Miao Chu

Chapter 148 Taking a Boat
Xiang Yuan had inquired earlier and knew that Song Miao had come with a group of students and had taken on the logistical and catering work for the river digging and canal repair project.

He wasn't afraid of his students coming to his door to cause trouble. After all, scholars were often useless and could easily find some excuses to get away with it. Besides, since the students had accepted official assignments, he could accuse them of using their power to coerce him if they came to his door.

Ordinary people fear the government, but people like him, who have built up a large business, gained more experience, and established connections with influential figures, are not only unafraid but, in some cases, confident that they can control the government.

If things escalate and drag on, the government will ultimately have more to lose face, while we are just passing merchants, what are we afraid of?

But seeing these dozen or so strong women, whom he didn't recognize, and seeing them staring at him and Xie Hu intently, and with many people peeking in from outside, Xiang Yuan felt a little uneasy.

Who can control the mouths of lazy men and women on the streets?
They used the high-sounding reason of "controlling the floods in Huazhou" to offer 500 strings of cash in exchange for a favor. Ordinary people wouldn't think much of it, and how could they know the hardships of a merchant? If they refused, even a fool could guess how they would be condemned by everyone and how their peers would talk.

He composed himself, smiled, and stepped forward, pointing to the inner room of the grain shop, saying, "One thing at a time. Borrowing and buying grain can't be explained in just a few words—Miss Song, let's go inside and talk it over."

Now it was Xiang Yuan's turn to be eager to "repay each other's debts"!

Song Miao smiled and said, "As long as Master Xiang agrees, the rest will not be under my control! If you can help introduce me, not only will I be extremely grateful, but the people of Huazhou present here, as well as many other people in the prefecture, will also be extremely grateful. In the future, the prefectural government will take over the follow-up, but I do not have such great authority, let alone the power to make decisions!"

After saying that, she looked at Xie Hu with a smile and asked, "If Master Xie has any inconvenience, I'm sure you would be willing to recommend one or two fellow travelers to accept Master Xiang's favor, right?"

Upon hearing Song Miao's question, Xie Hu's expression turned even more unpleasant a few steps away, and he almost forced a smile.

He was a prominent and wealthy businessman in the area.

If Xiang Yuan was just a passing monk who could run away if things got ugly, he was someone who could run away but couldn't hide.

Normally, when government officials come to inquire about donations and grain, one can easily make excuses and refuse. But now, with countless people in front of them, there is no room for ambiguity.

Merchants value reputation above all else. Other businesses may only need a good reputation in the business world, but rice shops have to do all kinds of business. Once their reputation is ruined, it doesn't matter whose rice they buy from, why would they buy from yours?

Just then, someone outside the door asked, "Last month, four counties and our city were hit by floods. Did the Xie family donate any grain?"

"It seems like no one donated?"

"Didn't you donate?"

"If they donated, wouldn't they put up a sign? Didn't you see that Liu's Cloth Shop on the east street donated a hundred bolts of linen? They have five or six curtains hanging at the door that say 'Donating Cloth to the Benevolent,' almost covering the entire doorway—it's been over a month, and they're still swaying in the wind!"

Xie Hu inwardly groaned.

Everyone assumes that merchants are wealthy, as if money is picked up from the ground or plucked from the tree. When disaster strikes or someone is in need, the people all turn to the merchants for help.

However, life is inherently difficult, and there are countless disasters and hardships in a year. If you donate this time, you donate again next time. When you encounter the need to build bridges and roads or to pity orphans and the suffering, you still have to donate. Don't you need to eat and support your large group of subordinates?

But such words should not be said in public, as they will only invite criticism.

He only had time to glance at Xiang Yuan before he said, "What are you saying, young lady? Even without Brother Xiang's favor, if the authorities come looking for me, I will certainly not refuse."

At this point, Xie Hu resigned himself to his fate. Looking at the many people outside, he said loudly, "I am also from Huazhou, and I am grateful to the elders and fellow villagers for taking care of my business. Although I can't donate much, I will still donate 100 shi of grain to express my gratitude!"

Song Miao gave him no chance to back out, immediately bowed and said, "Thank you for your righteousness, Master Xie! Then it's settled. In front of so many people in the city, we can't let you suffer a loss—besides the commendation order, when the state government erects a monument, Xie's rice shop should be listed on it!"

He added, "Rice or noodles, whatever you prefer, but I wonder which manager the officials contacted this afternoon to confirm the delivery?"

As Song Miao spoke, she glanced at the group of people standing behind Xie Hu—she was about to finalize the arrangements on the spot.

What else could Xie Hu say?

He had no choice but to call out the shopkeeper and give him his name.

Everything was settled in no time. Song Miao said that she still had a job to do, and despite Xiang Yuan's repeated attempts to persuade her to stay, she left six loads of money, took twelve strong women who were washing clothes, and left immediately.

The group of Huazhou residents waited until there was no more excitement to see before slowly dispersing. Whether along the way or on their way home, they couldn't help but spread the word about what they had seen and heard that day.

The news quickly reached the government office.

Upon receiving the reply from his subordinate, Chief Clerk Qian Zhongming, without even bothering to drink his tea, urgently asked, "What does this mean? What do you mean by 'the grain must be transported this afternoon'?"

The subordinate recounted what had happened at the grain shop, adding, "That young lady made an appointment at the end of Shenshi (3-5 PM), presumably to have someone discuss the grain transport time after she leaves the yamen."

He added, “Five hundred strings of cash for grain is not much, and it doesn’t really matter much. But I’m afraid that if they have this opportunity, they will use it to urge other grain merchants to borrow grain.”

He reminded them, "Because you promised last time, all the counties below said they would finalize the list of laborers after this month. But these past few days, Wu, the official in charge of the waterworks, and his student Han Li have been leading a group of people, fiddling around in the yamen, and searching through old records. I heard that they have already marked out the sections to be dug, and are just waiting for all the people and materials to arrive."

"Yesterday, Wu was still urging us, saying that it didn't matter if the materials didn't arrive, as long as the laborers arrived first, we could have them dig the canal first."

"Although I've managed to get by for now, the excuse I gave was that we're out of food right now, and even if the people arrive, they won't have anything to eat. If they manage to solve the food problem in the next few days, it'll be really difficult to delay any longer..."

Hearing this, Qian Zhongming felt irritated.

Digging ditches and repairing embankments is a good thing in itself; once the shovels are turned, money can be made anywhere.

Cen Dezhang had initially tried to cause trouble, but after being subdued by me a few times, he became obedient. Now, the two sides keep to themselves and I have the final say on everything, big and small.

But of the people who have come down, the rest are just lackeys; the two who are the most troublesome are the most troublesome.

One problem is that official business with that man surnamed Wu, which is really annoying. He keeps urging me in the yamen every day, and I wish someone would gag him.

Secondly, and most annoyingly, is that student surnamed Han. We have to consider his reputation and writings, and also be wary of him giving us random advice.

He thought for a moment and said, "Go and find Xie Hu of the Xie family grain shop. Tell him I told him to find a way to get this off the hook—it's not hard to deal with a young woman, is it?"

It's obvious that grain shops wouldn't lend grain.

It's called a loan, but who knows when the money and grain allocated from the capital will arrive? What if they never arrive and simply refuse to pay it back?
With the city currently suffering from flooding, prices are rising day by day. It's the perfect time to make money, so who would pass up the opportunity to earn money right in front of them!
As long as the food supplies can be secured, their own people can also be delayed until the money is fully delivered before making arrangements.

***
The money collector arranged for someone to find Xie Hu, while at Xie's rice shop, Xiang and Xie collected the six loads of money and returned to the back, each of them furious.

As soon as Xiang Yuan entered, he said to Xie Hu, "Brother Xie, I'm the one who got into trouble this time, and I don't want to drag you down with me."

He added, “I know the rice price is right this time, so I won’t let you suffer this loss in secret. I won’t take these five hundred strings of cash with me. I’ll just keep them for Brother Xie to buy this batch of grain. It has bothered you for many days and caused a lot of trouble. Consider this an apology.”

At this moment, he was truly loyal and generous to Xie Hu.

Xie Hu sighed, shook his head, and said, "Brother Xiang, we've known each other for years. How could I stand on ceremony with you over a few hundred strings of cash? But this time it's not about money."

"The government has actually come to our door several times, asking all the grain merchants to contribute grain. We must discuss this and make sure that we don't open this door, otherwise it will never end."

“If it were just some grain, Brother Xiang, I wouldn’t hesitate to ask for more. But this time you’re going to break the guild’s previous agreement.”

In order to hoard grain for speculation, the chamber of commerce was unwilling to lend grain to the government, and such an agreement could not be announced in front of the people.

Xie Hu lent the house to Xiang Yuan partly because the two had a long-standing friendship, and partly because it was a favor he was doing without spending any money. But now he was implicated and lost several hundred strings of cash in grain. He had also become the first to stick his neck out and didn't know how he would be criticized behind his back. He felt really aggrieved, but he couldn't ask for the favor back, otherwise he would seem stingy!

Xiang Yuan's business has grown to such a large scale, which is naturally due to his exceptional abilities.

He immediately said, "Let me book a banquet and treat them to a meal so I can explain it to you."

He added, "I'll try again. If I can persuade that young lady to take the money back to open a shop, this trouble will naturally be over."

Xie Hu hurriedly said, "Enough, enough! You see how experienced and clever she is, you can tell she's someone with her own opinions. If we fail to get what we want and offend her, she might bring a whole bunch of women to our door..."

"Just you wait and see!" Xiang Yuan confidently assured him.

No matter how generous he may seem, how could he not feel pain in his heart?
He had always thought she was just a young woman he could manipulate at will, but who knew he would be outmaneuvered so easily, losing five hundred strings of cash and incurring a debt of gratitude—a debt of gratitude harder to repay than money. He even regretted not just throwing away three hundred strings of cash in the first place, instead…

Before Xiang Yuan could speak, someone came in to deliver a message.

This time, they were looking for Xie Hu.

"Boss, Little Qian, the squad leader, is here. He says he has something to tell you!"

***
Leaving aside the fact that Qian Kongmu's men came in such a hurry to convey instructions to Xie Hu, on the other hand, Song Miao and a laundry woman left Xie's grain shop and chatted along the way.

When the women heard that she had come with the students to the capital to cook for the laborers and workers who were digging canals and repairing irrigation ditches, they all praised her highly.

Someone else said, "Young lady, why bother with money? Next time there's something like this to watch, you don't need to pay. Just send someone to call me, and I'll be the first to come and help!"

The others chimed in immediately.

Song Miao quickly thanked them and chatted and laughed with everyone for a while. When they arrived at the laundry shop, the two sides parted ways.

Before they had gone far, it started raining again.

Although she had brought an umbrella, the rain was so heavy that she and Dabing were still soaked to the bone. They hurriedly returned to the government office, dried themselves off, changed their clothes, and rested for a while before leaving the front hall.

It was already afternoon, and because I had been busy for most of the day, I hadn't had time to go shopping.

However, she was pleased to have accomplished her task today. Even though the torrential rain outside blocked her way, her mood was not affected. Instead, she poured herself a pot of tea, found a table closest to the door, and took out the text she had drafted over the past two days, along with pen and ink. She looked at it and slowly revised it, occasionally looking up at the rain in the sky.

As he was sitting, the flatbread was tidied up. He came out of the door and saw Song Miao writing something. Not daring to disturb her, he just sat quietly to the side.

Because he had previously mentioned wanting to learn to write, but had never had the opportunity since childhood, Song Miao gave him a page of paper today when she had some free time. She taught him the first few characters and told him to practice writing them in the air on the table with his finger.

With someone teaching him, Dabing kept thanking him and practiced enthusiastically, while Song Miao busied herself with her own things.

After finally finishing the task, she looked up and saw the water clock in the corner. It was getting late, and the rain outside showed no signs of stopping, so she got up and went outside to check.

Just then, a flash of lightning streaked across the sky, followed by a deafening crack of lightning, and then a rumbling thunderclap that grew louder and louder, seemingly exploding right next to our ears.

Seeing that the rain was sometimes like floating duckweed and sometimes like swift arrows, soaking her clothes, she was about to retreat when she saw a lot of people hiding under the eaves of the doorway, some carrying loads and others carrying baskets. Seeing that the rain was getting heavy, the group of people finally couldn't help but retreat into the hall.

Some people ordered their own tea, while others chipped in to get water. But an old woman remained huddled under the eaves, her clothes half-soaked and her shoes wet. She sat huddled against the wall, looking at the sky with a worried expression.

Her clothes were patched, and her shoes were perforated and covered in mud. In front of her was a bamboo basket covered with straw. Although it was unclear what was inside, there was a scale and several large taro leaves next to it, so it was clear that the contents of the basket were for sale.

Song Miao couldn't stand people like that. After thinking for a moment, she stepped forward, called out "Grandma," and asked, "What are you here to sell?"

The old woman was overjoyed to see someone asking about the price. She quickly pulled back the straw covering the bamboo basket in front of her to show Song Miao what was inside, saying, "It was all picked this morning. It's top-quality water celery, and there are garlic leaves too. I picked them out one by one. There isn't a single rotten leaf. Would you like some, young lady?"

He added, "It's been covered up all day, and then it rained, so it's all soaked. I'll give you a discount!"

Song Miao looked at them and saw that although they had been covered for a day, they were still quite fresh and the vegetables were very clean. Since the quantity was not large and the price quoted was much lower than that of the vegetable market, she bought them all for her. After paying, she said, "Grandma, with such heavy rain, it's probably not going to stop anytime soon. Why don't you go inside and take shelter to avoid getting wet and catching a cold?"

The old woman sighed and said, "Young lady, you're so kind. If you want to come in and sit down, you'll need to buy tea and water, one coin per cup. My wife is sick, and I need to save this money to call a doctor for her."

He added, “Everyone says that Huazhou is suffering from floods and everything is going up in price. I thought the vegetables here would fetch a higher price than mine, so I came here early this morning. Who would have thought that I would run into a downpour after selling for only a short time and end up stuck here? I’m afraid I won’t be able to go back tonight. I’ll have to find a place to stay and spend money. Sigh!”

Song Miao was somewhat surprised and asked, "Isn't Grandma from Huazhou? Why are you blocking the roads everywhere? How did you get here?"

"I'm from Xiatou Village in Linghe Town. I came down by boat."

(End of this chapter)