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Jasmine Extra—Two People, One Home (Part 1)
Yixinfu is located on the only way to Beijing on the Jiangnan Dry Road. Although it is not a large city, it is extremely prosperous and prosperous. In addition to shops and inns, there are many pedestrians coming and going every day on the main roads, making it very lively.
It has been more than two years since Jasmine followed Jiang Shiyan and settled here. The husband and wife of the Jiang family have returned to their hometown to take care of the old lady. Now there are only a family of four living in this big house. Jasmine thought she could finally have some leisure time. Living the day, I didn't expect that the daily communication was not easy.
She has a straightforward temperament, and she is always the most impatient when it comes to things like smiling and pretending to be polite. Fortunately, the wife of the prefect of Yixin Prefecture is a very cheerful northern woman. The two have similar temperaments and get along very well.
With the help of his virtuous wife, Jiang Shiyan's business has been going very smoothly for more than two years, and his life has become more and more enjoyable.
However, Jasmine has always looked a little sad in the past few days. Seeing that the term of the prefect is coming to an end, she wonders what kind of character and temperament the new parent officer is. The relationship that was originally well managed has to be restarted again. Fill it with silver.
Jiang Shiyan took this matter very seriously. Before going out in the morning, he saw Jasmine sitting in a daze with her eyebrows slightly furrowed. He went up to her and hugged her, kissed her and said, "You don't need to think so much, it's like this everywhere in business." The thing is, you are lucky to have a good relationship with the prefect's wife this time, but other people's business is done the same way? Even if the new adults are difficult to get along with, as long as we give enough money, can they deliberately embarrass us? "
"You said it lightly, but the money was earned every penny." Jasmine understood that Jiang Shiyan was right, but she still couldn't help but muttered a few words, stretched out her hand to push him and said, "Okay, hurry up and go out. , I get up early every day to catch the evening market." As soon as he sent Jiang Shiyan away, he received a message from the prefect's wife, asking her to stop by the house in the afternoon.
Jasmine took the post and weighed it in the room for a moment. The official handover was just a few days away. The latter was a farewell banquet hosted by the city officials and squires. Today might be the last time to meet the prefect’s wife in private. Thinking of her, After two years of taking care of my family and the friendship between the two of them, I felt that I couldn't go empty-handed.
"Lanzhi, please take a photo of the new things that were sent from the south a few days ago and let me take a look." Jasmine turned around and ordered. Those things were all sent by Bo Rong. Let her pick out the ones she likes first and keep the rest. Let’s see if there’s any sales here, and if so, help her find connections.
After receiving the order, Lanzhi quickly called two rough ladies to carry four large boxes to the ground in the East Room and lined them up. She took the key from Jasmine to unlock the box, and then opened the lids of the boxes one by one.
Jasmine's eyes roamed back and forth among several boxes, and she took out a set of red coral headbands, two gold necklaces, several Suzhou embroidery purses of new patterns, each with a white jade handle, and finally took out a mahogany The box is covered with soft brocade and decorated with a pair of gold and silk threads. Then I took out a few more Hu brushes, two pieces of fine Hui ink, and a glazed water bearer for mandarin ducks playing in the lotus pond. I always felt that something was missing, and I frowned and thought for a long time, but I didn't have a clue.
The girl on the side, Lan Hui, suddenly said, "Grandma, what do you think of this pen holder?"
Jasmine took a look at it and saw that it was a rosewood pen holder, made into a folding fan shape. There was a pen holder just at the opening. It was carved with an atmospheric cirrus pattern. It looked very pleasing to the eye. She couldn't help but nod her head and gave orders. The rest of the stationery is packed and placed in one place.
The important things seemed to be almost there, so I added some embroidered handkerchiefs, screens, bamboo curtains and other small items commonly used at home. I asked the girl to pack them one by one. Two lifting boxes just happened to be packed in. I looked around and saw that there were no omissions. When it was done, he wrote out the gift list and put it aside to dry.
Shao Shiyan would not come for lunch at noon, and only Jasmine was at home with her two children. Zao'er is now a twelve-year-old girl, wearing a homely double-ring bun and apricot-red summer clothes, which makes her complexion exceptionally white and supple.
"After all, she is a young girl, and she can match such a bright color." Seeing that her daughter was rarely dressed in such bright colors, Jasmine couldn't help but hug her and said affectionately.
"It's made of the new material my uncle sent me this time. I like the pattern woven on it. There's still a lot of material left. Mom, please make one too!" Zao'er said, leaning next to Jasmine.
"Mom, at your age, you don't make people laugh when you dress like this. This is what you little girls are wearing." Jasmine couldn't help but sigh after saying this. There is no one in her daughter's family who doesn't like beauty. When she was a child, her family didn't have such conditions. As time goes by, The richer I get, the older I can wear these bright colors.
"Oh..." Zao'er responded vaguely, then frowned and said, "Why doesn't Shou'er come out yet? He has to be urged and invited every time he eats. The older he gets, the more disobedient he becomes."
Jasmine turned to look at the girl, and Lanzhi hurriedly said: "Grandma, I have already gone to invite you, and I said you will come when you finish reading this page."
"I say that every time." Zao'er got up and ran across the courtyard in a hurry, and not long after, the two of them came back, arguing.
Shi'er was still holding the book in his hand, being pulled by Zao'er and staggering around, but his eyes couldn't help but stick to the pages of the book.
"You two, be careful!" Seeing her son almost tripping over the threshold, Jasmine finally couldn't help but say, "Zao'er, you can't talk to him nicely? You, too, Zao'er, Studying is not a bad thing, but you can’t forget about food and sleep like you. You don’t go out except for eating every day. Look at your face, it’s as white as paper.”
Seeing what her mother had said, Xian'er put down the book in her hand, walked up to Jasmine and said, "Mom, my aunt sent me a lot of books, all of which I have never read before. I couldn't bear to pick them up." I want to read it all.
"I will write to Hehua next time and tell him that I can no longer send you books. Your second uncle is already a nerd, and you are even more nerdy than him now." Jasmine reached out and poked her son on the forehead.
Xier quickly hugged the book in his arms, fearing that Jasmine would take it away.
"You all eat your meals honestly. I have to go out to do errands later. You two just stay at home." Jasmine's face was stern, and the two little ones immediately didn't dare to make any more mistakes, and they both sat down to eat obediently. .
After lunch, Jasmine made arrangements at home and told Zao'er not to sneak out to play, so she prepared a sedan chair and went to the prefect's house.
We are familiar with this road. The sedan stopped directly at the back door. Cuiping, the girl next to the magistrate's wife, was already waiting at the door. When she saw the sedan, she hurriedly came up and saluted: "I have seen Mrs. Jiang."
"Miss Cuiping, please forgive me. You are not an outsider, so you need to be so polite." Jasmine got off the sedan and stretched out her hand to help her, then followed her towards the inner room. The servant carried the things to the door and handed over the gift list together. Gave it to the door.
"Mrs. Jiang, please come here. It's a bit hot here today. Our lady is waiting for you at the waterside pavilion in the backyard!"
As soon as I stepped into the waterside pavilion, I heard the cheerful voice of the prefect's wife: "I was hesitating before whether to call you over at this time, knowing that you would prepare a gift, but I have to explain these things to you. "
Cuiping said with a smile: "Madam, you are really good at predicting things. Madam Jiang really came here with gifts."
"We have been friends for such a long time, and you still don't know what kind of person I am." Jasmine was not too polite. She went in, bowed and sat down at the bottom of the room without giving in. "There's nothing valuable. , it was just brought to me by my eldest brother from the south. I am close to you. Now that your family has been promoted, I am here to congratulate you and give you a gift. If our friendship in the past two years is not fake, don't refuse me. .”
"That's all, I can't always convince you." As expected, Mrs. Jiang didn't say anything more. She just waved away all the girls and then said, "Now that I know who will succeed my master, I can't help but Hurry up and call you over. This gentleman is quite diligent, but he has a problem that everyone knows, which is henpecking! The lady in his family is not a bad-hearted person, but she is very difficult to deal with. At first My husband and this lady were officials together, so I had to keep in touch with her for a few more years. She had a volatile temperament and was extremely petty. She could ponder for a long time just a few words from others, and she could always figure it out. They often came to Yixin Mansion without any intention, and they often broke up because of it. At that time, the masters of our two families were almost equal. Later, my master came to Yixinfu, but her master stayed there for three more years. Years ago, now that she has come to take care of my master's shortcomings, she will inevitably feel unhappy, so you have to be careful in dealing with it."
When Jasmine heard about such a person, she couldn't help but start to have a headache again, but she didn't dare to reveal too much in front of the prefect's wife. She just forced a smile and said: "I made a note of it, be careful. Thank you for your kindness." Tell me this specifically."
"What you said is just out of sight. I'm about to leave, and I know your character. I'm just giving you a few words. If it's not necessary, just have less contact with her. Just show your filial piety. When you are with her, you always make a lot of mistakes." The prefect's wife gave a few more warnings, then changed the subject with a smile, "Our master is having a social event tonight, and the two brothers are also out having fun. Now, I'm the only one left and I'm really bored. Since you're here today, don't even think about going back so early. Come and have a few drinks with me before you leave."
Jasmine couldn't refuse after hearing this, so she had to send someone home to deliver the message first. She drank a lot in the evening and felt a little drunk. She didn't come out of the magistrate's house until almost the end of the day. She sat on the sedan chair and bounced around, making her feel more and more dizzy. After arriving home, she couldn't refuse. As soon as I got off the sedan chair and was blown by the night wind, I felt like the world was spinning. I put my hand on the girl's arm and managed to steady myself.
Jiang Shiyan has been waiting anxiously since the beginning of the year. He sent people to wait on the way back, but he couldn't stay in his room. He put his two children to sleep and paced back and forth in the inner courtyard. Hearing the noise outside, he hurriedly went out to greet her. He saw Jasmine standing outside the second door with her cheeks flushed and her eyes a little blurry. She leaned precariously on the girl's body.
"Why did you come back after drinking so much?" Jiang Shiyan complained as he stepped forward, held Jasmine's legs with one hand, and directly hugged her in.
The girl on the side blushed and quickly followed in holding something.
Jasmine was very dizzy at the moment, and she didn't feel there was anything wrong with her posture. She put her arms around Jiang Shiyan's neck. Her head was shaking uncomfortably, so she unconsciously looked for a comfortable position, and rubbed her hot cheeks directly into the crook of Jiang Shiyan's neck.
The summer clothes were thin, and they would get angry after just a few rubs. Jiang Shiyan just waved the girl away, hugged Jasmine and went straight to the inner room, pulled off the gauze curtain and got closer.
Jasmine put her arms around his neck with rare tenderness.
Jiang Shiyan nibbled on her neck, the smell of fragrant powder lingering in the tip of his nose, he panted lightly and said with a smile: "Normally, he is like a cat with fried hair, but when he is drunk, he is as docile as a rabbit. Is it possible that I will let you drink more in the future? How many times have I been drunk..."
The next day Jasmine woke up and it was already bright outside. Seeing the girls with red faces and pursed lips and snickering, she couldn't help but feel angry. However, the culprit had already had breakfast and went out, and she couldn't find him even if she wanted to vent her anger. to people.
Before she even got up, Zaoer came over and said, "Mom, I want to go out today."
"Can you act like a girl? Who is such a big girl and still runs away every three days? Now we are in Yixin Mansion, not in the village of my hometown. How can I tell you about your husband's family after you are so wild? "As soon as Jasmine heard that her daughter was about to go out, she couldn't help but have a headache. Coupled with the hangover and indulgence last night, she pressed her forehead and let out an ouch, then lay down again on her bed.
"Mom, are you feeling unwell?" Seeing this, Zao'er quickly reached out to touch Jasmine's forehead, then reached back and touched her own, "It seems to be a bit hot. Do you want to ask the doctor to take a look?"
"It's okay." Jasmine sighed and looked at her daughter, "Why are you going out today?"
"Isn't this the time when the prefect is resigning? We, the little sisters who have always been close to each other, have said that we will practice it for his eldest daughter." Zao'er stretched out his hand and hugged Jasmine's arm and shook her, "Mom, it's really just us. If you don’t believe me, just ask Sister Lanzhi to go with me. I will not cause trouble, drink alcohol, or sneak away for fun... "
"Quickly, don't shake me. I already have a headache and you are even more dizzy." Jasmine stretched out her hand to push her coquettish daughter away and asked, "Whose house have you booked to go to? Or have you booked a restaurant?"
Zao'er was at a loss for words. After hesitating for a long time, she finally said clearly: "Yes, it's Qinxiangfang..." After saying that, she rubbed the corner of her clothes and didn't dare to raise her head. She originally wanted to take advantage of Jasmine's hangover before she woke up to get a bargain, but who knew? But still can't get through it.
"Nonsense, is that the kind of place you girls go to?" Jasmine immediately started to make a fuss. She stood up suddenly and felt dizzy again. She held on to the bedpost for a long time before she regained her composure. "In that kind of place where everyone is mixed, you are really more and more capable." You're brave enough to look at me. I'm so drunk right now and you want to get away with it, right?" Don't skip the word.
"Mom, no, really no. We have chartered a boat and we don't have any outsiders. Wouldn't it be okay to bring two more girls and servants?" Bu Tiao said. Zao'er came up and begged, "The boat will sail to the middle of the water and no one will disturb it. It will be fine."
Jasmine rubbed her forehead and thought for a long time, then raised her eyes and stared at Zao'er and asked seriously: "Are you really going to see off the girl from the prefect's house?"
"Yes, yes!" Zaoer nodded repeatedly, looking like he wanted to swear to God.
"Lanzhi, if you bring enough money to go with you, ask two more servants to follow you." Jasmine finally relaxed.
"Don't worry, mother, I will be good." Zao'er was overjoyed to receive the pardon and ran back to change clothes.
Jasmine then turned to Lanzhi and said, "Keep a close eye on her. If anything goes wrong or a man is present after we leave, you can tie her up and bring her back to me immediately. She is not allowed to drink or drink." Listen to those messy things, otherwise if anything goes wrong, I will clean it up with you when you come back!"
"Grandma, don't worry, I will serve you well." Lanzhi hurriedly saluted and promised, took the money from Jasmine and went down to prepare the sedan and servants for the trip.
"Grandma, don't worry. My sister has grown older in the past two years and is more sensible. Naturally, she knows that grandma has been working hard." Lan Hui came over with the hangover soup and comforted her, "Grandma drank the hangover soup first. , maybe I can feel a little more comfortable."
"My daughter's family doesn't need a boy. I'd rather the son and daughter change their tempers. Even if the boy gets into trouble outside, it's easy to make up for it. Once my daughter's family makes a mistake, it will be a life-long honor matter. How can I not Worried." Jasmine drank the sobering soup in one go, rinsed her mouth with Lan Hui's hand, twisted a piece of candied fruit and put it in her mouth to remove the bitter taste, "Go and see what's going on right now... That's all, it's definitely going to happen again. I’m reading a book.”
"Grandma just did it today. Brother went out with me today." Lan Hui pursed her lips and smiled.
"Did you go out with me?" Jasmine asked curiously, "The sun is rising in the west."
"I'm going to go down to Zhuangzi today to check on it. I said that my brother only reads books every day and is bored, so I took him to relax." Lan Hui said while helping Jasmine change her clothes.
"Who is following?" Jasmine asked worriedly.
"Guixiang and Mother Chen from my brother's room followed me, and the two boys also went together. I also asked two more boys to come with me, so grandma can rest assured." Lan Hui said and couldn't help laughing again. He said, "I came here specifically to explain it before I left. I said that grandma will definitely ask after she wakes up. Please remember this clearly."
"I know you all dislike my nagging and being too intrusive." Jasmine said with a smile after hearing this.
"Grandma is in charge of everything inside and outside the house. If anyone dares to talk about grandma, my father will not agree." There was no one else in the room. Seeing that Jasmine was in a good mood, Lan Hui spoke much more freely than usual.
"You are the only one who can speak." Jasmine raised the corner of her mouth when she heard this, and casually grabbed a handful of money and threw it on the table, "You are a big girl now, take it and add some rouge and gouache."
"Thank you, grandma, for the reward." Lan Hui happily put the copper plate into her purse and asked, "What would grandma want to eat at noon?"
"I can eat whatever I can, and let the kitchen cook some porridge and make some side dishes."
Lan Hui immediately said: "I asked the kitchen to warm the porridge for grandma. Do you want to use some now?"
Jasmine shook her head and said, "I drank too much yesterday and now I have no appetite. Go get the account books from home and I will take a look at the accounts."
Not long after, Lan Hui came back with several brochures in her hands, placed them in front of Jasmine and said, "Grandma, I haven't sobered up yet. Don't look at them for too long. You'll get a headache if you look carefully."
Jasmine nodded and opened the account book to see how much money was left in the house. She also looked at the account book for jewelry and figured out how to give gifts to the new prefect's wife. There are a lot of twists and turns here. In Yixinfu, we are considered to be in a position that is better than the top and more than the bottom. We cannot go beyond the time-honored local snakes above, nor can we be lower than the ordinary merchants below. We also have to be clever. You can't just give money to make people feel hot.
She sketched on the booklet while reading it, and it took more than half an hour before she threw the account book to Lan Hui and said, "Follow what you sketched on it, take it out to the warehouse and let me take a look."
Soon, all kinds of things were placed in the room. Jasmine picked out an exquisitely made dowry, which Hehua specially sent to her. There were two in total, and she used one herself. She originally planned to keep this one for Zaoer later. , now that it seems to be handy, I use it first.
In addition to the exquisite workmanship of this dossier, the most rare thing is that it is equipped with a Western mercury mirror, which can really illuminate people, as if they are seeing each other face to face. It is still a very rare thing nowadays.
Seeing this, Lan Hui couldn't help but persuade her: "Grandma, I've been coveting this dowry for a long time. Now that you've given it away, I'm afraid I'll be unhappy."
"She doesn't usually like to put on make-up. She just wants to look at the mirror freshly. Just go to the box sent by big brother and take out the hand mirror and give it to her." Jasmine was concerned about these things. I have never been fond of children. Although I planned to give this thing to Zao'er in my heart, I never made a promise. Now using it for other purposes is not considered breaking my promise.
As Jasmine said this, her hands were not idle either. She picked out a few good sets of hair and facial coverings and put them into her luggage. Finally, she wrapped two envelopes worth three hundred and thirty taels of silver each and placed them at the bottom of the suitcase. Put the gift box in just enough to close the lid.
In addition, I selected screens, ornaments, embroidery, and more than a dozen pieces of fabrics. I took them out, wrapped them, and put them in the west room to wait for the new prefect to come and pay his respects.
After lunch, I went back to my room to get ready for a nap. Unexpectedly, Zaoer came back very early. She jumped into the room and shouted: "Mom, mom, get up, look who's coming!"
"I was just about to take a nap, and you came to disturb me again." Jasmine stood up helplessly, "What are you yelling at?"
"Mom, come out and take a look!" Zaoer stretched out her hand and dragged Jasmine out.
Jasmine was dragged by her and staggered a few steps. She walked out of the room and was about to reprimand when she saw a man standing in the corridor looking at her with a smile.
"Shuanzi!" Jasmine beamed with joy, shook off her daughter's hand, stepped forward in three steps, grabbed Shuanzi's arm, and looked around, "It seems to be taller than last time I saw him. A little bit, but I'm tanned and seem to have lost weight, what did you mess with this time?"
"I'm not bothering with anything this time. I'm just coming to stay with you for a while. Why, you won't welcome me?" Shuanzi said with a playful smile.
"Come on, I don't know you yet. The older you get, the more slippery you are. I have to stand ten miles away to listen to you." Jasmine was sarcastic but her heart was filled with joy. After ridiculing, she couldn't help but ask again, "Since I'm not here Those who are running business should stay longer!"
"That's natural. As long as eldest sister doesn't kick me out, I will stay for a few more months." Shuanzi said while making a face at Zaoer. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to subscribe and reward. Your support is my biggest motivation.)
Jasmine Extra—Two People, One Home (Part 1)