, saying, “You already rewarded me at the end of last year.”

“Take it, this is from my own pocket,” Jin Niang said with a smile.

The remaining five guan was used to treat the staff to a meal—each receiving a roast chicken.

Luo Da’s family of five, all employed in the household, brought back five roast chickens, leaving Hu Tou so stuffed that he rubbed his belly and groaned, “From now on, I’ll run at the sight of chicken. The lady’s too kind—two chickens would’ve been enough for our family.”

His grandparents, parents, and siblings all promptly rapped him on the head.

Luo Mama said, “I’ll save one for my night watch later.”

During night duty, drinking alcohol was forbidden, but hot drinks like perilla tea were allowed. With a roast chicken in hand, the old woman felt in excellent health and even looked forward to earning more rewards in the future.

Ju Xiang from the kitchen, of course, enjoyed her roast chicken with a cup of wine, along with stir-fried cured pork with magnolia buds, sweet and sour fish, and pickled radish as a side—a truly satisfying meal.

As for the gatehouse men, those with families fared better, but the bachelors usually only got a few bites of meat as a treat. A whole chicken was an absolute luxury for them.

The aroma of roast chicken filled the air when Jiang Xian returned home, prompting him to quicken his steps.

He even saw Ding Geer’s young attendant, Liu Quan, a boy of six or seven, munching on a drumstick under the corridor.

“What’s going on today? Why is everyone in the house eating chicken? Is it some special occasion?”

Jin Niang laughed. “I sold a Guanyin image today, so I treated the whole household to roast chicken.”

Jiang Xian sat down and stretched out his hand. “Where’s mine?”

“You’re asking for one?” Jin Niang was speechless. He usually had no shortage of meat dishes and often grew tired of them, yet now he was craving this.

But Jiang Xian was unusually insistent, badgering her until she finally sent Hu Tou out to buy another chicken. Hu Tou almost groaned at the request—he was already sick of the smell of roast chicken after overindulging.

…

Meanwhile, the Meng family first sent the betrothal proposal letter to the Sun family. Zhou Si, having once served as a Complete Fortune Matron, was familiar with the procedures, though she knew the bride’s side would have to spend a considerable sum during the engagement.

Especially when it came to the return gifts—the finest silks and satins from the family’s stores had to be presented. Though her daughter’s needlework was decent, she couldn’t handle everything alone. Shoes, socks, handkerchiefs, and scarves all had to come in pairs, requiring the hiring of an embroiderer, which alone cost over ten guan in work fees.

Naturally, there were also expenses for the matchmaker and the Complete Fortune Matron, adding another fifty guan to the cost.

Of course, Zhou Si was even more troubled by the dowry sum of one thousand guan listed in the agreement. Fortunately, the Meng family had sent five hundred guan as betrothal gifts, meaning her family only needed to match the remaining five hundred guan, lightening her load considerably.

The wedding date was set for later. Though Meng Sanlang was a son by a concubine, the Meng family’s gifts were nothing to scoff at—gold bracelets, gold pendants, and two sets of gold-trimmed robes, along with two brocade outfits. They even sent a silver-plated coronet.

Zhou Si told her daughter, “I still have a coronet in my dowry—I’ll pass it down to you.”

A pure gold coronet cost one to two hundred guan—a pretty penny.

Eldest Miss Sun smiled. “Thank you, Mother.”

By including the groom’s family’s gifts as part of the dowry, the financial pressure on her own family was lessened, and Eldest Miss Sun breathed a sigh of relief.

By the time the Meng family finished delivering the betrothal gifts, it was already the sixth lunar month. Jin Niang had completed the embroidered portière and bridal veil, finally allowing her to relax. As it happened, Ning Geer was admitted to the Upper Division of the Imperial Academy, and Jiang Xian’s salary—he was now a fourth-rank official—came in full, amounting to nearly four hundred guan for half a year.

She then hired a tailor to make summer outfits for the family of four—five sets apiece to rotate.

The new clothes were finished by the tailors in just a few days, just in time for Jin Niang to wear them on her birthday. Wei Qilang even came specially to deliver birthday gifts. Over the past few years, Wei Qilang had shot up in height, and they now had to look up when speaking to him.

"Aunt, I heard Ning Geer was admitted to the Upper Division," Wei Qilang said as he sat down.

Jin Niang smiled. "Indeed, after nearly two years in the prefectural school, he finally advanced from the Outer Division to the Middle Division, and this year, he made it to the Upper Division. He’s thrilled, but the pressure’s intense—he says it’s packed with talent."

Wei Qilang chuckled. "It’s just that I’ll be seeing my teacher off to his hometown soon. Today, I came to celebrate Aunt’s birthday, but I’m afraid we won’t meet again until next year."

Jin Niang looked at him and said, "Young people like you should go out and explore the world. However, the world is full of complexities—you must be careful not to be deceived."

Wei Qilang put on a panicked look. "Aunt, you are the most knowledgeable person I’ve ever met. Please share your wisdom with me—I’m truly afraid of falling into someone’s trap."

"Very well," Jin Niang began.

Jiang Xian side-eyed the young man and scoffed to himself. *This kid is full of tricks, acting so convincingly. ‘Afraid of falling into someone’s trap’? More like he’s the one setting traps.*

Good thing his wife was so gullible.