Prequel to the Red Chamber: I Am the Second Wife

in charge?Zili gave Jia Zheng a white look, you think too much, how could she be the home of the Rongguo Mansion? According to the rules and customs at that time, Zili would never be the home of the Rongguo Mansion. "My wife feels sorry for my sister-in-law who is tired and asked me to come out to help for a few days. What can I do? Don't make me mess up in the future. Then you will lose face with me. The second master has eaten, why don't you take a break?" Zili looked around the room, Jia Zheng was left alone in the room, and the maids had all gone out.

Jia Zheng immediately asked someone to pour tea for Zili, and he personally took Zili's cloak and handed it to the little girl: "What did you eat with your wife, do you want to eat more?" The mother-in-law couldn't eat and drink freely in front of the mother-in-law. Zili had to serve Jia's mother for dinner first, and then she could set another table outside to eat after Jia's mother had finished eating.Surrounded by girls in Jiamu's house, who would want to eat dragon liver and phoenix gallbladder?Jia Zheng was very considerate: "I asked someone to buy some fresh dim sum from outside, and I'll bring you some. The kitchen will cook what you want to eat at night. Try this, the dim sum is very good." Xiao Ai had already placed a plate of snacks on the table.

Zili saw that the dim sum on the table was crystal dumpling, with lard and glutinous rice filled with sweet fillings. She was already very greasy after eating at Jiamu's, so how could she be in the mood to eat this greasy dim sum.Zili couldn't help but frowned slightly: "I'm not hungry. This food is not easy to digest. You should eat less. I accept your wish. It's better to put it away and eat it tomorrow." Jia Zheng looked at the snacks on the table and couldn't help asking. Said: "I bought several kinds of snacks, why is this one left? What about duck feet and duck letters?" Jia Zheng frowned, angry that the girls didn't do their job well.

Unexpectedly, Xiao Ai looked confused: "There is no other snacks, this is it. Sister Qingyun brought it in herself, and said not to move it casually. It was given to Second Mistress by the second master. There is nothing else!"

It must have been stolen by the girls!The girl next to her was lawless, causing her to lose face in front of Zili.Jia Zheng felt a little uncomfortable. A few days ago he went out with Mr. Wang to meet friends. During the dinner, he found that the dim sum was even better than the cook at home. Only then did I know that there was a new teahouse in Jinling City.The dim sum in their house is very good, and where did the dim sum eaten during the banquet come from.Jia Zheng thought that Zili likes delicate food, so he asked the boy to buy some to present to Zili as a present.

In the end, there were only crystal dumplings left, and Jia Zheng couldn't hold back his face, so he smiled awkwardly at Zili: "It's because they are greedy, I'll ask someone to buy it again."

Zili didn't care what to eat, but Jia Zheng's heart felt very warm to her. Jia Zheng was able to treat her even after eating good food, which showed that he had his own place in his heart. "I'm not a child, so I'm fighting for my mouth to eat. You put away the dumplings and eat them hot tomorrow. I ate a lot of good things at my wife's side, and I still feel full. The dishes at night should be lighter. I heard that girls and big brothers are here, what is it for?" Zili and Jia Zheng sat across from each other drinking tea and gossiping.

Thinking of Jia Amnesty's deflated look, Jia Zheng started to eat again and laughed non-stop. He was beaming with Zili Bi, gesticulating and talking about the scene at that time, and said to relieve his hatred: "You didn't see the big brother at that time. The appearance, the color of a face has changed a round. The eldest brother always wants to overwhelm me by relying on his status, but every time he gets embarrassed every time. My wife told you that the housekeeper trusts you, but there is something I want you to know. Don’t make decisions on your own when you encounter major issues, just ask your wife more. If you don’t know about family affairs, you can ask me first, and don’t make up your own mind.” Jia Zheng said that if you are not familiar with the situation, you can ask yourself. .

Zili looked at Jia Zheng with a look I knew, and said to him: "My mind is not on being competitive, the eldest brother will always be the eldest brother, and he will definitely become the prince in the future. I will just work hard to manage the family until the end It has nothing to do with us. I didn't want to care about it at first, but the wife said something. For the sake of the old lady and the wife, I can only bite the bullet. I'm counting on you to win the throne." There are not many days left for Jia Zheng to end again. Zili has already made up her mind that as long as Jia Zheng is admitted to Juren, she will beg her father and grandfather to make Jia Zheng a small official. Jia Amnesty is tricky.In fact, house fighting is not at all the narrow-mindedness and nervousness between women. It is simply a struggle between men who are incapable of fighting for a more favorable position to gnaw at the old.

Full of confidence, Jia Zheng straightened his shoulders and raised his chin slightly: "I will definitely not miss this time, and I will definitely not disappoint you."

The New Year is coming soon, and Zili used to help Mrs. Tang manage the house when she was at her natal home. Zili is no stranger to managing all kinds of celebrations and human relations during the Spring Festival. I'm afraid that something went wrong and people grabbed the pigtails and gossiped.After a few days, the housekeeper, Zili, had a deeper understanding of the Jia family. She looked at the daily expenses with cold eyes, and couldn't help complaining in her heart. It was unreasonable for their family not to fail.It is true that Jia Daishan can make money, but the whole Jia family is also very good at spending money.After careful calculation, the serious master is about the same as the Wang family, but the phone bill is several times higher than that of the Wang family. Those ostentation makes people dizzy.

The servants of the family are also intertwined. At the beginning, Rong Guogong Jia Yuan led a dozen soldiers, and their descendants also became the family servants of the Jia family.Don't look at the hats of slaves on these people's heads, but each of them has more scores than ordinary people outside.Zili felt that he couldn't compare them with the common people outside, even ordinary petty officials were not as good as their servants!The children and grandchildren of these people are all in Jia's family, and they form cliques. In addition, they have been married to each other in the past few decades. Except for the servants in the whole house who bought it from outside now, the remaining [-] to [-]% are from each other. In marriage, the network of relationships is as complicated as a maze.

Seeing that Zili is the new daughter-in-law, some people here must be tender-faced and dare not deal with them ruthlessly. Gradually, some people dare to blatantly goof off, bicker, and not handle things well.Every morning, Zili came late to the hour!Zili naturally knew who was making her look bad behind her back. Ever since Mother Jia handed over the housekeeping rights to Zili that day, Mrs. Zhang has been ill. Hearing the servants say that Mrs. Jia She and Mrs. Zhang had a fierce quarrel that day, she was very angry. He dropped a lot of dishes in the house.Mrs. Zhang knew she was wronged, so she could only swallow her anger. Jia She simply quarreled with Mrs. Zhang, flung his sleeves and went to live in the study outside and would not come back.Zhang's loss of her mother-in-law's favor and her husband's rejection made her unavoidably ill. "It's not honest to be sick!" Zili calmly asked the people around him to find out the origin and life experience of those thorns. It turned out that they were relatives of Jia She's girls and women.They used to rely on the opportunity of the Zhang family to find a good job, and they thought they had a backer, and they were more recalcitrant to management than others.

She secretly found out who made mistakes in the past, and took the opportunity of the Chinese New Year in front of Jia Mu to explain clearly. "At the end of the year, people come and go, and the door is more strict. I have secretly checked the people who went to the night these days, and there are people who are lazy to sleep, and there are people who secretly gather people to gamble. Although they dare not play big games, But in the dead of night, they drink three, four, play cards and eat wine, how can they still watch the door. There is a winner or loser in gambling, and I am afraid that someone will lose money if they lose hard and give birth to crooked ways. I want to ask my wife to show me how to deal with them?"

Jia Mu's face darkened when she heard Zili's words: "It's okay, beat them up and drive them out immediately. At the end of the year, it's most likely to have troubles and theft. The door is still so careless, isn't it waiting?" Letting thieves come to your door. It’s good that you are a careful housekeeper. Since I have entrusted you to take care of the whole family, I believe you. You don’t have to answer me when you encounter such things in the future, just report it to me.”

When Zili got what Jia Mu said, he immediately took action, and that night he captured the dealer and the participants. The next morning, Zili presented the stolen evidence and testimonies in front of everyone, and dealt with those sharp criminals vigorously. people.Seeing Zili's methods, the servants of the Jia family never dared to embarrass Zili again.

Jia Daishan was weaved in Jinling, and this position must be incompetent for the emperor's cronies. On the ground of Jinling City, Jia Daishan is like an imperial envoy of the emperor.At the end of the year, many officials and scholars will come to visit Jia's house.The task of receiving guests is a huge project. Looking at the dense list of guests, Zili suddenly felt like he was holding a summit.The servants of the family have to beat it in advance, so as to save their arrogant attitude from offending that literary leader or an official who doesn't like ostentation.

Zili simply summoned the servants from all over the family to take responsibility for each individual job, and established a reasonable and fair assessment mechanism. Do things like pass on things.From the main hall in the front to the two gates in the back, several supervisors performed their respective duties, welcoming and sending them off.Those who look sorry and have no skills can only do some cleaning and cleaning of crude benzene in the back.Time is tight and tasks are heavy, Zili is not prepared to stage any kind of scene that moistens things and makes no noise.Clean and fast Efficiency and quality are equal.Zili's big campaign started vigorously in the Rongguo Mansion. Some people were happy while others were annoyed. Some people began to regret that they were blind, hugged the wrong thigh, and stood in the wrong team!The whole Jia's house was like a stabbed hornet's nest, chattering and whispering everywhere.

All the staff competed for posts, only looking at their abilities and not their relationships, and those relationships were disrupted by Zili's three, five, and two divisions.More and more people came to Zili to flatter her, and even the housekeepers didn't dare to fool her anymore.With Zili's actions, many people's cheeses were passive. If you take my job, I will kill you. Immediately, there are more people in front of Jia Mu and the old lady who come to cry and complain.In fact, why do you have to be serious, the previous years have passed, why bother to make trouble when you just took over.At the end of the year, old ladies and wives don't like to see people cry and look sad. I think I will go with you to greet your wife tomorrow. If your wife is really angry, I will help you make peace.Seeing Zili's drastic rectification, Jia Zheng was a little uneasy.

"The servants of your family are slaves. They are clearly masters and ancestors. They just rely on the fact that they have been with the master for a long time, so they dare to point fingers at me according to the master's score. What do I want to say? It used to be this It was like that, it was like that in the past. The rules left by the ancestors must be obeyed, but they are doing things seriously with the rules of the past. The ancestors also said that a slave should keep his own place, but which one of them obeyed? Take the rules As a fig leaf, if you still want to manipulate your master, you should be beaten to death! It is obvious that you want to show me off, so that if you subdue me, you can dominate the family. I will not be angry with that. If your wife is angry tomorrow, you don’t have to help Just ask me to explain, if it’s a big deal, I’ll just quit.” Zili put on a face like I’m a hooligan, I’m going to make someone look like a fool, and I don’t care about those servants who complained to Jia Mu and the old lady.

Jia Zheng sighed helplessly: "Many of the servants in the family went to the army with their grandfather, and we always have to look at their past achievements." Jia Zheng is not a fool about the family's shortcomings, but the rules of the Jia family are like this. He also didn't like being nagged by those old minions who would be qualified all day.It's just that those people are intertwined, and there is a tendency to respond to everyone. Jia Zheng is worried that Zili is not strong enough and will be bullied instead.

Zili rolled his eyes and hooked his fingers at Jia Zheng: "Since you hate them who are up and down, I have a good idea to make them obey you in the future." Jia Zheng listened Hearing Zili's words, his eyes lit up, seeing that there was no one else outside, he immediately dropped the book in his hand, ran up to Zili and looked at her eagerly: "Grandma is so wonderful, just say something when you need me, I will go through fire and water."

Zili smiled like a cat stealing a fish. She leaned over and whispered something in Jia Zheng's ear. Jia Zheng smiled when he heard it: "Wonderful, it's grandma who has a plan. I'm convinced. I'll take care of it tomorrow." Go see your father and talk about it." Jia Zheng took the pieces of paper from Zili's hand with a relaxed expression on his face.He doesn't want to be the second master who is regarded as a mascot, he wants to be a real master.

Jia Mu had just returned from the old lady's side, and the little girls had already prepared warm water soaked in safflower mixed with pearl powder, waiting for Jia Mu to wash their hands and face when she came back.Because the weather is getting colder and colder, although the upper room is burning with hot charcoal fire, it will feel dry after a long time of burning. Taking advantage of the time when Jia Mu went out to greet the old lady, the little girls have already wiped it with wet rags. Everywhere on the ground was scrubbed.The ground will be clean, and the local cauldron exudes a light fragrance of bergamot, which blends with the fragrance of the blooming wintersweet and narcissus under the window. As soon as the curtain is opened, it feels warm and fragrant. It is neither dry nor springy. vitality.

Pearl came up with a few maids to help Jia Mu change her clothes. Jia Mu dipped her hands in warm water and breathed a long sigh of relief. Pearl took a towel and wiped Jia Mu's hands carefully. "Who else is complaining today?" Mother Jia half-closed her eyes, enjoying Pearl's moderately firm hand massage. "Madam stood by the old lady for a long time, and her hands are swollen. There are fewer people who come to complain about their grievances today. I am afraid that all the ones who should have come have already come." Pearl dipped some balm and spread it evenly on Jia Mu's sleeves. white hands.

"Who has complained in the past few days?" Mother Jia opened her eyes to look at the pearl, and finally opened the teacup and took a sip slowly, the fragrant tea fragrance filled her mouth.She listened to the old lady complaining for a long time today, and there were quite a few people from the old lady's side to complain. The old lady couldn't stand it and called her to complain for a long time. "Take care of the night, there are those in the big kitchen and the small kitchen inside, those in the tea room, those who tidy up flowers and plants in the garden, and those who wash and wash clothes. The rest are all in charge of the farm." Pearl thought that the person who came to sue was Quite a few, but none of them are in charge of key departments or people with particularly deep backgrounds. She didn't move a single thing. What does your wife think about this?" Mother Jia has been in charge of the Rongguo Mansion for decades, and all the servants in the family praised her for being sympathetic to the servants, treating them generously, never punishing the servants lightly, let alone being biased. , Whoever makes a mistake is treated the same.In fact, only Pearl, the eldest girl next to Jiamu, knows how many confidantes Jiamu does have.It's just that most people can't see it.

"She's a good girl. You said I should feel free to call her housekeeper. I should take the opportunity to take back the housekeeper's errand. I'm getting more and more confused about what she's thinking." Jiamu was confused by Zili's actions. .If it is said that she is presenting a certificate for herself, she has arrested the relatives of the old lady's confidant servants, but she has not shown anything in front of her.If it is said that Wang Zili showed his true colors and wanted to overwhelm the parents-in-law and dominate the mansion, but it doesn't look like it.What a second grandma, she was so unpredictable.

Pearl persuaded: "According to the servants, the second grandmother was still a girl when she was in her mother's house. Everyone let her go, so her temper became a little bit spoiled. She doesn't think much about others when she does things, and only follows her own preferences. In fact, the servants in the family The more laziness, the need to rectify it. My wife also said that I want to rectify it, but I haven't done it yet. Now the second grandma is doing it, so it just saves my wife's energy. When she is done, it is my wife who manages the house Youfang, if she didn't do well, it's because she was impatient and incompetent. It has nothing to do with my wife."

Some words have reached Jiamu's heart, anyway, her own power is good, she just sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight.Jia's mother said to Pearl: "Whoever comes to me to cry and wipe away tears in the future, you can tell him to go back and say that I don't care about family matters when I was born. Tell her what the second grandma's housekeeper has." Push everything on Zili, stop with silence, and strike late.

Just as the girls announced, "Master is back." Without saying a word, Jia Daishan came in with a dark face. Mother Jia stood up hurriedly, and personally helped to change clothes. It has reached such a point that I don't even know. How does the eldest daughter-in-law manage the family?" Jiamu heard her husband's unfriendly tone, and knew that someone had complained in front of her husband.

"What did Zheng'er say to the master? No wonder, he didn't study hard and started to care about the trivial matters at home. Probably Zheng'er's daughter-in-law changed a few errands in charge, and people were panic-stricken. They came to me and the old lady. There are quite a few people complaining. Zheng'er is helping his wife." Jia's mother didn't take Jia Daishan's anger to heart at all, seeing her husband's expression, she sneered in her heart, Wang Zili was still too young, she was not in vain Lived for decades.When she ruled over everyone and took charge of the big and small affairs of the mansion, she was not born yet.

"Zheng'er is right. He didn't accuse anyone. It's just that I tested his knowledge today. When it came to the topic of running a country and running a family, Zheng'er casually said that many servants in the family rely on The ancestors sent troops together with the old prince, arrogant and domineering, and did not take the master seriously. Although it is said to be lenient, it cannot be lenient. The principle of governing the country is the combination of leniency and strictness. This article is well done, and I am much more sensible, and I am no longer a child like I used to be. After all, I have a family, and I have a few good teachers to guide me. Our family is from military service, that is, Brother Jing over there My son passed the Jinshi examination, and none of us here has graduated from school." Jia Daishan was delighted with Jia Zheng's progress, but did not notice Jia's mother's thoughts at all.

Mother Jia listened to what her husband said, half understanding and half confused. She heard that Jia Zheng and her husband said that some servants in the family refused to work properly because of the merits of their ancestors, and that Zili was abolishing the bad government with great fanfare. She was confused because she didn't understand why It's about making a fuss. "Since Zheng'er's knowledge has improved, I'm happy. Don't blame her for the boss's daughter-in-law. I think it's better to ask her to rest for a few days. It's serious to give birth to a grandson for us when she's healthy. The family affairs are handed over to the second daughter-in-law first, but when her temper comes up, she makes a fuss. Seeing that the Chinese New Year is coming, she doesn't care to deal with those lazy family members. Just now Madam asked me to go over and talk about this." Mother Jia made a troubled expression, frowned and sighed.

"You're right. Marrying a daughter-in-law is for carrying on the family line. Heirs are important. If the eldest is a father, he may be able to take it easy. I heard that the old man of the Wang family celebrated his birthday, and the emperor and His Royal Highness both sent congratulatory gifts. Or Zheng'er cleverly wrote the longevity scriptures and birthday couplets as congratulatory gifts, and I heard that the grandson read Zheng'er's writing and said it was very good." When Jia Daishan talked about the affairs of the Wang family in the capital, his face softened, feeling that he was honored.

When Jia's mother heard that Jia Zheng's words were praised, those doubts were thrown into the sky. She smiled happily and said, "It's no wonder that the old man and the old lady loved Zheng'er, and he deserved it."

Zili was checking with the kitchen staff on the days to invite people to dinner at the end of the year, when suddenly Mingqian came in with a strange expression on his face.Zili happened to look up and saw her girl's perplexed face: "What's the matter?" Mingqian hurriedly said: "It's nothing important—" Before he finished speaking, Zili's sharp eyes swept him away and he stammered, "It's Er Master's maid Qingyun is ill, so Lang Huan is alone in the study outside to take care of her. Grandma, let me see who she wants to take care of Second Master."

"Biyun, let's go. Since Qingyun is sick, ask the doctor to take a look. If it's not serious, he will be raised here. There will be many things at the end of the year. If he is seriously ill, he should go home." Zili knew that Mingqian was definitely not doing it for him. The girl was sick to interrupt her.Quickly checked the list and time of the invitation, the kitchen steward had just left, Zili waved to the girls in the room, and waited for the girls to go out before she asked Mingqian: "What's the matter? Has it changed? Could it be that Qingyun's illness is getting better?"

Since Qingyun was scolded by Jia Zheng for no reason, she has been crying all day, and it is not a day or two since she has been suffering from cold. "It's not Qingyun, Zhou Rui came in and said that someone from the Hu family wanted to see grandma." Mingqian whispered in Zili's ear in embarrassment.

What?Hu family!Isn't Ziqian already married to Hu Liangren, and she should have gotten her wish to be the young wife of Hu's family in Hangzhou.It's just that Mrs. Tang said that there is no such person as Ziqian in the Wang family, but that the Hu family suddenly came to the door, whether Zili saw it or not.