chapter 2

The dense white mist in the bathroom gradually dissipated, and the air became cooler.

Sandalwood has already looked at Jiafu several times. She shrank down, dipped in the camphor bath tub, her freshly washed hair with half-tidal hair was loosely wrapped around the side of her neck with a hairpin, her forehead rested lightly on the wall of the tub, her eyes were closed, her eyelashes were closed. He drooped, as if he had fallen asleep.

She was afraid that Jiafu would catch a cold, so she couldn't help but urged softly, "Little lady, wake up."

Jiafu slowly opened her eyes, supported the wet barrel wall, and stood up.

The snow skin is greasy, the jade skin is dazzling, and there are little crystal water droplets on it, and the figure is like a budding Guerlain.

Sandalwood wrapped Jiafu's body with a soft scarf, and Lilac handed over the clothes she had prepared. Jiafu dried her body, put on her clothes and went out. A few rough women came in to clean up. Among them was a woman surnamed Wang. Not long after she arrived, she smelled the aroma of the bath soup and couldn't help asking: "What kind of fragrance is this lady using every day? It smells so good. My granddaughter is getting married next month. I'll go back and buy some to add makeup to her."

Sandalwood is friendly and smiled and replied: "Mother Wang, this is called Jiepuluoxiang, also known as frozen dragon brain, and it was shipped from Nantianzhu. I heard the little lady say that it was not worth a lot of money there, but If it is shipped across the ocean to us, it will only cost you a tael of silver."

Madam Wang was startled and clicked her tongue: "My mother! This is too expensive, where can I afford it! Add this to the little lady's bath every day, how much money will it cost after a month? Fragrant soup, it's actually Qiantang!"

Another old woman laughed out loud: "Pharaoh, you can talk about this yourself, don't talk nonsense when you go out, so as not to make people laugh. Who is the owner? No matter how expensive the spices are, they will come to the owner. Here, it is nothing but soil. Not to mention one tael of silver, even if it is ten taels of silver, the little lady will use it, but it is only a matter of order."

Quanzhou is prosperous in maritime trade. There are large and small ports outside Nanxunmen and Tumen. Countless ships come in and out every day, as close as Champaign, Siam, Sulu, as far away as Dashi, Ma Lin, Bici, and various foreign countries. There are many kinds of goods, and spices are one of the major categories. The Zhen family is a very rich man in Quanzhou, and they own one of the best fleets. No matter how precious the spices are, there is nothing rare in the Zhen family. Although this woman's words are a little boastful, they are not wrong.

Madam Wang nodded her head like a chicken pecking at rice, and smiled shyly: "Yes, yes, it's because I don't know anything, I said something wrong..." She stretched her neck and tried to smell the aroma, and Fang and Ren carried the water out together.

Sandalwood came out, saw Jiafu open the spice box, took a jade spoon and picked a spoonful, knowing that she was going to add it to the crested incense burner, and hurriedly opened the lid for her.

"I can do this. Be careful, little lady, in case you get hot."

Garf threw the spices into the stove. The spice touched the fire and made a pleasant sizzling sound. Accompanied by a curl of blue smoke, she bent down slightly, raised her hand, and fanned the cigarette in her direction a few times, then closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. in one breath.

Sandalwood looked at it, a little puzzled.

The little lady has never liked to incense incense in the room, only put flowers, but she doesn't know why, after returning from Xishan Temple that day, she suddenly changed her preference. Also add the mashed powder.

That's all. Sandalwood has been in Zhen's house for many years, and with the little lady, she knows the types and pros and cons of some spices. Frozen borneol is naturally top-grade, with a light and elegant aroma, sweet aftertaste, and a high price, but it is not top-notch among the same fat spices. The top is ambergris. Because the appearance and color of the two kinds of spices are similar, and the flavor mist is also similar, non-experts cannot distinguish them, so profiteers often sell frozen borneol as ambergris.

Although ambergris is rare, the Zhen family does not have no stockpiles. Since the little lady has switched to incense, why not take ambergris and use this slightly frozen borneol?

Sandalwood couldn't help but ask.

Jiafu stared at the cloud of blue smoke rising from Feng's mouth, and said lightly, "Dragon saliva is a royal tribute incense, I don't use it properly."

Sandalwood suddenly said: "It's still the thoughtful thinking of the little lady."

"Remember to bring it when you go out tomorrow. All my clothes should be smoked with this frozen borneol for a longer period of time. Don't make a mistake."

Sandalwood smiled and said, "Don't worry, little lady, I'm all ready, I can't go wrong."

"The lady is here!"

Jiafu turned her head and saw her mother Meng Shi and Madam Liu beside her arriving. She greeted her with a smile on her face.

Mrs. Meng took her daughter and sat on the edge of the bed: "How is your body? Are you still in a trance when you sleep?"

The ninth day of the first lunar month was the third anniversary of Jiafu's father. On that day, she went to Xishan Temple with her grandmother, Mrs. Hu, mother, Mrs. Meng, and brother Zhen Yaoting to do the Daxiang Dharma ceremony. She stayed in the temple overnight, and she and Mrs. Meng slept in the same room. Early the next morning, Mrs. Meng woke up to find her daughter burst into tears and was startled. When she asked her why, she shook her head and didn't say anything. She just hugged her blindly, crying and laughing. She bumped into something unclean outside the temple, and went to ask for the magic water, and took her home that day. She was still in a trance, and it took a few days to get better.

Jiafu said, "My daughter is already well. Mother, don't worry."

Mrs. Meng looked at her daughter and saw that she was smiling and looking good, she hugged her lovingly: "As soon as your father leaves, it will be three years in a blink of an eye, your brother is naughty and disobedient, and you are the only one left in front of your mother, tomorrow. just..."

She stopped.

Tomorrow, Jiafu will go north to the capital with Madam Meng and her brother Zhen Yaoting.

The Zhen family went north this time, obviously to wish the birthday of Mrs. Pei of the Duke of Wei's mansion, but in fact, it was for the marriage of Jiafu and the prince of the Duke's mansion, Pei Xiuzhi.

The marriage was negotiated a year ago, just waiting for Jiafu Xiaoman to arrange it. Although it is a continuation of the string, there is already a five-year-old stepson waiting there, but no matter how rich the Zhen family is, the deceased father is only a scholar. It is a great achievement for her to marry into the prince's mansion as the prince's wife. This marriage can be made, and it took a lot of trouble in the middle.

For the Zhen family, this is even more of a good thing for her daughter to have a home. Madam Meng is very happy, but she thinks that after her daughter gets married, the distance between the capital and Quanzhou will be long, and it may not be easy for mother and daughter to see each other again. The door is high and the courtyard is deep, and her family is not close enough, and she is worried that she will not be able to gain a foothold in the future. After worrying about this and that, the thoughts poured out, and there were tears in the corners of my eyes.

Madam Liu hurriedly picked up good words to persuade: "The little lady is not married to another family, and the government of the country knows the bottom line. The prince is outstanding in appearance, and he is a dragon and a phoenix. When you came to Quanzhou, you also know what you did to the little lady, not to mention, that The second lady on the side and your wife are still sisters, and they are all a family. As soon as the little lady passes by, she will be the wife of the prince of the country's government. I don't know how much luck will be left in the future, what should my wife worry about?"

Mrs. Meng was persuaded to stop, turned to smile, wiped the corners of her eyes, and held her daughter's hand and said, "It's my mother who has thought about it too much. Let's go, don't make your grandmother wait too long."

...

Jiafu's grandmother, Mrs. Hu, is the backbone of the Zhen family. She is shrewd and tough, and she is not inferior to men. Jiafu's father's temperament was sloppy and open, and he was not very interested in fame. After passing the exam as a scholar, he failed many tests. When he was in his thirties, in a fit of anger, he simply gave up fame and took over the ancestral business. Three years ago, when Jiafu was thirteen years old, he went out to sea with the fleet and unfortunately died in the wind and waves. The grief of the white-haired man from the Hu family is one can be imagined, but the old woman carried it over and instead pinned her hopes on Jiafu's brother Zhen Yaoting. He is two years older than Jiafu. He is eighteen this year. He is very good to his sister, but unfortunately he doesn't make much progress. He doesn't talk about his studies, and he doesn't care about business at home. .

Catherine followed her mother to the grandmother's room. The old lady had thick eyebrows, broad forehead, and a stern face. Jiafu was not close to her. She used to be a little afraid of her. Even Madam Meng didn't dare to speak in front of her. Greet her with her daughter.

The old lady asked about the preparations for going north tomorrow, and Mrs. Meng responded: "Don't worry, mother, I personally prepared the birthday gifts for the old lady of the country, and the gifts for the Song family. I have checked them all, and they have already boarded the boat. The capital is over there. The house is ready, and you can live there in the past.”

When Jiafu came to Beijing this time, she would not return to Quanzhou, but stayed there to wait for her marriage. In order to facilitate the arrangement of the next marriage, the Zhen family deliberately bought a house in the capital.

The old lady asked a few more questions, and Mrs. Meng answered them one by one. She was very thorough, and there was nothing wrong. The old lady was satisfied and said, "When you go to Beijing, don't count the money, just use it as you want. Pei's family is the highest. It's just that the family is bigger, and those invisible difficulties are not necessarily less than ours. Besides, the palace has changed, and the Pei family is not as beautiful as it used to be. His family is willing to do this marriage, but it's not Afu. People, it's our money and the way to get money."

Madam Meng said, "Don't worry, mother, daughter-in-law knows."

The old lady's stern face finally showed a slight smile: "You are also suffering, married to my Zhen family, like me, widowed at a young age, but fortunately there are a pair of children to look forward to, Afu is married now Well, you can also enjoy happiness in the future."

Mrs. Meng was born in a family of officials. When her father was sent to Fujian as an official, he made a big mistake. He relied on the help of the grandfather of the Zhen family to get through the difficulties. In order to express his gratitude, he married a daughter to the Zhen family. Originally, the relationship between the two families was good, but with the death of Master Meng and the grandfather of the Zhen family one after another, the Meng family's son was in a recession, and he held his own identity, and refused to take the initiative to get close to the Zhen family, and the relationship between the two families gradually became thinner. But after Mrs. Meng got married, she had a very good relationship with her husband. At this moment, she was reminded by the old lady's words. Her eyes were red, but she didn't dare to cry, she just smiled and said, "Mother said, I think so too. of."

The old lady nodded, turned to Jaffe, who had been silent beside her, and called her.

Knowing that she had something to say, Jiafu knelt down on a mat in front of her: "Grandma, please tell me."

"filial piety is the foundation of a hundred actions. You know what's going on in our family. Although people are expensive and independent, it's always a good thing for you to marry into the Pei family. I'm leaving sooner or later, and this family business is left to your brother. , If you are in the Pei's house in the future, you will inevitably have to help him. Do you remember what your grandmother said? "

Jiafu said, "My granddaughter remembers it." The attitude was very respectful.

The old lady looked at her with some rare warmth in her eyes. She nodded and said, "Get up, go back and rest early, keep your spirits up, and go on the road tomorrow morning."