Miao Chu

Chapter 95 Neglect
Cai Xiu issued the order early yesterday morning, requiring each of the lower-level departments to send one person – there are already very few people available, so they need to work overtime to sort out the files.

But it wasn't until the end of the day that a few people finally showed up.

As a student on temporary assignment, he had neither prestige nor status, and he was unwilling to hold on to anything, so he hurriedly assigned tasks.

Everyone accepted their tasks, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, and then went their separate ways.

However, when Cai Xiu made the arrangements, he specified that the person receiving the order should come to report the situation at the beginning of the morning so that he could oversee the overall situation.

He had only asked his subordinates to get a general idea of ​​the case files under their respective departments' jurisdiction, which shouldn't have taken long, but it was already past noon and evening, and still no one had shown up.

Cai Xiu wasn't stupid; he knew perfectly well that this was a slick official trying to intimidate him.

But being a newcomer, he suppressed his anger. When it was time to leave the office, he still couldn't find anyone, so he had to personally go to each office and find the person in charge.

But he soon encountered a ridiculous problem.

—I've only been here a few days, and I've been to various places. There are eight out of ten people in the room that I don't recognize. How am I supposed to find them?
He had no choice but to take the list that had been submitted to him and ask people for directions.

But Cai Xiu didn't know anyone else, while others knew him.

On the day he reported for duty, Zhang Facao held a small meeting to introduce himself to his subordinates. Now that he was going to do some work of organizing the files, after a few days, even those who didn't know him before had started pointing and whispering about him and remembered his face.

When the crowd saw this talented student from the Imperial Academy who had been temporarily transferred there, they didn't ignore him.

When asked about this, the person replied, "Are you looking for Xiao Cao? There was a slight mishap with a case at the beginning of the month, and he went to the Zuojun Patrol Office to check with the patrol inspector he was working with that day."

The Left Army Patrol Academy wasn't far, but going back and forth would require asking around, and there was no guarantee of getting any results. Where was Cai Xiu supposed to go? He had no choice but to give up.

When asked, the person said, "Old Zhou was summoned by the Registrar of Households this morning and hasn't returned yet. If you want to find him, why don't you go to the Registrar of Households and ask him?"

Cai Xiu didn't even know which way to open the door to the Household Office, so how was he supposed to find it?
Seeing his unpleasant expression, the person who answered seemed to be doing so well, saying, "Are you the new Cai Xiu? Do you have something important to discuss with him? Don't worry, I'll tell him when he gets back."

Upon hearing this, Cai Xiu had to express her gratitude.

He asked several people, but all of them turned him down. He finally met one who didn't avoid him, but he frowned and said, "Alas, I'm very busy today and really can't spare the time. The legal officer gave me an urgent matter—can I do it for you another day?"

As he spoke, the man pointed to a full cup of tea in front of him and said, "Look, all day long, I haven't even had time to drink a sip of tea—the water's all cold!"

Seeing the tea right in front of her, its spout wide open without a lid, steam rising from it, Cai Xiu was relieved that she didn't immediately curse out loud.

He couldn't hold back any longer, and without even bothering to say another word, he turned and left on the spot.

As he reached the door, he heard people talking behind him.

"This is so damn annoying! I can't even finish what I'm doing, I have to break my poop while taking a dump, and all I get to do is this and that! It's ridiculous!"

"Old Ding, you've got a big mouth, hahaha."

"Keep your voice down, keep your voice down! Walls have ears. If someone hears us, it's a job assigned by the legal officer. Be careful he doesn't complain later."

“I’m afraid he won’t listen—you make it sound so easy for him to say he doesn’t want you to follow along or do any work!”

Cai Xiu pricked up her ears through the wall, her chest tight with anger.

Although his family was poor, once he entered school, his talent was revealed, and he immediately gained the teacher's favor. He went from the county school to the prefectural school and then to the Imperial Academy, and his career progressed smoothly.

Normally, whenever he spoke, his classmates would nod in agreement, and even the teacher would praise him. He had never received such treatment before.

He was furious and thought to himself: If you do the first thing, don't blame me for doing the fifteenth!
Because he dared not confront anyone directly, after much thought, Fifteen had only one option—he turned around and went to find Zhang the Legal Officer.

Upon arriving at the other party's office, they found the wooden door tightly closed and only a servant sweeping. When asked, the servant replied, "Zhang, the legal officer, has been summoned by Prefect Zheng."

Cai Xiu waited for a long time, but no one came. Seeing that it was getting late and she was very hungry, she had no choice but to go to the kitchen in a huff.

The Kyoto Prefectural Government only provides breakfast and lunch, but recently the Left and Right Military Patrol Offices have been busy investigating cases and working in shifts day and night, so the kitchen has no choice but to provide an extra meal in the evening as requested by them.

As soon as Cai Xiu entered the room, she saw an acquaintance coming out.

He opened his mouth and called out, "Brother Kong!"

Kong Fuyang was carrying two food boxes when he looked up and saw Cai Xiu. He nodded and greeted her.

Cai Xiu went up to them, pointed to the two food boxes, and asked, "Whose are these? Did you send Brother Kong to deliver them?"

Kong Fuyang said, "It's Zhengyan's. He's too busy to come, so I'm taking it back for him."

As he said this, he was about to leave.

Cai Xiu suddenly had an idea. Instead of rushing in to eat, she turned around and walked alongside Kong Fuyang, asking him some questions with a smile. These questions were nothing more than how long he would be on temporary assignment, when he would return to the Imperial Academy, what he had been busy with lately, whether he had encountered any trouble, and whether he would be bullied by the clerks.

As classmates, Kong Fuyang didn't reveal anything about the case, but answered a few other questions.

When asked about the clerks, he was quite proud and couldn't help but chime in, "What's there to bully? Zheng Yan is helping Judge Qin manage everything, assigning tasks perfectly. I'm just taking advantage of his power, so who would dare to cause trouble?"

Since it was just boasting, he completely erased the fact that he had argued with Xin Feng and the other inspectors and their subordinates, as if his brain had been washed clean and nothing had happened.

How could Cai Xiu possibly listen to this?

He frowned and asked, "Zhengyan is just a student, yet he has so many senior and junior officials under him, and I've heard there are even some on loan from outside. They all have to work in shifts day and night. How could he not have any complaints? Are you kidding me?"

"What's so scary about that?" Kong Fuyang rolled his eyes. "Go and ask around. Even Judge Qin's schedule is arranged by Zheng Yan. What objections could anyone else have?"

After saying this, he realized he had misspoke and, fearing he might cause trouble for Han Li, quickly said, "I was just talking nonsense, don't take it to heart!"

After speaking, he left in a hurry.

Cai Xiu, watching his back as he carried the lunchbox, couldn't help but have many thoughts. She lost her appetite and hurriedly tried to find a few acquaintances in the government office to ask them questions.

The left and right military patrol offices have been making waves lately, especially the right office which has uncovered two major cases in succession. With each case linked to the next, there are naturally many rumors circulating outside.

When asked, almost every one of the newly arrived students surnamed Han knew about it.

This person said, "You're asking about Han Li? He is indeed highly valued. There's an old inspector in the Right Army Patrol Academy named Xin. He usually doesn't pay much attention to what anyone says, and he can always argue back when orders are given from above. But for some reason, he's particularly fond of this student. He doesn't refute anything that Han Li mentions, and he defends him both to his face and behind his back."

The man said, "The higher-ups practically worship people, burning incense for them every day—the other day, when he asked for men, Judge Qin himself ran off to several camps in the west and south of the city to borrow men. I heard he even swallowed his pride and managed to get three hundred soldiers back overnight." Cai Xiu quickly understood.

Han Li was able to coordinate so many things entirely thanks to the strong support of his superiors.

Without his superior, he's nothing.

But with an official position comes power, and with that power, even a student can easily command hundreds or thousands of people.

Cai Xiu was suddenly excited and also understood many things.

He had realized that, being in a completely unfamiliar place, it would be very difficult for him to create anything on his own.

Han Li is naturally important because he has Qin Jie behind him, but Xin Feng, who is protecting him and actually getting things done, is also indispensable.

Where is Cai Xiu's "Xin Feng"?

The next morning, he waited outside Zhang Facao's door. After reporting the events of the previous day, he said, "I am, after all, a stranger, and I may be negligent in my duties. This matter is urgent, so I would like to ask Zhang Facao to arrange a couple of experienced people to help out. I believe that this will make things progress faster."

***
Cai Xiu was thinking about people here, while Xiao Lian was thinking about food there.

She followed Cheng Erniang along the road, and as she walked, she couldn't help but think of the taste of the glass bun from yesterday, and she became somewhat lost in thought.

The thumb-sized pieces of bread are fried until golden brown, coated with sugar syrup, and have a crispy and crunchy texture that is not hard at all.

When you bite into it, it's soft and fluffy inside, with a warm little pool of sweet juice. The sweetness is just right, neither oily nor greasy.

It's fragrant and sweet, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

Who knew that dry and hard bread could taste so good!

Xiao Lian couldn't help but tug at Cheng Erniang's hand and said, "Mother, when I grow up and earn money, I'll make those crystal buns for you and my sister every day—they're so delicious!"

Cheng Erniang had been focused on the roadside shops, hoping to find one that needed someone, but upon hearing her daughter's words, she couldn't help but laugh and say, "Then our Xiaolian will have to work hard, candy is so expensive—Mother is waiting!"

Xiaolian suddenly felt she had a very important mission, nodding repeatedly, and added, "Sister said it tastes even better when made with granulated sugar and rock sugar, and if there were honey..."

As she spoke, saliva actually started to flow from her mouth.

“Then it will be even more expensive,” Cheng Erniang replied casually.

Xiaolian took it seriously, counting on her fingers and silently memorizing the number. After taking a few more steps, she said again, "Mother, I can leave the things in the house by myself—the wooden doors in the yard, the back door, the room doors, so many doors, I haven't had time to clean them!"

Cheng Erniang smiled, pulled her daughter closer, and didn't answer.

One should know when to advance and when to retreat.

What does it mean when someone stays alone, leaving their five- or six-year-old daughter at home while they go out to find work?
Even if Xiaolian is sensible, she is still only half a child. If things continue like this, she might end up asking that Miss Song to help take care of the child.

She could never do something so shameless.

However, Cheng Erniang had no skills and spoke with a strong Jiangnan accent, making it very difficult for her to find work. She often left early and returned late, wandering the streets with Xiaolian all day without any results.

Meanwhile, Song Miao set up her stall in the morning, then went shopping, prepared ingredients day and night, and even took the time to make and deliver the lucky cakes and red bean paste rolls that Duan, the wife of Li, wanted.

Within two days, more relatives and friends from the Li and Duan families came to the door, wanting to order lucky cakes and red bean paste rolls, all of which were intended to be given as gifts for the Cold Food Festival.

In addition, since the patrol shop was closer and she didn't have time to go there to set up her stall, some people discussed wanting to order a batch of breakfast from her every day.

Song Miao was all alone and couldn't handle all the business. She wanted to take on these jobs but was too busy. After calculating her income over the past few days, she realized that she had made a considerable profit and decided to hire someone.

She was worried that the seasonal business wouldn't last long, that it would be hard to find suitable people, and that the creditors would have something to say.

It would be best to save up a sum of money first, pay it back on the originally promised date, and then visit the recipient to explain the situation. That would be the proper way to proceed.

After spending a few days together, Song Miao noticed that Cheng Erniang was clean and efficient. Although her skills were ordinary, they were enough for her to help out, deliver things, and sell goods from her stall. She also noticed that Cheng Erniang took her daughter to the street every day to look for work, but always without success. Song Miao was somewhat tempted and had the idea of ​​hiring her to help.

However, she was running a small business, and if she asked for too high a wage, she couldn't afford it. If she asked for too low a wage, it would seem like she was taking advantage of someone's kindness. She was hesitant and didn't rush to speak.

Two more days passed before a batch of lucky cakes and red bean paste rolls were sent out. When Song Miao returned, she saw that Cheng Erniang and her daughter had returned home early for the first time and were overjoyed.

"Young Lady Song! I've found a job!" It was Cheng Erniang who was extremely excited.

Song Miao sighed inwardly, but couldn't help being happy for the second young lady. She smiled and congratulated her, then asked for more details.

It turns out that it was so hard for Cheng Erniang to find work, not only because she had an accent and no skills, but also because she wanted to keep her daughter with her.

An ordinary family would naturally not agree to this.

"It's a slaughterhouse outside Nanxun Gate. They slaughter pigs and sheep every day. Because the clothes and covers are hard to wash, and the ground is dirty, they're hiring people to wash clothes and clean..."

The next morning, Cheng Erniang took Xiaolian to work.

The clothes, covers, and floors of the slaughterhouse must be incredibly difficult to clean and maintain. When the mother and daughter returned that evening, they were so exhausted that their eyes were glazed over.

Although Xiaolian is young and doesn't have to do much, the journey back and forth is quite arduous.

Even so, Cheng Erniang still worked with great enthusiasm.

After she returned, she sat for a while, calmed down a bit, and then told Song Miao about the strange things in the slaughtering industry, how pigs were killed, how eerie the pigs' squeals were, how sheep were slaughtered, and so on.

When Cheng Zijian found out, he was heartbroken and insisted that his sister bring back some dirty clothes every day so he could help wash them after class. However, he was scolded by Cheng Erniang and went home dejectedly.

But there's a problem.

Every job has its hardships, and the hardship of washing lies in the repeated soaking of hands in water vapor.

Ever since she started working at the slaughterhouse, Cheng Erniang's hands have been cracking and peeling due to prolonged immersion in water, and they are almost never in good condition.

Xiao Lian was young and weak, and perhaps because she had been by the river for a long time and her hands and feet were often wet, she developed a childhood cough. Although it was not serious, it lingered for a long time.

Ultimately, they had no choice but to make a living.

(End of this chapter)