Miao Chu

Chapter 314 Learn Well
After being called "Senior Brother" twice, Master Chen finally came to his senses. The two younger ones opposite him also reacted. Seeing that it was Han Li, they hurriedly called him Uncle-Master and bowed to greet him.

Upon entering the house, Han Li was surprised to see the two children in the middle and asked, "Are you still studying so late?"

The young man from the Yuan family hurriedly replied, "We're leaving now—we just brought some things back with us!"

Pointing to the food box in front of him, he said, "They're delivering midnight snacks!"

Smelling the aroma and seeing the food box on the table stamped with a familiar red seal, Han Li immediately recognized where all these things came from.

At this moment, Master Chen finally swallowed the meat with reluctance, wiped his hands, but instead of answering, he asked, "Why are you here so early today? Didn't you go to Suanzao Lane?"

"There's something urgent at the Water Conservancy Bureau. I came back to find something and will go back later—why is there so much barbecue so late at night?"

Master Chen was so engrossed in the aroma of the meat that he hadn't heard a thing, as if his ears were blocked. But Zhang Yong across from him took the initiative to answer: "Uncle-Master, many people at Sister Song's house are eating in the backyard—there's a lot of roasted meat and a lot of dishes on the table, and they all smell delicious!"

Han Li found it increasingly strange.

Songji always entertains guests in the front hall and rarely uses the back courtyard unless absolutely necessary.

He asked a question and, sure enough, there was no banquet in the front hall. He then asked the guests and was told that they were all burly men.

Han Li became suspicious and asked a few more questions before calling a servant to take the two children home. He then greeted Master Chen, rummaged through his belongings, and found several old handwritten notes, which he packed into his book box.

Before leaving, he was about to give some instructions when, as soon as he approached, his senior brother hurriedly covered the food box with his hand, saying nervously, "What are you doing? What do you want? I'll get it for you! Your hands are too big!"

Han Li hadn't meant anything by it, but these words sparked a mischievous glint in his eyes, and he asked, "What is it?"

He took two steps closer and went up to look at him.

Master Chen muttered, "Just a few bites of meat, and a little sweet snack—if you want to eat, give me less meat. Eating meat in the middle of the night won't help with digestion!"

As he spoke, he made a reluctant gesture, moving his hand halfway to show the person opposite him the mung bean cake, saying, "This cake is delicious, you should try it—only you! If it were anyone else, I wouldn't even give them a bite!"

Han Li approached and took a closer look, but instead of looking at the mung bean cakes, he stared at the glistening pork neck next to him and exclaimed, "It smells delicious!"

After saying that, he reached out and took a bamboo skewer from the side. Under Master Chen's shocked gaze, he stabbed the largest piece and put it in front of himself first.

Seeing that the other party was so anxious that his beard was practically flying, he feigned an attack, then threw the meat into the bowl in front of him. Laughing loudly, he quickly walked out the door. At the door, he turned back and said, "Senior brother... give me less meat. Eating meat in the middle of the night won't help with digestion."

In a fit of anger, Master Chen grabbed a bamboo skewer, intending to throw it, but fearing the sharp tip might actually hurt someone, he quickly put it down. Instead, he rolled a dried lotus leaf into a solid ball and hurled it fiercely at the unworthy man outside the door.

The old man got angry and threw the object... less than a meter long.

The dried lotus leaf arced through the air and landed lightly inside the threshold, without even touching Han Li's skin.

Master Chen cursed, "You good-for-nothing brat!"

Han Li stood outside the door, heard the noise, turned around and saw the lotus leaf fall to the ground behind him. Seeing that the old man looked like he was about to pick it up, he simply put down the book box in his hand, bent down and picked it up, then gently tossed the lotus leaf onto the table in front of Master Chen, and laughed and said, "It is indeed a good lesson learned from Senior Brother."

As he spoke, he added fuel to the fire, saying, "Senior brother, be careful not to hurt your back."

Seeing Master Chen fuming, he smiled and said, "I know you've been busy lately and can't get away. When I'm done with my work tomorrow, I'll go to Suanzao Lane and see if I can bring you back some good food!"

As he spoke, he picked up the book box and prepared to leave.

Master Chen was furious, but the word "delicious" calmed him down considerably. He cursed a couple more times, then added, "If you have that soup from last time, bring me back another pot!"

He chased after them from a distance, emphasizing, "I want a whole pot!"

He's quite greedy!
Han Li went out, carrying his book box, and went to his usual shop to get some goat milk. He headed straight for Suanzao Lane. When he arrived at the door, it was already completely dark. He saw that Song Ji's door was wide open, and Cheng Erniang was wiping the table inside.

He stood outside, knocked on the door, called out "Second Sister Cheng," and gave a greeting.

Hearing the voice, Cheng Erniang turned around and saw Han Li. She was overjoyed and exclaimed, "Young Master Han is here!" She then took two steps forward to greet him and said, "Young Master, please come in and sit down!"

She actually has a lot to say.

Many things happened in Song Ji's day and night. Although they were all close calls, they were all extraordinary. Since he could trust acquaintances who could help him, he couldn't help but want to confide in them.

But she swallowed the words back, saying only, "I'll go and ask my wife to come out!"

After saying that, she hurriedly went to the back.

Han Li stepped through the door but did not sit down immediately.

He came every few days and was very familiar with every restaurant.

To the left of the entrance is a storage room, with a wooden door and a curtain outside.

Half of the storage room was used to store various items, while the other half had a small tatami mat for Dabing to take a nap at noon.

Normally, the doors to this room are kept tightly closed. Only when we need to get something or when Dabing is resting inside, because the weather is too hot and humid in the summer, will we open the door and hang the curtain halfway up to allow for ventilation.

At this hour, Dabing should have been home long ago, but strangely, the wooden door of the outhouse was wide open, and the curtain was half-rolled up from the bottom. Looking through the dim light of the yellow oil lamp in the front hall, it was pitch black and very quiet, and you couldn't see anything inside.

Han Li did not approach, but only glanced at the front hall again.

Both stoves were on, boiling two very large pots of water, which were not yet boiling. On the stove was a large copper basin with about a dozen coarse porcelain cups soaking in the water, which was steaming hot and looked very hot.

Just then, he heard footsteps inside. He turned around and saw Song Miao. A smile appeared on his face. Without any greeting, he took a step forward and went to the table closest to her. He placed the bag of goat milk he was carrying on the table and asked softly, "Have you finished with the work at the back?"

As Song Miao stepped out of the second door, she saw Han Li approaching the table and smiled, saying, "Almost there."

He added, "Yesterday I heard you say that you had a lot of things to do these past two days, and I thought you wouldn't have time to spare—have you finished your work, sir?"

As she spoke, she approached, took a clean teacup, and asked about the tea.

Han Li put down the cup and said, "No rush." ​​He first moved a chair for her before sitting down next to her. He then asked in a low voice, "When I went home earlier, I happened to see two children bringing back a lot of food—I heard that you have many strong men eating in the backyard?"

He paused, turned slightly to the side, then used his body to block the view, pointed towards the storeroom near the door, and asked again, "I saw that room's door was open too..."

Song Miao had known for her meticulousness, but she hadn't expected her to be so perceptive about such a small matter.

She hadn't intended to hide it, and replied softly, "A few镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) are helping with night duty in the storeroom—we encountered some trouble at the restaurant these past two days." Wang Sanlang had been extorted, the culprit had been held captive for a night but then mysteriously escaped, and when she went to inquire, she was only given evasive answers. The previous night, someone had collected debts from many creditors and brought men to her door to demand repayment…

This morning, Song's stall, delivery carts, mule carts, and so on, either encountered local thugs or nearly crashed into unexpected obstacles. One supplier even had their home almost burgled, and so on...

Song Miao briefly explained the matter in a few words.

The smile on Han Li's face slowly faded.

He breathed a sigh of relief upon learning that no one at Song Miaotong's restaurant had been injured and had temporarily escaped the disaster without suffering any losses. He then asked softly, "My lady just said that she contacted several officials from the Kyoto government office—did they say when we would have any news?"

"They said they would try their best to find out, and it would only take a day or two. Whether it works out or not, they would get back to you."

Han Li paused for a moment, then asked, "Are the bodyguards you hired trustworthy? Are their manpower and reputation reliable?"

"The bodyguards are hired from Xu's Escort Agency. The agency is run by Liang Yanxue, the owner of his martial arts school. We usually supply his family with steamed buns, dried meat, and other things. Many bodyguards and masters also come to patronize our business—they are all regular customers and quite reliable."

Han Li asked a few more questions, and finally said, "You asked the Kyoto government to inquire about information, asked Sun Lizheng and Aunt Zhu for help, the Xu family escort agency came to your door, and you also contacted the Zhuque Gate patrol station—you can help from all sides, do I have any help?"

Song Miao was taken aback by such a statement and paused for a moment before honestly replying, "Young Master is busy—besides, although this matter came suddenly, I was actually quite confident. I was just trying to verify it. It was a close call, but we didn't really need a sharp blade to kill a chicken."

"The sharp blade is your own, but the dull knife is someone else's. There's no reason to always use other people's things and never use your own, is there?"

Han Li's voice was a little deep.

He said, "I'm not that busy. Besides, even if I were, how could I not know about things at home?"

"Everyone knows, even Sun Lizheng, Aunt Zhu, and everyone in the Zhuquemen patrol station knows. I wonder if the镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) from other routes are sitting in the outhouse, and the kid from Huazhou knows a little bit. Only I haven't heard a single word about it. If I were asked to do something, I would be anxious because I can't use my sword and axe."

Hearing the person on the other side recount everything in detail, Song Miao vaguely understood the meaning.

She replied softly, "I was thinking that there would be a lot of things to do on the embankment and I didn't want to disturb you, young master. You said that you would have some free time after these two days of work—actually, it's just half a day late..."

Han Li didn't interrupt, but just looked at her and waited until she finished speaking before saying, "Now that I understand, can you lend me a hand?"

His eyes and expression were very gentle, but for some reason, Song Miao always felt that this gentleness had a hint of urgency.

She said, "I originally had some plans to make an example of someone, but it wouldn't be good for you to do it yourself. Otherwise, I'm afraid you might use too much force and kill the tiger. If anything happens afterward, it will be difficult to investigate in detail. Once things are clearer, even if you don't come to me, I will still come to ask for your help!"

Han Li couldn't possibly wait any longer.

He said, "I can't show my face outside, and what can I do to fix things inside?"

Song Miao thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "There really is!"

"The镖爷 (bodyguards) stand guard in the front hall and back courtyard at night, and they only have bedding. Although it's hot, sleeping on the spot isn't ideal. I originally planned to buy some mats today, but due to the rush, I didn't find a suitable shop along the way and forgot about it..."

As she spoke, she took a cloth bag off her waist and gently placed it on the table.

"Excuse me, young master, when would you be free to make this trip for me?"

It was a small matter, but Han Li was quite satisfied.

He put away the cloth bag and asked softly, "Who from the escort agency is here this time? What's the arrangement? If it's convenient, I'll ask later and see if I can lend a hand?"

Song Miao led the person directly to the backyard.

Chief镖师 Qi was discussing tomorrow's arrangements with his men when he saw a stranger appear ahead, which surprised him.

Song Miao introduced the two sides, but then Cheng Erniang called from the front, so she excused herself.

Han Li cupped his hands in greeting, but before saying anything, he pointed to a spot in the corner and asked, "Is this a 'lasso'? I once met an old镖师 (bodyguard/escort) who said that this thing is best placed in corners. It was originally used in camps to capture enemies. It is very difficult to make, but no matter which way you step on it, you will be hit. The lasso will bind a person's foot tighter and tighter until they can't get free. It is the best thing to use to guard against thieves."

Qi, the镖头 (bodyguard), was taken aback and said, "It is a bit difficult—you are a scholar from the Imperial Academy, yet you even know what a lasso is?"

The two immediately hit it off.

Han Li followed him around the backyard, then went to the front outbuildings, greeted all the镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) of the Xu family镖局 (bodyguard agency), and discussed things. When Song Miao finished her work and came out, she was gone, but Chief镖师 Qi and a group of镖师 were busy in the backyard.

Out of curiosity, she stepped forward and asked, "What's the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) busy with? Wasn't everything already arranged?"

Qi, the head镖师, said, "We just discussed it with Brother Han. We really need to be more careful in the backyard. You never know when someone might climb over the wall and come in. If we don't catch them in the middle of the night, it's always good to have a few more entrances."

Song Miao then asked about Han Li's whereabouts.

Just then, they heard a soft knocking on the back door.

Immediately, a bodyguard said to Song Miao, "Brother Han and the others are back!"

Song Miao stepped forward and opened the courtyard gate. Sure enough, Han Li and two bodyguards were outside.

He was carrying a basket, while the other two were each carrying several thick stacks of straw mats.

The three entered the courtyard, and Han Li explained to her, "The mat is too conspicuous. We were afraid someone would see it, so we came back from the backyard."

Soon, thick straw mats were laid out in a corner of Song's backyard and in the front yard storage room, and each person was given a mosquito-repelling sachet to place on the straw mat.

In front of Qi Biaotou and the others, Han Li first took his leave, then looked at Song Miao and said, "I will be finished by tomorrow. There is already progress on the matter from last time. Please wait for me a little longer, Song Miao."

After saying that, he told everyone not to see him off and left.

Not long after, when Xu Erlang returned excitedly from the Xu Family Escort Agency after asking his father questions, he found everyone in the room talking about "Han Xiucai".

"Scholars are different!"

"I think he knows a lot, and he's easy to get along with!"

"The name sounds familiar—have you heard of it before?"

???

(End of this chapter)