Jiafu, as part of the bell hairpin, although in the history of several generations "the external status has not completely declined, its internal strength has been fully accumulated". But Jia still maintains the tradition of valuing spectacle and showing off. According to Leng Zixing's description, there were hundreds of members in the mansion, and Jia Baoyu also mentioned that his daughters were hundreds when he was in the imaginary realm. This means that the servants of Jiafu, both men and women, young and old, are roughly four or five hundred.
Whenever the minions are mentioned, one will often see the various abuses and insults they have suffered, especially the minions in Jiafu. Whenever minions are mentioned, people often think of their inhumane treatment such as "not providing food, kneeling in the sun with porcelain tiles", or "being deducted from their monthly fees", and "being thrown into a horse pen after being **", which can be seen everywhere. In fact, these are just a term for servants, and not slaves in the true sense of the word. In the face of the harshness and abuse of their masters, the minions also adopted various means to deal with it. Swearing and complaining in private are particularly common. For example, after Baoyu's nightmare, Lin Hongyu and Jiahui expressed dissatisfaction with the rewards from the upper echelons and whispered in private; Xiao Xing'er spoke ill of each other in front of the You sisters, calling Wang Xifeng "two sides and three knives". What's more serious is that when the masters of the upper echelons entered the palace to guard the system, they had no time to take care of it, causing "villains everywhere to rebel......In fact, in "Dream of Red Mansions", these words of the masters are not so easy to explain, and the meanings they express are often very different from the situation in real society, and even many of them are self-contradictory. The relationship between the master and the servant in the Jia Mansion seems to be a clear dividing line, like a strong fortress.
However, there are still some exceptions in this particular environment, such as Mama Lai and her family.
Lai's child, Lai Da, holds a senior management position in Rongfu, which is a very key role and certainly an important position. In Ningfu, the position of the general manager of Daguan is Lai Da. Although the text does not explicitly state that the two are brothers, it can be seen that there is a deep connection between them. However, how did Lai Da successfully get this position? How did Lai Da succeed in obtaining this important position in Rongfu? It's just influenced by his mother, Mama Lai.
Regarding Mama Lai's specific deeds and who she serves, although it is not clearly stated in the article, judging from Mama Lai's outspoken attitude towards Baoyu and Jia Zhen, this Mama is indeed an old woman with a high status. From her description and love for Jia Zheng, we can be sure that she is Jia Zheng's nurse. In Jiafu, the nurse was held in the highest esteem, and her status even surpassed that of the young master. As a result, Lai Daneng was named the chief governor of the Rong Mansion, similar to Cao Yin's grandfather's experience weaving in Jiangning, as his mother, Sun, was Kangxi's nurse.
Although Lai Da played the role of a slave in the Jia Mansion, in terms of social status, he was incomparable to other minions. Because he is an "adopted daughter" and has no power. The Lai family also had many servants, such as Qingwen, who was once a maidservant purchased by Lai Da and later offered to Jia's mother. And Lai's son, Lai Shangrong, was given the gift of his master from birth and was "released", thus getting rid of the status of a slave, which most servants dare not imagine, and Lai Shangrong was a girl. The nurse is holding it, and she can be regarded as a "glamorous woman".The status of the "nurse" is very low. She has followed her mother and father since she was a child. The grandmother grew up to the age of twenty like a "phoenix", and then "dedicated a future to herself", and by the age of thirty, she had used the influence of the Jia family to become a county-level grandfather. He worked as a petty official in the government for a few years, and later became the master of the mansion and became a prisoner. Lai Shangrong has undergone the transformation from a servant to a place**, in the eyes of the people of that era, this is just a legend, but the gift of Jiafu makes this legend come true.
The gift given to Mama Lai by Jiafu was the reason for all this. However, if Jiao Da is undoubtedly higher than Mama Lai with the longest qualifications and the most significant achievements, then why did Jiao Da finally become an unwavering drunkard, while Mama Lai can bring honor to the whole family? This must mention the qualities required of a competent servant.
Always remember who I am as a servant.
In the Rong Mansion, Jia Zheng is actually Lai Mama's superior, and Lai Mama is actually Jia Zheng's wet nurse. In the Jia family, those servants who were old and had served their parents were more dignified than their masters. As Jia Zheng's nurse, Lai Mama's status is even more lofty. Therefore, in the forty-third episode, all the servants were in Jia's mother's room listening to how to celebrate Sister Feng's birthday. Mother Jia hurriedly sent someone to move the little vulture, hoping that Mama Lai could sit down with dignity for a few years, while Sister Feng and the others could only stand aside.
Although Mama Lai received such a high salary, she did not lose herself. In the forty-fifth episode, after Lai Shangrong became a state official, he planned to hold a banquet to entertain the masters of Jiafu for two days, and when Sister Feng and others came to congratulate, Lai Mama smiled:
My master and I are very happy. If it were not for the gifts of our masters, where would our joy come from? Yesterday, my grandmother sent Brother Cai again to admire the gifts, while my grandson kowtowed upwards at the door. ”
During the conversation, Ping'er handed over a cup of tea, and Mama Lai immediately stood up and took it, and smiled:
The girl didn't call the boy over, but accepted me again. ”
I owe my honor to the gift of my master, and I am deeply grateful for it, never forgetting my status as a servant and not wanting to cross the line. Despite his advanced age and dignity, he still looks very humble in front of a young woman like Ping'er.
Later, Mama Lai again invited the old lady and the others to go with them for wine and drama. Although Lai's garden is not as large as the Grand View Garden, there are several shocking aspects of the pavilions, various flowers and trees, and flowing water and rocks. Her garden is as beautiful and spectacular as a large garden. However, Mama Lai describes it as just a dilapidated garden, and she behaves very humbly:
We set up a few tables of wine and a play in the dilapidated garden, and invited the old lady, the lady, and the grandmothers and girls out for a day; In the hall outside, we set up a few tables of wine, hoping that the lord and the master would add luster to us; The next day, we invite friends and family; On the third day, we will invite our friends from both provinces to come along. The excitement of these three days is undoubtedly the blessing and glory of the master. ”
With such wisdom and piety, how could he not touch Jia's mother's heart? Judging from the whole article, this is the only time that Jia's mother went out to attend a banquet, which shows the dignity of Mama Lai.
Compared with Jiao Da, although in the past, he saved the life of his master, but in Ningguofu today, without his help, we may not be where we are today. Therefore, in the history of the family, Jiao Da always gave him "special treatment". But Jiao Da didn't really realize his identity and that kind of "special treatment", but was too proud, thought very highly of himself, and forgot that he had always been a loyal servant. As a loyal servant, it is natural to be "treated specially" by his master, but Jiao Da wants to transcend the boundaries between his master and his servant, so he does something out of the norm, resulting in him being interrupted by horse manure in the next game.
At the end of the day, it's crucial to position yourself in the right role. Mama Lai always kept this in mind: she behaved like a servant at all times, and her humility, wisdom, and moderation were the key factors that made Mama Lai's family stand out in Jiafu.