Miao Chu

Chapter 346 Getting Closer
“Besides setting up a stall every day, my family’s eatery also delivers and supplies breakfast to many places. Although it’s a small business, we’ve slowly made a name for ourselves by relying on our skills and honest business practices. We’ve gained some regular customers, and right now we’re employing more than 20 people, both long-term and short-term, and we’re also planning to open a food stall…”

Song Miao briefly explained her plan to share a portion of the profits, so that the helpers would not only be employees but also future owners of the restaurant.

She said, "Although my daughter is in debt, she now has skills, helpers, customers who appreciate her, a clean government office, and the support of her neighbors. She has few obstacles around her now."

"Furthermore, good fortune comes in pairs. Who would have thought that His Majesty would be so fortunate as to visit the Imperial Academy and praise it personally? Now, the whole city is curious. For the past two days, many people have been queuing outside the restaurants, wanting to taste what the 'Imperial Academy Scholar-Nourishing Steamed Buns' mentioned by the Emperor look like and taste like. This has given everyone in the restaurants a lot of confidence. Under such circumstances, how could I not want to make it big?"

"Unfortunately, due to the small size of the house and the cramped space, we can't hire more staff or expand the shop. It's a real headache!"

She spoke slowly, her words filled with anticipation for the future.

It is also said that the long and short employees are extremely busy and anxious. They are wrapping steamed buns so hard that sparks are about to fly from their fingers. Even the daughter of the manager of the restaurant secretly suggested that she take a few days off from the clinic to come back and wash and peel vegetables.
He added that he had had this idea before and had looked around with many people. The houses in other places were either too far away or had unsuitable layouts, each with its own problems. Only the house across the street was the site of the gambling case in the past. Its location, size, and layout were all very suitable.

"My daughter asked someone to inquire about it for her..."

She explained that the gambling case was closed, and according to procedure, once the relevant departments had finished processing and given their approval, the house across the street would be made public, detailing whether it was available for rent or sale.

The day before, when Song Miao entered the palace to pay her respects, she had already given a detailed account of the restaurant's situation.

When speaking to Empress Dowager Yang, she would often start with the people and their deeds. In addition to telling her own interesting stories about setting up a stall, she would also talk about the experiences of Cheng Erniang and her daughter Xiaolian, how Zhang Siniang and Wang Sanlang, a young couple, went to the capital to seek a way out, and how Xu, the master she used to hire, was greedy and despicable. In the end, he was dealt with by Xu the butcher and Feng the old woman from the fishing shop. After that, Cheng Erniang regretted and blamed herself for misjudging people.

The everyday stories of family life and ordinary people are always the easiest to evoke empathy.

Song Miao spoke eloquently and captivatingly, displaying both respect and warmth. She vividly described the characteristics and personalities of many people. Not only Empress Dowager Yang, but even the palace servants and eunuchs standing around her, after hearing it once yesterday and again today, clearly remembered several regulars in the restaurant. They not only treated it as a storyteller or tale, but also unconsciously regarded them as acquaintances.

When she mentioned that Cheng Erniangzi's daughter wanted to ask for leave to go home and help out, Empress Dowager Yang blurted out, "It's that girl..."

Empress Dowager Yang had already spoken, but almost immediately, a chorus of responses arose from those around her.

"Xiao Lian!"

"Cheng Lian!!"

"It's Xiaolian, the one who went to study medicine at the clinic, asking for leave to come back and help!!!"

—A palace maid has already used the word "come back".

If someone who didn't know the story heard it, they would all think she was an inside agent of the Song family restaurant, kept in the palace.

When Song Miao mentioned the house across the street, before the plan was fully revealed and the dagger was revealed, Empress Dowager Yang took the initiative to ask, "In that case, I will take back that house across the street and give it to you as a reward for your great service this time—what do you say?"

Song Miao raised her head and replied, "Compared to what Your Majesty the Empress Dowager thinks, this commoner is even more greedy!"

"It is certainly wonderful that Her Majesty has kindly bestowed this mansion upon me. However, if I were to accept it so readily, it would likely be a one-time event with no further developments."

“I think: if there are no taboos in the palace, I will shamelessly ask the Empress Dowager for help this time. Since I am short of money, I can’t come up with that much silver all at once. I can only ask you to lend me some copper coins to help me buy that house and sell it to me as a shop for expansion. I will pay you the money for the house in installments, either quarterly or annually. Actually, I would like to pay you monthly.”

"Besides the house, I would also like to ask you to provide a set of tables and chairs. I will set up a private room for you. If you happen to be able to come and visit, it will be perfect as a place to entertain guests. It is not open to outsiders on weekdays."

Just then, Empress Dowager Yang suddenly interrupted, saying, "Why can't it be opened to foreign guests?"

Song Miao immediately replied as if she had heard a divine decree, "I will obey Your Majesty's orders!"

She paused briefly, then said, “Your Majesty is always busy and rarely has time, but you can arrange for palace maids and eunuchs to come and collect the ‘debts’. In addition to money, I would also like to offer a meal each time, whether it be pastries or dishes, firstly to express my heartfelt wishes, and secondly so that Your Majesty and His Majesty can see and taste it for themselves.”

"In this way, the palace will also know—although Song Ji is just a small eatery, it has received the Emperor's favor and dares not fail to live up to His grace. The food it makes has never changed, and there is absolutely no shortage of ingredients or the use of inferior materials..."

"What I'm about to do is mostly to borrow the emperor's authority to broaden my own power and enhance my self-esteem. It's verbose, troublesome, and somewhat inappropriate. The palace might not agree to it..."

Before she could finish speaking, Empress Dowager Yang, sitting opposite her, chuckled and said, "Although I am old, I still enjoy going out for spring outings and shopping for food and drink from time to time. Even though I am the so-called Empress Dowager, am I not a human being? How am I any different from an ordinary old woman? Who says I don't have time to go to your restaurant by myself?"

Song Miao dared to propose such a idea and adopt such an attitude, not only because she could feel the Empress Dowager's truly approachable demeanor during her audience, but also because she knew that the current royal family had always been close to the people.

She heard that a few years ago, when the palace was being renovated, it was originally planned to be expanded. The blueprints had already been drawn up. The current Empress Dowager and the Emperor discussed the matter and decided to consult with the "neighbors" first.

The current imperial palace is not large, and it is right next to the Imperial Street and Panlou Street.

Once the leader received the order, he went to ask the "neighbors" on the two streets outside the palace for their opinions—which one would be willing to relocate?

After receiving the reply, the mother and son discussed it and decided to abandon the expansion plan.

I have heard that on the Imperial Street, there are still many shops that advertise that before the palace gates close at night, eunuchs and palace servants often come out of their shops to buy food for the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, the Empress and others to have as a late-night snack.

—With such a reputation, other shops can borrow it, and if one has the connections to do so openly, it will be even easier to borrow it.

Seeing the Empress Dowager's response was a pleasant surprise for Song Miao.

Before she could reply, Empress Dowager Yang said again, "Pay it monthly—you shall give me one copper coin every month, plus some food, and pay it back whenever you can!"

Song Miao quickly thanked her, but then said, "Your Majesty, why not just return nine copper coins every month? I only hope that Your Majesty will enjoy good health and long life, and that our Great Wei will have good weather and abundant harvests for a long time!"

The Liuta River had just collapsed due to flooding, and the phrase "favorable weather for crops" perfectly suited Empress Dowager Yang's wishes. How could she refuse? She could only sigh, nod, and repeatedly say "good."

After she finished explaining everything, she asked, "Is just one set of tables and chairs enough? Don't you need me to arrange tables and chairs for the entire restaurant?"

Song Miao quickly shook her head and said, "In ordinary business, how dare we be so arrogant!"

She thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty has bestowed upon me a residence and given me tables and chairs. This restaurant is of your own making. If I were to say that I would share the profits with the palace, it would be presumptuous of me. It would be better to give all the profits from that set of tables and chairs, as well as one-tenth of the profits from the restaurant, to the Jimin Hospital as a token of Your Majesty's goodwill. Kindness has never been limited by its size. If I were to presume to use the Emperor's authority, I do not know if it would be appropriate."

Empress Dowager Yang did not answer directly, but instead said to a palace maid beside her, "Go to the storeroom and find a set of tables and chairs that I brought with me as part of my dowry. Once things are settled in that house, have someone send them over!"

Then, turning to Song Miao, he said, "Do your business well! I want to see your business grow bigger and bigger, hire more people, and enjoy the food served by 'Song's' every month!"

That day, Song Miao returned home with a full load of goods.

She set off early, but by the time she returned to Suanzao Lane, it was already late afternoon.

Before the carriage even entered the alley, one could see many wooden fences outside the alley, with ropes strung up. Pedestrians were in groups of three or five, and horse-drawn carriages and mule carts were blocking the way one after another. There were also two or three patrolmen standing by the fences.

"Stop waiting, stop queuing, hurry back! Song's steamed buns from the Imperial Academy are all sold out!"

"The people from the eateries who came out first said that they had nothing left; everything was sold out!"

"No vehicles should enter unless they live in Suanzao Lane, have important business, or are visiting relatives and friends. The lane is narrow, and it was congested for half the day. A horse-drawn carriage collided with two mule carts, almost injuring someone!"

"Vehicles need to be met by someone from inside to get in! We were stuck in traffic all morning, unable to get in or out!"

"If you want to buy, you can go again tomorrow—or wait a few more days until things calm down, then it should be easier to get in line!"

After hearing so much advice, all the guests showed expressions of disappointment.

"Huh??" "It's still early, it's not even dark yet, how come they're sold out so quickly??"

"Exactly! Does this shop owner even know how to do business?!"

"What do you mean by 'it'll be easier to queue once things calm down'?? After a while, once things have calmed down, will we still have to queue? Shouldn't we be able to skip the queue altogether? What kind of logic is that?!"

"The young master and young mistress at home heard the stories told by outsiders and they all clamored for food. The master sent me out to buy some, but if I can't buy any and don't have a good reason, I won't even be able to explain myself—what am I supposed to say?"

Before the patrolmen could speak, a passerby kindly replied, "What's so hard to say? Even without this incident, Song's food would always have long queues. Now that her family has become the Emperor's designated 'Scholar-Nourishing Steamed Buns,' if it were that easy to buy, wouldn't everyone be a 'scholar'? You see, isn't that the truth?"

A neighbor who lived at the entrance of the alley was standing at his door watching the commotion. Hearing this, he quickly chimed in, saying, "Exactly! Even regular students from the Imperial Academy and Nanlu Academy used to queue up every day. If they got up even a little late, they wouldn't be able to get Song's steamed buns or glutinous rice—if even scholars are like this, what about other people?"

After several attempts, some people realized they had come up empty-handed and left obediently. But others, still unwilling to give up, tried to venture into the alley. After only a few steps, they heard someone cursing and swearing as they came out. They had no choice but to ask, and sure enough, the person opposite said, "Sold out! Nothing left! Not to mention steamed buns, even the bowls of dough and fillings are empty!"

Finally, the group dispersed in a panic.

People dispersed quickly, but vehicles didn't move as fast.

Seeing that the carriages and mule carts ahead were blocking the way, the palace servants who were driving the carriages urged them to make way, shouting: "Imperial carriages, please make way!"

Hearing the commotion, people all looked over and saw that it was indeed a palace carriage, which immediately caused a commotion.

"Have more people come from the palace?"

"What's going on this time?"

"What are you here for?"

Hearing the commotion from inside, Song Miao deliberately opened the curtains of the car window and greeted several familiar patrolmen.

When everyone saw her, they immediately cried out.

"Young Lady Song!"

"Street vendor Song!"

"So it's you, Stall Owner Song—I heard the palace sent an envoy this morning to summon you to the palace for an audience? You're back now??"

Song Miao smiled and agreed or gave a reply.

When the palace servant driving the carriage saw Song Miaotong talking outside, he took the initiative to pull the reins without being told, so that the carriage would move slower and make it easier for her to talk to the person outside.

"Thank you all for your help. Would you like to stop by the restaurant for a rest and have a drink before you go?"

The patrolmen waved their hands.

Someone pointed to a large bamboo basket nearby and said, "Song's shop just delivered some perilla drink—madam, please go ahead, we have some to drink here!"

"There's something to drink! You go about your business, don't worry about us!"

"There's a lot going on in the restaurant!"

Soon, the fence was removed, and Song Miao's carriage drove in.

She could faintly hear the chatter of various people behind her.

"Can this fence and rope be pulled up?"

"Shouldn't we just leave it? Otherwise we'll have to move it out again tomorrow!"

"Won't someone take it?"

"Tighten up the rope, and tell the brothers on patrol to keep a close eye on the fence tonight!"

"What time are you coming tomorrow? Should we come early? Otherwise, the place will be a mess by now, and we won't be able to clean it up properly!"

"We can go earlier and buy some steamed buns to eat ourselves. Hey! We can't buy those lousy steamed buns. Now that we have this opportunity, let me eat my fill!"

—This is a group of patrolmen.

"You're too late today, you won't get a turn. Are you coming tomorrow?"

"Come on, let me have a bite of the imperial steamed bun before you talk!"

"I live nearby, so I leave home as soon as it's light, and I can buy it right before I go to work!"

—This is for ordinary guests.

Several other carriages also disembarked, and people quietly pulled the people at the entrance of Suanzao Lane aside.

"Sister-in-law—I'll give you twenty coins. Could you help me buy a few steamed buns tomorrow morning?"

"Brother..."

"Little brother..."

"Grandma!"

At this moment, the carriage finally arrived at the entrance of the restaurant.

She had originally invited the palace servants who had come to see her off to come in and rest for a while, but after seeing them politely wave goodbye and drive away, Song Miao turned around.

It was late afternoon, not yet lunch or dinner time, but as soon as she entered the room, she saw a group of people eating around several tables in the outer hall. Although they weren't starving, everyone was devouring their food, not even bothering to lift their heads.

Hearing the commotion at the door, Cheng Erniang quickly looked up and saw Song Miao. She swallowed a mouthful of rice and called out, "Madam!"

In an instant, everyone present realized what was happening and began to stand up to greet them.

Seeing everyone's appearance and considering what happened yesterday, Song Miao naturally knew that everyone must have been so busy that they hadn't even had time to eat. She quickly said, "You guys eat first, don't worry about me!"

As she spoke, she quickened her pace and was about to head to the backyard when she turned her head and saw another person sitting alone at a table at the very back.

Upon seeing her enter, the man stood up but did not come to greet her. Instead, he stood in the direction of the second gate, as if waiting for her to come over and preparing to go to the backyard together.

When Song Miao approached, he neither called her "Little Miss Song" nor "Stadium Owner," he even skipped the formalities and didn't say a word. He just looked at her with his eyes and reached out to take the bundle from her hands.

(End of this chapter)