Miao Chu

Chapter 150 Change of Service
When the sounds from outside came in, Wu Gongshi was chewing on a few stalks of water celery.

Water celery is still in season, picked very tenderly, and stir-fried to perfection, crisp and refreshing. As soon as you close your jaws, you can clearly hear the "crack" sound of its straight stem breaking.

Once you bite into it, the tender stem bursts with sweet juice in your mouth.

The juice had a very slight, fresh taste characteristic of water celery, which perfectly complemented the spicy meat slices and the rich, oily broth.

When he was eating such delicious food, he was actually quite oblivious to everything else around him.

But even when the characters "Song" and "Little Lady" were separated, they still seemed to have a diamond drill bit, piercing through the "food cover" that covered him.

After quickly finishing his food, Wu Gongshi grabbed a spoonful of stir-fried pork with broth and vegetables, put the bowl down, and told those around him, "I haven't finished eating yet, so please don't take my bowl away!"

As he spoke, he turned around, and although he did not get up, his eyes were fixed on the so-called "Master Xie" who came in from outside the door.

The visitor was naturally Xie Hu, the manager of the Xie family's grain shop.

It was lunchtime, and when he entered, he saw that there were many people inside. He paused for a moment, then seemed to realize what was happening and went back out to wait at the door.

Song Miao heard the messenger's message and came out. She was slightly taken aback when she saw the person outside the door. She went out to greet him, called out "Master Xie," and tried to lead him into the hall.

Xie Hu waved his hand and said, "I'll just say a few words and won't go in to sit any longer. I've come here today to apologize to the young lady."

These words seemed out of nowhere, leaving Song Miao puzzled. She asked, "What's this talk of apologizing?"

Xie Hu then said, "I just promised the young lady at noon that I would donate grain and rice. I was just trying to do my part for the village. But I just got the news that, coincidentally, my shop in the east of the city has taken on a big deal and sold out all the stock."

"Since I had already received a deposit and it was a legitimate business transaction, I couldn't refuse. So I was thinking, could I give the young lady the grain I promised her later?"

He added, "It's not that I don't acknowledge it, it's just that I'll give it to you later—I'll donate another hundred bushels when the new grain and rice arrive!"

Song Miao immediately understood the subtle meaning behind it.

The Xie family is a well-known grain merchant in Huazhou City. Who could buy up all the inventory in one go?

He couldn't even be bothered to come up with a better reason.

That's enough to fool a three-year-old.

But Song Miao showed no displeasure, only asking, "But I wonder how late this 'later' means?"

Xie Hu said, "As soon as the road is open and the grain arrives, I will immediately have them make arrangements—it shouldn't be past April."

He said confidently, "Digging canals and building dikes is a big deal, my lady. Don't worry, I won't renege on my promise. But neither canals nor dikes can be done in a day or two. Please wait a little longer—good things come to those who wait!"

Song Miao almost laughed.

Now that the road is open, why would I be in such a hurry to ask you for this hundred bushels of grain to make an example of the monkeys in the market?

She said frankly, "Master Xie, I have heard about your family's good deeds from many aunties today. You have always contributed to the construction of bridges, roads and canals in the prefecture. Although I only run a small stall in the capital, I am still a businessman. I do not know how to be as benevolent as you are, Master Xie."

“I admire your actions, sir. Now I’ll be frank with you. The state wants to build canals and dig rivers, but they’ve come to us because the roads are impassable and it’s hard to get food. If it’s because our shop is inconvenienced by a big business deal, that’s perfectly understandable, and no one will blame us. But if there’s something else going on, and water matters are under the direct jurisdiction of Magistrate Cen, then I can only explain the situation frankly and let people report it to their superiors.”

Xie Hu's smile froze instantly, and he couldn't help but curse inwardly.

When the king of hell fights, the kid suffers.

When Magistrate Cen first took office, he wanted to make a big splash, but after several legal battles with Magistrate Qian, he lost and his enthusiasm waned.

But no matter what, he was still a sub-prefect and couldn't control the money. If he wanted to, surely he could control a merchant like himself?

What will I do if Qian Kongmu stands idly by?
Even if Qian Kongmu eventually stood up for him and cleared his name, he would inevitably suffer losses and hardships along the way. In the end, would anyone compensate him? Who would compensate him?
Even if you think about it from the perspective of your toenail, you know there's no way you'll get compensation.

But if we agree to donate or lend grain at this time, the money clerk will be in complete control. How will we explain this?

Xie Hu became increasingly angry and annoyed the more he thought about it.

What does it have to do with a businessman like him, who's fighting with the officials and their clerks? He's truly suffered an undeserved disaster this time!

If it weren't for that Yuan...

Despite their long-standing business relationship and deep friendship, he couldn't help but feel a surge of urgency, wishing he could stuff Xiang Yuan into the carriage right now and kick him back to his hometown.

Seeing the changing expression on Xie Hu's face, Song Miao waited a moment before speaking gently, "I'm just a cook, I don't manage anything, and I have no power or hope. You're only here to ask me to pass on a message, aren't you?"

As she spoke, she looked back and saw that the place was quite close to the outer hall, so she took another seven or eight steps outside.

Seeing Song Miao walk away, Xie Hu hesitated for a moment, but eventually followed her.

Seeing that he had followed, Song Miao knew what was going on and said solemnly, "I may not be good at other things, but I can keep my mouth shut. Please speak, sir."

“Young lady, you are very generous. I won’t say anything more polite.” Xie Hu sighed. “You’ve been in business before, so you know the difficulties of business people. I can’t say anything else, but I can only say one thing—this time the conscription of laborers is very rare. I heard that a meal is provided, and there’s a small subsidy. Officials from the Water Conservancy Bureau should know that many people are eyeing this opportunity, wanting to get some benefits, right?”

He paused for a moment, then said, "If the yamen runners come out and say that it's time to donate or borrow grain, I will not refuse in the slightest—young lady, I hope you won't make things difficult for me, a businessman, as I have hundreds of people waiting to be fed."

"I'm making this clear today: if I receive good news, I'll be the first to send grain and rice. If you want to buy from me in the future, I'll only charge you the cost price, without making a single penny!"

“You should know, I’m also from Huazhou…”

***
Xie Hu came quickly and left quickly.

Song Miao did not argue with him, nor did she offer any grand principles, nor did she invoke the position of the Water Conservancy Bureau or the Prefect Cen Dezhang to exert pressure.

The Xie family is indeed not a heartless family. Even Xie San'er's parents have more good things to say about their employer than bad. The aunties and older sisters at the laundry shop mentioned that the family often does good deeds.

Moreover, just as Xie Hu said, there's no point in making things difficult for him.

From another perspective, his luck was really bad. He just wanted to lend out a house out of kindness, but who would have thought it would cause so much trouble?

Turning around and entering the front hall, Song Miao saw a person standing behind the door as soon as she stepped across the threshold.

She was taken aback for a moment, then exclaimed, "Master Wu?"

Wu Gongshi sighed and said, "I was worried that the man would make things difficult for you, so I said I would come here to help keep an eye on things... Who knew... such a cunning and treacherous official would come to this."

It turned out that although he had only heard a few words intermittently, he was a veteran of serving in various places and could easily piece together the general idea.

"That makes sense. When Young Master Han returns, we'll tell him so he can be prepared."

After Song Miao finished speaking, she bowed to Wu Gongshi and said, "Thank you for your care, sir. I haven't even finished my meal yet, and you still came to help keep watch."

Wu Gongshi barely managed to suppress his upturned beard.

Who wouldn't like their kindness to be recognized and appreciated?

He said, "It was nothing, no need to thank me!" Then he added, "You cook such delicious food every day, I don't know how to thank you enough!"

As he spoke, he bowed to Song Miaogong and hurriedly returned to the table.

When Song Miao looked up, she saw that the students at the two tables inside were not eating. Instead, they had put down their bowls and chopsticks and were all looking in her and Wu Gongshi's direction. They all looked quite nervous, and some of them had even stood up, as if they were about to come over.

When Wu Gongshi returned, he said something to everyone, and they seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. Some held up their bowls, revealing the empty bottoms, and grinned at Song Miao. Others pointed to the empty plate of food, where even the soup had been used to soak rice.

Song Miao smiled at everyone and was about to return to the kitchen when another person hurried in and asked, "Young Lady Song."

This time, it was Xiang Yuan who sent a servant to deliver a message, asking Song Miao if she had time around 7 PM tonight, as he wanted to bring Liang Yan to visit and express his gratitude.

Song Miao thought for a moment and simply said she was free, agreeing to the terms.

***
It was late afternoon, and it was completely dark when Han Li and Kong Fuyang returned.

As soon as he got back, he wanted to talk to Song Miao.

Song Miao gestured for the two to eat first, saying, "The food will get cold soon. It's nothing, we can talk about it later."

There was still a lot of food left over from the dishes prepared by the chef at the official post station—Song Miao's two additional dishes today were so delicious that there was no room for the other dishes to shine.

The two stir-fried meats were lukewarm at this point, and when served with hot rice, they had a different kind of flavor.

Especially the slices of meat inside, whether it's pork belly or pork shoulder, become more flavorful after soaking for a long time. And because the broth has been simmered for half an hour, it hasn't separated into oil and water, but is still rich, flavorful, fresh and spicy.

Song Miao calculated the time and came out from the back. Sure enough, the two had just finished eating.

She stepped forward, intending to discuss something, but as soon as she got close, Kong Fuyang asked, "Miss Song, what's the name of this dish? It's delicious with rice!"

Song Miao smiled and said, "It's stir-fried pork. There are many ways to cook this dish. Today I'm using the Liling style, which involves stir-frying first and then simmering it in soup. It's fragrant, spicy, and very appetizing."

Kong Fuyang didn't hear clearly at first, so he asked again what kind of mausoleum it was.

Song Miao casually remarked, "Having traversed the rugged gorges, we first encountered the soothing slope—such is Liling."

Kong Fuyang immediately realized what was happening and clapped his hands, laughing, "So Mr. Chengzhai is coming!"

He then asked, "Does today count as my first encounter with Zheng Yan, where we killed the food?"

He was naturally talkative, but he was especially talkative tonight. After asking about the dishes, he pressed Song Miao about any follow-up to Xiang Yuan's matter, and even asked if he should go and give the other party a good scolding.

Song Miao replied to each of them. She first said that Xiang Yuan had arranged to bring a child to the door later, and then said that there was no need to help for the time being, but if there was anything she couldn't handle, she would definitely call him.

After she finished speaking, she looked at Han Li, who had been sitting to the side listening to their conversation, and said, "There is something I would like to ask Young Master Han for help with."

Han Li had already sat up straight and said, "Speak freely."

"I heard a few days ago that you requested twenty blank commendation orders from Magistrate Cen. I wonder if I could borrow one temporarily?"

Han Li nodded immediately, then turned to Kong Fuyang beside him and said, "If you have time..."

He only said this much before Kong Fuyang stood up and said, "I'll go get it!"

Han Li handed over his personal key and said, "Also, regarding the number of gates and materials needed for the three western counties that you mentioned yesterday, I already calculated them this morning. Please check them again yourself, and let me know if there are any errors or omissions when you come out later."

Hearing that Han Li had taken his matter so seriously and had taken care of it so early, Kong Fuyang was both happy and anxious. He hurriedly agreed, said goodbye to Song Miao, and left in a hurry.

Once everyone left, Han Li said, "It's getting late, and I don't know what Xiang Yuan is up to. Why don't I sit in the corner and keep an eye on things? Do you mind?"

Song Miao thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll have to trouble you. Also, about the commendation order—I said I'm only borrowing it temporarily. If I actually use it, will it be alright?"

Han Li said gently, "If you want to use it, there must be a proper way, so it's fine."

Song Miao smiled and said, "I want to use it to hang up the medicinal herbs for that Master Xiang, so he won't be scheming against people all the time."

He added, “This man is very good at business. He brought mostly epidemic prevention supplies. Even if we don’t use them now, they will be useful when we dig canals and dredge rivers in the future. I guess he probably won’t give them to us. Maybe he’ll try to trick us and then run away. If he is willing to give them to us, it would be quite good to exchange them for a commendation order. What do you think, young master?”

Han Li smiled at her and said, "I think it's a good idea. This matter is entirely up to Mr. Song."

After recounting the commendation order, Song Miao then told the story of Xie Hu from the Xie family's rice shop visiting her that day.

After listening, Han Li said, "I knew this matter would not go well, and I had already made other arrangements, but there were too many troubles. I was originally planning to wait another day, but it seems there is no need to wait."

Throughout history, long-serving clerks have had a nickname: "local officials." They wield power and are well-versed in local affairs and personnel matters, making them the most difficult to deal with.

If Cen Dezhang, a mere prefectural magistrate, couldn't even control his subordinates, why should he expect merchants to act as his scapegoats?
It's important to understand that the stakes involved are enormous; if things go wrong, the two sides could fall out, and it could really come to blows.

The term "conscription for corvée labor" sounds simple, but there are actually many intricacies involved.

First, let's talk about the type of job.

The different jobs assigned to laborers brought completely different feelings to them.

The most comfortable job was naturally assigned to the kitchen. Although it was hard work, at least you wouldn't be exposed to the sun or rain and you could eat your fill.

There were second-best among them, and the worst were those who were assigned to dredge river sections.

Even if someone is assigned to dig a river, the work can vary greatly depending on the section they're assigned to.

Some sections of the river have a lot of silt and sand, making them easy to dig. Other sections have a lot of loose rocks, which are more difficult but not too strenuous. However, if you are assigned a place where there are a few large rocks blocking the way, even three or four people cannot lift them. You will have nowhere to cry.

Besides these, there are also the time and date for going to the construction site, etc.

If all the work is assigned to you in the morning, you won't even get much sleep before having to get up and work all day. If the work you're assigned is all during the busy farming season, you won't be able to take care of the land at home.

These allocations were controlled by the village head and clerks at each level.

Want to be assigned a good job? A good time? A good time slot?

No problem, here's the money!

In this case, it's obvious that the lower-level clerks haven't collected enough money, which is why the higher-ups are dragging their feet and refusing to do their job.

Hearing Han Li mention the trouble, Song Miao couldn't help but ask, "But I don't know where the trouble lies?"

"I originally wanted to exchange service with Weizhou, but the journey is long and the roads are difficult to traverse..."

Song Miao was taken aback and asked, "Is Linghe Town under the jurisdiction of Weizhou?"

　Thank you to the kind person who saw this and gave me the gift... It's such a perfect gift with such a neat and orderly arrangement! Does this number have any special meaning? Hehe :) I'll just consider it a small piece of jade. Thank you for the little jade!
　　Thank you to reader 20200823165526754 for the peach blossom fan! I've already given it to Xiaomiao to fan herself. ^_^
　　Many thanks to Bingningyanhan and Maidouaixiaodu for sending me a sachet each. They both seem to smell of barley, and they smell so nice :)

　　感谢特务猫猫送我的4枚平安符，书友20250609024836777、三于1、书友20200524072044730三位亲给我的平安符各一枚，大家一起平平安安呀=3=
　　(End of this chapter)