On June 6, if the weather is fine, every household is busy drying their clothes; On this day, inside and outside the palace, the major yamen, Guozijian, bookstores, private schools, and reading families will also be busy moving books out to dry, and the custom is that there are no worms.

Jinyiwei's elephant training center will openly pull out dozens of elephants from Annan and other countries today and bathe in the river outside the city, and the audience is like a tide.

The circus team did not dare to use elephants, because there were at least twelve elephants carrying treasures in the big court, and six in the small court, and the people loved elephants very much, which was known as a symbol of peace and prosperity. In addition, lions, tigers, giraffes, etc. are all auspicious things, and the people cannot raise them.

The Manchu Qing Dynasty in history also followed the rules and raised some elephants, but changed the brocade clothes guard to the Luan honor guard.

Mu Wangfu, Mu Fu came back from Shandong, went to see Mu Ang early in the morning on an errand, and took out the letters of Mu Bin and his wife. Aunt Shen and the others rushed over when they heard the news, and Mu Ang read it aloud to the whole family.

The letter was nothing more than asking the elders to be well, describing their official affairs and public affairs in the Texas Mansion, as well as some interesting anecdotes that happened in the local area, and finally greeted Aunt Shen for her health, and learned that the third uncle had accepted Hongwen, and did not forget to say hello, and also gave some gifts as a congratulatory gift.

Hongwen, who was standing on the side, looked very happy, and after all, the young grandmother knew how to be a person, and she was thoughtful. She is a good person and never trusts her.

So Hongwen said to Du Qianqian: "Yo! Why did my grandmother reward me? Damn, I forgot to send something to honor her. I have not forgotten me in this letter, so how can anyone bear it?"

Mu Lanxiang saw that she was proud and a little funny, so she smiled and said: "Sister-in-law knows that my aunt is my father's celebrity, so I sent a gift, and I have the intention of serving my aunt." The so-called did not go to the Son of Heaven, first came to the minister. ”

This Xianggong is the meaning of the Prime Minister, Mu Lanxiang's teasing is not malicious, but Hongwen misunderstood, it is also her former maid as a girl, she has a heart disease, and she regards this Xianggong as his Xianggong, thinking that the young lady deliberately laughed at her for being sexually flattering.

Yi Hongwen immediately blushed and said curtly: "The girl is happy to find someone again, what am I?" Do you deserve to be worshipped?" After speaking, she took the gift with a cold face, turned around and went back to the room.

Mu Lanxiang didn't expect to make a joke casually, but Hongwen actually shook her face in front of her, feeling so bored, and her face was a little unbearable. After all, in front of so many people, the girl's family is small, and she is in her own home, she can't help but be a little annoyed, and she has a heart attack on her, and after thinking about it, she doesn't want to make her father in a dilemma, so she endured it.

Everyone saw this scene, Mu Lanxiang couldn't get off the stage, and returned to the room in anger.

Du Qianqian saw Hongwen face to face her baby daughter, and her heart was very useless, and her face became ugly.

Mu Ang also witnessed it, and it was difficult to interject for a while, he didn't want to shout at the concubine in public, and he didn't want to say that his daughter was not good. Like the men all over the world who are sandwiched between their mothers and daughters-in-law, they pretend to look at the letters, but in fact they are dazed.

Aunt Shen noticed the displeasure on her wife's face, and hurriedly diverted her words: "On such a hot day, it is very hard for the housekeeper to hurry. It is better to ask the old lady to reward him with a few days off, let him rest for a while, and then come back on an errand. ”

Mu Ang immediately said: "Well, simply give him ten days off." By the way, seeing that they are about to enter an ambush, the whole family has to hurry up to buy clothes such as kudzu cloth. I don't have to, the court will send down the official uniform for summer. ”

After speaking, he took Mu Fujing to the study by himself. Du Qianqian sighed and said to Aunt Shen: "You go to Xu's mansion, remember that there is a cool hat for the child to wear with nine phoenix playing beads, I look at it is also chic and interesting, ask how to do it, you can also make one or two in your spare time, and send it to your sister."

"Got it." Aunt Shen agreed to come down and went to Mu Lanxiang's room first.

When the maid Hongzhen saw her coming, she preemptively said, "Auntie, you said you are angry? Now Hongwen has become like this, ridiculing the girl in public. I'm just impatient, otherwise, I'd love to give her two slaps. ”

"You, don't be angry." Aunt Shen smiled, "She's that kind of person, what do you care about her?" Didn't I say, what a delicate status a girl is, and she is worthy of talking? We can't afford to be as knowledgeable as her. ”

In just one sentence, it made Hongzhen laugh. Mu Lanxiang also smiled: "Fortunately, my aunt came, when you didn't come, I persuaded her for a long time, and she was not obedient."

Hongzhen pouted and said: "She was born as a girl, and she finally climbed to the high branches, and I don't know how to get good these days!" I can't get used to it. ”

"I don't think she dares to deliberately contradict the girl, she will definitely regret it this time, it's too late to accompany the gift." Aunt Shen smiled and persuaded her.

Mu Lanxiang said: "The matter is over, and it is over, and it is also my mouth for a while, which is her taboo."

"It's the girl Shengming." Aunt Shen complimented her, and then said, "Patronize and talk, forget about serious things." Mrs. Shicai said that the hat worn by the brothers and sisters of Xu Mansion was the one from the nine phoenixes playing with pearls, and told me to ask for paper samples. Shall I ask the girl if she will do it?"

Mu Lanxiang said with a smile: "You are the right person, we saw that other people's children were wearing lion hats, and they had nothing to do, so they changed it to nine lions playing balls, nine phoenixes playing pearls, and giving them to the children at home to wear and play." At that time, it was made casually, where did it come from? My aunt is now in charge, how can she have the spare time to do this thing, so I'll do it. You and your wife don't think I'm slow, it's better than you bother. ”

Aunt Shen said happily: "The girl is willing to help me make it, that's really good, I will definitely fry a few side dishes you like to eat another day and send them over, and I should be rewarded."

The three of them were laughing in the room, and Du Qianqian sent the little girl to invite them, saying that Xiaolingwei had sent a good melon, and asked the girl and grandmother to taste it.

In early May, the melons are ripe in the south, and in the north, they wait until late May, when small traders and vendors are hawking along the streets.

At this time, melons originated in Africa and tropical Asia, and were introduced to the Central Plains before the Tang Dynasty at the earliest.

Later archaeologists found half a shriveled cantaloupe in the ancient tombs of the Jin Dynasty in the Turpan area, indicating that the cantaloupe should have passed through the Silk Road. The cantaloupe in the Ming Dynasty was already very famous, but it was really famous in the Kangxi period.

Just as Tang Xuanzong made a big move to curry favor with Yang Guifei and Pegasus to contribute lychees, the Qing Dynasty people at that time described the scene of transporting cantaloupe to the emperor across the Hexi Corridor.

"The road is ridden, into the cantaloupe, hundreds of thousands of groups. People hold small pockets, cover yellow jackets, each person carries a melon, glances by, as fast as a bird. ”

It can be seen how luxurious the people are, the Qing Dynasty emperor was greedy for cantaloupe, no less than Yang Guifei's love for lychees.

Of course, the emperors of the Ming Dynasty did not make much concessions in terms of clothing, food, housing and transportation, and even exceeded them. The families of dignitaries and nobles could not respond to the emperor's call, so merchants and melon farmers from all over the country have moved their minds to buy cantaloupe seeds and cultivate them on the spot.

The climate of Hebei is suitable for planting cantaloupe, melons can be planted in almost everywhere, and the most famous Hami crisp, green skin crispy, dry gold pendant, rhubarb pulp, girl music and so on appeared in the early Ming Dynasty.

Besides, Hongwen returned to the room in a huff, threw the gift on the table, sat down, and sneered: "I'm not rare with these things, and people laugh at me for no reason." Could it be that I am not worthy of a gift from my grandmother? Now everyone has learned to be mean. ”

Xilan smiled and said, "Grandma is too careful, the girl said the wrong thing, but she also has to look at the wife's face."

Hongwen glared and said angrily, "What's wrong with my wife?" As the saying goes, my great-grandson has a reason to sue my father-in-law, and her daughter laughed at me in front of so many people, gave me no face, and sarcastically said that I was a female father-in-law, isn't it annoying? That's why I'll give her nails in front of people. Sue you, I don't know how to be afraid when I'm a child, and I can't scruple a lot when I'm an aunt, I'm afraid of people here, I'm afraid of people over there, do we still want to get ahead in this house in the future?"

Xilan was about to speak, when suddenly the male butler who was temporarily acting as a housekeeper outside came in with a list, and through the door curtain, she was startled, and hurriedly walked out and asked, "What are you doing here?"

The steward said: "This money is waiting to be used, I just went back to Grandma Shen's words, Miss Mei Nu said that no one is there, so I specially came to ask my aunt and grandmother for a show." Ask the girl to send this list to you, and your aunt will see it. ”

"Then you wait." Xilan took the order, turned around and went into the house and handed it over.

"What's the matter?" Hongwen asked lightly, but in fact, she heard it in the house, and took the list and took a look, she came to ask for this month's monthly silver.

The rules of Mufu are issued on these days at the beginning of the month, and the housekeeper also sends summer rewards for male and female employees in the house, which is equivalent to bonuses for future generations, cooling fees or something.

Generally speaking, it is impossible for all the subordinates of the ancient big families to be their own slaves, and it is good to have more people to serve, but they also have to be able to afford it, right? In addition to the deacons and housekeepers of the outer house, as well as the personal maids, mothers-in-law and women of the ladies and ladies of the inner house, some outsiders are often hired. For example, the men are responsible for carrying things, cleaning the ditches, and cleaning, while the women are responsible for heavy work such as pulping, washing, and sewing.

Because people in the city often disdain to make a living, most of them hire people from the countryside outside the city.

Although King Mu's mansion is a big family, most of the people under the house are far away in Yunnan, so some outsiders are also hired in the house. In fact, the same is true of the Xu family, there is an upper limit on the number of slaves, and whenever the number of slaves is exceeded, a batch must be released, which can be hired back in the form of employment. Otherwise, what do you want to do if you have one or two thousand servants in a national government?

Therefore, it has formed an unwritten convention, and in the summer, when farming is busy, people in the countryside want to take leave to go home to farm. It's just that in the summer, there are the most internal and external things, such as chopping wood and boiling water for bathing, and changing clothes frequently, right?

These crude benzene jobs can't be left unattended, so they set a very humane example, those who want to go home are left to their own devices, and people have not signed a deed of sale, and they can't forcibly keep people. And those who don't want to go back will suggest that we should do it for us, and don't hire another person, and the family in the house will say the same.

In this way, the family should first consider this year's bonus, prepare in advance, and at the same time give a reward to the person who wants to leave, which means that the owner is sympathetic. By mid-June, it will be clear who will leave and who will not, and the bonus will be handed out, which is usually three to four times the salary.

Of course, you can not give it, but in this way, just like the rich landlords in the countryside, you can't do long-term and short-term jobs if you don't do it? Come and go freely anyway.

The slaves at home will also be unhappy, they are equivalent to employees of state-owned enterprises, who have a lifetime of drought and flood to ensure income, pick and choose, and like to do idle errands; Hired workers are equivalent to temporary workers, and without temporary workers, are state-owned enterprise employees asked to do the dirty work of temporary workers?

Throughout the Ming Dynasty, hired labor was very common, after all, too many domestic slaves were one of the major sins of many powerful people and officials, which was clearly different from the Manchu Eight Banners aristocracy who vied to keep a large number of domestic slaves.

Needless to say, the owner of the Eight Banners of the Qing Dynasty also directly proves that the Qing Dynasty has indeed reversed history in this regard, and the Qing Dynasty was the peak era of semi-feudal and semi-slavery.

In short, these regulations have only appeared in the past 20 years, and there is a cause and an effect, and it is probably similar in the previous dynasty. I think that China has been a humane society since ancient times, and the legal system is not bad, and it is a big deal for ordinary people to rise up if they can't survive. Even in the Manchu Dynasty, the so-called master would give his slave many respects, and similar rules existed, see the respect for the elderly slave in the Dream of the Red Chamber.

It is a pity that China's bourgeois revolution was interrupted at the end of the Ming Dynasty, and the Qing Dynasty used swords and guns to strengthen the concept of strict feudal class hierarchy.

Besides, Hongwen, who was unhappy, took the opportunity to say: "I didn't expect that the grandmother over there was not in the house, and she also asked me to pick up something to do." Oops! Don't you see all the weeds in my yard? It can be seen that they are all the most powerful people who are used to facing the high and stepping on the low. Xilan, you go and tell him, I have left this list, wait for me to calculate it well, and then come to receive the silver in half an hour. ”

Xilan saw that she was not angry when she spoke, so she hurriedly came out and said. The housekeeper had already heard this, and obediently answered "yes", then stretched out his tongue, shrunk his neck, and silently called out to his aunt and grandmother, turned around and ran away.

"Bring the abacus." Hongwen said stupidly.

I carefully checked the list twice with an abacus, and the numbers matched, a total of eight hundred and sixteen taels.

Hongwen thought for a while, and explained to Xilan: "You go to grandma's to exchange eight hundred and fifty taels of silver, if you ask what is the use?" You just said that I cashed in according to the list sent by the housekeeper, and I will send the account later. Grandma, if she is not in the house, she will ask Mei Nu to redeem it to you, and tell her to use it immediately, and she must not delay it. ”

"Oh!" Xilan nodded and was about to go out.

Suddenly, I heard Hongwen say again: "You are not allowed to change half of my words, I know, be careful of your skin."

"Got it."

Xilan muttered quietly, smashed the curtain, and when she came out, she pouted and said, "What am I going to do if I change your words?" If you tell me to kill someone, I'll kill me too, and you'll resist it anyway. (To be continued......)