Miao Chu

Chapter 42 Taro
At this moment, the students in the hall were somewhat worried—if the matter reached the ears of the academic director, it would be troublesome.

But Diao Zi and his men were even more afraid that if they made a big fuss, it would attract the attention of the authorities.

It was good that the police came; many of the police in the vicinity were acquaintances. Even if they didn't know each other, as long as they mentioned Boss Liao, they would give him some face.

But the students are blind, and if they shout at everyone they see, they will end up being caught by the city's patrolmen and taken to the yamen in public. Once they are imprisoned, even if they are eventually released, it will be difficult to explain to their superiors.

The men were already very hesitant, especially Diaozi, who was even more uneasy. When he saw Wang Chang's shoulder bruised and blackened on the ground, screaming in agony, he dared not wait any longer.

Although Diao Zi was being pulled by the three men, he could already sense their lack of experience and their strength gradually loosened. In particular, the two men who were pulling his hands and holding his waist let go and were only concerned with checking Wang Chang's injuries on the ground. This gave Diao Zi an opportunity to struggle and break free to the side.

Once free, he braced himself on the ground and yelled at Song Miao, "Little wench, you're lucky this time. Just you wait! Someone came to rescue you today, but does that mean someone will come to rescue you every day?!"

As he spoke, he clung to the threshold and the door, climbing to his feet. He almost tumbled out the door because he couldn't keep his balance, but he didn't forget to turn back and shout, "Brothers, let's go!"

None of the men dared to delay and hurriedly followed.

The group hurriedly ran outside, not daring to look back.

Inside the restaurant, Cheng Zijian wanted to chase after him, but was stopped by a classmate.

He was extremely anxious and stamped his foot, saying, "If we don't stop them, what will we do if they come back tonight?! We're still here now, but tonight we'll only have stall owner Song left!"

"Let them go," Song Miao quickly coaxed him. "After this incident, they probably won't dare to come back for the next few days."

Rat-proof device.

If we really try to stop them again, they're all strong men, and if they start fighting, what if they hurt these students?
Wang Chang lay on the ground for a while, and seeing that there was no further relapse, he quickly got up.

He stopped yelling and stopped covering his shoulder. He even peeked out with the other classmates, and as he looked, he turned back to Song Miao and said, "That's what they say, but you can only be a thief for a thousand days, not a thief for a thousand days. Vendor Song, why don't we go and report this to the authorities together?"

Song Miao shook her head and asked first, "Is Young Master Wang's shoulder injury serious?"

Wang Chang chuckled and said, "There's no injury at all! I was just bumped into by him on the road, and I'm fine now. I was just pretending to scare them because I was afraid they would really fight and damage the house."

As he spoke, he moved his shoulders and arms, and sure enough, there was nothing wrong with them.

Song Miao was relieved and then asked, "When is our public examination?"

Cheng Zijian blurted out, "Fifteen."

As soon as he spoke, he saw the people around him glaring at him. He immediately realized what he meant and hurriedly said, "It's alright. The preparation for the exam should be done in ordinary times. Now that it's almost time, it's not very useful to cram at the last minute if you don't prepare in advance."

He added, "But things are different here with Stall Owner Song. It would be more reassuring to go and report to the authorities together."

Song Miao did not answer immediately, but instead calculated the time in her mind.

Today is already the 12th, and there are only two days left until the civil service exam. It's an exam held once a year, and we absolutely cannot drag anyone into this at this most crucial time.

Seeing that it was getting darker outside, she hurriedly said, "It's too late. If we go to report to the authorities now, who knows how long it will take to get it done? It's so late at night, and going back and forth is really inconvenient. I'll go tomorrow myself."

As she spoke, she took a few steps back, bowed deeply to everyone, and thanked them solemnly once again. Finally, she said, "Thanks to everyone today, otherwise I don't know how I would have ended this!"

This time, before Cheng Zijian could even speak, a student chimed in, "Shopkeeper Song, we're friends over braised pork trotters! There's no need for so much thanks!"

"Exactly! Exactly! They're eating breakfast and lunch at the same time. It's all thanks to stall owner Song that they can eat so well. Today they're just chasing a few people away. What's there to brag about!"

"Once Mr. Song reports this to the authorities, and if any officials need witnesses, remember to come find me! I'm not bragging, but no one here can talk as well as me!" Wang Chang boasted to himself.

People around him booed him.

"I think you're not just good at talking, you're shameless!"

"Let me give you a name, Wang the Shameless King!"

"Street vendor Song contacted me; he seems much more reliable than Wang Chang!"

Everyone started vying to be the first.

Cheng Zijian couldn't get a word in edgewise, so he could only say, "That's right. If anything happens, Mr. Song, don't worry about it too much, just come and call us!"

Someone else suggested, "Actually, it would be best to hire someone. Right now, those hooligans are watching, and since Mr. Song lives alone, it's always worrying."

Song Miao sighed and said, "I also want to, but people aren't so easy to find. Let's wait and see."

Ordinary people, if they are skilled, they all have families to support, who would want to live with you?

If you find someone younger, they might not be able to help, and if you encounter trouble, it's easier to run around by yourself. With a younger person, you'll have to worry about her.

Furthermore, if you need to hire someone in a hurry, you'll inevitably have to find a middleman.

People from all walks of life share the same path.

Who among the locals doesn't recognize that group of shovelers?
If the person you recommend is bribed or coerced and opens the door in the middle of the night, you can't run away that fast even if you have legs.

Furthermore, it's food for sale; what if someone were to tamper with the food...?

However, she couldn't go into details in front of everyone, lest it cause her more trouble. She simply agreed and then added, "Since something like this happened today, I have to go to the yamen to report it to the authorities tomorrow. I'm afraid I won't have enough time, so I won't be setting up my stall in the morning."

He added, "Please, if it's convenient for you to go back, please also tell the others for me, so that no one will make a wasted trip tomorrow morning."

Just moments before, everyone was chatting and laughing, but upon hearing Song Miao's words, they all fell silent, and not a single person spoke.

After a long pause, Cheng Zijian finally said "Oh," and the others responded with "Ah," "Oh," "Ooh," and "Oh."

The disappointment and regret expressed are clearly conveyed through just a few interjections.

After a few responses, someone finally came to their senses and hurriedly tried to make amends.

"Of course, encountering such a scoundrel today was truly frightening. Mr. Song, take a couple of days off and don't rush to set up your stall!"

"That's right! No rush, no rush! We'll have plenty of good things to eat in the future, so it won't make a difference if we don't get through this day or two. Getting things sorted out is the most important thing."

"Just come to us if you need anything!"

"Don't worry, we'll go back and tell everyone. They'll all be very understanding—it's just that those troublemakers will get their comeuppance sooner or later!"

After offering a few words of sincere comfort, just as they were about to leave, Wang Chang suddenly exclaimed in surprise, "Where are my spiced broad beans!"

As he spoke, he hurriedly turned around and searched everywhere.

Several people searched for half a day and finally found it by the door—the lotus leaf package had accidentally come undone, and about ten broad beans rolled out.

"Didn't I tell you to put it away properly?!"

"In a rush to fight, I didn't care about anything else—I clearly remember carefully placing it on the ground!" "If you placed it carefully, how could it have spilled?"

Song Miao saw them off for a few steps before returning to her room. Hearing everyone blaming each other, she quickly came out and asked, "Did you make a mess? I still have some left. Don't let them get sick."

However, as soon as she spoke, the group panicked and started picking up the stones one by one.

Cheng Zijian, who was blocking the crowd from picking up broad beans, turned around and replied, "It's alright, it's alright."

After everyone had gathered their belongings, they hurriedly said goodbye.

They kept in touch as they walked.

He said, "I don't see any dirt in these two."

The other person said, "Mine isn't dirty either. It was deep-fried, so it only has some ash. Just blow it off and it'll be clean."

"It's only been out for a short while, it smells delicious, how could it be dirty! It hasn't been out for more than fifteen minutes, so it's not like it's been contaminated with anything!"

The group exchanged their opinions on whether something was dirty or not. When they reached the alley entrance, they saw two people standing in the corner. It turned out that one of them had said he was going to report to the authorities, and the other had said he was going to report to the patrol station, but neither of them had actually gone.

Upon seeing them come out, the two men came forward to greet them, and after finding out the outcome, they both breathed a sigh of relief.

"When I saw that group of troublemakers running out like jinxes, I guessed that everything was alright."

"Should we report this to the authorities first?"

“Miss Song said it’s not necessary, she’ll go by herself tomorrow—it’s better not to go tonight, otherwise if we report to the authorities now, who knows how long it will take, and we’ll definitely be late for getting back to the school. If the school official catches us, it will be troublesome.”

As they talked, they hurried back without stopping.

The students usually bury themselves in their studies every day, which is really boring. So many things happened tonight, which is really too new and too exciting.

When everyone returned to school, they were all unable to calm down. They couldn't help but spread the news among their classmates, roommates, and fellow students, and also spread the word that the stall owner, Song, would not be able to set up his stall the next day and would have to report it to the yamen.

The story of the Imperial Academy student rescuing an orphan girl out of righteousness and outwitting a rogue is a heroic tale. Coupled with Wang Chang and others' 120% self-praise, how could it not attract countless people to listen?

After hearing the story, and learning that there would be no glutinous rice or shumai to eat the next day, everyone lost interest in listening to the story and just cursed the group of hooligans.

When they returned to their own study, they inevitably added fuel to the fire, spreading rumors and gossip. By the time it got to the point where it was said that Wang Chang was holding up a stool, someone else was carrying an iron pot, and yet another person was using a door-blocking stick, and together they scared away twenty or thirty ruffians.

***
Since the Imperial Academy and the Nanlu Academy were so close, and Wang Chang and the others worked so hard, it was only natural that the news of what happened in Suanzao Lane was spread that very night.

The students of Nanlu Academy were not interested in the heroic deeds of Wang Chang and others at all. They were only concerned about the fact that Song Xiaoniangzi would not be setting up her stall the next day. They complained and hurriedly spread the word among themselves.

However, some people still don't believe it.

Is it a scam?

"The students can't get up, they can't out-queue us, they can't out-snap sticky rice and shumai, and now they're resorting to dirty tricks??"

Upon hearing this, many people who hadn't given it much thought suddenly became suspicious.

"It's understandable that some of those college students can't stand losing! If we believe them and none of us queue up tomorrow, won't they buy up all of Mr. Song's breakfast?"

"I have to get up early anyway, and I also need to buy food. I'll go a little early and wait. If I see it, I'll come back and let you know as soon as possible."

"Fine, I'll go too. You don't need to tell me."

A group of people, suspicious and talking incessantly, had already fled back early. Lin Yiwen, sitting in the corner, was completely distracted after hearing all this news.

He was terrified when he saw so many hooligans coming and making a ruckus at Song's house, fighting and smashing things, and when Song Miao said something about wielding a knife to kill him.

But this was ultimately a matter for the Song family, and he couldn't very well interfere.

Besides, he brought a permit this time, saying he was going to see a doctor. If he got hurt or bumped here, or if things got out of hand and the school inspector found out, he could go back and tell his father...

Lin Yiwen didn't even dare to think about it further.

But he still had some conscience left, so he didn't run away immediately. He wanted to wait until the group of ruffians left before going inside to see what was going on. But then he saw the group of students return and run into the ruffians.

Before long, two students ran off, saying they wanted to report to the authorities or the police.

Seeing this situation, Lin Yiwen dared not stay any longer, fearing that he would be arrested as one of the troublemakers. He didn't care about comforting Sister Song or confiding in her. He quickly turned around and ran back to the academy when no one was looking.

In the evening, everyone in the study room was reviewing their books and studying, but Lin Yiwen was absent-minded, preoccupied with the matter of the Song family's restaurant in Suanzao Alley.

When he heard the news, others thought it was just a rumor, but he knew that although it was exaggerated, the story was true.

Knowing that things hadn't escalated and the hooligans had all fled, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. On one hand, he felt grateful for the kindness shown to him, and on the other hand, he couldn't help but recall hearing Song Miao speaking coldly and defiantly with a knife in the restaurant from afar, through the wall. A faint itch stirred within him again.

—The former Song sister was certainly good, quiet and elegant, but he always felt that she was a little bland.

Now that he has suffered misfortune, he is like a rose with thorns, which makes him even more fragrant. If you want to protect the flower, you have to be careful of the thorns. This makes him feel uneasy, but also makes his heart warm.

However, the matter of taking him home is still undecided. Everyone looks at him with a strange gaze, and he doesn't know if he's just imagining things or if there will indeed be a lot of discussion later. It's really annoying.

***
Unexpected events occurred tonight, and after seeing Cheng Zijian and his group off, Song Miao naturally couldn't just sit idly by.

She had been setting up a stall in the food alley for many days and had already accumulated some customers. If she didn't go tomorrow, and with Cheng Zijian and others helping to spread the word, there would probably be some people talking about it.

These discussions, and the kindness and compassion of these well-meaning students, will also be one of her supports in the future.

But this is ultimately not something that can be truly used.

If you want to save yourself, you first need to let the people behind you know that you are not someone to be trifled with.

Since she dared to break into a private residence at night, she would dare to report it to the authorities tomorrow.

No matter how much they try to cover it up in private, this is still under the emperor's nose, and many students from the Imperial Academy have witnessed it. When things really blow up, those who do the dirty work below are not afraid, but are the officials above also not afraid?
However, before reporting to the authorities, she also needed to inform Sun, the village head, and explain the incident of the ruffian coming to her door today, so that he could be prepared and avoid being implicated.

Also, although we won't be setting up a stall tomorrow, Wang Chang, Cheng Zijian and others have worked so hard today, so we should express our gratitude. Firstly, we want to thank them, and secondly, with the civil service exam just around the corner, we should treat them to a nice meal to help them recover.

Not wanting them to waste time bringing pots and pans back and forth, and considering the students' craving for rich and oily dishes, Song Miao intended to make only one main meat dish and add an appetizer.

She washed the dirty pomelo peel clean, then peeled and chopped up several others. As she blanched the pomelo peels, she pondered the situation.

what to do?

Just then, she looked up and saw a basket on the ground filled with taro—it was sent by Zhu, the wife of Sun, the village head, last time. Only one was used to make the fried taro, and the rest were still drying.

Many thanks to Qingmei for the sachet for Xiaoqi; he's already secretly eaten all the rice candy inside!
Thank you to my cat Egg in the bookstore for the five small tokens, and to the person who fell into the water in the bookstore for the one small token. Thank you both! :)

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(End of this chapter)