Miao Chu

Chapter 291 Relaxation
Upon hearing Cheng Erniang's voice, Granny Shen guessed Song Miao's identity and hurriedly stepped forward to greet her, saying, "Is this the shop owner, Miss Song? Please take a look, madam. I'm not exaggerating—in the capital, you can't even buy fabric for this price, let alone make clothes!"

She held up a shirt in her hand and said, "The material is already rare, but look at the craftsmanship, the cut, the style—my wife, my family wants to make a name for ourselves, which is why we're willing to pay extra to offer this price..."

Song Miao looked at the shirt carefully.

Grandma Shen was not exaggerating at all; the craftsmanship was indeed excellent. Although the style was similar to that of other eateries, it was clear that she had put her heart into it. The cutting was particularly neat, and the stitching was very meticulous.

Besides, even though the clothes were clearly just for show, the words "Song Ji Restaurant" were sewn on several places, including the chest and cuffs.

Recently, when Cheng Erniang and others went out shopping, they mentioned that they wanted to have words embroidered on their clothes. Each shop brought out the embroidery patterns they had made before, most of which were very rigid and it was rare to find one that was acceptable. The prices were also much higher.

The embroidered characters on this sample garment are very lively and beautiful. The lines are clean and neat, and the thickness of the strokes is just right, making them look extremely smooth. It is exactly like an enlarged version of a stamp, and it is both lifelike and expressive.

Even if the price is a little higher, as long as it's not excessive, Songji will still buy it.

However, the other party offered such a low price that not only Song Miao, but even Cheng Erniang, who was always frugal, couldn't help but mutter to herself and looked over with great hesitation.

Something seemed amiss, so Song Miao asked, "Is this price only for one time? The shop needs clothes made for all four seasons from now on. If we come to your shop for all the clothes, how will you price them?"

Grandma Shen hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Do we have to do this all year round?"

Song Miao found it even stranger and said, "According to what you said earlier, Granny Shen, isn't it just for the sake of future business that you're willing to offer such a low price? If you're not doing business all year round and are only doing it this once, why would you offer such a discount?"

The other party hurriedly replied, "Yes! Yes! What about the clothes for the other seasons, young lady? How many sets do you want? I'll go back and calculate the price and then get back to you!"

They didn't even know how many clothes Song Ji needed, yet they took the initiative to make sample garments, offered low prices, and came to inquire about business.

Song Miao already knew there must be a reason behind this, but judging from the old woman's words and actions, she clearly had no ill intentions and was actually there to offer benefits. So she simply asked directly, "May I ask which embroidery shop you work for, old woman? And who is the owner?"

Granny Shen said, "Near Xiangguo Temple, in Baokangmen Wazi, there is a Yunxiang Embroidery Shop—if you're worried, you can go and take a look! It's a legitimate embroidery shop!"

After saying that, he urged her to ask about the amount.

Upon hearing the words "Yunxiang Embroidery Workshop," Song Miao felt a sense of familiarity. After a moment's thought, she immediately remembered that this was the workshop that had posted a reward of over a hundred strings of cash after the Lantern Festival to find her missing embroiderer.

She immediately asked, "I remember there was a lady named Shen in that embroidery shop—I wonder if these clothes made today have anything to do with her?"

Granny Shen, who had been all smiles, glanced at Cheng Erniang when she heard Song Miao's question.

Cheng Erniang was also shrewd; she simply made an excuse that she had something to do and led them to the backyard.

After everyone left, Granny Shen put the clothes she was holding back on the table, took two steps back, and said, "I don't know how to say it, this old woman is clumsy with words, so I can only kowtow a few times to express my deepest gratitude to you, madam!"

As she spoke, she indeed kowtowed deeply to Song Miao, bowing her head to the ground repeatedly.

The other person moved so fast that Song Miao was taken aback. Without even having time to yield, she hurriedly stepped forward to help the person up, saying, "How can this be—Grandma, what is this saying?"

Upon hearing Song Miao's question, Granny Shen's eyes inexplicably reddened, and tears streamed down her face. She said, "I originally discussed with the two of them that if you didn't know, we wouldn't say this, and would just say we came to do business—but now that you've asked, I feel terrible..."

As soon as she frowned, tears streamed down her face, crisscrossing the wrinkles. She tried to wipe them away as she fell, but she couldn't wipe them all away in time. Snot also started to flow from her nose along with the tears. Feeling really embarrassed, she hurriedly tried to blow her nose with the handkerchief she had with her. Afraid of making a loud noise, she half-blew and half-wiped, making a complete mess. She was both embarrassed and flustered.

Seeing this, Song Miao simply said, "I'll go fetch some water."

There was actually a copper basin of clean water in the front hall, but she pretended that the water didn't exist and went to the backyard instead.

When she came out again, Granny Shen was already sitting properly. When she saw Song Miao, her two swollen eyes were still red and the corners of her eyes were still wet. She quickly stood up to greet her, took the copper basin, and said, "Thank you for your trouble, madam."

She washed her hands, but was too embarrassed to wash the dirty cloth. She simply placed the copper basin aside, sat down with her hands clenched, and whispered, "My niece is named Shen Xingniang. She was tied up at Guangji Temple, and it was thanks to you, Madam, that she was rescued..."

“My aunt and I went to the yamen to inquire secretly. Although the officials said we couldn’t tell anyone, we begged them for a long time, and they finally understood what the aggrieved party was thinking and let us know the truth…”

"The yamen was able to find the temple that day entirely because of my wife's meticulousness and kind heart—if someone else hadn't been careful, or even if they had, hadn't taken it to heart and had gone to report it to the authorities several times, I might never have been able to see Xingniang again!"

After listening to her story, Song Miao realized that the old woman Shen opposite her was Shen Xingniang's aunt. Because her husband died early and her children died one after another, she was a widow and had been living alone with her niece Shen Xingniang for many years. They were no different from biological mother and daughter.

She went to Beijing with her niece that day, and just when she was about to see her niece make a name for herself with her skills, she got lost.

Granny Shen said, "To be honest, my wife, I felt like dying at the time—it was so hard to wait until the person was rescued. No matter what, at least he was alive. Everything else didn't matter. It was a blessing that he was alive!"

He added, "After recuperating for a while, she regained her senses. We learned from the government office that we had been wanting to go and express our gratitude, but after inquiring several times, we were told that my wife had gone to Huazhou and hadn't returned yet..."

Once the two sides had talked it out, Song Miao said, "I was just sending a message, it was something I did on the way. Whether it's finding someone or helping them later, it's all the work of the officials in the government—there's really no need to worry about it."

He then inquired about Shen Xingniang's current situation.

Grandma Shen paused slightly, then said, "It's fine."

She then pressed Song Ji for details about the total number of employees and how to prepare clothing for all four seasons, so that she could report back.

Song Miao then briefly explained to her, adding, "Madam Shen has excellent skills. Please ask her to give a proper price. Given our past relationship, we should help each other out. Don't give away our money for free. Nobody's money grows on trees. If you're so kind, just visit each other more often."

She actually had a lot to say, but since she wasn't facing Shen Xingniang herself, and could tell that this old woman Shen probably had some unspeakable secrets, she ultimately decided not to press her for details.

Granny Shen sighed, "She originally told me not to let my wife know, because I was afraid that if she found out, she would be too polite and the clothes wouldn't be given away..."

“Even if I knew that such fine clothes were priced so low, I would not dare to accept them!” Song Miao said solemnly, “It was really just going with the flow and I did not put in any great effort. If you want to thank someone, you should ask Madam Shen to thank those officials. We are just ordinary people. If we always think that we owe them something when we interact with each other, we will both be constrained and it is not a long-term solution.”

She paused for a moment, then said, "Please ask Grandma to give my regards to Madam Shen. If she has time, please come over often for a chat, some tea, or some snacks—I run a restaurant here, and there are always people around day and night."

Grandma Shen thanked her profusely before leaving.

However, in the afternoon, she returned with a large basket on her back.

This time I brought one set of clothes for each of the four seasons. The other three seasons were fine, but the winter clothes were lined with fine cotton, and the price they quoted wasn't much more expensive than the summer clothes. It was practically free.

How could Song Miao agree? She sighed, "Grandma knows what I mean. Why don't you explain it clearly to Madam Shen?"

Granny Shen said, "I did say that, but my niece is stubborn. She said that once autumn comes, the two of us will head south and won't stay in the capital. The leftover fabric is hard to carry, and it's just sitting there doing nothing. I thought it would be better to use it to make clothes for my wife!"

She pointed to several sets of clothes on the table and said, "Now that the styles of the clothes have been made, when new ones are made in the future, you can just have someone copy them—it will save a lot of effort!"

Song Miaoqi asked, "Going south? Is Madam Shen no longer doing business?"

Granny Shen smiled bitterly and said, "It wasn't really a business. It was just a small business under the Yunxiang Embroidery Shop that took on jobs. Xingniang was very skilled, so many people came to her. Eight out of ten of them wanted her to make wedding dresses. Now that this has happened, firstly, her reputation is ruined, and secondly, she hasn't been feeling well lately. It's good for her to go back and rest."

Upon hearing this, Song Miao sighed slightly and said, "In that case, I can't accept it—Madam Shen is unwell, and I have more than ten people's worth of clothes to make. Please trouble you to go back and tell her that I know she means well, but it's not necessary. Please ask her to take good care of herself."

Grandma Shen was taken aback for a moment, then hurriedly tried to persuade her, but seeing that Song Miao was adamant and she couldn't convince her, she forced Song Miao to leave the clothes in the basket and went ahead on her own.

Song Miao was actually quite eager to get to know the person, but she heard that Shen Xingniang had been unwell recently, and worried that she might bother her or cause others to make assumptions, so she didn't dare to ask any more questions for the time being.

In recent months, Beijing has found many missing persons.

After everyone returned home, some stayed in their houses for many days and were unwilling to go out, while others suffered from fear and could not see outsiders, and still others could not sleep peacefully day and night.

I just hope that Shen Xingniang's discomfort is just a common ailment and not something that will cause any problems in the future.

Although they had never met, Song Miao couldn't help but think more about the person because of their name and their skill in kesi weaving.

While Song Miao was thinking about Shen Xingniang, someone else was also thinking about her.

After dinner, Xiaolian helped clear the dishes and washed her hands. She then kept glancing at Song Miao, and when she saw Song Miao put down her pen and stretch her neck, she hurriedly ran over and asked, "Sister, shall I massage your shoulders and back?"

As she spoke, she had already moved a small stool over and stood actively to the side.

Song Miao couldn't help but laugh and asked, "You've been studying at the clinic all day, aren't you tired?"

"I'm only a little tired." Xiaolian stretched out her right little finger, held it in front of her, and pressed her ring finger and thumb against the tip of her little finger, making a "just a little" gesture.

"I'm the one who pays the money, it's my sister and mother who work hard to earn it!" she said, placing a small stool behind Song Miao and stepping on it herself, and sure enough, she started massaging.

"I just gave my mother a back massage yesterday, and she said it felt very comfortable!"

The small hands kneaded my back with very little force; it was more of a comfort to my mind than a physical one.

After letting the child massage her for about half a cup of tea's time, Song Miao turned her head and saw that a few tiny beads of sweat had appeared on the tip of her nose. She smiled and said, "Alright! You feel much better now! Take a rest for today, and I'll massage you another day!"

Xiaolian was very happy and asked, "Does it really feel much more relaxed?"

She added, "I'm already learning how to locate acupoints. Master said that once I've identified the acupoints, even a light touch will be very effective—sister, just wait!"

As she spoke, she wiped her hands, took something out of her bosom, and presented it to Song Miao, saying, "I just made this. It's for rubbing your itch, sister!"

Song Miao was somewhat surprised. She took the box and saw that it was a walnut-sized, lidded rough ceramic box filled with a dark purple paste that smelled faintly of herbs.

"It's comfrey ointment. I saw my senior sister making it, so I went to help her out. I thought I'd learn how to make a box myself—I heard it's especially effective for relieving mosquito bites; it stops the itching as soon as you apply it!"

"Neither my mother nor I attract mosquitoes, but my older sister does. The mosquito-repelling sachet I made last time didn't seem to work very well for some reason. My sister carries this with her, and when she gets bitten, it's not as itchy!"

Xiao Lian explained the method to Song Miao very seriously.

It contained ingredients such as purple gromwell, angelica, saposhnikovia, rehmannia, frankincense, sesame oil, and beeswax—it wasn't cheap, but when my senior sister heard that it was made for "the sister who makes dried meat, dried squid, char siu and roasted pork buns, tofu buns, and mung bean cakes," she gave me a portion without saying a word.

She was very proud of herself and said, "Several senior brothers asked the eldest senior sister for it, but she ignored them all. They were so envious and said I was lucky!"

Then, next to Song Miao, he recounted what each herb might be used for, what each herb was used for, what new things had happened at the clinic that day, what he had learned, how he had memorized the pharmacology the fastest and best, which had earned him praise from his master, and that his master would be taking a group of senior sisters and brothers to the vicinity of the capital to become itinerant doctors the day after tomorrow, but unfortunately he was too young to go with them.

After a busy day, Song Miao felt very relaxed listening to the children's words, especially from little Lian, and started a lively discussion with her.

Upon hearing the words "itinerant doctor," she realized that Dr. Lin hadn't been practicing medicine much in the past year or two, so she became curious and couldn't help but ask a question.

Xiaolian then said, "Master said that there are many good doctors in the capital, and we don't need her. But in the villages and countryside, there are many elderly people, especially grandmothers, who have many illnesses but can't get proper treatment. Some people are also shy and don't dare to see male doctors for certain illnesses. If she takes us to see doctors, we apprentices can see more patients, and the patients can get treatment. It's the best thing that could happen!"

The children speak like adults here; they've obviously learned it from others.

Song Miao had long known that Dr. Lin was a skilled physician, and recently, after hearing Xiao Lian repeat her words, she felt that Dr. Lin's medical ethics were also excellent.

(End of this chapter)