The old woman has gray hair and wrinkles on her face, but her complexion is delicate, her cheekbones are rosy, and her eyes are sparkling.
"Little aunt," Gu Shouqian hurriedly stepped forward to salute, then pointed at Han Xiying and Zheng Haizhu and said, "This is the third lady of the Han family, and this is Ximeng's maid. The Han family is here to give General Ma a thank-you gift today."
This energetic old woman is the concubine of Gu Shouqian's grandfather Gu Mingshi, Miao.
After Gu Mingshi won the Jinshi title, he served as Shang Baocheng in the capital. When he returned to Songjiang, there was an elegant and charming woman beside him, Miao.
Miao worked in the palace for ten years. At the age of twenty-four or five, she was considered a senior palace servant. She was about to reach the rank of female official in the inner court in the Sixth Bureau and the First Division, but she seemed to have no intention of promotion. In the end, The queen, who liked her very much, took the initiative and pointed Gu Mingshi to be a concubine, which was considered to be a peaceful destination for her to return to the common people and raise her husband and children.
Because of this background, although Mrs. Miao is not the principal wife and has only given birth to one daughter over the years, she is highly respected in the Gu family.
After the death of Gu Mingshi's first wife, Mrs. Miao took charge of the Gu family for more than ten years. Only a few years ago did she hand over the power of the inner house to her eldest daughter-in-law, Mrs. Liu, who was Gu Shouqian's aunt.
The first time Zheng Haizhu met Miao was at this year's Dragon Boat Festival.
That day, after Han Ximeng who fell into the water due to crowding was rescued, Zheng Haizhu was about to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation on Han Ximeng based on the remaining memories of modern people. However, a group of celebrities around her scolded her for not being able to untie the knot of her eldest daughter in the market. Placket.
Before Zheng Haizhu could get angry, Mrs. Miao, who was bringing her family members to see the boat, was helped over by her maids. She calmly said to the people around her: "In urgent matters, you all should shut up and listen to this loyal man." Otherwise, Miss Han’s treatment will be delayed, so I’ll go to your husband and file a complaint one by one!”
Therefore, Zheng Haizhu has a good impression of the old lady of the Gu family.
Not expecting to meet him in the academy today, she was busy, surprised and happy as she stepped forward to give him a blessing.
Mrs. Miao said to Zheng Haizhu: "I know you kid. You rescued Ximeng from the water on the Dragon Boat Festival. This time, you have made a contribution to the court. The whole Songjiang knows about you."
Then he looked at Han Xiying again, sizing her up meaningfully.
Han Xiying had a sweet look on her face and blessed her obediently. With a jujube core in her mouth that she couldn't swallow, she said in a soft and greasy voice: "My mother is in good health."
Mrs. Miao said pleasantly: "Oh, it turns out that you are the little girl from the third room of the Han family. No wonder you look a bit like Ximeng, and you are quite upright."
"Qi Zheng" means "beautiful" in Wu language.
Han Xiying smiled even wider: "Thank you, Mom, for the compliment."
Mrs. Miao nodded: "The weather is getting cooler, so you should go out for a walk. Not to mention you little girls, even an old woman like me will get tired from being bored at home. Yesterday I heard Shou Qian come back and say, General Ma Leading the troops to live in my academy, I came to see our Ming Dynasty's majestic men and horses, and there are also horses. Look, how often has Jiangnan seen such beautiful horses."
Hearing this, Zheng Haizhu quickly glanced at the basket in the hands of the maid next to Miao, saw clearly the brushes and paint jars inside, and asked respectfully: "Do you want to paint those horses, madam?"
"Exactly. When I was in the capital when I was young, I had the honor to follow the Holy Master and watch the fifth military camp practice. Those war horses were majestic and majestic, like celestial horses. When I returned to the palace that day, the queen ordered us to embroider a picture of the martial arts performance in the capital."
Speaking of this, Mrs. Miao's eyes fell on Gu Shouqian's face, showing even more affection.
"Ah Qian, you are going to marry Miss Han next spring. I would like to give you a picture of a divine horse as a gift. My eyes are a little shaky now when I draw a needle, but it doesn't hinder me when I write. I'll draw it first. , and let the masters of the younger generation embroider it for you and Ximeng, I hope you can see it."
Gu Shouqian scratched his head and grinned: "My grandson likes it, he likes it very much!"
Zheng Haizhu also hurriedly followed: "My maid would like to thank my eldest lady, Madam."
Miao said sincerely and stared at Gu Shouqian: "A scholar from the south of the Yangtze River would be weak if he only knew poems, books and articles. He couldn't just play with rocks and listen to music. A Qian, weren't you just reviewing swords and guns with the soldiers? Then Just stop gossiping with us women."
After Gu Shouqian was dragged over by his future sister-in-law, he felt impatient and wanted to leave for a long time, so he smiled and said, "I'm going over, little aunt", and returned to the Sichuan soldiers in the corridor with relief, and discussed the war with them again. .
Mrs. Miao looked at her grandson with loving eyes for a while, then turned her head and scolded Zheng Haizhu: "Miss Zheng, you are here to do the courtesy for the Han family. What does it look like to let Lao Peng chat with General Ma alone? You don't Go about your business."
"Madam's lesson is right, but it's probably inappropriate for Third Miss to be here alone..."
"It's okay," Mrs. Miao turned to Han Xiying, her eyes full of the expectation of an old man, "Third girl, how about you follow my mother to see the horses? While my mother is painting the horses, you can help me grind the powder and paint the hands. . When your servants finish the work, they will call you."
Han Xiying felt a lump in her throat.
This old lady from the Gu family is so annoying!
When she went to the Jiaoyuan Poetry Club where socialites often gathered at noon today, she met Gu Caiying, the youngest daughter of the third-bedroom master of the Gu family. She was secretly happy when she heard that Gu Caiying said that her second brother Gu Shou was hiding in the Wenzhe Academy, so she returned to her home cloth workshop and pestered Lao Peng and Zheng Haizhu to bring her over.
Han Xiying had secretly admired the elegant and elegant second son of the Gu family since she first fell in love. After learning about the engagement between her eldest sister and the second son of Gu, she hid in the quilt and cried for three or four nights.
This time, I finally pride myself on being brave and clever, and I seize the opportunity to be so close to Brother Gu and have a heart-to-heart talk with Brother Gu, who has always been accomplished in Kunqu Opera.
Just now, Brother Gu also softly praised himself for his ability to write lyrics. The look in his eyes clearly showed that he didn't mean to dodge at all. The more he talks to him, the happier he will become.
Unexpectedly, just as he was entering Zhilanya's room, the old concubine of the Gu family came in to cause trouble, and Brother Gu disappeared in the blink of an eye. I still want to go see some horses with the old lady.
What's so good about horses is that they stink.
It was like falling from the orchid room into the Bao Si.
Zheng Haizhu looked at Han Xiying's embarrassed and sympathetic expression, and guessed that her heart must have been "oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo [wnsinging", and she just felt refreshed.
Older gingers are more spicy.
Mrs. Miao in the Gu family is a bit interesting.
While she was thinking, she held the reed cloth and walked towards Ma Xianglin's place.
…
Ma Xianglin was leading a few tooth soldiers to hand over the distribution of cloth to Lao Peng.
He was not wearing Feiyu clothes today, only a short green cloth robe with narrow sleeves. His majesty was much weaker, but at a glance, he still had a capable and strong aura.
Ma Xianglin has been paying attention to Zheng Haizhu since people from the Han government came to transport things.
Finally, the old man from the Gu family who came to paint the horse greeted the young daughter of the Han family and left, and Miss Zheng turned over.
Ma Xianglin hurriedly picked up a bundle of cloth and went to greet him.
"Miss Zheng, I have been lying in wait in the bandit village in Suzhou Prefecture for more than half a year. I have long heard the water bandits say that I can't buy all the Songjiang cloth and I can't collect all the Weitang gauze. Today I saw the Songjiang cloth in your house. As expected, although it is cotton It's made of silk, soft and supple, and it's not much inferior to the Hu silk and Hangzhou brocade that Qiu Wanliang loves to snatch."
Zheng Haizhu smiled and thought to himself, Qin Liangyu, the son of a heroic general, has many adjectives, he is both civil and military.
Then he twisted the reed cloth in his hand and said: "General Ma, this kind of Yexie reed cloth is not to be underestimated. It is very comfortable to wear as lining and can indeed be compared with silk. The nobles in the capital like it very much. It is said that in the palace, the little prince The diapers for the little princesses are only made of our Songjiang Yexie cloth."
"Oh, so, I wonder if this thick rhombus cloth can be used to make cotton armor for the sergeants?" Ma Xianglin asked Zheng Haizhu for advice with great interest and enthusiasm.
This sentence made Zheng Haizhu energetic.
Just like when entrepreneurs face knowledgeable angel investors, they are waiting for questions like this.
Zheng Haizhu looked cautious: "General Ma, the cotton armor you mentioned was the kind you and your followers wore when fighting in the bandit camp that day?"
"Exactly."
"That's a pity. The beauty of Songjiang cloth lies in its dyeing and weaving. As for the cotton armor that the general mentioned, the craftsmanship should be that a large amount of unspun cotton is sewn into a coat with ordinary coarse cloth, then soaked in water and dried repeatedly. , can it be made as hard as a thin plate and resist the sharp edges of swords and guns, right?"
Ma Xianglin was quite surprised.
Unexpectedly, she, a young woman, understood the principles of armor.
After thinking about it again, I can’t help but feel that I am being narrow-minded. Why can't women understand this? The two porcelain thunders that prevented Qiu Wanliang from escaping and saved his life were also carried by Miss Zheng and thrown decisively.
What's more, isn't his mother Qin Liangyu, who leads the Shidao White Lancers in battles and is invincible, also a woman?
"Miss Zheng is right, then these rhombus cloths should be used to make robes for the sergeants."
Zheng Haizhu shook his head again and said: "It's not like this material can't be used to make armor. Cotton armor is not good, but has the general ever heard of 'dark armor'?"
Ma Xianglin answered honestly: "I've never heard of it. We Sichuan Army sergeants wear paper armor, cotton armor, and iron armor. My father and mother wear bronze armor. What is the dark armor that the girl is talking about?"
Zheng Haizhu tried to be concise and concise: "Dark armor takes the advantages of cotton armor and iron armor, and fixes the iron pieces inside the cloth jacket with rivets. Dark armor has three advantages. First, cotton wool can be stuffed between the iron pieces and the cloth layer to keep warm; The iron pieces are stuffed in cotton wool and cloth and are not easy to rust. Soldiers do not need to dismantle the strings and polish them frequently, which saves manpower. Thirdly, if rivets replace ropes, the fish scale armor can be turned into large pieces of flat armor, which not only saves money but also saves money. The key to iron consumption is better mobility, so soldiers are less likely to lose strength in close combat."
Ma Xianglin opened his mouth slightly and said in a daze: "Miss Zheng, how do you know so much? Is it like making porcelain thunder? Did you learn it from your brother's collection of books?"
"No, this time, I didn't read it from the book, but heard it from the Mao Wenlong Mao garrison. Does General Ma know about the Korean War? Li Rusong, the eldest son of Li Chengliang, the commander-in-chief of Liaodong Army in the Ming Dynasty, defeated the Japanese invaders in Pyongyang. When I was in the army, my officers and men wore dark armor."
Ma Xianglin's eyes were filled with light.
Then, the pair of eyes briefly lost focus, indicating that the owner of the eyes seemed to be deep in thought.
With his brave nature and acquired military qualities, he could imagine the scene of the Ming army wearing battle armor and bathing in blood on the walls of Pyongyang without too much effort.
The land of Sichuan and Shu, which is located on the southwest border and is inhabited by native people, is actually just like the northern part of the empire, it is also prone to war disasters. Heroes cherish heroes. From their parents to several uncles, Ma Xianglin's elders who are good at conquering and fighting often mention several figures in Liaodong who can fight.
After silence, Ma Xianglin showed a complicated expression and sighed softly: "Reading hundreds of military books is not as good as experiencing hundreds of battles. My mother and I used to fight chaos in the southwest. When I come back to suppress bandits in the southeast, it is not a big battle." War. The climate in these places is warm, not as cold as in Liaodong, so I have never thought about dark armor on cloth."
Zheng Haizhu said without any embarrassment: "Then please ask the general to mention it to the Ministry of War when he returns to Beijing this time? Not only Li Rusong, but also Qi Shaobao used this kind of dark armor when he attacked Mongolia. Mongolia is also a bitterly cold place. . By the way, this year I heard that the Jurchen chief of Jianzhou claimed to be the Great Khan. I am afraid that from now on, the northeastern border of our Ming Dynasty will be even more unstable. If the Ministry of War wants to make dark armor, use our Songjiang cotton."
Ma Xianglin knew that the woman in front of him was not a coquettish lady who was pretentious and took a long time to talk about a sentence, but he was not prepared for her to come to sell business so directly.
For a brief moment, Ma Xianglin felt slightly lost.
The sassy beauty whom we met by chance and fell in love with suddenly seemed to have suddenly transformed into one of those female shopkeepers who diligently recommends good wines in her own shop.
Zheng Haizhu sensitively caught the change in his eyes and hurriedly apologized: "I am speechless and disrespectful. How can I arbitrarily discuss state affairs and say anything unfair and unfavorable."
The corner of Ma Xianglin's mouth twitched slightly: "That's okay, everyone in the world can discuss the world's affairs."
While comforting the people in front of him, he reflected on himself in his heart.
Thinking about it from another angle, what Miss Zheng was talking about was clearly "our Songjiang cotton", not "our Han family's cotton". Perhaps she was proud of the beauty of the local cotton, and was particularly fond of the uniforms of the border officers. For concern?
Taking a step back, even if she hopes that the Han government will be able to buy military uniforms from the Ministry of War, it is still her duty as a loyal servant.
As a general, it would be very satisfying if all the soldiers under his command were so aggressive and alert.
General Ma's mind was spinning in circles, but he still decided that Miss Zheng was getting cuter and cuter as he looked at her.
Then he raised his sword eyebrows and said cheerfully: "Okay, I will be Songjiang's cotton cloth and go to the Ministry of War to be a lobbyist. Furthermore, the situation in Liaodong is changing rapidly. If one day the imperial court sends my Sichuan soldiers out to resist the slaves, I will also I will suggest to my mother that we use Songjiang cotton to sew cloth armor. What do you think?"
Zheng Haizhu smiled and pushed forward: "There are also fair ladies from Shu who are used to wearing Shu brocade Qingluo. They can also try our Songjiang cotton."
"Well, okay, I'm not kidding you. The light red and lake blue materials that your house gave to my mother are exactly the colors that women from Shidong to Chongqing like, like the first bloom of a hibiscus, like the first rise of a spring river. "
