Miao Chu

Chapter 108 Letters
Meanwhile, after seeing the father and son off, Cheng Erniang carried the bucket into the backyard. When she came out, she couldn't help but say to Song Miao, "It's not even Dragon Boat Festival yet, and this eel is already this big. It's really rare. The snails are also very clear."

Having received the eels and snails from Han Li, Song Miao naturally wouldn't accept them for nothing. She said, "Snails don't keep well for long. In a couple of days, I'll stew them into a chicken soup and send a portion to Young Master Han as a return gift."

Since she was going to make snail and chicken soup soon, and also stuff snails in a few days, she would have to wash the snail shells. She added, "I don't think we have any extra brushes at home. If I forget when I go out to buy them tomorrow, please remind me to buy a few brushes."

Cheng Erniang readily agreed, saying, "If I had known this would happen, I would have picked up some pig bristles they didn't want when I came back from the slaughterhouse that day, and made a few brushes myself, so I wouldn't have to spend money to buy them."

"You can do this too!" Song Miao was somewhat surprised.

Cheng Erniang had been quite cautious in her words and actions since she arrived, but she has gradually become more relaxed. Hearing Song Miao's admiring tone, she became unusually proud and said with a smile, "When I used to sell vegetables in the market, there was an old woman next to me who sold this. I learned from her for a while. Although my skills are not good enough to show off, I can still make it for myself."

Song Miao said half-jokingly, "If that's really the case, we'll talk to the butcher another day and ask her to help us collect some pig bristles!"

Cheng Erniang took it seriously and began to seriously consider the matter, saying, "We usually buy a lot of meat, and if we ask for more, they will usually agree. Although the brushes outside are not expensive, we use a lot of them. If I make them myself, I can save a lot!"

As she spoke, she started counting on her fingers, saying that in the future, when there are tables and chairs, a brush will be more useful than a rag when cleaning, and a bristle brush will be easier to clean than a bamboo brush when washing steamers, and so on.

Seeing how happy she was, Song Miao didn't want to spoil the mood, so she joined in the discussion, saying, "Having a brush makes sweeping clothes, bedding, and mats much easier!"

He added, "It's a pity that pig bristles are still a bit stiff, not as soft as horsehair."

Just then, Xiao Lian, who was wiping a bench with a rag, interrupted, "Mom, there are horsehair hairs in the yard where they slaughter pigs and sheep!"

Cheng Erniang said, "I sweep and clean all day long, how come I've never seen it?"

"It's a horse's tail! A really long tail, all black, just like the tails of the horses we see on the road!" Xiaolian insisted.

Cheng Erniang didn't take it to heart and casually said, "I've never heard of them killing horses. You must be mistaken."

Xiaolian pouted and stopped talking.

Cheng Erniang naturally noticed that her daughter was unhappy, and said with a smile, "Good, good, our Xiaolian can recognize a horse's tail now."

Xiaolian called out "Mother" in a drawn-out voice, clearly unhappy, and then shuffled off to the backyard.

Cheng Erniang was both annoyed and amused, and said to Song Miao, "This child has become more and more temperamental ever since she moved in with you! I don't know where she learned it."

Song Miao said, "Most likely, he really saw someone bring a horse tail. The child is reasonable and felt wronged, which is why he was uncomfortable."

She knew that the closer the relationship, especially between adults and children, the easier it is to neglect them.

Cheng Erniang had suffered too much on her journey and couldn't even take care of herself properly. When she couldn't even get a full meal, it was difficult for her to take such meticulous care of others. Once it became a habit, it was often hard to break.

It wasn't appropriate for her to interfere in the relationship between her biological mother and daughter, so she remained silent.

But by the afternoon, seeing that Xiaolian was still sullen and spoke less, yet still did her work, I felt sorry for her and couldn't help but go to the backyard to find her, asking softly, "Are you feeling wronged?"

The child's tears flowed easily, and as he wiped his eyes, he said, "Sister, I really saw horse tail hair!"

He added, "I don't want to cry, it's just that my eyes are watering on their own!"

It's pitiful, but also kind of funny.

Song Miao quickly took a handkerchief to wipe her face and then asked her about the horse tail. It turned out that she had found it in the kitchen and left it on the ground in a corner. Xiao Lian was curious when no one was around, so she touched it.

"It's so scratchy!" she gestured earnestly. "On my way here, I saw someone feeding horses and even touched their tails. It feels exactly the same as the one in my hand!"

He added, "But this horse tail is different from the previous one; it smells a bit. After touching it, I washed my hands with soap for a long time, but they still smelled bad—I didn't dare tell my mother, for fear she would scold me!"

Song Miao and she analyzed it together for a long time, first guessing who brought it there, and then guessing that it might have been left after the horse was slaughtered or after eating horse meat, which is why it smelled so bad after being left for a long time.

When Xiaolian saw that she believed her, she was immediately coaxed and a smile returned to her face.

In the afternoon, Song Miao was working in the backyard with Cheng Erniang, and Xiao Lian was also helping to rub mung bean skins, when Zhu Shi, the wife of Sun Lizheng, arrived in front.

As soon as she came in, she said, "I heard that you're in trouble, but the rumors outside are unclear, so I decided to come and ask you myself."

Song Miaotong explained the whole story to her, and Zhu couldn't help but scold, "Where did this idiot come from, ruining people's reputations without even knowing the facts!"

He added, "No wonder Old Sun was summoned early this morning and has been busy all day. I wonder which heartless devil made this kind of food to harm people."

Song Miao then asked her about her family situation and the follow-up of her brother-in-law, Sun Er.

Zhu sighed and said, "I'm not afraid to tell you, he'll most likely be spending a few years in jail."

"But someone like the second brother, once he's addicted to gambling, he'll crawl out to gamble even with his hands and feet tied up. It's a good thing he's locked up; it's better than being uncontrollable outside and having to clean up the mess all the time. As for other things, there's not much else to worry about right now."

The two chatted for a few more minutes, and then Madam Zhu said, "There's something else I wanted to ask you if you have any ideas—my father has a wealthy customer from out of town who has been with us for many years. He's always been very generous and takes good care of our business. Since he's come to the capital in person this time, I'd like to invite him to our home as a guest."

"Because of the tight schedule, he only had time one morning. He originally wanted to book a banquet, but it was so early that it was not appropriate to eat anything, and he didn't know what to do."

“This man has traveled all over the country and has seen a lot. My father went out to find several cooks, but none of them were satisfactory. So I thought of you—do you have anything worthwhile to offer? You don’t seem so careless.”

Song Miao asked about the time, the other person's age, hometown, taste, usual preferences, and how many people were accompanying them.

Zhu recounted everything, and finally added, "I've met him a few times. He's quite a refined person. I've heard he loves associating with scholars. Every time he comes to the capital, he funds literary gatherings and invites talented individuals to attend."

Song Miao thought for a moment, then drafted a menu and handed it to Zhu Shi, saying, "Auntie, take this back and show it to your family. If it's acceptable, I'll come and lend a hand."

Zhu looked down and saw a long list of names, three in a row, for four or five rows in total.

She wasn't very literate, but she recognized words like shrimp, bun, and claw. She couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "Eating so much so early in the morning?"

Song Miao smiled and said, "Choose one from inside. It's a pot of soup with three dishes. There's not much to eat. We can just see if the number of people increases or decreases."

Zhu smiled and said, "Putting everything else aside, I trust your skills the most. I'm waiting for you to make me proud."

After saying that, he asked Song Miao about the price.

Song Miaoshao took on less outside work, thinking that this was the time to establish her brand and reputation, so she estimated the market price and lowered it.

Upon hearing the price, Madam Zhu frowned and said, "Don't be polite to me. With so many styles, this is the price you're paying. You'll be exhausted. It's not a good deal at all!"

With another wave of his hand, he said, "I'm too lazy to ask you. I'll just give you a price when I get back."

Not long after Zhu left, two more people arrived. It turned out to be Sun, the village head, accompanied by a patrolman. Song Miao was somewhat surprised that her husband had arrived so soon after she had just seen her off. When she asked what their purpose was, Sun, the village head, told her about the recent phenomenon of people selling dried meat on the streets and alleys, which had caused many people to get sick from eating it.

He took out a small box from his hand, opened it, and said, "This is it—did Miss Song buy it before?"

Song Miao glanced at it and shook her head.

The patrolman next to him was also an acquaintance, and said, "It's best not to buy it. In the future, it's better to buy and eat less of these kinds of things whose origins are unknown."

He added, "We are searching everywhere for the person who makes this. If you see anyone selling this again in the future, or if you have any clues, please report it to the authorities immediately."

Song Miao then examined the dried meat more closely, picked up two pieces, and smelled them.

The dried meat comes in strips and slices, and looks brownish-black. It smells of fermented black beans and spices, but even with such heavy seasoning, it can't mask the indescribable, stale, and fishy smell underneath. It's almost rotten.

The taste was faint and hard to describe.

Song Miao felt a sense of familiarity, similar to the smell she had smelled on the street that day, yet not quite the same; it was as if she had smelled it somewhere else before.

She pondered for a moment, then suddenly realized something. She turned around and called Cheng Erniang and Xiaolian, handing them the venison cakes and deer jerky, and asked, "Have you ever smelled anything similar before?"

The two watched for a while, then studied it for a moment, and both said, "We often saw people selling this on the road a while ago, but we haven't seen it anywhere else."

Xiao Lian added, "It smells strangely fragrant!"

Song Miao then pulled Cheng Erniang aside and quietly asked, "The other day, there was a stain on Xiaolian's pants that someone had kicked out of. I smelled it, and it smells a bit like this—what do you think, Erniang?"

Cheng Erniang sniffed carefully again, hesitated, and shook her head, saying, "It doesn't seem like it—this one is probably just old and not very fresh anymore, right? But those footprints stink to death, they suffocated me."

He then said shyly, "My nose has never been very sensitive; in fact, there are quite a few smells that I can't really detect."

Helpless, Song Miao thought for a moment and then went up to Sun Lizheng and the patrolman and said, "I went to Caomen Street the other day and passed by a row of slaughterhouses. I think I smelled this smell, but I don't know where it came from or if it was it."

The patrolman said, "Let me report it and see if I can find anything out."

Song Miao reported the clue and considered the matter closed, not taking it to heart.

The next morning, she and Cheng Erniang set up their stall as usual. As soon as they arrived, many students surrounded her and asked her about the previous day's events, chattering away.

"We've already inquired with the patrol officers, and they say it was because he ate that dried meat that he got sick!"

"Not only the Tang family, but many people in the city were also affected, and some even died."

"What an unreasonable family! Luckily, we have good eyesight!"

Song Miao couldn't help but express her gratitude, and then said, "It is naturally bright. If it were not bright, how would you uphold justice for us when you become an official in the future?"

These words made the surrounding students feel very comfortable. One by one, they felt that these words were definitely praising them, not others, and they couldn't help but start boasting as well.

This person claimed to have guessed long ago that it was the old man from the Tang family who was old and confused and had misremembered.

That person said that even though the problem was found to be with the dried meat, the culprit should still be brought to justice as soon as possible. It seems the Kyoto government is incompetent. If only I were the official in charge…

Before he could finish explaining what he was going to do, the streets outside were filled with the sounds of gongs and drums, shouts, and clamor from the crowd.

Before long, a large group of people walked in from the main alley outside. At the head of the group was Tang Huo, followed by his neighbors and clansmen from yesterday, all present and accounted for.

The crowd behind was jostling and pushing. I initially thought it was someone special, but after listening to the conversation, I realized they were all just there to watch the spectacle.

"What are they doing? They're banging gongs and drums. I thought there was a dragon or lion dance."

"What dragon and lion dance? Yesterday, those blind fools wrongly accused a young woman selling glutinous rice..." Those who knew what had happened couldn't help but explain, "Oh dear, I even went to that stall owner's house yesterday. You wouldn't believe how shiny the stove was, it could be used as a bronze mirror!"

“I went there too. They were just making a scene. They didn’t know anything and came to cause trouble. Luckily, the other party handled everything perfectly, otherwise it would have been difficult for them to clear their name.”

"It turned out that I ate the wrong kind of dried meat."

The three of them looked quite embarrassed by being pointed at and talked about like that.

Tang Huo, in particular, blushed and paled in turns. He hurriedly stepped forward, first bowing to the people around him, then bowing to Song Miao, and loudly proclaiming that he had been blinded by greed yesterday and had wrongly accused a good person. He then publicly admitted his mistake, which drew a chorus of cheers from the surrounding crowd.

Seeing this person's actions, Song Miao naturally stopped pursuing the matter and had no choice but to step forward and ask about the boy and Old Man Tang's situation.

Tang Huo sighed and said that he had brought his wife and children back overnight. They had seen a doctor, and the fevers of the old and young had subsided somewhat, but their diarrhea persisted.

“The two little ones can’t take their medicine; they vomit as soon as they drink it. The family is extremely worried. I thought about how big a commotion was yesterday, and I was afraid it would affect the young lady’s business. There would inevitably be rumors. So I’m rushing to do what needs to be done. If there are any rumors in the future, just have someone tell me, and I will defend myself!”

At this point, he started to reason.

After listening, Song Miao said, "I have two folk remedies, but to protect myself, it's best not to say anything, especially if I'm not eating well..."

Tang Huo bowed repeatedly and said, "Please speak, young lady, I will not blame you again!"

Song Miao said, "If you have rice at home, fry it until it's almost golden brown, then boil it in water to make a rice soup. Children and the elderly can both eat it, and it might even stop diarrhea."

He added, "There's another one: go to the pharmacy and get two ounces of dried pomegranate peel. Boil it in water and drink it, or grind it into powder and boil it in water. It's very effective at stopping diarrhea. Just make sure you ask the doctor if it's safe to eat. I won't be responsible if it causes any problems."

Both recipes are extremely simple, and can hardly be called medicine; they are just things we eat every day.

The burly man, Tang Huo, listened with reddened eyes and said, "If it really works, our whole family will remember the young lady's kindness."

Song Miao said, "Go quickly. You don't need to remember anything. Just don't come back to cause trouble."

Tang Huo was so embarrassed that he bowed repeatedly before running away with the gongs and drums.

Such a thing is just like what is written in a storybook or told by a storyteller. It is very rare to see in ordinary times. Those who saw it will surely spread the word when they get back, which will make Song Ji's reputation known to more people than before.

Song Miao set up her stall here, while Cheng Erniang delivered the breakfasts ordered by various families.

Upon arriving at the Kyoto government office, she followed the instructions, went to the gatehouse, gave the gatekeeper her name (Song Miao), and asked the guard to pass on a message to Han Li, the young master inside, saying that the stall owner, Song, planned to deliver a meal to him at noon the next day in return, and asked him to save his appetite and wait for the meal to be served.

Before long, a message came from inside, saying that there was no need to go through the trouble of delivering meals back and forth. The man surnamed Han was taking a day off tomorrow and wanted to come over for a hot meal. He also attached a letter, asking Cheng Erniang to take it back to Song Miao.

　Thank you so much for the unexpected gift of a sachet, and thank you to my friend 20250422004204836 for the two tasseled amulets! :)
　　Thank you to my cats, Egg and Zuo Zuo You You, from the bookstore for each of them sending me a small gift =3=
　　(End of this chapter)