Miao Chu

Chapter 267 Inquire
Xin Feng was so excited that Song Miao was reluctant to tell him directly. However, she was urged repeatedly to go to the backyard, so she had no choice but to lead her people to the back.

As she walked, she had to honestly say, "Thank you so much, sister-in-law and inspector, for thinking of me like this—I had a young friend here named Liang Yan who was learning martial arts at a martial arts school. Coincidentally, the uncle of one of his fellow students at the school knew how to make stoves, and he came to help make one..."

As they were talking, they arrived at the backyard.

There were two stoves, one large and one small. The larger one was as tall as a person, and even the smaller one was not large enough to hug with outstretched arms.

The oven door was tightly closed, but even so, you could smell the incredibly fragrant roasted meat. For some reason, it also had a slightly sweet and smoky flavor, along with a very rich savory sauce. Standing there, you couldn't help but wonder: What's inside? When can we eat it?

Xin Feng, who was eager to show off, was utterly disappointed by the scene. He could only stare at the two furnaces with his big, round eyes, then turn to look at the craftsman with his big, round eyes. After a long while, he couldn't help but ask, "Brother, what do you think of these two furnaces?"

The craftsman immediately circled around and looked at it again and again, tentatively reaching out to touch it, and couldn't help but ask, "Young lady, is something being baked inside?"

Song Miao nodded in agreement.

He reluctantly admitted, "The fire insulation is quite good."

He then asked, "This style is different from what we usually make. Where is it made?"

“It’s the kind of material my family always uses. There were original blueprints, and I gave those blueprints to the foreman first, and he made it according to them.”

After hearing what Song Miao said, Master Gan took out his scraper and tried it out again.

The furnace body had been burned to an extremely hard state; not a single speck of powder could be shed even if you scratched it with your fingernail or scraped it with a knife.

"The outside of the stove is crafted to a decent standard, but I wonder about the inside..." He looked at Song Miao expectantly, "Young lady, do you find anything wrong with it? Shall I fix it for you? Do you need anything added? Or should I make you a new one?"

"I see that your two stoves are too big, and even the small one is too big. Don't you need a smaller one? Otherwise, if you're only baking a small amount, it will take a lot of firewood to heat up the stove!"

Before Song Miao could speak, Xin Feng's expression changed, and he said, "Go away, stop talking nonsense! My sister's business is booming! There's no limit to how big her ovens are—she bakes so many that it's never enough to meet demand. Go spit that mouth out!"

Master Gan had no choice but to shut up.

Song Miao replied with a smile, "This is the first time I've used it, and I'm still getting used to the stove's characteristics. I haven't figured out what's wrong with it yet. The master who helped me with the stove will be leaving the capital soon. If I need any help later, or if I need to build a new one, I will definitely come to Master Gan for help!"

He added, "If we're talking about what's lacking, then there really is something lacking..."

She described the iron frame, saying that there should be a handle on the outside of the furnace so that the frame inside would turn when the furnace door was turned, without having to open the furnace door. Ideally, in addition to the handle, there should also be a foot pedal to turn the iron frame inside, making it convenient to exert force.

In addition, it would be best if the bearing could rotate on its own by water jets. In that case, a large bucket of water could be hung on top, or water could be diverted and allowed to flow down to drive the bearing to rotate, thus saving manpower.

The oven has a rotating iron rack, which makes the browning and baking more even than baking in a fixed position.

“It doesn’t have to be made of iron; bronze will do,” she added.

It was simply a copy of what they used to use on Pingyang Mountain. My mother only mentioned it casually that day, without describing it in detail, but she did mention the desired effect. Aunt Xu and Uncle Xu made it in just two days. Even with thousands of pounds of meat hanging inside, it was not difficult to turn the handle. They also brought in spring water, so that when needed, the water could help turn the handle even if no one was around.

But she had already described what the iron frame looked like and explained how it worked in detail. Master Gan still shook his head as he listened, saying, "I've never seen it before. I'll go ask a blacksmith I know well—it's quite difficult, I'm afraid it'll be hard to find one!"

Song Miao then said, "I have already inquired around with ordinary blacksmiths, and they all say they have never done it before. If Master Gan knows any good blacksmiths, please help me inquire about them."

As the two were talking, Xin Feng, after hearing Song Miao's description, felt that she was quite formidable. He was now regretting that he didn't have a chance to show off, so he hurriedly said, "Write it down and draw a diagram for me—I'll take it and ask someone! Don't worry, with me, Old Xin, here, I'll definitely make it for you!"

Song Miao quickly thanked her and then smiled, "It's so great that you can really do it. Otherwise, it would always take up two people here. Watching the fire is one thing, but now it's very troublesome. We have to climb up a high stool every now and then to turn the frame..."

Since Master Gan saw the two stoves and said he wanted to look around some more, Song Miao invited Xin to the front hall, served him tea, and said, "We just opened the first stove today, and there are still roasted pigeons inside. We also made black char siu and honey char siu. The pigeons should be eaten right away, but the char siu can be taken along. It's roasted pork, with a sweet and savory flavor. Inspector, could you take some back for your sister-in-law later?"

Xin Feng downed the hawthorn tea in the large bowl in one gulp, and just as he swallowed it with a gulp, he heard these words and hurriedly asked, "What about that roasted pork—is there extra? How much extra?"

Song Miao said, "I made about twenty or thirty portions. I originally planned to send them to the guests later, but I haven't mentioned it to anyone yet. I can send them another day."

Upon hearing this, Xin Feng immediately said, "That's perfect! Set some aside for me! I just managed to call a car today, so I'll send some over to my brothers' homes later. They've been helping me clean up the mess from the past! And there are also some for your sister-in-law's relatives..."

He counted on his fingers for a long time, and finally said a number of twenty. He ordered most of the char siu that hadn't even come out of the oven yet. He then took the string of coins off his thick waist and handed it to Song Miao.

Song Miao accepted the money, but counted out a portion of it. While explaining the accounts to him, she handed back the string of coins she had counted out, and then said with a smile, "Besides the change, there's also the roasted pork and char siu for my sister-in-law, which I paid for separately. It's free. It's something the inspector wants to give away, so I won't stand on ceremony since it's his own money. My sister-in-law made this stove for me, so I should at least give her a gift in return, right?"

Xin Feng was about to decline, but upon hearing this, he changed his mind, laughed heartily, and said, "Hey, she has more face than I do!"

He tucked the money into his pocket and said, “It’s all thanks to you and Zhengyan that I’ve received so many rewards lately. I thought I would be trampled on like this for the rest of my life, but I never expected to rise up again. Because I’m afraid of causing trouble for Zhengyan, I don’t usually do things in a ostentatious way. Except for the time when we moved into our new house, I don’t dare to invite guests with fanfare.”

"But your sister-in-law said that no matter what, you can't skip this place - when you have time, she wants to invite you to a proper meal, and when Zhengyan comes back, she will invite the two of you again."

He paused for a moment, then said, "It's nothing special. My wife and I cooked it ourselves. It's just a few simple dishes. It can't compare to restaurants, and it's certainly not as good as your cooking. But it's all from the heart!"

Since things had come to this point, Song Miao naturally couldn't refuse, so she said, "The inspector and my sister-in-law invited me, so I had to come no matter what. But recently I've been making more dried meat and dried cuttlefish, and now I've added a stove and made a lot more steamed buns. Things haven't been completely sorted out yet, so I'm really quite busy. Why don't we wait until Young Master Han returns and see when he's free, and then I'll come over with him for a meal?"

Xin Feng hesitated for a while before agreeing.

He looked around at the newly painted interior walls of Song's shop, the various furnishings, two sets of tables and chairs, and many other additions. He couldn't help but sigh, "It's only been a few months, who would have thought—when I first came here, you were all alone in that dilapidated shack, without even a chair, and you wouldn't even buy mutton. Now when I come back, you've hired several people, and the business is booming from morning till night..."

"If it weren't for the inspector keeping watch that day and wiping out the gambling den across the street, I might not have been able to keep this house."

Xin Feng's eyes narrowed with laughter.

“I heard from someone yesterday that many people in the yamen are urging their superiors to do the same thing as the Imperial Academy, getting steamed buns, glutinous rice and all kinds of food from you!”

At this point, he asked, "How much money do you still owe? I received a reward from the Empress Dowager, a house for the eldest son to live in for free, plus a reward of silver. I don't actually need much." "Your sister-in-law specifically discussed this with me recently. She asked me to bring it up—why don't we use our reward silver to pay off the debt first? You can save it up and pay us back slowly later. Besides, both of your children are still young and will be married soon, so there's no rush for dowries..."

Song Miao never expected such a thing to happen, and quickly shook her head, saying, "I can earn money, so the inspector can rest assured, and please rest assured, sister-in-law!"

“I know you can earn money, but don’t push yourself too hard—she asked me to come and tell you beforehand because she was afraid you’d feel embarrassed, and she’ll come to deliver the money herself tomorrow.”

Song Miao was startled and gave a harsh rebuke. Seeing that Xin Feng was unmoved, she had no choice but to say, "My family has a lot of debts. It's not something I can pay off by setting up a stall here for a few months or doing business for a few months. Fortunately, the creditors are very kind. Most of them don't press me. As long as I pay back the money in full every month, they even come over to persuade me. Even so, they are all outsiders after all. I'm anxious about owing them money, and I'm also willing to work hard to earn money to pay it off."

“If it’s something owed to the inspector and his sister-in-law, I just feel that they are family, so I’m not in a hurry. If I don’t care, I’ll lose my motivation, which will be detrimental. When Young Master Han said he would put the money in my account and ask me to use it to pay off the debt and repair the shop, I said the same thing, and that’s when he finally gave up.”

Hearing that Song Miaolian had even refused Han Li's money, Xin Feng knew that his words were no longer effective, so he shut up and secretly made other plans.

When the time came, he was called to the backyard and given a roasted pigeon. He ate it with gusto, his mouth greasy and his fingers licking the bones. He had originally wanted to buy two more for his family, but after hearing Song Miao say that once the pigeons cooled down, their flavor was greatly diminished and most of the juices would be lost, he decided against it. He suggested that he bring his family next time to roast and eat them fresh.

Knowing it was a gift, Song Miao asked Dabing and Zhang Si Niang to take a covered woven basket lined with lotus leaves, cut the char siu into pieces and put it in the basket, then put a strip of paper around the outside to seal the basket. She also specially found the stamp that Han Li had helped carve last time and stamped it with the four round characters "Song Ji Restaurant".

Xin Feng wasn't very literate, but upon seeing these characters, he couldn't help but praise them, saying, "Your shop seal is excellent! It looks festive and auspicious!"

Song Miao smiled and said, "I was just about to thank Young Master Han. When he was carving the name seal on the river, he took a break from his busy schedule to specially help carve this shop seal for me—I haven't had a chance to properly thank him yet."

Xin Feng immediately read the chapter over and over again, praising it even more enthusiastically, saying, "I knew it! This chapter is so much better than everyone else's!"

He wanted to buy a lot of char siu, and it would take time to cut and put it in the basket. After he had chosen the meat, Song Miao thought he should lead the people to the front hall to sit down.

The two walked one after the other, and halfway there, Xin Feng suddenly stopped, pointed to the side and asked, "That jar is cracked and covered in moss, why haven't you thrown it away yet? Is it too heavy to move? I'll call a few brothers over..."

Song Miao turned her head and looked in the direction he was pointing, and immediately laughed: "That was originally a water vat used in the shop before. Because it was broken and cracked, it was easy to leak water, so I moved it here to raise fish - I also grew that moss."

Xin Feng, only half understanding, said, "Moss can be grown? Why not just grow vegetables or flowers?"

“I use my backyard as part of a kitchen, where I grow vegetables and flowers. I have to water and fertilize them, which attracts insects and mosquitoes. It’s not a good idea.”

Then she took him to see the moss and said, "It's just to add a touch of wildness."

"I'm really a roughneck, I can't tell the difference." Xin Feng laughed, then peeked inside and saw many fish. He was stunned. "Why are you raising such grayish-brown ones? They're small, and their tails aren't long either, they don't even wag their tails properly. I'll go back and tell your sister-in-law, and ask her to take me to the flower and bird shop to buy you some pretty fish when she has time!"

Song Miao explained with a smile, "I really don't know how to raise fish, and I was afraid they would die. It was Young Master Han who brought them along the way. He said he had asked around and that these fish are very easy to keep—and sure enough, they've been alive for more than two months!"

Upon hearing that it was Song Miao's request and that Han Li had brought back the fish, Xin Feng immediately took a liking to the tank and the moss, and then to all the different kinds of fish inside. The more he looked at them, the more he liked them. He said, "I didn't realize it until you mentioned it. Oh, they are indeed all very energetic, much better than the other fish. Although their colors are not bright, they swim very hard and are not the kind that slack off. They are indeed fish that Zheng Yan picked. The fish raised by Miss Song are really extraordinary!"

His praise was so witty and clever that it made Song Miao laugh uncontrollably.

Xin Feng pointed at one of them and asked, "Why is this one thinner than the others, and its tail is crooked? Was it bullied? The color also seems different, it's a bit reddish. Did it get into a fight?"

The old inspector was indeed very observant.

Song Miao took a closer look and hurriedly went inside to find Han Li's previous painting to check. Sure enough, the tail in the painting was straight, there was a record, and the fish's body was not red. She also said that this fish was particularly aggressive.

When Xin Feng saw the painting, he came over and gestured over the fish in the tank, then took a basin and scooped out the fish with the broken tail, telling Song Miao to wait until it grew back before putting it back in the tank.

He looked at the painting again and again, and said, "I've heard that Zheng Yan's calligraphy and paintings are very valuable. Although this is your backyard, there are still many people and many hands on the side. It's best to keep the doors and windows closed during the day so that people don't come in and out and accidentally steal this painting!"

After the char siu was cut and packed, Xin Feng, carrying many baskets, was about to say goodbye to Song Miao when he suddenly seemed to remember something, grinned, and said, "I forgot to tell you, this time when I went to find the craftsman, it was Zheng Yan who reminded me—he's so thoughtful!"

He then recounted how he deduced from what he overheard from his brothers who Han Li was looking for the furnace and why.

Song Miao paused for a moment before thanking her.

The person had already left, but she was still standing at the door, looking up at the peeling paint on the signboard, and then at the center of the front hall—the space in the central hall was now empty. Back in Huazhou, Han Li had already prepared several couplets for her to choose from, saying that if she couldn't return in August and couldn't make it back for the shop to reopen, he would frame the couplets and screens and send them back to congratulate her on her opening.

The central hall and the screen were one thing, but what was unexpected was that he still remembered the stove, and even from a distance, he sent people to inquire about it...

Just as she was lost in thought, Cheng Erniang came out to ask about tomorrow's shopping, so Song Miao put aside her thoughts for the time being and went inside.

Xin Feng rode in a carriage, delivering char siu all the way. When he got home, he hurriedly told Du about what had happened that day. He then placed the char siu he had saved on the table and pointed to it, saying, "Your sister gave this to you. She said she was treating you and wouldn't accept any money!"

Madam Du sighed and said, "What a wonderful girl! I only hope her business grows bigger and bigger!"

He then asked, "Have you mentioned the matter of the silver?"

"You still have to say that! She refuses to accept it!" Xin Feng explained the situation. "Why don't you go and make the trip tomorrow? It's always easier for you women to talk things out."

Madam Du glanced at him and said, "You always talk so much about yourself, but now you can't even give away a penny!"

"Not only me! Zheng Yan couldn't be sent out either, which shows it's not that I'm incompetent!" Xin Feng hurriedly complained, mentioning that Han Li also wanted to send silver but was refused by Song Miao. Because of this, he casually mentioned the seal, the ugly fish, and the stove.

He thought it was just casual conversation between husband and wife, but as Mrs. Du listened, she felt more and more uneasy.

She only knew that her husband had recently been looking for a craftsman to make a stove for Lady Song, but she didn't know many of the details behind it. She couldn't help but ask, "You said that Young Master Han sent a tank of ugly fish to Lady Song—that's fine—but he even named each fish and drew pictures of them?"

“Borrowing money is nothing. Young Master Han has always been kind-hearted and generous. But he even remembered Song Ji’s stove so clearly. He was in Huazhou and had to use several connections to ask people to help him inquire about it.”

(End of this chapter)