Miao Chu

Chapter 328 Setting up the stage
Upon hearing this, Xu Da forced out a smile that looked more like a grimace.

“You weren’t here this morning, so Cai Xiu called us over and told us about this. She also told everyone to pass on the message to those who couldn’t come—it’s not in a couple of days, it’s tomorrow. Let’s pack our bedding and belongings and get ready to go to Chanzhou City…”

The person opposite me just took a bite of an egg.

The boiled eggs I left over this morning were already overcooked, and then they were left to simmer in hot water for a while. The yolk layer next to the white turned dark green, and the inside was dry, making them quite difficult to swallow.

Upon hearing this, he choked on the dried egg yolk powder, desperately trying to swallow it, but it stuck in his throat, causing him to cough violently.

Xu Da hurriedly poured him some water, saying, "Hey, what's the rush! Are you choking? Drink some water quickly!"

The man was already choking badly, and now, in his haste, his face turned even redder, veins bulging. He didn't even bother to drink water, nor did he eat the remaining half egg. He just held it in his hand, coughing as he squeezed out a question from between his coughs: "You...you all agreed to this??"

“What can we do if we don’t agree?” Xu sighed. “Cai Xiu said that because we have a lot of complaints about the river, we complain every day, saying that he is unfair in his dealings, and that he has been keeping the same group of people in Chanzhou City for so long…”

The man glared and said, "Isn't that right? Or have we wronged him?"

Xu Da smiled wryly and said, "He said he hadn't done a good job before, but after hearing our complaints, he'd been keeping this matter in mind and was determined to help resolve it..."

"He said that he had never given up for months and had tried his best to fight for it. Finally, the higher-ups relented and said that starting tomorrow, we would be rotated monthly—so that we would pack our bags early in the morning and rotate back to the state capital..."

Upon hearing this, the person opposite was about to have their egg crushed.

"No! No!! Does he think everyone else is an idiot?!" he roared. "There's so much to do on the river, all the dirty and strenuous work, isn't it all done by us? We're the ones who measured the water, aren't we? The other day when we were checking the water depth, Liao San and Xiao Ma almost got swept away by the current! And you and me too! These past few days of the summer flood season, every single one of the dozens of people living in the shacks along the river has suffered terribly!"

"We've endured the worst of the past few months, and the river will be dredged in just two days. People from the court will definitely come—I've heard that a high-ranking official will be coming, and another is a trusted eunuch of His Majesty. It's their time to shine. Even if they can't make a name for themselves, it would be good to be recognized. But now they're driving us away and putting those who don't work on the river, and they still have the nerve to talk about 'fairness'? How dare that Cai fellow say such a thing!"

The man grew angrier as he spoke, his eyes reddening. He slammed down his teacup, stood up abruptly, and exclaimed, “That bastard! You dare not speak, but I dare! I’ll go find him—we won’t change! What are you going to do about it! Can he send someone to force us to go?! Changing every month! The river is about to be dredged, what a load of crap!”

Xu Da was also furious, but seeing the other person's impulsiveness, he quickly pulled him back and advised, "You've never met that donkey dung bastard before? Don't waste your time. This morning, some people didn't want to move, and they argued for ages, almost coming to blows. Only the guy surnamed Cai said he had already consulted with his superiors. In the past, because there were too many things to do and too few people, we had to be left here..."

"There are quite a few new people in the capital right now, and they have also received approval from their superiors—anyone who feels that the assignments are not done well, or has any opinions, or can't stand the hardship, can write a document to him, pack up, and go back to the capital first. There will be no obstruction on the river!"

The man who had already stepped out froze upon hearing this, trembling with anger. He cursed, "In the past, when we said we wanted to leave, he would first say we needed approval from the Director of Waterways and Councilor Li, then he would say our academy needed to send a letter to the river authorities first, then he would say that it would be a disgrace to the academy and our fellow students. Now that everything is done, when it's time to reap the rewards, he doesn't want approval or a letter, and he doesn't want to embarrass the academy and our fellow students anymore?!"

Xu Da hurriedly said, "Let's be patient for now! What if you go to that guy surnamed Cai now and he lets you leave with just one word? Wouldn't that make us give credit to those bastards? We're all human, but they were born into better circumstances and can steal everything from us!"

"Then what should we do? Just swallow this insult and obediently go back to Chanzhou? Oh no! I can't swallow this!"

"Forget it, our ancestral graves aren't good enough, and our ancestors aren't protecting us. What can we do? On the bright side, once the Liuta River is dredged, it won't be long before everyone can return to the capital!" Xu Da persuaded again and again. "Didn't you always say that the dried meat my family brought back was delicious? When we go back this time, I'll take you to their house—their family makes breakfast, and their sticky rice and shumai are absolutely delicious!"

"As for whether or not to show their faces, there are so many people on the riverbank! If, as you say, a gentleman and a court official come, they'll be seeing unfamiliar faces all day long. No matter how they behave, they'll probably forget who we are in no time!"

These words are hardly persuasive, and they don't even offer the slightest comforting consolation.

But that person had no idea that Xu Da was doing it for his own good.

He clenched his fists, finally pulling back his steps, but couldn't help cursing, "Everyone says Heaven has eyes, how come it doesn't count for him all of a sudden?! Cai Lufen is so immoral all the time, he'll get his comeuppance sooner or later—why doesn't the Thunder God strike him down?!"

The weather was very muggy and hot today. He had rushed back and was already covered in sweat.

The inner shirt was made of coarse cloth, clinging to the back. Most likely, the skin in some place had been accidentally chafed. When sweat soaked in it, it would almost immediately sting the broken skin.

Besides his back, his legs and feet were also sore and aching. Because of the orders from above, the river was to be opened in two days. They had been busy on the river from morning till night for the past few days. He was assigned the task of delivering messages back and forth, and he also had to run back and forth to Chanzhou. He couldn't get any horses or mules, so he had to borrow some and walk for a while. After a few days, he had already worn out another pair of shoes, and the soles of his feet were really worn out.

He vigorously wiped the sweat from his head and face with his coarse cloth sleeve. Only after wiping it off did he realize that he was still holding half an egg in his hand—it had been crushed flat and looked dirty.

It was an egg after all. He turned to the side and shoved the half-flattened egg into his mouth. As he chewed, he felt increasingly stifled. Taking advantage of Xu Da's inattention, he raised his sleeve and wiped his eyes hard again.

In the shed by the river, Xu Da's roommates had already transformed into thunder gods in their minds, striking Cai Xiu a hundred and eight thousand times.

But no matter how much he struggled in his heart, all he could do was wipe his sweat with his coarse cloth sleeve.

Meanwhile, inside Chanzhou City, Cai Xiu was also wiping away sweat.

Although he had come by carriage, it was still a bit stuffy inside. Moreover, many of the roads along the way had only been opened in the last year or so, and they were very dusty. So he deliberately lowered the curtain and took a nap in the carriage.

I slept soundly and broke out in a sweat.

The owner of the house was sitting right next to him. Seeing this, he ordered, "Put two more large ice basins behind Young Master Cai—don't let him get too hot!"

Cai Xiu quickly smiled and said, "Don't be so polite, we're all family here. Besides, it's all ice here, I really don't feel hot at all!"

These were not just polite words.

Behind the table where Cai Xiu and the others were sitting, there were several ice basins, which were now emitting white, cold air.

He was covered in sweat when he got out of the carriage, but now that he sat down here, it was quite cool. He was a little worried that the sudden change from hot to cold might make him catch a chill. But the servants in the room ignored Cai Xiu's words. After a while, they brought out two basins of ice, and even brought out copper basins and clean cloths, specially to serve Cai Xiu to wash his face and hands. After he finished washing, they presented him with a piece of brocade handkerchief.

As expected of Yun brocade, it's a really good product. The handkerchief is very soft and absorbent. When you gently press it against your face, it absorbs all the moisture in an instant.

On a sweltering day, sitting in a spacious room, with people serving her to wash her face and hands, and ice and refreshing drinks to quench her thirst, Cai Xiu, despite her ordinary background, quickly adapted to such treatment.

Being rich and powerful, it's truly a life of luxury!
What is the purpose of a person's life?

Was it so that they could be bent over and kneeling to measure the riverbed?
Or is it to do those hard, tiring, and unappreciated things?
They spend their days writing and calculating under the oil lamp, and the things they produce are presented to their superiors, but they may not even be seen or used.

He personally delivered the hydrological data of the alleyway, which was measured in the shed a month ago, as soon as he received it. Today, he happened to see it again in the inner room of Lu Goudang's office—where several clerks were working—without even removing the wax seal on the outside. It is conceivable that the contents inside were something he had never even looked at.

What's the point of doing something that Shangguan doesn't value?
However, it was clear that Lü Gou Dang was very concerned about some of the students who came from the capital. He had his subordinates come to give instructions many times, saying that it was inevitable that the students would have some difficulties adapting to the river for the first time. If they couldn't stand it, they shouldn't be forced, and they shouldn't be too strict with them...

Whatever the superior likes to watch, the subordinates will naturally have to do.

Cai Xiu put down her teacup, greeted the people at the table, and said, "I came here today specifically because I have a favor to ask of you."

There are seven people at the table.

He first mentioned that everyone at the table would be packing their things the next day to go to the river to be replaced.

Almost as soon as he finished speaking, everyone at the table burst into laughter.

Someone said, "As expected of Brother Cai, he's so thoughtful! The river will be dredged in a couple of days, just right. Let's go to the river early and get familiar with it, so that when the officials come, we won't be clueless when they ask us questions!"

"I was thinking about this the other day, and I was going to send someone to ask you about it—who would have thought you would handle things so reliably!"

After praising her, the man asked Cai Xiu, "Do you have any archives or documents from the riverbed that have been organized? Just give a brief overview, not too many, otherwise we won't be able to review them all!"

Cai Xiu hurriedly agreed and placed a bundle she had brought with her on the table, opening it in front of everyone.

Each of them took a book, glanced at it, and then frowned.

The bundle contained five or six volumes of documents. At first glance, the basic framework seemed to be in place, and the contents appeared quite comprehensive, covering almost everything.

But a closer look reveals that it was pieced together by many people.

If you don't know the cause and effect or the specific situation, it's very difficult to understand it on your own.

"This thing isn't very useful!"

Cai Xiu also said helplessly, "That's how it is. They are all students, and it's their first time dealing with river affairs. They also have no one to guide them. Actually, if you think about it, the officials know that we are just students, so they won't ask us any difficult questions. As long as we can handle it, that's enough!"

"Tell them to revise it quickly. It's written like this, it's obviously a perfunctory job, and it's completely incomprehensible—I don't believe that if I told them this was for the new husband, they would still write it like this!"

"Yes, we'll use this for now, and you can have someone replenish it as soon as possible!"

Cai Xiu readily agreed, saying, "I'll have someone revise it!"

He shared a meal filled with delicacies with a group of powerful and influential scions from collateral branches of the family before taking his leave.

Because it was a banquet, drinking was inevitable. The meal was filled with laughter and conversation, and people ate slowly. By the time they returned to the Liutahe River, it was already dark.

Cai Xiu used to live in Chanzhou City, but only recently moved to the riverside. Now that she has returned to her house, she sat down to rest, drank the hangover drink she had specially brought back, took a bath, and went to the house where everyone else was working.

He used the excuse of an urgent matter to summon several of the most capable and hardworking people and instructed them: "There is an important matter—the higher-ups need to report the situation of the alleyway to the court tomorrow. Apart from a few officials in charge, you are the ones who are actually following the situation and know it best. So you will be the ones to write it!"

"Write it in detail, so that even people who don't know anything about this can understand what's going on and can follow the instructions—this is extremely important, and it needs to be in my hands by tomorrow noon at the latest—everyone, work hard tonight and stay up all night! If it's well-written and useful, there will definitely be praise from above!"

Eight or nine students had already gone to bed, but were called back up. Since the other party's excuse was to submit a memorial to the court, none of them dared to be negligent. No matter how much they cursed in their hearts, they had no choice but to stay up all night and most of the day to get their things out. Only then did they hurriedly pack their luggage and valuables and take turns returning to Chanzhou City.

Cai Xiu woke up after a nap, and it was already past noon. She had just finished washing up when she received news that Lu Zhongchang, the head of the Lu gang, had come down to inspect.

He quickly sought out his superior, and together they went to greet him.

The group walked along the entire river, from top to bottom.

Lu Zhongchang looked around and then said, “I have received news that Councilor Li will be coming tomorrow, along with several other officials and palace staff. We originally planned to open the river mouth and release water the day after tomorrow, but the plan remains unchanged. We just need to find a place for them to sit down and witness this. Where do you think would be suitable?”

Cai Xiu stepped forward first and said, "So that the officials know, I have been helping the official day and night to manage the river and am quite familiar with the area. There is a place that is very close to the water outlet and is flat, which is perfect for setting up a platform to sit on!"

(End of this chapter)