Liuniang glared at her, looked around again, pinched the little face she had raised, and said, "Little eight, demeanor." ”

Banniang had to laugh, but she liked Xin Yi more and more, this girl is really a wonderful person. took Xin Yi's hand and said with a smile: "It's a pity that our family is poor and can't afford to use people, otherwise I would have to ask my sister-in-law for your house." But it doesn't matter if you're not in our house, I'll just treat you as a friend. ”

Xin Yi was startled by these words, and said busily: "Eighth Miss likes Xin Yi, and when she goes to the house in the future, Xin Yi will ask the young grandmother for an errand to go, but don't say anything if being a slave is a friend, the slave and the maid can't afford it." ”

Banniang was happy for a while, but she forgot the difference between the top and bottom of this pit father in ancient times, and when she heard Xin Yi say this, she just pursed her lips and smiled, and asked Xin Yi's age again, knowing that she was only thirteen years old, one year older than herself.

Speaking of age, Xin Yi lost his mind for a while.

She stayed in Erlang's room to serve, and it was not a few years, now thirteen, and in a few years it will be sixteen or seventeen years old, if she is not accepted by Wang Pingfu, then she will be lucky, and she will be able to give her family a silver to redeem, but unfortunately, there is only an old mother and a young brother in the family, where can she afford it? No, it's just a little girl in the family, and it's just a lifetime.

She is optimistic by nature, she doesn't like to be sad and sad, although she serves Wang Pingfu wholeheartedly, she doesn't want to be accepted for it, where is the concubine? Those who have excellent appearance, and meet mixed people, even if they are pregnant, and when they are given away, although Erlang is not such a person, she only thinks that he is the master, and she is not like some maids, who have different thoughts.

Fortunately, although Erlang was born like a merry son, he didn't have any thoughts about their maids, and he was kind, thinking about his life, and having a peaceful and healthy life in the past few years, it was worth it.

Thinking like this, Fu laughed again.

Because at that time in the pen and ink shop, Wang Pingfu did not ask the price, and the store just kept the account, and asked Wang Pingfu to check the words, so Banniang didn't know how much those paper black inkstones were sold, she was very interested in the price, so she asked Wang Pingfu: "Seventh brother-in-law, how much are your paper and ink, as well as these inkstones?" ”

Wang Pingfu really didn't pay attention, but Xin Yi replied with a smile: "That guy said that it was ink made by Dongye Hui, one piece of ten, a total of three, thirty times." The paper is because it is a shell paper, smooth and white, my Erlang is a regular customer, the price is moderate, a piece of forty Wen, a knife paper fifty, a total of three knives, sixty runs, the inkstone because it is an inkstone, and because the carving is very exquisite, but also counted Erlang ten runs, three sides of the inkstone thirty runs, a total of one hundred and twenty money. ”

Banniang was dumbfounded when she heard it, firstly, she didn't expect Xin Yi to be literate, secondly, this is not like the later generations, what is the multiplication and division formula, this girl just glanced at it, and she can quote the bid so neatly, three, this paper black inkstone, it is really not something that ordinary people can afford, it can be seen that it is not easy for a family to provide a reader.

Seeing that Banniang was surprised, Wang Pingfu smiled and said: "Because the ones I picked today, they are all good, so the price is more expensive, and the eighth sister may not know, that Dongye Hui is a famous ink maker in Yanzhou, and the ink he makes is extremely expensive, and the ordinary ink is only four or five hundred wen per catty." It is the paper, because it is a specially treated paper, much smoother than the usual paper, used to paint or write with people, ordinary paper, naturally not so expensive, as for the three-sided inkstone, as Xin Yi said, because it is an inkstone, the carver also sees the work, so he gets this price. ”

Banniang nodded, it turned out that the store watched people order food this time and took the boutique route.

Fortunately, the elder brothers in his family use ordinary ones, or they can't afford it if they don't just read and write.

He praised Xinyi again: "Xinyi's account is fast enough." And I am still literate, but let me look at it differently, if I open a shop one day, please be the bookkeeper. ”

Xin Yi covered her mouth and smiled: "Eighth Miss, don't make fun of slaves." The slave maid just used to serve in Erlang's study, and Erlang didn't feel annoyed by the slave maid, so he taught a few words. As for this accounting, I often go to the young grandmother to go back to the account in Erlang's courtyard, and the young grandmother points it. ”

Banniang said: "In short, you are a smart person, and I don't see other maids in the seventh brother-in-law's house so capable." ”

Xin Yi just laughed.

Wang Pingfu became interested in what Banniang said about opening a shop: "What, the eighth sister wants to open a shop?" ”

Banniang spread her hands: "I'll tell you casually, where did the silver come from?" Besides, how old am I? ”

Wang Pingfu didn't care, and only handed over the small inkstone wrapped in the three sides on the brocade mat in the car: "This three-party inkstone, I bought it and planned to give it to Liuniang and my eighth sister. ”

The two people, the three-sided inkstone, that is, Liuniang is steady, and they all laughed evilly.

Wang Pingfu has also gotten used to it for a long time, so he just didn't know, and glanced out of the car window with a pair of starry eyes.

When I returned to the palace, Mrs. Huang took a nap before getting up, just cleaned up, a few people entered the house, saw Mrs. Huang and Mrs. Wu, Huang asked about the two little granddaughters and grandson-in-law what they did in the afternoon, a few people said about shopping, and Banniang took out Wang Pingfu's small square inkstone.

The Huang family used to be rich and noble, and naturally knew the goods, so he blamed Wang Pingfu: "Erlang, you really don't know anything, you just want to send these two girls, just find some suitable ones to send, such an expensive thing, you don't have to fold them." ”

Wang Pingfu smiled and said: "Don't worry, the old lady doesn't use the family's money, it's all I usually save." ”

Mrs. Wu said on the side: "Erlang's words are true, the expenses that are usually allocated to his courtyard are of little use to him, and most of them are in the state school, not to use the money in the house indiscriminately." Besides, it's not worth anything, Liu Niang and Ban Niang are people who like to read and paint, just enough to use, I think Erlang's gift is much stronger than giving those flowers. ”

Seeing that Wu said this, the old lady didn't say anything anymore, took it from Banniang's hand, looked at it carefully, and praised it. Another maid served tea to a few people and sat down to gossip.

Seeing that the sun was setting in the west, the Huang family was about to say goodbye and go back, and Mrs. Wu smiled and said: "The in-laws are just talking to our old lady, why don't you have dinner together and then go back." Wouldn't it be troublesome to go back to the house at this time, and also prepare dinner? ”

After repeated retention, the two families were not ordinary in-laws, so Mrs. Huang responded and had dinner, and the Xiao Wu family sent the best carriage in the house to send the three generations of the great-family back home.

Back home, Aunt Huang had already prepared porridge, and cooked sobering soup for Zeng Budo, Liuniang served her father and drank sobering soup, sent him to sleep, and returned to Huang's house, because there was not much to eat at the Wang family's banquet, the three grandparents ate some porridge and snacks, and talked for a while, and then Liuniang and Banniang went back to the house to sleep.

Lying on the bed, Banniang couldn't sleep, so she thought about the furniture she noticed in Wang's house, and the left and right were just some Eight Immortal Tables, long cases, strip tables, warped heads, flower stands, chairs and the like. There is basically no difference with the furniture in the late Tang Dynasty that she understands, it is very simple and elegant, which is probably in line with the aesthetic habits of the Song people who oppose the luxury of the Tang Dynasty and simplify the complex, and the Tang Dynasty is used to lying on the ground, so these high-legged stools, chairs and tables have only really taken shape for decades.

The furniture displayed in the Wang family's house is much better than that of the Zeng family, but it is only limited to the number of new and old, and if you talk about the style, it is much the same. Far from luxury.

In the end, it is affected by the conditions, just looking at the Wang family, it is not enough to see everything, and we have to find a way to understand more.

Thinking about things, I slowly fell asleep. The next day, when it was dark, Banniang woke up, and saw that Liuniang was getting dressed, and when she heard Banniang's movements, she laughed in a low voice: "Let's sleep for a while." ”

Banniang shook her head, they are both sisters, Liu Niang went to serve her grandmother, how could she sleep with peace of mind? Besides, in ancient times, there was no entertainment at night, and I went to bed early, and I naturally got up early, and I didn't feel sleepy.

The two sisters got up together, washed their teeth and faces, Liu Niang went to her grandmother's house, and Ba Niang went to the kitchen to help Aunt Huang.

In the past few days, Aunt Huang has also become accustomed to the staple food being taken care of by Banniang, and she is only responsible for washing and cutting the ingredients. Seeing that Banniang came early, Aunt Huang said: "If it weren't for the old lady who likes to eat your cooking, where would my aunt be willing to bother you to get up early, it's time to grow your body." ”

Because Banniang is the thinnest among the sisters, the old lady often chatters these days, and Aunt Huang also thinks so.

For her own body, Banniang herself feels that it is indeed too weak, but it has obviously improved a lot in the past two months, listening to Aunt Huang's nagging, Banniang smiled: "It's just that I was sick before, and I will take care of it slowly." Besides, my father and brother love me, and they usually give me no less supplements, and in two years, I may not be worse than the sixth sister and the seventh sister. ”

Aunt Huang sighed.

I hope so. The family is difficult, and even the children can't eat well, when the old lady was there, where was this situation? Although the old lady is incorruptible, but in the end it is a four-grade master, Yu Lu is not comparable to the current masters, there are forty silver per month alone, and Lu rice and various supplies are not much higher than the brothers who have no doubts, and moreover, when it was still Taizong, the price was much lower, and the current price is two or three times that of the original, but the income of the officials is not long.

Aunt Huang didn't know how to buy the dozens of dollars and the silk that she brought to pay tribute to the old lady this time, but she was finally relieved, at least Liuniang didn't have to do some embroidery work every day to supplement the family, and the old lady's old bottom could still be kept.

It's just that, when I think of listening to my own Lao Huang's chatter, next spring, the eldest Lang Erlang in the family, and even Shilang Wulang are going to take the exam again, this is another big expense, where is it? I was worried again.

Banniang was sitting on the stove to eat, and when she saw Aunt Huang sitting behind the stove, she sighed while adding fire, and asked with a smile: "Aunt Huang, what's wrong?" Early in the morning, in trouble? How do you sigh? ”

She's just a child, where can Aunt Huang talk to her? Then he said perfunctorily: "What's so difficult? I just remembered that Ichiqiu Dalang and Erlang were going to Beijing. ”

When she said this, Banniang knew what she was sighing about.