48, Chapter 48 (1/2)

After ‌ days, Second Aunt Qin suddenly discovered something, that is, she hadn’t seen ‌ Qin Siya and Qin Shoucheng for ‌ days. After dinner that day, the family sat under the eaves to rest. Although they were separated, the yard was still public after all. Second Aunt Qin raised her doubts: "Sister-in-law, I haven't seen Si Ya and Shoucheng for a long time. Where have they gone?"

Qin's mother had no way to show off, but when Second Aunt Qin saw this, she had something to say: "Siya and Shoucheng went to the border with A Fang and his wife."

"What?" This was the answer Aunt Qin couldn't think of.

Even the other people in the yard looked at Mother Qin.

As an insider of the matter, Grandma Qin sighed, A Fang and his wife took Si Ya and Shoucheng with them for their own good. It would be good for Siya to follow Ah Fang's wife, be able to read and read, and teach her how to be a female celebrity, and then learn the rules and etiquette of Ah Fang's wife's wealthy family. As for Shoucheng, according to his daughter-in-law, Ah Fang's wife planned to let him go to school. I have to admit, this kind of eldest sister-in-law who takes care of her sister-in-law and brother-in-law is really good.

Grandma Qin knew the reason why they didn't disclose it in advance. A Fang's wife takes care of Si Ya and Shoucheng. It's a relationship. If the second room knows about it, Niu Dan will have to go to school with him, or add the third room, and let Er Ya and San Ya follow. go. But the money of the eldest grandson and his wife did not come from the strong wind, so they could not afford to pay back the younger brothers and sisters in the next room, especially since the second and third uncles Qin were still alive.

Although this is the case, Grandma Qin knows that the gap between a large house and a second or third bedroom is getting wider and wider.

Qin's mother said: "It's not like Siya and Shoucheng, these two dead children, took a carriage and refused to get off. They had to stay shameless in the carriage. As a result, A Fang and his wife had no choice, so they took them with them. The border is closed.”

Second Aunt Qin was not a fool. She didn't know what Mother Qin was saying. Qin Siya and Qin Shoucheng followed Qin Fang and his wife to the border to enjoy their happiness. Although the border is dangerous, A Fang's wife, who can buy three acres of wilderness, a horse, and a carriage, is a golden doll, so can she not enjoy happiness by following them?

Second Aunt Qin pursed her lips, what could she say? Even if Ah Fang and his wife were here, she couldn't force her niece-in-law to raise Erya and Niudan, not to mention that they were gone.

Father Qin called Uncle Qin and Uncle Qin aside: "I've finished all the work these days. I'm going to build a house in my wife's wasteland. Are you guys here to help? Meals are not included. , ten cents a day’s wages.”

Second Uncle Qin and Third Uncle Qin were stunned, and then Second Uncle Qin said, "No need for wages." Their nephew was building a house, and they asked uncle to help them. What kind of wages would it be?

Second Aunt Qin is angry and feels that her husband is a fool. The big house is willing to pay her wages, but he doesn't know it yet. But the man is already married, what can she do?

Qin's father said: "Yes, this house is not small. It will last for a while. Otherwise, if you go to work in the town and get paid, how can I let you work for nothing? One or two days are enough, but it still counts after a long time." The wages are good.”

Second Aunt Qin took the opportunity and said, "Brother, that's right."

Father Qin: "I'm going to take out the drawings and show them to you. Before building a house, wood, bricks, etc. had to be prepared first."

After Qin's father took out the drawings and gave the scale to Second Uncle Qin and Third Uncle Qin, Second Uncle Qin and Third Uncle Qin knew that this would indeed take time, so they did not refuse. It's about wages.

Second Aunt Qin was standing next to her, and she said again: "Brother, are we still here? The brothers in my family are capable of working."

Qin's mother said: "No need, in the clan, I call you ‌, my natal brother is called ‌, that's enough." After making money, she naturally clings to her brother.

According to her husband's estimate, the house building this time cost about fifty taels of silver. However, the daughter-in-law generously gave her a hundred taels of silver, but even if the money was enough, they couldn't spend it arbitrarily until their son and daughter-in-law When you come back, you have to pay them back.

The Qin family was chatting enthusiastically about building a house. Qin Fang and his party had traveled for a long time and now arrived at a village. When they returned to their hometown at the beginning of the month in this village, they passed by this road and came to stay overnight. It's not that they didn't look for an inn, but they didn't have enough time to find an inn in the next town and had to travel at night. If you stay at an inn in the previous town, you will have to waste half a day. ‌‌The two towns are quite far apart on this road.

The carriage stopped in front of the house where he had stayed overnight. Since Qin was at the front, he got off the horse and knocked on the door: "Please, is anyone here?"

After knocking on the door, it opened. It was a young girl. The daughter of this family, her surname was Ren. Miss Ren remembered Qin Fang because about twenty days ago, the group of them stayed at her house and gave her a considerable amount of accommodation money. When she met them now, she enthusiastically said: "Sir, officer, Are you staying overnight? "The last time I came to stay, Qin Fang told me that they were from the Yongzhou Military Camp, and they were returning to their hometown after completing their military service. They just stayed here when they passed by, and they called Mr. Qin Fang. So Ren's family called him Mr. Qin Fang, officer.

Qin Fang said: "Yes."

Miss Ren: "Please come in quickly. You are coming back from your hometown. Have you returned to the military camp?"

Qin Fang: "Yeah." It's not a military secret, so it doesn't matter if it's revealed. Moreover, they are here to harass others, so it is inappropriate to hide their identities. Besides, they are not people of high status.

On the carriage, Yang Haiyan, Kun Zhang and others got off, and Miss Ren found that there were more people this time than last time, but most of them looked like family members.

"Daughter, who is here?" Ren's mother and father came out of the room. As soon as they came out, they saw Yang Haiyan and others. "Oh, it's the officer and his wife."

Yang Haiyan: "Old man, I'm here to disturb your family again."

Ren’s mother: “Where are you? Come in and invite me in. You guys are on the road and haven’t had dinner yet, right?”

Yang Haiyan: "We haven't eaten yet. We brought flour. If you can help us, please give it to us. Old man, do you have vegetables and eggs at home?"

Ren’s mother: “Yes, yes, I’ll give it to you right now.” She took the flour. It was like this last time. They gave us noodles, vegetables and eggs, but they gave us money, so this time Ren's mother didn't have much. "Daughter, take the guests to the house."

Miss Ren: "Hey, sir and madam, please stay in the two rooms we stayed in last time, okay?"

Last time, Yang Haiyan and Qin Fang lived in the same room, and Kun Shi lived in the same room. But that won't work this time. There will be one room for the women and one room for the men.

Yang Haiyan: "Okay... Si Ya and sister-in-law Kun will stay with me, and my husband, Shoucheng, Captain Kun and his son will stay in the same room."

Qin Fang: "Yeah." This is the only way.

After Miss Ren made the bed for them, Mother Ren's vegetable and egg noodles were ready. Knowing that these people are generous, when Ren's mother was in bed, she fried eggs first. In this way, the noodle soup with oil and water will be more delicious.

While Yang Haiyan and the others were eating noodles, Ren's mother took Miss Ren to boil hot water, and the guests would wash up later. After Ren's father first appeared, he never showed up again. Because there were women among the guests, he avoided them.

Mrs. Kun Zhang gave the poached eggs in her bowl to Kun Daying, and followed her all the way. From the beginning, she was cautious, but now she is somewhat accustomed to it. Especially when they had their first meal together, they cooked a lot of dishes in the inn. The dishes were even better than what they had eaten during their stay there, so even the Kun and Zhang family didn’t know how to prepare them. Chopsticks. Even if her wife asked her to eat, she would not even take off her chopsticks.

When Yang Haiyan saw her like this, no one else was eating anymore. So everyone had one bowl of noodles per person, so the meals were divided between two tables.

After eating the noodles and washing up, everyone went to rest.

The next day, everyone had breakfast, gave the Ren family fifty coins, and set off on their way. One day later in the evening, they finally returned to the family room.

Looking at the family room that caught his eye, Kun Shi said, "It's finally over."

Yang Haiyan opened the curtains of the carriage, and it was indeed coming. ‌ Xu was here when she first started studying, so she was more accustomed to this place than the old Qin family, and felt that this place was like home.

Qin Siya squeezed out her little head and looked outside: "Sister-in-law, this place is just like the town."

Yang Haiyan said: "This is originally a town. Look at the neat rows of courtyards over there. There are family rooms in the military camp. Many soldiers and their families live there."

Qin Siya: "Wow, it's different from our town over there."

Yang Haiyan: "It will be at our home soon."

It was indeed coming soon, because no one was here, so the door of Qianfu's house was closed. ‌Uncle Hong‌‌Someone knocked on the door. When he opened the door to see ‌Qin Fang and others, he was a little excited: "Sir, you are finally back." Then, he shouted towards the house, "Sir, you are back. "

This house is so big. When Uncle Hong shouted, Aunt Lian and others from the inner courtyard came and hurried out.

Aunt Lian saluted as soon as they met: "Madam, you are finally back."

Yang Haiyan went over to help her: "You have worked hard this month. How is your family? Did anything happen?"

Aunt Lian said: "Everything is fine in the shop and at home, but..." Then, she glanced towards the servant's yard.

Yang Haiyan then looked over and saw a female family member looking over there. Yang Haiyan was no longer there: "Siya, Shoucheng, come here. Mammy, this is the bud of Qin, the bud of budding. This is Qin Shoucheng, the keeper of punctuality, the success of achievement. From now on, let Miss Ya and Brother Cheng arrange an apartment in the east wing for them. You can go to Yahang tomorrow and get a wife back, and you can keep an eye on Siya and Shoucheng from now on."

Aunt Lian: "Yes."

Yang Haiyan said to Qin Siya and Qin Shoucheng again: "Siya, Shoucheng, this is Aunt Lian. From now on, Aunt Lian will teach you the rules and etiquette. If you can't find my sister-in-law and encounter some problems, just find her. Aunt Lian.”

Qin Siya and Qin Shoucheng: "I know, sister-in-law."

"Madam...Madam, you are finally back." Aunt Fan said as she ran, "Madam, you haven't eaten yet?"

Yang Haiyan looked at Aunt Fan and was very friendly. She was used to eating the food cooked by Aunt Fan. She missed it when she was at the Qin family: "Not yet, you can make some. By the way, Captain Kun took his wife and My ten-year-old son came back and prepared some food for them. "

Aunt Fan: "Yes."

Yang Haiyan: "Aunt Lian, you go prepare Siya and Shoucheng's house first, and I will take them back to the main courtyard first."

Aunt Lian: "Yes."

By the time Aunt Lian prepares the east wing, Aunt Fan's dinner is ready. Because we don’t know when she will come back, there must be no good food in the kitchen, so Aunt Fan prepares noodles. Different from the vegetables and poached egg noodles they ate on the road, Aunt Fan prepared sauerkraut and kimchi bacon noodles.

The sour taste is refreshing.

After dinner, Aunt Fan took Qin Siya and Qin Shoucheng to the east wing to wash up and go to bed, while Yang Haiyan and Aunt Lian returned to the study.

Yang Haiyan: "Aunt Lian, please sit down and tell me about the situation at home today."

Aunt Lian: "Yes." After sitting down, she learned about the situation at home, "Everything is normal at home, Aunt Fan, Uncle Hong, Aunt Hong, and Aunt Yu. Their daily work is the same as before you left. ‌ ‌In the servant’s yard, two families of women came, one from the Meng Ping family and the other from the Huang Huzi family.”

Qin Fang had five private guards, and only three of them got married, Kun Shi, Huang Huzi and Meng Ping.

Yang Haiyan nodded: "You continue."

Aunt Lian continued: "Meng Ping's family was the first to come. They came back on the third day after you and your Excellency left. Before you left, except for the monthly routine, everyone in the private guard had food from the house." There are one vegetable, one meat dish, and one soup every day, a total of three dishes, and the portions are based on the number of people. The family members of the private guards are not responsible for the food, and they are only allowed to live in the servants' courtyard with the private guards. "

Yang Haiyan said: "That's right." She didn't run a charity, so she didn't have to pay the private guards a monthly salary and support their families. ‌Knowing that the cost of raising three meals a day for one more person adds ‌ to about 10 cash, it is 300 cash per month, which is comparable to the monthly cost of a private guard. ‌Of course, this algorithm is based on their current diet. If you eat sweet potatoes for three meals a day, they are certainly cheap.

Aunt Lian: "There are three members of Meng Ping's family, one is his wife, one is his daughter, and the other is his sister."

Yang Haiyan: "Is his sister here?" Although the servant's yard is small, Yang Haiyan built it based on the modern suite, so it is really comfortable for people to live in, because it has two bedrooms and one living room, which is two sleeping rooms. , a dining hall, and then a public kitchen in the courtyard, which anyone can use. But why did Meng Ping’s girl come?

Aunt Lian: "No, according to Meng Ping, his sister was originally married in the countryside, but the man later became someone else's son-in-law and broke off the engagement with her sister. Although it was a man, Wrong, but his sister’s reputation was ruined and she was always pointed out by the villagers. He couldn’t bear to have his sister hurt, so he brought his sister here.”

Yang Haiyan frowned. In theory, since the small courtyard for the private guard was prepared, she would not object to the private guard bringing his family members. Even if he brought his parents, she would not object. After all, she could not just let the private guard bring his family. If you take away the private guard of Qin Fang's family, you will let him ignore his family. However, if you didn’t bring your parents, why would you bring your sister? Even though the servants' courtyard is separated from this side, it still gives people some ideas.

Actually, she doesn't dislike interested people, but it depends on the situation. Just like Uncle Hong, he went back home before and brought his wife and children back directly. However, he did not go directly to live in the downtown courtyard, but first asked for her permission. But Meng Ping... In short, she felt a little unhappy in her heart.

Yang Haiyan: "It's not just these, is it?" The way Aunt Lian was hesitant to say something just now, unable to finish her words, must be more than that.

Aunt Lian said: "No, on the first day they came, Meng Ping's wife came. What is her monthly salary? What kind of work does she do? At that time, the old slave was confused. Before you left, you didn’t give your monthly report to your family members.”

Yang Haiyan: "It's true that I don't have sex, but you only hired a private guard, not a husband and wife. How can the wife of this private guard come to you every month? Isn't this common sense?"

Aunt Lian said: "That's true, so when Meng Ping's wife came, I felt it was very strange. But I'm sorry, I don't know about this matter. I'll wait until my wife comes back. ”

Yang Haiyan understood Aunt Lian's approach. After all, she was a slave and she didn't dare to take things personally that she didn't know. Yang Haiyan nodded: "Then, I guess there will be more, otherwise this matter will not put our Mother Lian in such embarrassment."

Aunt Lian took the opportunity to say something nice: "Madam, you are wise. Later, Meng Ping's wife didn't care about the monthly routine and went back. But after Aunt Yu sent Meng Ping two meals, she came again. Yes, she said. The food we sent was okay for only Meng Ping, but there are four people in their family now, and the food is not enough. Did our kitchen deduct their food? Oops, I have never seen this in my life. Living with such a person is really..."

Yang Haiyan poured her a cup of tea: "Grandma Lian, calm down."

Aunt Lian: "Thank you, madam. Meng Ping's daughter-in-law went to the cafeteria. Aunt Fan is in charge of the cafeteria. She went to the cafeteria when she was there. The wife had ordered that the private guards eat and prepare food for the private guards. ‌Personal portions, we don’t prepare meals for the family members of the private guards.”

Yang Haiyan: "Yes, I am on the same page as you."

Aunt Lian: "But Meng Ping's wife didn't believe what Aunt Fan said, so Aunt Fan withheld their food. Then Aunt Fan angrily brought Meng Ping's wife to the old slave. The old slave testified, Mrs. This is the rule. If the old slave is like this, she will come to see you tomorrow. "

Yang Haiyan chuckled: "What about Huang Huzi's wife? How about it?"

Aunt Lian: "Huang Huzi's family came five days ago. Only Huang Huzi's wife came. They don't have any children yet. According to Huang Huzi's wife ‌, ‌‌Huang Huzi‌ only got married two days before he came to serve in the military. , after their wedding, Huang Huzi came to join the army, but she was not pregnant at the time. "

Yang Haiyan: "Really?"

Aunt Lian: "No. According to Huang Huzi's wife, there are quite a few people there who get married before the men serve in the military, and then have a bridal chamber, hoping to leave some flesh and blood for the men. Some of them have done so. , Some people like her are not successful in getting pregnant, but they are lucky enough to be able to go back alive after five years. Like her man, he can still find a job before he goes back. That’s considered promising. "My family owns food, clothing, and housing. With a monthly salary of three hundred cents, I can save more than thirty taels per dollar. If you go to other places to find work, there may be jobs with a higher monthly salary, such as restaurant keepers or bookkeepers, but this is different from working in an official's house.

For example, the seventh-rank official in front of the prime minister's door, this is the truth. How can a private guard in an official's house have the dignity of being a shopkeeper in a restaurant or a cashier in a businessman's house? Why? Qin Fang is a seventh-rank official and has documents from the court. Just like in modern times, some men work in sales, earning one hundred thousand yuan, and their income is higher than that of civil servants. But why do some women still look for civil servants with slightly lower incomes when looking for partners? Their status is different.

Yang Haiyan looked at Grandma Lian carefully, and she understood quite a bit: "Your impression of Huang Huzi's wife seems to be quite good."

Grandma Lian was startled, worried that her wife would think she was a clique, so she immediately explained: "Compared with Meng Ping's wife, I think Huang Huzi's wife is more honest. I have lived this long, and I still think it's better to look at people. There's something about it." She didn't deny it, because denying it would be too guilty, so she simply admitted that she had a good impression of Huang Huzi's wife.

Yang Haiyan thought for a while: "How old is Huang Huzi's wife?"

Aunt Lian: "Twenty-four years old, three years older than Huang Huzi. Huang Huzi is now 21 years old. When they got married, Huang Huzi was fifteen and Huang Huzi's wife was eighteen. The reason why Huang Huzi's daughter-in-law married Huang Huzi was because Because no one cares about an eighteen-year-old girl at home, otherwise who would be willing to marry their eldest daughter to a widow? "Isn't it necessary to be prepared to be a widow when you marry a young man who is about to serve in the military?

Yang Haiyan: "Mommy, let's not do this. Let's take a look at the character of Huang Huzi's wife for the time being. If possible, let her work in the house now. Whatever she does, we can arrange it later." Anyway. People are not enough. "By the way, there is no need to buy it for the time being. If the private guard's wife can use it, then use theirs. After all, the private guard may follow the adults in the future, so it is more appropriate to use their daughter-in-law."

Aunt Lian: "Yes."

Yang Haiyan: "One more thing, unmarried girls are not allowed to walk around the house, especially the outer courtyard and the main courtyard." Although Qin Fang doesn't like to go to the outer courtyard, the study is in the main courtyard. , but it is inevitable to encounter ‌.

A ruthless light flashed in Aunt Lian's eyes: "Yes, I understand." She is better than Yang Haiyan in these matters. Some girls are specially attracted to that kind of thing, and they are so cheap in their bones. They are really good ladies outside. If you don’t do it, you have to hurry up and become a concubine. What is this if you don’t have a weak bone?

Yang Haiyan turned around and said, "I went to take a bath. I'm exhausted from traveling today. I'll be late tomorrow, so you don't need to call me. There are also children, so you don't need to call them."

Aunt Lian: "Yes. How about making fermented glutinous rice dumplings tomorrow? Wait for you to come and eat them?"

Yang Haiyan was very surprised: "Do you have any wine at home?"

Aunt Lian: "Assuming that you and your Excellency will come back in the next two days, the fermented rice made the day before yesterday will be ready to eat tomorrow."

Yang Haiyan: "That's great. I've been craving the taste of fermented rice lately."