Miao Chu

Chapter 281 Juggling

Only after two more teahouses along the street closed did Han Li slowly ride his horse toward the Imperial Academy.

Actually, I've been traveling all day. On the way back, I first went to Suanzao Lane, then to Junyiqiao Street, and now I'm back in Suanzao Lane, and then on to Taixue. It's been a lot of back and forth, and I'm quite exhausted.

But whether it was because of his youth, his happiness, or both, he didn't feel tired at all.

Although I was a little tired, that fatigue was quickly dispelled by the anticipation in my heart.

The wait was far too long.

In Huazhou, things are fine when you're busy, but once you have a little free time, or even if you're not busy, there are always those unexpected moments...

Therefore, it's because the chef is really bad.

People always need to eat...

How can one not be thinking about other things while eating?

Suanzao Lane and Taixue were close by, and it wasn't long before we arrived at the Chen residence.

Surprisingly, even though it was past midnight, the study was still lit when I entered the backyard.

He knocked on the door and entered. Inside, he saw an oil lamp and a candle, and a person sitting behind a table. Somewhat surprised, he called out, "Senior Brother!"

Master Chen was sitting behind the table.

Upon hearing the voice, Master Chen squinted and looked up. He was momentarily dazed, but when he saw who it was, his face lit up with surprise and delight. He immediately stood up and took a few steps forward to greet them.

He got closer, but his smile turned to anger, and he reached out and slapped Han Li's arm.

The force was quite strong, but he was old after all, and even the strongest hand felt light and airy when it landed on a person.

"You little rascal, you finally decided to come back!"

Han Li laughed and let him hit him, then asked, "It's already this late, why aren't you asleep yet, Senior Brother?"

Master Chen asked almost simultaneously, "Why is it so late? What time did you arrive? Have you eaten yet?"

After asking the question, he seemed to remember something and suddenly added, "Did you go to Suanzao Lane?"

Han Li, unsuspecting, said, "I went, ate noodles at Song Ji's, entered the city around 5 PM, and even went to Junyi Bridge Street before returning."

"Noodles for dinner?" Master Chen couldn't help but mutter. "You entered the city at dusk, and by the time you reached Suanzao Lane it would be almost dark, wouldn't it? So late, and you still troubled Xiao Song to make noodles for you. Do you even know how to make them?"

He then asked, "Did you bring anything for someone?"

Han Li nodded but didn't say anything more. Instead, he took a small bundle off his back, stepped forward, placed it on the table, and said, "This is for my senior brother."

He added, "There are still some things in my luggage—they're still on their way and won't be back for another two days."

"If I ask you to go east, you answer west—what good are you, an old man, to carry anything!"

Master Chen said this, but his old legs immediately followed, and he honestly and unceremoniously opened the bundle.

Inside was very simple: a scroll, a brocade box, and another leather-wrapped box.

He opened the brocade box first.

The box was small, about half a foot long and the width of a palm, and contained an old ginseng root with all its roots intact.

Looking at the leather box again, inside was a wrinkled, shriveled, brass-colored object that looked like a gall bladder.

Then there was that scroll, a masterpiece by a great painter of the previous dynasty, with flowing brushstrokes.

Each of the three things has its own merits.

But Master Chen took out the leather-wrapped box first and asked, "What is this? Where did it come from?"

"When I was at the official post station on the way, I met a merchant from Zhending. He must have heard of my name somewhere. He came to ask for a birthday greeting card for my father. He first offered to give me gold, but I was in a hurry to come back and did not agree. Then he took out this box. He said it was a box with a 'copper gall' that was extremely rare. It could clear away blemishes and obstacles, cleanse the liver and gallbladder, and also clear heat and detoxify, promote tissue regeneration and heal sores."

Han Li paused for a moment, then said, "Didn't you say the other day that you've been having eye problems for the past year or two and it's been uncomfortable? When you have some free time, take this to a few doctors you know. If it's useful, I'll try to find you some more."

Upon hearing the explanation, Master Chen was relieved.

He took Han Li's things without hesitation, carefully collecting them, and then pointed to the ancient painting and old ginseng, asking, "Where did these come from?"

Han Li then said, "The painting was given by Yuan Jing, an official from Huazhou, and the ginseng was given by his wife's family, the Zhang family. The Zhang family is in the medicinal herb business and carefully selected the best ginseng. Both sides are eager to pave the way for my son. They originally wanted to send it to you, but they were afraid you wouldn't accept it, so they asked me to pass it on."

“I thought that if I refused, people would be worried, so I might as well bring it back—these two families helped me a lot when I was in Huazhou.”

Master Chen spread the painting out on the table, examined it carefully, then shook his head with a smile and said, "They certainly spared no expense."

He added, "I'll keep it for now, and then return it when the two children go back."

Han Li said, "Senior brother, just take it. When they return, I will prepare a separate gift so that they won't suffer any loss."

Upon hearing this, Master Chen no longer stood on ceremony.

In his heart, he wanted to leave everything he owned to this junior brother, so he didn't bother with any more fuss. He simply took the ginseng out of the box, looked at it, and smelled it. Suddenly, he had a brilliant idea: "Such good ginseng, what do you think about giving it to Miss Song and asking her to cut some roots to make soup for you to nourish you?"

Han Li looked at him helplessly.

Master Chen knew this was something that could prolong life, so he stopped daydreaming and couldn't help but sigh, "No wonder I'm worried. It's only been a few months, and you've gotten darker and thinner, and you're not as handsome as you used to be! At times like these, a man's appearance is of utmost importance!"

Han Li didn't even have time to ask what "this time" meant; his eyes swept across the table and he saw many drawings spread out on it.

The drawings looked familiar; some were river maps, others were topographical maps, all from Huazhou and the capital region. He pointed and asked, "Senior brother, why are you looking at these so late?"

Master Chen snorted coldly: "I heard that the Huazhou dike has collapsed, and that the Wangjing River has also overflowed twice. I'm so scared that I can't sleep well. I'm afraid that you will be swept away by the river and that my master and mistress will beat me with sticks when I get to the underworld. If something like this happens again, you'd better send me a letter every day. I'm old and can't take being scared!"

He added, "If it really didn't get washed away, but there's something wrong with the riverbed, and you, a young man, can't handle it, then surely I, with my old bones, have to drag myself along to lend a hand?"

Upon hearing this, Han Li couldn't help but defend himself, saying, "When the Yellow River floods, Wang Jinghe only diverts some water. It's already a stretch that they can help one place. Along the way, there are new rivers flowing in and heavy rains storing water. If we really want to alleviate the floods, it's more feasible to restore the Yellow River to its nine channels, as Master and Mistress suggested back then..."

Master Chen shook his head and said, “Others may not know, but do you and I not know? River management is not something that can be done overnight; it will take ten or twenty years to complete. If we really want to restore the nine channels of the river, it will require an investment of countless people and resources. No one dares to make the decision… I used to advise you to be a good official and not take shortcuts. But look at this situation, what use is your mouth or your pen? If you lack experience and qualifications, no one will listen to you!”

“Look at the Six Towers Canal that Lü Zhongchang has opened up—given the rising water levels in the capital, the situation in Chanzhou is extremely dangerous. If we don’t rush to open the canal, we might be able to hold out for a few more days. But if we rush to open the canal… well, let’s not talk about such discouraging things!”

Han Li remained silent for a moment, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, but only sighed slightly and said, "It's getting late, Senior Brother, you should rest early."

Master Chen responded and then said, “I’ve had two rooms prepared for you in the east wing—you’re always coming and going these days, so it’s very inconvenient for you to stay in the school. You might as well move out.”

As he spoke, he seemed to think of something, and suddenly his expression softened considerably. He said, "I received the letter and seal that you asked Xiao Song to send me last time."

He then bent down and took out a small box from a cabinet, handed it to Han Li, and said, "I have always enjoyed her cooking. The young lady will be of marriageable age next year, and I have nothing else to give her. Since there is still time, could you take some time every now and then to help make a jade pendant for me? I will give it to her then."

Han Li took the box, opened it, and saw a piece of very clear white jade inside.

Master Chen winked at him and smiled, "I originally wanted to give him a hairpin, but I was afraid someone else would also want to give one, and I'd steal their opportunity—is anyone else going to give one?"

Han Li didn't speak, but silently put the box away. He stood up and urged, "Senior brother, it's getting late."

That night, Han Li slept at the Chen residence.

The next morning, he woke up and met Wu Gongshi on the way. The two of them divided the work and were busy. Sure enough, by the end of the day, they had just finished their work. They quickly changed their clothes and headed straight for Suanzao Lane.

Everyone at Song's Restaurant had been busy all day.

Cheng Erniang was quick to act. She had just finished speaking the day before and the next day she had recruited five new people. After a half-day trial period, she immediately dismissed two of them, leaving only three to memorize the kitchen rules within a specified time.

She took the three of them out to do some shopping, to see how people helped carry things, whether they knew how to handle things gently, and whether they would close the door and help the gatekeeper when getting on and off the mule cart—and then asked away the one who slammed the cart door shut with a loud bang.

Back at the restaurant, she arranged for two long-term employees to each take one person with them. Two of them were responsible for preparing mung bean paste, and the other two were responsible for preparing crispy fried dough. Although she didn't know what would happen later, they seemed to be doing things quite efficiently, which made her feel a little more at ease. She also mentioned to Zhang Si Niang and her husband that they had some flatbread, and that if they saw anything amiss, they should immediately tell her.

Seeing that nothing went wrong, Cheng Erniang quietly approached Song Miao and said, "Madam, I ran into Aunt Feng's mother at the butcher shop today. She kept me talking for half a day—yesterday an old woman came to buy fish, and while she was buying, she kept asking you if you had been engaged before, whether anyone had come to propose marriage, and who those people were. She even tried to secretly slip her money..."

She didn't dare to pay attention, and just said she didn't know, and asked me to come back and bring a message so that my wife would know the truth.

Song Miao replied, "Next time you meet her, just say I know, thank her for reminding me, and ask her to come over more often when she has time."

Since Song's business gradually improved, especially recently, the large number of orders for various steamed buns and dried meat has attracted a lot of attention, and matchmakers have started to visit to inquire about potential partners.

Most of the families who came to inquire about marriage were also business people, just looking on with envy. Song Miao didn't even need to say much; just reporting her debts was enough to scare them all away.

The debts of the Song family are truly staggering.

Others originally thought that with a house here, they could offset each other's debts and get back most of the money.

Song Miao is also skilled. Although she no longer has the help of her elders and had broken off an engagement before, having someone like her in the family, who also brings her own business, is like making a profit for free.

Who would have thought we'd owe so much!

Outsiders didn't know how much Song Ji earned each day. They only thought that if they married her, they would have to pay off debts for many years. Once the debts were finally paid off, no one knew what would happen next, so they all backed out.

Having seen it so many times, Song Miao assumed it was all the same and didn't pay much attention to it.

That afternoon, a guest came to celebrate the birthday of an elderly family member, filling two tables.

Song Miao, along with Zhang Si Niang and Da Bing, started preparing slowly from morning, and finally the table was filled with eight dishes and a soup.

Although Song Ji's prices are a bit higher than ordinary restaurants, the ingredients and taste are really good. After the meal, some people came to ask when Song Ji would reopen, saying that they would definitely come to patronize it more often in the future.

By the time the guests had finished eating and drinking, paid their bills, and left, and the restaurant staff had finished cleaning up, the sun was almost setting.

After a busy day, seeing that it was time to leave, Zhang Si Niang and the others packed up and said their goodbyes.

Not long after the group left, regular customers arrived.

—But it was Xu Niangzi from the Xu Family Martial Arts School.

She brought her nephew with her when she visited, as they were passing by. As soon as she entered and greeted everyone, she kept thanking them.

"Thanks to your guidance, my wife, I finally found a few students to help me look for a suitable house to use as a storeroom. If it weren't for you, we would probably still be staring at each other in disbelief!"

When Xu Erlang first met her, he was quite talkative, but this time, for some reason, he spoke very little. He followed beside Xu Niangzi, occasionally glancing up at Song Miao in a casual manner.

He was a martial artist, and the last time he was in the Kyoto government office, he sat with his legs together and shoulders tucked in. But today, when he came to Song Ji's, he sat in a chair with his legs together and shoulders tucked in, looking quite nervous and restrained.

But when it came to eating, Xu Erlang quickly reverted to his true nature.

The aunt and niece ate a plate of fried dough twists that had just been fried that afternoon, along with hawthorn leaf tea, and a whole box of freshly fried mung bean cakes. They then bought two more boxes.

Just before leaving, Xu Erlang mustered up his courage and asked, "Miss Song, when is your shop usually less busy? Thanks to your suggestion, I don't have to face so many documents and records every day..."

"I heard there's a really interesting acrobatic troupe in Xinmenwazi. If you have time, my aunt and I will invite you to go see them!"

Song Miao was taken aback. She looked up and saw that the young man opposite her had turned bright red. He was asking her a question, but his eyes kept darting between the stove and the menu, looking very uneasy.

She laughed and said, "I haven't seen a variety show in a long time, but I've been too busy lately and haven't been able to find the time—I still owe Madam Xu a lot of dried meat!"

Xu Erlang immediately wilted, agreed, and stepped out the door.

However, after taking only a few steps, he looked up and saw a person standing outside. The person looked like he was about to enter, but upon seeing him, he politely stepped aside.

The other person was very tall, looked very energetic, had a handsome face, clear eyes, and a very calm demeanor, making one want to take another look.

Even after Xu Erlang had walked out, he couldn't help but turn back to look.

Then the young man stood opposite Miss Song and said, "I'm really sorry to bother you. I'm back a little late today—I wonder if there's anything to eat?"

Whether by chance or not, the other person turned around as they spoke, their eyes met, and they nodded in greeting.

For no apparent reason, Xu Erlang suddenly felt as if he had shrunk in size.

(End of this chapter)