Miao Chu

Chapter 268: Door Call
Xin Feng replied with a grin, "That's why I say Zheng Yan is reliable. It's remarkable that he can handle everything so meticulously and thoughtfully!"

When husband and wife talk, they naturally don't bother with beating around the bush. Du said directly, "I feel like something's not quite right—Young Master Han is being a little too attentive to Young Lady Song!"

Xin Feng was taken aback and asked, "What's wrong?"

He laughed and said, "You're overthinking it! You see, when Zheng Yan took care of me in Yanjin County, before he left, he would even go to a clothing shop to order many pairs of underwear for me, so that it would be convenient for me to wash and change them."

"Later, the person who brought the clothes explained to me in detail what happened and how to change into them, and that's when I found out—when I returned to Beijing, you saw those pocketed clothes and trousers, and you also said you'd never seen anything so thoughtful?"

With another wave of his hand, he said decisively, "That's just the kind of person he is!"

Mrs. Du pursed her lips and shook her head, saying, "Did he write you a letter and tell you how to dress?"

Xin Feng blushed and said, "Well, it's not that I'm not very literate!"

Du asked again, "You can read pictures, right? Did he draw them for you?"

"Why do you always get stuck on this? They're not the same thing at all!" Xin Feng frowned, his thick eyebrows furrowing as he unconsciously imagined it. The more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed. He shook his head vigorously, trying to shake the image out of his mind. "Draw a diagram to teach me how to put on pants? It's so strange!"

He paused for a moment, then said, "You're overthinking it! With Song Xiaoniangzi's character and personality, who wouldn't want to treat her well? Look at you, you've only known her for a few days, yet you were willing to give her the gold bestowed by the Empress Dowager to use first, weren't you?"

He added, "Besides, the relationship between the three of us is different from that of others. If it weren't for that Song girl's sharp eyes and quick wit, how could Zhengyan and I have accomplished so much and made so many contributions? Given her family background and the bad things she has encountered one after another, it is only right that Zhengyan and I take extra care of her!"

Madam Du was indeed somewhat persuaded. After thinking about it, she stopped dwelling on the matter and hesitated for a moment before saying, "Don't you know why I'm so generous?"

She gave her husband a reproachful look and said, "Besides the fact that Miss Song is such a good person, and I really want to tell her not to suffer too much, the most important thing is that it's all for your sake."

A seemingly ordinary sentence, but when it reached Xin Feng's ears, it made his coppery eyes widen even more.

He was sitting down, but suddenly it felt like a stool and a chestnut bun had been placed under his buttocks. He scratched his ears and cheeks, his buttocks swaying back and forth. He couldn't sit still any longer, so he got up and snuggled up to Madam Du. He chuckled and said, "Good mother... I know I've been causing you a lot of trouble lately. You've been taking care of everything at home and outside. You've suffered so much... Once I'm better, I'll let you rest for a while, and I'll take care of everything at home!"

As he spoke, he reached out and touched his wife's hand.

Du Haoniang tried to pull her hand away, but failed. She spat at him and said, "My daughter is outside. She might come in anytime and be seen. You, as her father, have no shame, but I do!"

He stood up again and said, "You'd better get better soon. Just be quiet in the future. I don't care about anything else, just don't make me worry too much, and I'll be grateful!"

After a while, the family had dinner. It was the first time that everyone, young and old, had eaten char siu, and they loved it.

Xin Feng then said, "Miss Song also invited you to take the two little ones out for roast pigeon when you have time—I ate one today, and the skin was so crispy! The meat, the roasted pigeon was so fragrant, and it was full of juice. It was so delicious that I couldn't quite process it!"

"I was going to bring some for you, but she said this stuff tastes best when eaten right after the fire, so how about tomorrow..."

Du Haoniang then said, "I have important business to attend to tomorrow and will be right back. Miss Song is so busy, she can't possibly manage so much. Once the restaurant opens, we'll take good care of the business and bring the two kids over for a meal!"

As evening approached and they were almost done tidying up, and it was getting late, the couple was about to urge their child to go to bed when someone knocked on the door.

When Xin Fengying looked out the door, he was surprised to see that it was none other than Master Gan, who had come during the day.

He didn't go inside; he just stood outside and talked to Xin Feng.

"I thought it was getting late and not a good time to come over—but the inspector told me today that this matter was urgent and that I should let him know as soon as possible if there was any news, good or bad. I was just passing by, so I told him all in one go."

"...I consulted many familiar blacksmiths, but they all said they had never seen or heard of this thing. Although there were drawings, they were not very detailed, and they were afraid that something might be wrong and it would be unusable, so they dared not take the job."

Xin Feng, growing anxious, asked, "Is there no other way? Is there not even a single skilled craftsman?"

Master Gan spread his hands and said, "I've asked everyone I know, and I just asked them to help me inquire. They all said they would report back once they received the news, but judging from their tone, there's probably no news."

Xin Feng had no choice but to thank him.

As Master Gan was about to take his leave, he suddenly added, "There's something I need to tell the inspector as well—it seems there's another group of people inquiring about this place besides us. I initially thought it was that young lady Song from today, but they all say it's not her; they're also from the capital's government office..."

He gave a name and then asked, "Does the inspector recognize him?"

Xin Feng did indeed know him; he was a trusted confidant of Zhang Xunshi, the Left Court Inspector.

He suddenly tensed up and asked, "If you can't find anyone who can do it, he probably can't either, right?"

Seeing that no one was around, Master Gan moved closer and said, "You can't find it in the market, but an acquaintance of mine told me quietly that people have been coming to borrow furnaces from his ironworks these past few days. It was a group of old craftsmen from the Ordnance Bureau who came together with blueprints and were discussing how to make things according to the blueprints."

"Because I arrived after work, I haven't finished yet, but judging from the shape of the odds and ends I've made, it does look a bit like the frame that Miss Song wanted..."

“Those craftsmen didn’t really hide from people. I overheard a few words of their conversation. They said that it was a sketch they had drawn themselves, sent by a young master from Huazhou. Each part of the frame had its own page, and the drawings were twenty or thirty pages thick. They told them to modify it according to their experience and then make it again.”

"Does the inspector know who that young master from Huazhou is? If you do, you could go and ask him. You could borrow some blueprints and follow them. It might be easier than us blindly stumbling around here!"

The young master of Huazhou returned with another drawing; it must be Han Li.

Xin Feng was in such a hurry to make the stove because he wanted to help Song Miao and lend a hand to Han Li. He thought that with his years of inspection experience and familiarity with people all over the area, he would be able to make a stove and a frame with ease, but he did not expect it to be so troublesome.

In the end, the stove was a step too late, and the rack couldn't be found at all, so someone else beat them to it.

Zhang Zheng of the Left Court is an official after all, and his connections are completely different. He can even find old craftsmen from the Military Equipment Bureau to help him. Xin Feng's abilities are not yet at that level. If he really wanted to do it, it would be Qin Jie who could do it.

Since it was something he couldn't do, he stopped dwelling on it. However, he couldn't help feeling a bit stifled. He felt that he had worked for many years before finally receiving encouragement and rewards from the emperor and empress dowager. No matter how much he said he should be more reserved and low-key, he was still somewhat smug. But at this moment, it was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head, and he immediately sobered up.

After seeing Master Gan off, Xin Feng stood at the door, initially feeling dejected. But after feeding a few mosquitoes, letting a few escape, and killing two, he held up a hand full of blood and suddenly turned around.

—It was just a letter, yet Zhang Zheng and Qin Jie, the two inspectors from the capital's prefectural government, were vying to help him. He was so close to him, and he even took the initiative to write articles for him. Countless people in the world envied him. He should be proud! After calming himself down, Xin Feng locked the door, went back to his room, lay on the bed, and whispered some words to his wife.

After briefly recounting what had just happened, and adding his own speculations, Xin Feng concluded, "Very well. I was worried I wouldn't be able to pull off the act, and that Sister Song might cause trouble. But Zheng Yan has already taken care of things and arranged everything for her. I..."

He was about to speak when he looked up and saw his wife looking hesitant, so he asked, "What's wrong?"

Du Haoniang shook her head, and after a while, asked again, "It's nothing, I just feel... that Young Master Han must be very busy on weekdays, right?"

"That is!"

Xin Feng then recounted how, when he was in the Kyoto government office, he had seen Han Li and Kong Fuyang not resting at noon, either sharing tasks or reciting texts.

Now that I've gone to Huazhou, things are so urgent, and the river flood season waits for no one, so I'll definitely be even busier.

Before Xin Feng could finish his reflection, he heard his wife across from him say, "Twenty or thirty drawings, even for Young Master Han, would take a long time to complete, wouldn't it?"

As Xin Feng lay there, the sleepiness he had finally managed to muster immediately dissipated.

—Yes, he's so busy, yet he's still thinking about the stove and the rack. He'll draw twenty or thirty pictures just for the rack.

There's also that picture of fish I saw at Song's shop today—those ugly fish, each one a different species, so ugly they must be hard to find, right? And those seals, they must have been drawn and carved at the same time…

Xin Feng sat up abruptly, his eyes wide, and turned to look to the side, his voice trembling as he said, "Zhengyan... Sister Song... he's not thinking of anything else, is he?!"

In the darkness, Xin Feng couldn't see his wife's eyes or her expression, but he heard her say softly, "Old Xin, aren't you overthinking things? Young Master Han is just that kind of meticulous person!"

These words were both familiar and unfamiliar; every sentence was something he had just said, leaving him speechless.

***
In Suanzao Alley, Song Family Restaurant also ate dinner early that day.

Song Miao saw that Xiao Lian had gone to the backyard outhouse twice during the time it took to eat a meal. After finally finishing her meal, she helped clean up the dishes and then brought out books, set up a small chair, and sat in the front hall reciting her lessons in front of the small table—all to save on oil lamp oil.

In just half an hour, she went to the outhouse several more times.

As Cheng Erniang tidied up, she noticed her daughter coming and going and couldn't help but nag, asking, "You didn't drink much soup tonight, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

After hearing her daughter say that she felt fine, she reminded her, "Don't get distracted. Just get through tonight, and you'll be fine tomorrow!"

Xiaolian agreed, and soon after, she started running to the outhouse again.

This time, Cheng Erniang couldn't hold back any longer. When her daughter came out, she said, "Put your heart into it! We can't compare to others, so we should work harder. Running to the outhouse all day long, are you just lazy and need to poop even when you don't have any?"

Seeing this, Song Miao thought for a moment, then made an excuse that she was in a hurry to check the accounts and asked Cheng Erniang to help her look at the accounts for the past few days. After the person left, she moved a chair and sat down next to Xiao Lian.

As soon as she sat down, Xiaolian turned her head and called out, "Sister Song."

Song Miao said softly, "Are you nervous and unable to concentrate on your studies?"

Xiaolian gave a soft "hmm" and said in a low voice, "I've been memorizing for so long. I know some of the characters, but I don't know why, I just can't seem to get them into my head. I'm so afraid that Dr. Lin won't think much of me tomorrow, or that I won't be able to answer the questions and will fail. I'm so sorry, sister, I'm so sorry, Mr. Chen..."

Song Miao laughed and said, "What do you mean? If we can't pass, we can find another master—is there only one master in the world we can worship?"

Xiaolian immediately became anxious and hurriedly said, "But Mother said that Doctor Lin is exceptionally good. My sister went to great lengths to invite Old Master Chen to help us. Now that we have this opportunity... I have to do my best. I really want to go and learn medicine from her!"

"The most important reason why Mr. Chen is willing to help is that he sees that you are ambitious and is very willing to give you a hand. It's not because of me."

"However, things in this world don't always go as planned. Just do your best. If you find many masters but none of them are good enough, you can find a suitable pharmacy and become an apprentice there to learn about medicinal herbs and their effects. Then you can ask other good doctors for advice later."

"Old Madam He, Old Master Chen, and all the other teachers at the Imperial Academy are capable, as are Young Master Han and Young Master Kong. Aren't they coming back? Even if all of them don't work, there's still Aunt Liang Yan..."

"At the very least, when your uncle becomes an official or your mother becomes a manager, surely they can find you a tutor?"

Song Miao paused, then said softly, "You already have confidence and choices. There are more than just this one path in the future. Even if you take the wrong one, it doesn't matter. The world is full of wonderful encounters. A year ago, I never thought I would make a living by cooking. You are still so young. You have so many opportunities in the future. Why limit yourself?"

"Be more open-minded, broaden your horizons, and take a look at the kind of people you see every day—no matter how good Dr. Lin is, does he have three heads and six arms?"

Xiao Lian quickly shook her head.

Song Miao smiled and said, "Go to sleep early—relax. You're going to become an apprentice. Your master will choose you, and you will choose your master. Becoming an apprentice is a lifelong commitment, so you can't be careless or hasty."

"You need to observe her speech, actions, and attitude towards you. Don't pretend; just treat her as usual. If you feel something is amiss, don't be shy; if you want to come back, just say so..."

Upon hearing the last sentence, Xiaolian's small eyes filled with disbelief as she asked, "Can I choose my master too?"

Song Miaotong carefully explained to her how to choose before saying, "Go to sleep first, it's too late—even if you're asked questions tomorrow and can't answer them, you should still observe the other person's expression and attitude."

“You’ve seen Mr. Chen and Master Cao quite often, and you know better than anyone how good teachers treat their students.”

After chatting for a while, Xiaolian went back to her room. She was no longer very nervous, and even the urge to run to the toilet had decreased. She thought to herself: "Sister is right. We don't need to look at other people. Just look at how Sister teaches Brother Bingzi and the others. That's how we know what a good teacher is. I need to do my best and see clearly so that I won't regret it later!"

The next morning, two groups of people from Songji set up their stalls, delivered the goods, and returned to the restaurant. Cheng Erniang then took half a day off and went with Xiaolian to Tianyuantang to visit Doctor Lin.

Not long after the mother and daughter left, a carriage drove into Suanzao Lane and stopped in front of Songji Restaurant.

A servant came up and knocked on the door, asking, "Is there a young lady named Song here?"

(End of this chapter)