Miao Chu

Chapter 104 Problem
The small teacup was almost gone in no time, barely enough to savor the flavor.

It was mealtime, and Madam He's stomach was empty, not even enough to fill her stomach. She handed the bowl to the maid beside her and said, "Give me another bowl—and a piece of bone too... a few pieces, and more dried vegetables, so I can taste the bones and vegetables."

Soon, another full bowl was brought over, but the bowl was too small and contained only a bone.

This piece is a pig's neck bone.

Everyone says that nothing tastes better than meat close to the bone. The meat close to the bone of pork neck bones is especially fresh, tender, and fragrant. It is cured with salt to give it a reddish-brown color and is so soft that it is almost slippery.

Madam He used a pair of chopsticks to tackle a large bone, which still contained marrow—the marrow was rich and flavorful, especially after being cooked in salted porridge, but it was difficult to extract. As she ate, she almost wanted to use her hands, and couldn't help but say, "This bone is delicious, but it's just too awful!"

It seems like a contradictory statement, but it is also He Qi's true feeling.

If it weren't for the presence of so many people, he would have grabbed it with his bare hands!
After finishing the hot, savory porridge, both the old and the young were covered in a thin layer of sweat. After the sweat subsided, their skin and pores felt comfortable and breathable, as if their pores had opened up.

The grandmother, concerned for her granddaughter, didn't wait for He Qi to say anything more, and immediately said, "Take this porridge to Zhu'er! See if she can eat it!"

He Qi said he was going to keep Zhu Jie company and wouldn't be going back to the front for dinner, so I quickly followed him.

Before long, a maidservant came running happily to report.

"...His energy has returned quite a bit. He ate three full bowls and even fought with the Seventh Young Master for bones to gnaw on!"

Hearing this, Madam He was finally relieved and then instructed her servants to call for food.

She had been a widow for a long time, and she never needed her son and daughter-in-law to set rules for her. She also ate alone most of the time.

As people get older, it's inevitable that their teeth will become weak, and they often eat mushy food. Today, the meat dishes prepared in the kitchen are either sweet and mushy or steamed and stewed.

These are dishes I usually enjoy, but for some reason, they just don't taste right now.

There was a pork rib dish in the middle, which actually tasted quite good, but she just found it a bit greasy.

Madam He couldn't help but think: sometimes, meat and bones can taste quite good even without sugar or sauce, just salt.

Once this thought arose, it was like burning wheat stalks in autumn or winter; once the fire was lit, it was uncontrollable and shot straight up.

She ate a little quickly, had the leftovers divided among her, put down her chopsticks, stood up and said, "Let's go see our Pearl!"

He then led his servants to Zhu Jie'er's courtyard.

As soon as they entered the courtyard, they saw He Qi walking out.

Upon seeing Madam He, He Qi quickly bowed and said, "Zhu'er has just finished eating. She was sweating a lot and felt sleepy, so the maidservant helped her to bed first."

The explanation was very detailed.

When you're sick, you need to sleep more to recover faster. Before, Zhu Jie'er had a fever, diarrhea, and vomiting, and couldn't sleep at all. Now that she's finally feeling sleepy, Old Madam He naturally won't be too particular about it.

She nodded, and couldn't help but praise He Qi for being the most considerate, much more so than her own sons and daughters-in-law.

After praising her, she stopped bothering her granddaughter and asked someone to go in and find the maid to come out and ask her questions. Then she said to the old woman next to her, "I saw that the salted bone and dried vegetable porridge was quite a big pot. Zhu Jie'er has a small appetite and can't eat much. It would be a pity to leave it. Send the rest to my room. My stomach is empty after walking these few steps. I'll eat it when I get back."

This makes perfect sense; it's exactly what an elderly person who cherishes food would say.

Upon hearing this, He Qi nearly let out a burp. He quickly made an excuse that he had something to do at home and slipped away in a flash.

When Zhu Jie'er's personal maid came out and reported back, it was confirmed that the child had indeed improved a lot today, and it was estimated that after taking the medicine for a few more days, he would be able to jump and play again.

As soon as Madam He uttered "Amitabha," a smile immediately appeared on her face. She was instructing the maids to serve her well when the old woman who had gone to fetch the porridge came out.

The old woman looked anxious and arrived empty-handed before her master. She quickly lowered her head and said, "So that the old lady may know, the porridge... has already been finished."

"What??"

Madam He could hardly believe it.

"Are you talking about my salted bone and dried vegetable porridge? It was such a big pot, I saw it with my own eyes. Even if Zhu'er, a child, tried her best to eat it, how much could she possibly eat?"

The old woman stood there awkwardly, and could only say, "We really finished eating, and even washed the pot. Young Master Qi had someone take the empty pot away."

The old woman dared not speak, but the maidservant opposite her, fearing that Madam He would think she hadn't done her job well, hurriedly said, "Madam! Let Madam know that the young lady only ate three small bowls, and some bones and meat. The rest was eaten by that Seventh Young Master He!"

She added, "The maids wouldn't dare let the young lady eat too much!"

Upon hearing this, Madam He almost immediately recalled what He Qi had said earlier.

"I'll go see how the girl is doing and have a meal with her, otherwise I'll keep thinking about her."

"I'll come and bother you again another day, Madam!"

She was absolutely stunned!
That He Qi! I knew he was a glutton, but who would have thought he wouldn't even let a sip of porridge go to waste! He'd been eyeing it for ages!
***
Here, Madam He lamented that she hadn't had enough of the salted bone and dried vegetable porridge, while in the Kyoto government office, Han Li lamented that he hadn't left himself an extra bowl of locust flower powder.

He was busy all day, first distributing the information gathered from all sides, then having people organize it according to the maps of various places, and then piecing it back together. Only then did he summon the key officers of the patrol and the Lantern Festival case to gather together to discuss matters.

But once the information compiled by others is pieced together, it naturally needs to be checked, and several possible paths need to be sorted out from the complex information. The conditions along the way also need to be checked in advance.

In the past, he would have entrusted these tasks to Kong Fuyang. This time, however, he had sent Kong Fuyang to write a review. Everyone else was busy with their own things, and even if they were free, they couldn't find a suitable person for the time being. So, Han Li had no choice but to take over after finishing his daily tasks.

The inspectors and constables are mostly experienced in solving cases, but they often rely on their own experience to make inferences. Moreover, most of the cases they handle are in the vicinity of the capital. It is rare to encounter a case like the Lantern Festival case this time, where the victims have all been sold to various places and are difficult to track down. In fact, there are some cases where no clues can be found and no leads can be found.

Most of them were called over this time just to give Han Li face.

But once everyone sat down, they saw Han Li have someone move a wooden screen over. He first introduced the progress and information obtained from various places, and then pointed to the map on the screen to explain the location, origin, and connections of each clue. Everyone was stunned.

Is it even possible to do this?
The names of prefectures and counties on the map were marked with different colors, and possible routes were drawn along them. Names on the same route were the same color. Where several lines intersected, they were circled separately with a red pen, accompanied by verbal explanations. This was far more intuitive than text or simple verbal descriptions.

Everyone's minds naturally began to work.

The inspectors and officials spent the entire afternoon discussing this matter.

Bowls of locust flower powder were served and quickly finished off.

By the time Han Li finally finished the discussion, the full bucket of locust flower powder and the two large buckets of boiled sugar water had long been eaten up.

As the one in charge, he had to preside over the meeting and had very little free time. He only managed to squeeze in a bowl of water when the time was right. By the time everyone had left, he was truly parched. When he saw the servants coming to collect the empty wooden buckets, he felt a slight pang of sadness for a moment.

Before he could even rest, another servant brought out an invitation. Upon opening it, he found that it was from the old Mr. Min, who wanted to invite him to a banquet and was asking for the time.

It's not proper to refuse an invitation from an elder.

Han Li knew the other party's purpose, but he didn't intend to waste time on any social niceties.

He wrote a reply, first explaining that he was temporarily transferred to the government office and was handling a case, so he couldn't hold a banquet. If there was anything urgent, he could wait if he could, but if he couldn't, he could find a teahouse to sit for a while.

Not long after the reply was sent out, another servant came and went.

"Prefect Zheng requests that you visit him when you have time, as he says that two guests have arrived."

Han Li put down his work and went to the embassy. Sure enough, the two old gentlemen, Mr. Min and Mr. Deng, were sitting opposite Prefect Zheng Boqian, drinking tea.

Upon seeing Han Li approach, Old Man Min actually stood up, took two steps forward to greet him, and said with a smile to Prefect Zheng, "I have some matters I wish to discuss with Zheng Yan in private—Bo Qian, could you do me a favor?"

Prefect Zheng quickly stood up and replied, "Sir, you are too kind."

As he spoke, Prefect Zheng nodded to Han Li, and taking advantage of Old Man Min's inattention, he gave him a strong wink. Fearing that Han Li might not have seen it, he made sure to wink twice as he walked up to him before retreating.

As soon as Zheng Boqian left, the smile on Old Man Min's face disappeared. He sighed and said, "Zhengyan, you were right last time. I received a letter from Dezhang this afternoon. There have been torrential rains upstream for days, and the dikes are unstable. It is likely that the dikes will break in the next few days. The relevant reports may already be on their way to the capital."

"When thirsty, dig a well, but it's too late. If the water overflows upstream, he can only suffer the consequences, and he'll always have to clean up the mess afterwards."

“Zhengyan, no one can compare to Master Fu when it comes to matters of hydrology and other important matters along this river. You have inherited his mantle, so you must have your own ideas. If we could get your help, we would surely have a much better chance of success. What do you think of my suggestion last time?”

"If you're willing to lend a hand, the more you prepare in advance, the less flustered you'll be when you're doing things. I hope you'll put in a lot of effort to help."

No sooner had Old Man Min finished speaking than Old Man Deng interrupted, saying, "Old Man Min, it's really unreasonable for you to say such things based on your status. Zheng Yan is still on secondment in the government office. Do you think anyone else will agree to ask him for help?"

"Whether he agrees or not, I will have to put aside my pride and go to Boqian—I will never put Zhengyan in a difficult position."

Upon hearing of the flooding upstream, it was actually expected. Han Li had previously promised, and had also received instructions from his teacher before his death, that no matter how strong or weak he was, or whether he could make a difference, he had long planned to help.

However, seeing Old Master Min's behavior, he was not displeased, but he did not want to let it go unchecked.

“I have already agreed. If Mr. Min comes to ask about the preliminary preparations, I also have a question.” “There is an old saying that even a clever housewife cannot cook without rice. I am neither a clever housewife nor can I do this alone, nor can I be of any help.”

Before Elder Min could retort, Han Li continued, “Brother Dezhang has been in office for several months, and he is still not able to use the local officials and clerks as well as he could. When I first arrived, I naturally had no one to use. Elder Min has been an official for many years and has many students at Lushan Academy. It should not be difficult for you to gather a dozen or twenty experienced old friends to help you.”

Old Master Min immediately fell silent, calculating in his mind, and said awkwardly, "It's really difficult to manage a dozen or twenty people in such a short time, especially since they might not all be in the capital..."

"If it's hard to find old friends, acquaintances, retainers, or disciples—anyone skilled enough to do the work before can be used—it's better than having no one to work with and no rice to cook, right?"

Han Li's words made Old Man Min blush, and he said, "That's right. Actually, I already have several of my usual advisors at Dezhang's place. I'll go with them then..."

"It would be better if Elder Min stayed in the capital. If anything happens, he can still help mediate," Han Li said.

Old Feng, who was standing to the side, also hurriedly echoed his sentiments.

Once this matter was settled, all that was left was for Mr. Min to gather the manpower and send over the list. Han Li then said, "Besides the people that you have gathered, I would also like to borrow a few capable assistants. As a junior disciple, I will do my best, but they have no qualms. I can't just leave this hard-earned money behind, can I?"

The implication is that I don't care about the people you bring, but I will pay for the people I bring myself.

"Furthermore, when we arrive at the local area, the imperial court is unable to allocate funds immediately, and the clerks are unwilling to help. I cannot wait, so I will have to recruit local people to work first—where will the funds come from then?"

"Sir, you may wish to make some plans and then write back—I await your reply."

So when Mr. Min left the Kyoto government office, he could only offer a forced, bitter smile in return to the polite farewell from Prefect Zheng.

He thought that as long as he got close to Han Li and obtained his agreement, things would be a little easier. But after coming here, the other party threw back a lot of questions, and now all of them have been thrown back at him.

But it is only natural for those who want to get things done to ask for money and manpower.

Not only could Master Min find no fault with it, but he also had to thank him—if Han Zhengyan hadn't really wanted to do his best, why would he have brought these things up? He could have just gone off alone and made a trip, and he would have had to accept the favor.

But in such a rush, where can one find people and raise money?

The person is one thing, but the money... if something goes wrong, it could be gone forever.

***
Mr. Min had his own dilemma. At the end of Suanzao Alley, Song Miao tasted the "Fu" cake that she had specially saved that morning, and quickly made a decision.

She said to Cheng Erniang beside her, "Erniang, starting tomorrow, we will temporarily stop accepting orders for the 'Fu' character cakes. We'll wait until autumn and the weather gets cooler."

Cheng Erniang agreed first, then asked, "Why did you suddenly stop making it? I've seen people coming to order it every day these past few days. I can also help with the red bean paste and pressing of the rice cake strips. You only need to roll and assemble it, which is much easier than the others, and the price is good too. It would be a real pity if you stopped making it."

Song Miao said, "The weather has been getting hotter and hotter lately, and mung beans and red beans don't keep very long. If they were made in the morning before, they could be eaten the next day as long as they were stored properly. But if they are made in the morning now, they won't taste very fresh by evening, and it would be bad for people to get sick from eating them."

Cheng Erniang nodded hurriedly and said, "I tried it just now, but I couldn't taste that it wasn't fresh—oh, my tongue!"

She said regretfully, "I just stopped making tangerine peel and mung bean paste a couple of days ago, and now I can't make the 'Fu' character cake either. Luckily, the glutinous rice isn't a problem..."

Song Miao smiled and said, "It's alright since glutinous rice is eaten quickly, but you're right. Tomorrow I'll also write a separate sign explaining that the weather is getting warmer and food doesn't keep well, so that people won't hoard it as they used to."

Cheng Erniang sighed, "That's right, it's so stuffy and rainy these days, it's not as good to run a stall as it is on a sunny day."

He added, “When I was at Guangji Temple, I heard people who had lived there for many years say that the capital city floods almost every year, and when it does, the roads are impassable for months on end—will our alley be flooded?”

Song Miao couldn't help but laugh upon hearing this, and said, "The Bian River is right here on our side, and further south there's a tributary of the Cai River. If this alley isn't flooded, where will it be flooded?"

"Wouldn't it be troublesome to set up a stall then?"

"Even if it doesn't flood, once the water rises, the price of all kinds of ingredients will go up, and it will be difficult for us students to set up our stalls anymore."

With food prices rising, are you raising the prices of the food you sell?

If prices don't rise, we'll lose money; if they do rise, students won't be able to afford them, so they might as well stay home and rest.

Seeing that Cheng Erniang looked very nervous, Song Miao couldn't help but comfort her, saying, "It's alright. Summer is coming soon, and fresh fruits and vegetables will be available later at cheaper prices. Let me think of a few new dishes, and then we can set up a stall for a while to save some money. We can also take advantage of the rising water to think about how to buy some tables, chairs, plates, and utensils."

"Just pushing a cart and setting up a stall is not a long-term solution. We need to accumulate some customers first, and then we can slowly build up our food stall. We can cook for as many tables as we can, and as we keep doing it, word of mouth will spread. Even though the location is a bit remote, we won't have to worry about customers. If all else fails, we can continue to serve student meals as well."

These words made Cheng Erniang quite excited—after being here for some time, she naturally had full confidence in Song Miao's skills and had already started to calculate how many tables could be set up in the front hall, eager to expand the business immediately.

The two talked as they worked, and when they finished everything, they went to sleep without saying a word all night.

The next day, after getting ready, it was time to set up the stall early again.

I was caught in a downpour when I went out this morning. By the time I got to the food alley and bought half a basket of glutinous rice and a basket of shumai, the rain had gradually subsided and more students started lining up.

While Song Miao was wrapping sticky rice for someone, she suddenly heard someone behind her shout, "Which stall sells sticky rice here, the one surnamed Song?"

The voice was fierce and full of hostility.

Song Miao frowned, looked up, and saw a group of three people parting the crowd and walking aggressively toward her.

"You're the stall owner who sells mung bean and glutinous rice, right? Your surname is Song, isn't it?"

Song Miao handed the sticky rice to the students opposite her, and then said, "That's me. May I ask what brings you here?"

The leader was a man in his forties. He had initially looked at Cheng Erniang, but upon hearing Song Miao's reply, he turned around and saw her. He was taken aback at first, but his tone became even more vicious. He said, "What kind of girl did you raise! The food you make is unclean. I don't know what's wrong with it. It made my father vomit and have diarrhea. He had a high fever all night last night—if anything happens to the old man, you'd better be prepared to pay with your life!"

Song Miao was not in a hurry to refute, but said, "Please wait a moment, sir. May I ask what food you bought from my house, when you ate it, and how your condition is now?"

The man snorted and said, "He came to line up early this morning to buy your pork rib soup, glutinous rice, and shumai. He ate two shumai in the morning, and then around noon, he ate the glutinous rice. After taking a nap, he couldn't take it anymore and vomited all over the ground. Apart from your food, he didn't eat anything else all day. Do you still dare to deny it?!"

"I called a doctor last night, and I saw another doctor this morning. Both doctors said it was because I ate something unclean that I look like this—what else do you have to say?"

After saying that, he turned to the other students in line behind him and shouted, "What are you all still queuing for? The food this place makes is enough to kill you, and you're still rushing to buy it? Don't you want to die?!"

The students behind looked at each other in bewilderment. None of them left, but many peeked out to watch the commotion, as if waiting for an explanation.

Song Miao always kept a little food for comparison each day. Now that she heard that she had eaten shumai in the morning and glutinous rice at noon, she was quite certain that the food would not spoil in such a short time.

She said, "Let me let you know, sir. I've been running this food stall in this alley for months, and I've never had anyone get sick from eating it. If you say that the old man ate too much cold glutinous rice and got bloated, that's possible. But if you say that my family's food is unclean and caused people to have diarrhea, vomiting, and even high fever, then I absolutely cannot accept that!"

She pointed to the words "Please do not overeat glutinous rice" on the sign in front of her and said, "Since the Qingming Festival, we have been buying meat and vegetables from the market early in the morning. When we cook, we wrap our heads and wash our hands. We are very careful. After we finish cooking, my second wife and I eat them ourselves first. We sold hundreds of servings yesterday and there were no problems."

Cheng Erniang, who was already extremely anxious, stepped forward and pulled Song Miao behind her to shield her, interjecting, "Don't talk about me and Song Xiaoniangzi. My daughter is only five or six years old. The doctor said she has a weak spleen and stomach. She eats home-cooked meals every day and has never been sick. Don't slander us like this!"

Seeing that she was anxious, Song Miao quickly stepped forward from the side and said, "Sir, you said that the old man got sick from eating our food. It is pitiful for the old man to suffer like this, but I can never take the blame for this 'unclean' thing without any evidence—report it to the authorities!"

As soon as he said that, many of the students who were originally in line behind him chimed in.

"I bought some yesterday too, and I enjoyed it very much!"

"Our whole dorm ate it, and not one of us got diarrhea!"

“I’ve been eating it for half a month now, and there’s always a portion that I can’t get, but there’s never any left over – I haven’t heard of anyone getting sick from it.”

"It's not right to falsely accuse someone of this, is it?"

"Could it be that they're trying to extort money from Miss Song because her business is doing well?"

"Could it be that person who had their eye on the Song family mansion before has come again?"

Song Miao has built a following in the food alley with her sticky rice, shumai, and other dishes.

She first defended herself, speaking clearly and logically, and then offered to report the matter to the authorities, appearing very confident.

Furthermore, Wang Chang and his companions had previously visited the restaurant and had already spread the word about how simple yet clean the Song family's residence was, and how capable Song Xiaoniangzi was, through Wang Chang's storytelling-like words. Now, seeing that the newcomers all looked fierce and spoke unreasonably, they couldn't help but chime in to support them.

The process of making it is invisible to others, but the way it is displayed is visible to everyone.

Songji's cart, signboard, steamer, and even the lotus leaves and bamboo tubes used to wrap the food all look cleaner and tidier than other places. Thousands of students from two schools have been eating there for so long, and I've never heard anyone say they got sick from the food—they just got stuffed.

Since trust has already been established, and there is currently no evidence, relying solely on hearsay, it is natural that they would not believe it.

Hearing the students' conversation, the leader became both anxious and angry, shouting, "Let's go see the officials! Come on! You're coming with me to see the officials!"

　This is the third update; I wrote an extra five or six hundred words, and this part shouldn't be charged.

　　Today's third update, combined with the extra words from the previous three or four days, makes up for the shortfall I took at the beginning of the month.

　　Thank you everyone for your votes, subscriptions, donations, and comments!
　　(End of this chapter)