Miao Chu

Chapter 294 Serving Soup
Although she hadn't met the creditors or found out the reason, Song Miao had already been warned by acquaintances that someone was secretly trying to buy off her debts.

When she returned home, she and Cheng Erniang first calculated the profits the restaurant had made so far, moved around what they could, and scraped together the money they had saved up, but it was still far from enough.

The total number of these places is really too much.

No matter how many lice you have, they won't itch, but your head is only so big, and there's no room left on top.

Song Miao didn't want to add any more creditors. She had even considered mortgaging the house, but seeing the current situation and the fact that there were people plotting against her, she dared not act rashly.

Knowing that as long as she spoke up, no matter who it was—Du Haoniang, Xin Feng, Master Chen, He Qi, or even the young master Han—they wouldn't stand idly by, as she had money to back her up. So Song Miao didn't rush into anything. She just pondered for a moment, then called over Cheng Erniang and Zhang Siniang and asked, "If we asked customers to deposit money in the restaurant, for example, three hundred coins would get them a freshly made steamed bun, five hundred coins would get them two, and one thousand coins would get them five, do you think anyone would agree?"

The two asked almost simultaneously, "What steamed bun?"

Song Miao said, “I’ve been thinking about making a few new flavors lately, and I plan to sell them only in the shop. They’re either savory or sweet, similar in taste to the char siu and roast pork buns. Each has its own merits, but they don’t need to be baked in advance, so they’re faster to make. They also come in savory and sweet flavors. The fillings aren’t anything special, but the bun skins can be made softer and fluffier.”

Song Ji's char siu and roast pork buns are never in short supply.

Other common flavored steamed buns can be found elsewhere, even if you don't eat Song Ji's. But this char siu steamed bun is unique to this shop and has no other branches.

However, the char siu in the filling needs to be roasted first. At most, only two batches can be roasted each morning. Even if you order in advance, it is based on first-come, first-served, and you may not be able to order it. Therefore, it is very popular.

Upon hearing that it could rival char siu buns, their eyes lit up.

“Actually, we don’t necessarily need to come up with new flavors. Even if we just give away the original steamed buns, I’m sure many people will be willing to deposit their money,” Cheng Erniang said hurriedly. “People have always asked us if we offer any discounts here, saying that they eat here year-round and must be getting some benefits. But we don’t lower our prices. Giving away steamed buns now is actually the same as lowering our prices!”

Cheng Erniang used to have only three or four subordinates, but now she manages more than ten people. In addition, she handles many social affairs outside, so her words carry more weight. When dealing with people and things, she naturally starts to consider the big picture rather than just one aspect.

She had been with Song Miao the longest, knew the restaurant best, and understood what had happened in the past. The more she thought about it, the more uneasy she became.

“Wife, we don’t know who’s causing trouble behind our backs. We might as well keep quiet and not let anyone out. Maybe we can get them out sooner. Just say that the restaurant is about to open and they need to raise money. I’ll see how much they need, calculate it, and make sure we can release enough to cover our expenses.”

He added, "Don't worry, my lady. With the reputation of Songji, as long as we ask, at least half of our old customers who have the means will agree."

Her tone was very confident.

Zhang Si Niang chimed in, "Second Madam is right. We shouldn't release too much money. I've been keeping a close eye on things from the sidelines. The more something is sought after, the more people will covet it. Besides, if we let people deposit money freely, we've really given away a lot of benefits this time!"

She pondered, "My wife said that these new steamed buns are bundled with the char siu and roast pork steamed buns. One char siu and roast pork steamed bun costs ten coins, and we'll give away ten coins for every three hundred coins. That's a three-tenths discount! If too many people deposit their money, it's like we'll earn less. If we earn less, wouldn't that be a loss?"

Hearing these words like "equivalent" and "isn't that right," Cheng Erniang couldn't help but exclaim, "This is incredible! You'll be in charge of this account from now on! You're even better at saving money than I am right now!"

After their teasing and commotion, Song Miao couldn't help but laugh and said, "If there's a chance in the future to open many new stores, I'll appoint Fourth Sister as an inspector of stores and a cost-saving officer, so she can go around teaching everyone how to save money!"

Cheng Erniang immediately said, "Madam, please be busy. Let me discuss a solution with Si Niang, and then we'll talk!"

Sure enough, the two found a place and had a discussion.

Depositing silver is not something that can be solved with just a few words.

It's easy to save the money, but how to keep track of it and how to reconcile the accounts are problems that need to be solved.

In the afternoon, Cheng Erniang and Zhang Si Niang came to find Song Miao with the prepared documents.

The two men prepared to print something to distribute to customers who had deposited money in Song's account.

"Because the amount of money deposited varies—three hundred, five hundred, one thousand—different types of paper can be printed on it, with the customer's name written on it. Don't we have a shop seal? Let's print one of those seals on every piece of paper to prevent counterfeiters from using it. We can also make a small seal; each time we stamp a small seal, it's equivalent to eating a steamed bun..."

"We also need to set up a personal account. It's a bit of a hassle, but it's my first time doing it. I'm only worried about things getting messy, not about the hassle!"

Cheng Erniang said, "It was all Fourth Sister's idea—she said that's how it was done when you were in Huazhou. We'll check the banknotes we send out with our own accounts every day to make sure there are no mistakes."

"If we issue 100 of the 1,000-coin notes, we can get 150 coins. In my opinion, not counting other places, just the patrol stations in the capital city government and Zhuque Gate alone can issue 100 or 200 notes!"

Zhang Si Niang also said, "The area around the Hanlin Academy, the Directorate of Waterways, and the Imperial Medical Academy, plus the area around the Xu Family Martial Arts School, not counting those academies, can easily buy two or three hundred tickets!"

The two had already planned out a framework for how to distribute the supplies and how to keep accounts afterward. Song Miao reviewed it once and listened to the explanation again. She only did some minor checks and corrections and didn't need to put in much effort, which was extremely convenient.

The two were eager to get started, and without waiting until tomorrow, one went to a printing shop and the other to have seals made. They also took advantage of Wang Sanlang's trip to deliver goods to find a few places to spread the word and test the waters.

In the afternoon, Cheng Erniang returned first, beaming as she told Song Miao, "Madam, I only mentioned it to the officials and constables in the capital's government office and the Zhuque Gate patrol station, and they all said they wanted to buy it. They even asked if this good thing of depositing silver could last a long time!"

Whether it was the Kyoto Prefectural Government Office or the Suzaku Gate Patrol Station, many people used Song Ji's as their breakfast kitchen, ordering from them almost every day.

A large serving of glutinous rice costs eight coins, steamed buns cost five, eight, or ten coins, and there are also steamed snow cakes, etc. Soup and drinks are extra. It's almost autumn now, and I guess we'll be ordering shumai again. If I save three hundred coins, I can eat as much as I want, but it won't last a month. Even if I'm frugal, it will only last a month or two.

The money had to be spent anyway, and Song's restaurant was there, it wouldn't disappear. People had been eating there for a long time and were all regulars. Everyone trusted Song's character, and besides, Xin Feng and Han Li were there to back them up. No one was worried about being cheated—who would dare to cheat the capital's government or the patrol officers? What they were more concerned about was whether this free benefit would be short-lived.

Before long, Zhang Si Niang returned, exclaiming, "Incredible! Madam Xu from the Xu Family Martial Arts School asked if if we deposited more money at once, they could give us new steamed buns per person when they hold banquets later!"

He added, "Others have asked if, besides steamed buns, we could send dried meat, or if they deposited money in so they could use it to pay for meals later, perhaps with a side dish or a drink!" The two then recounted what had happened during the day—

It turns out that everyone had been suffering from Songji's refusal to lower prices for a long time. Now that they saw a bargain, even though it wasn't much and there was a limit on the number of bargains, for some reason, everyone felt that they would be bastards if they didn't take advantage of it. They were in a great hurry.

As Zhang Si Niang spoke, she laboriously took a bag off her back and slammed it onto the table.

As she untied it, she said to Song Miao, "Wife, what should we do? As soon as I mentioned this, I didn't expect that someone in the Hanlin Academy with a big mouth would immediately shout it out. A lot of people gathered here. Because they heard that there weren't many available this time, and we were afraid that we would never have such a good thing again, everyone was shouting that it had to be first come, first served, and they insisted on grabbing a spot first!"

Upon hearing this, Song Miao stepped forward and looked at the open pouch—it was full of strings of coins, roughly counted, at least twenty or thirty strings.

Cheng Erniang swallowed hard and said, "How many copies are there? Our 'Songji Stationery' isn't finished yet—the printing shop said it won't be ready until tomorrow at the earliest..."

Zhang Si Niang said, "Everyone told me to write it down first, to collect the money, and to distribute it later after it's printed. I'm afraid if I'm too late, I won't be able to get it..."

As she spoke, she took out several folded pieces of paper from her bosom and spread them out for the two of them to see.

"I don't even need to write it down. The officials have already had it written down themselves, and they've even settled the accounts. They tell us to follow that."

Several sheets of paper were filled with names and amounts, written neatly. At the very end, there was even a small stack of separate notes.

The paper notes were all only the size of an adult's palm, and their texture, color, and materials varied. Some even had names written on them in the upper right corner, along with their respective departments and official titles.

Song Miao glanced through it and was quite surprised, asking, "Where did this embossed stationery come from?"

The paper used for stationery is already thicker than ordinary paper. The paper used for embossed stationery is even thicker than ordinary paper, and it has patterns printed on it. It is complicated to make, has a higher cost, and is naturally quite valuable.

Back in Pingyang Mountain, Aunt Su loved making paper and ink, and also enjoyed making incense. When Song Miao learned calligraphy and painting from a young age, she used the "Miao Jian" (exquisite paper) that Aunt Su had made herself. She would change the patterns on the paper according to the seasons and weather. In spring, there would be green grass and wildflowers; in summer, lotus flowers and lotus roots; and in autumn, chrysanthemums and crabs—Song Miao loved to eat crabs…

According to Aunt Su, no matter how illegible the handwriting or how well the painting is done, it all depends on the understanding of the person. It is all part of the child's growth process. Therefore, everything such as paper, pen, and ink should be made with care.

Only in this way can children understand that everything is hard-earned, and that there is fun in sitting, lying down, and getting up; there is joy in being perfunctory, and there is interest in being serious.

The various "magical papers" that Song Miao had made were embossed paper. When she saw the paper with various patterns such as gourds, cloud patterns, bat patterns, and dragon scales in her hand, she recognized them at a glance.

Zhang Si Niang asked, "Does this piece of paper have a name?"

He added, "It was those officials in the Hanlin Academy who chose 'Songji Paper' themselves!"

It turned out that when she went to the Hanlin Academy, they happened to be having lunch there. She heard that Songji was making and selling "Songji Paper", and that if she bought it, she could get some freshly made steamed buns as a gift.

Upon hearing this, one of the officials inside suddenly became excited and said that since he was a refined person and the restaurant he went to, Song Ji, was a place of refined cuisine, "Song Ji paper" should naturally be refined paper—how could refined paper be treated carelessly? So he sent someone to fetch the paper he had hidden away.

With this person taking the lead, other officials followed suit—who could accept that their "Songji Paper" was made of inferior paper than their colleagues'?
In the end, when Zhang Si Niang returned, she brought with her this thick stack of paper that everyone had prepared themselves.

As Zhang Si Niang explained, she added, "The officials also asked me to come back and give my wife a suggestion—seals are troublesome, and if they run out of ink, the prints will look bad, which is not good. It would be better to prepare some paper clips with holes, the kind they use to bind books..."

"Draw the places on the paper, dividing them into several sections, such as one for ten coins, one for five coins, one for three coins, and one for one coin. If you buy eighteen coins for breakfast in the morning, punch a hole in each of the ten-coin, five-coin, and three-coin sections..."

— I helped you think about how Songji should keep accounts and make deductions.

The three had agreed in the morning to use a stamp, but upon hearing the suggestion from the Hanlin Academy, they all felt it would be easier to do. After discussing it, they readily agreed and decided to proceed with the change.

With the plan in place, Cheng and Zhang only planned to inform their regular customers after the printed "Songji Stationery" was finished, and then sell several hundred sheets to raise money. If something happened, they could use it; if it was just unfounded worry, the loss would be limited—even according to Zhang Si Niang's suggestion, a small profit would be considered a loss, and at most, a loss of thirty or fifty coins per thousand coins would only amount to a loss of thirty or fifty coins per thousand coins.

After Zhang Si Niang finished speaking, Cheng Er Niang continued, "Madam, I went to Tianyuan Hall today. I wanted to invite Master Lin and Xiao Lian and the other senior brothers and sisters to the restaurant for a meal, but they said it was inconvenient. Later, I mentioned that Madam Shen and said she was a little afraid of doctors. Master Lin said that she is going to Xinmen to see medicine tomorrow afternoon and could come by to take a look at her. He told us not to cook anything because she has urgent business to attend to and has to leave after seeing the patient."

Song Miao was naturally pleased to hear that Doctor Lin had agreed, but she couldn't help but ask, "From Doctor Lin's tone, is it that you really have something urgent, or do you just not want to cause us any trouble, which is why you said you don't want to stay here for dinner?"

He added, "I don't even know if they'll accept a consultation fee if I invite them to come to my door—they're not even eating right now, it's really too much of a neglect!"

Cheng Erniang hurriedly added, "Master Lin said he's just coming to visit, not making house calls. He told us not to prepare any payment or gifts, and not to cook a meal, otherwise he won't bother with us anymore..."

After all, she was her daughter's teacher, and Cheng Erniang was very afraid of doing something wrong that would affect their relationship. After thinking for a long time, she couldn't help but sigh and said, "Madam, why don't we prepare some mung bean cakes or something and take them with us?"

Song Miao sighed, "That's all we can do. I'll order another proper soup."

Nowadays, it is customary to serve tea to guests and soup to guests when they leave. However, the soup is often a tea made by brewing licorice, cardamom, cloves, etc., rather than a regular vegetable or meat soup.

Master Lin refused to stay for dinner and said he didn't want any consultation fee or thank-you gift. Not knowing if she could force him to come tomorrow, Song Miao decided to make a proper soup in addition to the usual farewell soup. She could have a bowl of soup after the consultation, which would not only be convenient but also show that she was serious about the consultation.

At times like these, the soup needs to be both delicious and well-made to be presentable.

We'll definitely have to use the Wuzhou pickled ham that Shen Xingniang sent yesterday. What else should we add to make a good soup?

(End of this chapter)