Miao Chu

Chapter 1 Demanding Debt

Spring is cold.

Just past Chen Shi (7-9 AM), the sun was completely obscured by thick clouds, not revealing even a sliver of it, and the sky was terribly gloomy.

In February, the snow in Beijing had just melted when spring snow began to fall again, making even the barking of cats and dogs on the roadside listless.

Song Miao bent over and drew half a bucket of water from the well in the snow.

Snowflakes drifted into her clothes, making her shiver.

As she looked down to wash up, she saw the face floating on the surface of the half-full wooden tub of water.

She was a young girl in her early teens, her nose was red from the cold, her face was haggard, and her eyes were red and swollen.

Even so, her face was only the size of a palm, with delicate features and undeniable beauty.

So familiar.

Familiar and unfamiliar.

It was clearly her face, yet it shouldn't have been her face.

This body is also called Song Miao. Her mother died in childbirth a few years ago. She had an elder brother who went north to study with his teacher last year. The group of more than ten people encountered bandits in Hejian, and only two of his page boys escaped back to report the death.

Her biological father was originally a son-in-law who married into the family. He changed his surname to Song upon entering the household and was known as Song Dalang.

The Song family had a courtyard house for generations. The front was used as a restaurant, and the back was used as a residence. It had two courtyards and four rooms. It wasn't very big, and the location was just outside the Zhuque Gate, at the end of Suanzao Lane. But in the capital city where land was extremely valuable, it was considered quite well-off.

With his wife and son dead, Song Dalang, the father, was like a caged bird released into the forest. He neglected the restaurant and squandered his family fortune. At first, he just ate, drank, and had fun outside, but later he became addicted to gambling. In just a year or two, he pawned and sold everything in the house, and his business plummeted.

In the middle of the night during the first month of the lunar calendar, he fell into the Bian River. By the time the river sweepers broke the ice to pull him out, he was frozen solid.

The coroner examined the body and concluded that the cause of death was accidental drowning.

While Song Dalang's coffin was still lying in state, some local thugs blocked the mourning hall with a house sale document—it turned out that he had gambled everything and sold off the Song family's ancestral property at a low price, and the buyer took the opportunity to hire people to come and take back the house.

The thugs caused a ruckus at the funeral hall, and it was only through the mediation of the village head that the original owner was able to barely get a one-month extension on the deadline for taking possession of the house.

But as soon as the thugs left, the other creditors received the news and came to collect their debts one by one.

In addition, some of the shop's employees and staff, unable to get their wages, took advantage of their proximity to the shop and smuggled away any usable furniture, dried goods, and other valuables to make up the difference.

The original owner of this body had just turned fourteen years ago and had been raised as the apple of her eye since childhood. Because she already had an older brother, she didn't need to support the family. She was also betrothed at a young age. Although her fiancé's family was somewhat impoverished, her father-in-law was a private school teacher.

At that time, scholars were ranked first among farmers, artisans, and merchants. The Song family also felt that all other professions were inferior, and only studying was noble. They not only sent their sons to school, but also taught their daughters poetry, literature, and needlework, in preparation for them to be looked up to by their future husbands' families.

But after Song's mother passed away, her fiancé's family became somewhat hostile. When news of her brother's death reached them, they stopped even coming to visit. When they learned that Song Dalang had fallen into the water and that their property had been mortgaged and sold, they immediately came to break off the engagement.

The original owner of this body hadn't experienced much hardship. In just two or three years, her mother, brother, and father passed away one after another. Before she could even catch her breath, her fiancé broke off the engagement. It was as if the sky had fallen. How could she bear it? That very night, she took her own life.

When she opened her eyes again, this "Song Miao" had become the "Song Miao" from Pingyang Mountain decades ago.

Same name, same surname, same face.

Now that the memories and emotions of the two people in her mind are intertwined, Song Miao can't tell who she really is for a moment.

But for anyone, surviving a near-death experience is an extremely lucky thing.

It's so good to be alive.

The well water, still warm from the ground, was just beginning to flow when she finished washing up. Before she could even dry her face, she heard a loud, urgent banging on the door, followed by someone calling urgently through the door, "Young Lady Song!"

After hastily tying her hair into a bun with a wooden hairpin, Song Miao walked through the backyard to the front hall and opened the door. Standing outside the door were a man and a woman. The man looked quite old, with gray hair and beard, and a slightly hunched back. The woman was in her thirties or forties, with broad shoulders and a thick waist, and her brows were tightly furrowed.

Upon entering, the two of them simultaneously looked around.

Song Miao followed their gazes and looked around.

The front was originally a restaurant, but now it was empty. Most of the things had been moved away, leaving only dust marks from items left on the ground, a few broken tables and chairs, and some scattered garbage and debris.

There was a stove at the entrance, with some broken pots and pans on it, and even the bowls were chipped and cracked.

The two men's faces fell almost instantly.

The old man turned around and stared at Song Miao, saying, "Young lady Song, you don't recognize me? I'm from Cai Family Fish Shop. Your father's bill from last year should be settled, right? It's thirty-six strings and fifty-nine coins in total. I don't want the change, just give me thirty-six strings."

“Miss Song, your family hasn’t paid for the meat for a whole season. It’s ninety-seven strings of cash. My family’s small business can’t afford to delay.” The woman continued, taking out an account book from her bosom.

The old man quickly pulled out a bill of lading from his sleeve and said urgently, "Pay for mine first! Mine is here!"

Song Miao took the accounts from the two of them and flipped through a few pages.

The account is genuine; I didn't try to extort her.

It was just a bit too rushed.

Nowadays, most restaurants have vegetable and meat vendors who deliver to their premises. They sign contracts and settle accounts on time.

The Song family had agreed with these two families to settle accounts every six months, but judging by the time, there were still at least two more months until the payment was due.

But with such a big thing happening now, who can sit still?

In fact, the people who came to collect debts have been coming in droves these past few days, so these two sums of money are nothing compared to what's to come.

Song Miao closed the account book in her hand, looked up and said, "I am really sorry for the long delay. I will settle your accounts as soon as possible. But as you can see, the house is in such a state now... Could you please do me a favor and give me a few more days?"

The old man immediately glared at him: "We small business owners barely earn a meager living all year round. My family is almost starving, how can I give you an extension? Miss Song, I won't make things difficult for you, and you shouldn't make things difficult for me! This debt is settled today, whether you live or die!"

The woman also raised her voice, "We've already had several months of grace, how much more grace do you want?"

As she spoke, she made a move to pull at Song Miao's clothes, saying, "If we can't pay the bill, we'll go to the yamen to see the official. Paying back debts is a matter of course. Let's see how the official judges my case!"

Instead of retreating, Song Miao stepped forward and extended her hand.

The woman was taken aback by her reaction.

“Even if we go to the authorities, my family won’t have any money.” Song Miao sighed, holding the woman’s hand. “Besides, even if you sold me, how much money would you get?”

The other person was speechless for a moment.

Last year, due to the floods in the south, hundreds of thousands of people fled north. In order to have food, there were many people selling their children, and some even asked for nothing in return, just to give their children a meal.

The old man hesitated for a moment, stared at Song Miao's face for a long time, and said, "Didn't you say... that Master Wu from the east of the city promised to pay off your debt? Even if he doesn't, with your looks, there must be a brothel in Little Sweetwater Alley willing to open a high-priced brothel for you."

It should be a short story, a lighthearted farming story, to lighten the mood. If all goes well, it will be finished in 300,000 to 400,000 words (I'm sure I can control myself from adding any new storylines this time).

It's still the same old clichés that have been overused, gathering all the classic, melodramatic, and clichéd elements, telling just a few short stories, so you can read it and then drop it without feeling any regret, and once it's finished, that's it.

Hope you enjoy watching!
Finally, a friendly reminder: This is a completely fictional story, so don't try to think too much while reading it.

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(End of this chapter)