Dowry maid's daily life [Red Mansion]

It is about [-] miles from Duzhong to Xiangping County, where the Liaodong defenders guard, but Yun'an and his party have traveled for more than three months.Some of the sons of the Song clan who followed Song Chen as personal guards originally murmured secretly that Madam was afraid that she was reluctant to part with the prosperity of the capital since she was a child, and she was unwilling to come to their bitter cold place, so she postponed it all the more.But since Madam arrived in Xiangping, not only did the mansion take on a completely new look, but several shops and stores opened up bustlingly. This was obviously a plan that had been made long ago. Don't mention those speculations, but admire the young lady's wrists for——

The three months of delay were not used to mourn the spring and autumn. Instead, from south to north, a group bought local specialties, and a group sold in-demand goods.Most of the female relatives who came here from other families have heard too much about the bitter cold and wild beasts in Liaodong. When they came here, who was not trembling, and they were not used to it for many years. Going to the north to follow the post is more like a large caravan traveling in business.I'm afraid even the caravan doesn't have the courage of their wife, but anyone who has seen those shops with extremely rich goods will not fail to admire them.

"The shad tribute from the south of the Yangtze River will arrive in Beijing in three days on a journey of three thousand miles. We walked [-] miles for three months. I'm afraid it will be difficult to explain to the Song family's old house in Heye City. My sister will come to see me in two days. I don't know what happened. ?” Yingchun said to Du Zhong with a strong spirit.

Du Zhong said with a smile: "You also know this? We didn't mention it in the first month, but in the first two months we sent people to pick you up on the road, and we didn't dare to urge you directly. I stayed to do some work, the house is almost empty." Just looking at Yingchun's sleepy appearance, he was reluctant to say more, after all, he has arrived safely, because he said again: "Don't worry about Song Jiazu's house, I won't worry about it. It's hard for An'an. I have met the old lady of the Song family, and the two old people have a clear mind. With such an old ancestor in charge, An An doesn't have to worry about her. "

Song Chen was not raised in the Song family, and the relationship between them has weakened a little. It is also good for this person to be weak. Song Chen made his attitude towards his wife and the Du family clear in his family. Now it is a relationship of mutual benefit and mutual dependence, and those who want to make a living have to weigh it.Besides, An'an is not a dough tempered person who can be flattened and rounded by others.Since Du Zhong's younger sister grew up to be at the height of the table, she can rest assured that she will be half of the Du family, but she has deep confidence in his younger sister. An An can handle this matter of the Song family.

Du Zhong thought about it, looked at Yingchun again, and fell asleep with confidence after getting the words, and gently tucked up the quilt for his wife. Du Zhong felt sorry for him. It is even more troublesome to get a good business line.

"Take care of it, grandma will let me know when she wakes up." Du Zhong walked out of the inner room and ordered the chess players on duty outside.

Siqi hurriedly said: "Yes."

When Du Zhong went out, the two little girls who were about to leave their heads stuck out their tongues and said, "Master is getting more and more majestic! It's obviously a good word, but when the uncle glanced at it, he was a little scared for some reason."

"My calves are weak."

Siqi was used to a cup of strong tea to refresh himself, and laughed and scolded: "Chew your tongue! Go and get the silver diaper, let's cook some glutinous rice porridge on the brazier, and use a bowl when grandma wakes up."

After hearing this, the little girls hurriedly went to the back room to rummage through the boxes, and Siqi hurriedly instructed: "Be quiet, and you sister Xiuju and the others will be temporarily placed behind, so as not to wake them up. Tell them to cultivate their spirits for an hour. I’ll replace us later, let’s make more porridge and water, and then each of us will fill a bowl, so that our stomachs will be warm and we’ll go rest for a while.”

Saying this, the other mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law who were working hard on errands also felt ironic.So everyone got busy.While listening to the movement of welcoming the spring in the inner room, Siqi invited the old lady of the Du family to ask some questions.

The three sons of Mrs. Lou's family are all very promising. The eldest is in charge of a farm, the second is the uncle's long-term follower, and the youngest is only eleven or twelve. He is being used by grandma. Mrs. Lou herself is also in this house. In charge of things, in charge of the laundry.Because her first two sons came here with the uncle early in the morning, the inside and outside things are always seven or eight points clear, so Siqi always asks her to ask about things.

Mrs. Lou is calm, honest but not dull, when she saw the situation, she said first: "I just saw my second son, I dare not ask about anything else, but I know the situation in the inner house."

Mrs. Lou couldn't help laughing as she spoke, and said in a low voice: "My son said that before grandma came, there wasn't even a girl in this huge house, and even the cleaning and laundry were done by the boys themselves. Grandpa The surroundings are even more clean, he and Mr. Song next door are very busy, they are usually busy in the public house, and it is only after receiving the letter that they have specially spared these few days."

While talking, he pointed to the west side: "The same is true for Mr. Song."

Siqi let go of his restless heart, and visibly cheered up, because he smiled and said: "Mother has worked hard, and I am tired after thinking about it. The kang room in the back room is warm, and mother is also going to have a rest."

Laolou's mother smiled and said: "I'm old, I'm afraid I won't be able to fall asleep at night, so it's better to talk to the girl here. I just walked back and forth, and the house in the north is better than the house in Beijing. The house is much wider, the four-entry house is not small, and there is still a big empty space behind - this time there are quite a few people who came along, but it is not enough to spread it into this house." Especially The girl in the back house is too bad.Mrs. Lou thinks about what she has seen and heard along the way. There are very few girls in Liaodong, and even the ones in Zhuangzi think they are precious. The age of her first two sons will reach the point of marriage in two years. It's time, this matter has been on the heart of Mrs. Lou for half a month, and now she turns a corner to find out.

Siqi waved his hands and said with a smile: "I'm sure the ones I brought this time are not enough. Grandma has already planned in her heart. After a few days, when she settles down, she and the aunt next door will recruit people from the local area..."

It's just that it's not easy to settle down. There are so many people and things, so I'm afraid it will be difficult to live in peace in the second half of the month.What's more, the two adjacent houses are well repaired, the fire walls and floor cages are excellent, and the house is very warm without a brazier, but Du Zhong and Song Chen can only take care of these, even the main house The furnishings are very simple, and the back room for the maids and women to rest temporarily only has a warm kang and a few heavy furniture with large boxes and cabinets, and nothing else.

Du Zhong left the main courtyard of his home and headed west. Although the garden was still bare everywhere, he always felt that it was different from the previous few months, and even the whistle of the cold wind cutting his face was more pleasant.Turning to the southwest, there is a corner door on the wall. Seeing Eucommia coming, the boy on the door hurriedly opened the door. As soon as the door opened, the people on the opposite side also hurriedly opened the door to welcome them. That door was the southeast corner door of the Song family. .It is said to be a corner gate, but in fact it does not lead to the street. There is a three-foot-wide lane between the two houses. The two ends of the street that originally led to the street were built by two brothers. This corner gate is only reserved for the convenience of the two sides.

As soon as Du Zhong arrived next door, a housekeeper came out to welcome him. Du Zhong raised his eyebrows: "Where's your master?" He thought it was Song Chen who came over.

"The uncle is in the main room. Uncle, please." Knowing that this is the uncle's side, the housekeeper hurriedly led him to the main room.

When Du Zhong heard this, he frowned: Didn't An An rest for a while?Is there something that can't be said later, and I have to hurry up now?It seems that it's time for the younger brother to practice.

Thinking in his heart, this uncle's face is not very bright, as much as he loves his sister, there are as many angers as his brother-in-law will not love others.

Unexpectedly, when she arrived at the main courtyard, the whole courtyard was quiet, and the busy people also moved lightly. Mei Yue hurriedly greeted her in the hall after receiving the letter, and rushed to serve hot tea.

The sister and brother-in-law were nowhere to be seen, and Du Zhong looked at Mei Yue.

Mei Yue used to be Yun'an's eldest girl, but now she is in charge of the housekeeper, so she should answer the matter of the inner courtyard, but the daughter-in-law pursed her lips and said with a smile: "Miss rest, my uncle will stay with you for a while. How about ..." The young couple was reunited today, the girl slept for a while after being tired on the road, and the uncle also slept with her, in the eyes of people like Mei Yue, it was naturally the best.I just fell asleep, so it's not easy to wake up now, but fortunately my uncle is not an outsider.

When Du Zhong heard this, the hot tea in his mouth was no longer fragrant.

"No need to call."

Putting down the tureen, Du Zhong returned to his home in the east with the sneering relative behind him.Until turning to Zhengzhong Yong Road, the chief follower saw that his father didn't know whether he was going to the front or the back, so he smiled and said, "Why don't you go and rest for a while?" What a beautiful thing.

Du Zhong paused for a while, then went straight back to the main room.Facing the eyes of the girls wanting to ask but not dare to ask, Eucommia roasted the chill on his body by the brazier in the outer room before going into the warm pavilion, pulled off another thin quilt, lay down on the edge of the bed, and carefully laid down the sleeping Yingchun. Take it into your arms... Not long after, Eucommia also fell ill.

The outside chess player and Mrs. Lou looked at each other and smiled, and the movement became quieter.

It is a sound sleep, and two rooms are fragrant.

----

That night, the two young couples had a reunion dinner and talked about all the things that could not be detailed in the letter. They didn't have time to pack up their belongings and house, so they rushed to arrange the visit to the Song family's old house in Heye City.

Yingchun looked at the list of gifts and hesitated for a while, because she asked: "Is this ceremony a little more important?" I heard that Ding Xingwang, a member of the Song family clan, although his brother-in-law is not the eldest son, is the grandson of the eldest son.

Yun An was checking the purse box, it was a big box, and there were about a hundred purses of various styles, all of which were prepared as gifts for the younger generation.The one with powder foundation is for my sister, one gold and one silver are "happy brows" small zippers, and the other one with green background is a ruyi-style ruyi pen ingot, which is for my buddies, and each of them adds another one. Pike ruler head.This gift is also very generous.

"Liaodong is no better than the capital, these should be enough." The gift is too heavy, but it makes people guess.

"Fur goods are produced here, but cloth is more valuable..." Therefore, there are a lot of yarns and satins from Jiangnan in the gift list, and there are also some fine cotton cloths.

The sister-in-law and sister-in-law discussed and discussed, and quickly went through the gift list, checking and sealing the gifts one by one.

At five drums the next day, a group of chariots and horses left the Song residence on Feng'an Street, and went out of the North Gate to Heye City.

The Song family in Heye City has received the letter, and the old lady Song ordered the juniors in the family to wait at the gate of the city early, and the female relatives also gathered in the old lady's Songhe hall, waiting to see what the third elder brother's daughter-in-law is like. son.

"I heard that the third sibling is extremely beautiful and capable, and my ancestors have been looking forward to it for a long time." This is the eldest daughter-in-law of the second room, and also the eldest daughter-in-law of the grandchildren of the family, and Song Chen's sister-in-law.

"It's not difficult for a girl raised in the capital's water and soil to be beautiful and handsome, but what do you say she is capable?"

"Why don't I believe it? What kind of abilities can a young daughter-in-law who is not yet in her twenties have? She can be a housekeeper, isn't she?" A family aunt shook her head. Any upright lady who doesn't care about the family should be given credit for her ability.

"Who says it's not! I heard that the population in the south is large, and each family raises a whole yard of servants, and there are rules and regulations. All major and minor matters are assigned to the servants, and all things are assigned to the stewards to follow the rules. , how many housekeepers are there on top of the steward... the master on the top only needs to move his mouth and ears, and his hands can keep the house in order—don't be so 'competent'?" The little daughter-in-law also discussed.

This remark was not pleasant to the ear. Song Chen's two sister-in-laws were about to speak, when they heard a somewhat hoarse voice whispering: "It's nothing to be beautiful and capable. What are we doing? According to me, as long as Don't fall into those two kinds of people, the third grandma, just Amitabha, we can respect and kiss each other!"

The person who said this was an aunt in the clan. At this time, she stretched out two fingers to gesture, and while rushing to the seat behind Mrs. Song, she pouted, and at the same time signaled with her eyes to one of the young daughter-in-laws far away from the door. .

Immediately, everyone was silent, even the eldest grandma and the second grandma felt a little nervous, and couldn't muster up the energy to praise the cousin who had never been masked.

Who are the people in this building talking about? They are two wonderful flowers among the many daughters-in-law of the Song family. None of them are from northern Xinjiang.The fifth wife's natal family is closer, but the young daughter-in-law was raised in a serious Jiangnan water town, like a bunch of tender green onions, and she is lovely.Compared with Mrs. Fifth's dogma, this little daughter-in-law is just another kind of unbearable, with soft waist, eyes like hooks that attract people, and fierce temper, wishing that all the men in the world would support her. Okay, although I didn't really get out of the wall, but it attracted several young people who were out of their minds...

If you add another similar one, and it still falls in your own home-the grandma's head will hurt instantly.