Miao Chu

Chapter 258 Sooner or Later
After Lady Lü left, no one in the room spoke, but they whispered among themselves, chuckling to themselves, and pointing at Master Xu behind the large bowl.

Who would have thought that talking about someone behind their back would be caught red-handed? His words were like slapping himself in the face. Master Xu couldn't sit still any longer and slunk away.

The more he thought about it, the more indignant he became. His original dissatisfaction had ballooned to a hundred and twenty percent. He wasn't in a hurry to drive anymore—business had been slow these past two days anyway—he just wanted to vent his anger. So he went to various teahouses and wine stalls, speaking ill of Song's restaurant, with one idea in mind: if he talked too much, not everyone would be like Madam Lü, and not everyone would know about Song's restaurant, so someone would eventually believe him.

Since he has mouths on his own body, no one can control them. In the future, he will complain to everyone he meets. When word spreads, it will be extremely fast, and the source will be hard to find. It might even become more and more vicious and evil. Let that woman surnamed Song know how powerful he is!
Logically speaking, when people talk about others behind their backs, the person being talked about is always the last to find out.

However, Song Miao had anticipated that the coachman would cause trouble. On the day she drove away Master Xu, she had already informed her neighbors and the patrolmen in the shop, and even sent someone to invite Sun, the village head, to help keep an eye on things.

Master Xu was right; word of mouth spread very quickly.

So, no sooner had he stepped out of the tavern than a neighbor went to inform Song Ji of the news before afternoon.

The old woman was filled with righteous indignation: "...If my granddaughter hadn't heard about it from others and told me about it, I wouldn't have known—if I had known earlier, I would have rushed forward and torn his stinking mouth apart the moment I saw it!"

"It's not easy for your business to take off. If more people come in the future, you can help me make some business too. But with him saying this and that, what if people who don't know any better start to believe him!"

This old woman used to run a general store in Suanzao Lane. Her family used to make a good living selling everyday goods and catering to the students of Nanlu Academy.

With the back gate of the south slope closed, if it weren't for the fact that it was his own house and he didn't have to pay rent for the shop, he would have been unable to survive long ago and would have been left to just sit there idly.

Fortunately, Song Miao's business was gradually improving. Every day, she would take a lot of dried lotus leaves, bamboo tubes, bamboo sticks, oil paper and other items from her family—more and more each day, which helped her a lot. When she heard that the coachman had ruined the reputation of Song's restaurant, she was just as angry as if he had ruined her own family's reputation.

She longed for Song Ji to reopen more than anyone else.

Once it opens, there will always be customers coming and going. The more people there are, the more benefits there will be. Recently, many customers who went into Song's to pick up snacks, dried meat, etc., have stopped by my house to buy some things!

Song Miao quickly thanked the old woman and gave her a small packet of fried dough twists to take home and eat.

The person on the other end declined a couple of times, but still accepted, quickly adding, "Don't worry! If I encounter that filthy jerk, I'll definitely speak up for you!"

After the old woman left, Cheng Erniang hurried over and said, "Madam, I'll go out and find a few people to look for him! Once I see him, I'll confront him face to face!"

Zhang Si Niang hurriedly said, "He's a scoundrel, completely unreasonable. Even if we win the argument, what if he acts like a rogue or gets physical? We should send San Lang instead! He's thick-skinned and has been rowing boats since he was a child. If we meet, he can just roll up his sleeves and show his thick arms, and he'll be scared to death!"

She grew angrier as she spoke: "It's outrageous! He's clearly a vile man, yet he has the nerve to turn around and accuse me!"

Big Pancake said, "I'll report to the authorities! Once I get the news, I'll go find the patrol officers. You guys call some helpers to drag the man away. I've seen several patrol officers around here before at the yamen, so I can call them!"

He continued cursing, "His mouth is truly a mouth of ass, his words are like spewing filth. He urinates and defecates wherever he wants, how dare he talk about Brother Wang! How dare he talk about me! I wash my hands countless times every day! Back in Huazhou, all the aunties and women called me 'Liu the Hand Washer'! It really infuriates me!!"

Seeing that everyone in the room was furious and wanted to help, Song Miao shook her head and said, "It's too much of a favor to everyone to go out and catch him. If we can't catch him right away, won't we have to keep an eye on him all the time? We'll just be running around like crazy, not only will we be tired, but we'll also delay our own business."

He added, "Besides, even if we find them, if we go up and confront them ourselves, even if we win and are in the right, we'll just be a laughing stock—the patrolmen can't come anytime."

"What can we do then, my wife? But we can't just ignore him and let him talk!"

Song Miao thought for a moment and called out, "Second Mistress."

Cheng Erniang readily agreed.

"Go to the butcher shop and find Butcher Shen. Tell him that someone outside is spreading rumors that our meat is leftover meat from the previous day and that it's rotten. We always buy pork and mutton from him, so ask him if it's true or not."

"There's also Sister Feng. The dried squid was sourced from her. Some people say it was rotten."

As he spoke, he invited out the two short-term hired women who were busy behind him, explained the situation, and said, "I know that after you two finish your work, you also work part-time at the wine shop, so you must know quite a few wine shop ladies—I wonder if it would be convenient for you to pass on a message: if they see Master Xu speaking ill of our family in any wine shop or teahouse, please ask someone to come to the restaurant and let them know. If you can keep him here, that would be best—I will reward you handsomely!"

The two agreed faster than the other.

"Don't worry, my wife! I'll tell everyone I meet tonight, and I'll make sure everyone knows about this. That Xu fellow is absolutely despicable! How can he spew such filth from his mouth! He's clearly the most filthy one himself!"

"Exactly! I also peddle it around the neighborhood from time to time, and I help keep an eye out for it. I not only make sure to explain it to the other wine ladies, but when I get home, I tell all the neighbors, relatives, and friends, asking them all to keep an eye out for it—this stinking bug is disgusting! When I catch it, I'll spit it in his face!"

After the assignments were completed, except for Cheng Erniang, who was sent out to inform Butcher Shen, Aunt Feng, and others, the rest of the people returned to their respective posts to do their work.

Song Miao laughed and said, "There are so many orders piling up, let's get to work quickly—if we all focus on that bug, we might not finish during the day and end up working overtime at night, which wouldn't be worth it!"

It is said that a bad soldier is bad, but a bad general leads to a bad army. Similarly, a brave general makes a brave soldier. This saying also applies to restaurants.

The group was initially quite nervous, but seeing that their boss remained calm in the face of trouble, they all relaxed a little.

When you see Song Miao responding like this again, on the one hand, she doesn't take Master Xu seriously at all, and on the other hand, she comes up with one, two, or three solutions. Although they haven't been used yet, they sound quite reliable.

Others strike a snake at its vital spot, but this owner smashes the snake all over, no matter where its vital spot is, he uses all sorts of methods, like crushing it with a big rock until it's dead.

The crowd was no longer panicked; instead, they began to look forward to it—they wondered which side would capture the person, and when they would capture him!
Then there were the two short-term hired women, who had never been so busy with their work before. In the past, they would always think about slowly eating the food from Song Ji's buns, taking a break, and drinking a cup of wine before leaving. Today, they couldn't wait to finish their work, wrap the food in lotus leaves, eat as they walked, and get to the wine shop as soon as possible to spread the word and catch the coachman quickly so they could watch the show.

They even couldn't help but secretly discuss it.

One of them said, "I'm thinking, besides sending a message to our restaurant, shouldn't we also send someone to the butcher shop to inform Butcher Shen? It would definitely be more interesting than reporting to the patrol—otherwise, by the time the patrol arrives, it'll be too late!"

Another person had a different suggestion, saying, "That butcher Shen might not be able to leave. Why not go and inform Aunt Feng? She has a son and daughter-in-law at home, and they can come over to help watch the shop with just a call. She can free herself up, and besides, she's quick-witted and can talk that Xu guy to death with her spittle!"

While the two were still planning and looking forward, fully expecting to have time to contribute and perform, things in this world rarely go as planned.

After receiving instructions from Song Miao, Cheng Erniang went to inform Butcher Shen and Aunt Feng, explaining the whole story. She said that there was something going on at the restaurant and left in a hurry without lingering.

Both Shen and Feng were seasoned businessmen, and upon hearing Cheng Erniang's tone, they immediately understood Song Miao's meaning.

Given Song's current size, she was already a major customer. Without needing to spell it out, the two immediately got to work, enlisting acquaintances to inquire everywhere. It was also a coincidence, and Master Xu was "lucky"—Since acquiring Song Miao as a customer, when the amount of meat he bought was small, he hadn't neglected her, nor had he complained about her meticulous selection of meat; the business was very smooth. As the relationship grew, and Song Miao's business expanded, her purchases increased, especially recently after her return to the capital, she increased manpower and added more varieties, particularly making dried meat.

Ten catties of fresh meat can only yield four catties of dried meat. Song Ji's orders are large and stable. They also need to make steamed buns and rice rolls for breakfast, and small lunch tables for lunch, etc. Every day, they need to buy at least one or two hundred catties of pork, and also buy mutton.

Shen, the butcher, used to only sell pork, and he couldn't even sell one pig a day. But thanks to Song Miao, he was able to get two or three pigs a day. In order not to lose her business, he even sold mutton as well.

He has a wide variety of meats and all kinds of colors, so people can choose more. As a result, he has more customers than before, and his business is getting better and better every day. Now one stall is not enough, so he has added a new stall and has called his two nephews from the countryside to help out.

The Shen family was already large, with three sons and two daughters. Apart from the youngest who was too young to help out, the other four were also in the business of selling meat, vegetables, and fruits nearby. They were all eager to supply Song's family with their products.

This was a rare opportunity, and the whole family was eager to show off.

Everyone who could leave immediately was mobilized. As the saying goes, more people make farming easier. With about ten people sent out, they quickly found the coachman.

So, Master Xu got really into cursing.

"...You don't know, the meat was infested with maggots, I couldn't bear to look! How could those who make food be so heartless, if..."

Before the word "shout" had even finished, a furious roar could be heard from the teahouse entrance: "Hey you with the sores on your tongue! Who are you calling maggots in meat?!"

The sound was like a thunderclap, startling Master Xu. He hurriedly turned around and saw a stranger, who was not old and of average build.

Master Xu immediately felt relieved.

He sneered, "What business is it of yours what I say about Song's Eatery in Suanzao Lane? Do you think you should speak up for her just because that woman is pretty? They sell rotten meat and stinky fish all the time! I don't know where they get the meat and fish from, they're already terrible, and then they're left overnight. In this heat, maggots are everywhere..."

As Master Xu was talking, he initially looked across the room, but when he saw that the man was not speaking and only had a dark face, he couldn't help but turn his head and gesture to the person next to him. Just as he was getting into it, he caught a glimpse of a group of people coming in from outside the door.

The man at the front was very burly and tall, with a thick beard. As soon as he entered, he went straight for me.

He vaguely sensed something was wrong, stopped talking, and was about to ask a question when the bearded man was already in front of him.

Suddenly, darkness fell in front of Master Xu. He turned around, and a gust of wind rushed past him. He finally reacted in time, scrambling and crawling under a nearby table, shouting, "Someone's being hit! Someone's being hit!! Call the police! Someone call the police for me right now!!"

The people who were sitting at the table quickly moved aside.

The bearded man raised his fist and shouted, "You, surnamed Xu, get out here! You're spewing filth here, saying Song's meat is rotten and fish is stinky. Everyone in the butcher shop knows that Song's meat comes from my family. Cutting off someone's money is like killing their parents. When did my Shen family ever offend you?!"

"come out!"

As he spoke, he kicked the table under his foot.

Seeing the size of the other party and the seven or eight men who rushed in, all of them fat and strong, Master Xu dared not refute them. He covered his head and huddled into a ball, hurriedly saying, "I was wrong!! I was wrong! I spat out excrement! I spat out excrement!!! Master Shen, spare my life!!"

Shen the butcher was furious. He pulled him out and didn't move him, cursing loudly.

Just as they were cursing, a shrill voice rang out from the doorway: "Where is that guy surnamed Xu! Where is he?!"

A person rushed in—but it was a withered old woman.

This person was Aunt Feng's mother. Upon receiving the news, she immediately rushed over.

Seeing her appearance, Butcher Shen dared not be negligent and quickly stepped aside, afraid of brushing or bumping into her.

Almost eight out of ten people in the room pointed under the table and exclaimed, "It's here!"

The word "li" was called out last by one person, making it the clearest to hear. The last syllable even trembled slightly, whether from anticipation or excitement, it was hard to tell.

As expected, Old Lady Feng saw Master Xu under the table, but unlike Butcher Shen, she was useless. She ducked down and crawled inside.

She raised her fingernails and scratched wildly at Master Xu's head and face, yelling, "You son of a bitch, you son without an anus! Others may not know you, but do you think I don't? You've been unruly since you were a child, even dogs would spit on you. You couldn't make it in the east of the city, so you came to the city and what a pathetic sight you are!"

"Song's place is so clean—I don't even dare to enter the store without wiping my shoes clean before delivering goods. And you dare to talk nonsense here? I've heard about it before. You old fart with a poop all over the place, you can't hold it in and you poop everywhere. Get fired from Song's place! My daughter's squid are all hand-picked by me, even the tentacles are beautiful. You're the rotten fish! You stinky shrimp! You rotten fish!!"

Old Lady Feng's fingernails, Old Lady Feng's mouth, and especially Old Lady Feng's agility despite her age, made Master Xu want to fight back and curse several times but he couldn't. In the end, he had to roll out. When he finally got a chance to clench his fist to strike, Butcher Shen and others grabbed him and pushed him back under the table.

Another young boy from the Shen family squeezed in as well. Taking advantage of his young age, he wasn't afraid of being accused of bullying others and joined forces with Old Lady Feng to catch them all.

The room was filled with people watching the spectacle, but since it wasn't a fatal fighting style and there wasn't even a drop of blood, no one stopped them.

Seeing that things were getting out of hand, Master Xu quickly begged for mercy, saying, "I was wrong! I was really wrong! It was my own fault that I was fired, and that's why I came out here to lie and ruin Song's reputation—their meat is top-quality and spotless, it was all my fault for spewing filth. I'll go apologize to the young lady, okay? Please stop hitting me! Please stop hitting me!!"

Old Lady Feng crawled out from under the table, wiped her hands with a handkerchief, shook her sleeves, and tidied her slightly disheveled hair. She snorted, "You still want to go to Song's place to see Miss Song? Are you out of your mind? Do you think I'm stupid? Behave yourself. Where do you go to talk? Apologize to me one by one and explain everything before you can leave!"

So from afternoon to evening, Master Xu was forced by a group of people to confess his crimes and admit his mistakes at each shop and stall.

After finally making it to the last room, he made countless promises and pledges, practically kowtowing to a group of people, before he was finally spared from being sent to the yamen (government office).

When Master Xu got into his mule cart, he touched his face and felt both pain and itchiness. Although there was no mirror or water basin, he knew that the old man and the young man must have scratched him terribly. Tears and snot streamed down his face, making the pain worse. He couldn't help but grimace and curse.

"You just wait, I'll get my comeuppance sooner or later! Hiss!"

However, before he could even finish his curse and say what he was going to do one day, his face was already stinging. Startled, he quickly peeked out, afraid that someone would hear him and come to settle scores again.

(End of this chapter)