Miao Chu

Chapter 202 Seal
As soon as Kong Fuyang finished speaking, he ran away like a rat. Song Miao watched him go while she couldn't help but laugh.

However, although he ran fast, he couldn't burrow underground.

The second gate was very close by, and before he could even hide inside, Han and Lu had already turned into the courtyard. Seeing one person standing and the other running, Lu Wenming was the first to call out, "Young Lady Song," and then asked in surprise, "Why is Kong Fuyang running?"

Song Miao smiled and covered for him, saying, "Young Master Kong just met me and only said that he liked goose intestines and bean sprouts. He complained for a long time that the goose was all meat and no intestines. Suddenly he realized that he was afraid of delaying his washing up, so he quickly went back to his room."

As she spoke, she greeted the two of them again.

Upon hearing this, Lu Wenming continued to praise, saying, "Your skills are truly amazing! This is the first time I've ever had poached goose, and I've never known what poached goose meat tastes like. And that water spinach is so delicious! What did you use to pair it with it, and how did you stir-fry it? It's incredibly delicious!"

"Water spinach is stir-fried with fermented bean curd, Guizhou white fermented bean curd. These two are a perfect match. If you are having it with porridge, it is best to stir-fry it until it is soft and salty, and even if it is a little soft and cooked, it doesn't matter. If you are having it with rice, you should stir-fry it until it is crisp and tender."

Song Miao smiled and then spoke of the goose, saying, "Goose meat is not only delicious when boiled, but it is also delicious in other ways. I mentioned to Young Master Han last time that I have an excellent roast goose recipe. When we return to the capital and the weather gets cooler, my restaurant will open and I will definitely set up a few ovens to roast goose. When that time comes, everyone must come and support us and have a feast at the opening!"

Lu Wenming readily agreed, and after counting the months, he hurriedly said, "I also have some old acquaintances from my former master's household. Since I've been away for so long, we'll definitely have a get-together when I get back. Whether or not your restaurant is open, I'll take some people there and order a good meal!"

He chuckled and said, "Once everyone has tasted your cooking, they'll all become repeat customers—you must offer me a cup of tea then!"

Song Miao immediately said, "How can you put it so shabbily? Is it really that in Brother Lu's heart I am someone who is only willing to spend a cup of tea?"

He added, “Whether it’s soup, meat, or vegetables, eat to your heart’s content, whether you bring anyone or not! There are also fruits and some snacks that I made especially for you—I’ve heard Young Master Kong mention them several times, repeatedly saying that you like rich cheese and sweet snacks. I have a recipe at home that’s even richer and more mellow than the most common cheese. Right now, it’s not very convenient since I’m away from home. When I get back to the capital, I’ll make a lot of it. It would be best if you brought your whole family along, so that your sister-in-law and niece would eat until their teeth hurt and they wouldn’t think I was stingy anymore!”

Lu Wenming first waved his hand, laughing and saying "No, no" repeatedly. Then, upon hearing this, he hurriedly said to Han Li, "Leader, leader, look, the young lady said I made her look bad, but she's clearly making me look bad right now!"

The two were talking when Han Li, who had already greeted them, stood to the side. Seeing Lu Wenming begging for mercy, he simply said, "There's good food to be had. Your sister-in-law and niece at home are getting benefits. You're only being teased a few times. What's the big deal?"

The three chatted and laughed for a few moments, but it was getting late, so they had to part ways.

Lu Wenming walked ahead, but Han Li slowed down a step and suddenly said, "Oh right, I almost forgot something."

Lu Wenming turned around.

Han Li nodded to him and said, "You go ahead and do your work, no need to delay—I'll talk to stall owner Song about something before I go back."

It was only a few steps away. Without thinking twice, Lu Wenming responded and walked ahead.

Before the man had gone far, almost in front of a third person, Han Li casually took off the cloth bag from his waist and handed it to Song Miao, saying, "I've been taking some time out lately and made some name stamps. This one is for you, Song. You usually manage the kitchen, and every day grain and vegetables come and go. You often have to sign your name when you collect materials and put them into storage. There are always times when pen and ink are inconvenient. Having a name stamp on you might make things easier."

Kong Fuyang had made it so obvious before, how could Song Miao not have guessed? When she saw Han Li presenting her with the seal, she assumed it was for official business and did not refuse. She quickly thanked him and then reached out to accept it, saying with a smile, "So working under Young Master Han comes with such a wonderful perk!"

As she spoke, she opened the purse and poured out a seal.

Kong Fuyang said it was made of Qingtian stone, but the one she had was clearly not Qingtian stone. It was very light and cool to the touch. A small hole was polished out on the top, through which a red string was threaded and tied in a slipknot.

The entire chapter was only the size of a finger. When she turned around to look at the words, she couldn't help but exclaim, "What a beautiful chapter! You've gone to so much trouble, young master!"

He then asked, "What kind of stone is this? I don't recognize it—it's probably not very valuable, is it?"

Han Li said, “It’s not a famous stone. A few years ago, I traveled around with my teacher and dealt with the river every day. I picked this one up by the river. At the time, I felt that the pattern on it was simple and unadorned, which was very suitable for making a seal. I brought it with me when I came to Huazhou this time. I had the idea of ​​carving a seal. When I laid out all the different stones I had, I saw that this one matched the name of the stall owner, Mr. Song, the best.”

Whether it was Song Miao's imagination or not, the person opposite her suddenly lowered their voice by two decibels as they spoke.

"Kong Fuyang and Brother Lu both used Qingtian stone for their seals, but this one from stall owner Song was just an ordinary stone I picked up on the road—I actually hesitated when I was carving it, afraid it wouldn't be presentable..."

Before he could speak, he saw Song Miaozheng holding the seal in her palm, examining it closely, and involuntarily holding her breath.

This was, after all, the backyard, and it was already late. Although we had borrowed half a crescent moon and a little candlelight, it was still only half-lit.

Previously, Song Miao had only focused on the words carved on it, but after listening to Han Li's words, she carefully examined the patterns on the seal by the dim light.

She exclaimed, "Wow!" and asked, "Is that a cloud and water pattern? How unique!"

His tone was one of delighted surprise.

Han Li immediately felt relieved.

He couldn't help but step forward and said, "Three of the four sides have cloud and water patterns, and the other side has a '卐' character—I think this character has a very good meaning, and carrying it with me always makes me happy..."

Song Miao indeed flipped to the side with the swastika symbol and exclaimed in surprise, "It's even five-colored—such a fine thing, young master, are you really willing to give it to me?"

Han Li felt his palms getting hot and damp, and he almost lost his grip on the lantern.

He heard himself say, "I'm just afraid you won't like it."

Song Miao took out her purse, put the stone seal inside, and smiled, "I really like it!"

He handed Han Li's empty cloth bag back, saying, "Thank you for such a fine piece, young master. I'll use it tomorrow—once things are settled here in Huazhou and I return to the capital, I shouldn't have to return it, right?" Han Li just smiled. He had already opened his mouth, but after considering the words, he felt they were a bit too forward and was afraid of leaving a bad impression on the other person. In the end, he simply said, "Of course not—it's already been given away, and it will always belong to stall owner Song."

At this point, he asked a few more questions about what happened in the kitchen during the day.

The two chatted for a while and were about to return to their rooms when Han Li asked, "Your family's restaurant is opening today, and you've only invited Brother Lu. I wonder if you're planning to invite me to your house for a celebratory feast?"

Song Miao was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled and said, "After you return to the capital, didn't we agree that you would come to our door for meals every day?"

Han Li was taken aback.

"We've been partners for a long time now, and I'd like to shamelessly ask you to write a scroll for me, since calligraphy is valuable and can really make a statement—should I invite you separately?"

The darkness of night can easily conceal a person's expression.

Han Li subconsciously lowered the lantern in his hand, not wanting the smile on his face to be too obvious.

He said, “I was too preoccupied with my own thoughts—I still have to finish up in Huazhou, and I’m afraid I’ll be back in the capital a while later than you, I don’t know if it will be ten days or a month or much longer—if you can wait, then Your Excellency, please wait for me to return before you finish writing, how about that?”

Song Miao readily agreed and laughed, "Just for the sake of that beautiful calligraphy, we must wait for the young master to return before opening the shop—it won't be that quick. It would be good if we could open the shop by autumn!"

The two went back to their respective rooms.

As soon as Han Li entered, he saw Kong Fuyang take a stack of manuscript paper and place it on the table. He held a seal in his hand, dipped it in ink, and carefully stamped the back of the paper one stamp at a time. After stamping one, he would admire it for a moment, then stamp another and admire it again.

As he approached, he saw that the table was covered with the other party's recent private manuscripts. He couldn't help but ask, "It's late at night. You were the one who kept complaining about being tired in the yamen, saying that you would fall asleep as soon as you got back. Now you're the one who's not sleeping. Aren't you tired of stamping these documents?"

Kong Fuyang didn't even look up, but complained, "Who told you to give me this chapter just before you left? The structure is so well carved, and the stone is beautiful too. When I came back and met Miss Song, I showed it to her, and she praised it, praising the brushstrokes, the stone, and the carving technique. Well, now I'm looking at it repeatedly under the lamp, focusing on the parts she praised. The more I look, the more energetic I become, and I'm not sleepy at all."

"Next time you have something this good, you'd better give it to me first thing in the morning. If I spend all day looking at it, I won't be so excited at night. Giving it to me late at night, are you going to let me sleep or not!"

Han Li ignored his notion of sooner or later and suddenly asked, "Who else did you show this chapter to?"

"I'm not stupid!" Kong Fuyang finally looked up, giving Han Li a disgruntled look. "Nobody else has it, only the three of us do. Of course, I only showed it off to those who did, and I even repeatedly and earnestly told the other two not to tell anyone, lest..."

As he was speaking, he suddenly paused. When he looked up again, he saw Han Li looking at him quietly. His lips twitched slightly, and he wished he could slap himself for talking so much.

***
Meanwhile, Song Miao returned to her room, but she was also in no hurry to sleep.

She first took out the seal, and by the light of the oil lamp in the room, she played with it for a while. She then stamped it twice more to observe the ink absorption and brushstrokes. After admiring it for a moment, she put it away. She then took out paper and pen, first to calculate the schedule, and then to write down the things she needed to do when she returned to the capital.

She came to Huazhou to manage the meals for the laborers working on the river. Once the old and new river channels were connected and the dikes were mostly completed, such a large number of people would no longer be needed, and her duties would naturally come to an end.

The date had been agreed upon long ago, but given the current situation, it will likely be a few days later than originally planned, though the impact will be minimal.

Aside from her and Dabing, several other students also needed to return early, but Han Li and Wu Gongshi, along with the others from the Water Conservancy Bureau, would have to wait until after the flood season to return to the capital.

In the past few days, not only Wu Gongshi, but also many students below, as well as several officials from the Water Conservancy Bureau who came with him, secretly came to Song Miao's door, either alone or in groups, to ask her to stay as long as possible and continue to take care of their stomachs, so that they could look forward to each day.

But the roads in Huazhou are all open and the water has receded. Even though the capital is downstream and the situation is a bit slower, by the time the business here is finished, the water will surely have receded, and the roads and houses will mostly be cleared up and will no longer affect business.

For Song Miao, the stalls and restaurants in the capital were naturally more important, so she could only appease her with the words that all good things must come to an end and that she could still come to eat there often when she returned to the capital.

Without even needing to mention anything like that, Han Li had already thought of the arrangements. Half a month ago, he had specifically told her that he had found a security escort agency in the city and asked the escort team to help him find two female escorts who would accompany her, Dabing, and several students back to the capital.

Counting the days, I'll probably be going back in June or July, when it's so hot, completely different from winter and spring. I should plan ahead and see if I should replace the shumai, or make less of it and find a lighter option to replace it.

Also, since it's the season for green plums, there might not be any left when I go back. Fortunately, Huazhou is a major thoroughfare, so if all else fails, I can spend a day or two buying some green plums, pickling them with some flatbread, and then bringing them back to the capital.

Homemade marinated food tastes quite different from store-bought. It can be used in various dishes, such as sweet and sour spare ribs, sweet and sour pork trotters, sour duck, and plum fish. It can also be used as a dipping sauce for roast duck or roast goose.

Besides plums, apricots, cherries, and cucumbers will also be in season soon. Those that can be processed or preserved should be prepared, either pickled or preserved, so that they can be used someday.

After much deliberation, seeing the situation getting worse, she hurriedly rested and went to work in the kitchen as usual the next morning.

With the summer flood season approaching, everyone is rushing to complete their work. The number of laborers on the river is increasing day by day, and the amount of food that the kitchen needs to prepare is also increasing. Although everything has been arranged in advance and everything is done step by step, and everyone in the kitchen is obedient, they are still constantly on edge.

After a busy day, Song Miao relaxed, seeing that everything had gone smoothly without any surprises. With the official post station just ahead, she thought about soaking the dried lettuce tonight, making one plate of stir-fried cured meat, and another plate of stir-fried vegetables. She didn't want to eat dinner, just porridge. She had just finished talking to Dabing when he was delighted and said that he would go in immediately and ask Chef Zhang for a pot of the usual meal to make porridge.

As soon as he got off the train, he dashed off to the back kitchen.

Song Miao walked a few steps slowly, and as soon as she entered the front hall, she heard someone call out with a laugh, "Young Lady Song is finally back—we've been waiting for you!"

She recognized the voice and looked in the direction of the sound. She saw two people sitting at a table, one small and one large. The small one was endearing, while the large one was annoying.

(End of this chapter)