After the still low-key Shangyuan Festival, the Wang family packed their bags and headed north to Fengtian. All the affairs in the Sheng Mansion were handled by Haishi. Since Haishi had been involved in many things before, the handover of things was smooth, but there were some differences. The long-eyed maid wanted to take Qiao, and Hai Shi had some morning sickness at the right time, and then asked Ru Lan, who was always in charge of Wang's family, to help. ~
I don't know whether it was the subtle influence of Brother Jing's great personality, or whether Ru Lan had really grown up. In addition, she had been scolded by Sheng Hong and Wang for a while, and she was so angry that she had not yet come out, so she simply used all her firepower to attack those mothers-in-law. Suddenly cursed.
"You blind thing! How dare you refute my sister-in-law's words?! Did you also talk like this when my mother was on top? You're tired of having a good relationship and are thinking of moving somewhere?!"
"You are here with the Wang family. My grandfather's family knows the money accounts best, but you came up with this amount today. Is this how you show face to the Wang family?!"
"Don't talk nonsense! Let's get rid of your errands first! You look like you have an itchy head. If you give it a good beating, nothing will happen!"
…
After scolding, Haishi's morning sickness stopped, and Rulan felt better, and continued to embroider the dowry affectionately. Minglan was stunned, and after a while, she couldn't help but said: "Fifth sister, you see this We are about to leave the cabinet, so we should be more lenient to avoid..."
Minglan didn't know how to continue speaking, but Rulan answered easily: "Save them from chewing the back of my tongue outside, right?" Minglan stared at her, since you know everything, how about...?
Rulan looked at the half-embroidered "Mandarin ducks playing with lotus leaves on clear water" with tender eyes. Without raising her eyes, she suddenly said without thinking: "Last time you followed me out and met Mr. Wen's family. Madam, what do you think of her?"
Minglan looked away and stammered: "Uh...it looks quite talkative, refreshing, and straightforward..." In fact, he is very noisy, aggressive, arrogant, and has a loud voice; but it's not good to do it in front of Ru Lan. Speaking ill of her future mother-in-law.
Rulan raised her head and rolled her eyes at Minglan, then said bluntly: "That's not a worry-free mother-in-law!"
Minglan stopped talking, but Rulan continued: "I'm not really stupid; I know in my heart whether it's better to be really nice to me or not. When I was a child, I went back to my hometown in Youyang and saw how the old godly woman of the Sun family treated me. Sister Shulan, and that bastard scholar surnamed Sun; Sister Six, I listened to what you reminded me again and again, and I also thought about whether Brother Jing is really good to me?"
Minglan looked at Rulan's solemn expression and listened quietly. Rulan's voice gradually became lower and lowered: "I say Jing Gege is good because he never hides his family affairs, his mother's favoritism, and his brother's dissatisfaction." He told me everything about Changjin and the marriage he had repeatedly delayed! He also told me that it was not easy to be the eldest daughter-in-law of his family."
"Then you still..." Minglan said lightly.
Ru Lan cut off the conversation and said: "I told my brother Jing at that time that I would be filial to my mother-in-law and treat my younger siblings well, but there is only one thing. He must be of the same mind as me. As long as that is the case, I will not be afraid of anything!"
Ming Lan's heart moved. These words sounded very familiar. She had heard similar words from Hua Lan before. She slowly fell silent. It seemed that the dispute between Wang and Sheng Hong had failed miserably at the hands of Aunt Lin. The past still left a deep mark on the hearts of these two daughters.
Rulan suddenly laughed briskly and said: "Brother Jing promised me that if someone bullies me, he will never take sides, just hide out! I just thought about it, and I will practice my courageous voice from now on, so as to save money."
We will be defeated when the time comes!”
Minglan couldn't laugh or cry, so she just shook her head. The so-called pretending to be a pig and eating a tiger, it's not necessarily clear who is the pig and who is the tiger. ~
"Fifth sister will definitely live a good life!" Minglan said sincerely.
Rulan rolled her eyes and snorted coldly: "That's natural! Both of you are married to high-ranking families, and I'm the only one married to a low-ranking family. I can't live well no matter what, so I won't make you laugh!"
Minglan looked up to the sky and was speechless. This was the fifth lady of the Sheng family. Every time she had a little bit of positive emotions towards Ru Lan, such as liking, admiration, sympathy, etc., it would not last for five minutes before turning directly into negative emotions.
…
As the days passed, Ru Lan only had to concentrate on embroidering some coats and handkerchiefs for herself. Her dowry, Mrs. Wang, had been prepared early in the morning, but Minglan was far behind; Mrs. Sheng originally planned to do so.
Minglan was only allowed to get married half a year after the wedding, but now her elbows and armpits were getting bruised, so she had to hurry up.
A few days ago, Youyang sent a message saying that at the beginning of the twelfth lunar month of the previous year, Pinlan and Taisheng's cousin had gotten married. All the gifts from the capital had been received and everything was fine. The old lady asked Yuner carefully about the situation when she returned from the New Year.
Pinlan's dowry, and then cheer up and immerse yourself in the battle to collect Minglan's dowry.
Dowry was a very important item for the young ladies from wealthy families in ancient times. In some sophisticated families, the elders would ask for their daughters one by one from the time they were babbling.
I saved up my dowry.
Even if the dowry is of the same thickness, there are two situations: the more complicated and the simpler. The more complicated means excluding the dowry, the maid, the mother-in-law, and the fixed property, ranging from furniture such as beds, tables, cabinets, and boxes, to clothes for all seasons, and even toilets and baths with mahogany gold hoops.
Pots, to be more exaggerated, they might even prepare shrouds; like Mrs. Sheng and Haishi, they have a complete set of dowries that are extremely strict from head to toe.
But this is a minority after all. Many official families have to serve as officials everywhere and have no time to slowly accumulate. There are also some families who are late in their fortunes and cannot purchase comprehensive dowries at all, so they came up with the most effective 1,001th trick.
.
silver!
Old Mrs. Sheng thought about it carefully, and found that except for the antique tripod porcelain from the old house in Jinling, which was left to Changbai to be passed down to the Sheng family grandchildren, there was nothing else that could not be given to Minglan;
The land deeds of the properties and shops were handed over one by one.
"...This village is located on the outskirts of Beijing in Baitong River, with about five to six hundred acres of fertile land inside and outside. The head of the village is your mother Cui's old man. I think the two of them are sincere, and they will all marry you when the time comes.
.There is also a small forest next to the farm. Although it is not big, it has good feng shui. I bought it together two years ago and asked Old Cui Tou and a few others to take care of it and plant some fruits." Mrs. Sheng rarely said.
There are so many things to talk about, but you still ask questions at the same time, "Don't be in a daze!...Remember what grandma told you about village affairs, right?!"
Minglan immediately reacted and answered fluently: "Yes! You must trust your employees and check them frequently! No matter how honest a slave is, if he does not have effective supervision, he will inevitably have ulterior motives over time, but he must not be overly suspicious and chill the heart of the leader.
"
The old lady nodded with satisfaction, and then sighed: "Beside the farm, there was a large piece of fertile land that was sold to the guilty ministers, covering more than a thousand acres. Because it is so close to the emperor's village, I don't think so.
I didn’t buy it; if I had known you would marry like this, I would have... ugh!"
"No, that's enough, that's enough!" Minglan said quickly. Molan only had two hundred acres of paddy fields and one dry field. Even Hualan's dowry farm was only seven hundred acres. Of course, Wang also gave her another
something. ~
"What's enough?!" Old Mrs. Sheng glared at her, and Minglan immediately shrank her neck; she couldn't bear to see Minglan's appearance as someone who had never seen the world, and continued to talk to herself, "There are also a few shops in Jinling and her hometown.
, under the care of your uncle, and there are also dividends from several transactions..."
"Grandma!" Minglan finally couldn't listen anymore. The total amount of money in the farm and forest alone was seven or eight thousand taels. She couldn't help but interrupt, "This money is enough to marry a young lady from the government. How can I use this money?"
Better!...Besides, you have to keep some money with you. As the saying goes, the money around you is never as good as money... Oops!"
Minglan felt a sharp shock on her forehead. She covered her head and huddled into the kang mattress. Old Mrs. Sheng scolded loudly: "You worthless person! Do you think life in that family is easy? You are so old that your sister-in-law is so old."
Aunt-in-law, how can you save trouble when you are young enough to take care of the maid?! There is a place for you to use money after you enter!"
Minglan knew what her grandmother meant, but she shook her head and said: "Everyone outside knows who I am. There is nothing to take advantage of. I will do whatever I want when the time comes. I will just calculate it carefully. But you, as you are older,
It's better to have more money around you!" There is nothing else he can do, but pretending to be stupid is the most exquisite skill that Minglan has learned since this era.
Old Mrs. Sheng was moved in her heart, but she still lectured: "I have kept the money for my life, so you don't need to worry about it! It's not because you are marrying high, so you have to give me more dowry!"
Minglan thought of Hua Lan's situation in Yuan Mansion. She had no money and was living well. It can be seen that money cannot buy respect and love. She looked into the old lady's eyes and said sternly: "Grandma, please listen to me.
In a sentence, if I am a lucky person, I will naturally not worry about my life in the future. If I am a poor person, no matter how much dowry is, it will be cheaper for others! You should keep more for yourself. If you are not well, if... there is someone who can't take care of you.
Zhou, or the people below are not asking for money, what can you do with the money in your hands?!"
These are heart-breaking words, and even have some unfilial and rebellious meanings. Minglan would not dare to say them unless it was at this time. Why didn't the old lady understand? With tears in her eyes, she whispered: "Don't worry,
They don't dare to neglect me!...I see that your sister-in-law is a polite person and treats me very filially; I'm just worried about you silly boy..."
Minglan's eyes were wet, she tried her best to look happy, and said with a smile: "I heard from Xiao Tao that there is a saying in their village that if you marry a man, you must wear clothes and eat. After all, my granddaughter is marrying into a high family, so she will not be unable to survive.
Come on!"
After hearing this, the old lady couldn't help but laugh. Then she straightened her face and said solemnly: "Okay! Since he has tried every means to trick you, he will definitely not leave you hungry!"
The grandfather and grandson talked for a long time, and finally decided that they would only go with them to the farm and the forest for the fixed income. Then they would accompany him with more silver coins, plus several large boxes of valuable materials that the old lady had saved over the years.
After all, the dowry is a dead thing, and it is settled. The people who dowry it are the trouble.
When Hualan got married, in addition to Wei Ruixuan's maids and wives, Mrs. Wang accompanied her and gave her a colorful hairpin. The old lady also gave her beloved granddaughter a green cicada. Nearly ten years later, the hairpin was promoted to her aunt.
, gave birth to a concubine, and now she is inevitably jealous of Hua Lan; but Cui Chan married the most capable steward in Yuan Mansion and became Hua Lan's most trusted right-hand man.
Mo Lan was an exception. Neither Wang nor the old lady gave away more people, but only brought people from her Shanyue Juli.
For the remaining Rulan and Minglan, Wang followed Hualan's example and gave Rulan a colored pendant and Minglan a colored ring. The old lady gave Rulan to the most mature and stable Cuiping. As for Minglan,
In fact, Xiaotao and Danju basically came from Shou'antang, and the four green ones were also trained and taught by Fang's mother. With the addition of a green sleeve, the old lady no longer gave them to anyone else.
Miss Caihuan was a little beauty with almond-shaped eyes and peach cheeks. When the old lady saw her for the first time, she became angry and said bitterly: "I don't know what she is worried about?!"
Minglan quickly comforted her and said: "In terms of color, she is not as good as Ruomei, let alone me, the granddaughter of Chen Yuluoyan and the moon-shy flower!"
The old lady staggered and almost fell down from the kang.
Returning to Mu Cangzhai, Ming Lan had been thinking about this matter, so she asked Dan Ju: "The old lady and I have chosen a dowry, please go down and ask them if any of them are reluctant to leave their parents, or if they have something they like."
It’s my wedding, if you don’t go past this village, there won’t be this shop.”
Xiao Tao on the side heard this and quickly interjected: "Sister Danju and I will naturally follow the girl!"
"Nonsense!" Minglan glared at her, "Shut up, I'm asking Dan Ju!"
Unexpectedly, Danju looked embarrassed, twirling her fingers, and Minglan wondered: "Is it possible that you don't want to leave with me? It's okay if you say so."
Danju was startled and waved her hands repeatedly: "No, no! How could I leave the girl? It's... Yancao and Ruomei."
Minglan frowned and said softly: "Just tell me! I'm afraid there will be many people coming to ask for your help these days."
Since she arranged Gu Tingye's marriage, her net worth has increased greatly, and many maids and housekeepers want to follow her. So they openly or covertly asked someone to send a message. Xiaotao is a silly girl with a reputation for being straightforward, and asked her to take the message.
It might end up messing up, because Lu Zhi is immoral, so it would be nice if she didn't scold her with a few sarcastic words, so the gentle and kind-hearted Dan Ju became the best breakthrough point.
Danju looked embarrassed and stammered: "Ruomei...she was bought from outside, and she also has Mr. Feng...it's a matter of fact, she only has a girl to rely on."
Minglan was silent. Ruomei was the first candidate that Fang's mother wanted to eliminate. She said she was born too well, was literate, and had an arrogant heart. It would be inevitable that something would happen if something happened to her.
Oh no.
"What about Yancao? Isn't her mother planning to marry her?"
Danju's face turned even more ugly, and she whispered: "...She said that she couldn't bear to leave the girl and wanted to serve her for a few more years."
This time, even Minglan's face turned ugly.
Xiao Tao made the bed, carried a blue and white porcelain smoker and slowly smoked it in the warm pavilion. After hearing this, she turned around and said: "Sister Yancao's mother came into the house a few days ago, and they hid in the house and talked.
After a long conversation, that’s all I was talking about.”
Dan Ju was embarrassed when he was exposed unexpectedly.
Minglan glanced over, Danju lowered her head and stood up, Minglan said lightly: "You are always too soft-hearted." Danju was at a loss when Minglan saw it, and she really didn't dare to hide it anymore, so she muttered: "It's all
We are together, she said, we are going to enjoy the happiness, but we must not leave our sisters behind."
Minglan's heart sank and she was silent for a while before saying, "Bring Ruomei and leave Yancao behind."
Danju was startled, Minglan glanced at her and continued: "...From tomorrow onwards, I will ask Luzhi to do her job and prepare her for marriage. We will never fall in love.
Missing her dowry."
Danju responded, and before lifting the curtain and going out, she couldn't help but turn around and said, "Girl, Yancao has been doing her best over the years and hasn't made any mistakes." She has served Minglan for nearly ten years, and she knows that Minglan looks kind and easy to talk to on the surface. , but in fact, I am determined, and things I have decided on can rarely be changed; I just try my best one more time.
"I know." Minglan sat in front of the funeral mirror, supporting an exquisite and lovely jade-white elbow, and said slowly, "But it's not good for her to have such intentions. In that kind of powerful family, you are nothing. I'm afraid she will be drawn into her crooked thoughts, not to mention that she has a weak mind; this can also end our love."
She is not afraid of being deceived, nor is she afraid of betrayal. She is only afraid that the person who deceives her and betrays her is the person she trusts and cherishes.
In early February, half of the spring cold faded away early. The day after Brother Jing and Chang Feng entered the examination room, Mrs. Wang came back from Fengtian. Although she was dusty and dusty, she could not conceal her joyful mood and rosy complexion.
"Mother, she has been having a cough lately, so she didn't come to see the two girls out of the palace. She said that when the weather gets warmer, she will bring your aunt, cousins and sister-in-law to visit relatives!" Mrs. Wang was beaming, and Sheng Hong also listened. ’s chuckle.
In the room, a large round table filled with crabapple stone was piled with furry skins and thick velvet, which looked very valuable. There were also several boxes of ginseng tied with red threads. Wang couldn't help but said: "...Nono, this is My grandpa gave you a few of the younger ones. You can choose what you like. This was just bought the winter before last year! Girl Ming, don’t be stunned. Your grandma is thinking about you. She said that there are some of yours in it. My share!" This time she returned to her parents' home with a great victory. Mrs. Wang relented when her younger daughter begged her to kneel down. In the end, the mother and daughter held each other's arms and cried, and the past was over and they reconciled.
Ming Lan stepped forward with a smile, and followed Ru Lan to look through the thick and furry fur. The tentacles were soft and warm. They were indeed the best stuff. She praised it, but thought in her heart that based on her understanding of the Wang family, Just having good things happen to her is not enough to make her so happy. There must be other people's bad things that make her gloat. Could it be that Cousin Wang and Cousin Kang were at odds with each other after their marriage, and the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were at odds with each other?!
Just as he was thinking about it, Rulan unexpectedly leaned into Minglan's ear and whispered: "Sixth sister, I'm afraid Cousin Kang won't have a good life in the Wang family!"
Minglan felt happy, tilted her head and leaned over, biting her ear: "Heroes see the same thing!"
The author has something to say:
In the previous chapter, about the white and big moon on New Year's Eve, many readers said it was a bug. But think about it, it was snowing again on New Year's Eve. Not to mention the round moon, I'm afraid it didn't even have a moon hook.
Wow, my cold humor was ignored...
I can understand the feelings of parents who want to speed up the progress, but farming texts are inherently short-tempered, and they have to repeat every detail in detail, and the writing style is half-dead. But don't worry, everyone, I'm getting married in the next chapter!
Finally, about dowry.
I vaguely remember that Wang Xifeng once mentioned in a conversation with Heping'er that 10,000 taels for each of the girls in Yingchun and Tanchun was enough, and 3,000 taels for Jia Huan's wife was almost enough.
I'm too lazy to read the original work, so you can check it out yourself.
My body couldn't bear it, and my tonsils showed signs of rebellion. I took several cephalosporin tablets in the hope of suppressing it.