The Concubine's Survival Manual

Chapter 262

Lady Seven's heart moved, she lowered her voice, and whispered in Mrs. Feng's ear, "Uncle Lian only met Xiao Qi once, and we didn't talk much about what happened back then."

Mrs. Feng seemed a little more relieved, but also a little more melancholy. She moved her body, struggled to find a comfortable position, and said softly, "He didn't want to say it, and he has his reasons. Those things are for him, After all... Well, speaking of it, I also watched him grow up."

"The Zheng family and the Feng family have been relatives for many years. The two families have always been good friends. Zheng Lianji often came to the Feng family to play since he was a child. Your uncle was studying in a private school at that time, and he was a scholar. When you are about to give birth, your mother's craftsmanship subsidizes the family, and although the life of the family is not luxurious, it is also very rich."

Mrs. Feng's voice gradually became louder. She seemed to be moved by the happy days before, and her face even glowed.

"The protruding embroidery method handed down in the Feng family has always been passed on from daughter to son, and passed on from generation to generation to recruit husbands. Your mother learned the craft from her aunt. She was only fourteen or fifteen years old at the time, and she was already young. Yu Lan, who just flies needles and threads at home every day, can often save four or five taels of silver in a month. The family's expenses are paid from here, which is still very affluent. Her brother and I also treat her very well, Her brother personally said that half of the money will be given to the family, and the remaining half will be saved by herself as a dowry."

"At that time, the little girl at home seldom went out a few times a year. In the first lunar month of the new year, Mrs. Xu Hongniang went to Xiangxuehai to see the plum blossoms, and even let her stay in Xiangxuehai for a night before returning. He wanted to study for exams, and most of them were accompanied by me. Hong Niang went."

"Although Hong Niang is diligent, she is a little girl after all. When she stops sewing, she will have a sad look on her face, preoccupied with life-long events. I was still pregnant with Feng Jin at the time, and my husband loved me so much, so he bought me a little maid." Come to work. When I have nothing to do, I often gossip with Hongniang in her room. Throughout the year, she seems to have the brightest smile on her face only when she goes to Xiangxuehai to admire the plum blossoms."

"Also, when Zheng Lianji came to visit our house by chance, she would often go out and talk to him. Mr. Xianggong devoted himself to studying and never came out of the study. He didn't know anything about these things. It was until Zheng Lianji It was only after I came to propose marriage that I realized that the two of them already had a relationship."

"At that time, our family's few acres of land produced dozens of taels a year. Usually we used it sparingly. The two or three taels of silver that Hongniang gave the family a month was enough for expenses. Over the years, the family has also saved money. The family affairs of 500 taels of silver. It is to spend money for the grandpa when he goes to Beijing to rush for the exam, but the grandpa has not passed the Juren exam twice in a row. His temper is getting worse and worse, and he even has the idea of ​​donating a tribute student , go directly to the Guozijian to study in preparation for the exam. But this money is not something our family can afford at once. At this time, the Zheng family came to propose marriage, and the husband said that unless a dowry gift of 1000 taels of silver is required, otherwise it is absolutely impossible. He will let Hong Niang marry. It is also agreed that after Hong Niang is married, half of the income from sewing will be given to her natal family. Otherwise, Zheng Lianji will be the son-in-law of the Feng family."

"Zheng Lianji has only one seedling in his family, and he can't inherit his own incense when he enters the successor's family. How can he agree? What Mr. Xianggong wants is nothing more than silver. One thousand and four hundred taels of silver is enough to manage up and down. There was a vacancy for a Gongsheng student. But this incident made me feel very uncomfortable, and Hongniang was also very angry. The two siblings quarreled several times, and Hongniang kept saying that this craft was passed down to her by her aunt, and it had nothing to do with her husband. But Xianggong said that this is a unique skill handed down from the family. Although it has been passed down to Hongniang, it is still the property of the Feng family in the final analysis. It is already magnanimous for her to allow Hongniang to save half of the proceeds from the sale as a private house. Mother doesn't know good and bad, she doesn't understand the principle of women's three obediences and four virtues, she is a country shrew."

"The two brothers and sisters were arguing so fiercely, and I felt very uncomfortable. Feng Jin was just born at that time. My husband was very kind to me, so I boldly tried to persuade him, saying that Hongniang had ideas since she was a child, and she quarreled too much. Powerful, she will definitely be separated from her natal family in the future. If she stops doing needlework, it will be a great loss to the Feng family. After hearing this, the husband will calm down a little. He will not quarrel too badly with Hong Niang anymore. But Hong Niang is getting more and more It became more and more uncomfortable, and she often shed tears when she was halfway through the needlework. One day, she suddenly told me that she had earned 200 taels of silver for the Feng family over the years, and the inheritance left by her parents Among them, there must be her share. Even if it is calculated according to the dowry of a married woman, there must be 300 taels of silver. I hope I can give the 300 taels to her. She made up 500 taels and made the capital for Zheng Lianji. Presumably in a year and a half, this 1000 taels of dowry is still hopeful after all."

Mrs. Feng's brows gradually wrinkled again, her voice sank, and before she knew it, she clenched Qin Niangzi's hand again, and she sighed.

"Actually, she is right. If it is decided not to marry and have a childbirth, half of the more than 1000 family affairs left by the parents-in-law at that time must belong to Hongniang. Even if she is going to marry, we will also give a dowry of three or four hundred taels , but when her parents-in-law passed away, Hong Niang was still young, so she didn't mention this matter. My aunt said a few words when she passed away, alas, but she is not a serious parent after all, and my husband didn't take it to heart when he heard it .”

"I never say much about family matters. This time I know that once I bring it up with my husband, the two brothers and sisters will definitely quarrel again. I think Zheng Lianji is also a straightforward person. He usually behaves very well. He will Doing business, not to mention anything else, at least there is more than enough to pay back. So I made the decision in private, agreed to Hongniang, and helped her exchange 500 taels of silver notes, and sent them to Zheng's house with her."

"I didn't expect Zheng Lianji to have 300 taels of capital, so Hong Niang gave Zheng Lianji her 200 taels, and returned the 300 taels of silver notes to me. She thanked me a thousand times in private, saying that I would be better than my husband. Much more reasonable." Mrs. Feng put a wry smile on her lips again, and she whispered, "Zheng Lianji was very happy at the time, he said he would come back to marry Hongniang as soon as he made money, and even privately asked someone to let me Say a few more words for Hong Niang, don't let her brother marry her indiscriminately. I thought to myself, I am afraid that even if someone comes to marry, my husband will not agree. How can the few acres of Susukida at home compare to Hong Niang craftsmanship?"

"I didn't expect that after Zheng Lianji left, there would be no news for more than half a year. Xianggong found a way to buy Gongsheng again. Not only did he give away all the family savings, but he also asked Hongniang for her private money. Maybe it was a loan and he would definitely pay her back in the future. Hong Niang couldn't take it out, and she didn't want to take it out, so the brother and sister quarreled again, and the husband asked me, I..." Mrs. Feng's voice suddenly paused, and after a long time, she sighed, "I can't bear it. I told him. My husband was very angry and said that Hongniang didn't know what was good and that Zheng Lianji was definitely not a good match. The two siblings had a quarrel and said a lot of nasty things. My husband said that he would sell Hongniang to a brothel Go, sell it for 200 taels of silver, and Hong Niang was annoyed by his quarrel. At that time, the wife of the chief envoy liked Hong Niang's craftsmanship very much, so she asked her to go to the mansion to talk a few times. Hong Niang begged someone, I signed a deed with the chief envoy's wife privately, agreeing to work in the embroidery house for three years, two hundred silver a year. When I turned back, I threw the silver to my husband, packed up my own bags, and went to work in the Xianxiu workshop."

There were such twists and turns in the past, but Qin Niangzi never thought of it. She once thought that Jiu Yiniang embezzled the Feng family's savings privately.But looking at it this way, it's clearly Uncle Feng...

She frowned immediately, listening to Mrs. Feng continue. "Your eldest uncle... well, your eldest uncle also can't see it. Although this craftsmanship belongs to the Feng family, but when it comes to Hongniang, isn't it Hongniang's own? He kept saying that it was a thing from the Feng family. Hong Niang has no such status as a worker for Xianxiufang, not to mention he doesn't know about it at all. This is bullying her elder brother, which is the same crime as adultery. However, the backing of Xianxiufang is too strong, and it is hard for the husband to say anything In this way, Hongniang didn't go home at all in the first year. We only know that she did well in Xianxiu Workshop. At the end of the year, I made some clothes for her and asked her friend Huang Xiuniang to send them to Xianxiu. In the workshop, not long after, Huang Xiuniang sent out another five taels of silver, saying it was for Feng Jin's New Year's money. I know that even though Hongniang spoke harshly, she still has her elder brother and sister-in-law in her heart."

(End of this chapter)