Chapter 248: Giving Back Money
When Xia Ziqing arrived at Chu House, she was told that Xia Zihan had gone out, but the guard let her in.
She first went to greet Mrs. Zeng, and then waited in the side hall of Xia Zihan's yard for more than an hour. Until evening, when night fell, she did not see Xia Zihan come back.
She looked disappointed and had to go home.
Early the next morning, she came to Chu's house again after dinner.
"My dear girl, you're a little late. Our county master has just left." The guard opened the small side door with a pity look on his face.
"Do you know where your county leader has gone?"
Xia Ziqing was full of disappointment, but she was unwilling to give up. It was only two days before the chrysanthemum appreciation feast, and she still hadn't found her jewelry yet.
The guard looked at her strangely and said, "It is not the place of a little slave like me to ask about the master's whereabouts."
Being despised by a slave, Xia Ziqing blushed and stamped her feet angrily, but still did not turn around and leave.
After entering Chu's house, we waited all morning in the small hall of Xia Zihan's courtyard. It wasn't until a quarter of noon when the maid came over and asked her if she wanted to prepare lunch for her that she realized that she had been waiting for most of the day.
She shook her head with disappointment, left Chu's house, and returned to Xia's house.
She went directly to the main room to find Mrs. Xu, her pretty face tightened, "Second Aunt, there is no time before the Chrysanthemum Appreciation Banquet. You don't care whether my clothes and jewelry are ready, my grandmother and my mother." I entrusted you to take care of me, but in your eyes, you only have Sanmei.”
Mrs. Xu was teaching embroidery to Xia Ziying. The mother and daughter were embroidering and chatting heart-to-heart. They didn’t know what they were talking about. Both mother and daughter looked ugly. Xia Ziqing rushed in and made an indiscriminate accusation. Mrs. Xu’s His face immediately turned gloomy.
She was the second wife of the Xia family, but she was scolded by her husband's niece.
She said angrily, "Your mother asked me to find a good husband-in-law for you in the capital. She didn't give me any money to buy you clothes and jewelry. If you want beautiful clothes and expensive jewelry, then you should write to your mother." Go, I’m just your aunt, I can’t afford your clothes and jewelry.”
"Also, your second uncle has already inspected the house this morning and even paid the down payment. The total cost of entering the big house is 11,200 taels. Of the 10,000 taels given by your grandmother, not even a penny is left. I also gave you more than a thousand taels of personal money from your second uncle. In the future, don’t tell me that the one thousand taels of chewing money your grandmother gave me was folded into the big house.”
When this was mentioned, Mrs. Xu became angry.
Not only was there not a penny left of the 10,000 taels of silver, but Xia Shiming's 1,200 taels of private money was also used.
That was the money for her second bedroom, which had nothing to do with the money for the third bedroom. But if they split up in the future, who would get the cheaper house?
"Also, your monthly routine is in Xia Mansion. In the future, you, Zi Lan, and your maids and wives will all leave from Xia Mansion. Don't ask me."
Mrs. Xu had completely broken up with Xia Ziqing, and she didn't think much of her niece.
Just when Xia Ziqing was about to get angry, Mrs. Xu sneered again, "You also know that your second uncle is a rigid person and doesn't know how to get outside money. His salary of forty taels of silver a month is not enough for this big family." There is no subsidy from the Xia Mansion to your second uncle for food and drink. Not to mention your monthly allowance, even Ying'er and I don't have any money."
"Everyone will leave from Xia Mansion every month. I will write to your grandmother to make it clear. If you need to use money in the future, you should go and tell your grandmother."
After saying that, he ignored Xia Ziqing.
This attitude clearly made it clear that she would provide food and drink for Xia Ziqing and Xia Zilan in the future, but she would not pay any other expenses.
If you want money, go and ask your parents for it, she doesn't have any.
She is not stupid. She uses her private money to support the children of the first and third bedrooms.
Moreover, looking at Xia Ziqing's attitude towards her, I am afraid that even if she uses her money, she will feel that she should be subsidized and will not be grateful at all.
Then why does she spend money to buy facial expressions?
Hum...
Xia Ziqing's face turned blue, red, and white. She stared at Mrs. Xu and Xia Ziying for a long time, then turned and ran away with a stamp of her feet.
Back in the room, she burst into tears and asked her wet nurse Erhan, "What the second aunt said is true. Go and find out."
"Oh, my eldest lady, please stop crying. If the eldest lady knows that you have suffered such a great injustice, you will be heartbroken to death."
Erhan's wife hurriedly took out a clean handkerchief and wiped her tears, "No need to ask. The second master came back in the morning and before the chair was warm, he told the second wife about this in front of everyone. The fourth girl was also there at that time. , the old slave was also present. The second master indeed spent 11,200 taels of silver to buy a large house with four rooms on East Street. "
"I heard that the houses on East Street are expensive. The house given to the second girl by the emperor is in that area. Later, the old slave went out to ask others about the price of houses in that area. Others said that the houses on East Street are second only to South Street. Some of the houses have large courtyards, with large lakes, bridges and flowing water. You need 20,000 taels of silver to buy one with four entrances.”
Therefore, the second uncle spent all his money to buy the house, and also paid more than a thousand taels of private money. The house is the property of the Xia family's father-in-law. After all, the second aunt did not get any advantage at all. With her little temper, she suffered a big loss and was so angry that her heart ached. She didn't dare to take it out on her second uncle, so she took it out on her?
As for her monthly routine, she was willing to leave the Xia Mansion, so as not to reach out to her second aunt for money, as if she owed her a lot.
However, the distant water cannot save the near fire. Even if she writes to her mother now to ask for money, it is too late.
She was just waiting for the money to buy jewelry. If she didn't have decent jewelry, how could she stand out at the chrysanthemum appreciation banquet on September 6th?
Xia Ziqing cried a lot, and finally decided to borrow it from her second uncle.
She was the niece of her second uncle. If she asked him to borrow three hundred taels of silver, he would never refuse.
However, Xia Ziqing waited all afternoon, and Xia Shiming did not come back until evening, but his pockets were empty and he had only ten taels of silver left in his body.
It turned out that not long before Xia Ziqing came back from Chu House, Xia Shiming had just gone out. He invited the landlord to lunch, and then went to the Yamen with the owner of the house, signed and sealed the money, and he bought the house.
With the house deed in hand, Xia Shiming was very happy. He immediately took a carriage and went to the big house for a walk. He found that there was no furniture or anything inside, so he gave Guo An the remaining few hundred taels of silver and asked him to Go buy a set of household appliances and other items.
Then, he happily returned to Xia's house, waiting for a good day to move again.
However, this house has been rented for a year, and I don’t know if the remaining rent will be refunded?
Just when Xia Shiming frowned, Xia Ziqing came in and said that she was going to attend the chrysanthemum appreciation banquet and did not have suitable jewelry.
Xia Shiming didn't seem to understand what she was saying, and he calmly asked her to borrow jewelry from Mrs. Xu, "It only takes one day, and the jewelry won't break down. Your second aunt is not a petty person. If you don't If you have the nerve to speak, my second uncle will go talk to your second aunt.”
"Second uncle." Xia Ziqing was so anxious that she almost cried, "This is the capital. Second aunt's jewelry is all old things from a few years ago. It has long been out of fashion. If I don't have a few decent jewelry, I will be in the second uncle's house by then." The palace has lost the face of our Xia family.”
Xia Ziqing looked pitiful with tears in her eyes.
But Xia Shiming didn't understand.
"I have also heard about the Chrysanthemum Appreciation Banquet held by the Second Prince's Mansion. I heard that the attendees were all the ladies of the first-rate aristocratic families in the capital, and our Xia family is not even considered a fourth- or fifth-rate aristocratic family in the capital. How can you Even if she is dressed shabbily, others will not look down on her and will only say that the Xia family has been a poor family for hundreds of years. "
"Second uncle, our Xia family is the number one family in Jiangning City. How can we be poor?" Xia Ziqing pouted and said dissatisfied.
"Zi Qing, are you afraid that others will laugh at you?" Xia Shiming didn't understand what she meant by not being bitter. He thought it was because the little girl's family was afraid that people would laugh at the Xia family's poverty, so he was embarrassed to admit it.
Ever since he was sensible, his father and mother had been whispering in his ears that the Xia family was a farming and studying family and had been supported by poverty all the way. They said that apart from the very gorgeous and spacious old house, the Xia family actually didn't have much public property. The income from Zhuangzi's shop throughout the year is barely enough for a family to eat and drink.
So since he let himself go, he would not let the Xia family subsidize him with money for food, drink, and food. He worked as an official in Mingchang County for nine years and lived frugally for nine years.
Several times, he ran out of money and defaulted on his servants' monthly payments. He never asked Mr. Xia how to use the money. He did not replenish his servants' monthly payments until he received his salary. On.
Therefore, he feels that there is no shame in being poor. It is not stealing or robbing, so there is no shame in it.
The most famous scholar in history, Mr. Yan, was poor all his life, but no matter how poor he was, he would never sell his calligraphy and paintings to improve his life.
Mr. Yan once said that he would rather die poor than sell his soul. Those words and paintings were all written by him with his own soul, one stroke at a time.
He admired Mr. Yan very much, and also admired his father-in-law very much.
It is said that before his father-in-law got married, he once had Mr. Yan's integrity. It was later that he married his mother-in-law, and her generous dowry improved his father-in-law's miserable life for more than ten years.
Xia Shiming yearned for Mr. Chu Ge very much and admired Mr. Yan very much.
He said, "When you go to a banquet, what kind of jewelry and clothes you wear depends on each person's conditions. If we don't have those conditions, we don't want to pretend to be fat and end up being laughed at."
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"Second uncle." Xia Ziqing's pretty face turned red with anger, making her teeth itch.
She had long heard her father say that her second uncle was a sour scholar who accepted death.
A stomach full of sourness and no salt or oil.
(End of chapter)