Miao Chu

Chapter 235 Difficult to Predict
After packing the plum dew and seeing off Master Chen, the three of them rested for a while. By the afternoon, they had finished preparing most of the things that could be prepared in advance. Only then did Song Miao gather Cheng Erniang and Dabing together.

She first recounted what happened at the Imperial Academy's dining hall that morning, and then concluded, "Although we don't know the current situation and things may not go as planned, I still want to ask in advance whether you think you can manage to keep up if we make more steamed buns every day?"

He added, "Don't force yourself. We're all running our own business. Let's talk things out behind closed doors."

Upon hearing this, both Cheng Erniang and Dabing were eager to express their opinions.

Cheng Erniang quickly added, "My wife has always known my thoughts. I only worry about poor business, and I'm never afraid of being busy. If I can really gain customers from the Imperial Academy, I'll stay up all night to make them! It's just that my skills in making steamed buns aren't pretty enough. I don't know if they'll mind!"

He added, "Furthermore, Dabing lives outside and is still young. He has to set off before dawn every day to walk all the way here, which is much harder than my work. I'm afraid it's a bit unsafe for him..."

Dabing quickly replied, "No, that's not true! When I was an apprentice at the yamen, I got up even earlier than I do now! Our Song's shop is in the breakfast business, so getting up early is essential! We can catch up on a nap at noon and go to bed early at night, so it's not hard work at all!"

He continued, "When I left home, the road was lined with people going to the capital to do business, working at the docks and shops. There were so many people! Besides, my wife and second wife still go out to shop before dawn, and they're not afraid, are they?"

As he spoke, he seemed to wish he could stand up, tiptoe, to appear taller and older, so that people would find him reliable.

"You can rest assured about my pancake business! Everyone hopes for good business! My wife said she'll give me a share of the extra money each month, and I just wish I could make more—you can tell just by listening to me, my name even has 'pancake' in it, I was born to make these pancakes and steamed buns, I'm always quick and efficient!"

Hearing him speak like that, Cheng Erniang was truly enlightened. She thought to herself: "As expected, people from the government are extraordinary. With such eloquence, if Xiaolian can be so eloquent in the future, how can she not gain a foothold in the capital?"

Song Miao couldn't help but laugh.

Seeing their reaction, she understood the situation and said, "Let's wait and see. We can decide later if things develop. We might need to hire another person or two. Also, Second Madam is right. It's really worrying that Dabing comes out in the dark every day."

She thought for a moment and said, "I'll look for a suitable driver. We can hire him for half a day each day. Firstly, we can pick up Dabing and buy some fresh meat and vegetables along the way. Secondly, the weather is too hot, so when my wife delivers meals to various places every day, she won't have to rely entirely on her two legs, which will be much faster."

Dabing was both surprised and delighted. After hesitating for a while, he said awkwardly, "I'm just an apprentice, it's not appropriate for me to ride in a carriage!"

While happy, Cheng Erniang couldn't help but habitually decline, saying it was too expensive, and added, "I went to deliver the food this morning, it wasn't too hot!"

Song Miao smiled and said, "You Xuelu just came to ask. He wants us to start the lunch table again. We'll have to make breakfast and manage the lunch table. There are only three people in the family, which is already quite a stretch. We should save our time and energy to do something that makes money. We can hire a mule cart. Whether it's picking up and dropping off flatbreads, or my second wife and I shopping and delivering goods, it will be much faster."

At this point, she added, "It's too hot, and if we're delayed on the road for too long, I'm afraid the food will spoil and won't taste as good as before. Although we're a small business, if we want to grow, we can't skimp on the money we need to spend, and we can't just rely on people to work us out!"

Cheng Erniang was overjoyed. She exchanged a glance with Dabing, so happy that she couldn't even utter the usual words.

Although one is not afraid of hardship, who in the world likes to suffer unnecessarily or to endure hardship when there is none?
The matter of finding a driver was thus settled.

However, Cheng Erniang hesitated for a few moments and said, "There is something I just wanted to tell you, Madam. Today, when I went to the patrol station and the yamen to deliver breakfast, I found that there was no shaomai. The constables were quite complaining. They said that although glutinous rice is filling, it is still a bit meager for them to eat all that every day. They still want meat and vegetables back. They asked if there was anything else."

"At one end of the food alley, there are rice rolls to replace shumai, but at the patrol shop and the government office, there are none. Also, my wife said that rice rolls must be rolled fresh; if they are made and then sent over, they will not taste the same. But if I make them at one end, I won't be able to finish in time for the other end."

"When I think of steamed buns today, I think of my wife's steamed buns. They are absolutely delicious, especially the ones with pickled vegetables, pickled cowpeas, tofu, red bean paste, mushrooms and cabbage, and mutton. They are all so good. Before, I didn't want to go to the food alley to steal other people's business, and I also had to make shumai, so I didn't have time to cook them."

"Now that we need to replace them, even if the Imperial Academy doesn't want our steamed buns in the end, can't we still start making them first? Make a hundred or eighty, and I'll take them with me and ask them if they want them. If they do, great. Even if they don't, I can sell them along the way. I have regular customers along the route. It'll just be a few more detours, and I can easily sell them all! There's no need to worry at all!"

In the first few months after arriving in the capital, Cheng Erniang encountered many setbacks and obstacles everywhere. It seemed that no matter what she did, she was wrong. Even her accent was disliked by some people. As a result, she acted restrainedly, was careful in everything she did, and dared not say much.

But ever since she joined Song's family, she no longer has to worry about making a living. They eat and live together, taking care of each other, and truly feel like a family.

Because as long as she works hard, she doesn't have to worry about anything else—what to do and how to do it, Song Xiaoniangzi knows everything in her heart, and she will also explain in advance what to do each day, why to do it, and what the benefits are if she does it well.

Knowing the purpose and feeling genuinely grateful, Cheng Erniang worked very hard. Sometimes, even if Song Miao hadn't instructed her, she would carefully observe and do things well.

For example, when delivering meals in the morning, she heard from customers that the soup in the shumai often spilled out, making it unpleasant to eat. After some investigation, she discovered that it was caused by the bumpy wooden pallet during transport. So, every time she delivered meals after that, she would carry the box in herself, preferring to put in more effort rather than affect the customer's experience. She simply couldn't bear the thought of such good food and such excellent skills being ruined by a small detail.

These special efforts would be noticed by Song Xiaoniangzi whenever she delivered meals or happened to see them. Not only would she notice, but she would also praise and commend her.

Cheng Erniang then became even more enthusiastic.

When things were done well, Madam Song was so happy and praised her so much. If she accidentally made a mistake, she would only remind her and even her guidance was gentle. Gradually, Madam Cheng became more confident and self-assured.

Moreover, she also received a share of the profits. When she received an extra sum of money, which was even more than her wages, she felt an urge to stay up all night and make more food to sell.

Cheng Erniang learned to read and write, and also learned accounting. She would go to the stalls to sell goods, or help deliver goods to the government offices and shops. Later, she would go from house to house to ask about the repairs of houses. She was clearly still the same person, and everything she learned was only a beginner's level, a rudimentary understanding. But inexplicably, it seemed that the whole capital city had opened up to her without her even realizing it.

She no longer acts cautiously or timidly, but because she is so open and straightforward, and doesn't try to read people's expressions like before, others look at her with more respect.

Even if there are still some bad people, she no longer cares about their attitudes or words as much as before—she's usually too busy with her own things! Getting things done and making money is the priority; who cares about you!
At this moment, when talking about the business in the shop and her own initiative to go out and push the cart to sell, she was no longer nervous as before, but full of confidence. She had even thought of the arrangements in advance, just waiting for Song Miao to give the order, and then she would do as she was told.

Sure enough, Song Miao smiled upon hearing this and said, "My wife and I are thinking the same thing!" She added, "Let's try making eighty of them tomorrow and see how long it takes. Then we'll see if there's a way to make them faster, just to prepare for the Imperial Academy!"

Cheng Erniang nodded vigorously and agreed.

She felt that she was truly destined to be a workaholic.

When Song Xiaoniangzi was not in the capital, she did everything she could, but she was still uneasy. She felt sorry for the monthly allowance and the care the other party had given her all this time.

Now that Miss Song is back, there are clearly more and more things to do, but she suddenly feels more at ease. She feels that the harder she works, the less guilty she will feel when it comes time to take the profits.

***
Considering factors such as cost, ease of preparation, and the need to prevent spoilage, Song Miao finally selected four flavors: mutton, pork, minced pork with pickled cowpeas, and shiitake mushrooms with cabbage. She plans to make the ingredients tomorrow, see how many she can produce, and then set a price.

As it was almost late afternoon, Dabing took the initiative to start a fire and wash the rice. Just as he finished cooking the rice and was about to ask about the vegetables, he heard someone knocking on the door outside.

Upon answering the door, he saw a messenger. He immediately said to Dabing, "Brother Liu, your aunt asked me to bring a message. She said that a family we know has had a funeral. She wants you to finish what you're doing here and not stay for dinner. Instead, hurry back and come with me to help out with some errands and errands."

Dabing hurriedly agreed, not even bothering to eat, and left after telling Song Miao.

Cheng Erniang came over and said, "I forgot to tell Dabing that we're going to try the new glutinous rice tonight. He cooked rice according to the usual amount, but I'm afraid we won't be able to finish it."

Because Songji glutinous rice is their signature dish, they consume a lot of it every day. Although they have agreed with the rice shop to deliver rice regularly and specifically stated that it must be of the same variety and from the same place, even the same fruit tree will produce fruit with different sweetness depending on whether it is grown in the sun or in the shade. The same is true for grains. Even if they are grown on different hillsides, the rice will have different water absorption, softness, hardness, and taste.

Moreover, in business, even if someone makes a verbal promise, they may not make such detailed distinctions when receiving the money. In fact, each batch delivered is different.

To ensure consistency, every time she switched to new rice, Song Miao would take some out in advance, steam and taste it separately, so as to better control the quality of the rice when she set up her stall.

Hearing Cheng Erniang speak, she went to take a look and found a pot of rice and a pot of glutinous rice, both the usual portions for two large and two small children.

Song Miao always cooks by the measure, rarely leaving any leftovers. Now that the weather is hot, she dislikes eating leftovers even more.

She thought for a moment and said, "It's alright, we still have some fermented rice at home. We can set aside a pot to make fermented rice wine, which can be used to pickle sauerkraut, make steamed buns, or just for our own consumption."

Just then, they heard someone knocking at the door.

Cheng Erniang went over and acknowledged her, then let in an acquaintance.

It was He Qi's servant boy, Bei Zhi.

He looked somewhat embarrassed. He bowed as he entered and then said, "I apologize for my intrusion—but I wonder if Miss Song has any other plans for tonight?"

Song Miaoying said, "I'm just about to prepare dinner. The rest are just ordinary things, nothing urgent. But Mr. He has some free time today and would like to come and patronize my business?"

Bei Zhi said, "Young Master has wanted to come for a long time, but there have been matters to attend to at the manor these past few days, so I had to accompany you on a trip to the western suburbs. I was finally about to return today, and I was thinking of having me inform Madam in advance so that we could make an appointment..."

As he said this, a bitter smile appeared on his face. He said, "Who would have thought that I would run into the young lady of the He family early this morning, who insisted on taking a ride in the carriage. Sure enough, she kept saying nice things on the way and kept urging me to come to the restaurant to play with the young lady of the Song family. I couldn't persuade her otherwise, so I had to ask her first—if it's inconvenient for you, madam, just say so!"

Song Miao knew that the so-called "Miss He" was referring to Zhu Jie'er, and couldn't help but smile, saying, "It's alright, please come directly with Miss He, young master! But when will you arrive, and what would you like to eat?"

Bei Zhi visibly breathed a sigh of relief, but the embarrassment on his face became even more pronounced. He said, "I'm really too embarrassed to tell you, madam—we've actually reached the alley entrance, but I just didn't dare to come in!"

He then explained, “Young Master tried to persuade her all the way, but to no avail. He even delayed for some time and sent Dongzhi to inform Old Madam He. Who knew that the Old Madam had changed her mind this time? She heard that he was going to ‘the young lady’s eatery where she made salted bone porridge last time,’ and she didn’t stop him at all. She even asked Young Master to bring back some good stuff for her if he saw anything nice…”

Song Miao was taken aback by his words, then smiled and said, "My family runs a restaurant, how can we let our guests wait outside? Besides, you've been so kind to me, young master! Shall I go and greet you?"

Bei Zhi thanked her profusely, then said no thanks, and hurried off. Soon after, a carriage stopped at the door. He Qi dismounted first, followed by two nannies, and finally a little girl. She refused to be carried and insisted on sitting on a small stool. At first, she moved down the steps while sitting, but when she reached the last two steps, she happily hopped down.

After getting off the carriage, she followed behind He Qi and entered Song Ji's shop. Upon seeing Song Miao, she was overjoyed. For some reason, she hurriedly hid behind He Qi. After he finished greeting her, she finally poked her head out, hurriedly half-covering her face with her hand, only revealing half of her eye, and asked in a gruff voice, "Sister Song, guess who I am!"

Song Miao deliberately pretended to think seriously and replied, "You hid it so well, it's so hard to guess—but you called me so obediently and cleverly, are you Zhu Jie'er?"

The little person opposite immediately lowered their hand, looking smug, and said, "Oh dear, only a little well-behaved! Not particularly well-behaved!"

She glanced at He Qi, and seeing that he didn't stop her, she ran up to Song Miao and circled around her, asking, "Sister Song, I'm wearing a dress that's the same color as a golden pheasant today, do you think it looks good?"

Then he asked, "Seventh Brother said that last time, a little sister at my sister's house was sick and gave me some bone broth—it was so delicious! I want to thank her. Is she home?"

　Thank you so much for the sachet you sent me, and thank you to my two friends, Xiaoyi and Yangzhong, who both love reading, for each of the good luck charms you gave me :)

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　　Thank you everyone, especially thank you for the special tickets!
　　(End of this chapter)