Miao Chu

Chapter 116 Straw Hat
Although Song Miao had already guessed a lot from the preamble, she was still somewhat surprised to learn that it was this kind of job.

She thought about it carefully for a moment and said, "It's worth a try."

He then asked, "I just don't know where it is, how many people I will be given, what the kitchen utensils and cooking equipment are like, and what the situation is like with the diners?"

Han Li said, “It’s in another state, about three days’ journey from here. I can assign as many people as you need—but they may not be skilled cooks. You may not have any kitchen utensils or cooking equipment, so you’ll have to provide them.”

He added, "Most of the diners should be local farmers, with some also being migrants."

Song Miao then asked, "I wonder if grain, rice, meat, and vegetables are being supplied?"

"We'll have to wait for the allocation, and the allocation might not be timely. I'll have to find another way. Besides, there are always times when I might overlook something. You need to keep this in mind and remember to ask me for it whenever you need it."

At this point, he added, "I know that if you go out, you may not be able to take care of this business in the capital. In addition to the errand fee, I will also provide a sum of money for lost work time. We can discuss the specific amount later, how about that?"

Song Miao naturally had no worries about her treatment.

From Cheng Zijian in the past, to Kong Fuyang later, and then to the inspectors and officials of the capital prefecture, and now, especially today, look at all those patrol soldiers and constables working for Han Li. Have they ever treated him unfairly in the slightest?
She shook her head and said, "The rainfall has been bad this year, and the capital has been flooded recently. I don't know when it will stop. Besides, we will have to clean the streets afterwards. In addition, the prices of grain, meat and vegetables have all gone up. I was planning to close my business for a month. If I take on the job for you, young master, it won't really delay things much. There's no such thing as missing work. On the contrary, I can benefit from it. But I don't know the local situation, so I can't say how confident I am."

"While I'm willing to give it a try, if there's a more suitable candidate, it's best to choose someone else..."

Han Li, who was always soft-spoken, softened even more upon hearing this and said earnestly, “It is better to use people than to exert effort. Food is a very important matter. I am new here and a student, so I dare not easily trust others. If stall owner Song is willing to help, he is the most suitable candidate. There is no one more suitable. If you have any concerns, you can speak up.”

He added, “This trip back and forth has been exhausting. Although it has provided some financial support, it has been a real drain on my mental and physical strength. If Mr. Song stayed at home, he could have done his job comfortably and easily. But once he took on this task, he found himself in a chaotic situation with a lot of people who were unwilling to listen to him, not to mention the extremely heavy workload…”

Han Li persuaded her in this way, listing out many disadvantages and showing weakness, which gradually made Song Miao make up her mind.

Just as she was about to speak, she heard Han Li say from the other side: "If it's not easy to go, just tell me. If it's easy to go, don't rush. Think it over carefully before making a decision. Don't feel any reluctance because of our past friendship—this trip is really going to be very difficult."

Song Miao smiled and said, "Making money is never easy."

He added, "Who would repeatedly try to stop me from making this rare windfall?"

After saying that, she stretched out her hand in front of Han Li, spread her five fingers, palm facing up, making a gesture of asking for money, and said, "I agree, I just need to wait for you to be sure, young master—why not give me three or five coins as a deposit first?"

Her face was bare, without any makeup. When she smiled, her eyes were bright, like the sky after a rain, the clouds clearing and the rain dissipating. The bamboo leaves in the mountains were dewy, clean, natural, and fresh, making one want to take a long breath and let the air, carrying the fragrance of bamboo leaves, slowly fill one's lungs.

Han Li carried a money pouch with him, which was placed on a chair to the side. It contained a full thousand coins, strung together with a rope, which he had just received that afternoon.

He didn't take it, but instead took out a copper coin from his sleeve and solemnly placed it in Song Miao's hand, saying, "In that case, this matter will be completely handed over to stall owner Song."

Song Miao readily agreed.

Han Licai took out the satchel again, opened it, and placed it in front of Song Miao, saying, "Put this money on the tab for now. When I have time another day, I'll ask stall owner Song to help me prepare a feast so that everyone can have another meal today."

The two talked for half a day, and as darkness fell, the rain outside still hadn't stopped.

Since Han Li had already given his rain gear to someone else and didn't have any left, Song Miao lent him a straw hat and raincoat, and also gave him a lantern for light.

After Han Li left, Song Miao returned to the backyard and explained the day's events and subsequent arrangements to Cheng Erniang.

Upon learning that Song Miao was going to another prefecture, though she didn't know the exact location yet, and that she herself was being left in the capital, Cheng Erniang immediately said, "My lady has never traveled far before and doesn't know that it's always better to stay at home than to travel. Why don't you ask that Young Master Han if he can give me a ride with him?"

He added, "I brought Xiaolian with me all the way to the capital. We've been through a lot together, so we can look after each other to some extent!"

Song Miao shook her head and said, "Judging from the weather lately, there might be a major flood in the capital. The outhouse and the main kitchen in the backyard are about to leak. Two bricks have collapsed from the back wall, and the wooden door is not very secure. If the house leaks and floods, someone will have to take care of it."

He added, "Besides, if we both leave, are we going to leave Xiaolian alone at home?"

Cheng Erniang was immediately speechless, her hands twisting like pretzel. After a long while, she could only awkwardly say, "Actually, this child doesn't need to be taken care of. Leaving her to watch the house is enough..."

He sighed again, "How can an employer go out to earn money to support their family while I, the helper, am left at home to sit back and enjoy the fruits of their labor!"

Song Miao knew that Cheng Erniang was always afraid that she, the employer, would suffer losses, so she didn't argue with her and said, "Erniangzi isn't just sitting at home doing nothing. I have something else to tell you."

"As I said before, once we've saved up some money, we'll reopen this restaurant. We'll start by serving regular customers and taking on small banquets to build a good reputation before opening to outside customers."

“Second Madam has been here for a while now. She knows that this house is old and dilapidated, with missing bricks and leaking tiles. In addition, there is no furnishing in the front hall. I will have to trouble you to find a few craftsmen in the capital these days and ask about their prices. If you find someone who is close enough, have them come and repair it first. If you are unsure about anything else, we can discuss it when I get back.”

“Repairing a house is the hardest thing to do. Being able to get this done has solved a major problem for me. There is nothing more important.”

Cheng Erniang was the eldest sister in her family and a widow who ran the household. She had handled all kinds of chores, so she naturally knew that the two houses were in good condition and that the problems were minor. She could fix them in ten days or half a month at most. She also knew that Song Miao was giving her some work to put her mind at ease.

She secretly thought to herself: Let me spend a little money to clean this house for the young lady, so that she can be pleasantly surprised when she comes back and realize that my wages are not for nothing, but worthy of her trust and kindness!
Once she had this idea, she immediately became very motivated and stopped saying she wanted to go with them. If it weren't for the fact that it was too dark and lighting lamps would have been too expensive, she would have thoroughly checked the entire house that very night.

At this moment, Cheng Erniang only wished she was born in the year of the rat. Otherwise, if she could climb onto the roof beam and crawl into the burrow, she would know exactly what was wrong with this house!
***
Meanwhile, Han Li returned to the Imperial Academy, but instead of going to his dormitory, he went straight to the teaching building.

It was already late, but the lamp in Master Chen's room was still lit.

He knocked and entered, and sure enough, he saw that old face sitting behind the table, stroking his beard and frowning, writing something.

Hearing the sound, Master Chen looked up and saw Han Li enter. His brows furrowed even more, and he said, "What are you doing here in such heavy rain?" Han Li replied, "It's so late, why aren't you home, Senior Brother? What are you doing here all alone?"

Master Chen didn't care at all, saying, "There's no one waiting for me at home. It's just a place to sleep. What difference does it make whether I go back early or late?"

As he spoke, he took out another letter and a wooden box, saying, "Now that you're here, take a look first—Old Min arrived at noon today. I heard you went to the yamen last night and wanted to follow you, but I knew you were busy, so I kept him here. He didn't leave until after 3 PM."

Han Li took the items and read the letter first.

The first letter was from Elder Min, who said that he had already raised some of the money needed that day and asked him to start organizing manpower as soon as possible.

The second letter was from Dezhang, which only said that the river embankment was in bad condition, the river was flowing rapidly, and it was feared that it would collapse soon.

He quickly read the letter, put it aside, and then went to look at the wooden box.

Inside was a stack of banknotes.

"Old Min has never been a good person, especially stingy. He's unwilling to suffer any loss. This time, he actually took out all his savings. I'm afraid things aren't that simple. Don't feel sorry for him. If things go wrong, he might make a wasted trip, which is a small matter. He might suffer and damage his reputation."

Han Li said, "I have hired people to help me survey the hydrology every day. I received a letter the day before yesterday. Judging from the current situation, I'm afraid it's not as simple as a dam breach."

Master Chen was taken aback, his face immediately turning extremely ugly. He said, "You mean..."

Han Li said, "I'm afraid the Yellow River will change its course again."

Master Chen's face turned pale. After a long while, he sighed and said, "Forget it, it's not something that can be done by human power. But if we really change the route, I don't know how many families along the way will suffer."

He added, "The weather this year is really terrible. It's been so many years since the capital has seen such a flood..."

He rambled on for a while before tidying up the many things on the table, rolling them up, and handing them to Han Li, saying, "When I was still able to run around a few years ago, I also led my students to sort out the hydrological data of the middle and lower reaches. I've been tidying it up these past few days and finally managed to get some usable stuff. Take it first, whether you can use it or not. Your senior brother's skills are not as good as your master's, so this is all we have!"

Han Li quickly flipped through it. It turned out to be a hydrological survey of several fixed points in the middle and lower reaches over the past ten years, including the main channel, tributaries, and diversions. It was very detailed. What was most valuable was that it was not just a simple compilation, but a careful statistical analysis and comparison, which was exactly what he could use.

He took some paper, carefully wrapped it in one layer, and then wrapped it in oil paper again.

Seeing how much Han Li cherished it, Master Chen's lips curled up again and again, almost unable to suppress it.

After everyone had finished packing their things, he asked, "Are you really going?"

Han Li nodded.

Master Chen's expression was somewhat complicated, as if he had breathed a sigh of relief, but also seemed a little annoyed. After a few moments of silence, he said, "It's good that he's gone. Dezhang is a kind and honest man, but unfortunately his abilities are too ordinary."

He added, "Do you remember Xu Xinlin? He was a student Xiao You used to teach, and he's currently working as a retainer under Dezhang."

“I sent someone to inquire about his situation, and it turns out he was compiling hydrological data from the state and county annals—wouldn’t it be faster to have two clerks do it than to do it himself? When I asked again, he said he had been called for half a month, but no one below paid any attention. A few clerks would say one minute that they were going down to urge the spring planting, the next minute that they were going to urge the corvée labor, and then they would say they were going to inquire about the dikes.”

“Dezhang is a sub-prefect, after all. The confidants that his superior brought couldn’t even get a few clerks to work. Just imagine what the government office is like from top to bottom. I’m afraid you’ll have a lot to deal with when you need people.”

Upon hearing this, Han Li merely sneered and said, "Rectify? I have no time to rectify these things! I've never been as easy to talk to as Cen Dezhang. Normally it's fine, but at times like this, whoever doesn't do the work should never do it—give up that position, and there are plenty of people who are willing to do it."

Master Chen wanted to offer some advice, but then, thinking about his junior brother's past behavior, he obediently shut his mouth. After a moment of silence, he finally reminded him, saying, "You shouldn't be too conspicuous. I heard today that the court intends to have the Water Conservancy Bureau clean up the Wuzhang and Jinshui Rivers. This was not mentioned before, but this time it will most likely be overseen by that Minister Cao."

"There have been rumors outside that he wants to recommend you. If he insists on doing it, it won't be good for you to go—if you produce something, it will only benefit him, and people outside will praise him for being magnanimous. It won't be good if you don't go either—some ignorant people will just say that you are more selfish and afraid of trouble than of public interest..."

Before Master Chen could say anything more, Han Li said helplessly, "It's getting late, Senior Brother, please stop arguing. If he, a mere scholar, were truly so shallow-minded as to come and provoke us, I, a barefoot student, have never been afraid before, so why would I be afraid now?"

He then raised the umbrella, retrieved the lantern he had brought, and urged them to escort Master Chen home.

Left with no other choice, the latter packed his things and left obediently.

Master Chen lived very close by. At that moment, the rain was quite heavy, with the sound of rain pouring down everywhere. Seeing that the house was right in front of him, he said, "Don't bother seeing me off. Give me that straw hat, and you can take the umbrella back."

As he spoke, he reached out to take the straw hat off Han Li's head.

Han Li turned his head away and urged, "It's just a few steps, go ahead."

***
In Suanzao Lane, the two adults and one child went to bed early that night.

The next morning, when Song Miao woke up, she saw that the rain had stopped a little, but the sky was still covered with dark clouds, indicating that the rain had not stopped.

She had just finished washing up when she heard someone knocking on the door. When she answered, she saw it was Madam Zhu.

"Are you free these next few days?" Madam Zhu asked. "The guest I mentioned last time is in a hurry to leave because of the continuous rain in the capital and some news that he has business to attend to. He's leaving at the beginning of the morning tomorrow—will you be able to make time for your breakfast?"

　Many thanks to Fu Ruanruan from the bookstore for gifting me this writing aid, and thank you to reader 20230704107301 for the two small tokens of my appreciation :)

　　Thank you to Muyan-, Muli_dB, Miss Ultraman, Shencaiyiyi_aC, My Cat is Called Egg, and Yiyantang for each of the lovely ladies who sent me a small gift! ^_^
　　Thank you Xiaoxiang Jingzhongren for the three peace charms, and thank you to book friends 997428 and Feifei a for the one peace charm each! =3=
　　(End of this chapter)