Miao Chu

Chapter 38 Idea
Since the new headmaster took over, the discipline at Nanlu Academy has been strictly enforced.

The bell hadn't rung yet, and there was still some time before class started, but the classroom was already packed with students who were afraid of being late and being punished.

While the teacher was not present, some students studied, but most of them went on idle chatter.

"Have you heard? At noon, the stall owner Song who sells glutinous rice gave food to those imperial college students again!"

"Hear it? I saw it with my own eyes! I sneaked out to buy lunch at noon, and before I knew it, those Imperial Academy students were carrying a lot of things in pairs—those Imperial Academy students are so lucky, they can eat out openly like that and they won't get caught!"

"Did you see what we ate?"

"It's covered, what can you see? But I did see that young lady Song frying salted duck egg yolks on a stove, it smelled really good, I wonder what she was doing..."

The man's tone was full of longing as he added, "Why can't such a good thing happen to us from Nanlu? We're all students, how come our fates are so different!"

“I know! It’s braised pork trotters with rice!” someone chimed in. “At noon, a fellow villager of mine came to deliver some things. He saw it and told me about it. He said it smelled incredibly good. Everyone who passed by gathered around the door to watch the excitement. Someone offered two hundred coins to buy a serving on the spot, but nobody paid him any attention.”

"Is pork knuckle rice that expensive?"

"Those at the Imperial Academy have plenty of money!"

"How much was it originally per serving?"

"This is a gift, not for sale. You can't buy it for any price. They said they helped us a lot, so stall owner Song is giving us both breakfast and lunch."

"Helped her a great favor?" Someone who knew the whole story immediately became unhappy. "It's just copying a copy of the 'Wei Criminal Code,' what do you mean by helping her a great favor? Have you no shame, Imperial Academy students! If you had come to us, we wouldn't have needed to send all this stuff; we could have copied it perfectly for her just the same!"

Upon hearing that it was a copy of the "Wei Criminal Code," someone who didn't know the inside story asked curiously, "Are even the stall owners doing business in the food alley literate now? What do they need the 'Wei Criminal Code' for?"

"I heard that the family has suffered a disaster and is trying to protect their property."

"Don't you know? That stall owner, Ms. Song, is Song Huaizhou's sister!"

"what?"

"what!"

In an instant, the noisy study room fell silent as everyone looked over.

"Is he Song Huaizhou, the one who went to Hejian for study last year and ended up encountering bandits?"

"it's him."

"Doesn't his family own a restaurant? It seems he only has one younger sister, whom he always treats like a precious treasure. Why is he setting up a stall at the entrance of the food alley?"

“You know the man who was pulled out of the Bian River a while ago, right? He was Song Huaizhou’s father. Now only his younger sister is left in the family. I heard he owes a lot of debts and even sold the restaurant.”

"If it's Song Huaizhou's sister, wasn't she supposed to be married a long time ago? Now is the perfect time to use her, so why isn't her husband's family stepping in?"

"They're only engaged, not married yet. For her to encounter something like this, her future husband's family must have backed away. Otherwise, why would they make a young woman go through such hardship?" some people speculated.

"That's exactly the point. In today's world, everyone is obsessed with money and power. Even married couples can divorce. The Song family has lost both their wealth and their money. Things are very different now!"

"Even so, there should still be a sense of integrity, right? Even if the marriage doesn't go through, you can't just stand by and watch your ex suffer. You should at least lend a hand. To just stand by and do nothing is truly heartless."

"Cough cough."

"Say less."

"Perhaps they did help, but just didn't say it out loud."

Suddenly someone tugged at the man's sleeve, and another person changed the subject with a few words.

"What's wrong? Did I say something wrong?"

The speaker was immediately at a loss for words.

However, someone quickly approached his ear and said something. The person exclaimed "Ah!" and turned to look at Lin Yiwen in the corner.

Before long, after whispering among themselves, everyone in the room began to secretly look at Lin Yiwen.

Lin Yiwen was sitting in the back, in a corner. If people wanted to see him, most of them would have to turn around, and the movements would be quite large, so he couldn't be hidden at all.

Especially since the room was originally noisy with all sorts of things being said, the entire study room gradually quieted down before the school bell rang.

The student sitting at the same table as Lin Yiwen didn't dare to raise his head, only pretending to read, but he didn't turn a single page for a long time.

Lin Yiwen sat with his head down, feeling both irritable and angry.

The short time before class felt like an eternity to him. When the teacher finally entered and began to teach, he couldn't hear a single word. He felt like everyone was secretly watching him and whispering among themselves.

Finally, after class, he went to the teacher and said that he had severe diarrhea and wanted to leave the academy to see a doctor.

This student was always obedient and did well in his studies, so the teacher naturally wouldn't make things difficult for him. He readily wrote a note of approval and told him to take good care of himself and not delay.

Lin Yiwen naturally didn't have any abdominal pain and hurriedly went home.

Only Lin's mother was home. She was startled when her son returned so suddenly, but she was happy to hear that nothing serious had happened. She poured him some tea and said, "Why didn't you tell me sooner? It's rare for you to come back. I'll go and get you a couple of good dishes!"

Lin Yiwen quickly pulled his mother back, hesitated for a moment, and asked, "Mother, what's the current status of our marriage with the Song family?"

"It's all been returned, and the betrothal gifts have been retrieved—why are you suddenly asking about this?"

"Is there really no other way? I think the Song family has helped us a lot in the past. Besides, she... is gentle and beautiful. There's really nothing wrong with her..."

Lin Yiwen had barely finished speaking when a person pushed the door open and said, "She was born into the Song family and had a father like that; that's the biggest mistake she made!"

—It turned out that Lin's father had returned.

His face was very unpleasant. He stared at his son and asked, "It's not a day off today, what are you doing back here? How did you get back?" Lin Yiwen stammered a few words.

Lin's father's face immediately darkened further. He said, "What can't be said openly and honestly? If you don't explain, I'll go ask your teacher!"

Lin Yiwen was startled and quickly said, "My stomach is a little upset, so I took leave to come out for a bit. I'll be back in a little while."

Lin's father snorted coldly and said, "You've even learned to lie to your old man for a woman—you don't even have a title, and you still have the leisure to think about women? When you pass the imperial examination in the future, there will be plenty of good daughters vying to marry into our family. Is this all the vision you have, setting your sights on a merchant's daughter?"

Lin Yiwen, who was full of grievances, finally couldn't hold back any longer and said, "I was originally engaged to Miss Song, but now that her family has suffered misfortune, the engagement has to be called off. What will others say about me if they find out?"

"If you don't tell, how will others know?" Lin's father thought his son was just making excuses and said unhappily.

"Everyone can see that she's now selling food at a stall outside Nanlu Academy, how could they not know!"

Hearing this, Lin's father was also somewhat surprised and hurriedly asked, "She came to see you?"

"No, not at all." Lin Yiwen's voice lowered.

These days, Song's glutinous rice has become increasingly famous. At first, he didn't think much of it, until the story of copying the book slowly spread and more and more people learned about Song's background. He overheard it by chance and realized that the legendary Song was actually his former fiancée. It was like being struck by lightning.

He initially thought it was aimed at him, but after waiting and waiting, Song Miao never came looking for him, and he didn't even get a bite of glutinous rice or shumai.

I couldn't tell whether I was disappointed or relieved.

Lin's father breathed a sigh of relief and said, "She's a woman. If this matter gets out, it will do more harm than good. As long as you don't show your face and don't cause any trouble, and since she can't enter the academy anyway, it will pass by eventually, and no one will hold a grudge."

He added, "Once they achieve fame and success, no one will care anymore—if anyone is truly to blame, it's only because the Song family is so unambitious. Who would dare associate with such a family?"

He was quite angry as he said this, and looked at his wife and said, "If I had known it would turn out like this, I shouldn't have arranged the marriage with the Song family in the first place. I was never very satisfied with them. After all, they are just merchants. If we hadn't been in dire straits at the time, and if you hadn't kept persuading me, we wouldn't have ended up like this today!"

Lin's mother felt wronged and said, "We couldn't even afford to eat that day. If it weren't for the Song family..."

She stopped mid-sentence, seeing the murderous look on her husband's face, and dared not continue. Instead, she muttered under her breath, "You agreed to it that day, saying that Song Huaizhou had a bright future. Although he was a merchant, if he passed the imperial examination, the two families would be a good match..."

"How was I supposed to know he died so young?! He's already dead, and you're saying this!" Lin's father was furious and embarrassed.

He turned his head and saw Lin Yiwen looking distracted. He was both angry and annoyed, but he still felt sorry for his son. He said, "Song Da was a gambling addict. Even if he hadn't died, I would have broken off the engagement for you. Besides, it was really unlucky that Song Da's wife and Song Huaizhou died so close together. Now that Song Da is gone, I wonder if it's because that Song family daughter has a bad fate that brought death to her whole family. Who would dare to gamble?"

He added, “Just focus on your studies. If you study hard, you’ll have everything. As for what others are saying, even if it’s true, we can still find out if we seriously examine it and we’ll be in the right!”

Having said that, he shouted again, "Let it go for today, but if I find out next time you're running away from the academy for such a trivial matter, I'll break your legs!"

Master Lin had been a teacher for a long time, and he had always used teaching aids and rulers on his son without hesitation. Such was the strict father. Now, with just a slight stern look and a few harsh words, Lin Yiwen dared not say anything more.

After the family of three finished their meal, Lin's father hurried them to the academy.

However, Lin's mother took the opportunity of seeing the person off to comfort her son, saying, "I know you're upset, but it's not appropriate for me to do it myself. When your sister comes back another day, I'll ask her to go to the Song family and give them some money, as a token of my appreciation."

He sighed again and said, "I was also very fond of this girl, but unfortunately she was unlucky and you were destined to be apart."

Lin Yiwen had thought of countless ideas on his way back. He didn't dare to say anything in front of his father, but he felt much more at ease in front of his mother. He said, "Mother, there is actually another way. You can see if it works."

He hesitated for a moment and asked, "Although the Song family is not doing well, it has nothing to do with that Sister Song. I have known her for several years, but we can no longer be called childhood sweethearts. I can't just stand by and watch her like this. Mother, what do you think? Should I take her in as a concubine?"

“If a girl marries into our family, she will have a husband’s family to rely on. We have done our best, and no one else has anything to say.”

Lin's mother paused for a moment, then hesitated and said, "Your father just said she has a tough life, but you're not..."

"Of course we're afraid of this when we're getting married, but why are there so many rules about taking a concubine?" Lin Yiwen had become a decisive person at this moment. "I'm afraid Father will have something to say. Mother, why don't you try to persuade him first and see what he says?"

"The Song family is already so in debt, we'd better not provoke them—if we really take her in, where will we get the money to pay it off for them?"

Lin Yiwen didn't inquire about the many rumors surrounding the stall owner, but he could hear his classmates discussing them just by sitting there. He naturally knew that there was a problem with the sales documents and that there might be room for maneuver. He quickly said, "I heard that there is another way to deal with the house sale. If we can keep it and sell the property, even if we can't pay off the debt, it won't be too bad."

He paused for a moment, then said, "Even if there's only a little left, I'm taking the Imperial Academy exam this year, and I'll get some subsidies. I can use a little of that to help pay it off."

"Besides, I didn't know before, but now I know that Sister Song has a good skill. She makes a lot of business just by making glutinous rice and steamed dumplings to sell in the food alley. I think she can support herself and her family. With both sides working together, it's not like she can't afford it."

Seeing that her son was considering so much, Lin's mother knew exactly what he was thinking. She didn't even think about whether Song Miao was willing or not—at this point, what choice did she have? She just said, "Don't worry, I also feel sorry for this girl. It would be good if she could come into our family. Let me go and sound out your father's opinion first."

He added, "You should focus on your studies. Everything else is trivial. Don't let this interfere with your studies."

Having confided in his mother, Lin Yiwen felt somewhat relieved.

The Song family's affairs happened suddenly. He was studying at the academy and was really shocked when he was notified by his family. Afterwards, all the negotiations and the annulment of the engagement were decided by his parents, and he was unable to do anything. He didn't even have time to meet the Song sister.

Now that a solution has been found, we should tell her and make her happy.

After leaving home, he didn't rush back to the academy through the main gate, but instead went to Suanzao Lane.

Fearing being seen, Lin Yiwen had to cover himself up as he walked. However, when he reached the middle of the alley, he saw many people carrying pots and boxes ahead of him. Judging from their attire, they looked like students of the Imperial Academy.

Sure enough, as they got closer, they heard people talking about "pig's feet rice" and "sticky rice," as well as discussing whether the sale of the Song family's property at such a low price was legally valid, and whether Song Dalang, who had married into the family, could make the decision to sell the property—it was clear they were going to see Song Miao.

Although he didn't know why everyone had come, Lin Yiwen didn't want to run into them. Seeing that everyone had already found the entrance of Song Family Restaurant, he didn't approach them. Instead, he found a secluded corner opposite Song Family Restaurant and stood there, watching and waiting.

Song Miao had no idea that so many things would happen later.

She had been busy all day and was quite tired. When she came back in the afternoon, she prepared some ingredients and took a nap. She had just woken up and was still a little dazed when she heard a group of people knocking on the door.

Their voices were polite and cheerful; you could tell they were from that group of students who ate pork trotter rice.

Many thanks to my cat, Egg, from the bookstore for gifting me this typing tool. Here are two small tokens as a token of my appreciation =3= (Let me guess, Egg is a male cat without testicles, right?)

Thank you to the Yellow Scorpio Palace for the pork knuckle rice flavored sachet for Xiaoqi. I've already seen him wearing it, and he said it makes him even craving more food! ^_^
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(End of this chapter)