Miao Chu

Chapter 288: Livelihood
The restaurants haven't opened yet, and the food stalls are still set up here, but some people already look completely unable to accept it.

Before Song Miao could speak, a student quickly chimed in, "What's the rush? Don't we have legs of our own? We can just go over for a meal!"

"Exactly! With the restaurants open, we'll have three meals a day, which is much better than now where if we get up a little late, there'll be nothing left. When that happens, we can all take turns ordering food for each other, like a rotating shift, wouldn't that be great?"

"Even the prime ministers of the two prefectures have to take turns serving in the inner palace, so why can't you and I?"

He suddenly began to compare himself to the two Grand Secretaries and Song Ji to the Imperial Palace.

Such an absurd analogy quickly found its echoes.

"That's good!" Yinghe then looked at Song Miao, "Miss Song, you always say you can't cook large quantities. When you open your restaurant, we'll go to buy from you. You can't be unable to cook for us then, can you?"

Someone else asked, "Will we be able to eat those braised pork trotters and taro with pork belly dishes that they used to eat when the restaurants open?"

“I heard that Song’s delivers breakfast every day—if we order more, can they also deliver lunch and dinner?”

Song Miao paused for a moment, then did not reply immediately.

Her reaction immediately alerted everyone.

"Miss Song, I heard someone say the other day that your restaurant only serves dine-in and doesn't offer delivery or even takeout. I thought it was just a rumor—it can't be true, can it?"

"What??"

"This is utterly ridiculous!!!"

"Ridiculous! Miss Song, this is nonsense! This must be nonsense! If you only served dishes, we might not be able to come every day! Do you really not want us customers anymore? How could you do this? How could you do this???"

Across the stall, the opposite side was filled with a cacophony of screams.

Dabing, standing on a small stool, busied himself trying to appease everyone, offering advice and comforting others. However, even his eloquent tongue couldn't cook rice without rice. Seeing the commotion growing, fearing he might cause more trouble, he had no choice but to retreat behind the steamer, barely daring to look up, and quietly mouthing, "Wife, what should we do?"

The alley is deep and the regular customers are scattered all over the city, so it may not be able to hold up a large business. However, if they focus their energy on this kind of walk-in and eat-out food and go back to doing business with students, they will continue to operate on a low-profit, high-volume model, which is somewhat different from the current small dining tables.

With the current manpower, it's a bit difficult to handle everything at the same time, and Song Miao hasn't come up with a solution yet.

She pondered for a few moments and said, "To be honest, most of the food in the restaurant is made individually and the prices are not low. You have already been very considerate of me with breakfast. Even if I were to be greedy and try to pluck every feather from every passing goose, I can't just pluck the same flock of geese, can I?"

These words only made the commotion even louder.

"What? What do you mean you can't fly with the same flock of geese? Did you even ask the geese? You should have asked them first!"

"What if those goose feathers are plentiful? In this sweltering heat, they might feel so hot that they'd want to take off a few more!"

"How much is 'not low'? Fifty coins a dish? Eighty coins a dish? Even if we pool our money and a few of us order together, can't we afford it?"

Someone stepped forward and shouted, "Stadium owner Song, treat everyone equally! Treat everyone equally! Although we are students and not as rich as those high-ranking officials, we still receive subsidies. Why can't you help us with our business? You can't deliver or take away food. Aren't you completely blocking us? Aren't we one of your own?"

"What? You can't deliver anymore, and you won't even call it takeout?! Mr. Song! You! You're so hurtful! I... I'll stop speaking up for you if people say you're slacking off, being lazy and unwilling to do more work tomorrow!"

In front of her, everyone was talking at once, and the noise was getting louder and louder. Song Miao's ears were ringing and she couldn't hear it all. She quickly stopped the most important people and said, "There are a few dishes that can't be taken away, but dishes like roast pigeon, roast chicken, and roast duck lose 70 or 80% of their flavor if they are left out for a while, that's why there's this rule. Most of the other dishes can be taken away or given away."

He added, "Let me think about what to do—lunch and dinner are proper meals, so whether it's delivery or takeout, it's not as good as eating at the restaurant. In summer, the food might spoil, and in winter, it might get cold. I'll see if we have any suitable dishes. If we do, we'll make some. If not, everyone can come to the restaurant when they have time..."

As soon as she opened her mouth, the other side fell silent, and everyone stood on tiptoe and strained to listen.

Someone hurriedly asked, "So when exactly will the eatery open? Does opening the eatery mean the food stalls will stop operating?"

Song Miao said, "Even if the restaurant opens, the food stalls will still be set up for a while. We can talk about it later. As for the dishes in the restaurant, if anyone has any favorites, please let us know. We are currently working on the menu!"

These words brought a sense of relief to the students, but also excited them.

"So...it's finally our turn to order??"

"Oh! Miss Song! Braised mutton! With some pickled cabbage! I love this dish so much, I could eat it for a year and never get tired of it. It has vegetables and meat, and it doesn't keep for long! It goes well with rice or flatbread, but I can never find a good one. If Song's restaurant makes it, even in the dead of winter, I'll brave the snow and ice to come and eat it!"

Once one person orders, the others rush to order.

"Braised pork trotters rice! Braised pork trotters rice is just perfect! I've been thinking about it ever since I had it last time—Shopkeeper Song! Don't forget about braised pork trotters rice!"

Song Miao looked up and recognized him as an acquaintance she had met before, someone she had eaten braised pork trotters with after helping Wei Xingtong copy criminal documents.

"Poached fish slices! This is delicious! But could you choose a fish with fewer bones? Vendor Song, can we use fresh fish? The kitchen always uses dead fish, and it's easy to get dead fish when eating out, it's so fishy!"

"Why is everyone talking about meat? Miss Song, let's make something cheaper. It doesn't have to be all meat. We can make more vegetables. Braised tofu with fermented black beans and fennel is very good. Green beans are in season right now, and stir-fried green beans are also delicious! Make more vegetable dishes to sell, and it will be cheaper. I can deliver to your door three times a day. If it's all meat, the monthly allowance might not be enough. We'll have to be very frugal!"

"Could you sell noodles? I don't like rice, I prefer noodles!"

"I like noodles too! Let's prepare more toppings! If I have money, I'll add more meat; if I don't, I won't. Running this twice a day, I'll just consider it physical labor and exercise—didn't the sages say that studying requires a balance of work and rest? Going to Songji from here and back takes about half an hour, which is just right for rest!"

"Lamb soup! When the weather gets cold, we can make lamb soup!! I want to come over for lamb soup!"

"It's not winter yet, don't cut in line here—Street vendor Song, making cold noodles! The cucumbers are at their best right now!"

By this time, Song Ji's food had already sold out to the back, and there weren't many students left in line, only about twenty or thirty. They didn't care about the queue anymore and all crowded around.

Everyone was arguing and chiming in, creating a noisy atmosphere like a pot of Laba porridge, bubbling and gurgling, making a racket as soon as the lid was lifted.

Song Miao said, "I've noted it down. I'll try making it once when I get back, and then choose the most suitable one to sell."

"No! Don't rush! I have many more dishes to mention, but my wife's question has made me forget them all! We'll have to add more later!"

"Yes! I still need to replenish my supplies! I'm thinking of another dish..."

Song Miao then said, "Everyone, take your time to think about it. We can talk about it when we meet next time. I'll also ask someone to help me inquire in the school, gather the information, and then we can choose one later."

The students then stopped.

With the bell ringing imminent, the group left reluctantly, still discussing various dishes along the way.

Song Miao stopped the acquaintance who had eaten the pig's feet rice earlier and whispered, "Could you please pass on a message to Young Master Cheng and ask him to come to the stall in the morning when he has some free time? I have something I would like to ask him."

The student nodded quickly and asked, "I wonder if Miss Song is in a hurry? If she is, I'll run in and call him out right now!"

"No rush, it's nothing serious. I just wanted to ask him to help me ask my classmates about the dishes—because there are some details that are best discussed in person, which is why I asked him to come over."

The student ran away with a guarantee. While Song Miaotong was packing up her pancakes, several stall owners who had a spare moment gathered around.

"Miss Song, are you really not going to continue running this food stall?"

"Why bother! There's no such thing as having too much money in the world—restaurants should be open, and food stalls shouldn't be idle either!"

"If you leave, won't it be even harder for us to do business here?"

Song Miao hurriedly said, "There's no such saying. Everyone has their own skills, and the things they sell are all different. Right now, Nanlu is locked up, so life is a bit tough, but I think we can't keep them locked up every day, can we? We'll get through this period."

She said some polite words and gave a special bow, saying, "These days I have received a lot of help from all the stall owners, which has allowed me, a newcomer, to run my stall smoothly for half a year. I need to catch my breath."

He added, “Although my place is small and very simple, it is still a restaurant. On the day of the opening, I will invite you all to come and have a drink and taste my cooking!”

The Song family had so much debt, and Song Miaogang looked so pitiful when she first arrived, and all the things she went through afterward were witnessed by the group of stall owners.

She was skilled and knowledgeable, and she would deliberately choose different foods to sell than others. Even when supplying steamed buns to the Imperial Academy's kitchen, she would supply more for lunch and dinner and less for breakfast. Although she didn't say it explicitly, everyone knew that she didn't want to steal business from the food alley.

Now that she's finally made it through the tough times and her restaurant is about to reopen, to exaggeration, almost the entire street is happy for her.

"I'll definitely come!"

"I live nearby, so whenever I'm too lazy to cook, I'll come over and patronize your business!"

"I only know that Miss Song is a good cook, but half a year has passed. Your queue is really long, and I can't just leave. I haven't even tasted a single bite of glutinous rice yet. I'll definitely come over and join in!"

Song Miao thanked them one by one before pushing the cart away with Dabing.

As soon as she left, the other stall owners started whispering among themselves.

"I heard that Song Dalang owed more than 18,000 strings of cash that day!"

"How come I heard it was over 80,000 strings of cash?"

"It's getting more and more outrageous!"

“I don’t know how much it’s caused, it’s truly a tragedy. If it weren’t for a father like that, she wouldn’t be in such a pitiful state. When I asked her last time, she said that ever since she started her stall, she’s been getting up at the hour of Chou (1-3 AM). Sigh, I have my daughter and son-in-law helping me here, and she’s just a young woman…”

"When will I ever be able to pay it all off!"

"I just hope her restaurant business improves; otherwise, she might as well continue running her stall!"

"That's not the case. Song's pork jerky and dried squid sell very well. I heard that her mung bean cakes are also selling very well recently, and she also sells char siu and other things. I heard that she employs six or seven people at home. It's a pity that she probably doesn't earn much herself..."

How do you know she doesn't earn much?

"Of course, the costs are there. She uses high-quality meat and vegetables, and the labor costs are high. I heard that because the kitchen requirements are so high and it's frighteningly clean, in addition to the wages, they also give extra bonuses. My goddaughter's sister-in-law used to work there. She was so dizzy from washing her hands so much that when she came home, she almost couldn't resist grabbing the cats and dogs that passed by and washing their paws before letting them go!"

The group of people, unaware of Song Jili's profit situation or how Song Miao increased profits, simply started chatting and secretly calculating their own costs. Just as they were getting into it, they heard a customer calling and hurriedly scattered.

Not long after Song Miaocai returned to the restaurant, someone hurriedly came to the door—it was Cheng Zijian.

Upon seeing the person enter, Song Miao couldn't help but glance at the water clock. Even though she could see the time, she was still a little taken aback and hurriedly said, "My business here isn't urgent. But why did you come at this hour, young master? Won't it make you late for class?"

"No, I've arranged for the teacher to go watch the embankment these past few days, so he doesn't have to attend classes—we'll meet at the agreed time!"

At this point, Cheng Zijian sighed and said, "Brother Han is at the Water Conservancy Bureau. I originally volunteered to go with him, but he refused and only told me to follow the teacher and we'd talk about it later. I saw him on the embankment yesterday, with several people, carrying rulers and ropes, and another group of people were surrounding him listening to his instructions. When will he be able to take me with him?"

Song Miao smiled and said, "He's probably afraid of affecting Young Master Cheng's studies. By the time he's almost finished learning—which will probably be next year—I don't think you can avoid it even if you want to."

With just a few words, Cheng Zijian could already picture in his mind the future when Brother Han would ask him for help, entrust him with many important matters, how well he would follow up, and how he would be praised. He couldn't help but grin.

He chuckled for a moment, then quickly realized what was going on and asked, "What is it, Miss Song? I heard you wanted to ask about the dishes?"

"Yes, I was just about to ask Young Master Cheng for a favor, to see how to get here quickly."

Song Miao briefly explained the situation, and then said, "It would be too much of a waste of time to ask them one by one. I thought it would be better to write a few documents and help circulate them in the school, so that everyone can add their favorite dishes to the list. I just don't know if the school administrator will care or if it violates the rules."

"Don't worry, my lady, it's nothing. The Imperial Academy doesn't have such strict rules!" Cheng Zijian thought for a moment. "It doesn't have to be passed on in private. If it's passed on slowly, and someone keeps it in their hands for a day or two without us even knowing, wouldn't that be a waste of time?"

He came up with a plan and said smugly, "I've got it! There's a wall outside the dormitory where we post all sorts of notices, and there's one outside the dining room too. I'll draft something and ask my fellow students to write the names of the dishes on the back—what do you think?"

Song Miao smiled and said, "Young Master and I have the same idea, but I didn't know it could be posted; I thought it could only be passed around."

She picked up a draft document from the table behind her and said, "I've drafted a rough version here. Could you please take a look and help me revise it?"

Cheng Zijian nodded hurriedly, packed his things, discussed some details with Song Miao, and left in a hurry.

During the day, he and his fellow students followed the teachers out of the city, walking back and forth on the dikes and waterways all day long. Finally, they returned to the Imperial Academy. He hurriedly took out the manuscript drafted by Song Miao. He originally wanted to revise it, but upon closer inspection, he found it to be concise and clear, and there was really nothing left to revise. So he simply picked up his pen and copied it.

After quickly copying it down, he took the manuscript and some glue, feeling immense joy at having helped, and hurried off to post it.

It was mealtime, so we naturally went to the kitchen first.

Before he even got close, Cheng Zijian was stunned.

—Why are there so many people gathered around! And everyone's holding a pen or ink stick!
Just as he was wondering what was going on, he heard a commotion ahead.

"Look carefully, if it's already been written, don't write it again!"

"No matter how you look at it, it's so densely packed, I can't see it all!"

"Of course we have to write it down, write it several times, so that Miss Song will know how many people love this dish!"

Taking a few more steps closer, there was a large notice on the wall, with seven large, dark characters at the very top.

—A vegetable requisition order from Song Ji Restaurant?

Wait, there's a vegetable requisition order over there, and what's this in my hand?

Are there really people secretly vying to do this job?
　Many thanks to the lively Tangtangtang for sending me a large sachet, and to Viviqi for the two stalks of fairy grass! =3=
　　Thank you to Fuyayoy and Trolls_Don't_Call_You_It_Is_You_The_Mediocre_Herb for each of you! ^_^
　　Thank you to Special Agent Cat, little my, Yunshu00, Feng Yichi, and Book Friend 20201004200215127 for the likes!

　　(End of this chapter)