Miao Chu

Chapter 203 Working hard
Song Miao was quite surprised and stopped to ask, "Why is Master Xiang here?"

Xiang Yuan sat imposingly in his chair. After calling out, he had been waiting expectantly. After a few moments, when Song Miao did not approach him, he frowned slightly, then smiled again. Instead of getting up to greet her, he pointed to the seat opposite him and said, "Young lady, please sit down and have a cup of tea. I will explain slowly!"

Song Miao shook her head and said, "It's kind of you to invite me, sir, but I have other business to attend to and can't refuse—I won't have any tea."

As she spoke, she looked at Liang Yan, who had already stood up, and called out "Little Yan" with a smile, before reaching for the purse at her waist.

When Liang Yan saw her enter, he had already stood up, eager to make a move. Upon hearing her name called, he couldn't contain himself and ran over, calling out "Sister Song" repeatedly.

Song Miao wasn't in a hurry to deal with him. She first asked Xiang Yuan behind the table, "I made some snacks the other day, thinking of giving them to Xiao Yan to eat as a game—but I don't know if Master Xiang would mind giving Liang Yan food from outside?"

Xiang Yuan said, "What do you mean by eating out? I've known this young lady for a long time, and we're quite close. With such a good relationship, you could almost be considered an elder to Xiao Yan! I'm more than happy to have such a good wife who takes such good care of him!"

Song Miao paused, then smiled and said, "I wouldn't dare. I should call him Uncle Xiang; it wouldn't be proper to confuse the seniority."

Xiang Yuanben was about to speak, his face still smiling, when he heard this, his smile froze slightly, but he quickly covered it up as if nothing had happened, and said with a laugh, "It's not necessary to call me uncle. I look more mature, but I'm actually of the right age. It's just that I have to do business, so I have to dress myself up to look older. Also, there's no one at home to take care of things. Supporting such a grand affair by myself, not to mention my family and clan, there are many businesses to manage, and hundreds or thousands of employees and helpers depend on me for their livelihood. It's always a bit difficult."

"I was in such a hurry to get home because I received a message at the last minute saying that my mother was suddenly experiencing severe chest pains. I panicked so much that I abandoned my business and rushed back with my men. But the road was blocked by water, and we couldn't go far. I was so anxious that I was about to abandon the goods and go back myself. Fortunately, someone else brought another message, secretly telling me that it wasn't a real emergency, but that my mother was worried about important matters because I hadn't been home for a long time and was eager to..."

As the story told by this wealthy merchant became increasingly unbelievable, Song Miao, already prejudiced against him, grew increasingly impatient and unable to feel any sympathy. She also found it hard to believe that a rich merchant like him would have anything to complain about to a debt-ridden stall owner like herself.

Just as she was about to make an excuse to leave, she looked up and saw that Big Pancake was standing at the second gate, looking like he wanted to come out but was afraid of disturbing her, so she gave him a wink.

Seeing this, Dabing, whose feet had been itching as if someone had been scratching them with wooden claws for a long time, burst out laughing and ran out like the wind, calling out, "Wife, are you done here? The kitchen in the back is waiting for you to prepare the dishes!"

As he spoke, he seemed to have just noticed Xiang Yuan and Liang Yan, and quickly stopped to bow, saying, "Master Xiang! What brings you here?"

Xiang Yuan had been talking for a while and was thirsty. He took the opportunity to drink tea when he heard the words "you old man". The tea got stuck in his throat and almost spit out of his nostrils. He managed to hold it in, but he didn't know whether to nod or explain. He couldn't argue with a waiter, so he had no choice but to put down the tea and mumble it.

Song Miao responded and handed the purse to Liang Yan, who had already arrived, instructing him, "It's amber walnuts with maltose added inside. Remember to rinse your mouth after eating it."

He added, "I've been very busy lately. If you have any news, just send someone to relay it to the post station. I'll ask about it myself once I've finished my errands."

Liang Yan hurriedly said, "Sister Song, don't worry about me! I've been making great progress lately. Uncle Xiang hired a master镖头 (bodyguard/escort) to teach me martial arts, and I can now hold a horse stance for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn! My master has praised me several times as a good prospect for martial arts, saying that I can endure hardship, persevere, have big hands and feet, and strong bones..."

He rattled off a string of words, eager to show off his abilities and demonstrate his competence to the person in front of him. He was also eager to finish his sentence in the shortest amount of time so as not to waste any time and interfere with Song Miao's work.

Liang Yan wasn't particularly eloquent to begin with, and his tongue nearly tied itself several times. After finishing his sentence, he said reluctantly, "Sister Song, go ahead and get busy. We'll talk about it later..."

He didn't say the second half of his sentence.

Uncle Xiang was right behind me.

Having lived under someone else's roof for so many days, Liang Yan, though young, has already learned to think things through before speaking or acting.

Uncle Xiang wanted to adopt him as his godson, change his surname, and continue to stay in the Xiang family mansion. He would hire someone to teach him at home so that he could learn both literature and martial arts. He also said that he would send Xiang Lin to study at an outside academy. Obviously, none of the people involved would be satisfied with this approach.

At this time, he was determined to go to the capital to learn martial arts. He had already planned to go back to the Xiang residence and find Old Master Xiang, Old Madam Xiang, and the others to persuade him. He did not want the news to leak out in advance.

Liang Yan immediately shut his mouth.

But Xiang Yuan had already received enough of his initial words of encouragement. Seeing that if he continued to put on airs, the bird would fly away, he quickly stood up and greeted Song Miao, saying, "When will Madam Song have some free time? I have some things I'd like to discuss with you."

He added, “A tea merchant just flattered me with two packets of Jingshan tea. This tea is newly harvested and came all the way from Yuhang. When brewed, it is tender and green, with a pure and mellow taste and a delicate aroma, just like orchids. The tea merchant said that if it weren’t for me, even my own father might not have been willing to give it to me. My wife, please come and try it out!”

Song Miao said, "As for opening a restaurant, I have thought about it carefully and really have no such plans—thank you for your concern, Master Xiang, but there's no need to bring it up again."

"It's not a restaurant, I have other important business to attend to."

Song Miao had already taken a step and didn't stop, maintaining the posture of about to leave, and said, "Please speak, Master Xiang."

"It's hard to explain in just a few words. Fortunately, I have nothing else to do today, so I'll wait here. When you're done with your work tonight, come find me, and we can have dinner and tea, and talk things over slowly!"

Song Miao shook her head and said, "Master Xiang is a straightforward person, and I have always been one to speak my mind. I have my own business to attend to right now, and I don't know when I'll be done. It's getting late. Although there is a difference in seniority and age, I can still call you Uncle. After all, there is a difference between men and women. It's not appropriate to have a meal or tea."

"Master Xiang has connections all over the world and is extremely wealthy. Even if he had something important to discuss with a small-time cook like me, he wouldn't bother. After thinking it over, it's probably because of the business on the new river channel, right?"

"If you need an introduction, Master Xiang, just say so. Both Minister Wu and Young Master Han are very easy to talk to. Besides, this is official business, so even without an introduction, they won't refuse. As for other matters, you know me, I only know how to cook all day and have no other skills. I am willing but unable to do so."

Her words, both blocking and hindering, threw Xiang Yuan's seemingly foolproof plan into disarray. However, being a seasoned businessman, he possessed enough thick skin and patience to back it up. He smiled and said, "It's about the river, but not me. It's about another old friend of mine—he's not here right now, I'll bring him over tomorrow to discuss it further."

—In just a few words, he unilaterally decided to come tomorrow.

Song Miao said, "There's no need for such trouble. If it's about the river, Master Xiang, please wait a moment. Someone will be back soon. I'll talk to them and make the introductions. Tomorrow, you can take your friend to the river. It will save you time and effort. As a seasoned businessman, you naturally know much more about this than I do!"

Xiang Yuan's eyelids twitched, and he said, "There are many things I can't fully decide. If I'm clueless when we talk about things later, people will think I'm doing business with a brain full of water—it's better to talk about it tomorrow night!"

Just then, a commotion arose outside. Some people were laughing and talking, some were shouting and cursing, and others were laughing and cursing. Soon, a group of people rushed in. They were all students who had come from the capital together. The one in the lead saw Song Miao and his eyes lit up. He stepped forward and called out, "Madam, look what we brought back!" As he spoke, he held up the things in his hands high.

Song Miao looked closely and saw that the man was carrying fish in both hands, of different sizes, the largest being nearly a foot long and the smallest only the size of a palm.

The fish were all strung on ropes and hung upside down on my hands, the biggest one wagging its tail energetically.

"Today, the official took us to test the river embankment. Unexpectedly, there were so many fish left in the water after the embankment was opened. Fortunately, many of the river workers were fishermen, so they helped us tie them up. They said that apart from some miscellaneous fish, the rest were all whitefish, and they all had upturned mouths. They were afraid that they had stirred up a nest of upturned mouth whitefish. They also said that the fish were delicious, so the official quickly told us to bring them back!"

The man had barely finished speaking when he turned his head and glanced around, realizing there was an unfamiliar face standing to the side. He quickly asked, "Who is this? I haven't interrupted your conversation, have I?"

Just as Song Miao was about to speak, Xiang Yuan, fearing that someone surnamed Han or Wu might actually show up behind them, seized the opportunity to make an excuse and hurriedly left with Liang Yan.

The other students didn't think much of it. As soon as the people left, they gathered around and asked Song Miao to look at the fish they had brought back. Everyone was carrying one in their hand, and someone else was carrying a bucket full of fish about two fingers long and wide. There were six or seven people, so there were probably twenty or thirty fish here.

Song Miao hurriedly asked them to take all the fish to the back kitchen, and then told Dabing to prepare large basins and buckets.

She had originally planned to have a simple dinner tonight, just stir-frying some dried lettuce as a side dish. However, she suddenly received a lot of fish, and fish can't be kept for long. She was afraid that they would fall asleep belly up if left out, so she had to figure out how to deal with them as soon as possible.

First, they went to check on the fish. Just as they were counting, Zhang Si Niang came in and said, "I saw the scholars carrying a lot of fish on the way. I'm afraid they'll bring them back to eat. I grew up by the river and I'm used to eating and killing fish. I quickly turned back to help you, madam!"

Zhang Si Niang not only knows how to kill fish, but she can also identify them. No matter how big or small the fish is, she can name them all and has eaten them all.

Seeing this, Song Miao first asked about the taste. Knowing that most of the fish were tender, but some had many bones and some had few, and some small fish had a strong fishy smell, she asked her to help classify them according to the number of bones. She then slowly killed and cleaned the fish with the flatbread, while she used her free hands to wipe the several large fish with many bones clean with a cloth, salted them, and hung them up to air dry.

***
Inside the official post station, Song Miao was cleaning large and small whitefish with two helpers, while in a house a street away, Xiang Yuan was sitting opposite his old friend.

The other party's surname was Rui, given name Fusheng, and he was only twenty-five or twenty-six years old. He was handsome, about five or six points, but he was particular about everything he did, and by dressing up, he added two points to his appearance.

The two entered Huazhou City the day before yesterday and moved directly into the house that the medicine merchant had previously purchased. They spent the last two days running around outside.

Now that they've reunited, Rui Fusheng first told them what he'd found out, saying, "This business is still worth doing. There are five or six thousand people on the river right now. Even though they work in two shifts a day, they still need to eat two meals a day, and quite a few of them sleep in the sheds overnight. I've already sent letters to recruit a few experienced people who used to work as porters. They should arrive in the next day or two."

“We’ll recruit porters in Huazhou when the time comes. Labor is cheap here. If we can get this job done sooner, once the setup is up, the money will come rolling in on its own. It’s just that building the outhouse on the river is a bit of a hassle and will take some time.”

Xiang Yuan said, "That's simple. We'll just stick that log in, tear up some tattered burlap, and build a thatched hut every three or five hundred paces..."

The two discussed for a while how to save money and how to make money. Finally, Rui Fusheng said, "I'm not afraid of anything, I'm just afraid of not winning the lottery."

He added, "I heard that the person in charge of this matter is surnamed Lu, and he's not from the Huazhou prefectural government."

Xiang Yuan had already learned about the group of people staying at the official post station in Huazhou City because of Song Miao's matter. Now, after inquiring again, he naturally knew more clearly. He said, "They came with the people from the Water Conservancy Bureau. Their name is Lu Wenming. I heard that they are a bit rigid."

"He won't refuse to accept the money, will he?"

“Then give him more, give him until he accepts it.” Xiang Yuan didn’t care at all. “In all my years in business, I have never met anyone who doesn’t love money. They all say they don’t want it, but if you give them a little more, they’ll behave.”

He added, “Once I get this job, I can ask around. I heard they're planning to open a few general stores along the river. Although most of the people working there are poor, if we squeeze them a little, we can still make a good living.”

After finishing his conversation, Xiang Yuan invited Rui Fusheng to the official post station the following afternoon.

"I found someone to introduce you and me, but we won't be taking Old Xia with us tomorrow."

The two exchanged a glance, understanding each other without saying a word.

Rui Fusheng paused for a moment, then praised Xiang Yuan's abilities: "...Brother Xiang said he was unfamiliar with the place, but he managed to find connections everywhere!"

Xiang Yuan simply waved his hand and chuckled, "It might not work out—it could all be a twist of fate."

At this point, he paused suddenly and said, "Actually, there is something I've always hesitated about. I brought it up today because I know you've seen a lot, so I thought I'd ask you, Brother Rui."

"There's this woman..."

He gave a brief account of Song Miao's situation, saying, "Although she is literate and has a skill, she doesn't have a family to support her. I originally thought it wasn't a big deal, since Linzi's mother did have a family, but things ended up like this, so it would have been better if she hadn't. But these past few days, I've thought about it carefully. After all, my roots are in my hometown. If I take back a weaker woman, and she has children, they will inevitably clash with my mother's family. If they win, Linzi will suffer a loss; if they lose, they are still my flesh and blood..."

Rui Fusheng understood and said, "She's an absolute beauty, isn't she?"

Xiang Yuan smiled.

Rui Fusheng said, "Everyone says that a good wife should be virtuous. Why don't you find a well-off woman in the local area? With your wealth, do you really lack money? You just want your children to study and become officials so that you can protect your family business. As for the woman, you can hire her to help manage the restaurant. If you really like her, give her some gold and silver treasures, and she can do whatever she wants with you."

“Any decent cook, relying on their skills, will ask for exorbitant prices. Last time I offered 500 strings of cash to open a restaurant with her, but she thought it was too little. If we really want to work together, we'll have to hire someone else, which will cost a lot of money.” Xiang Yuan shook his head. “It’s not worth it. It’s better to take her home. She’ll have to work hard for herself and her children’s future.”

(End of this chapter)