Miao Chu

Chapter 207 Scars
Sure enough, the courier brought out the wine and delivered it to Kong Fuyang's table.

Kong Fuyang immediately refused, saying that he had never liked drinking and that he had to get up early the next day, so he didn't want to delay his official business.

Rui Fusheng and Xiang Yuan went together to persuade him.

One of the two said that although the wine was sake, it was not strong; even if you drank a whole jar, you would be gone in a pee.

One person said that the fish was cooked so deliciously that it would be a real shame not to pair it with some wine.

They also mentioned that they hadn't eaten either, and if Kong Fuyang didn't mind, they would order a few dishes, three people per table, to eat and chat, which would not interfere with their business, and it would be more lively with more people, better than eating alone.

Although Kong Fuyang was usually a bit carefree, he never failed when it came to serious matters. Knowing that the other party was there for business on the river, he naturally could not refuse.

But this was a private meal, and he really disliked Xiang Yuan's past behavior. Even if it was just because this person had bullied Song Miao before, he refused to give in.

Xiang and Rui, one a seasoned businessman and the other a shrewd individual, didn't take Kong Fuyang's refusal seriously. They knew that even if they were unwilling now, once they were seated and had a drink, men would eventually compromise their principles at the dinner table, regardless of their initial attitude.

Especially for inexperienced students like this, once they sit at the same table, they are completely at their own mercy.

The two of them went back and forth, and even though Kong Fuyang was eloquent, he was somewhat overwhelmed for a while.

Just as Rui Fusheng had pulled up a chair and was about to sit down, Zhang Fu, along with Zhang Yong and a servant, came out from the backyard.

He had originally gone to the backyard to wash his hands with his men. Before leaving, he touched the tabletop and found it greasy. The front table was usually used for people to eat and rest, so the post station staff might not have cleaned it very well. It was fine to sit on it occasionally, but if you used it to write, getting your hands dirty was secondary. If you got the paper dirty, it would definitely affect the writing of the manuscript.

Fearing he might leave a bad impression on Han and Kong, Zhang Fu fetched water from behind and wanted to help his nephew clean the table.

As he walked out, he saw Song Miao frowning and standing to the side looking at a table in the middle, so he naturally followed her to look. After hearing Xiang and Rui talking and hearing Kong Fuyang's refusal, he understood everything.

Seeing the two men urging him to drink, he realized the wine was from the official post station—he had bought two jars of it yesterday and tried it beforehand; it was actually quite strong.

Parents always spare no effort in planning for their children's future.

Zhang Fu recognized his nephew as his adopted son and paved so many roads for him. Now, he is personally accompanying the man here, determined to pave the way even further.

Yesterday, Han Li assigned his nephew homework and instructed Kong Fuyang to follow up. The talented Kong had just given his opinion, and after the revisions were completed, he would inevitably have to give further guidance. Han Li was hoping that Kong would eat less so that he wouldn't be too hungry, tired, or weak and not pay enough attention to his nephew's writing. So how could he tolerate Rui and Xiang urging him to drink here?

—What if I get drunk and can't read the article?
—What if Han Li comes back and is still not satisfied with the revised article?

He was already anxious, but he had no legitimate reason to act, so he quickly turned his head, whispered "Miss Song", and pointed to the middle.

Song Miaozheng hesitated.

She was afraid that if she went up there, the two of them would drag her to the same table for a meal. If she couldn't help but overturn the table, it would be a mess and not look good, since they were there on official business.

Seeing Zhang Fu approaching so proactively, she felt like she'd found a pillow when she was sleepy, and naturally nodded quickly.

Having received Song Miao's approval, Zhang Fu didn't hesitate at all. He first handed the book he was holding to his nephew behind him, shook his sleeves, and immediately stepped forward.

He called out, "Gentlemen, please!" He introduced himself and then said with a smile, "Young Master Kong is having dinner. He has important business to attend to tonight and is not in a position to drink. If you two are free, I'll treat you to a table, and the three of us can have a drink!"

As he spoke, he turned to the servant and said, "Go and ask the kitchen if they can still take orders. If not, go out and buy some vegetables and meat. It's better to meet by chance than by chance. I am with you two... I wonder if you are brothers?"

He then stated his age.

They were all people of standing, and the Zhang family was a well-known family in Weizhou with some prestige. Xiang and Rui knew about each other's background, so they naturally couldn't afford to offend them and could only answer awkwardly.

Among them, Zhang Fu was the oldest, Xiang Yuan was the second oldest, and Rui Fusheng was the youngest.

Zhang Fu immediately put on airs of being the elder brother, pulled out a chair from the table next to him, and invited, "Come, Brother Xiang, Brother Rui, sit here. It's better to meet by chance than by appointment. I've come to make a couple of friends today!"

Then he urged the servant, "Go and ask about the dishes!"

The more enthusiastic Xiang and Rui were when they were trying to persuade Kong Fuyang, the more frustrated they felt when Zhang Fu forced them to sit down at the same table. They couldn't refuse, so they had no choice but to sit down.

Zhang Fu urged for tea again, then got up to fetch a wine jar from the side, laughing as he said, "These two jars are on my tab! The three of us won't leave until we're drunk tonight!"

Having come this far, Rui Fusheng naturally wasn't willing to lose face any further, and hurriedly said, "How could I let Brother Zhang come to invite me? I'll do it! I'll do it!"

As he spoke, he also tried to grab the wine jar, wanting to bring it to him.

The jar was very large, containing about twenty catties of wine. It had two recessed handles on the bottom, which Zhang Fu held onto. It was naturally not easy for Rui Fusheng to snatch it.

Just then, the servant and Zhang Yong passed by.

At this moment, the group was seated at three tables, forming a "V" shape.

Kong Fuyang was seated at the table on the upper right. Then Zhang Fu and his son came over. Since Zhang Yong needed to write and wanted a quiet place, he chose the table on the upper left corner. Tea was served and his bundle was placed on the table.

When Xiang Yuan and Rui Fusheng arrived last, Zhang Fu deliberately chose the furthest table, the outermost and lowest, in order to distract them. He neither urged Kong Fuyang to drink and disturb his meal nor disturbed his nephew's writing.

The servant, having been assigned to ask about and order the dishes, was carrying a bucket of water, a rag, and other items. He had to go back to the table to put them down first, so he squeezed through the gap between the tables and bumped right into Zhang and Rui, who were scrambling for the food.

Although the bucket of water he was carrying wasn't particularly heavy, it was quite full, and he had to back away to avoid it.

However, as soon as he stepped back, he realized something was wrong. He turned around and saw that the young master Zhang Yong was following behind him, holding paper, books and pens. As he stepped back, he stepped right on Zhang Yong's foot.

People can't fathom Zhang Fu's heart, and they can't see that far ahead. They see that the master's family is willing to spend all their resources to have their adopted son become a student of that teacher, even if it's just for him to study.

At this moment, he neglected all his family and business affairs, abandoning everything to bring people to pay his respects.

This person thought that the master family valued him so much that they recognized him as their young master. Not only him, but everyone in the family knew this and dared not neglect him.

He was afraid of stepping on something and hurting his little master, so he quickly twisted his foot and turned to the side, trying to steady himself on the table next to him.

The bucket was full of water. The person carrying it tilted to one side, and his hand naturally moved, causing the water to spill out and splash onto Zhang Yong.

The people busied themselves lifting the bucket higher and tilting it to the right.

Anyone who has ever carried water knows that when the water is full, it is often out of control. If you want it to go left, it goes right; if you want it to go right, it goes left.

At this moment, the water was sometimes to the left and sometimes to the right. Just as it was to the right, Rui Fusheng, who was fighting with Zhang Fu behind him, was caught off guard and leaned against the edge of the bucket. With a "splash", half of the water was poured out and fell right on his right side.

All of this was completely unexpected, leaving no time to react. By the time the person cried out in alarm, the water had already spilled, soaking half of Rui Fusheng's body, and he immediately turned pale.

He looked closely and saw it was a human, and immediately cursed, "You dog, are you blind?!"

As he spoke, he slapped her across the face.

The person who splashed water on the guest was terribly flustered. He didn't dare to fight back even after being hit. He covered his face, haphazardly put down the bucket, apologized repeatedly, and tried to go forward to help.

Rui Fusheng was still not satisfied and kicked him again.

He kicked hard and with great force, making a loud "bang" that sent the man staggering and falling to the ground. Everyone in the room turned to look.

After kicking, Rui Fusheng even chased after him, wanting to add two more kicks.

Zhang Fu's expression changed drastically, and he immediately shouted, "Zhang Sheng, what kind of job do you have!"

He yelled again, "You come here right now!"

As he spoke, he quickly stepped forward, pulled the person up, and brought them behind him.

Xiang Yuan, who had been sitting calmly observing, immediately changed his expression upon hearing Zhang Fu's words and seeing his actions. He hurriedly stepped forward to stop him, calling out, "Brother Rui, why bother arguing with a servant!"

Kong Fuyang had already put down his chopsticks, turned his head to look, and then got up again to stop him.

Song Miao hurriedly went to the side to fetch a dry towel and a copper basin, and came over to Kong Fuyang and said, "Why don't you help Master Rui wring out his sleeves and clothes? I don't know if they're wet inside—if they're not wet, I'll ask Dabing to help dry his outer garment in the kitchen, and it'll be dry in a little while!"

He added, "Even if it gets wet inside, it doesn't matter. I think Young Master Han and Master Rui are similar in build, so why don't we borrow his clothes to change into, dry them, and then change back? Although he's not here, I'm sure Young Master Kong can make the decision. When he returns, he certainly won't say a word!"

Kong Fuyang immediately replied, "Exactly!"

As she spoke, she took the initiative to twist Rui Fusheng's sleeve.

After half a bucket of water was poured over him, Rui Fusheng's sleeves, shirt hem, and trousers were soaked through, especially the right sleeve, which was dripping wet when wrung out.

Since the water was being wrung out here, Song Miao took the copper basin over to catch it.

Kong Fuyang grabbed Rui Fusheng's sleeve, about to roll it up to make it easier to gather.

With a flick of the sleeve, the back of the hand and wrist were revealed.

There are three fingernail-sized scars on the top three spots. One of them has not yet fallen off and is on the back of the hand, while the other two are on the wrist. The three scars are in opposite positions.

Before Kong Fuyang could even wring out the water, Rui Fusheng's face had already turned extremely ugly. He angrily pulled his hand back behind his back and said, "No need! I'll go back and change my clothes! We'll talk about it tomorrow!"

With that, he turned and left.

His temper flared up inexplicably, and now he was gone without warning. The others hadn't even reacted yet, especially Xiang Yuan, who was still discussing important matters. Suddenly, his partner left, and he hurriedly called out, "Brother!" and then shouted from afar, "What are you doing now?"

Xiang Yuan hurriedly said a few words to Kong Fuyang and Zhang Fu, then rushed out after them.

As soon as the person left, Zhang Fu hurriedly asked the servant, "Where did you kick? It felt like a kick to the heart!"

The man sat up from the ground, clutching his chest. After a while, he was clearly in great pain and it took him a long time to recover before he hurriedly apologized.

Zhang Fu said, "It's also because you weren't careful enough, but that person... sigh!"

He added, "You kicked too hard. I'll have Zhang Li take you to see a doctor, so you don't hurt yourself without even realizing it."

As expected, he called for help, and the servants were helped out.

“This Rui Fusheng is too…” Zhang Fu shook his head.

"They're acting so rudely, it's simply outrageous!" Kong Fuyang said indignantly.

Song Miao squatted on the ground, holding the copper basin in her hand, but couldn't help but be lost in thought.

Rui Fusheng may have a fierce temper, but this time he left without any rhyme or reason.

Earlier, when Xiang Yuan wrung out the water from Kong Fuyang's pants, they were also soaking wet, but he didn't say anything. How come Kong Fuyang wrung out his sleeves and...

She was carrying a basin, about to pour water, when she was halfway there. Zhang Si Niang's eyes were full of things to do. Song Miao, who had come to pick her up in the morning, was in no hurry to let go. Suddenly she asked, "Si Niang, do you know about a kind of small fish called a sacrificial fish? Its meat is tender and plump, with layer upon layer of flesh. It also has another name: thousand-layer cake?"

Zhang Si Niang thought for a moment, then shook her head and said, "It's probably not a fish from our area; I've never heard of it before."

Song Miao handed the basin to her, then turned to ask Kong Fuyang if he remembered where the scars on Rui Fusheng's hands were located.

Kong Fuyang was taken aback and asked, "Is there a scar?"

He added, "I was so focused on wringing out my sleeves that I didn't notice the scars on his hands."

Song Miao then asked Kong and Zhang, "Just now I heard that Master Rui say he was from Qinzhou, but I wonder if you two heard him speak with a Qinzhou accent?"

Zhang Fu thought for a moment and said, "It's somewhat in line with that, but I can't quite put my finger on it."

Kong Fuyang said, "His Mandarin is quite good; you can hardly hear any accent."

He added, "We should ask Zheng Yan; he is from the Fengxiang area."

Seeing this, Song Miao didn't ask any more questions. She just told Dabing what was going on and went out with Zhang Siniang.

It was getting late, and the fish stalls had already closed, but many shops selling goods from both the north and south were still open. She asked at each shop, almost covering the entire street, but no one knew anything about the fish in the so-called layered cake.

Seeing that it was getting late, Song Miao decided not to delay Zhang Si Niang any longer and went with her to the official post station to wait for Wang San Lang to come and pick them up.

But when she was halfway there, she saw a large restaurant on the road. Song Miao was just passing by when she smelled the dried fish. Upon closer inspection, she saw a couple pushing a cart to deliver goods.

She stepped forward, greeted the woman casually, and asked with a smile, "Sister-in-law, I'm sorry to bother you. I see you have a lot of dried fish here, and they all smell very good. It must be made by an expert. But I wonder where they come from?"

The woman smiled smugly and said, "It's all my own cooking!"

Song Miao first praised the craftsmanship, then asked about the layered cake.

The woman said, "Thousand-layer cake? You mean 'Tanzai'? If you ask other people, most of them won't know this name. But if you ask someone else and say 'Ziyu' (子鱼), many people will know it. In our Minzhou, we only call it 'Tanzai', also known as 'Sacrificial Fish'. It dies as soon as it's taken out of the water. It's delicious, and the meat is indeed layered. The nickname is not wrong at all!"

Song Miao thanked them and asked a few more questions about the details. Knowing that the other party was there to deliver goods, she said that she also wanted to buy dried fish and asked for the location of the other party's shop—it didn't have a shop, it was a private workshop that only did order-based business.

After receiving the address, Song Miao thanked him and left.

After returning to the official post station and seeing off Zhang and Wang, it was already dark, but Song Miao was not in a hurry to rest.

Kong Fuyang was only focused on wringing her sleeves, not even noticing the scars. Naturally, she didn't feel comfortable talking to the other party any further, so she simply waited by herself.

When Han Li returned around 9 PM, she approached him, told him about the day's events, and then asked, "Young master, why don't you listen to his accent tomorrow and see if it sounds like Qinzhou's?"

Han Lixian greeted her with a smile, and after Song Miao described her, mentioning Minzhou and the scars on her hands, he realized that the man who had escaped that day, Lü Mao, was born in Minzhou and had a black mole on his hand. Although the black mole was gone, there were still similar scars.

As he listened, the smile on his face gradually faded, and he finally said, "Accent doesn't matter, I'll go ask."

After asking a few detailed questions, Han Li turned and walked out. He returned to the prefectural government office and first went to find Cen Dezhang. After a commotion, the latter hurriedly summoned the prefectural inspector.

(End of this chapter)