In the afternoon, another maidservant of Jiang Changning, Shu Fei, returned from the farm.
She changed her clothes and came into the room to greet Jiang Changning, "Miss, I'm back."
"You're back. How are your family members doing?" Jiang Changning asked with a smile.
When Jiang Changning came to Beijing, he openly brought a wet nurse, two older maids, four younger maids, and servants from both families.
In fact, there were a total of seventeen families who followed her to Beijing, with a total of seventy-nine people. She settled them all in a farm outside the city so that she could deploy them at any time.
Three years ago, she arranged marriages for the two older maids.
Four little maids took over the vacancies of the two big maids and served her.
They are Xiulan, Fangju, Shufei and Fucui.
The maids and old women doing chores in the courtyard were all loyal servants of the Jiang family, and they were sent in by some means.
Jiang Changning's small courtyard was managed by her like an iron barrel.
"Okay, everything is fine. Uncle Wu asked me to tell the girl that the mantis shrimp will be available for sale next month." Shu Fei said.
Jiang Changning smiled, "That's great, I can make money again."
"I brought back a basket and will ask Sister Cui to cook it for the girl in the evening." Shu Fei said with a smile.
"Leave a small bowl for me. I'll eat it in the yard after I have dinner with the old lady." Jiang Changning had been craving for this mantis shrimp for a long time.
Ever since she accidentally saw the mantis shrimp fry last year, she has been thinking about it.
At the beginning of the You hour, Jiang Changning took Fu Cui and four little maids to the old lady's yard.
At the door of the east room, I heard laughter from inside.
Old Madam Zhuang laughed and scolded, "You are such a mischievous girl."
The little maid lifted the door curtain and announced inside: "My cousin is here."
The laughter stopped suddenly, and it was hard not to suspect that the people in the room were making fun of Jiang Changning.
Jiang Changning didn't care. In this world, everyone talks behind their back. Everyone talks behind others' back.
When I walked into the east room, the four girls from the Zhuang family were already there, with Liao and Xiao Wu sitting beside them.
It is etiquette to visit the old lady every morning and evening, and the banker also stipulates that the girls should accompany the old lady at breakfast and dinner.
For lunch, it is up to Mrs. Zhuang to decide whether to eat alone or have someone else eat with her.
"Greetings to the old lady." Jiang Changning saluted.
Old Madam Zhuang raised her hand and said, "Sit down."
"Thank you, old lady." Jiang Changning walked to the seat next to Zhuang Qingyu and sat down, smiling at her, "Second sister."
Zhuang Qingyu gave her a faint smile and lowered her head to continue pinching her fingers.
"Sister Ning, do you think the pattern on the old lady's forehead protector is beautiful?" Zhuang Qingmei asked.
Jiang Changning then noticed that the forehead protector that Old Lady Zhuang was wearing today was not one of the usual ones she wore. Today's one was embroidered with the word "longevity" and a circular pattern.
"It's beautiful, and the embroidery is exquisite. I didn't expect that Fifth Sister's embroidery skills have improved so much." Jiang Changning said with a smile.
Zhuang Qingmei chuckled, "Sister Ning, you praised the wrong person. This is the workmanship of the third sister. The third sister drew the pattern specially for the old lady and embroidered it stitch by stitch."
"Yan girl is so thoughtful." Old Mrs. Zhuang patted the back of Zhuang Qingyan's hand happily.
"It's a granddaughter's duty to be filial to her grandmother." Zhuang Qingyan said with a smile.
"Good girl." Old Madam Zhuang praised Zhuang Qingyan and began to criticize Jiang Changning. "Ning girl, although you are weak and need to rest, you should not work too hard, but you are getting older day by day. You have to learn to do needlework. I don't mean you have to do it all day long. You can make a sachet in ten days or half a month, or even a purse."
"The old lady is right." Jiang Changning didn't need to argue with her.
There was a sewing room where she was needed to do needlework.
Besides, her needlework skills are not bad, she just doesn't like to do it.
In her free time, wouldn't it be good for her to read books, paint, practice calligraphy, play the piano, and think of ways to make money
After Mrs. Zhuang gave her a few more instructions, Mrs. Wu and Mrs. Zou came.
Zhuang Qingyan supported Old Madam Zhuang, and everyone followed behind her into the hall for banquet.
The next day, Jiang Changning received an invitation from Zhuang Juyue's maid.
Invite her to the birthday party on March 27th.
Jiang Changning thought about it for a moment and decided what birthday gift to give. "Fangju, put the pearl hairpin into the brocade box."
"Miss, you are really generous. That pearl hairpin costs three hundred silver coins." Fu Cui pouted.
Jiang Changning smiled and said, "Stingy girl, I don't like the style of that pearl hairpin. Instead of putting it in a box and letting it gather dust, it's better to give it away. That's called making the best use of it."
At the end of every year, the loyal servants of the Jiang family would bring New Year gifts to the village.
Jiang Changning would always ask them to prepare some jewelry as gifts.
"Yes, what the young lady said makes sense." Fu Cui lifted the door curtain and went out.
"You must be crazy, girl. Who are you showing your disapproving attitude to?" Shu Fei followed her out.
"Who is being stern? You are the one being stern." Fu Cui slapped her face, "I was born with this stern face."
"Hey, are you admitting that you have a straight face?"
"Oh, you are so annoying, go away and don't follow me."
"Who is following you? I can't go this way. By the way, where are you going?"
"I can go there, to the back room to see if the bird's nest soup is cooked."
There is a separate small kitchen in Jiang Changning's yard.
She set this up under the pretext of making medicine and not wanting to trouble the kitchen all the time.
"You don't need to go and see. The bird's nest soup is ready and the bamboo leaves will be served."
"I'm going to..."
The two maids quarreled with each other and walked along the corridor to the back room.
"The yard becomes even more noisy as soon as Shufei comes back." Fangju came over holding a small brocade box.
"It looks more vivid this way." Jiang Changning put down the book in his hand, took the small brocade box, opened it, made sure that the pearl hairpin was inside, closed the lid, and returned it to Fangju.
At the same time, the Queen Mother's decree was heard from the palace, summoning the Princess Dowager of Prince Runan to the palace.
The Queen Mother of Prince Runan changed into court robes, put on a golden lock, and went into the palace to meet the Queen Mother.
The Queen Mother waited until the Princess Dowager of Runan had finished her greetings before she said, "No need to greet me, please take a seat."
The Queen Mother of Runan thanked her but did not sit down. Instead, she bowed and said, "I have heard something and I have come to report it to you, Your Majesty."
"What's the matter?" asked the Queen Mother.
"I wonder if your Majesty still remembers this?" The Queen Mother of Runan Prince took out the golden lock and presented it with both hands.
The maid beside the Queen Mother stepped forward, took the golden lock, and presented it to the Queen Mother.
The golden lock belonged to the Queen Mother, so she recognized it. "Where did you get this golden lock?"
The Queen Mother of Runan Prince told the story. Of course, she concealed the fact that she went to the Zhuang family. This was because she wanted to adopt Jiang Changning as her goddaughter so that Jiang Changning could marry in her place.
"Changning, little Ning'er." The Queen Mother laughed, "I didn't expect that she was in Beijing, living in the Zhuang family. It took me a long time to find her."
"Miss Jiang didn't intend to tell it. It was I who accidentally found out about it and kept asking her about it, so she told it." The Queen Mother of Prince Runan began to take credit.
"Six years ago, she was still a little girl. I don't know what she looks like now." The Queen Mother laughed, "I really want to see her again."
"Miss Jiang has no rank, so it may not be easy for her to enter the palace." The Queen Mother of Prince Runan's eyes flashed.
(End of this chapter)