Miao Chu

Chapter 338 is also
Upon seeing Madam Xu, Han Li first greeted her, then dismounted and said, "I apologize for disturbing you. It's not about dinner; I have some other matters to discuss."

He then asked, "Is stall owner Song here?"

Before Madam Xu could answer, Second Madam Cheng came out from behind after hearing the commotion.

Han Li called out "Second Sister Cheng," and then, with one hand holding the bamboo tube and the other protecting it, handed it over.

The latter hurriedly thanked him and accepted the gift, saying, "Young Master Han, you've come at the perfect time—Xiao Lian has been talking about you!"

He added, "My wife is behind us too!"

She first explained a few words to Madam Xu, then placed the bamboo tube on the stove beside her before taking the reins and saying, "Take care of this horse for me!" After saying that, she led the horse around the house and went to the back.

Madam Xu ate and drank at Song's restaurant, treating herself like a half-waiter, and said very enthusiastically, "I'll lead you inside, young master!"

So he took two steps ahead and led Han Li to the backyard.

Before the two of them even stepped out of the second gate, they heard voices coming from inside; it was Xiaolian speaking in a muffled voice.

“Master and the others are going to Xuzhou in a few days! They think we're too young and don't want to take us with them, saying that the younger ones should stay home—but sister, I'm not the same as the other younger ones. Fuzhou is so far away, but didn't I come all the way here with Mother? I heard from my senior sister that it will take about twenty days to get to Xuzhou, with stops along the way—only twenty days! I can get there in just a few steps!”

Then Song Miao's voice replied, "Isn't that perfect? ​​Last time you said you couldn't recognize or remember many acupoints. Now you have about twenty days. Take this time to remember them clearly. When Master comes back and tests you, maybe he'll be so happy that he'll take you out next time!"

He added, “Others are all there to do the work, going to this township or that village, always crossing bridges and rivers, trekking through mountains and streams. We’re still young, and we haven’t even learned acupuncture yet, so how can we be of much help?”

Upon hearing this question, Xiaolian immediately deflated, letting out a long sigh, as if she had encountered a great problem. She said, "I have studied it seriously. I can recognize the acupoints accurately when they are on the diagrams and on the clay figures, but when they are on a person, I don't know why, I just don't dare to insert the needles!"

"Are you the only one who's afraid to insert the needle?"

"No, even those older than me aren't very brave enough to go down, they're all afraid of hurting the wrong person. I'm already considered lucky!"

"How about we try it on pigskin? Let's buy some pigskin another day and I'll give you acupuncture. Even if I can't identify the acupoints, the more real flesh I prick, the less nervous I'll be when I'm pricking people, right?"

After Song Miao finished speaking, she paused and then said, "Once you've practiced a bit more, I'll let you try it out?"

Xiaolian shook her head vigorously, her head flapping more frequently than a bee's buzzing wings, and said, "No, I can't bear to! What if I hurt my sister? I'll use my own needle first, and when I'm more skilled, I'll use my uncle's needle—he says he's thick-skinned and not afraid, and Mother and Liang Yan also said they'd let me use it! Actually, Zhu'er wrote in her letter the other day that she said that her hands and feet are too small, and I can't bear to use it on her!"

Hesitantly, he asked, "If the pigskin is pricked with needles, will it still be easy to cook?"

Song Miao said, "It's precisely because we need to insert needles that the flavor can penetrate. I might as well give you some pork belly, pork knuckle, and lamb leg to try. These all have skin, and the texture of the skin is different, so it's better to experience the different textures. You see, even human skin and flesh are different. We can eat the ones we've tried ourselves!"

As she was speaking, she looked up and saw Madam Xu and Han Li coming in. She smiled and pointed, saying, "Look who's here."

Xiaolian turned her head and saw that the insect repellent and mosquito repellent sachets were ready! She stood up abruptly, her eyes crinkling with a smile, and called out "Brother Han" before saying, "I've finished making the insect repellent and mosquito repellent sachets!"

He added, "Wait for me, I'll go get it!"

As she said that, she ran back to her room with a thud.

There was a long table in the backyard with a few chairs for people to cool off. There were also some snacks, melon seeds, and dried fruit on the table. When Song Miao saw Han and Xu coming over, she went to make room for them at the table.

As they were tidying up, Han Li approached, helping to collect the melon seed shells and walnut shells, then turned and asked, "What would you like to drink, Madam Xu?"

He was warm and friendly, his tone was easygoing, and his movements were natural, just like he was entertaining guests at home.

Hearing him speak and act in this way, Song Miao did not stop him. Instead, she went to wash her hands in a copper basin and then turned back to say, "Madam Xu said she wanted to drink plum syrup at dinner. I would like to trouble you, young master, to fetch some ice from the well."

"I know."

Han Li agreed, went to the well at the back, pulled out a bucket, and chopped out a large bowl of ice.

Madam Xu originally wanted to help greet the guests, but she was always a step behind and felt quite helpless. She felt like she had become a guest herself. Just as she was feeling lost, she saw Song Miao wipe her hands, return to the table, and push a food box towards her.

"These pine nuts are salt-baked, so they taste a little different. Knowing that my wife likes these little snacks, I specially saved some at noon—would you like to try some? They're just a bit of a hassle to eat."

She spoke softly and gently, her tone smiling, her eyes and brows gentle.

It was already late. Song Ji was a small eatery, and the backyard was not open to the public, so there were no lanterns hanging. There was only an oil lamp placed next to the table, to Song Miao's left.

The oil lamp was dim, and the person standing beside it was so gentle that Xu Niangzi was speechless. As if her legs had grown ears, she walked towards the box and chose a chair to sit down.

Song Miao took a small hammer and carefully cracked open the pine nut shells for her.

Madam Xu hurriedly said, "I can do it myself! I can do it myself!"

Song Miao didn't try to take it from her and let go of it.

Han Li then brought over some ice.

Xu Niangzi would have a glass of plum dew with crushed ice, and then she would have to crack and hammer pine nuts and melon seeds, and she could only eat two of them in half a day. But she was usually impatient, but tonight she wasn't in a hurry at all.

She sipped her ice-cold plum drink, leaned back in her chair, and looked up. To her left was the smiling face of Miss Song, and to her right was a handsome face. Naturally, a thought popped into her mind—what a wonderful life I'm living!
The three of them were sitting when Xiaolian came out carrying a basket, explaining to Han Li what this was, what that was, how to repel insects, how to prevent ants, and how to repel mosquitoes.

After listening to her explain everything, Han Li carefully inquired about the markings and their usage before solemnly thanking her. After putting the things away, he asked again, "Are you learning to recognize acupoints?" Upon receiving Xiao Lian's nod of confirmation, he continued, "I have a senior colleague from the same yamen who has been having trouble sleeping for the past few years. He has difficulty falling asleep, has many dreams at night, and wakes up repeatedly in the morning. He has also woken up early in the morning. He has already seen many doctors, who all said it was due to excessive worry and prescribed medicine."

As he spoke, he turned to Song Miao and explained, "It's about Lord Wu's business."

Upon hearing this, Song Miao exclaimed "Ah!" and said, "He used to stay up late all the time. He always said that once he finished his work, he would only need to show up for work as usual when he returned to the capital. But now that he's been back in the capital for so long, is he still not sleeping well?"

Han Li shook his head and sighed, "I'm having even less time to sleep. Recently, the Bian River, Jinshui River, and Wuzhang River have all been rising in water. The sluice gates outside the city have been opened several times, and the floodgates have been used. He was the one who initiated this, and he's afraid that something might happen, so he's been keeping an eye on things day and night. After staying up for so long, even though the situation has eased up now, I still can't sleep."

He then said to Xiaolian, "This person has been taking a lot of medicine, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. I'm afraid that medicine is three parts poison, and he's not willing to take it right now—does Doctor Lian have any methods? Would acupuncture be effective?"

Upon hearing the words "Dr. Lian," and seeing the earnest tone from the person opposite, which suggested it wasn't a joke, Xiao Lian felt a surge of responsibility. She solemnly replied, "Acupuncture will definitely be effective, but I haven't mastered it yet—I'll go back and review my medical books, ask my senior sister and master, and then tell Brother Han!"

He added, “He still needs to see a doctor! When I find a solution, I’ll ask the patient to try it. If there’s any improvement, I must remind him to see a doctor. My master said that people like this are very reluctant to follow doctors. We have to let them see the effects first before they’ll listen. Otherwise, even if there’s good medicine, if they don’t believe in it, the effect will only be three-tenths!”

After she finished speaking, she shouted that she was going to look through the book, and sure enough, she ran back into the house.

Seeing that she had returned to her room, Han Li then said to Song Miao, "There is another matter—I was asked to come and ask about official business. Back in Huazhou, didn't you make a kind of bean cake? He wants you to help prepare some so that you can carry them with you when patrolling the dikes and rivers. It will be very convenient. Otherwise, we can only carry steamed buns and bread with us all the time. They get hard when they get cold and go bad after a while."

"Is it one of those rice and bean cakes that were given to the river workers and laborers?" Song Miao asked, but she was a little unsure. "They don't taste very good!"

Han Li said, "That's it. He said the taste is already very good. The most important thing is that it's easy to carry. Otherwise, the measuring instruments are already very heavy and numerous. We also need to carry paper and pens. Steamed buns and flatbreads are really inconvenient. It's not just that they might get flattened or crushed. The worst thing is that they might get wet or dirty. It's not good to eat them or not to eat them. It's better to bring those bean cakes. We can just put them in our pockets and we don't even need to use oil paper to protect them."

As he spoke, he turned to Madam Xu beside him and said, "I heard Chief Escort Qi say that Madam Xu is the manager of the escort agency—this cake is actually quite suitable for the escorts to eat as dry rations."

Madam Xu had been listening intently, but hadn't dared to interrupt. Now that she had a chance, she immediately asked, "I've been wanting to ask that for a while now—what kind of cake is it? How long can it be kept?"

Song Miao explained to her that it was a kind of millet and bean cake made in Huazhou, containing millet, corn, soybeans and other ingredients, seasoned with peppercorns and salt. The taste was ordinary, but it was cheap, kept for a long time, and was easy to carry.

"As long as it's thoroughly dried, it can be stored for ten days to half a month in autumn and winter without any problems. When I was in Huazhou, it was early summer, and the humidity was at its highest. I specially saved some, and because it was well preserved, it didn't go bad even after a month."

Madam Xu immediately said, "If you make it, could you share some with me? If I like it, our escort agency will buy some too—if we have this on us while on a mission, we won't have to rush if something happens suddenly, or if we can't find a place to eat in the wilderness. It'll be very convenient!"

Song Miao responded and said, "There are many people on the river, so we mainly consider saving money when making this. If it's for official business or for the镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) to eat, I'll try to adjust the seasoning and mix in some other grains to make it taste better."

She then asked in detail if there were any requirements.

Wu Gongshi didn't make any demands, just give him the original bean cake, but Madam Xu had a lot of ideas.

"It would be best if it could last longer, and even better if it could last for a month or two, so that we wouldn't have to worry about running out of rations along the way when we're on a delivery mission!"

"Could you make several flavors? Can you make sweet, salty, and spicy ones? That way we can eat them in rotation!"

"Is there anything that can be rinsed or soaked? If I feel unwell, I can just rinse it with hot water, and it will be warm and comforting. I don't need to cook it for a long time; I can eat it directly as porridge or soup!"

Song Miao wrote them down one by one and said, "I'll think about it for the next couple of days."

Madam Xu brought up a lot in one breath, and was a little embarrassed. She said, "If it's inconvenient, then forget it. Even an official doesn't have so many formalities, but I'm the one who's making all this fuss!"

Song Miao immediately laughed and said, "What are you saying, my wife? The most valuable guests are those who know how to make requests—you make a lot of requests, and they are all very correct, which is very helpful and saves me a lot of trouble! Otherwise, I would just be thinking here, not knowing whether my thoughts are right or wrong, and wasting my time."

He added, "If you can really make a product with many flavors and ways of eating, and that is easy to carry, I think many other merchants, security escorts, and travelers will be interested. In the future, I will sell it together with dried meat and dried squid, which will be another business opportunity. If it sells well, I will thank you separately!"

After a few words, Madam Xu felt incredibly relieved and joked, "No need to thank me! If our escort agency ever comes to buy these new bean cakes someday, could we cut in line?"

As they were talking, Cheng Erniang had already entered from the backyard.

Han Li then went to add food and water to the horses tied outside before returning to his seat. He then spoke with Song Miao about the Emperor's personal visit that day to inspect the steamed buns at the Imperial Academy, and how he had been asked about the illustrations in the water affairs manual, and so on.

"...Because His Majesty is here today, the school is a bit stricter. No one is allowed to go out this afternoon or evening, so the news hasn't spread as quickly. But it will probably be out by tomorrow—the Emperor's praise of steamed buns will surely pique people's curiosity. Restaurants should prepare early, whether it's to make a new signboard or to stock up on more steamed buns..."

"...The Emperor asked you in detail how the drawing you taught him to do was done, and even took the manuscript back with him..."

After saying that, he went on to mention several other things.

The two chatted back and forth for a while, occasionally asking Cheng Erniang and Xu Niangzi what they were saying.

Han Li sat there from dusk until almost dusk, then said it was getting late and the restaurant would be busy the next day, so he took his leave.

Before leaving, Madam Xu felt that she had participated in the many things discussed that night, and that her relationship with Madam Song had taken a step further. She had also become acquainted with Young Master Han, as if they had known each other for a long time.

She couldn't help but follow Song Miao to see the person off. After taking only a few steps, she was stopped by Cheng Erniang, who asked, "Madam Xu, I'm going to boil some goat's milk here—would you like some sugar added to your bowl?"

Madam Xu hesitated for a moment before deciding to have something sweet, and then casually asked, "Why is there goat's milk all of a sudden?"

"It was also sent by Young Master Han," Cheng Erniang mentioned briefly.

Before Xu Niangzi could think much of it, she carried the goat milk to the front and saw that the gate was wide open. The two people, one inside and one outside, were clearly far apart. Although she didn't know what they were saying, their expressions and actions were slightly different from before.

She suddenly felt enlightened, stood still, and refused to take another step forward.

(End of this chapter)