After lunch on Chinese New Year's Eve, all parts of the capital become lazy, tea houses close early, everyone on the street rushes to their homes, and in the afternoon, the number of pedestrians on the street will suddenly increase, this is the last group of people to go home, and then it will be completely quiet.

Fanning's house was also very lively, and after lunch, fifty or sixty people gathered in the middle courtyard, and the snow had been cleared and piled up in the corner.

Although the weather is very cold, everyone is very excited, the descendants of the Song Dynasty are all free people, not like the Tang Dynasty with personal dependence, everyone is paid to do things, in addition to the monthly salary, there are benefits during the New Year's holidays, the employer will give some cloth and the like, but during the New Year, the employer will give a reward, which is a thank you for your hard work for a year.

Of course, this is different from the monthly salary, the amount of money given by each master is different, and the Fanning Mansion gives it very generously, which is also the reason why the subordinates are willing to follow them for more than ten years.

Generally, the money given by large families is considered high, and the lowest rough girl in the Fan family is given ten taels of silver, and the big housekeeper can take as much as one hundred taels of silver.

"The Mistress is here!"

I don't know who shouted, and everyone stood aside.

I saw several handmaidens walking in from the side door with Zhu Pei in their arms, the two partial concubines Ouyang Qian and Cao Xiu, and the concubine Aya followed behind, and the eldest son Fan Jing also appeared.

Juppe walked up the steps and smiled at everyone: "It's Chinese New Year's Eve again, or the same as before, I say a few words as usual, everyone has worked hard this year, my husband often tells me, governing the family is like governing the country, it is not easy to maintain a family, if there is no gardener, the weeds will grow wildly, the flowers and trees will be disordered, without the cook, everyone will not have a hot breakfast in the morning, without the help of the maid, I can't take care of such a child at all, without the coachman, we can only go to the street to squeeze the ox cart, there is no housekeeper, no account room, no buddy, This house can not operate normally, each of you is very important, this year is everyone's hard work, in exchange for the prosperity and harmony of the Fan family, on the occasion of this New Year, on behalf of my husband and a few sisters, thank you for your dedication! ”

After speaking, Zhu Pei, Ouyang Qian and others bowed to everyone together to show their gratitude, and everyone knelt down one after another, "Thank you for taking care of us!" ”

Zhu Pei waved his hand and smiled: "Everyone is exempt, please get up!" ”

Everyone got up one after another, and Zhu Pei smiled again: "The following is the moment that everyone is looking forward to, to be honest, I am also looking forward to it, my husband will also give us his own money, let's rejoice together!" ”

Everyone laughed, Zhu Pei nodded to Ouyang Qian, Ouyang Qian took the key and opened the door, which was full of wrapped silver, each bag of silver was placed in a bag, and the name was written on the bag, and it was arranged in order.

Ouyang Qian, Cao Xiu and Fan Jing were responsible for taking the silver, Aya was responsible for reading the name, and Zhu Pei was distributing it, which was the case every year.

The line was lined up below, and Aya raised the list and read: "The first Steward Liu, the second Steward Wu, and the third Steward Wu." ”

These are the three housekeepers in the house, Wu Nei Butler and Wu Butler's mother-in-law, responsible for managing the inner courtyard, Xiao Wu Butler is the third housekeeper, is the son of Wu's housekeeper, very shrewd and capable, he is responsible for the external affairs, and Liu Da Butler is responsible for general coordination.

The three housekeepers all came out and took the cloth bag from Zhu Pei's hand, in the past, the big housekeeper Liu and the housekeeper Wu Nei were all one hundred taels of silver, and the little Wu housekeeper was eighty taels of silver.

Aya shouted her name one by one, everyone stepped forward to take the bag, and after opening it secretly, they all showed joy on their faces, and the two little guys even waved their fists happily and rushed away.

This year, because the master Fan Ning has been leading the army to fight outside, everyone in the house is extremely hard, so the annual reward has increased by two percent this year, of course everyone is happy, the minimum is twelve taels of silver, save a few years of silver, everyone can go home to buy a house and land.

Of course, this year's reward is not only the subordinates, but also the twenty female guards in the mansion, all of whom are strong in martial arts, and they are hidden in the dark day and night, protecting the safety of Fanning's wife and children.

Fanning has always been a thorn in the side of the Western Xia and the Liao State, and it is necessary to beware of the Liao State or the Western Xia spies from doing anything to Fanning's family, so an abandoned military camp not far from Fanning's mansion has been renovated and 500 soldiers are stationed.

This is the protection of Fan Ning's family by the imperial court, but it is far from enough, so it invited twenty young female guards with strong martial arts skills to protect them in the inner house, and their monthly salary is twenty taels of silver per person, and the annual reward silver is issued according to the standard of the housekeeper.

In addition, there is also an offering to the Qingshui Temple, which is the place where Jianmeizi practiced, located in an alley diagonally opposite Fanning Mansion, is a small Taoist temple covering an area of about three acres, dedicated to the Sanqing.

Jian Meizi took eight female apprentices to practice here, and many believers around the people became lay people of Sanqingguan, and Fanning's mother Zhang Sanniang was a pious female layman, who spent most of her time in the Taoist temple every day.

Qingshuiguan has 2,000 acres of land outside the city as a property, and these two thousand acres of farmland are Zhu Pei's dowry.

And every year during the New Year, another 1,000 taels of silver will be offered for incense.

Of course, Zhu Pei's generosity is not without a price, when Fanning is in the capital, she is closely protected by Jian Meizi, and Fanning will sit not far away when she goes out to eat with her colleagues at noon.

After the annual reward was distributed, everyone returned to the inner house, Cao Xiu took Zhu Pei's arm and asked with a smile: "How much money will the husband give us?" ”

Zhu Pei poked her forehead and smiled: "This should be asked by Aya, you have so much dowry, will you be rare for this bit of money?" ”

"How is it not rare, this is the money I earn by serving my husband, and it is my own money......."

Without waiting for her to finish, Zhu Pei pinched her arm lightly, and pulled her mouth back, Cao Xiucai noticed that Fan Jing was following not far behind, she blushed, stuck out her tongue and whispered: "He shouldn't understand!" ”

"He shouldn't have heard it, you have to be careful when you speak in the future, the children have grown up."

Aya next to him smiled and asked, "Madam, in fact, I also want to know how much money the master will give me this year." ”

Zhu Pei stretched out his palm and compared, "You are this number this year, but don't send it back to Japan, your parents are now big landowners, they are very rich, leave it to yourself and your son!" ”

Aya nodded, "Of course I left it to Qi'er." ”

Fanning gives his wife and children a lot of property, and every year he gives his wife and concubines and children New Year's money, of course, giving his wife and concubine is not called New Year's money, but his own money, which is actually pocket money for them, at least a few thousand taels of silver, and there is usually monthly money every month.

He is also worried that if something happens to him, his wife and children will be able to live without food and clothing for the rest of their lives.

At four or five o'clock in the afternoon, the last wave of pedestrians appeared on the street, all of them men from various merchants, or people from large families, who also had a holiday and went home.

More than a dozen local subordinates also left the Fanning Mansion, and the others stayed in the outer mansion for Chinese New Year's Eve dinner under the leadership of Butler Liu and Butler Wu's mother-in-law, Qingfeng Restaurant sent eight tables of wine and food at noon, Jian Meizi would also bring her eight disciples over to squeeze a table, and twenty female guards followed the master to the Zhu Mansion.

Without the owner, everyone will have more fun, but the Fan family has strict rules, you can drink, but you are not allowed to get drunk, and you are not allowed to use alcohol to make trouble, otherwise the employment relationship will be terminated.

Fanning set out with his family and five or six maids in three large carriages, followed by twenty female guards on horseback, dressed in samurai uniforms, draped in red daze, with swords at their waists, and thrushes and quivers hanging from their saddles.

At this time, the sound of artillery battles sounded everywhere, groups of children played in the streets, building snowmen, and having snowball fights, and the atmosphere of the New Year gradually became stronger.

In front of the gate of Zhu's mansion, eight large lanterns were hung, and Zhu Yuanfeng's daughter Zhu Jie and eldest son Zhu Xiaoli were waiting at the door with their wife, daughter and two sons.

Zhu Yuanfeng also had four sons, except for the eldest son's family who stayed in the capital, everyone else went to Beidao, Zhu Xiaoli was mainly in charge of some important Zhu family industries, such as Zhu Lou, Zhu's shipyard, textile workshops and more than a dozen manors, etc., while Zhu's money shop and newspaper were managed by his daughter Zhu Jie.

Fan Ning and his family got out of the carriage, Zhu Xiaoli brought his two sons to greet Fan Ning, and his wife and daughter went with Zhu Jie to greet Fan Ning's family.

Fanning smiled slightly: "Today is the New Year together as a family, don't think about the official position of the imperial court, everyone will celebrate Chinese New Year's Eve happily according to the family lineage." ”

Having said that, Zhu Xiaoli didn't dare to put an elder in front of Fan Ning, but respectfully invited Fan Ning into the mansion, and his two sons went to greet Fan Ning's three sons.

Fan Ning actually has four sons, the youngest son Fan Zhou is only one and a half years old, held in the arms of his mother Cao Xiu, and the nurse also follows.

Fan Ning's mother, Zhang Sanniang, is the ancestor of the Fan family, and she was embraced into the Zhu Mansion like the stars holding the moon.

The Zhu's mansion is decorated with lanterns, and the wide atrium and the east courtyard are filled with large tables, and lanterns are hung overhead, illuminating the courtyard as if it were day.

There is a large round table with a diameter of five meters in the lobby, although there are more than 200 people sitting together in the Zhu Mansion for the New Year, but there are not many masters, only Zhu Fan's family, Zhu Yuanfeng's eldest son Zhu Xiaoli's family, daughter Zhu Jie with her daughter and son-in-law, and then Fanning's family.

Zhu Yuanfeng wore a red satin fuzi cotton dress, and with the support of the two maids, he smiled and reluctantly got up and smiled: "Welcome to the family of Little Fan Xianggong to come to my mansion for Chinese New Year's Eve!" ”