Miao Chu

Chapter 218 Cabinet
Song Miao was not the only one in the carriage.

Because Han Li had invited them, Da Bing also peeked out with Liang Yan to wave goodbye. There were also a bunch of students from other carriages shouting "Leader Han!" "Leader!" "See you later!" "Let's meet again in Beijing!" "Let's go back to Beijing together!" and so on.

Hearing the wailing and howling of ghosts and wolves from the vicinity, Song Miao almost laughed until her stomach hurt.

She waved goodbye along with them, and only after the mule cart had driven far away did she lower the curtain to block out the yellow dust that was kicked up outside.

Another female bodyguard sitting nearby heard the commotion outside and asked, "Who is this Young Master Han, this Leader Han?"

Before Song Miao could reply, Dabing hurriedly interjected, "Young Master Han is from the capital. He works with the officials of the Water Conservancy Bureau to dig canals, build dikes, and repair dams—he's in charge of all sorts of things related to the waterways!"

He added, "We're from the river too! The other carriages are full of students from the capital who were temporarily assigned to help out. I'm here to assist my wife—we're in charge of the kitchen!"

As he spoke, he puffed out his chest, looking very proud.

The female bodyguard immediately became respectful and hurriedly said, "I originally said I was escorting a group of people to the capital, but I didn't explain their background in detail. It turns out you're in charge of dredging waterways! My apologies!! I know, I know! Everyone says that if this waterway works, the floods in Huazhou won't be so terrible later!"

He then praised, "Young man, you are so capable at such a young age!"

When Dabing spoke those words earlier, he was full of energy. Now that he had been praised, he first looked at Song Miao. Seeing her smile, which was full of encouragement, he scratched his head, his voice lowered by three points, and his face turned red. He said, "It's alright, I'm quite capable—my wife has praised me too!"

The four people in the car leaned against half of their luggage, chatting and laughing, and the time on the car didn't seem too hard to pass.

Around noon, a caravan of mule carts stopped and found a teahouse by the roadside to have a meal.

Song Miaochi got out of the car and asked everyone to go ahead and save a seat for her. After everyone left, she carefully put the envelope that Han Li had entrusted to her into a wooden box. But when she put the cloth bag back in, she turned it over and over and couldn't find a name on it.

Having been instructed beforehand and knowing she wasn't afraid to look, she simply opened them all to examine them.

Inside, it was wrapped in thick cloth. When you untied it, you could see that one was long and round, and the other was long and square; both were stone seals.

Not long ago, Han Li had already given her a name seal, so Song Miao wasn't surprised to see it again. She first carefully examined the seal.

The seal is engraved with four characters, arranged vertically and horizontally to form a pointed four-cornered shape. The vertical characters are "庭青" and the horizontal characters are "得意".

She had long heard that Han Li's senior brother, Chen Ting, had another name, "Mr. Tingqing," so she knew that this seal was a gift to the old gentleman. She read it several times in her mind, sometimes reading it as "Tingqing is pleased," sometimes as "de Tingqing is pleased," and sometimes as "de yi Tingqing," each meaning different.

She read and wrote the characters with great enthusiasm, especially the character "意" (meaning/intention). The bottom stroke and dot of the "心" (heart) radical resembled the long tail of some unknown animal, almost pointing to the sky. It was as if an old gentleman was stroking his long beard and laughing in front of her, which was very interesting. It was truly like seeing the person in the writing.

Song Miao glanced at it a few more times before wrapping it up again, putting it in the box, and then looking at the other one.

Unlike the square seal, the round seal was wrapped in a piece of paper. When the paper was opened, two characters were written inside.

"A seal, just to express my feelings."

The signature simply reads "Zheng Yan".

She turned the round seal upside down and saw that the four characters "Song Ji Restaurant" were engraved on the bottom.

It is a round and plump clerical script, with clean and smooth strokes and lines. Even illiterate people would find it pleasing to the eye and it looks very auspicious.

It looks like it brings good fortune.

Song Miao liked it more and more as she looked at it.

Her luggage was already piled up, but she still moved around without getting annoyed, rummaging through the mess to find a bundle in the middle, and then took out the ink. She first wet a handkerchief and washed the stamp with water, then dipped it in the ink. Since there was no paper on either side, only the paper used to wrap the stamp, she simply found an empty space on that paper and stamped it.

A particularly beautiful "Song Ji Restaurant" appeared on the paper.

When my restaurant reopens, I will definitely use this stamp. When I make "Fu" character cakes or other pastries, I will use this stamp to mark the outer oil paper!

Cover it right in the center!
She admired the calligraphy and carving techniques for a while, then suddenly had an idea. She took out the sachet from her waist, took out the name seal that Han Li had given her earlier, dipped it in ink, and looked for a place to stamp it.

The note was originally only the size of a child's palm, but after Han Li left his writing and stamped it with the seal of "Song Ji Restaurant," there wasn't much room left.

After searching around, she had no choice but to squeeze the print in between the signatures "Song Ji Restaurant" and "Zheng Yan".

She didn't think much when she printed it. She only noticed that "Song Ji Restaurant" was followed by "Song Miao" in clerical script and "Song Miao" in seal script. Although the fonts and styles were different, they each had their own unique brushstrokes and were quite pleasing to the eye. But as she looked at it, she vaguely sensed that something was wrong.

Below "Song Miao" is "Zheng Yan". At first glance, one is written in clerical script and the other in official script. They are placed quite close together and look quite nice. However, it is not quite appropriate for the names of unmarried men and women to be so close together.

After hesitating for a moment, Song Miao folded the paper again, tore off a small strip of the paper with the seals "Song Ji Restaurant" and "Song Miao" on it, and instead of throwing it away, rolled it up with the original paper, put it back into the cloth bag, put it in the wooden box and locked it, before getting off the carriage to eat.

***
Song Miao was practicing her writing in a carriage halfway through the journey, while Han Li was reviewing accounts in a makeshift shed built along the Huazhou River.

Several thick ledgers were laid out in front of him. The first one was the kitchen's general ledger, and the one next to it was the cash flow ledger. One was clear, and the other was detailed.

Kong Fuyang held a bowl in his hand. Although a group of students had left, he was still busier than ever.

He no longer cared about not speaking while eating or sleeping. He slurped down his rice soaked in soup and said to Han Li, "After all the investigations, the kitchen's accounts are still the cleanest. The state government's account was returned after they were investigated. The person who delivered the account books said that he had been investigating for over ten years and had never done such an easy job."

Han Li did not respond to that.

He was afraid that if he opened his mouth, he would blurt out, "Don't you even know who's in charge of the kitchen?" which would then provoke the guy in front of him to say some more nonsense wishes.

The kitchen accounts were indeed kept extremely clear.

This clarity stems from the meticulousness of the original records, and the accountant's confidence.

Song Miao was always meticulous in her work. For example, she kept two sets of accounts: one was a record of actual transactions, and the other was a record of transactions arranged by different categories. She would summarize the accounts every five days, every ten days, and every month, and have the warehouse keeper, the delivery person, and the receiving person sign them.

This summary wasn't just a simple addition; she also did her own comparisons, such as which expense segment increased in the previous accounting period, why it increased, by how much, how much the headcount changed when averaged out, and how the kitchen would handle things to maintain balance in the future.

It sounds like a simple thing, but only those who have actually done it will understand how difficult it is to do something so simple meticulously and consistently.

First, there's the source of the numbers.

Everyone in the kitchen obeyed her orders without question. When carrying out orders, they did so without any hesitation. The mutual checks and balances among different people also prevented any fabrication or haphazard filling out of forms.

Secondly, there is the direction and framework of the comparison.

Song Miao was the battalion commander, and she didn't assign anyone else to write it herself.

Her mind is clear enough, and she has a good understanding of all the processes and matters. She has a broad framework and focuses on the big picture, rather than getting bogged down in trivial details. As a result, her work is much more engaging.

It's not difficult, but it's extra work. You can choose not to do it, and there's no benefit to doing it. Even if you do it, you might not be able to use it. Naturally, no one wants to do this thankless task.

But for those who check and verify accounts, those who consolidate accounts and manage the general ledger, and for the next person who wants to manage the kitchen in the same way, having such clear accounts and analysis can save a lot of effort and avoid a lot of detours.

Han Li had already turned to the last few pages. He then put the large numbers together, carefully compared them, and confirmed that there were no discrepancies with the accounts and sub-accounts. He then took out the comparison documents that Song Miao had prepared separately, put them aside, and said, "That's enough. Let's seal the accounts." Kong Fuyang put down his bowl and came over.

Han Li didn't make way for him, but instead moved the ledger around and pointed to a blank space, saying, "Sign here."

Kong Fuyang didn't think much of it, honestly wrote down his name, put down his pen, picked up his bowl again, and muttered with a sigh, "Now that Miss Song has returned to the capital, I can't even eat this meal anymore—even the ordinary pot of rice on the river in the past, if I went to queue up and got a bowl, it would taste good, but now I can only make do with whatever I can find."

Han Li had held back from praising for half a day, but this remark prompted him to finally say, "Actually, the food in the state government's kitchen isn't too bad, it's just that it's been delivered hot and stuffy for too long—it's hard to find someone as dedicated as Stall Owner Song."

Besides them, there were a few other students who stayed behind, as well as Lu Wenming, all eating in the room.

While Han and Kong were discussing the accounts, the others listened quietly. But now that the topic of food had finally come up, everyone chimed in with their own comments.

"Exactly, the cabbage leaves have all turned yellow and soggy. They look watery and taste salty, though they're not inedible... Sigh!"

"What's wrong with the Huazhou government office? The food is fine, and the meat is whole. This fried pork with batter should smell delicious right out of the fryer, but it's been sent all this way and the skin has become soggy and full of steam. It doesn't taste good at all!"

"This wouldn't be the case when Madam Song was in charge of the meals!"

Suddenly, everyone began to miss Song Miaoguan's river kitchen.

"Miss Song always prepares dishes according to the time. If they need to be kept for a long time, she will either steam or stew them. Even if they are fried, deep-fried, or stir-fried, she is not afraid of letting them sit for a long time..."

"That's right, the dogwood-fried tofu—oh, I can't say it, just thinking about it makes my mouth water!"

Seeing everyone complaining, Lu Wenming stepped forward to appease them, saying, "That can't be the same. We're just contributing. When the state government's kitchen cooks, they make extra food and send it over to feed the people in their own offices. So naturally, we don't have time to think too much. Whatever they eat, we eat!"

He added, "Once we get back to the capital, we'll go to Miss Song's house ourselves and beg for food!"

Upon hearing this, some people immediately started counting on their fingers when they would be able to return to Beijing, while others kept reminiscing about the delicious dishes they had eaten recently.

"I like that braised duck with ginger. I wonder if Song Xiaoniangzi's restaurant will sell it!"

"The duck with ginger is delicious, but the pork bone soup with stir-fried shrimp is even better! I want to order that!"

"I asked about that shrimp last time, and Miss Song said that it might not be available in the capital. If we want to eat it when we go back, the variety will be different, and it won't have as much shrimp roe, so it won't taste the same."

"Then let's try something else, the meat and egg soup is delicious too!"

"Why not order the black bean and dogwood-flavored mandarin fish instead of this? Song Xiaoniangzi said the pork and egg soup is super easy to make, and she even wrote down the recipe. If you want it, come here and copy it. Go back and ask your family to make it, or you can learn to make it yourself!"

"Will the dishes taste the same? What kind of skills does Miss Song have? And what kind of skills do my family and I have?"

Hearing everyone's words about Song Miao, praising her or comparing her to others, Han Li remained silent and showed no emotion on his face, but a strange sense of joy welled up inside him.

The joy was inexplicable, like honey dripping from the tail of a flower, sweet and refreshing, with the fragrance of fresh flowers.

The fragrance and sweetness stirred something within him, as if a flower had suddenly bloomed in his heart, gently swaying and beckoning him.

Han Li lowered his head, picked up his brush, and dipped it in ink again.

He opened the ledger and first looked at Song Miao's name before turning to the side—Kong Fuyang's name had already been signed quite far away, as indicated.

He tested the pen on a scrap of paper and found that the ink was just right and the nib didn't bleed too much. He then signed his name next to the characters "Song Miao".

After signing the ledger, he looked at it for a while. He wanted to blow on it, but he couldn't. He waited until the ink dried on its own before putting it away carefully. He also put away the comparison document written by Song Miaona herself, intending to take it to Cen Dezhang when he returned to the prefectural office in the afternoon, so that he could get some benefits for Song the stall owner.

Song Miao was completely unaware of what was happening on the Huazhou River.

The group traveled day and night, and finally arrived in the capital on the afternoon of the first day.

Everyone was heading to different places, and after saying their goodbyes, their cars returned to their respective homes.

Seeing that it was getting late, Song Miao asked the driver to deliver the flatbread first.

Big Pancake waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "I still need to help my wife with her luggage!"

"No need, I'm here! Besides, Uncle Tian is up ahead, we don't need you!" the female bodyguard said loudly.

Song Miao also said, "You've been gone for two months, and your family must be worried. I'll go back with you to let them know."

After declining for half a day, Da Bing had no choice but to agree.

When they arrived at the destination, as expected, Song Miao escorted the person inside, and together with Uncle Liu and Aunt Liu, she praised the flatbread from beginning to end before leaving.

Dabing, unusually shy, followed the others out to see them off, and reluctantly bid farewell to Song Miao, whispering, "I'll come again tomorrow to help my wife!"

Song Miao smiled and said, "You're finally back, take a few days to rest!"

The pancake refused to speak.

He missed his uncle, aunt, and cousins, but he was also really reluctant to leave them.

Not only Song Miao was reluctant to leave, but also the official post station in Huazhou and the house where they stayed on the way back.

My uncle's house is certainly very nice and he takes good care of me, but living in Kyoto is not easy, and there are simply not enough rooms.

He shared a room with his cousin and two younger cousins. It was a large shared room with a small box for storing things. If you were not careful, you would step on the other person's heel when entering or leaving the room.

Now that he had gone to Huazhou with them and tried having his own bed, without having to listen to anyone grinding their teeth or snoring, and that Liang Yan was a good sleeper on the way back, and that the two of them each had their own cabinet, he was very comfortable. Now that he was about to go home and have to squeeze in with his brothers, he couldn't help but miss it.

He only hoped that Miss Song would keep him for a long time, and that Song's shop would open quickly and become big, so that each of his employees could have their own room. He would definitely make a big cabinet to store things!
After seeing off the flatbread, the car turned towards Suanzao Alley.

As the car drove into the end of the alley and came to a stop, Song Miao jumped out of the car. She heard footsteps and looked up to see that the door of Song's Restaurant was open and a small figure was walking out.

Upon seeing her, the little one's eyes widened, and she ran out joyfully. After only a few steps, she turned back and ran back again. Halfway there, she called out, "Mother! Mother! Sister is back!!!"

After calling out, he couldn't help but turn back and rush to Song Miao, hugging her leg tightly and refusing to let go. After a while, he was too embarrassed to say anything else, but he could only call out, "Sister!"

　It's getting late, and my blessings are late too, but good intentions are never too late.

　　The moon is fullest on the 16th of the lunar month, and a Mid-Autumn Festival is a complete celebration for both a family and an individual!

　　Happy Mid-Autumn Festival everyone!

　　(End of this chapter)