The daily struggles of divorced women in ancient times

Guanliu Hutong is located on Wushi Street in the south of Beijing. It is where most of the ordinary people in Beijing live.

Both sides of the entrance to the alley were piled with all kinds of sundries, and the carriage could not turn in when it reached the entrance of the alley. Xia Mianwan, Chen Ge'er, and Yu Jie'er got off the carriage, said hello to the coachman, and walked in.

Following the address, Xia Mianwan found where Madam Zhou was living now. The door of the Zhou family was open. This was a small courtyard with one entrance. Although it looked shabby from the outside, it was decorated elegantly inside.

Xia Mianwan knocked gently on the wooden door three times, then walked in with Chen Ge'er and Yu Jie'er.

Madam Zhou heard the noise and came out. Seeing that it was Xia Mianwan, she excitedly stepped forward and pulled her, "Mianwan, it's been a long time since we last met. I never thought that we would see each other again in the capital one day."

"Sister Zhou, I'm very happy too." Xia Mianwan said to Madam Zhou with a smile.

Chen Ge'er and Yu Jie'er also missed Madam Zhou very much. After entering the house, they bowed to Madam Zhou one by one.

Xia Mianwan looked around and didn't see Zhou Chengze, so she asked, "Where's Chengze? Where did he go?"

Madam Zhou smiled and said, "Knowing you were coming, I sent him to the restaurant early to order some food. The roast duck in the capital is very famous, and the one in the Dongcheng Huibinlou is the best. I must ask you to try it."

Xia Mianwan clapped her hands and cheered, "Sister still loves me. Are you and Chengze doing well in the capital?"

"Okay, all is well. Chengze goes to school every day and makes a group of good friends. This is also thanks to you. The glass bead bracelet you gave me at that time is very impressive for me to show off to others."

Xia Mianwan was a little interested when she heard this, "Sister Zhou, is this glass bracelet also sold in Beijing?"

"No one has as good things as ours, so these bracelets of yours really make me proud. In terms of wealth, how can our family compare with those wealthy families? But when it comes to gift-giving, we have never made any mistakes!" Madam Zhou had a happy look on her face. She had lived in the capital for the past six months, and she had developed her own circle of friends, and her life was very fulfilling every day.

Xia Mianwan nodded and said, "That's good. I've been thinking about opening a shop recently."

Only then did Madam Zhou remember to ask Xia Mianwan about getting married. "You mentioned in your letter that you were going to get married, but does the Pei family really not mind the existence of Chen Ge'er and Yu Jie'er?"

Xia Mianwan smiled slightly and signaled with her eyes to Ruzhu to take Chen Ge'er and Yu Jie'er out for a walk.

Mrs. Zhou then realized that she had said the wrong thing. She slapped her mouth and said in frustration, "It's all my fault for talking nonsense."

Xia Mianwan watched Chen Ge'er and Yu Jie'er go out, then she took Madam Zhou's hand and said, "Good sister, I know you are thinking about me. Don't worry, the Pei family doesn't care. When Pei Yanxu comes back, Sister Yang will come with him."

Madam Zhou nodded and said, "Madam Yang is the daughter of the Wang family, so it is quite appropriate for her to host the event."

"However, Sister Zhou, I have never prepared a dowry. Do you know what I need to prepare?" Xia Mianwan asked.

Madam Zhou was in a dilemma. "The marriage of a daughter of a wealthy family is different from that of an ordinary person. How would I know? It's just some farms, real estate, shops, furniture, various ornaments, jewelry, clothes for all seasons, antiques, calligraphy and paintings, etc."

Xia Mianwan thought about it in his mind. Farms and shops can be prepared in advance, but real estate is not needed. Now that the war has just ended, it should be easy to buy a farm. However, I don't know if it is easy to buy a farm in the capital.

"Sister Zhou, is this farm in the capital easy to buy?"

Madam Zhou said, "It's easy to buy scattered fields, but it's hard to buy large tracts of good farmland and farms."

As expected, the farm and the shop had to be prepared in advance. As for furniture, ornaments, jewelry, silks, antiques, calligraphy and paintings, Xia Mianwan had quite a few in his space, all of which were good things from the general's storehouse before he was exiled.

After having an idea in mind, Xia Mianwan said, "Sister Zhou, can you help me keep an eye out for shops to buy? I want to buy a few shops, some to run jewelry shops, and some to run other businesses. Please help me keep an eye out for them."

"What's so difficult about this? I happen to know a lady who works in a pawn shop. Although she is not an official pawnshop owner, she does a very big business and her prices are reasonable." Madam Zhou said.

"Row."

The two talked about the dowry for a while, and then talked about the future business. Since Xia Mianwan came, Mrs. Zhou's mind has also become active.

As they were talking, half a day passed and the restaurant's dishes arrived together with Zhou Chengze.

"Sister Xia, you're here. How was your journey?"

"all good."

"Sister Xia, let's talk while we eat!"

Xia Mianwan nodded and asked Ruzhu to bring Chen Ge'er and Yu Jie'er over to eat together.

At the dinner table, Xia Mianwan also learned more about some of the latest trends in Beijing from Zhou Chengze.

"Chengze, you seem to know what I want to know." Xia Mianwan raised his glass and saluted Zhou Chengze from a distance.

"Because I know that no matter where she is, Sister Xia will run her own business, so I will tell you more." Zhou Chengze and Xia Mianwan have known each other for many years. They have been through ups and downs along the way and have some understanding of each other.

"Do you want to participate?" Xia Mianwan asked.

Zhou Chengze nodded, "Of course."

"I know you still have more than two years before your death, so why don't you help me write some storybooks or drama scripts in your free time?" Xia Mianwan said.

Zhou Chengze had never tried to write these, so he couldn't help but ask, "But I haven't written them before."

Xia Mianwan smiled and said, "It's okay. I'm here, right? But... there's something I want to tell you first. The storybooks are mostly used to promote the new wine from my winery, and the drama scripts will mainly be used in... the dance house. I wonder if Chengze would mind?"

"Dancing house?" Zhou Chengze was a little confused.

Xia Mianwan explained, "Mrs. Sang will soon come to the capital, and I want to run a singing and dancing house with her. However, all the singing girls in the house only sell their skills, not their bodies. There are audiences for both highbrow and lowbrow songs. So, I want to make the singing and dancing house appealing to both the elite and the masses. We need scripts for arranging songs and filming plays. I've read your travel notes, and they are very appealing. We don't ask for anything else in our scripts and storybooks, we just want them to be in plain language so that everyone can understand them."

Zhou Chengze listened carefully to Xia Mianwan's request and felt that he could take on the job, so he agreed.

"Sister Xia, I have no problem taking this job, but I can't write steadily. After all, the scientific examination is my main job." Zhou Chengze didn't want to delay Xia Mianwan's dance troupe because of his own affairs.

"It's not a big deal. I'll collect a few more scripts. Besides, the main focus of the dance hall is singing and dancing, so it's enough to have a theme. As for the plays, there's no need to change them too frequently. It shouldn't affect anything. But I'll discuss the specific rules with Sister Sang after she comes."

"it is good!"