"Bai'er, have you recovered from your illness?" Wang Ruofu asked with concern.
With Sheng Hong in the house and Wei Xiaoniang giving birth, naturally nothing happened.
As the delivery was approaching, Wen Po alone had three of them at home. As soon as the mother started to have labor pains, the doctor was invited to the house. Wei Xiaoniang successfully gave birth to a boy. Of course, there was no need to pretend that Sheng Changbai was ill.
"I'm sorry for my mother's concern. I'm fine now. We can go to my uncle's house."
Sheng Changbai has reached this point, if Wei Xiaoniang still can't save her child.
If Sheng Changbai wants to complete the task of "Sheng Xiaoqi", he can only hope that Sheng Hong will take another concubine and work hard to make a baby.
The trip to Wang's house in Runzhou was not easy either. First we took a carriage to the pier, then took a boat, and after getting off the boat we had to change to a carriage.
The distance is not far, only a few hundred miles. In modern times, it would take a few hours' drive. In ancient times, it took three days, and the transportation was inconvenient. It was still quite a hassle.
When he was in Yangzhou City, Sheng Changbai was basically satisfied with his current situation.
After truly experiencing ancient transportation, Sheng Changbai missed modern times.
Even if the green train is not fast, it is much faster and more comfortable than riding a horse-drawn carriage.
It was quite troublesome to go back and forth. After arriving at Wang's house, Sheng Changbai didn't really do anything.
I visited my grandmother, Mrs. Wang, and my uncle and aunt.
We had a few meals together and spent two days playing with some cousins and little furry kids.
This emotional thank you activity is over.
Generally speaking, the Wang family is very kind and enthusiastic to the Sheng family.
Mrs. Wang seemed to be very kind to her three children, Sheng Changbai, Hua Lan, and Ru Lan.
Uncle Wang's own qualifications are mediocre, his economic level and ability to work are average, and his political future is limited.
But when he used the Wang family's connections to help pave the way for his brother-in-law, it can be said that he spared no effort.
…
After returning to Yangzhou, it was not long before Sheng Hong returned to Beijing to take office.
Sheng Hong was also anxiously dealing with some chores before leaving Yangzhou.
The fields in Yangzhou are good, the irrigation is convenient, and the land is fertile. The Sheng family has been in Yangzhou in the past few years. The fields purchased can be retained, but they must arrange for a safe steward.
There is basically no need to retain some of the stores purchased in Yangzhou, and most of them need to be sold.
Most of the servants purchased locally must also be released.
Among the 100 servants of the Sheng family, except for some close ones who were born into the family, they followed Sheng Hongzhan to various places and became officials.
Most of the rest are purchased locally.
Most people couldn't leave their hometown and were reluctant to leave their parents. After receiving a severance package from Sheng Hong, they left the Sheng family.
Of course, there are also some people who are not willing to give up the wealth and honor of Sheng Mansion and stay in Sheng Family.
The Sheng family can be regarded as a rare kind family among officials.
Even Lin Zongshuang, the most evil-hearted person in the Sheng family, usually pretends to be weak and submissive in front of Sheng Hong, and does not kill or treat his servants harshly.
In addition to not having personal freedom, being a slave in the Sheng family and being in charge of food, shelter, and clothing can be said to be a good treatment.
Sheng Hong doesn't have to do these matters of buying and selling personally, he just needs to pay a little attention.
Sheng Hong's busiest task was to deal with the banquets hosted by officials and gentry in Yangzhou and to practice.
It was also the relationship between Sheng Hong and the usual parties that was handled well. This time, he was promoted to Tokyo and received such treatment.
If he was demoted, of course there wouldn't be so many people sending him off.
Sheng Hong was in a hurry to return to Tokyo and take up his post. Of course, Wei Xiaoniang could not continue her confinement in Yangzhou.
The family hired seven or eight large ships with their servants and luggage, and set out by water to Tokyo.
Sheng Hong was worried about being too ostentatious, so he arranged for trusted stewards to escort several of the luggage boats to the north first, which also made it easier to prepare the residence in advance.
I moved into a temporary home that I had lived in for three years, and it only packed a few big boats. It can be said that Lao Sheng's family has a lot of furniture.
Of course, it took three generations of accumulation for the Sheng family to accumulate so much wealth.
Naturally, there is nothing interesting on the boat. There are some places on both sides of the strait with some scenery to see.
But most places are the same. Sheng Changbai can be said to have been on the boat for half a month and read books for half a month.
Mrs. Sheng spent half a month reciting Buddhist scriptures on the boat.
It was hard for Sheng Hong to have such a long period of free time and educate his children for half a month.
Wang Ruofu settled the accounts for half a month and figured out how to run the family and buy property after returning to Beijing for half a month.
He was about to return to Tokyo, there were many senior executives and dignitaries, and Sheng Hong finally knew that he wanted to lose face.
I also understand that doting on concubines and destroying wives is not a good reputation.
When the family members were walking around in Bianjing to communicate, they would point at Wang Ruofu.
Letting Lin Zongshuang be a concubine to entertain guests and move around is to make enemies.
Wang Ruofu, the head mother of the family, cannot be allowed to become a laughing stock in the circle of ladies, which will seriously affect the ladies' diplomacy.
So he took away Lin Zongshuang's stewardship and handed it back to Wang Ruofu.
Without the power of housekeeping in the family house, and unable to control personnel and finance, Lin Zheshuang's status in the eyes of the servants was naturally reduced, and she spent half a month talking about Qin on the boat with resentment.
Wei Xiaoniang spent half a month on the boat, and Sheng Xiaoqi also spent the full moon on the boat.
The remaining few were from the younger generation, and they had no way to hide on the ship. They were disciplined by Sheng Hong, who had nothing to do, for half a month.
Sheng Hong, this old man, still has prestige in the family. Except for Sheng Rulan, no other child dared to show off in front of Sheng Hong.
Sheng Changfeng and Sheng Molan both received Lin Jiaoshuang's true biography, and they pretended very well in front of Sheng Hong. On the surface, they were both obedient, sensible, and filial good children.
…
"I'm finally back."
After arriving at Tokyo Pier, the family got on the horse arranged by the steward. After another half an hour, they finally arrived at Shengzhai in the capital.
On the way home, after taking a quick look around, Sheng Changbai had an initial taste of the prosperity of Bianliang.
Compared with Tokyo, Yangzhou City, which is already as prosperous as a county town in later generations, can be said to be rural.
It is currently the largest megacity in the world with a permanent population of more than one million.
It can be said that Bianliang is more prosperous than Sheng Changbai expected, with prosperous commerce and a large population. A vivid "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" is right in front of you.
The location of Shengzhai is quite good. Although it is not part of the inner city, it is still next to the inner city.
It is also a five-bedroom mansion. Although it is not as big as the Sheng family's mansion in Yangzhou, there is also a large garden behind the mansion.
In Bianliang, where land is at a premium, the Sheng family can still have such a large house. Of course, it has nothing to do with Sheng Hong.
Sheng Hong's colleagues from the same department, same year, and same age still live in the alleys in the corners of Tokyo outside Tokyo.
It is a mansion in the capital purchased by Sheng Changbai's grandfather.
Speaking of Mr. Sheng Changbai, he was extraordinary, very capable and intelligent, and laid the foundation for the prosperity of the Sheng family.
Taking advantage of the rare opportunity of the change of dynasty, the establishment of a new dynasty, and the reorganization of classes, the Taiye found two official backers and started a business.
After getting money, the grandfather was also very clear-headed and understood that the ability to do business alone was not enough.
In the final analysis, the Zhou Dynasty was still an official-based society.
With no wealth and no status, he is just a fat pig waiting to be slaughtered in the confines of the powerful.
He spent a lot of money to marry the daughter of a poor scholar.
After giving birth to three sons, he spared no expense and hired famous teachers to support his son's education.
The grandfather's hard work was not in vain, and the scholar's wife was not in vain, and the results were immediately achieved.
The grandfather's second son, Sheng Changbai's grandfather, won the top prize in high school.
And because he was worried that Tanhua’s son would have no backing in the officialdom and his career would not go smoothly.
After exhausting his efforts and searching hard, he married the only daughter of Marquis Yongyi for his son, Mrs. Sheng, who is now Sheng Changbai's nominal grandmother.
This mansion was the mansion that the grandpa bought for Tanhua's son in order to marry the only daughter of the Marquis family.
Having a son with the title of Tanhualang allowed me to buy a large house near the inner city.
And because of his in-laws in the Marquis family, the prince was able to buy the garden behind the yard and build a large garden.
Now this big house is cheaper than Sheng Hong's, and it will basically be cheaper than Sheng Changbai's in the future.
"Bai'er, is the yard neatly tidied? If you need anything, tell your mother and she will arrange for someone to buy it."
Wang Ruofu has been in a good mood recently. His man has been promoted, his daughter is about to get married, and he has regained the power of housekeeping. Everything is going well. It can be said that he is very happy.
"Mother, I don't lack anything here, but I do lack some manpower."
Sheng Changbai is not a girl and does not need so many clothes and jewelry. A few Confucian shirts and a few jade pendants are enough when going out.
Sheng Changbai's requirements for furniture, furnishings, etc. are not high either.
Sheng Changbai had no shortage of classics, historical books, pens, inks, paper and inkstones.
In terms of material things, Sheng Changbai really has no needs.
"Well, when someone comes to the house in the past few days, I will ask the housekeeper to bring them over and let you choose first." Wang Ruofu said with a strange expression.
When I was in Yangzhou, I dismissed a bunch of servants. Now that I have entered Beijing, I naturally need to add a group of people to the government.
"Mother, what I need is not a female servant. The child needs a companion to practice martial arts. I can choose some young people of similar age to the child to come in and train for a few years. In the future, I can use my home as a nursing home."
Seeing Wang Ruofu's misunderstanding, Sheng Changbai explained.
Wang Ruofu's weird expression clearly meant that Sheng Changbai had become interested in men and women and wanted some beautiful maids.
After making a judgment, Sheng Changbai still felt that Sheng Zhai's strength was still lacking.
When you stay in a relatively peaceful home, the problem isn't too big.
If a family member wants to go out, for example, to go back to Yuyang's hometown, the force of the servants and nursing staff will not be enough.
Creating a group of nurses is the worst possible outcome.
In the future, whether Sheng Changbai will serve as an official abroad or go to the battlefield, these people will be useful after they are well trained.
"Then I'll tell the steward to go to our village and select a group of young people to come in."
In Zhuangzi, they are either servants of the Sheng family or tenants of the Sheng family. They are all people who support the family and live by the Sheng family. The loyalty of these people to the Sheng family is basically guaranteed.
After all, he was born into a noble family and had a lot of experience, so Wang Ruofu's arrangement was appropriate.
Within a few days, a steward brought over twenty young men of twelve or thirteen years old to Sheng Changbai from the Sheng family's farm on the outskirts of Beijing.
These people spent half of their time working in the front yard, and half of their time practicing martial arts with Sheng Changbai.
The efficiency of this work is quite good.
When Wang Ruofu was still the housekeeper, it was more convenient for Sheng Changbai to do things.
These young men who were guarding the house were not needed for the time being, so Sheng Changbai first brought all the family dogs to the yard to train them.
The Sheng family has more than ten dogs, large and small, in total.
After Sheng Changbai trained them for a period of time, it might not be possible to let these dogs participate in dog fighting or hunting.
But as a caretaker of the home, warnings and warnings are enough. They will not eat food from strangers. Some Liangshang gentlemen should not even think of coming to Shengjia.
If he wasn't afraid of being said to be a libertine who likes to hire cats and dogs for walks, Sheng Changbai would have gone to the flower, bird, fish and insect market in person and bought his own dog.
The fighting ability of some wolf dogs and local thin dogs is worthy of respect if trained.
…
After such a period of time, Mrs. Sheng had just returned to Beijing. It was inconvenient and she had no conditions, so she hid in the mountains to eat fast and chant Buddha's name.
He stayed at home, spent some time with the three Lans, and chose the children he wanted to keep by his side.
It is Sheng Laoliu Sheng Minglan. Compared with Sheng Molan and Sheng Rulan, it is obvious that Sheng Minglan's character is even more rare.
Whether it is Sheng Minglan who was smart before or Sheng Minglan who has tempered some of her sharpness now, she is sensible enough.
Sheng Molan, at a young age, learned the same thing from Lin Zhishuang. She was delicate and artificial, and could only fool Sheng Hong, who had a biased mind. How could she escape the old lady's fiery eyes?
Sheng Rulan's character is naive and romantic at best, but arrogant and unreasonable at worst.
The younger generation of the Sheng family has seven children, and no one except Wang Ruofu has the leisure to pamper Sheng Rulan.
The three children, naturally, wanted to live with their own mother.
Sanlan's mother's attitude towards this matter is different.
Wang Ruofu didn't want Ru Lan to leave him. He said that Wang Ruofu didn't like Ru Lan because he compared Hua Lan with Sheng Changbai.
Speaking alone, Wang Ruofu, as a mother, already likes and loves Ru Lan enough, otherwise the child would not be able to develop this kind of character.
Of course Sheng Changbai hoped that Sheng Rulan could go to the old lady and be disciplined.
If Hualan hadn't been raised by the old lady for several years, he wouldn't be as sensible as he is now.
Growing up with Wang Ruofu, it is more possible to develop a character like Lan through words and deeds.
However, Sheng Changbai and the old lady have a normal relationship and cannot influence the old lady's decision.
Lin Xiaoniang and Wei Xiaoniang both wanted their orchid to be raised by the old lady.
The two orchids are both concubines. Being with the old lady and being educated by the old lady will obviously increase their social status. This is one of them.
Since I was raised by my mother, I have always known that being brought up by my mother is a dishonorable thing.
Secondly, Wei Xiaoniang hopes that Minglan will pass away because she hopes that Minglan can be protected by the old lady and reduce Lin Xiaoniang's persecution of Minglan.
Lin Xiaoniang wanted Mo Lan to come over because she was concerned about the old lady's dowry property and wanted Mo Lan to get closer to the old lady and get more of the old lady's property.