Miao Chu

Chapter 130 Arrangement
As soon as Song Miao sat down, she saw a huge bundle in front of her, taking up almost half the table. She couldn't help but smile and say, "Young master, you are too kind!"

He added, “We run a business and wish we could have customers all the time. Not to mention that you have a lot of money deposited with me, even putting aside the gold and silver, just considering our friendship—you have taken such good care of me in the past, don’t you deserve a steamed bun?”

As she spoke, she took the bundle right in front of Han Li and laughed, "If you dare to give it to me, I dare to open it."

Upon opening it, one finds many other items wrapped separately in thick oil paper.

She took the first one, which was wrapped into a thick, round shape.

As soon as I opened it, I smelled a distinct seafood aroma, but it wasn't fishy. Looking down, I saw many oil paper packages, one after another, with seaweed packed tightly together in large slabs.

The seaweed was a very true purple, with clusters of small, wavy leaves gathered together.

Song Miao couldn't help but exclaim, "It's so expensive!"

It was hard for Han Li not to smile.

He said, "Actually, I have a selfish motive, but I'm shameless, so I dare to say it's an apology here. I bought some ingredients that can be stored for a long time and they're not heavy. I'm planning to leave in a couple of days, and besides leaving some at home, I can take the rest with me."

He added, “I’ve ordered a carriage and horses, so I’ll leave them with me when we get there. Life will be tough where we go, and there might not be much to eat. These things can be taken and left, so when Mr. Song has some free time, he can treat himself to something nice. If I’m nearby at the time, it would be even better if I could sneak a bite.”

It turns out he was plotting his own scheme.

Song Miao couldn't help but chuckle. When she looked at the beautiful clusters of seaweed leaves again, she wasn't so embarrassed anymore. She had even mentally drawn lines to divide each seaweed cake into three portions: one for Song, one for Han, and the last one to be divided as needed.

Seaweed is very fresh and tastes good no matter how it's cooked, but it's not easy to harvest and transport, so it's really expensive.

Since arriving here, Song Miao has been extremely short of money and hasn't eaten for some time. Now, she's making a plan that seems fair on the surface, but in reality, she's planning to secretly taste more of the food while it's being cooked.

Even before she tasted it, just imagining its flavor, her voice rose at the end of her agreement.

After counting the seaweed, they unpacked other items, mostly dried goods such as dried kelp, dried scallops, dried mushrooms, abalone, dried oysters, lotus seeds, fox nuts, etc., as well as several pieces of yellow and brown sugar and a packet of rock sugar.

Song Miao ordered slowly, discussing with Han Li how to eat it as she did so.

"Seaweed soup is the most flavorful! If we can get fresh pork bones, I'll stew them with pork ribs, and then I'll knock out the marrow from the bones to eat. It's so tender and the seafood adds a sweet touch, making it especially fragrant. As for the pork ribs, we'll eat the meat and then dip them in the broth with seaweed..."

He added, "If it's hot and you get tired of this soup, you can mix it with aged vinegar, soy sauce, dogwood, and minced garlic, and then sprinkle some roasted dried fruit and white sesame seeds on top. It tastes sour and spicy, and it's good with porridge or rice, or with steamed buns."

"The kelp is already very fresh. After soaking it, I'll chop it finely—you haven't seen my knife skills before, have you? I'll chop it so that it marinates thoroughly, has flavor, and still has a crunchy texture. What do you think?"

Song Miao would say one thing and Han Li would nod the same way, occasionally interjecting with a few serious questions, asking her why she cut it that way, why she stewed it that way, and why she added that particular seasoning.

Seeing her beaming with joy and laughter, clearly very satisfied with the ingredients, Han Li's mood fluctuated with happiness. He wished that there would never be a full table of food, so he could listen to her talk and talk.

He sat in the main hall of the Song Family Restaurant, leaning back in his chair. In front of him were tables and chairs he had made himself, which were spotless. Opposite him was a man who was counting out the apologies he had given.

The disturbances and worries seemed to be driven away by this soft, gentle sound.

It's like finding a small, pleasant, comfortable, and relaxing corner in the bustling world.

This place doesn't help much with the matter itself, but it's like when someone is most irritable in the sweltering heat, they open the window and a cool breeze blows in, all the chirping of insects and the clamor of birds outside fall silent, leaving only the sound of the wind and the rustling of leaves, instantly calming them down.

After catching my breath, I felt refreshed and had the energy to continue downhill.

Sometimes time feels very long, and sometimes it flies by.

In Han Li's view, it seemed as if in the blink of an eye, the stall owner Song had already finished ordering the items in the bundle.

Song Miao carefully put away the ingredients one by one, thanked her with a smile, and then said, "Young Master, you seemed a little restless when you first arrived. Are you too tired today? Why don't you go back and rest early?"

Han Li said, "I encountered a little trouble today, but after coming home, having dinner, and sitting together for a while, I'm all better now."

He also told her that he might be leaving in a couple of days and asked her if she would encounter any difficulties.

Song Miao then said, “There is indeed one thing—Young Master mentioned earlier that the most important thing is food and drink, and that we need to find someone trustworthy. I am new to this place and also want someone to help me look after things and run errands. They don’t need to be very capable, regardless of age, as long as they are trustworthy.”

"It's just a matter of time, and I don't know where to look for it."

Han Li thought for a moment and said, "I'll arrange it for you."

Song Miao then asked, "Young Master said earlier that he would give me a group of people, but I don't know if the rewards and punishments for those people are all assigned by me?"

Han Li nodded in agreement.

Song Miao then said, "There are many people and many things to do, so we can't just use words to restrain them. I have some ideas on how to manage them, how to reward and punish them, and what rules to follow. I have already come up with a general framework. When we get to the place, I will make some minor modifications and put out a simple set of regulations. When you have time, young master, you can review it and then implement it accordingly. If there are any problems, we can make adjustments. I don't know if this is appropriate or not?"

She then gave a brief introduction.

When Song Miao spoke, she had an excellent framework, analyzing things step by step and explaining how to manage things, how to manage people, how to manage things, and why to manage them in this way.

Han Li was speechless.

Although it is only a few words, one can already hear that it has a lot of elaborate design, is quite feasible, and is not just wishful thinking.

Many officials, upon assuming office, need a period of rest and familiarization before they can actually get to work.

It's not that you can't do that.

But if given a choice, who wouldn't want to work with someone like Song Miao instead of someone like her?
He knew that this stall owner, Song, was always confident and prepared, but he didn't expect him to be so thorough and clear. He paused for a moment before saying, "It's all up to you."

The two talked for a while longer, and seeing that it was getting late, Han Li had no choice but to take his leave.

After eating oatmeal and drinking plenty of water in the backyard, the horse rested for half a day and had even more energy to wag its tail.

Han Li rode back to the Imperial Academy. Halfway there, seeing his destination not far away, he had a sudden thought. He looked up and, sure enough, a crescent moon hung high in the sky, and the rain had stopped.

He loosened the reins, slowed down, and let the horse trot slowly. As he looked at the moonlight, his mind unconsciously drifted back to the people he had seen and the words he had heard in the restaurant.

With Han Li's excellent memory, he would not make any mistakes.

As he pondered this, he looked at the spring moon again, which seemed even brighter and clearer than before.

Back at the stable, he returned the horse, bought half a ream of paper from a nearby bookstore, borrowed pen and ink, wrote a letter, and went out to find a courier to deliver it to Old Man Min at the official post station.

Having finished this matter, and seeing that it was getting late, he didn't go looking for Master Chen anymore, but went straight back to his dormitory.

Having been away for many days, upon entering the house, I found it dark and eerily quiet.

Han Li lit a lamp, covered the light with his sleeve, and tiptoed to his roommate's bed. He found that the bedding was gone. He then went back to the table in the room and found a letter on it. He opened it and found that it was left by his roommate.

The letter stated that he had been chosen by the Master to travel and study, and his return date was uncertain. He asked Han Li to help look after the beds in the dormitory, so that people could stay temporarily but not for a long time. He said that only he was a "proper and upright roommate" and "would never give up his place."

These words came out of nowhere, leaving Han Li somewhat puzzled. When he looked for the date of the signature, it turned out to be a coincidence that the person had left that day, and they had just passed each other by.

After he finished reading the letter, he was about to put it away when he suddenly heard the sound of running footsteps approaching from afar.

A moment later, in the dim light, a person leaned against the door frame, knocked on the open door, and said in a low voice, "They say that the righteous are often butchers, and the ungrateful are often scholars—Han Zhengyan, you really are well-educated—what a cruel heart you have!"

Han Li was taken aback. He had actually recognized the other person's voice, but he was a little surprised. He raised the oil lamp in his hand and walked closer to take a look.

Seeing his behavior, the visitor's resentment deepened, and he angrily said, "You've only been gone a few days, and you can't even recognize my voice?! If I hadn't heard people in the yamen gossiping that you were going to be transferred to the Water Conservancy Bureau, and that Judge Qin had come looking for you, I'm afraid I would have been the last to know about this after you'd already cleaned up your mess!"

"You invited me to help, and I've been quite diligent and hardworking, haven't I? I admit I made some mistakes at the beginning, and there were always some problems that needed your help to clean up. If you weren't satisfied, you should have told me earlier so I could have made changes! Now you're just leaving like this, leaving me all alone. What do you mean by that? You don't think much of me anymore, and you've found someone more suitable, right?"

Seeing this person talking non-stop, like firecrackers, Han Li was helpless.

He said, "I was just about to ask you something, but I was delayed by something and it's too late now—the Huazhou dike has collapsed. I was preparing to take up the post of Director of Water Conservancy and go to help Cen Dezhang, the Prefect, to divert water and repair the dike. Are you going to stay in the capital prefectural office, come back to study, or come with me?"

He added, "Qin Jie is very satisfied with you. If you are willing to stay, he..."

Upon hearing this, the person opposite Han Li flew into a rage before Han Li could finish speaking, interrupting him, "You still want me to choose??? You dare to ask me to choose??? What am I doing here if you're not here???"

This person was none other than Kong Fuyang, one of the Four Scholars of the Imperial Academy.

Han Li was on leave, but he stayed at the Kyoto government office. He somehow got wind of the situation and came to intercept him.

"The conditions in Huazhou are extremely harsh..." Han Li briefly explained the situation.

Kong Fuyang frowned and said, "Are you the only one in the world who is willing to do things for the people and the court? Are you the only one who can endure hardship, but I can't? Is my blood cold?"

She snorted again and said, "You invited me to leave in the middle of the night that day, and now you want to get rid of me again? There's no such easy thing as getting away with it so easily!"

"I only ask you this: when doing anything, you always need to employ people, right? If you need to employ people, who do you intend to use?"

Han Li said, "I have already sent someone to transfer you from the Water Conservancy Bureau. I will have news tomorrow. I was planning to come back and ask you. If you are willing to go and accept this transfer order, it will save me a lot of effort. I can leave all the matters to you to handle."

"Kong Fuyang," he called out, paused for a moment, and then said earnestly, "Thanks!"

Kong Fuyang, who had been cursing and swearing, suddenly became inexplicably shy after being thanked and given such an explanation. He snorted, "You should have said so earlier! I don't need your thanks, but the fact that you're thanking me means I did a good job!"

He added, "It's getting late, I'll be going now—my luggage is already packed, I can leave as soon as I call."

He left without hesitation, but after only a few steps, he suddenly turned back and asked from afar through the open door, "Zhengyan—besides me, who else from the academy did you transfer to Huazhou with you?"

Han Li raised an eyebrow and said, "Water matters are different from other matters; there are no other people involved."

Kong Fuyang gave a dry "Oh," then turned back and walked faster and faster. As he walked, he started walking with his hands and feet moving in unison. Finally, when he saw that he was far away, he dared to make a sound, "Hehe" "Hehe" incessantly.

***
In Suanzao Alley, Song Miao locked the door and counted the money she had saved up recently.

Although she hadn't set up her stall for several days, she had accepted several banquets, and the money Han Li had been hanging around here was increasing day by day. She had also taken care of the meals for the teachers of the Imperial Academy for several days, especially since Teacher Chen was very generous, which benefited her greatly.

She asked Han Li today, and he told her to just accept it and not to worry about it, so Song Miao accepted it.

The profits from this business, plus the advance payment from Han Li for his business trip—which was a substantial sum—were enough to cover two months' debts with some left over.

She counted the money bags carefully, packed them into separate bags, and then called Cheng Erniang over. Pointing to the money bags on the table, she explained the purpose of each one.

"I don't know how long I'll be away this time. I'll settle two months' wages for Second Sister first. If there are any miscellaneous matters at home, here's some spare money, which I'll entrust to you. I've already asked quite a few people to help keep an eye on things. If there's any trouble, Second Sister and Xiao Lian's safety is the most important thing. Everything else is secondary. If you really can't solve it, just ask Sun the village head or the nearby patrol officers."

"There are still some days until the agreed-upon monthly settlement date. The money is here, so I'll trouble you, Second Sister, to help me pay it back on the appointed day. In the future, it's best not to pay it back early—otherwise, it will become a habit, and you'll only pay it back earlier each month. If you don't save enough on the last day, it will cause trouble and lead to complaints..."

After settling things at home, she went to bed early and went shopping the next day.

Judging from the fact that she'll be leaving in the next couple of days, Song Miao doesn't plan to take any more food orders tomorrow. She's afraid that if she leaves suddenly, she'll make sure everyone misses their meal.

Since several teachers had mentioned wanting to eat fatty meat, she decided to grant their wishes for this last meal before their departure—she bought a lot of pig's trotters and a bag of white kidney beans.

　I was about to give up, but looking at the current vote count, it feels like the 3,000 monthly votes I need are just a breath away from reaching.

　　I really wanted to secure some operating funds for her, so I struggled to get up and beg for votes again.

　　If you've already voted for your favorite book and have any extra monthly tickets, could you please share one with our Xiao Miao? I'll shamelessly ask again at the end of the month.

　　Thank you everyone, thank you so much!
　　(End of this chapter)