Miao Chu

Chapter 358 Serving Soup
The eldest son mentioned by Bei Zhi is naturally He Ying, He Qi's elder brother.

Song Miao agreed without hesitation.

Meanwhile, He Ying, having spent half a day entertaining several envoys from vassal states, reeking of alcohol, had just emerged from the Sifang Pavilion with a few of his men.

It was getting late; it was well past the hour of Mao (5-7 AM).

According to his usual practice, even after leaving the yamen, he would gather his subordinates and return to the government office to summarize all the matters that had been handled during the day before letting people go.

But for some reason, these envoys had an enormous capacity for alcohol, making everyone quite drunk. One minor official, who was supposed to be drinking on behalf of his superior, even vomited in the snow room halfway through.

He Ying had been away on official business for many days. After finally returning to the capital, he took on the task of welcoming the foreign envoys again, which caused his subordinates to be in a flurry of activity once more.

Although he was strict with his subordinates, he was not entirely devoid of human touch. Moreover, seeing that everyone was walking unsteadily, he knew that even if they went back, they wouldn't be able to do any work or make any progress. So he said, "Go home for today. There's no need to go to the yamen anymore."

Upon hearing this, the group of minor officials and clerks sobered up considerably. They dared not ask any further questions, fearing that if they did, they would lose this rare opportunity. They hurriedly thanked him and ran away in a flash.

He Ying went to the side room by herself.

He changed into the clean clothes his attendant had brought and rinsed his mouth with the strong tea he had brewed.

Among the drinks I had today was a jar brought from afar by a foreign envoy. The taste was quite ordinary and not particularly strong, but after drinking it, it immediately made me feel dizzy, heavy-headed, and nauseous.

Even so, when he saw Beizhi returning from Suanzao Lane, he sat up straight.

Bei Zhi replied respectfully, "Young Master, Miss Song agreed and specifically asked me to come and ask if there's anything the Seventh Young Master needs her to prepare in advance?"

Seeing that He Ying didn't seem to be feeling well, he couldn't help but whisper again, "Miss Song's restaurant closes at 7 PM and opens at 5 AM. Young Master, you don't necessarily have to go today. You can go another day. I'll just go and let you know!"

He Ying shook her head, got up, and put on her shoes.

Today's things are done today.

He is strict with others, but even stricter with himself.

Once a plan is made, it will not be changed unless absolutely necessary.

Besides, the thought of the rambling letter my brother sent made me realize that if I didn't respond to him promptly, that guy would cause me endless trouble.

Because he was too drunk, He Ying dared not ride a horse and instead rode in a carriage.

Whether it was because of the wine or because it was dinnertime, the road was full of pedestrians and carriages hurrying home. The He family's carriage kept stopping and starting, making the people inside even more dizzy.

He Ying lifted the curtain of the carriage window and saw that they had already passed the Vermilion Bird Gate. She then ordered the driver to stop the horse, got out of the carriage, and said, "I'll walk a few steps."

Beizhi, who was in front, quickly dismounted, handed the reins to his attendant, and turned around to lead the way.

After walking for a while, He Ying still felt a bitter taste in her throat, but the stuffiness in her chest had subsided considerably. She finally regained some energy and began to ask Bei Zhi questions.

Beizhi answered them one by one.

"...That young lady is an excellent cook and a very kind person. When the young master has free time, he either visits her himself or sends his servants to bring back food. They also get to know the He family and have frequent interactions with them—Old Madam He often brings her youngest daughter over for meals!"

He was about to talk about the steamed buns from the Imperial Academy and praise that young lady Song even more when he saw He Ying across from him frown.

"This Xiao Qi, because of her stutter, does all sorts of outrageous things every day!"

As they were talking, He Ying looked up and saw a sign in front of her—there was a small alley, and at the entrance of the alley was a small tavern. A banner was hanging from the tavern, with the four characters "Song Ji Restaurant" written on it, and below it were words such as "Eat my steamed buns and you'll pass the imperial examination", "Literary talent will soar", "Steamed buns for passing the imperial examination", and "Steamed buns for the Imperial Academy".

Business people in the capital often use auspicious phrases, and this restaurant, presumably located near the Imperial Academy, has come up with all sorts of gimmicks.

Despite the many decorative elements, the banner was dirty and wrinkled, and the writing on it was crude and illegible, with many misspelled strokes.

He Ying's impression of Song Ji immediately turned sour.

My younger brother likes to travel around and associate with all sorts of shady people. It's not that I look down on ordinary people, but it's just too dirty!
If a restaurant has a sign like that, can the food they make be eaten?
That is, Xiao Qi!
I heard last time he made a friend from Jiaozhi (Vietnam), and he ate ants and spiders with him, which gave him a stomachache. And now, where did he meet this scoundrel? He even came to me for help because of this person!
He pointed with his finger, trying to suppress the displeasure in his tone, and asked, "Is it that Song's restaurant?"

Beizhi quickly swallowed the praise that was already on the tip of her tongue, then looked up and immediately replied, "No! Not that!"

He then stretched out his arm and pointed ahead, saying, "Suanzao Alley is at the back, and Song Xiaoniangzi's Song's Restaurant is at the end of Suanzao Alley. It's still quite a distance away!"

He Ying, with a stern face, didn't need Bei Zhi to lead the way and took the lead in walking forward.

Several attendants followed behind, none of them daring to speak, only exchanging glances with lowered heads and meek expressions.

This time, after walking about half a street, we came across another alley ahead.

The alley wasn't deep; you could easily see to the end. It was obvious that there were a few teahouses and taverns inside. The one at the very back had lanterns hanging out early in the morning. Two lanterns, one on the left and one on the right, swayed back and forth. One lantern had "Song Ji" written on it, and the other had "Eater's Place." There was also a cloth banner that read "Authentic Song Ji Imperial Academy Steamed Buns."

Although they were still a little distance away, He Ying could already see several disheveled men, some bare-chested, some barefoot, and some wearing slippers, walking inside.

This time, however, his tone lacked the certainty of before, but he still couldn't help asking, "Is that Suanzao Lane? Is that Song's?"

Bei Zhi hurriedly said, "No, that's not 'Song Ji,' young master, take another look—it's 'Mian Mu Ji'!"

He Ying choked for a moment, a rare occurrence, and examined the lantern carefully. Sure enough, the character "宋" on it was separated too much, resembling "宀木" rather than "宋". But who would bother to carefully distinguish that?

He stopped in his tracks and looked around.

This time, he discovered another restaurant, "Songji Restaurant," not far away.

Further along the road, the character "Song" in various fonts and shapes appears on many signs, mostly for very small shops, or for people carrying loads on shoulder poles or pushing carts with cloth banners hanging on them—nine times out of ten they sell steamed buns.

If He Ying still hadn't realized something was wrong by this point, she'd be a fool.

"How come there are so many 'Song Ji' brands?"

His eyes were getting tired from looking at it!
Having finally gotten her chance, Beizhi almost immediately blurted out the words she had been thinking about hundreds of times.

“Young Master—these names all come from the restaurant run by Lady Song!” “You’ve been away on official business all this time, so you probably don’t know, but the Emperor recently visited the Imperial Academy and praised the steamed buns there, saying that using them to support scholars is the best way to do so. He even took some steamed buns back to present to the Empress Dowager. Those steamed buns were supplied to the Imperial Academy by Lady Song’s restaurant!”

He recounted many recent events surrounding Song Ji. The story was so long and numerous that, in addition to narrating it, he also had to add his own words to repeatedly praise the company. By the time he finished, his mouth was truly dry.

As He Ying heard this, her displeasure gradually subsided, but her doubts immediately arose, and her face became even more stern.

"Since this restaurant already has a name in front of the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, why did he still call me here!"

Bei Zhi didn't dare to reply, but pointed to an alley ahead and said, "Young Master—that's Suanzao Alley!"

Having arrived at the front, He Ying, though still dissatisfied, didn't utter a word and stepped inside.

Unlike many other alleys outside, this alley doesn't have as many "Song" characters or steamed bun shops. Instead, it's filled with shops selling drinks, groceries, and the like.

There were also several houses that were clearly originally residences. At this time, there were piles of mud, sand, lime, mortar, bricks and tiles outside, as well as signs that had not yet been hung up. It was obvious that they were being repaired hastily in order to start a new business.

Bei Zhi chimed in at the opportune moment, saying, "Recently, many people have been lining up in the alley to buy steamed buns. I suppose the neighbors have seen this crowd and are thinking of borrowing some to do business..."

He Ying remained noncommittal.

As they were talking, they had already reached the end of the alley.

Beizhi hurried a few steps to deliver the message.

So when Song Miao heard the news and came out of the backyard, she happened to meet this eldest son of the He family.

He Ying looked very serious, with a square face, and seemed unapproachable. When she met Song Miao, she didn't waste any words.

He waited for Bei Zhi to introduce himself, then, without approaching, stood seven or eight steps away and said, "I just returned to the capital not long ago. I was asked by Xiao Qi to inquire if there was any help needed at 'Miss Song's' restaurant, but..."

At this point, He Ying paused briefly and looked up at the entrance of Song Ji Restaurant—a brand-new signboard hung there, clearly the work of a master, but it contained no words like "Imperial Academy Steamed Buns" or "Winning the Imperial Examination," only the simple four characters "Song Ji Restaurant."

"I just heard Beizhi talk about the young lady's recent affairs. I suppose she no longer needs anyone else's help. But I'll pass on a message to my brother: if he encounters any troublesome matters, you have my calling card. You can come to me for help."

Song Miao was quite surprised and couldn't help but ask, "Young Master He, did you send your servant here to bring some food?"

He Ying shook her head and said, "No, the other day, a servant sent clothes over and sent him a message—you've been attacked by bad guys in front of this eatery, haven't you?"

After asking a few more questions, Song Miao learned that He Qi had taken on an important task and wouldn't be able to come out for a while.

The day before, when the family sent him clean clothes and bedding, someone told him about the incident where Song Ji was broken into by thieves in the middle of the night, the extortion of Wang Sanlang, and the arrival of wicked people with IOUs to force repayment, etc., which made the person inside very anxious.

Unable to get out immediately, He Qi tried to entrust the matter to his elder brother.

He Ying had no choice but to come to her brother's house to pass on a message.

Song Miao never imagined that He Qi, who couldn't even get a decent meal, would still be concerned about her safety and the safety of everyone at the restaurant.

She was truly moved and thanked him repeatedly, adding, "I have indeed encountered some trouble and am asking for help. If it can't be resolved in the end, or if it becomes too difficult, I will have no choice but to come and ask you for help in person..."

He then said earnestly, "Thank you. Although it was Young Master He who remembered our old acquaintance, if you weren't so kind and didn't mind the trouble, you could have just sent someone to deliver the message. Why would you have come all this way yourself?"

He Ying didn't respond, his expression remaining unchanged. But after a while, he added, "I usually don't return home until after 7 PM. If there's anything extremely urgent, come to the Sifang Pavilion and give me your name..."

He said a few words briefly and then turned to leave.

Song Miao hurriedly asked the man to stay, saying, "I didn't know your purpose in coming, sir. I thought it was because Young Master He wanted to take some food back. I have already prepared some ready-made food for him, and there are two more items that are being wrapped in glutinous rice paper. Since you have come in person, why don't you come in and sit for a while, have some tea, and then help me take those odds and ends back?"

Thinking of her brother's pitiful state in his letter, and knowing that he was not allowed to go in or out on weekdays, and that others could not even send things in, He Ying couldn't help but hesitate a little.

Before he could make a decision, he heard the sound of a carriage behind him, and soon several people called out, "Young Master He!"

He turned his head and saw a familiar carriage and the clothes of the people coming. He hurriedly went forward to greet them. Sure enough, after a short while, he took Old Madam He and Zhu Jie'er, who was still lying in her arms, out of the carriage.

Upon seeing He Ying, Old Madam He was quite surprised and asked, "Why are you here? Where is Xiao Qi?"

Upon learning He Ying's purpose, she chuckled and said, "Since you're here, I've booked a table at Miss Song's place—why don't you eat here before you leave?"

He Ying hurriedly said, "Madam, you're too kind. I just finished a social engagement and I still have some wine on me. I'm afraid the smell might be too strong for you..."

He should have kept quiet, because as soon as he said that, Old Madam He hurriedly said, "Since you've already drunk some wine, you should rest a bit before you go! Luckily, Xiao Song has some excellent plum drink here, it's very good for relieving nausea!"

She then turned to ask Song Miao.

Song Miao agreed and welcomed the person inside. She then instructed Zhang Si Niang to start preparing the chopped vegetables and to have the drinks served.

After the guests were seated, she asked if they wanted two more dishes.

Before Madam He could answer, He Ying shook her head and said, "No need to do much, I don't have much of an appetite. I'll just sit with you for a while, have some drinks, and then leave—I have some things to do at the manor."

Song Miao glanced at Old Madam He, and seeing that she nodded at her, she didn't say anything more. She called someone out to take care of her and went back to the main kitchen in the back.

She had only been gone a short while when the servant poured drinks for everyone on the table, and Zhang Si Niang then took the soup bowl and sat down at the table.

"My lady, this soup was put on the stove at noon and has been simmering until now..."

As she spoke, she served soup to Old Madam He and Zhu Jie, who was drowsy and fishing like a cat. Seeing He Ying sitting at the next table with clean bowls and chopsticks in front of him, she didn't think much of it and served him a bowl as well.

So He Ying really had no appetite. Just as she was about to drink some tea to soothe the wine, a bowl of soup was placed in front of her before she could even wave her hand to refuse.

　I'm not in a good state, and I'm not satisfied with the several versions I've revised. Please bear with it for now.

　　There aren't many chapters left in the main story, but food lovers who enjoy slice-of-life stories and follow-up content don't need to worry. There will be many side stories, and all the content that everyone cares about will be covered. There will also be a separate small map later on, showing Xiao Miao's shop in another city (this isn't a spoiler, is it? After all, this story doesn't really have much of a plot; all the content is written with the plot in mind...).
　　For those of you who are getting tired of following the story, don't worry! The main text will fill in most of the plot holes so you can get off the train safely in advance.

　　(End of this chapter)