Great Song Super Scholar

Chapter 712 New Year's Eve

After lunch on New Year's Eve, all parts of the capital became lazy, and the teahouses closed early. Everyone on the street hurried home. In the afternoon, the number of pedestrians on the street will suddenly increase. This is the last batch of people returning home. Then it was completely quiet.

Fanning's residence was also very lively. After lunch, fifty or sixty servants gathered in the courtyard. The snow had been cleared away and piled up in the corners.

Although the weather is very cold, everyone is very excited. The servants of the Song Dynasty are all free people, unlike the Tang Dynasty, who are not dependent on the person. Everyone works with a salary. In addition to the monthly salary, there are also benefits during the holidays. The employer will Give some cloth and the like, but during the Chinese New Year, the employer will give a reward, which is regarded as thanks to everyone for their hard work for a year.

Of course, this is different from the monthly salary, the amount of money given by each master family is different, and the Fan Ning family gave it very generously, which is why the servants are willing to follow them for more than ten years.

Generally, five pennies from a rich family is considered high, the lowest rough envoy of the Fan family is given ten taels of silver, and the big housekeeper can even get as much as a hundred taels of silver.

"The mistress is here!"

Someone shouted, and everyone stood aside one after another.

Several maids surrounded Zhu Pei and came in from the side door, two concubines Ouyangqian and Cao Xiu, and concubine Aya followed behind, and the eldest son Fan Jing also showed up.

Zhu Pei walked up the steps and smiled at everyone: "It's New Year's Eve again, and it's still the same as before. I will say a few words as usual. Everyone has worked hard this year. My husband often tells me that running a family is like running a country. It is not easy for everyone. Without a gardener, the weeds will grow wildly, and the flowers and trees will be out of order. Without a cook, everyone will not have a hot breakfast in the morning. Without the help of a maid, I can’t take care of such a child at all. Without a coachman , we can only go to the streets to squeeze bullock carts. Without a housekeeper, accountant, and clerk, this house cannot function normally. Each of you is very important. It is everyone's hard work this year that brought the prosperity of the Fan family Harmony, on the occasion of the new year, on behalf of my husband and my sisters, I would like to thank everyone for their dedication!"

After finishing speaking, Zhu Pei, Ouyang Qian and others bowed to everyone to show their gratitude, and everyone knelt down and saluted, "Thanks to the mistresses for taking care of us!"

Zhu Pei waved his hands and said with a smile: "Everyone is welcome, please get up!"

Everyone stood up one after another, and Zhu Pei laughed again: "The following is the moment that everyone is looking forward to. To be honest, I am also looking forward to it. My husband will also give us money. Let's rejoice together!"

Everyone laughed. Zhu Pei nodded to Ouyang Qian. Ouyang Qian took the key and opened the door. Inside were all wrapped silver. Each bag of silver was put in a bag with names written on the bags and arranged in order .

Ouyang Qian, Cao Xiu and Fan Jing were in charge of taking the money, A Ya was in charge of reading the names, and Zhu Pei distributed them every year.

The queue was already lined up below, Aya held up the list and read: "The first is Steward Liu, the second is Steward Wu Nei, and the third is Steward Xiao Wu."

These are the three housekeepers in the mansion, Wu Nei Butler and Wu Butler's wife, who are in charge of the inner courtyard, Xiao Wu Butler is the third butler, the son of Wu Butler's mother-in-law, very shrewd and capable, he is in charge of external affairs, and Liu Da is in charge of general coordination.

The three housekeepers all came out and took the cloth bag from Zhu Pei. In the past, Butler Liu and Wu Nei were both paid a hundred taels of silver, and Butler Xiao Wu was paid 80 taels of silver.

Aya shouted their names one by one, and everyone stepped forward to take the bag, and after secretly opening it, they all showed joy, and the two servants even waved their fists in joy, and ran away.

This year, because the owner Fan Ning has been leading the army to fight outside, everyone in the mansion has worked extraordinarily hard, so the annual reward has increased by 12% this year. Of course everyone is happy. The minimum is [-] taels of silver. After saving a few years of silver, everyone can go home and buy houses and land.

Of course, this year's rewards were not only sent out by servants, but also twenty female guards in the mansion. They were all highly skilled in martial arts and hid in the dark day and night to protect the safety of Fan Ning's wife and children.

Fan Ning has always been a thorn in the eyes of Xixia and Liao, and we must beware of Liao or Xixia spies attacking Fan Ning's family, so an abandoned military camp not far from Fanning's mansion has been renovated, and [-] soldiers are stationed there.

This is the imperial court's protection for Fan Ning's family, but it is far from enough, so another twenty young female guards with strong martial arts skills are invited to protect the inner house. Reward silver.

In addition, there is also an offering to Qingshui Temple, which is the place where Jian Meizi practiced. It is located in an alley diagonally opposite Fanning Mansion. It is a small Taoist temple covering an area of ​​about three acres, dedicated to Sanqing.

Jian Meizi led eight female apprentices to practice here. Many of the surrounding people have become lay Buddhists of the Sanqing Temple. Fan Ning's mother, Zhang Sanniang, is a pious female lay Buddhist who spends most of the day in the Taoist temple.

Qingshuiguan has [-] mu of land outside the city as a viewing property, and these [-] acres of farmland are Zhu Pei’s dowry.

And every year during the New Year, another 1000 taels of incense money will be offered.

Of course, Zhu Pei's generosity was not without price. When Fan Ning was in the capital, he was always protected by Jian Meizi. When Fan Ning went out to eat with his colleagues at noon, she would sit not far away.

After the annual rewards were distributed, everyone returned to the inner house. Cao Xiu took Zhu Pei's arm and asked with a smile, "How much money will your husband give us?"

Zhu Pei poked her on the forehead and said with a smile: "Aya should ask this question, you have so much dowry, would you be rare for this little money?"

"It's not rare, this is the money I earn from serving my husband, it's my own money."

Before she could finish speaking, Zhu Pei lightly pinched her arm and pouted her mouth backwards. Cao Xiucai noticed that Fan Jing was following not far behind. She blushed, stuck out her tongue and whispered: "He shouldn't understand!"

"He probably didn't hear it. Be careful what you say in the future. The children have grown up."

Aya beside him asked with a smile: "Madam, actually, I also want to know how much money the master will give me this year."

Zhu Pei stretched out his palms and compared, "You have this number this year, but don't send it back to Japan. Your parents are big landlords now, and they are very rich. Keep it for yourself and your son!"

Aya nodded, "Of course I leave it to Qi'er."

Fan Ning has a lot of property for his wife and children. Every year, he gives his wife and children New Year's money. Of course, giving his wife and concubine is not called New Year's money, but his own money. It is actually pocket money for them, at least a few thousand taels of silver. There is still monthly money.

He was also worried that if something happened to him, his wife and children would be able to live comfortably for the rest of their lives.

At four or five o'clock in the afternoon, the last wave of pedestrians appeared on the street, all of them were employees of various businesses, or servants of wealthy families. They were also on vacation and went home separately.

More than a dozen local servants from Fanning's house also left, and the rest of the servants stayed in the outer house for the New Year's Eve dinner under the leadership of Mr. Liu and Mrs. Wu. She will also bring her eight disciples over to squeeze a table, and twenty female guards will follow the master to the Zhu residence.

Without the host, everyone will have more fun, but the rules of the Fan family are stricter. You can drink, but you are not allowed to get drunk, and you are not allowed to use alcohol to cause trouble. Otherwise, the employment relationship will be terminated.

Fan Ning set off with his family and five or six servant girls in three large carriages, followed by twenty female guards on horseback. They were dressed in samurai uniforms, red cloaks, swords on their waists, and thrush bows on their saddles. And quiver, especially heroic.

At this time, there were firecrackers everywhere, groups of children were playing in the street, making snowmen, playing snowball fights, and the atmosphere of the New Year gradually became stronger.

The gate of the Zhu Mansion was also decorated with eight big lanterns. Zhu Yuanfeng's daughter Zhu Jie and eldest son Zhu Xiaoli waited at the gate with their wives, daughters and two sons.

Zhu Yuanfeng also had four sons. Except for the eldest son’s family who stayed in the capital, the others all went to Beidao. Zhu Xiaoli was mainly in charge of some important Zhu family properties, such as Zhulou, Zhu’s boat company, textile workshops and more than a dozen manors, etc. , while Zhu's money shop and newspaper office are managed by his daughter Zhu Jie.

Fan Ning and his family got out of the carriage, Zhu Xiaoli brought his two sons to greet Fan Ning, and his wife and daughter went to greet Fan Ning's family with Zhu Jie.

Fan Ning said with a slight smile: "Today is the family celebrating the New Year together, so don't think about the official position of the court. Everyone should celebrate New Year's Eve happily according to the family's seniority."

Having said that, Zhu Xiaoli did not dare to put on airs of elders in front of Fan Ning, and respectfully invited Fan Ning into the mansion, while his two sons went to greet Fan Ning's three sons.

Fan Ning actually had four sons. The youngest son, Fan Zhou, was only one and a half years old. He was held in the arms of his mother, Cao Xiu, and his wet nurse followed.

Fan Ning's mother, Zhang Sanniang, was a member of Fan's family, and she was crowded into Zhu's mansion like stars holding the moon.

The Zhu residence was decorated with lights and festoons, and the spacious atrium and east courtyard were filled with large tables, and lanterns were hung above the heads, illuminating the courtyard like daytime.

A large round table with a diameter of five meters was placed in the lobby. Although there were more than 200 people in Zhu's mansion sitting together to celebrate the New Year, there were not many owners. There were only Zhu Fan's family, Zhu Yuanfeng's eldest son Zhu Xiaoli's family, and his daughter Zhu Jie brought her daughter and son-in-law, and then the Fanning family.

Zhu Yuanfeng wore a red satin cotton gown with blessing characters, and with the support of two maids, he forced himself to stand up with a smile and said, "Welcome Mr. Fan and his family to come to my house to celebrate New Year's Eve!"

(End of this chapter)