Such a big thing must be told to Mrs. Guo.
Madam Guo thought for a moment and asked Cheng Chi, "Do you think it's a good time to buy land? Should we wait a few more years?"
When the family was divided, Cheng Chi only got the house in Chaoyangmen.
Cheng Chi knew what Mrs. Guo meant, and said with a smile, "I want to sort out all the calligraphy and paintings, antiques and other things in the house. First, Brother Yun is getting older, and he needs to see more things from the past to broaden his horizons. Second, some of the ordinary collections can be sold, and they can also be used as gifts between relatives and friends... It makes sense to buy a farm first."
Mrs. Guo listened and nodded slowly, then said with a smile: "Since you have made up your mind, let's do as you say."
Cheng Chi agreed with a smile and agreed with Mrs. Guo to start cleaning out the family's storage in two days.
Zhou Shaojin knew that the family had no shortage of money, but selling the collections... She always felt that it was not good to sell the collections. But Mrs. Guo had already agreed, so she couldn't say anything in front of Mrs. Guo. But before they went back, she couldn't help but talk to Cheng Chi about it: "The collections are the hard work of several generations. Otherwise, we can sell the several farms under my name. It can make up more than ten thousand taels of silver. Then we can move to a bigger farm." Thinking that Cheng Chi was not the kind of person who would use his wife's dowry, she hurriedly said, "Just put it in my name. Anyway, it will be given to Yun'er in the future."
Cheng Chi patiently explained to her: "There are many things that we collect because we like them, and some things that we collect because others think they are good. We must keep the things we like, but if we keep the things that others think are good in the warehouse forever, it will always be just a painting. Only by selling them will these things have value. Otherwise, why are there collections in prosperous times and gold in troubled times? These things are valuable only when they are sold."
Zhou Shaojin vaguely understood.
Cheng Chi asked her to go with him to clean up the storehouse.
Zhou Shaojin went there with great interest, but was driven out by Madam Guo: "All the paintings and calligraphy in the storeroom are covered with insect repellent powder. Shaojin is a bisexual, how can he come in here?" She scolded Biyu and asked her to take her to the garden. "The wisteria, roses, cherry blossoms, and pomegranates are all in bloom at this time. You should accompany Madam to appreciate the flowers."
Biyu hurried to help Zhou Shaojin.
Zhou Shaojin had no choice but to go to the garden to appreciate the flowers.
Cheng Chi saw her out and whispered, "I'll keep the ones I see that look good for you."
Zhou Shaojin nodded and smiled.
Within a few days, news spread in the capital that Cheng Chi was selling his ancestors' collections to make a living.
After hearing what Fan Liu said, Zhou Shaojin was stunned. It took him a while to react. He said unhappily, "Who is talking nonsense? No matter how poor our family is, we shouldn't have to sell our ancestors' collections to make a living, right?" He then asked, "Besides these, are there any other rumors?"
Fan Liu was more worried than Zhou Shaojin and said, "I haven't heard of other rumors, but if words like this get out, it won't be good for the Fourth Master... Madam should think of a way to clarify it."
But how can we clarify such a thing
You can't tell everyone you meet!
Zhou Shaojin thought about the time in her previous life when she followed Lin Shisheng into the palace to pay tribute to the Emperor Dowager and the Empress Dowager. Everyone would talk about family matters, and that was how she heard a lot of gossip.
If only there were such an occasion!
But if she wanted to clarify things for Cheng Chi through such an occasion, she had to first introduce herself into such an environment.
Zhou Shaojin thought about it and couldn't help but clench his fists.
She used to be too timid and always felt uncomfortable standing in a crowd. Now she is Cheng Chi’s legitimate wife, and with Cheng Chi backing her up, what is there for her to be afraid of
Having made up her mind, she wrote a note to Mrs. Pengcheng, asking her to go watch the dragon boat race together on May 15th.
Although it was still early on May 15th, Lady Pengcheng was very happy to receive the invitation.
Cheng Chi is now more and more respected by the Crown Prince, and the Crown Prince will ask him about many things. Although he will not say anything in front of the Crown Prince, being able to be on good terms with Cheng Chi is also a icing on the cake.
Mrs. Pengcheng agreed readily.
However, Zhou Shaojin did not expect that the news would spread so quickly that even the Qiu family was alarmed.
She came to pay her respects to Mrs. Guo.
Afterwards, he quietly went to the courtyard where Zhou Shaojin lived, and pulled Zhou Shaojin to talk under the grape trellis in the courtyard: "When we divided the family, we thought the three brothers were the same. But Uncle Chi's money was all spent on this house, and there is not much cash. Things are getting more expensive every day now, and it is not easy to maintain such a big house. Although we are not living easily here, our expenses are small, and we have a surplus every year. If you don't mind, I still have more than 10,000 taels of silver in savings. You can use it to buy a small farm first, and you will have a fixed income every year."
Zhou Shaojin was very grateful and kept saying “no thanks”.
Mrs. Qiu said, "You don't have to be polite with us. Your second uncle also said that Mom will live with you. You must visit her every morning and evening. Thank you for your hard work. If there is anything we can help with, please speak up."
"Really." The family was very affectionate, and Zhou Shaojin liked this atmosphere very much. She smiled and said, "If there were really difficulties, Silang would have told Second Uncle a long time ago. The reason why I sold those calligraphy and paintings is that there are too many of them at home, and Silang didn't like them very much. He said he wanted something like 'giving a sword to a hero' to make them get value for money."
Qiu suddenly realized and couldn't help laughing. She said, "It was me who was thinking. When I heard it was raining, I thought you really had to rely on pawning things to make a living!"
"It won't come to this." Zhou Shaojin explained carefully to Mrs. Qiu. He never expected that things would escalate from bad to worse. Not only did Yuan Weichang, Gu Jiunie and others come to ask Cheng Chi what was going on, but the Crown Prince simply granted him a small house with forty or fifty acres of land located in the suburbs of Wanping County. He also asked the eunuch to bring a message to Cheng Chi, asking him to teach with peace of mind. He also said, "Books contain beautiful women, golden houses, and thousands of grains of rice." If you study hard, you will have a chance to succeed.
Cheng Chi was both amused and confused, and showed the land deed to Zhou Shaojin.
Zhou Shaojin was very nervous and said, "Could it be that the Crown Prince misunderstood that you have no money? If he knew that we have the money to buy the farm, would he think that you are deceiving the emperor?"
"I think so!" Cheng Chi laughed. "When he gave me the land deed, his face was full of sympathy. There were other court officials present at the time. He seemed to be afraid that I would refuse and embarrass him. I had no choice but to accept it. Then we won't buy the farm for the time being. We'll talk about it in a few years."
Zhou Shaojin nodded continuously.
Cheng Chi smiled and said, "The Crown Prince not only gave us the farm, but also the farm head. They are used to eating the emperor's food, so they may not be willing to help us manage the farm. I want to send Fan Qi to take a look. If he is capable of taking it, the farm will be handed over to him."
This is also a training for Fan Qi.
Zhou Shaojin agreed on his behalf.
After knowing this, Fan Liu kowtowed to Zhou Shaojin several times and patted her chest to promise that she would manage the farm well.
This is the first property purchased by Cheng Chi and Zhou Shaojin after they got married.
Zhou Shaojin naturally believed in Fan Liu's loyalty.
Two days later, Qin Ziji took Fan Qi to the farm.
In the evening, Fan Qi came back and said, "The farm over there is not big, but the location is very good. The Yongding River is not far away. When the weather is good, the grain harvested in one year can be used for two years.
Zhou Shaojin was very happy and gave him some instructions before letting him go and say goodbye to Fan Liushi.
The maidservant who served Cheng Gao came to tell her that Cheng Zheng had been officially appointed as the county magistrate of Mo County. Cheng Shi sent Cheng Zheng off and sent a letter to invite Cheng Gao to go over for a drink: "...Master Gao did not agree." The maidservant said in a brisk voice, "He said that there will be a competition in the Imperial College in two days."
Seeing that Cheng Gao had an idea, Zhou Shaojin breathed a sigh of relief and asked the maid to go to the kitchen: "Today we are making corn cakes, which are easy to digest and can satisfy hunger. Bring them to Master Gao to make crumbs for dinner."
The little maid left happily.
Zhou Shaojin put the matter behind him, took some high-quality tonics and went to watch the firefly gathering with Yun Ge'er.
Jiying's belly is still nowhere to be seen, and she wants to hug Yunger when she sees him.
Zhou Shaojin was startled and quickly stopped Jiying, and asked with wide eyes: "Are you still the same as before?"
"I don't feel anything." Jiying touched her belly and muttered softly, "Sometimes I wonder if I made a mistake... It would be a big joke if the diagnosis was wrong." As she spoke, she glanced at the maids, who numbered two-thirds more than before.
"Nonsense." Zhou Shaojin comforted her, "If one person got it wrong, could two or three people also get it wrong?"
When Qin Ziping first heard that Jiying was pregnant, he didn't believe it and invited four or five doctors to check Jiying's pulse.
Jiying smiled shyly and led Yunger to her backyard.
Under the camphor tree, there is a short plum blossom stump.
Ji Ying smiled and said, "Brother Yun, I'll have someone tell you to walk on the plum blossom pile."
Yun'er was very interested, but Zhou Shaojin didn't let them play with it.
Seeing that Yunger was eager to try, Jiying couldn't bear to refuse him, so she called a maid over and told Yunger to walk on the poles.
Yun'er immediately stepped onto the short plum blossom pile, looked at the little maid with sparkling eyes and told her how to get there.
The little maid blushed and told Yun'er to walk on the plum blossom pole.
Zhou Shaojin and Jiying were leaning on the beauty under the veranda, drinking tea while watching Yunger practice the plum blossom pole.
"This maid can do all these! Where did you find her from?" Zhou Shaojin asked Jiying.
Ji Ying smiled and said, "These are the ones I picked out for you. I think they are good, so I asked for them."
Zhou Shaojin was surprised and asked, "Are Daya and Erya good at martial arts?"
"Of course." Ji Ying smiled, "Not only must you be skilled, but you must also be loyal..."
The two were talking happily when a maid from Chaoyang Gate ran in and said, "Fourth Madam, the eldest grandmother has started the fight. The Madam wants you to go over and take a look."
Zhou Shaojin apologized to Jiying and walked out in two steps. On the way, he asked, "When did it start? Who was there? Are the midwife and wet nurse ready? What is the second sister-in-law doing now? Has Xie's family been informed?"
Although it was a bit excessive for the mother from her natal family to take care of the pregnant woman, the law is nothing more than human feelings, and Qiu treated Xie as her own daughter, so naturally she did not argue with her about these things.
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Hey guys, today's update.
O(∩_∩)O~
※(To be continued)