Miao Chu

Chapter 275 Debt Collection

"Zhujiaqiao... no, Zhoubei Street... no, there's no dock in Zhoubei... sigh, why are there so many unfamiliar characters!"

The young man had an honest face and was dressed in short clothes. His turban and shirt were soaked with sweat. He was holding a booklet in his hand. He turned a few pages and then turned back to it. He was looking at the words on the pages and then leaning over to the simple map on the table in front of him, studying it intently.

When he first arrived, he was flipping through that booklet, and now that he's about to leave, he's still flipping through it. He went to see the clerk several times along the way, but was turned away each time. Right now, he's scratching his head, looking like he's completely lost.

Song Miao had been listening to this man ramble on for so long that her ears were practically calloused. After thinking for a moment, she turned her head and asked, "Young master, are you looking for a house near the dock to use as a storeroom?"

The young man looked up, saw Song Miao, was taken aback for a moment, then blushed, turned his eyes away slightly, and said, "Yes, yes! It's just that I'm really not familiar with this booklet, it's really hard to read!"

Song Miao had already checked it and naturally knew that what the Louwusi gave to the Kyoto government was a chronological list, the purpose of which was simply to record it. It was arranged entirely according to the time of confiscation and did not take into account the location of streets or alleys.

Houses, courtyards, open spaces, etc. are all mixed together without any classification. For people who don't often deal with words, it does look messy and quite difficult to understand.

She asked, "Since you're looking for a storeroom, young master, it must be a large one, right?"

"Yes, if we can't find any, a few houses next to each other will do, as long as they're not too far out!" The young man sighed. "There's no indication of which house is in the booklet. One page is on West Street, and the next page it's in the Northern Wazi area. I don't know every street and alley. Just figuring out whether a house is in the inner city or the outer city takes forever!"

Song Miao thought for a moment and said, "As long as the valuation is over 500 guan, all houses must be approved by the Judicial Commissioner before entering the Housing Affairs Department. Even a large house near the dock, even if it is in a remote area, cannot be bought for 500 guan. If you can't take a look at so many, you might as well find one with the Judicial Commissioner's red seal first."

"Furthermore, although the officials may not have the time to classify them, since this register is a copy, it will still indicate which category it belongs to."

"If the house is located near the city gates of Fengqiu, Xinzao, or Chenqiao, those areas are only surrounded by the moat, and the water doesn't flow into the city. Even if it's next to the dock, there's no need to look at it much..."

"Once you know which city gate the house belongs to, it will be much easier to find it by referring to the map..."

Song Miao gave him a few more reminders and pointed to the logbook.

The young man went to look as instructed, and sure enough, he immediately spotted the so-called red seal of the Chief Justice, and also saw the small city gate sign in a fixed location, as well as other screening methods.

He flipped through a few pages and found it much easier, which made him feel much more at ease. He said with a sigh of relief, "I noticed that some of them had a red stamp on them and some didn't, but I didn't think much of it. I had no idea that it meant this! And these city gate signs are so well hidden. If I hadn't been reminded, I would have definitely missed them. I don't know when I would have finished reading the book!"

As he spoke, the man quickly stood up, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Thank you for teaching me, young lady! It's noon now, why don't I find a restaurant outside and the three of us can have a meal together? I came with my aunt this time, and she'll be here in no time!"

Song Miao naturally wouldn't, and she didn't have time to dabble in other people's business.

She said, "Young master, you are too kind. I have other matters to attend to, so I will take my leave first."

Seeing this, the young man hurriedly added, "Even if you don't have time to eat, young lady, you could at least leave a message—what's your name, and where do you live? That way I can come and thank you!"

"It's nothing, just a small favor, sir, you don't need to take it to heart. I've received guidance from others before, but I was just following their example."

Seeing Song Miao turn to leave, the person opposite wanted to stop her, but felt it would be presumptuous. However, it would be a real pity to just watch her go. Just as they were pondering this, they looked up and saw someone coming from the doorway. They were overjoyed and exclaimed, "Auntie!"

The person opposite walked in carrying a food box. He didn't see his nephew, but he heard him and ignored him. He was only staring at Song Miao with surprise and delight, and called out, "Young lady Song! What brings you here!"

It turned out to be an acquaintance.

Song Miao was quite surprised and greeted her, "Madam Xu, what a coincidence."

The visitor was Madam Xu from the Xu Family Martial Arts School where Liang Yan worked. Last time, she came to negotiate prices for Master Cheng and a group of other martial arts instructors. After the negotiation, she not only bought a lot of meat buns at the original price, but also came back to order dried meat and dried cuttlefish, and took away a lot of black char siu.

She's been coming here every few days lately, she's become a regular. She's eaten roast pigeon, roast duck, and roast pork, and she especially loves to buy and eat fresh—she can eat three or four freshly baked mung bean cakes in one go.

At this moment, Xu Niangzi, a regular customer, rushed over to talk to Song Miao. She first asked what Song Miao was doing there, then asked what help she could offer, and then explained why she had come. She was very attentive and lively, and talked a lot.

It turns out that in addition to the martial arts school, the Xu family also ran a security escort agency, which had already gained some reputation and often traveled all over the country to deliver goods.

But while there might be goods on the way out, there might not be any on the way back, and there would always be some that came away empty-handed. So the head of the escort team wanted to make use of the return trip, or if he saw any good goods, he would also think of learning from others and carrying some things to do business.

In the past year or two, Xu Niangzi's brother and sister-in-law tried escorting goods a few times, and they almost always made a profit, though it was only a small profit. Having tasted success, they were naturally eager to make it a serious business.

They were novices after all. After transporting the goods back, they were in a hurry to sell them off. They often saw that the things they sold for fifty or sixty coins would suddenly become three or four hundred coins after three to five months.

Seeing this, the two of them couldn't sleep well at night, feeling utterly cheated. They couldn't help but toss and turn, thinking, "If I had a warehouse, I could store things for three to five months like others, and sell them for three or four hundred coins with a cost of ten or so coins..."

Why risk your life running a security escort mission then?
Madam Xu was in charge of the accounts. When she saw that Song's steamed buns were two or three coins more expensive, she was so anxious that she wanted to go to Song's shop to haggle. How much more so when she learned of such a large price difference, her heart bled.

She volunteered to take her nephew around looking for cheap warehouses to store the goods.

In recent years, the south-to-north transport of grain has been hampered by frequent congestion and blockages. Whenever there is a blockage, prices of goods in Beijing tend to rise.

Buying low and selling high is the way for merchants to make profits. As a result, warehouses near the docks, which were already in high demand, have become even harder to find in the last year or two. Merchants will make a prediction in advance, stock up on goods that may rise in price, and then wait to make a fortune.

Madam Xu pinched her nose and plunged into the muddy water, searching for a long time, but still couldn't find anything suitable.

The Xu family, with their extensive network of connections, received guidance from acquaintances who advised them to first search the Kyoto government office. They knew that the Housing Affairs Department would occasionally release a batch of confiscated houses for sale, although most were auspicious properties and the people inside were not to be trifled with. However, the Xu family, being both a martial arts school and a security escort agency, were naturally not afraid and saw it as a good opportunity to snag a bargain.

After exchanging a few words, Xu Niangzi learned that Song Miao was also looking for a house. She smiled broadly and said, "I knew I was destined to meet you, young lady! Who would have thought we'd run into each other here!"

As she spoke, she quickly opened the food box in her hand and handed it to Song Miao, saying, "I went out to buy drinks, but who knew it was raining so hard outside? I wandered around for ages but couldn't find the usual stall, so I had to run to the back street to buy some from the shop—how ​​long have you been here, my lady? You must be thirsty, right? Quickly pick one out!"

Pointing to the young man beside him, she said, "This is my nephew, the second son in the family. You can call him Erlang, madam! Ask him to help you. After all, he arrived early and is somewhat familiar with these books and pamphlets!"

From the moment she entered the room, Madam Xu never stopped talking.

As Xu Erlang spoke, his expression shifted between joy and delight. He was grinning when he heard she asked him to help Song Miao, but before he could even close his mouth, he was met with the last sentence. His face immediately fell into embarrassment as he stammered, "Aunt...Auntie! I'm not very familiar with these documents—this young lady Song was just teaching me how to check them..."

He recounted what had just happened, and then introduced Song Miao again for her advice. Upon hearing this, Madam Xu, forgetting all about blushing, quickly thanked Song Miao, adding, "Oh dear! Our whole family is afraid of all this writing and calligraphy!"

Seeing that Xu Erlang's explanation was not very clear, Song Miao patiently explained it to Madam Xu again, and finally said, "I only looked for the area near Suanzao Lane, just looking at Zhuque Gate is enough. Even so, it still took half a day. Madam and Young Master Xu are only two people, and it is really tiring to look for so many."

"In my opinion, why not find a few students from the academy to help? It won't cost much. Just have them pick out the relevant ones to copy, and you two can just make the selections. That way, they'll get some money for paper and ink, and you'll save yourself the trouble. Wouldn't that be a win-win situation?"

Madam Xu was overjoyed, exclaiming, "Ah! This is wonderful! Why didn't I think of that sooner!"

Song Miao smiled and said, "How could I have known it would be so hard to find if I hadn't experienced it myself?"

She decided to help as much as possible, so she took out paper and pen, wrote down a few key search tips, and then gave them to Madam Xu, saying, "Just add to this. If you can't figure it out, follow this method, and it should save you some effort."

With such a silver tongue, Madam Xu couldn't possibly thank her enough, and hurriedly said, "Young Madam Song, there's a restaurant called Hesheng Restaurant at the end of the street. Although it can't compare to your cooking, it has a few good dishes—I'll treat you to lunch!"

Song Miaozhi said she had something to do, exchanged a few polite words, and left.

She was somewhat disappointed that she couldn't find a suitable courtyard today, but she knew it was inevitable. She could only tell herself not to think about it too much, so as not to affect her mood.

I actually had two things to do when I went out today. The first was to find a courtyard, and the second was an old matter.

That day, Liao Qingjiao stepped forward to seize the Song family's property, but due to a series of unforeseen events, he ended up in prison, taking the blame for all the crimes. It seemed like he had been beaten hundreds of times, and he had already been exiled to Leizhou—he was on his way with injuries, and it was unknown whether he could even reach such a remote place.

But the fact that Liao Dangjia fell down does not mean that the matter is over.

Song Miao was unaware of what would happen next and feared further complications, so she asked Master Chen for help. Master Chen then contacted Elder Min to find an acquaintance for Song Miao to facilitate the review of the gambling records from that day.

Old Master Min readily agreed, but after agreeing, he put the matter out of his mind. In the end, Master Chen himself went through two roundabout ways, asked his students for help, and wrote a note to Song Miao, telling her to come to his door to apply for access when she had time.

If that doesn't work, then introduce yourself, get a note, and go find so-and-so.

Since returning to the capital, Song Miao has been busy from morning till night every day. She has had the note for some time now, but she still hasn't had a moment to spare. Today, since she has already gone out and it is raining, with nothing else following her, she decided to investigate it thoroughly.

The purchase records were not in the Kyoto government office, but in another place.

She went out and first randomly found a shop to have a quick meal. After finishing her meal, she went out again, but the wind and rain had not stopped.

Because of the heavy rain, both horse-drawn carriages and mule carts were in high demand. Song Miao waited for a long time before she could hail an empty cart and go to the corresponding government office.

This time things went much more smoothly. She spent half a day going through old files and copied out a lot of things. However, seeing that the rain was getting heavier, she didn't dare to stay any longer. Seeing that it was getting late, she quickly packed up her things and left.

Once outside, they didn't see a single horse-drawn carriage or mule cart pass by for quite some time, but the water on the ground gradually deepened.

Song Miao simply estimated the direction and prepared to walk back while slowly hailing a taxi.

The rain was heavy, and pedestrians were using the eaves of the houses on both sides to walk. Song Miao also moved to the side. After walking half a street, just as she was about to turn, she suddenly heard someone calling her name from behind.

She turned around and saw an old woman running quickly towards her. She recognized the woman as the firewood and charcoal seller, who was also her creditor. She turned around to greet her and said, "Thank you, Granny. Is there anything I can tell you?"

Granny Xie looked around, avoiding passersby, and pulled Song Miao to a corner, whispering, "There's nothing much to say, but something strange happened a couple of days ago. It was raining heavily, so it wasn't convenient to come to your door to tell you—a stranger secretly came to our door and said he wanted to collect your debt."

Song Miao was taken aback and asked, "Collect my debt? How do you intend to do that?"

"He still gave me ten strings of cash for the original debt, paying it off in one go. He just wanted me to transfer your family's previous debt to him, so that you would only owe him money and not me. He also specifically told me not to tell anyone, especially not to you."

"Although I don't know what it means, I find it really strange. Since I just happened to see you now, I'll tell you quietly—I didn't sell it. I just don't know if I was the only one asked. Did I ask anyone else, and did they sell it or not?"

Song Miao felt that this matter was strange. She carefully inquired about the appearance of the person who came to her door. After hearing the description, she found him to be a complete stranger. She first thanked him sincerely before saying, "After the rain stops a bit, I will ask a few more people to see if there is any other explanation."

The old woman said, "No need to thank me. I just wanted to make sure nothing bad happened to you. You can owe me the money for now, and it's not urgent to pay it back slowly, even if it takes three or five years. How's your firewood coming along? Do you need another cartload delivered?"

There's a reason why she's so considerate.

Besides being kind-hearted, Song Miao also needed firewood and charcoal every day after she set up her stall and partially opened a restaurant. She bought all of these from Granny Xie and settled the bill each time she bought them.

Anyone could see that Song Ji was using more and more firewood, bamboo charcoal, and wood charcoal every day, and who knew what the future held for him. Right now, the other party was only giving him a little cash, and he wouldn't even part with a penny more. Of course, Granny Xie could calculate it.

All she could think about was how to keep Songji as a major customer. She wished she could owe the money for as long as possible, so that in the future, when that young lady Song would be too embarrassed to ask for someone else to buy firewood, she wouldn't be blinded by such a small amount of profit!
"We were just about to get it replaced. Once the rain stops, we'll trouble you to arrange for someone to deliver it."

The two said goodbye politely.

But the next day, Song Miao didn't have time to ask the other creditors about the situation—the rain had been falling for another day and night, and many streets were already flooded up to knee-deep. There was no sign of it stopping for long; it would often stop for half an hour or so before starting to rain again.

It rained heavily and then lightly for seven or eight days straight.

Inside the Xuande Gate, within the imperial palace, Emperor Zhao Yu's gums were swollen and painful to the touch. He had been taking medicine for two days, but the swelling had not subsided.

But he paid no attention to his gums. He would occasionally rub his face with ice, and with puffy eyes, he personally went out of the city to patrol the dike several times. He kept watching the water level and the flow of the water, looking and looking, hoping that even if the water level could not recede, it would be best if it stayed at this position and did not rise any further.

As it turns out, even the emperor's dragon eyes cannot cast any spells.

Not only was the water level of the Bian River and the other waterways outside the city rising higher and higher each day, but on this particular day, just after the court session, while the two government offices were discussing matters in the Chui Gong Hall, a eunuch, pale-faced, brought in an urgent message, his voice trembling as he spoke.

"—Your Majesty...Huazhou...the dikes in Huazhou have breached!"

(End of this chapter)