Miao Chu

Chapter 146 Taking over
Before Song Miao could reply after Xiang Yuan finished speaking, Da Bing, who was behind him, couldn't help but speak up: "Our young lady has to run the business and demonstrate her skills, and she can only get 30% of the profits? Isn't that a bit too little?"

Seeing that it was a child, Xiang Yuan turned to Song Miao and asked, "Does the young lady think 30% is too little or too little?"

Upon hearing this, Song Miao found it amusing and, too lazy to argue with him, said, "Master Xiang flatters me, but my family has its own businesses and I have my own skills. I have no plans to open a restaurant outside for the time being."

Xiang Yuan said, "I know your family owns property, but isn't that location at the end of the alley? How can you do business there?"

He added, "You've run a stall before, don't you know what 'even good wine needs a good location' means?"

He spoke with an air of sincerity, saying, "I also started from small businesses and know that running an early morning stall is the hardest. You have to get up before dawn and work day and night. Although you can earn some money, you are still a young woman. Do you really want to ruin your health and then think about other things?"

He added, “Once my restaurant opens, you won’t have to worry about anything else. You just need to use your skills. I’ll take care of everything from purchasing the restaurant’s assets and preparing the staff to running it. I’ll also arrange some kitchen staff to help you. You won’t have to manage everything by yourself. If we lose money, it’ll all be on me. If we make a profit, we’ll split it 30/70.”

"If you're worried that the restaurant won't be successful and all your hard work will be for nothing, I can also give you a monthly salary of five strings of cash a month. How about that? Plus a share of the profits. We can discuss the other details later!"

"I am very grateful to you for bringing my good-for-nothing son out of the house. Don't worry, I won't let you suffer any loss."

As soon as Xiang Yuan entered with great fanfare, everyone was watching the spectacle. The students, upon hearing that he had come to thank Song Miao, were all initially delighted and happy.

Later, as I listened, I realized I wasn't in business and didn't know how to calculate it, only that it was over five hundred strings of cash.

Some people felt something was off, while others felt it was alright, and they were arguing quietly with each other.

But there were some worldly-wise people among them.

Wu, the official, frowned and walked over from behind, saying, "Young man, let's settle things one by one—pay the three hundred strings of cash as a reward first, and we'll talk about the shop later, don't confuse the two."

Xiang Yuan glanced at it.

The old man, around fifty years old, dressed in an ordinary casual robe, his shoes speckled with mud, was wiping his two dirty hands with a handkerchief. There was also some sticky stuff stuck to his beard. He didn't know that it was because Song Miao's brown sugar and sesame paste steamed buns had too much filling. "Wu Yikou" had been eating them in a hurry, and when he heard something was wrong, he rushed over but hadn't managed to wipe them clean.

Wu Gongshi was originally a water affairs official, often going up mountains and down rivers. He had little power and influence, and no official prestige. He looked like an ordinary old man wandering the streets.

Although it's not good to judge a book by its cover, Xiang Yuan still found it hard to think highly of him, and said only, "Old sir, you are joking. I would like to, but Miss Song refuses to accept it."

Wu Gongshi sneered, saying, "You brought money here, and you've put her in such a pretentious position. How are we supposed to accept it?"

Xiang Yuan immediately replied, "I am truly sincere!"

As he spoke, he beckoned to his men, stood up, cupped his hands in greeting to Song Miao, and said, "Miss Song, there's no rush to give an answer today about opening a restaurant. I'm a rough man, straightforward, and sometimes my words may not be pleasant to hear, but I mean well. Please keep this money safe, think it over, and we can talk again another day!"

After saying this, he greeted everyone in the official post station and walked away.

Song Miao stepped forward to stop him, but she was alone, and there were six loads of money here, which were like six loads of mess. She couldn't take them all with her to chase after him, and it was even more inappropriate to pull or tug at them. After calling out a few times and seeing that he didn't turn back, she simply let him go.

Just as Wu Gongshi was about to expose Xiang Yuan's hypocrisy, the man ran away, leaving behind money. He was furious and cursed, "That treacherous devil!"

He then said to Song Miao, “Young lady, you must not fall for his tricks. He originally intended to give you three hundred strings of cash, but now he is using five hundred strings as shares. In fact, sixty percent of that is already yours. You have contributed your skills and sixty percent of the initial investment, yet you are only given a threety percent return. How can he say that?”

The man next to him couldn't quite figure out the details, but since he heard that the restaurant was open and that he didn't have to worry about losing money, he was actually quite hopeful. He couldn't help but ask, "This person said he would provide manpower, find a shop, and even pay the young lady a monthly salary. If he could also share more profits, like a 50/50 split, would that work?"

Wu Gongshi sneered and said, "Kid, I only ask you this: he finds the shop, he provides the people, so the shop is his. The young lady is just working for him. Five strings of cash a month sounds like a lot, but in three years it only adds up to one hundred and eighty, which is only a little more than half of three hundred strings of cash. She's paying for herself, working hard for several years to build up the restaurant's reputation, only to have it all benefit someone else. She's not stupid!"

"If he were just an ordinary cook working for his employer, this treatment would naturally be good, but this fellow claims he's here to repay a debt of gratitude—is there such a way to express gratitude in this world?"

He then earnestly instructed Song Miao, "With your skills, young lady, you could easily establish yourself and open your own steamed bun shop with just these two kinds of steamed buns! Unless you are in a really difficult situation, it is best not to partner with someone like him. He is used to doing business, and you, a young lady, really can't afford to offend him!"

Song Miaoying said, "Thank you for the reminder about official business. I didn't intend to accept the reward money anyway."

The students, who were already gathered around, quickly understood the scheme after hearing Wu Gongshi's analysis. They were all indignant, and when they saw Song Miao say that she did not intend to accept it, they immediately started arguing.

The man said, "Let's go! Let's hurry up and return this money! We can't let him gain a bad reputation for nothing!"

The man said, "My family are farmers, and I'm used to carrying loads—Madam Song, don't worry, I'll carry it back for you!"

Wu, the official in charge, looked at the three loads and six baskets in front of him, and saw the passersby in the post station staring at the scene and talking amongst themselves. He was getting annoyed. When he looked up again, he could no longer see Xiang Yuan's back. He couldn't help but say, "It was Miss Song who found him the child, but he didn't get any benefits. That's not fair!"

Song Miao shook her head and said, "He will be going to the capital to do business in the future, and he will have many acquaintances and old friends there. If he spreads the news about what happened today, who knows what will happen—he might say that I am shameless and greedy, and that I would take any money."

“If it were three thousand or thirty thousand strings of cash, that would be fine, but now it’s only three hundred strings of cash. It’s not worth me risking my reputation for it.”

Immediately, a student said, "Young lady, don't be afraid, I'm a gossip! When I get back, I'll spread the word for you day and night, so that everyone in the capital knows how despicable he is!"

But some felt it was inappropriate and hurriedly said, "What if he won't even open the door if we send him back like this? We can't just stand guard at the door the whole time, can we?"

Another person said, "If we go now, it will be dark. He came with great fanfare, but when we sent him back, not many people saw him. We feel like we were cheated!"

Wu Gongshi then said, "Why don't we change into my official robes tomorrow after the morning shift, while it's still early, and take them with us to carry this money to their door to return it—it wouldn't be right to turn away an official appointed by the imperial court!"

Seeing that everyone was giving her advice, Song Miao quickly bowed and said, "Thank you all for your kindness. I already have a plan in mind. I will come back to ask for your help after I finish my duties tomorrow—we'll talk about it tomorrow!"

She thanked him solemnly, but when she glanced at the six loads of money on the ground, she immediately felt quite troubled.

Seeing her hesitation, Wu, the official, said, "Have someone carry it to my room. Two people will stay with me tonight to watch over your money—if anything is lost or missing, I can take responsibility. We can discuss the rest tomorrow."
Meanwhile, Song Miao finally finished cleaning up the mess of those few loads of money, thanked Wu Gongshi and the students who had helped her, and then went back to her room.

She was working peacefully, and was halfway through writing the regulations when Xiang Yuan interrupted her. She thought she would be back soon, but it took her quite a while, and the ink on her pen became a bit stiff.

Since Song Miao didn't have a brush washer with her, she filled a bamboo tube halfway with water and carefully cleaned the brush tip.

When Xiang Yuan suddenly pulled this stunt, she, as the person involved, naturally couldn't remain completely unaffected. Even after changing the water three times and washing the brush thoroughly, she still felt uncomfortable.

It was like eating a peach, clearly big and fragrant, perfectly ripe, pink all over, with a rosy tip. The skin could be easily and completely peeled off the flesh, which was incredibly delicate. One bite, and it was so soft—she loved soft peaches the most—that the juice was so abundant that it kept dripping down, so much so that her hand couldn't avoid it. It was indeed exceptionally sweet.

As soon as he swallowed it, he looked down and saw that the bitten part of the worm was writhing and twisting vigorously.

How could it not be disgusting?

She really didn't want to waste her emotions on such an annoying person, so she washed her pen and read through what she had just written twice more, and then read it again before she could finally calm down.

After the charter was almost completely completed, with only the last piece missing, they suddenly heard someone knocking on the door.

Song Miao hesitated for a moment, and the person knocking on the door called out, "Shopkeeper Song, sorry to bother you, it's Han Li."

She immediately put down her pen and went out to answer the door.

As soon as the door opened, the rainy air drifted in, and Han Li was standing at the doorway, still dressed in a long robe, holding a lantern with the character "衙" (yamen, meaning government office) on it. The light revealed his wet shoes, making him look like he had just returned from the government office.

It was already quite dark by then. Song Miao greeted him and then said, "Young Master, you're back quite late today—there's still a small basket of steamed buns left on the stove. Has Young Master Kong returned as well? Let me heat them up for you."

Han Li shook his head and said, "Cooking is hard work. We can do this kind of small job ourselves."

Song Miao understood what he meant, looked up at him, and waited for him to speak.

Han Li hesitated for a few moments, then said, "It's too late at night. It would be a bit presumptuous of me to come here now. I'd like to speak with Mr. Song in private—how about we sit in the front hall?"

Han Li invited her to the brightly lit and bustling main hall, and Song Miao readily agreed.

The two went to the front and found that although it was late, there were still many guests sitting outside because the front hall was lit up. Some were talking, some were doing accounts, and some were chatting with drinks. It was quite lively.

Han Li chose a quiet corner and asked the courier to brew a pot of tea. After the courier left, he asked, "I heard them talk about what happened this afternoon—a merchant named Xiang Yuan came to thank you for helping him find his son. He also wanted to give you five hundred strings of cash and wanted to open a tavern with you. I wonder if this is true or not?"

Song Miao then said, "Although this is true, there is more to it than meets the eye."

She only briefly mentioned that Xiang Yuan had ulterior motives, and said that she had no intention of partnering with him and had already refused.

Han Li then asked, "I also heard that the five hundred strings of cash are currently being kept in Wu Gongshi's office."

Song Miao nodded, explained, and then said, "I originally had no intention of taking the reward money, but since he did such a bad job, I had another idea."

"Didn't you say last time that if we were to dig a canal, we would need people, food, money, and materials? But right now, the roads around Huazhou are half blocked. Even if we have the people, we might not be able to supply the other things in time?"

"The original plan was to borrow from local businesses first, and then return the loan once it was transferred back, but no one was willing to agree."

“I can’t get those three hundred strings of cash from Master Xiang anyway, and I don’t want his money. I’m just using it to exchange for a favor. Since the Xie family is willing to lend him their house, we must have a good relationship. This family runs a grain shop, which is just what we need this time.”

"Master Xiang expressed such gratitude, how could he possibly refuse even a simple referral? How could he possibly save face?"

Han Li responded, but remained silent for a moment. He reached out to take the tea, but put it back halfway through. He looked up at Song Miao, then looked down again.

He took out a folded envelope from his sleeve, unfolded it, flattened it, pulled out a piece of paper, leaned forward slightly, and gently placed the envelope, along with the already opened paper, in front of Song Miao.

Song Miao glanced down at it and was taken aback.

It was a banknote, worth six hundred strings of cash.

Yuanheng Trading Company's banknotes have an excellent reputation in the capital and surrounding areas. Even if there are no branches in the area, you can still redeem them at other trading companies.

Han Li said in a low voice, "How about I do this favor for you, Mr. Song?"

Song Miao knew that all the expenses for this trip to Huazhou had been paid out of Cen Tongpan's own pocket, so she chuckled and asked, "Several hundred strings of cash to buy a favor, Cen Tongpan wouldn't agree, would he?"

Han Li shook his head and said, "It has nothing to do with him; this is a favor I'm doing for him."

Song Miao was both amused and exasperated, and quickly said, "This was truly an accident. Although I am in debt, I am not actually poor. No matter how generous you are, if my elders knew about this sum of money..."

"There are no elders."

Han Li said softly, "Chunhua suffered from floods for three years, followed by a major epidemic. I was the only one left in my family to survive. I can make my own decisions about the money I earned."

As if guessing what Song Miao was about to say, he added, "You know I have some reputation, though it may not be pleasant, it's quite impressive. I have a good hand at calligraphy, and people often come to commission me. Sometimes clans erect monuments or ancestral halls, or descendants write biographies of their elders, and through introductions, they come to me. Over the years, I've accumulated quite a fortune. I usually have nowhere and no one to spend it. To be frank, let alone six hundred strings of cash, even..."

He wanted to say more, but ultimately felt it wasn't appropriate, so he didn't say it aloud. He simply lowered his voice again and said, "I can't comment on other people's actions, but as long as I do this favor, I can take over the Xiangyuan and Xie family grain shop business, right?"

　Three thousand monthly votes are too many and too difficult to obtain. Even if Xiao Miao jumped on my head, she still couldn't reach them. But since it's the end of the month, I still want to swallow my pride and ask: if anyone has extra monthly votes, could you please cast one for Xiao Miao? Thank you so much!
　　(End of this chapter)