Miao Chu

Chapter 296 Poor

On one side is his wife, whom he considers family and who lent a helping hand in times of crisis; on the other side is a benefactor who has helped his younger brother a great deal and is also well-known.

Once she realized something was wrong, even though she couldn't be sure or know the details, Cheng Erniang refused to say anything more, fearing it would damage their reputations and cause trouble, which would embarrass them.

She smiled and brushed it off with a few superficial compliments that were irrelevant to the matter.

However, even with the praise, just learning about Han Li's identity and background was enough to make Xu Erlang feel uneasy.

It was already too late, so he didn't go back to the martial arts school but went straight home.

He had barely sat down when Madam Xu arrived, laughing, and asked, "Young Master! Why are you sitting here like that—where's my dried meat?"

Xu Erlang said "Oh," and then said, "There's too much dried meat, enough for two full baskets. I rode there on horseback, and I couldn't carry it all at once. Shopkeeper Song said he'd have someone deliver it to the martial arts school by noon tomorrow, and told me not to bother..."

His voice was weak and listless, his shoulders were slumped, and he looked disheveled.

"What's wrong now?" Madam Xu asked curiously. "The other day you asked me what a typical young lady likes, and today you even insisted on going to Song's shop to deliver goods tomorrow, even though I told you someone was delivering them. And this is how you are after you got there? Who gave you a hard time?"

"No way!" Xu Erlang was practically jumping up and down as if his tail had been stepped on. "Miss Song has a very good temperament and treats me very well!"

"Then why are you so listless?"

Xu Erlang sighed and recounted how he had offered flowers today, only to be politely declined, as well as Song Miao's words and Cheng Erniang's account of Han Li's affairs. Then he asked, "Aunt, do you think I can compare to him, since he's a skilled writer?"

As he spoke, he looked up and gazed longingly at his aunt.

Looking at her nephew with such expectant eyes, Madam Xu was speechless for a moment.

If it were an ordinary student, she could have made up a few excuses, but now it was someone whose name even she, a complete stranger, had heard of. No matter what, Madam Xu couldn't say a word against her conscience.

She had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, "What's the point of comparing? What are you thinking? What are they thinking? Even Madam Cheng said that Young Master Han likes Madam Song's cooking, which is why he comes to eat here every day. Do you just like the cooking?"

Xu Erlang blushed for a moment and said in a low voice, "That's not just because... she's so kind-hearted and beautiful... her skills are secondary..."

Madam Xu immediately felt a pang of sympathy and sighed, "She's really born so beautiful. How come her face is so naturally beautiful? She looks good whether she's smiling or not."

As she spoke, she couldn't help but glance at her nephew, but ultimately held back from saying anything.

Even just sitting there, they're a pleasant sight to behold. Unlike this kid, who looks completely foolish sitting here!

Upon hearing this, Xu Erlang chuckled. But as he chuckled, his expression suddenly hardened, and he said, "But to me, that Han Li, the scholar, doesn't seem like someone who just likes crafts..."

"The person hasn't even said anything yet, and you're already taking their side?"

Xu Erlang had no choice but to describe the scene of his encounter with Han Li that day again.

"They just glance at you, nod, or say hello, and you panic like that? Aren't you ashamed?"

"Aunt! You don't understand! He can tell just by looking at me!" This time, Xu Erlang was too lazy to explain further. "Sigh, you have to tell your brother-in-law to understand!"

But at this point, he immediately became alert and said, "Aunt, you mustn't tell my brother-in-law or anyone else in the family!"

Xu Erlang's attitude and reaction made Xu Niangzi understand something.

She racked her brains and said, "Hey! Scholars have their advantages, and we warriors have ours too! What are you going to do with all that strength of yours?"

"Since Miss Song runs a restaurant and has said that she can only focus on business on weekdays, you should come and help out more often—carry the loads if you need to, and move things if you need to!"

He added, "Back then, your brother-in-law was always eager to help our family with many escort missions! And you only sent a few lotus flowers? What are people going to say about that?"

"I understand, I understand! I know what to do even without Auntie's instructions!" Xu Erlang sighed. "But Miss Song doesn't want to accept the flowers, and she doesn't want to bring back the gifts from Luoyang. If that Young Master Han really has designs on me, he's at the Imperial Academy, which is close by, while I'm at the martial arts school, which is far away. How can we fight him?"

"If you ask me, it's precisely because he's such a formidable scholar that you have a chance of winning!"

Madam Xu counted them one by one.

“He’s such a good writer and capable, he must be very busy. We recently hired some refugees who came back from Chanzhou to help us move goods. We heard from them that this guy surnamed Han stayed in Huazhou for several months and did a lot of things. Now, many people in Chanzhou are clamoring for him to take charge as well. How could someone like him spend his days tending a small eatery?”

"Besides, eight out of ten scholars like that are aloof and definitely won't flatter people—you'd better learn to speak properly, learn to be shameless, and be quick about it. Do what you should do, bend over when you should, and if you want to win a young lady's favor, the most important thing is to be shameless! He's a talented man, he'll definitely have some pride, can he compare to you?"

"Another argument goes that people like us are just trying to make a living. Everyone in our family is easy to talk to and doesn't nitpick. This kind of scholar, who may come from a high-ranking family, is looking down on people. How can he compare to us?"

"What does it matter if it's near or far! You'd better go and get to know her every few days, so that Miss Song gets used to your face. Once she's familiar with you, she might naturally develop a liking for you! She won't refuse any flowers you send her in the future!"

At this point, Madam Xu couldn't help but praise, "It's true that everyone in our family has good judgment—it's precisely because Madam Song is of impeccable character that she made it clear to you not to send anything, right?"

This analysis made Xu Erlang straighten his back, raise his head, and puff out his chest.

Yes!

Marriage is a union of two families. Although Miss Song is such a good person, those powerful clans may not understand this and will definitely insist on matching social status. If they are of equal social status, their family can run a security escort agency or a martial arts school while Miss Song runs a restaurant!

Oh my, what a match made in heaven!
***
That night, as Xu Erlang tossed and turned in bed, imagining how he would fawn over Song's family in the future, Song and Cheng had already gotten up early at the Song Family Restaurant in Suanzao Lane.

After washing up, Song Miao took the lamp and went out. As expected, she saw a leather box in the corner of the wall on the left.

I picked it up and weighed it; it was quite heavy.

She carried the box inside, placed it on the table, and took the key to open it.

The box was padded with ice, so it must have been there not long ago, as it hadn't melted at all. Among the large chunks of ice was a large bamboo tube of sheep's milk, an old acquaintance, and a bundle of unknown things wrapped in oil paper.

At this moment, Cheng Erniang was rolling up her sleeves and came out of the front hall. She was about to check the stove when she saw the familiar leather box on the table. She stopped in her tracks and after a few moments, she came forward and asked with a smile, "Madam, is this still the goat milk that Young Master Han sent?"

Song Miao responded and handed over the goat milk as usual, saying, "Boil it up, let's drink it before we get back to work—remember to save a bowl for Xiaolian."

Cheng Erniang agreed verbally, quickly reached out and took the bamboo tube, secretly glancing over again and again.

Song Miao was unaware that Cheng Erniang was observing her reaction and expression.

She unwrapped the oiled paper and found another layer inside, then a small leather bag, and inside that, another layer of oiled paper—four or five layers in total, tightly wrapped so that not a drop of moisture could get in. Unfolding the very center, she found a letter written by Han Li.

The letter was a thick stack of paper, all written in vernacular Chinese, with many characters, and very neatly written.

The content is written in great detail.

First of all, the water levels of the Bian River and the Yellow River have risen sharply recently. The imperial court is planning to open the floodgates to slow down the river and divert water. Everyone in the Water Conservancy Bureau is busy, and he can't leave his post. He can only stay and help out for the time being, which is why he always comes back late.

He also said that at the current pace, the situation should ease slightly in two or three days at most. If he doesn't have time to come back in person on that day, he should write a letter and put it in this box, asking "Shopkeeper Song" to see it and ask if it's convenient for him to have a meal.

If it's inconvenient, just pretend it never happened. If it's convenient, put a pebble in this box for him, and you'll know tomorrow.

Furthermore, news arrived in the afternoon that the oven frame was almost finished. In about four or five days, the craftsmen from the blacksmith shop would come to the restaurant to inform everyone and ask them to keep an eye out.

After finishing this rambling conversation, he asked Song Miao if her stomach was used to the goat milk she had been drinking for the past few days, and if she had any discomfort.

He also said that he had recently been inspecting the banks of the Huanhe River and happened to enter a village where two families were very skilled at charcoal making.

He tried it several times. The charcoal burned very thoroughly, was very dry, durable, had a stable fire, and produced no smoke. Most importantly, it was not expensive; it was half a cent cheaper per load than in the city.

Knowing that Song Miao's two stoves, one large and one small, sometimes needed firewood and sometimes charcoal to bake things, and having overheard her talking to someone asking where to find good charcoal, only to say that the ones she was currently using were constantly running out of charcoal scraps, making the stoves so smoky and unusable, I decided to order a cartload from those two households.

He gave her the address of Suanzao Lane and asked the two households to deliver the goods. He had already paid for them and told her not to pay twice—they would settle the accounts privately when he returned.

Try it first. If it works well, then discuss with these two companies about having them deliver charcoal regularly.

After saying all that, he asked Song Miao if anything new had happened these past few days, how business was going, and how the carpenter was making the tables and chairs they had mentioned before.

He said that when he went home, he picked up a few old tortoise shells that his senior brother had collected and burned patterns on them. He studied the divination book and the divination result said that he could choose one of three days, namely, a certain day, a certain day, and a certain day, each with its own advantages.

Then they asked which ones were good.

Furthermore, he had already consulted with several senior officials of the Imperial Observatory and asked an old man how best to conduct himself when opening a restaurant. He had made a list, and only then did he realize that there were so many rules and practices involved.

The opening of a restaurant is a big event. I'll tell her about all the intricacies when we get back. If we can make time, it would be best if he came over on the opening day to help oversee things. We don't need to worry about whether it will be useful or not, as long as things are done correctly, so that others won't laugh at us for not knowing how to run a restaurant.

Song Miaoxian was still watching carefully, but when he saw things like tortoise shell divination and all sorts of intricacies, and the rituals he was preparing to oversee, he couldn't help but laugh.

As Cheng Erniang simmered the goat milk over a low flame, she turned to look at Song Miao. Knowing who had written the letter, she saw Song Miao's reaction to reading it. Although she didn't know the contents of the letter, she had many questions she wanted to ask, but she held them back.

She was feeling restless and anxious when she heard Song Miao call her name.

Cheng Erniang readily agreed.

Song Miao then told Han Li about his letter, in which he said the racks for the two ovens were almost finished, and that he had bought charcoal from a certain place on his way, which would most likely be delivered soon.

She said, "Second Madam, please also tell everyone that if anyone comes to the door, please help to receive them—the money has already been paid."

Cheng Erniang suddenly lost all interest in thinking about anything else.

She said, "A cartload of charcoal, that must be at least forty or fifty baskets! I need to get everyone to take stock of it and make some room so that we don't end up with a messy pile of charcoal in the rush!"

He then asked, "Could we talk to the blacksmith and ask them to come back this afternoon? Otherwise, since it was used in the morning and noon, the furnace will be too hot to clean, and the frame might be difficult to assemble!"

Song Miao said, "I was just thinking about this too—but Young Master Han is busy and may not be able to return early these next few days. I'll leave a letter for him and ask him about it."

He then described in detail how many baskets were in a cart of charcoal, the size of each basket, and its approximate weight, all of which had already been clearly explained in Han Lixin's letter.

"We should be able to put them in the southwest corner," Song Miao thought to herself. "But it would be best to build a shed for them."

Cheng Erniang said, "I'll set it up this afternoon—but, madam, I didn't feel it much before, but nowadays, I feel more and more that this house is not big enough!"

"Please be patient for now, I'm already looking at something new."

As Song Miao spoke, she put the letter away and returned it to her room.

As Cheng Erniang watched her return to the backyard, her gaze involuntarily fell on the bamboo tube on the table.

Inside the bamboo tube, several lotus flowers drooped their heads.

She glanced at the box that was also on the table, then looked back at the goat's milk boiling on the stove, thinking about the letter, the shelf that was to be delivered soon, and the cart of charcoal.

As she looked at the lotus flowers, Cheng Erniang couldn't help but sigh inwardly and glance at them again.

It's so pitiful.

By this time, Song Miao had already put her things away and was carrying a basket of clean linen out of the front hall, ready to have a drink and then get to work.

Looking up, she saw Cheng Erniang looking at the lotus flowers, so she naturally followed her gaze. Upon seeing the appearance of the lotus flowers, she was startled and regretted, saying, "Last night was too hectic, and I completely forgot to wake the lotus flowers!"

Cheng Erniang then said, "Tell me, madam, and I'll come and get it when I have some free time—how do you wake her up?"

“It needs to be in deep water…” Song Miao thought for a moment, “Never mind, I’ll take it to the fish tank to wake up first. You go about your business, this thing takes too much time!”

She took the flowers to the backyard, turned the lotus flowers upside down, poured water into each stem one by one, plugged the holes at the bottom of the stems with her fingers, put the flowers back upright, and quickly inserted them into the fish tank. She then took scissors and cut off about an inch of the lotus stems underwater, and used something else to support them to prevent the buds from falling into the water.

A group of fish were sleeping soundly, but before dawn, they were startled by the sudden appearance of so many lotus flowers and started jumping and darting around in the tank.

Flowers are beautiful, but in the past, she would have woken them up, cut them, and arranged them slowly and leisurely, without finding it troublesome at all.

But at this moment, there was simply no free time.

Song Miao quickly tidied up, not having time to worry about much else. She washed her hands, went to the front to drink a couple of sips of goat milk, and started working with Cheng Erniang.

Before long, Wang Sanlang drove his cart, carrying a group of people, to the door.

Everyone greeted each other warmly upon entering, then went back to their posts and got to work.

　Oh dear, I was too tired yesterday and forgot something very important: everyone, please save your monthly votes! Our operations manager, Little Rabbit, has applied for a monthly vote event for us, and this time there are a lot of slots available. It will run until the 7th of next month, so please make sure to wait until the post is published and then reply before voting. Keep an eye on the comments section and try to grab as many votes as possible!
　　(End of this chapter)