Miao Chu

Chapter 30 Suggestions
However, this time Wang Geng was really overthinking things.

He returned to the study and found that He Qi was nowhere to be seen.

Feeling quite uneasy, Wang Geng simply placed a food box in the hall and invited everyone to taste it.

It was between classes, and even though everyone in the Imperial Academy had enough to eat, after hearing him recount what happened that morning and knowing that he was apologizing to He Qi, they were all willing to come and join in the fun.

Soon, someone made a comment.

"His skin has thickened."

"The taste isn't good enough either."

"Oh no, did it take too long to arrive? This peel doesn't taste right to me."

Some of the newcomers, unaware of the whole story, heard that Wang Geng had brought back all this food. Everyone was picking and choosing, but they couldn't bear to watch any longer. One of them stepped forward, tried a piece, and praised him, saying, "Isn't this the taste of the food? What more do you want? You're eating and drinking for free, and you're even picking and choosing?"

However, upon learning that this was something Wang Geng had eaten from He Qi and was now being brought to him as compensation, the man's expression immediately changed, and he said, "No, this is not acceptable to Xiao Qi."

He then said to Wang Geng, “Let me teach you a lesson. There’s a vendor in the food alley outside that has a ‘Song’ sign. He sells mung bean paste glutinous rice every morning. This morning, the vendor introduced a few new kinds of shumai, which are similar to dumplings, but with much thinner skins. They taste really good. Tell your two servants to go and queue up early tomorrow and buy a lot. Xiao Qi definitely won’t blame you anymore—I had to tell him this morning before he went to buy them.”

After the man finished speaking, he looked up and saw that Wang Geng's gaze had changed, and he looked at him with a strange, gritted-teeth expression.

***
The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Song Miao set up her stall.

No matter how much chaos happens outside, the food alley remains bustling and lively.

She arrived a little earlier today, thinking that she wouldn't keep the students waiting too long.

As expected, when I arrived at the place, there were only a few people scattered around where I usually set up my stall.

But before Song Miao could even breathe a sigh of relief, as soon as she got closer, she saw a long row of things laid out on the ground.

There were pottery pots, food boxes, bamboo baskets, bamboo hampers, and even wooden boxes and rattan baskets. Anything that could hold things, big and small, was arranged in a winding line. Although it didn't block the way, it was certainly eye-catching.

Upon seeing her cart, someone immediately called out with practiced ease, "Miss Song is here!"

In an instant, a group of people suddenly emerged from the back wall, corners, and some unknown place. Others, who had just crawled out from the back gate of the Imperial Academy and the corner of the South Slope Academy, saw the scene and immediately ran over.

Soon, almost all the vessels on the ground had found their owners.

Song Miao was speechless.

It turns out these things can also be used to help with queuing, and the queues are actually quite orderly.

But those who come later don't have it so easy; they have to push and shove their way forward.

Amidst the shoulder-to-shoulder crowd, someone shouted, "Slow down! Don't push! Don't bump into people! If you make a commotion and the school administrator finds out, it'll be troublesome!"

—This one is obviously from Nanlu Academy.

With so many people, Song Miao once again didn't even have time to hang up a sign before starting to sell.

She quickly noticed that today's customers were buying more than usual, and by a significant amount.

Almost everyone buys five or eight portions of glutinous rice at a time, and orders twenty or thirty shumai at a time.

Even pork rib soup and tangerine peel mung bean drink can be ordered in sets of ten.

As a result, the goods she prepared wouldn't last long. The students queuing behind her quickly noticed this trend and couldn't help but complain loudly.

"Who are you people! Buying so much! What are we going to eat if you buy it all!"

"Exactly! Exactly! Could it be reselling?"

"You've clearly studied the classics, how could you do such a disgraceful thing!"

The person who was paying at that moment had indeed bought a lot, and for a moment he was timid and didn't dare to say a word.

However, when it was the next person's turn, quite a few people bought the same thing.

This man had a bit of a temper and didn't hold back when he was scolded. He turned around and replied, "It's not like I'm not going to pay! Everyone should get up early and line up according to their own ability. If you're at the front of the line and can buy out all of Miss Song's stall in one go, I promise I won't say a word!"

These words were like adding fuel to the fire.

"What are you saying! You don't seem like a student to me at all."

"Where are you from?"

When asked this question, the person's tone softened considerably, and he said, "Whether I'm a student or not, what's wrong with me buying food for students? Does that mean non-students can't buy food?"

Seeing that the crowd behind her was becoming increasingly boisterous, Song Miao naturally couldn't turn a blind eye. She quickly sped up her work and asked everyone to give way a little.

But this only treats the symptoms, not the root cause.

If you encounter a regular vendor, they usually don't mind if one person buys multiple portions, since they are all the same price, and they can sell them faster and save some effort.

But Song Miao was different.

She chose this location to do business, and making money was certainly important, but it wasn't just about money. She also hoped to quickly make a name for herself among the students of Taixue and Nanlu Academy, and leave a good impression on most people.

This impression should not be ruined by minor details.

Taking advantage of a break, she flipped the sign over and wrote "Three servings per person, please do not buy more" on the back with charcoal ash. After hanging it up, she told the customers in line behind her that starting from today, each person can only buy three servings of each food item. She said she would decide whether to change it later depending on the situation. She asked everyone to help spread the word to their classmates so that they wouldn't make a wasted trip tomorrow.

Regardless of whether Song Miao's actions are effective or not, her attitude is clear.

The students weren't stupid; they could see her sincerity. They couldn't help but praise Song for her righteousness, and some even applauded and cheered from behind.

Song Miaowei felt embarrassed, but also had a hard-to-describe sense of satisfaction.

Regardless of her initial purpose, how could she not be happy that her work was recognized by so many people?

Many customers who came to buy food later praised her while ordering and paying.

Some say the pork rib soup is warming and not greasy, while others like the new shumai. Among them, the scallion and mutton shumai is the most popular, followed by the scallion and pork shumai. Although the vegetarian shumai has fewer followers, it is very popular and there are many people expressing their love for it. This shows that people who like it really like it. Although the variety is not very popular, it is not neglected because of that small group of fans.

There are also those who are fixated on glutinous rice, saying they have to eat it every day and they miss it if they don't eat it for a day. There are also those who are fond of tangerine peel and mung bean drink, begging her not to take it off the shelves and to make it every day.

Regardless of everyone's tastes and preferences, almost everyone kept urging her to make more next time, because the current portion was too small and they would run out if they came a little late.

When everything was sold out, as she was packing up her stall, many customers, just like the day before, lingered and chatted with her.

Seeing that Song Miao was busy from beginning to end and looked very tired, someone asked, "Miss Song, is there anyone in your family who can lend a hand? How can one person manage so many things?"

(End of this chapter)