Miao Chu

Chapter 144 Conventional
The steward, having only heard one sentence, couldn't immediately guess the master's intention and didn't know how to answer, so he said first, "There has been no reply yet."

Xiang Yuan said unhappily, "It's been more than half a month since I was just asking around for some information, isn't that enough?"

The person in charge then explained, "The roads are flooded and difficult to travel along the way; we're afraid we'll be stuck halfway there."

He had intended to change the subject, but Xiang Yuanfu pressed on, asking, "That Miss Song came today. You met with her twice. What did you think of it?"

“Of course it’s good,” the manager could only say. “He’s skilled, a good person, meticulous, and broad-minded, not petty at all.”

He then asked, "Speaking of which, Master Xiang, you posted a reward notice this time, saying that anyone who could help find the young master would receive three hundred strings of cash. But it was that young lady Song who found him at home. What about the reward..."

Xiang Yuan frowned and remained silent for a long time.

It's easy to discipline a child, but difficult to clean up the mess.

At noon, Xiang Lin was found in the licorice warehouse. It was said that several children from the Xie family had come up with the idea of ​​hiding him there. The head of the Xie family immediately changed his expression and, without waiting a moment, ordered his men to summon all the children.

When everyone confronted each other, both sides had their own version of events.

The children in the Xie family all insisted that it was Xiang Lin who first said he wanted to teach Liang Yan a lesson, and that's why everyone helped to come up with a solution. Xiang Lin also said that as long as they helped, even if something went wrong, he would take full responsibility and not let anyone else be implicated.

If Xiang Lin hadn't made such a promise, saying that he would benefit everyone after inheriting the family business, and that he would open a large shop in Huazhou City, with arrangements made for who would be in charge, who would be the manager, who would be the purchasing agent, and so on, they wouldn't have dared to come up with such an idea.

At the time, the children all said in unison that Xiang Lin was the mastermind, but his own son vehemently denied it, saying that others were framing him.

Thinking about his irresponsible behavior, Xiang Yuan was furious.

A son can be mischievous, but he must never be stupid.

When Xiang Yuan was young, he roamed around outside. At that time, he only felt that he already had offspring and was not worried. Now, as he gets older and his family business grows, his son is becoming more and more useless, and his mindset has long changed.

If such a large fortune were all given to such a child, he would likely ruin the family and squander the wealth within a few years after he passes away.

Given these fundamental circumstances, reversing them may not be easy.

On the one hand, he wanted to teach, and on the other hand, he planned to take advantage of his youth to have many wives and concubines and have several children.

If Xiang Lin can stand on his own two feet by then, the more brothers and sisters the better, so that they can support each other, which would be the best outcome.

If things can't be properly managed, we might as well send a younger brother to take charge of the household and raise him as an idle person.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but curse "wicked child," and then said, "It's not that I'm unwilling to spend the money. If it were a legitimate runaway, I would naturally give it to help find her. But... who would have thought that she would be found at home!"

As he spoke, he began to grit his teeth.

If it's thirty strings of cash, there's no need to hesitate at all.

However, three hundred strings of cash was no small sum, and every single penny was earned through hard work.

He is usually generous and lavish, but he always spends his money wisely and effectively, unlike this situation where he seems to be throwing money away!
But the words have already been spoken, and notices are posted everywhere. If they don't acknowledge this, although their reputation won't be completely ruined, they will still have to do business with the Xie family in the future, and they will lose face.

He thought for a moment and said, "It is certainly necessary to express our gratitude, but simply giving cash would be a bit too conventional."

She then asked, "I've been busy all afternoon paying off favors, and I haven't had a chance to ask in detail yet. Can you tell me properly how that Miss Song found the person today?"

The person in charge explained everything clearly.

Xiang Yuan asked Song Miao about her words and actions in great detail. After he finished asking, he suddenly said, "We are still confused because we care too much. She is an outsider and sees things clearly. She probably noticed something was wrong and deliberately led you to find her."

He cursed again, "A bunch of bastards, causing such a mess, making me run around in circles!"

The fact that Xiang Lin was able to hide for so long this time is less due to careful planning and more due to a series of unforeseen events.

The warehouses where the medicinal herbs were stored were all locked, and the keys were kept by Manager Xiang. After Xiang Lin went missing, everyone searched inside and outside the courtyard but couldn't find him. Finally, they checked the warehouses—but found nothing.

But since everyone was new, they didn't know that the warehouse window was broken.

When everyone moved the things in, they did a check. Following the usual procedure, they saw that it was locked and couldn't be pushed outwards, so they didn't think much of it. Who knew that the window was installed backwards back then? It shouldn't be pushed; it should be pulled inwards. The lock cylinder was broken and was just for show; it opened with a pull.

The group of children, who were used to playing in the yard, naturally knew what was going on and had already sent the person in through the window.

During the search, Xiang Lin hid in a pile of herbs.

He was determined to hide, and he didn't make a sound. As long as he didn't move all the stacks of medicinal herbs, there wouldn't be a trace left.

As for delivering meals to him, it was done by a group of people taking turns.

Children are naturally not very careful in their actions, and they almost gave themselves away several times. For example, stealing food from the kitchen was a major slip-up.

They were just really lucky. There had been a lot of rain lately, and there were a lot of rats. Sometimes they forgot to cover the kitchen with covers or lids, which attracted the rats to have a feast and make a mess of the kitchen. Ironically, this helped to cover up many of the traces.

Upon hearing from the steward that Song Miao had sent shoes and socks to Liang Yan as compensation, Xiang Yuan seemed to have something on his mind. He specially called his adopted son over, not mentioning Song Miao's matter at first, but only comforting him with words.

Xiang Yuan was no ordinary man to have built such a large business. After a heartfelt conversation, Liang Yan's eyes reddened and filled with tears.

Unable to wait even two more days, Liang Yan finally told her about her long-held desire to learn martial arts at a martial arts school.

Xiang Yuan said, "Child, I'm not stopping you, but learning martial arts is hard and tiring. If you want to learn, I'll invite your master to our home. Otherwise, I won't feel at ease sending you outside without anyone to watch over you!"

He added, "I know you're afraid that scoundrel Xiang Lin will cause trouble again. Don't pay any attention to him. When we get back this time, I'll send him to the academy to study. He'll only come back once a month. Let's see what he can do then!"

If word got out that he was keeping an adopted son at home to learn martial arts while sending his own son to study at an academy, how could the Xiang family elders and Xiang Lin's maternal family possibly agree? And how would they view him as someone who was living off others and freeloading?

Liang Yan was terrified and hurriedly pleaded and persuaded him.

Xiang Yuan only said he would consider it further before asking about Song Miao.

He asked Song Miao if she knew that Xiang Lin was hiding in the courtyard, and then asked if the two of them knew each other before.

Liang Yan, unaware of the intentions, thought something was amiss and hurriedly spoke up for him. He recounted in detail how he met Xiao Lian at the Zhu family's house, how he met the main character, how he went out to find Xiang Lin this morning, and how he encountered other people, while omitting details such as his stomach growling with hunger and his shoes and socks being wet and ruined.

He was both close to and grateful to Song Miao, and his words were full of protectiveness. Xiang Yuan sighed and said, "You, she took such good care of you, why didn't you tell your uncle? She looked after my child, I should also repay her kindness and be close to her!"

In front of Liang Yan, he called the steward over and said, "The reward is three hundred strings of cash. Since Miss Song has taken such good care of our Xiao Yan, I can't be stingy. Prepare more, five hundred strings of cash."

He added, "It's too late today. I'll find another time tomorrow to visit and thank you in person."

Liang Yan wanted Song Miao to get more money, but he didn't want to use Xiang Yuan's money to give her. Seeing this situation, he was in a dilemma.

***
Song Miao was unaware that just a few streets away, a child was suffering from a guilty conscience in order to gain more benefits for her.

She went to bed early that night, and when she woke up, she took out the kitchen regulations she had previously drafted, revised them carefully, and handed them over before Han Li went to the yamen.

After finishing her business, she went out again with Dabing and the other two, just like before, asking various shops in the city for quotes and inquiring about the prices of all sorts of things.

Besides asking around herself, she also asked the students who were sent to the lower counties and towns to investigate the hydrology to inquire about the prices of a few items if it was convenient for them.

After a busy day, on the way back to the inn in the afternoon, Song Miao remembered that the students had said they wanted more dishes and rice, so she and Dabing went to the meat and vegetable shop to buy some ingredients.

Since she herself also ate at the official post station, she felt that although the dishes tasted ordinary, they were still edible. What was unpalatable was the rice and steamed buns, and she was thinking of making some staple food.

When she arrived at the post station, the time was neither too early nor too late, and the kitchen was empty. She told the postman that she had replenished the eggs and firewood she had used the night before, and then borrowed the kitchen to use.

I spent the whole afternoon stir-frying and making fillings, kneading and proofing dough. Thanks to the diligent helper, Dabing, the work was very easy, even though it was only enough for about ten people.

Meanwhile, inside the Huazhou government office, a group of students had been busy all day, either buried in old papers or in drafts, working until they were dizzy and exhausted.

But this day was different from before, when everyone was reluctant to leave.

As soon as it was time to leave the office, someone called out, "The office is closed!" and everyone in the room sprang into action. Some packed up their belongings, others packed things up, taking whatever they could with them back to the official post station. The rest were left as they were, to be continued the next day.

"Hurry, hurry! Don't keep Miss Song waiting for us!"

The group hurriedly rushed out and ran into Wu Gongshi, who was frowning and had just come out of the back office, along with two of his men.

The students stood still obediently and bowed.

Wu Gongshi waited and urged Cen Dezhang all day, but seeing that Cen Dezhang was like a donkey with its head covered and ears plugged, neither dangling carrots nor ringing bells worked. He was really slow and dull, and the results were minimal, so Wu Gongshi was in a bad mood.

But he was experienced in getting things done and had seen all kinds of people. He knew that compared to the others who were dragging him down, this prefect was not too bad. He had the will to take responsibility, but lacked the ability to do so, so he swallowed his anger.

Seeing everyone rushing around, he stopped complaining to his men and said, "Off to work? Go back and rest!"

Although he only arrived last night, he is straightforward and unpretentious. When students have questions or don't understand something and can't find Han Li and Kong Fuyang, they come to ask him or the two people on his left and right, and they are all willing to answer.

They were all just laborers, and by the end of the day, they had become familiar with each other and no one treated him like a superior—in fact, he himself didn't consider himself an official.

So the students urged him, "Master Wu, let's go back for dinner!"

Wu Gongshi waved his hand and said, "You can go ahead. I'm not that hungry yet—there's still my allowance of two catties of mutton at the official post station today. You can share it."

He then urged his men and women, “Go back and eat first. I have a small appetite; a bite or two is enough for me, unlike you young men who can eat a lot.”

It turned out that the prefectural government had hosted a welcome banquet at noon today. Although the food was ordinary, it was quite sumptuous, but it was a bit too greasy, which made him choke. He had no appetite at all at the moment.

Seeing this, the students had no choice but to give up, and then asked, "Where is Leader Han?"

Wu Gongshi said, "I just went to find Magistrate Cen with that little Kong. I don't think they'll be out for a while, so let's leave them a way out."

The group then bowed and ran off, each one acting as if they were being chased by dogs.

Wu Gongshi hurriedly called out, "The road is slippery, why are you running so fast? Be careful not to fall!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a head turned around in the crowd and replied, "Tonight we invited Miss Song to cook a special meal—I wonder what kind of food it will be, it won't be fresh if we get back late!"

Wu Gongshi's foot suddenly stopped.

This "Song Xiaoniangzi" looks so familiar.

He immediately thought of the deep-fried eggs and "Sanliu" fried eggs from last night.

His mouth watered involuntarily when he thought of the sweet and sour fried egg with three kinds of willow.

He pondered this matter in secret: That makes sense. For example, yesterday's Sanliu fried eggs are all about the aroma of them fresh out of the fryer. If they are left out for too long, the edges of the eggs will not be crispy or fragrant, and the sweet and sour sauce will be cold. What's the point of eating them then?
So what are we having for dinner tonight?

Is it still an egg?
It shouldn't be, right?

Actually, eggs are fine too. He can eat fried eggs with three kinds of willows every day—to be honest, none of the dishes at lunch can compare to what we had last night.

He had been looking forward to those two kinds of eggs from last night, but when he tasted the real cooking at the post station, it was really not good, and he didn't even want to talk.

It's true that it's hard to go from extravagance to frugality!
He was clearly someone who could eat his fill just by soaking rice in hot water last night!
While Wu Gongshi was thinking, his feet seemed to have a mind of their own, and he walked step by step toward the official post station.

By the time he realized what was happening, he was already halfway out of the office and didn't bother going back—he figured he couldn't get anything done by urging him tonight anyway.

Although Wu Gongshi was no longer young, he walked very fast, after all, he trekked through mountains and rivers every day, and almost arrived at the official post station right after the students.

As soon as he entered, he smelled two very strong fragrances.

I couldn't quite tell what the aroma was, but it smelled spicy and numbing, sweet and fragrant, with a strong wheat aroma mixed together. It was unlike any other aroma I had ever smelled before; it was richer and more mellow.

He sniffed twice, and was about to hurry forward when he heard a man dressed as an official passing by ask the courier at a nearby table, "What kind of steamed buns are they eating over there? They smell so good! Why don't I have any here?"

"It was done by someone else," the courier hurriedly replied.

"How much are they? Are they available? I'm willing to pay more!"

(End of this chapter)