Chapter 106: Miao Chu Chapter 105: Clean

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Protagonist:

Song Miao

Song Miao glanced at the man and said, "Take it slow."

"What, you know you're wrong, you're scared?!"

Song Miao said, "Sir, you're just talking without proof that my food is unclean. If an official comes and finds out it has nothing to do with me, what then?"

Before the man could speak, someone who came with him shouted, "If not your family, whose else? We asked very clearly—the old man had nothing but your food this morning, not even a sip of water elsewhere!"

Song Miao slightly furrowed her brow, ignored him, and asked the one in front, "If it's not my family's fault, what do you intend to do?"

"If it's your fault, what will you do?!"

"If it's my fault, I'll do whatever the court decides—I'll compensate what should be compensated and admit what should be admitted. But if not, you've been making a scene all the way here with no evidence, ruining my family's reputation right here. If it weren't for the other customers present who can see clearly, who knows if they'd believe it. Once it's found out it has nothing to do with me, you just casually say 'I was wrong' and drop it—who will compensate my family's reputation?!"

"You're just a broken stall owner, and you talk about reputation!" one of those who followed shouted.

For a moment, the students waiting in line behind wouldn't give in.

"If you don't understand, don't talk nonsense. Stall Owner Song's glutinous rice, steamed dumplings, and snow steamed cakes are all top-notch famous here—among those in the Academy who know Lord Deng, not necessarily as many know her!"

Rarely, the students of Nan Lu Academy actually breathed through the same nostril as the Taixue students.

"That makes sense—even if Master Shan Chang Xu stood before me, I'd have to bow for a long time, and I don't even know where his teaching hall is, but I can find Young Lady Song's breakfast stall with my eyes closed!"

"For heaven's sake, don't mess around and ruin this stall—I was still thinking Stall Owner Song would cover my lunch and dinner!"

It was thanks to Lord Deng of the Imperial Academy and Master Shan Chang Xu of Nan Lu Academy both being absent that a group of students dared to spout nonsense here.

The man leading the trouble had come relying on influence, full of righteous confidence, but now almost everyone at the scene was helping Song Miao speak, and he couldn't save face. He forced himself to keep up the appearance and said, "Then what do you want to do?"

"If in the end it's found to have nothing to do with my Song Ji, this is the back alley of the two academies—not a good place to make a scene. Do you see that outer street?"

Song Miao pointed to the wide street outside Food Alley.

"By then, you can beat gongs and drums, come all the way from your home, stand there, and apologize to me. How about it?"

"You must be dreaming?!"

Song Miao said coldly, "Since you're so sure it's my fault, are you afraid this apology can't be fulfilled?"

Speaking, she added, "If my food is truly unclean, I can also beat gongs and drums from here all the way to your home to apologize!"

She dared say this because she was even more confident in every step of the process of making food with Cheng Erniang.

At this moment, such strong confidence, along with the echoing and agreeing voices of many students nearby, and even other stall owners who had almost no time to mind their own business, all looking this way and making noises of watching the excitement without caring about the trouble, finally made the three men across from them each feel timid.

Finally, the one in front gritted his teeth and said, "I'm not trying to blackmail you, what do I have to be afraid of! I'll wait for you to beat gongs and drums to my home!"

Seeing this man was about to urge himself to leave while speaking, Song Miao said, "The food on my stall today may not be the same as yesterday, but it's made the same way. Don't you want to keep a sample?"

Not only that man, but the other two following behind were all stunned, obviously not expecting this point.

Song Miao, right in front of everyone, took lotus leaves and wrapped a portion of all the food, put it into a basket on the stall cart and carried it on her back, told Cheng Erniang a word, and then went with those three people.

The students had to go to class, the other vendors had to do business, but along the streets and alleys, there were always idlers wandering east and poking around west who heard the commotion and had gathered early to watch the excitement, and now they followed along the way.

Behind the four people, at first there were a few scattered people following, but the further they walked, the more idle people there were.

It was said to see an official, but actually it was just finding the nearest patrol station.

When they arrived, those on duty at the patrol station today were familiar faces. Seeing this group of people, and seeing Song Miao, they were all somewhat surprised.

The three men stepped forward, speaking all at once, told the story once, and then one word from you, one sentence from me, accusing the Song family of selling unclean food.

Song Miao waited until they finished speaking, then said, "Honorable officials, they say my family's food is unclean, but except for that old man, yesterday our stall sold hundreds of portions of breakfast, and there were also over two hundred portions for delivery, and no one has been heard to have a bad stomach..."

"Others not coming to find you doesn't necessarily mean no one had a bad stomach—if our old man hadn't only eaten things from your stall, we wouldn't dare come to your door like this!"

The patrol officers, after listening, first asked about the three men's origins.

It turned out they were from the Yu-surnamed family relying on the Zhuque Gate neighborhood, near Bianhe Bridgehead Lane. Of the three, besides the one in front who was the sick old man's son, ranking fourth, one was a neighbor, and one was his clan brother.

"Tang Huo, I'll tell you straight—if it were other vendors or shopkeepers, maybe it's hard to say, but this Young Lady Song's breakfast, we order every day. Yesterday and today, I ate both glutinous rice and steamed dumplings, and there are many other brothers here who also ate them, with no problems. Isn't it a misunderstanding somewhere?"

Hearing the patrol officer say this, Tang Huo showed not the slightest sign of being convinced, but instead got even angrier, glaring at Song Miao and said, "No wonder you keep insisting on seeing an official—it turns out you've long bribed the nearby officials, knowing they'd definitely protect you, so you dare be so arrogant!"

After speaking, he turned to the many idlers following behind and said, "Everyone look quickly! This dog stall owner colludes with the government and turns black into white!"

Seeing Tang Huo be so unreasonable, the faces of the several patrol officers behind all looked extremely ugly.

The one in front shouted, "Where's the protection?! Everyone ate with no problem—does this young lady make food just for your father? Otherwise, why would others eat fine, but he ate something bad?!"

He also said, "Don't talk nonsense here!"

Tang Huo had not yet spoken when someone behind, who knows who, joining in the excitement, suddenly interjected, "Clean or not, go look at her kitchen, won't you know?"

Getting this suggestion, Tang Huo was like a drowning man seeing a life-saving straw, and hurriedly shouted, "Exactly. Although we can't see yesterday's food, what the kitchen is like can be seen at a glance. Let's go now, just in time to catch her in the act!"

"Nonsense. For no reason, who can just go look at someone's kitchen?" A patrol officer had already refuted.

"If her kitchen is clean, why would she be afraid of people looking?!"

It looked like they were about to argue again.

Many commoners along Zhuque Gate behind came over to watch the excitement, which instead made the patrol officers hesitant and restrained, afraid of causing trouble, worried that if it got out it wouldn't look good.

Song Miao saw the situation, stepped forward and said, "If we look at the kitchen and it's indeed clean, then what?"

Tang Huo immediately said, "Clean or not, I alone can't decide—the neighbors have their own eyes!"

This one breath included all the people following behind now.

But Song Miao did not object.

The patrol officer said "For no reason, who can just go look at someone's kitchen," but Song Miao also wanted to say, a kitchen that's fine for no reason should be open for anyone to look at, so that the outside world can know those "three words of being fine."

She was truly confident.

Doing it well, why would she be afraid of people looking? Instead, she hoped people would go look.

Where there are many people, there are many mouths; the "idle" in "idle people" is precisely a "mouth" that never closes its door, and when the time comes, everyone will go to one's own food shop for a round, and when they go out later, one dare not say everyone, but many people will certainly help spread the word.

Both parties agreed, so the Xunpu sent out a Patrol Officer, bringing along two Patrol Soldiers, and together they rushed to Suanzao Alley.

The Guan Cha led the way, and behind them followed many more people, inevitably attracting even more onlookers to discuss and ask what had happened.

For a moment, the procession grew larger again.

When they arrived at the Song Family, Song Miao took out the key and opened the Door; seeing everyone crowding inside at once, she hurriedly called out: "Everyone! Today we still need to trouble you all to serve as witnesses, but my family runs a food business, and cleanliness comes first in everything; please only look with your eyes, do not touch things randomly, otherwise if you dirty or damage something, it will not be good!"

While speaking, she blocked the way at the Stove Side.

Xiao Lian in the back heard the commotion and hurriedly ran out; seeing so many people, she was startled, yet dared not leave, and burrowed straight toward Song Miao's side.

Song Miao then softly instructed her: "Go watch the Back Courtyard, don't let people randomly touch our family's things."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Lian clenched her fist, and courage somehow surged up; she immediately ran back inside.

And that Tang Huo stepped through the Door first; just seeing the Front Hall's appearance, his heart couldn't help but give a start.

Although Song Miao had run a stall for a month or two, she had not purchased any furniture or furnishings; aside from ingredients, she had only bought cooking utensils and kitchenware for stall use, so the Front Hall still had that simple appearance that could almost be called shabby.

First, Tang Huo had not expected the Stall Owner's home to be so poor; second, he had not expected such a poor house could actually be this clean.

He had never studied and did not recognize how to write the four characters "bright windows and clean tables," but from the Door to entering, following the onlookers' guidance, he naturally went to look at the Door, windows, and tables first.

The Song Family's main Door, though its paint was mottled, when one placed a hand on it and rubbed, there were hardly any dust motes; the wooden windows were wiped very carefully, the corners of the window lattice patterns had no accumulated dust, the Front Hall floor was clearly swept and mopped diligently, completely without garbage or stains; a single glance across, even with the most critical eye, still felt very comfortable.

Equally comfortable was the Stove.

The two Front Stoves installed at the Door, the Stove surfaces were spotless, not a trace of oil grime; placing a hand on them, there was absolutely no sticky feeling.

The Knife Rack and cutting Board stood upright, hung on the Iron Rack, lined up in a row, with no water dripping underneath.

The Pots were covered, and the Pot Lids were washed until gleaming.

By the Wall Side were a few Small Pots; the Pot Bottoms had all been scraped clean, not even Pot Ash remained.

Even the Stove Doors were clean!

Tang Huo was just suspecting whether this was a display, when he heard Song Miao say: "I and Er Niangzi usually cook in the Front Hall; this place is the Kitchen."

For a moment, everyone came to look.

Song Miao didn't wait for people to ask; she proactively opened the Pot Lids, letting people see clearly the fresh and clean appearance inside, then moved the whole Pot aside, telling people to go look at what the Stove inside was like.

After looking, she uncovered another one, saying: "This is the morning's food I specially left to compare when each would spoil; if the weather is hot, whichever food spoils fast, I'll temporarily stop making it — previously I stopped making Mung Bean Soup."

The onlookers decreased and increased along the way; in the end, those who followed numbered about twenty, and at this moment, everyone crowded over as if looking at a rarity to take a look.

Song Miao then introduced how she and Cheng Erniang usually make food.

She spoke very meticulously, with clear organization; while introducing, she led people toward the Back Courtyard.

The Back Courtyard was also very clean.

A Well, one large and one small Stone Mill each.

The Stone Mills stood upright, clearly just used this morning, currently airing; only because of the recent excessive rain they hadn't dried yet.

In the Courtyard grew some Mint and Perilla, all separated far away by the built Stone Walls, very little exposed soil, no insects, no mosquitoes.

Even though Tang Huo knew he had come to find fault, for a moment, aside from sighing that it was truly clean, cleaner than his own home, he also didn't know what to do.

Soon, he heard whispers rising in the crowd.

"This Young Lady, her hands and feet are truly nimble."

"Her mother was a capable person too, mostly took after her birth mother — back then I still wanted to betroth my nephew to her, but she didn't fancy him, fancied a scholar instead; now it's good, the most unprincipled are those scholars!"

"The Song Family is pitiful enough, the whole family died out, leaving only a daughter; she just managed to set up a stall and make something of it, and now someone comes to extort her!"

Tang Huo was both angry and annoyed.

He considered himself not to be extorting, only seeking justice, but seeing the Song Family like this, those words of rebuttal, however he tried, couldn't be spoken.

Already at a loss, he then heard someone ask: "Song Stall Owner, you have many Bamboo Steamers when you set up stall; where are the Steamers usually placed?"

Tang Huo thought carefully, suspicion arising; he looked up and saw that Song Xiaoniangzi pushed open the Door to the side.

"This is my family's Back Kitchen — originally this is the proper Kitchen; only right now I only make Early Food, temporarily don't need it, so I emptied it out to air and place things."

"Recently rain is plentiful, everywhere is stiflingly damp; Steamers are bamboo-made, prone to mold and stench; this Back Kitchen is a bright room, and large, so we lit the Stove Fire to air and place kitchenware."

As the Door opened, before the crowd even entered, those standing at the Door felt a wave of warm, dry, hot air surge out from inside.

The first few people involuntarily retreated two or three steps in unison.

Someone went in to look, and indeed saw Firewood burning in the Kitchen Stove, still with Kitchen Ash remaining.

This person couldn't help but say: "Goodness, how much Firewood does this use every day? It wouldn't come to less than Ten Wen, right?"

Song Miao didn't directly answer how much money, but said: "We do food business; no matter how clean and careful, it's never too much; we'd rather earn less, work harder, otherwise if customers eat something bad, we can't sleep at night with a clear conscience."

These words were naturally nice words said for people to hear, but spoken in such a Kitchen, Back Courtyard, and Room, making everyone present hear them, they only felt pleasing to the ear, very sincere.

— They aren't just talking; they truly do exactly this.

Another person asked: "Where does your family put the food?"

Song Miao led everyone to the Well Side, hauled up two Buckets; one Bucket held a Vegetable Basket containing many Vegetables, the other held a Raw Meat Plate.

The Meat was covered with Lotus Leaf, on top a Bowl Lid, and outside another layer of Lotus Leaf wrapped around, to ensure Meat oil didn't leak out and dirty the Well Water.

At this moment, opening the Lotus Leaf, inside was indeed Fresh Meat; one look showed it was just bought this morning.

This time, the whole Courtyard of people had nothing more to say.

Even someone in the back began discussing quietly.

"Truly clean, cleaner than my own hands — next time I'm too lazy to cook, I'll come buy from this family."

"Song Ji's food is delicious and clean, and not expensive; a bowl of Glutinous Rice, the small one is only Five Wen; Shao Mai though pricier, inside it's all meat, just hard to queue for."

"Heard her family can take advance orders; gather thirty Portions, and the next day a Young Lady will come help deliver."

"Thirty Portions is truly too many."

"Our two families can pool together."

At that moment, some bystanders who had overheard came over to ask, "Where do you live? If it's nearby, help me pool an order too — my family has six people, we can pool eight portions of early food."

A crowd had originally come to watch the excitement; as they watched, quite a few almost took out money on the spot to pre-order breakfast.

And the complexions of Tang Huo's party of three grew increasingly ugly.

Especially Tang Huo — no matter how stubborn his mouth, he wilted at this point, yet still said, "You say your stall is clean, and I also think it looks clean, but my family's old master truly only ate the food from your stall!"

Seeing things had reached this pass, yet he still insisted so, Song Miao — who hadn't thought much of it before — now believed even less that this man had come to extort.

Qiaotou Alley is neither near nor far from Two-Student Food Lane; judging from Tang Huo's arrival time, when he set out from home with his two companions, the rain was at its heaviest.

If it were extortion, he could have simply waited a bit before leaving.

Yet he came in a rush, his pants and shoes soaked; earlier he wasn't anxious for money, even willing to report to officials, and now he directly half-admitted fault.

Song Miao thought for a moment, then said, "Since it's like this, why don't we go see Tang Lao together? The elder is advanced in years; he might have misremembered — if we can clarify things, my side can rest easy, and the doctor knowing the source can better prescribe medicine."

Tang Huo's party of three did not object, and led the way in silence.

The onlookers still wanted to follow, but were driven off by the patrol officers.

They walked for a while before finally reaching Qiaotou Alley.

The Tang family are also capital residents; their house is only two-tenths the size of the Song family's, but since they don't run a business, they manage to live there adequately.

Tang Huo took the lead; the group was about to enter the inner room when a voice called from the main gate, "Brother-in-law!"

Tang Huo turned, saw the newcomer, and stared blankly: "Xiao San, how did you come?"

The newcomer's face was covered in sweat, and he panted as he spoke: "Brother-in-law, what time is it already, how are you still at home!"

Tang Huo frowned: "My father fell gravely ill yesterday; tell your sister I can't leave right now — have her take the two little ones to stay at her natal home for a few days, and when things settle here I'll go pay respects to Mother-in-law for her birthday!"

But Xiao San wiped his sweat and said urgently: "Who's urging you! My nephew and niece — don't know what happened to them, perhaps they caught wind riding in the carriage yesterday; by evening they were both vomiting and diarrhea, both children burning with fever until they're barely conscious; my sister is frantic but dares not decide, so she sent me to ask urgently!"

"Brother-in-law, you tell me — should we send a carriage to fetch the children, or just treat them at our place?"

The moment these words came out, Tang Huo naturally grew anxious; but the patrol officers and patrol soldiers beside them instantly grew alert.

One person falling ill could be called coincidence, but a whole family like this — there must be a problem somewhere.

Song Ji's food has no issue; then where is the problem?

Tang Huo practically ran back to the rear.

There his uncle-by-marriage was tending to Tang Lao; seeing them arrive, he said busily: "I truly have no way — your father was just calling for you, saying he's burning with headache, can't catch his breath, doesn't want to live, told me to urge you to come see him off."

Tang Huo, both anxious and panicked, threw himself to the bedside, calling out "Father."

Hearing his son call, Tang Lao only then struggled a couple of times and turned over.

Tang Huo hurriedly asked: "Father, what exactly did you eat yesterday? Besides that breakfast from Song Ji, you didn't eat anything else, did you?"

After a long while, Tang Lao finally replied.

His voice was weak: "I only ate their early food."

"But Zhong and Qiao also have vomiting and diarrhea, and high fever — did they also eat Song Ji's early food?"

Tang Lao heard with a start, and said slowly: "They ate it too — I specially queued to buy it for them; Sister said she wanted that cake… Zhong said he wanted… wanted meat…"

As he spoke, he suddenly seemed to rally like a dying flash of light, his voice growing louder: "Zhong said he wanted meat, saw a stall by the road selling deer meat jerky, I bought him some jerky — I also ate two pieces, nothing else after that."

The patrol officers hurriedly asked: "Which stall?"

But Tang Lao had no strength left; lying there he thought for half a day, then said: "Can't remember…"

Song Miao had listened from the side for half a day; at this point she said: "A few days ago I saw people selling roe deer and deer meat jerky near Zhou Bridge, Zhuque Gate, and around Tonghua Alley — the smell was similar, most likely from the same source; but these past two days they've already disappeared."

She listed the locations she had seen one by one, and described the appearances of several people.

The patrol officers immediately went out, preparing to return and report, gather manpower to catch the traders back for questioning.

?? Monthly tickets hit nine hundred, thank you everyone, today there's extra updates too, barely counts as a small bonus chapter.