Miao Chu

Chapter 255 Behind the scenes
The busiest time at Song Ji's is the two hours before dawn. If you go late, the other food will be fine, but they definitely won't be able to wrap enough meat, vegetables, and steamed buns. They also won't have time to prepare all kinds of rice noodle roll fillings, and everything will be delayed.

Zhang Si Niang was really anxious, but it was too early. There were only hired workers and peddlers and farmers carrying loads into the city on the road, but no carriages or horses soliciting customers.

Seeing that things weren't going well and not knowing why, fearing she might miss something important, she simply went back inside to get a lantern, tucked her trousers into her pants, rolled up her sleeves, and without waiting any longer, grabbed the lantern in one hand and ran towards Song's shop.

Halfway there, I was already panting and covered in sweat. I could see that Suanzao Lane was just a few steps ahead when I heard the rumbling of wheels behind me.

It was still completely dark when Zhang Si Niang carried a lantern, making her quite conspicuous on the road.

She heard someone behind her call out, "That Lady Zhang!"

Turning around, I saw a familiar mule cart approaching.

Master Xu cried out, "Ouch! Ouch!" and said, "Why did you leave first? I've been looking for you all this way!"

He then reined in the mule and said, "Get on the cart quickly!"

As soon as Zhang Si Niang got into the carriage, she saw Da Bing sitting inside, having untied the cloth wrapped around his head, fanning himself and wiping away sweat, his complexion not looking too good.

Master Xu didn't rush forward. He turned around and said with a forced smile, "It was really unfortunate. In the middle of the night last night, a pregnant woman on the street had a difficult childbirth. The midwife couldn't do anything, so her family came to me, crying and begging me to drive to Ma Xing Street to fetch a doctor. After all, it was a matter of life and death for both mother and child, so I couldn't refuse. I rushed to take someone to the clinic to fetch a doctor. That's why I was a little late getting here. Luckily, I didn't miss anything!"

He added, "Mrs. Zhang, please don't hold it against me. I just spoke to Dabing, and although he's young, he's quite sensible. He told me not to take it to heart!"

Human life is at stake. Hearing that it was to save a woman in labor, although she was still a little uneasy, Zhang Si Niang naturally didn't say much. She could only wipe her sweat and say, "Never mind, but next time something like this happens, you should find someone else to pick us up earlier, or make arrangements in advance. Otherwise, if something goes wrong at the restaurant, who will be responsible?"

He then asked, "Did the wife and child survive?"

Master Xu said, "I dropped them off and came back to pick up this one. I didn't even know!"

He added, "Alas, this is something I couldn't have foreseen."

Seeing that Zhang Si Niang's expression was slightly worried, he couldn't help but say, "We're a little late today. If Miss Song and Miss Cheng ask about it, could you help us cover it up?"

"My family is large and has many expenses. I'm hoping to do well. If I could work full-time at Song's, I wouldn't have to go out in the sweltering heat to find customers. Please put in a good word for me, considering how hard I've worked these past few days!"

Zhang Si Niang and Da Bing exchanged a glance and vaguely agreed.

When they arrived at Song's restaurant, it was indeed a bit later than usual. The two hurriedly tidied up, their feet practically sparking from the effort.

Song Miao and Cheng Erniang only asked a couple of questions, as they were too busy to delve deeper.

After finally finishing their busy work and getting the breakfast ready, Song Miao and Da Bing went to set up their stall, while Cheng Erniang and Zhang Si Niang went out to deliver goods. In addition to breakfast, there were also various kinds of dried meat and snacks ordered by other customers to deliver. They were busy until almost noon before returning.

After returning, there were still matters to attend to at the small dining table. In the afternoon, we prepared and cooked dishes again. In addition, the Xu family martial arts school had ordered a lot of cuttlefish, dried squid, and dried pork. Because of the rush to complete this order, everyone was busy, working non-stop from morning to night.

Fortunately, Cheng Erniang had previously found two aunties for short-term employment, and after working for a while, they had already gotten the hang of it.

Originally, one of them would work in the morning and the other in the afternoon, but today, seeing that there was a lot of work to do, they both voluntarily stayed behind to work overtime together, which helped a lot.

After dinner, as it was getting dark, Song Miao specially arranged for a carriage to take Dabing, Zhang Si Niang, and the two hired laborers home.

As soon as they got on the bus, the driver asked each of them where they were going. When they asked about short-term hires, the two women said in unison that they were going to "Mawei Lane". One said Xiangquan Winery and the other said Lingqing Winery.

Dabing asked curiously, "Do all the aunties own a winery?"

"We don't have that ability!" one of them laughed. "We two are going to be wine maids tonight."

At that time, sake was expensive and cloudy sake was cheap. Small taverns and night market stalls had little capital and could not afford to buy a lot of sake to store, nor were they ashamed to offer it on credit. They could only keep a small amount on hand. So, occasionally, when they were lucky and business was good, they would run out of sake and could not go out to buy more.

If a distillery doesn't want to give up its small business, it will hire some female wine sellers who will go around selling their wines every night, either pushing a cart or carrying a load.

The wine-making women don't receive wages; they are paid based on the quantity sold each day.

Huazhou naturally doesn't have such a profession. Zhang Si Niang was astonished and asked, "If you can't sell any in one night, wouldn't it be the same as working for nothing?"

"That is to say, four or five out of ten stops are empty, but fortunately this job is more flexible. You can go if you want, and it doesn't matter if you don't go."

Since they're not paying wages, it's no big deal if I don't go!

At this point, one of them asked, "Seeing that things are getting busier and busier at Song's place, and now we only need half-day work, I wonder if we'll need people to work a full day later? Zhang Si Niangzi, what do you think about us?"

Since their relationship was not close, Zhang Si Niang did not dare to speak too deeply. She simply shook her head and said, "I am also new here and do not know what the master's plans are."

When asked again, Dabing replied, "My wife didn't say anything."

After the two got out of the car, Zhang Si Niang said, "I knew it wasn't easy to find a good job in the capital, but who knew that these two, who were born and raised in the capital, would still have to do odd jobs."

Dabing said, "It depends on the person. A few short-term aunties came before, but they saw that the vegetables here need to be washed five times, the pots and pans need to be washed repeatedly, and there are many requirements for cleaning. They only stayed for two or three days and then left. But these two are quick and efficient and can endure it, so they stayed."

He added, "Judging from the current momentum of our restaurant, I'm afraid that in a month or two, Madam will have to consider hiring full-time staff. As long as they work diligently and perform well, there's a good chance they'll succeed."

Zhang Si Niang responded without saying much, but she was very glad that she had listened to her sister-in-law that day, and that her family and husband's family had also supported her, which allowed her to enter the capital in time. Otherwise, if she had waited until Song Xiao Niangzi's letter was delivered before setting off, it would have been too late by the time she arrived in the capital.

Although the lady summoned me here because there must be a vacancy to hold me, the difference in influence in the restaurant is huge whether I come a month earlier or a month later.

Thinking of this, she became more and more anxious, feeling that she was not greedy enough, and couldn't help but think how wonderful it would be if Sanlang could come too.

Now, anyone with eyes can see that Song Xiaoniangzi's restaurant has great potential in the future. It's so much better than toiling away at the docks, carrying stones, and gambling on whether she'll ever make it big.

Thinking of her son at home, she couldn't help but ask, "When did Master Xu arrive at your place this morning? When I got in the car, you were covered in sweat."

I was so busy during the day that I couldn't find a moment of free time. Luckily, there was no one else around right now, so I was really annoyed.

"That's exactly what I was talking about! I saw that it was getting late and was afraid I wouldn't make it in time, so I left first. I ran all the way to Lianyun Street before Master Xu finally arrived with his carriage—if I had really waited at my doorstep, it would have been even later!"

He recounted the incident where he had seen Master Xu urinate and defecate on the way, and added, "I really couldn't stand it, but he sounded so pitiful, as if I were talking behind his back and he would be a traitor. Besides, it was Second Madam who brought him here. I've heard Second Madam praise him for his good work several times. I don't know whether to say anything or not..."

Even the flatbread was uncertain, let alone Zhang Si Niang. The two sighed deeply, inevitably complaining about Master Xu, and worrying about what would happen if they were late again tomorrow morning.

Big Pancake said, "I'm hoping he'll be late again, so I can tell Second Madam. But I'm also afraid that if he's late, we won't have time to get to work!"

Zhang Si Niang felt a pang of sympathy.

Wang Sanlang returned very late that day, as usual.

Although he had padded his back with several layers of burlap during the day, his skin was already bruised and swollen the day before yesterday. Today, the injury was aggravated, with several places where the skin was broken and bleeding, which was quite serious.

Zhang Si Niang felt extremely distressed and said, "Why don't you skip work at the docks tomorrow and rent a mule cart to travel around the city?"

She first described the situation at the restaurant, then cheated by learning about 30-40% of the locations of the buyers on the order. Finally, she said, "Today I followed the cart around delivering goods. Master Xu is an experienced driver, but he is far less careful than you. When you used to deliver fish to various places, you rarely spilled any water from the bucket, but he was very careless!"

Wang Sanlang went to work today despite his injury, which was really difficult for him. He didn't dare to be arrogant anymore. Hearing this, he was very tempted, but he still said, "Don't complain behind my back, and don't say anything. Just bear with it for now. We're new here, and it's most important to get along well with everyone. We'll talk about it if he really goes too far!"

He couldn't hold back any longer and said, "As for driving, I'm quite capable! I'm actually quite familiar with the roads around here. Tomorrow I'll drive around those places you mentioned again!"

The next morning, the couple went their separate ways.

Master Xu was not late that day. When they arrived at Song Family Restaurant, everyone prepared all the breakfast and food. Zhang Si Niang and Cheng Er Niang divided the food according to the previous arrangement. Seeing that it was almost time, they called a carriage.

Fearing that Zhang Si Niang might not know the way, Cheng Er Niang gave her Master Xu's car and took the one that had been temporarily called. The two of them went out to deliver food.

This was the first time Zhang Si Niang had ridden alone in Master Xu's mule cart. After getting on, he was very curious and kept asking her questions, such as her background and her family situation.

Upon learning that the women were newlyweds from Huazhou, Master Xu exclaimed "Oh!" and asked, "From Huazhou? How did you manage to find work at Song's shop in the capital? You're quite lucky! Did you know someone influential in the capital who helped you get this job?"

Zhang Si Niang didn't want to mention her interactions with Song Miao in Huazhou, lest people think she was bragging. Now that the other party was asking such a private question, she was even less willing to go into details. She just smiled and said, "San Lang is still carrying bags at the dock. If he knew anyone, why would he be working so hard?"

"Just like Madam Yuan and the others, I was also introduced by someone. Because I made it clear that I didn't want wages and only wanted to learn the craft, Madam Yuan probably saw my sincerity and in the end not only took me in but also paid me as usual."

Master Xu seemed to suddenly realize something and said, "Oh, I see."

After learning about Zhang Si Niang's background, he became even more casual, talking incessantly the whole way. Because he was busy asking questions, he inevitably became distracted, and several times the wheels accidentally ran over dry branches and stones, making the cart frame shake and sway. Once, he didn't have time to avoid a ditch, and with a "bang," a whole cart of food almost flew up.

Startled, Zhang Si Niang hurriedly protected the steamer, and used her knee to brace against the box containing the drinks, fearing that it would affect the appearance or cause them to spill. She kept telling Master Xu, "Master, watch the way," "Be careful," and "Don't talk," and so on.

Master Xu didn't know whether he had listened or not, but he did speak less.

After delivering goods to only a few households, Zhang Si Niang noticed the difference.

Yesterday, when he was with Cheng Erniang, Master Xu not only came down from time to time to help open and close the carriage door, but also took the initiative to carry heavy food. However, today when it was Zhang Siniang's turn to be alone, he only helped carry the food once when she first got on the train at the entrance of the restaurant and closed the door. After that, he did not help her again.

Zhang Si Niang carried and lifted loads by herself, and soon she was covered in sweat.

After delivering the rest, the next stop is the Xu Family Martial Arts School.

Because this family wanted so much stuff that even one load couldn't carry it all, Zhang Si Niang asked, "Master Xu, when we get to that martial arts school later, could you lend me a hand?"

Master Xu frowned, but readily agreed.

However, after winding around for a while, he finally reached the Xu Family Martial Arts School. Suddenly, he reined in the mule and stopped, pointing to the ground not far away and saying to Zhang Si Niang, "This is my first time here. I didn't know there were so many potholes connected together. It must be because of the heavy rains in the past two months. The government office hasn't repaired it yet, which is why it's like this. It's making it difficult for my cart to pass through. Otherwise, the food inside will be ruined by the bumpy ride."

"Please, Miss Zhang, take a few more steps—luckily, it's right in front of us."

He added, "I'm getting old, unlike you young people who are in good physical condition!"

The place was still five or six zhang away from the martial arts school, and there were quite a few pedestrians coming and going. Master Xu naturally "had no choice" but to stay and watch the carriage.

After delivering all the food in the morning, before she had even finished, Zhang Si Niang already felt her ears ringing and her head spinning.

She wasn't a child like Liang Yan. She had run around with Cheng Erniang yesterday and then ran around on her own today, and she clearly felt how capable this Master Xu was.

He really treats people differently depending on who they are.

When Cheng Erniang was in the car, Master Xu was very careful and attentive, and also very proactive and enthusiastic. He would even stop the mule directly at the buyer's front door.

He had been somewhat negligent when he usually dragged her and Dabing along. Not to mention being late, he almost shook their brains out!

Now that he's delivering goods all by himself, he acts even more like a big shot.

Unfortunately, Zhang Si Niang and Da Bing were both newcomers, and it was difficult to speak directly. Although Er Niangzi seemed straightforward, they had only known each other for a short time and she didn't know what kind of person Er Niangzi was. She was afraid of offending her—she had been with Niangzi the longest, and their relationship was no better than that of others!

They finally got back to the restaurant, and although they were delivering the food separately with Cheng Erniang, it wasn't much earlier than when they used to deliver things by themselves.

At the Song Family Restaurant, Song Miao saw that the person had returned and went up to greet her, asking with a smile, "Fourth Sister, is this the first time you've delivered food all by yourself? Are you able to manage? Is there anything you're not used to?"

She should have kept quiet until she asked. Once she did, all of Zhang Si Niang's anger and grievances welled up. She wanted to complain, but she was afraid that Cheng Er Niang would overthink it. Song Miao was in a difficult position, and all her words got stuck in her throat. She couldn't say anything for a long time.

Seeing this, Song Miao asked in surprise, "What's wrong?"

Zhang Si Niang hesitated for a long time before finally saying, "I delivered it too slowly, causing a great delay..."

Song Miao didn't just offer words of comfort; instead, she smiled and said, "What do I have to say? Let's sort things out and see where the problem lies."

As she spoke, she took out the route map she had drawn the day before, dipped her brush in ink, and asked gently, "Where is the problem?"

Zhang Si Niang immediately felt like she was back in Huazhou. When Song Xiao Niangzi led her group of people to work on the river, she would help them sort out any problems or blockages they encountered.

In a moment of impulse, she threw all the offenses and favors she had caused to the back of her mind, thinking to herself: He is clearly a scoundrel. If I keep him in the restaurant, he will be a menace sooner or later. I only want to be a good person. How can I live up to my wife's kindness to me all this time?
So he immediately said, "My lady, I have something to tell you—this is talking about people behind their backs, which is a bit unethical. It's just that Master Xu isn't very reliable!"

(End of this chapter)