Miao Chu

Chapter 121 Little Fish
Even though Xiang Yuan was determined to discipline his son, with departure imminent and chaos erupting, he ultimately picked it up high and put it down gently.

Once outside the courtyard, a number of people had already gathered to see him off.

Large merchants naturally have many social connections.

He instructed the manager to arrange for the motorcade to leave first, while he went forward to socialize with the others.

Those who knew him asked, "Where has your youngest son gone?"

Xiang Yuan turned around and called Liang Yan and Xiang Lin to get out of the car.

Those who were close to Liang Yan knew his background, while others who weren't so familiar with him couldn't help but ask when he had become an extra person.

Xiang Yuan said, "That year I went to Hejian Prefecture to do business. I encountered highway robbers on the road and was saved by a bodyguard. Later, he passed away, leaving behind only a son. Originally, his mother was there to take care of him, but she passed away last year. I saw that the child couldn't be left alone, so I decided to adopt him as my son."

As merchants themselves, they naturally knew how rare such bodyguards were, and couldn't help but sigh in sympathy while praising Xiang Yuan's kindness.

Xiang Yuan sighed, "He saved my life, and I can't do more for him than I could! But I'm just a roughneck, and I'm afraid there might be things I can't take care of, and in the end, I won't be able to raise him properly."

As they spoke, the two children stepped forward to call for help.

Xiang Lin had just been beaten and didn't dare to throw a tantrum. He pouted so much his lips could hang an oil bottle. When he left, he pretended to slip and grabbed Liang Yan's arm, stomping hard on his foot.

Liang Yan couldn't dodge in time and was pinned down by the chubby boy, his foot in a dull ache. He couldn't cry out and could only endure it.

The people in front were busy talking and naturally didn't notice the two children arguing.

Once the two stepped forward, the crowd praised them again, saying how handsome and good-looking they were, and then gave them a gift.

Some people gave ingots and bracelets, others gave longevity locks, and still others gave small knives, small swords, etc., mostly made of gold and silver, which were very presentable.

In business, relationships are based on give and take. Xiang Yuan declined a few times, but then let the two children accept the money.

Liang Yan had just taken the items when he turned around and saw Xiang Lin staring fiercely at the various things in his hands. He simply handed them all to the servant beside him, emptying his hands and stepping aside.

Seeing that more people were arriving in the courtyard, and fearing they would bring him gifts again, and even more afraid of hearing Xiang Yuan talk about his father's past, he excused himself to go to the outhouse and left.

The nearest outhouse is in the side courtyard.

But Liang Yan naturally had no intention of going to the outhouse.

He entered the courtyard, and for some reason, he unconsciously walked towards the kitchen at the back. As he approached the kitchen door, he heard voices inside, soft and gentle. It was Song Miao asking Xiao Lian to dry her wet clothes before leaving.

Liang Yan stopped abruptly, no longer moving forward. He looked around, found a corner, and, not daring to make a sound, covered his mouth and silently shed tears.

Because Xiang Lin had just stepped on his foot hard, the pain was now even more unbearable. He limped over to find a rock to sit on and took off his shoes and socks to check his injury.

So when Song Miao came out to check the weather, there was a child squatting in a corner of the house, with red eyes and tears streaming down his face. His shoulders were trembling, and he was trying to reach the little feet, but he couldn't reach them.

She walked over quickly, called out softly "Liang Yan," and asked, "What's wrong? Did you hurt your foot? Why didn't you call for help?"

But upon closer inspection, a clear wet footprint was visible on the surface of the cloth shoe next to it, and a large area of ​​the foot, from the middle toe to the little toe, had become red and swollen.

"Who bullied you?" she asked softly.

Liang Yan had been silently weeping, but upon hearing Song Miao's question, he hurriedly wiped away his tears, only to find them flowing more and more, until he began to sob aloud. After a long while, he choked out, "No one... no one bullied me, I... I just miss my mother, I miss my grandmother!"

This didn't sound quite right, but the child was so strong-willed that Song Miao didn't want to ask or force him.

When she went out to work, and the kitchen was full of knives and fire, she naturally carried some medicine with her. She took out some medicated oil and said, "I have some medicine for bruises and swellings. Apply it and it will heal faster. Otherwise, it will be painful, and if it gets too swollen, you might not be able to wear shoes and socks."

He then took a small wad of cotton, soaked it in the medicinal oil, and handed it to Liang Yan.

The latter took it and obediently applied the medicine.

Song Miaona's medicated oil was in a gourd slightly larger than a walnut. There wasn't much to begin with, so she simply resealed it, bent down, and handed it to Liang Yan, saying, "Take this home and use it. It's best to apply it seven or eight times a day. If your feet can't fit into shoes, don't force them..."

She had just heard Liang Yan's sorrowful tone, and thinking about the socks she had seen yesterday and today, she guessed that there must have been some misfortune in his family, and that his mother and grandmother might not even be alive anymore. Her heart softened, and she couldn't help but give him a few more words of advice.

Liang Yan hurriedly agreed to each sentence, and only after hearing the whole story did he thank her and say, "Sister, I came with Uncle, and now I have to leave. If I ever come to the capital again..."

He paused here, thanked him again, and said, "I have to go back now!"

He quickly put the socks on, put on his shoes, and was about to leave.

Song Miao hesitated for a moment, then called the person back, went back to the kitchen, took out a small cloth bag, handed it over, and said, "If you are hungry, you should tell the adults. If there is really no other way, here is some dried meat, you can take it to fill your stomach."

He was also told not to leave it for too long, lest it spoil.

Seeing that the child was embarrassed to accept the gift, Song Miao smiled and said, "Next time you come to the capital, remember to come back and peel garlic and rub beans for me again."

Liang Yan nodded solemnly before leaving with the small cloth bag.

He went ahead and waited for a while before Xiang Yuan finally finished exchanging pleasantries. He then rode his horse and put the two children on the mule cart, and the group headed out of the city.

Inside the mule cart, Liang Yan hid in a corner.

Xiang Lin snorted, stood up, and chased after him, saying, "You eat my food and use my things. When others give you gifts, they're for my father's children. You don't even have the surname Xiang, so how can you accept them!"

Liang Yan said, "I didn't accept it!"

Xiang Lin then said, "You dare say you didn't accept the candy Uncle Zhu gave you that day?!"

Liang Yan had anticipated this, and immediately took off the small cloth bag tied to his waist, saying, "I didn't eat them. There were eighteen in total. That's how many I received, and they're still here."

He then opened the cloth bag to show Xiang Lin.

Xiang Lin pressed on, saying, "How would I know how many there were originally? Maybe there were nineteen, twenty, or even more, and you stole them all!"

Liang Yan swallowed his anger and said, "Look, this bag is only this big, it can't fit in..."

He tried to explain, but Xiang Lin didn't bother to listen. His eyes darted around, and when he saw something hanging from Liang Yan's waist, his eyes lit up. He pointed at it and asked loudly, "What's that?"

Liang Yan looked down and saw that it was the cloth bag that Song Miao had given him. His expression immediately changed, and he turned his body to the side and used his hand to block it.

But it was too late.

"What is this? Let me see it!" Xiang Lin shouted as he lunged forward to snatch the cloth bag.

Liang Yan couldn't protect it in time, and the cloth bag was pulled from the other party's waist. He immediately tried to rush back to grab it.

Xiang Lin turned his back to hide, tugged at the cloth bag a couple of times, and poured out the contents of the oil paper.

Upon seeing so much dried meat, he became smug and demanded, "What is this? Where did it come from? Did you steal it?!"

Liang Yan was so anxious that the veins on his forehead bulged, and he shouted, "Someone gave that to me, give it back to me!"

He then reached out and snatched it.

Xiang Lin grabbed a handful of things, threw them out the car window, made a face, and grinned, saying, "Others? Daddy said we're not allowed to accept things from strangers!"

Thin, sun-dried, fragrant jerky, sprinkled with white sesame seeds, was what Sister Song made for herself to eat.

She also praised herself for peeling the mung beans cleanly and the garlic cloves beautifully, and gave herself a big, sweet, and hot red bean roll to eat. Today she also brought her some medicinal oil...

Liang Yan felt a surge of heat rush to his head, his whole body burning with fire. He couldn't control himself and almost instinctively lunged forward, pinning Xiang Lin to the ground. He started punching Xiang Lin, yelling, "You threw my things! You threw my things! Pick them up! Give them back to me!"

When Xiang Lin saw Liang Yan rushing over, he hadn't even reacted yet. He only had one thought in his mind—Liang Yan used to bully him all the time without any problems, so why is he possessed by a ghost today?

But soon, a fist landed on him, causing him to scream in pain, "Help! Help!! Liang Yan is hitting me! He's going to kill me!"

When the people outside heard the commotion and came in to check, they found the two children inside already rolling around in a fight, both with bruises and swelling on their faces.

***
While the fight raged inside the mule cart, Song Miao and her group had already returned to Suanzao Lane in a horse-drawn carriage.

As soon as I got off the bus, I saw a familiar face standing outside the restaurant, holding a book and looking down as he flipped through it.

She was taken aback for a moment, then quickly stepped forward and called out, "Young Master Han!"

He then asked, "Young master, why have you arrived so early? Have you been waiting long? Is there something urgent?"

As he spoke, he went to open the door and gave Cheng Erniang the money to settle the bill.

Han Li put away the book in his hand and smiled, "I just arrived a while ago, but I didn't expect that stall owner Song wouldn't be home. I was a little anxious because I have other things to do this afternoon. But I heard that the restaurant is going to hold a banquet in a couple of days, and there will probably be about twenty people."

"There are only two tables and chairs at home, how can we host a banquet? It has been raining heavily for days, and I'm afraid it will be difficult to find a carpenter outside. I thought I would take advantage of the free time in the morning to put together two tables and use them."

As he spoke, he picked up a large bag of tools from the ground and then lifted a large wooden bucket with a lid.

“Young Master is really…” Song Miao sighed, “This is not your business, and you are busy. You could have just asked someone to say something. There’s really no need to go to such trouble…”

Han Li laughed and said, "I worked so hard to get this job, how could I give it up halfway through?"

He first took his belongings into the main hall, and then helped unload all sorts of kitchen utensils and other items from the carriage. Without wasting a moment, he immediately went to the backyard.

Perhaps because he was familiar with the situation last time and did it smoothly, Han Li was particularly quick this time. In half a morning, he had gathered a lot of benches and stools and started making the big table.

Song Miao served him tea and water twice. Seeing that it was getting late, she asked him what he wanted to eat for lunch.

Han Li put down the hammer in his hand and said in a serious tone, "Whenever I come here for a treat, I only bring my mouth and not my brain—whatever stall owner Song wants to make, I want to eat."

Song Miao found it hard not to laugh.

She first asked Han Li what time he was leaving that afternoon, then seriously considered the ingredients at home and said, "How about I cook a fish?"

He added, “I noticed that you enjoyed the pickled bamboo shoots the other day, and even said they were appetizing. I just bought some live fish yesterday and have been keeping them at home. Today, I’ll braise the fish with pickled bamboo shoots and pickled radishes, adding a little bit of dogwood flakes for a sour and spicy flavor. What do you think?”

Upon hearing the words "pickled bamboo shoots," and recalling the taste of the pickled bamboo shoots in the snail rice noodles and hot and sour noodles from the other day, Han Li, though not thirsty, already deeply felt how vivid the idiom "quenching thirst by looking at plums" truly is.

He hurriedly agreed, then suddenly seemed to remember something and said, "Stadium Master Song, please wait a moment."

As he spoke, he went to the corner, picked up the wooden bucket, opened the lid, and placed it in front of Song Miao.

Song Miao looked closely and saw that there was another compartment on top of the wooden bucket, filled with water, and about a dozen small fish were swimming around happily, wagging their tails.

Calling them small fish is an understatement; they're more like fry—smaller than a little finger, and ranging in color from grayish-black to black.

She couldn't help but ask in surprise, "What is this?"

Han Li stepped forward and introduced the species of this one to Song Miao, and even gave them temporary names for each one, waiting for her to choose their official names—they were all medaka species commonly found in rivers, ponds, and streams.

He said, “Last time I came, I heard that Mr. Song wanted to raise fish to exchange for his heart and eyes. Because you didn’t have time to look for them, it has been delayed, but he has already prepared even the stones.”

As he spoke, he pointed to a small jar in a corner, filled with many pebbles.

Song Miao immediately realized that this was the stone that Xiao Lian had given her the second time she met her.

She originally placed the moss under the eaves and watered it every now and then when she passed by. However, due to the recent heavy rains, she brought it inside.

It seems that Xiao Lian somehow saw the two of them before, and then she repeated what she had said about raising fish. The young master Han in front of her took it seriously and actually brought over a lot of small fish.

Han Li said, “I’ve looked through books and asked around. These kinds of fish swim fast and are agile. They’re pleasing to the eye. Most importantly, they don’t grow big and they’re hardy. You can just leave them alone and don’t need to worry about them. You don’t even need to feed them much. When I have some free time, I’ll bring back some aquatic plants from somewhere, and they can live on their own.”

When Song Miao was a child, she raised fish. They were all brought back to her by people from the mountains. She heard that they were all rare species, with graceful postures and colorful appearances. However, they would often fall asleep with their bellies up.

She gets heartbroken every time.

To comfort her, the adults brought her a new one.

After this happened several times, she dared not raise them anymore.

Seeing these gray-black and bluish-black fish, which are just ordinary small fish in mountain streams, sometimes they are proud and self-possessed, sometimes they frantically wag their tails in place, sometimes they break free of their reins, and sometimes they stop. They can put on a big show by themselves and they can put on many shows by each other, which is quite a kind of smugness.

Song Miao stared at the bucket for a while, then said, "It's so interesting, but it's a pity they look so alike that it's hard to tell them apart."

Han Li said, "I'm a regular here anyway, so just ask me anything."

　Thank you so much, Miss Ultraman from the bookstore, for the four little tokens you sent me! ^_^
　　Thank you to JINGJING~ from the bookstore, Snowy, my cat named Dandan, and Kyoku Kin for each of the five kind people who sent me a small gift :)

　　Finally, I learned that 3,000 monthly passes are needed to receive operating funds, but that number is too high. With Xiaomiao's current scale, it's almost impossible to reach that amount, so let's not force it, it's not something we can force anyway, hehe~ If any of you have extra passes, just give Xiaomiao one for good luck and to join in the fun, thank you, thank you~
　　(End of this chapter)