Chapter 139

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Protagonist:

Song Miao

She had only been here half a day, merely strolling along two streets, yet she had already run into two cases in succession — a missing person and a murder.

Although it was coincidental, such matters are also not something human power can control, but Song Miao still couldn't help but develop some doubts about the governing ability of the officials in the county.

She couldn't help asking: "I wonder how the staffing is at the county yamen here, can they supply what we need for the follow-up?"

To dig canals, what is needed is naturally manpower and material resources, logistics is the most critical, and all of this falls under the jurisdiction of the local yamen.

Think about it — if people don't arrive, even if materials are sitting there, who will dig the earth, who will tamp it down?

If materials don't arrive, even if people have arrived, are they supposed to dig the ground with their hands, and use their own bodies to block it up?

Even though she herself was helping manage the meals, a clever housewife cannot cook without rice, and there are times when there is no rice — could it be that she is supposed to cook and eat herself?

Han Lidao: "No matter, no need to concern yourself with the yamen's manpower, I will handle it."

His words had never fallen empty before; now that he had made this promise, Song Miao set her mind at ease.

The two entered the food shop one after another.

This food shop's main gate was divided into eight leaves, every single leaf wide open; since it was mealtime, the front hall was already seven or eight parts full, with only a few sparse empty tables here and there.

The storekeeper, seeing guests arrive, hurried up to welcome them, first glancing separately at Song and Han, then smiling and pointing at a table by the front door, greeting them: "Two guest officials, inside there are many people and it's a bit mixed; why not sit at this one? Though it's by the door, because it's a corner, it's actually much quieter than inside!"

The two naturally liked quiet, so they chose that table.

A square table, four benches; Han Li first yielded the seat to Song Miao, and only after she sat down did he sit facing her.

The storekeeper asked about ordering dishes; he took the menu, merely glanced at it once, then said they would order later.

After the storekeeper left, he lowered his voice: "Why not change to a more decent proper wine tower? Right now it makes me look terribly stingy."

As he spoke, he passed the menu over.

Song Miao took it and looked; on it were drawn illustrations and dish names, only the characters were written crudely, and the dishes drawn poorly, so she smiled: "It's just that I see Young Master has always been excessively generous to others, which makes me not want you to keep spending; moreover, a small shop has its own way of eating — small shops often have their own secret recipes — my family's future shop will also be a small shop, I only hope Guest Official Han won't look down on it."

Han Li immediately said: "How can those be lumped together? Our food shop is clearly a mustard seed containing Mount Sumeru, unique in its own way……"

Clearly a pack of nonsense, but because he said it with such firmness, Song Miao couldn't help but smile faintly, and said: "I'll order two dishes, Young Master also order two, how about that?"

And couldn't help teasing along: "Two people, four dishes — what good person regularly eats such extravagance?"

Han Li only smiled; though he didn't reply, he shifted his bench slightly toward her direction.

That shift was really just a token shift; once shifted, his heart seemed to feel at ease.

Song Miao flipped through the menu a bit, pointed out two dishes to Han Li, selecting a Five-Spice Duck Goose and a Cold-Mixed Lettuce Stem.

Because there was a cold plate, though called two dishes, it could actually count as one.

Han Li called the storekeeper over, first ordered these two, then asked the food shop's specialty dishes, and added one roast chicken, one simmered fish, one soup; knowing Song Miao usually ate more rice, for staples besides steamed cakes he also ordered white rice.

A small shop serving dishes has its own chaotic rhythm; they didn't serve the soup first, nor the cold dish, but brought up the braised chicken first.

Han Li turned the chicken leg toward Song Miao, inviting her to eat first, only then moving his own chopsticks.

Song Miao saw the chicken served; its skin was neither oily nor glossy, so she knew it would be somewhat lacking; she tasted a bite, and sure enough the chicken meat was dry and carried a slight gamey smell, fortunately the gamey smell wasn't strong.

When she looked up, that Han Li had just eaten a piece, and he raised his brow: "This chicken is rather pitiful — if it could fall into Boss Song's hands, I'm afraid even in death it could die a lot more fragrantly."

Song Miao couldn't help laughing: "I picked the wrong shop."

Han Li said: "I ordered the wrong dish, wasting this old chicken's life in vain."

And added: "Normally I can't taste it out, but now that I'm used to Boss Song's cooking, I only feel this chicken's flavor isn't right, yet I don't know where the problem lies."

Song Miao said: "After this chicken was slaughtered, it should have been left for a while, and not marinated in time; by the time it was roasted done, it was left again for a while; when we came, they didn't use charcoal but used open flame to re-roast, so the meat juice is reduced, eating it is also tough, the sauce flavor can't suppress it, and the gamey smell comes out."

And said: "Actually the most critical thing is the chicken being good; cooking skill is secondary — when my family's food shop opens, if we find suitable craftsmen, we'll also set up a stove in the back courtyard to roast meat ourselves; not only will chicken and duck be delicious, actually roast goose, roast fat pigeon, will also have their own wonderful flavors."

"Fat pigeon needs no words, eat it and you'll know; let's talk about roast goose first — I have a marinade sauce, marinate the meat through; when the time comes the goose skin will be extremely crisp, select a suitable goose, the meat won't be too thick, yet plump and firm; bite down and it's soft with a meaty chew, the meat juice will be very ample, no need to dip in other seasonings, no need for sour plum sauce; when tearing it down, it will flow with meat juice on its own."

"When the time comes, take that marinade-roasted meat juice to dip the meat — I'll yield a goose leg to Young Master; if you want face, hide it away, clutch it and use your teeth to pull skin and meat together to eat; if you don't eat until your teeth are bared and mouth twisted, you'll have let down that fragrant leg……"

As she spoke on and on, though she was outside and her voice was pressed very low, her brows and eyes were radiant with spirit.

Han Li listened seriously; after listening, he couldn't help asking: "I can only get yielded one goose leg?"

Song Miao froze a moment, laughed: "I'll reserve a whole one for Young Master!"

Because that Han Li asked about the stove again, Song Miao simply stated the requirements, and added: "That stove had best be tall enough, in the middle something can be used to separate it; if roasting small things, only one side can be used, saving quite a bit whether charcoal or firewood; if roasting large things, it can also hang quite a few more……"

The two didn't observe any "no talking while eating"; chatting and laughing, even the most ordinary flavors could be endured a bit more; amidst the talk they ate it down.

By the time the remaining dishes were also served, though the flavors weren't much, the portions were quite large, and coupled with the storekeeper's attentiveness, the attitude given was fully sufficient; thinking of the price, one was even too embarrassed to pick faults.

Seeing they had eaten seven or eight parts full, yet dishes still remained quite a bit, Han Li said: "If you can't eat more don't force it; anyway they're all serving chopsticks, and they're whole good pieces of meat; I'll have the storekeeper pack them in bamboo boxes, then order two new dishes, later take them back to give Kong Fuyang — these two days he's been terribly exhausted, I'm afraid he's already up by now, perfect for combining breakfast and lunch into one meal."

Just as they were speaking, about to call the storekeeper, they heard someone at the door calling "Auntie" several times in a row.

The storekeeper had just seen a guest out the door; hearing this, he sighed, and said: "Child, you've come these two days several times already; I truly haven't seen the person you speak of; the previous few days several groups also came asking; outside notices are still posted, offering such a heavy reward; if I knew that person's whereabouts, such a rare opportunity, would I not earn the money?"

And advised: "The person was only just lost, and we don't even know how they were lost; you're just a little one, don't run around outside recklessly, be careful or kidnappers will catch you too — go home! Outside there are adults searching for people, what does it have to do with you, a child!"

That child was silent for a moment, said a word of thanks.

After a while, his questioning voice sounded again.

"Grandpa, Grandma, have you seen the person on this portrait? It's a child, he's quite fair; here, on his nose there's a mole; the clothes he wore when leaving were blue……"

The voice wasn't loud, but he asked very earnestly.

"Grandpa," "Grandma" — the two elders both said they hadn't seen him, and advised him again: "You're a child, why run outside to ask this? I'm afraid in a moment it will rain — hurry home!"

Song Miao turned her head to look; because behind was the open door, she easily saw a small child's figure.

The two elders left; that child didn't leave, but instead held up the portrait in his hand, and went to accost a passing peddler.

This time, however, he wasn't so lucky.

The peddler perhaps had poor business, perhaps was impatient with his load, or perhaps had a bad temper; without waiting for the child to speak, he shouted impatiently: "Get out of the way, get out of the way, don't block my path!"

As he spoke, he shook the load pole ahead and bumped it against the child.

The load pole looked heavy; the child quickly stepped back, dodged it, but the ground was wet, his foot slipped, he stumbled, and sat down hard on his buttocks.

The peddler cursed "bad luck" while running forward as if flying.

The child slowly climbed up, one hand covering his buttocks, the other wiping his face with his sleeve, not knowing where he wiped, standing blankly in place for a good while, not knowing what he was thinking, until several more people came from across, holding that paper, wanting to step forward again.

Song Miao had already thought the child's voice somewhat familiar; now seeing his movements and figure, she felt even more familiar, and couldn't help but frown, calling from behind the door: "Liang Yan!"

The child turned around at once, his face full of bewilderment; upon seeing Song Miao in the food shop, his eyes widened immediately.

His expression seemed joyful yet pained; though a child's face, he looked as if he had experienced many things; he opened his mouth for a long while, wanting to call out, but did not call out immediately; instead, holding the paper, he ran over all the way, and when he got close, he called from behind the door: "Song Niangzi!"

Song Miao first had him enter the door, then turned to Han Lidao and said: "This is the child I saw earlier at Zhu Shenzi's father's home, who helped me peel garlic for half a day."

Han Li nodded, stood up, and moved the other bench aside.

Liang Yan entered the door, still hesitating; he glanced at Song Miao, and seeing her nod, only then sat down.

Song Miao saw tear marks still on the child's face, his eyes swollen, full of red bloodshot veins; looking down again, his shoes were wet too; not knowing how his father cared for him, she only felt that an escort guard might raise children roughly, after all not blood kin, outsiders were hard to deal with.

She thought about the situation that day, and regardless of anything else, she first asked: "Have you eaten at noon? Is your belly hungry?"

Liang Yan hesitated for a moment, first shook his head, then nodded again.

Song Miao said: "I happen to have this much that can't be finished; it's clean; if you don't mind it being leftovers, help Sister eat a bite."

Her words had just fallen when Han Li called the storekeeper to bring another set of clean bowls and chopsticks, and to add two large steamed buns and some rice.

This time Liang Yan did not hesitate again; he first thanked Han Li, then thanked Song Miao; but when thanking Han Li, he was both serious and embarrassed; when thanking Song Miao, it was more intimate than embarrassed.

He took the bowls and chopsticks, lowered his head, and began to shovel rice.

Song Miao saw him eating only rice and few dishes; she used the communal chopsticks to help him pick some meat and vegetables; almost as much as she picked, he could eat; it seemed an adult's meal portion had already entered his belly.

A child being able to eat was normal, but being able to eat like this, Song Miao inevitably became a bit nervous; she quickly said: "Eat slowly, don't rush; if you can't eat anymore, don't force yourself."

The remaining dishes on the table, a bowl of rice, two large steamed buns—Liang Yan ate them all clean; only some soup base was left unfinished.

After the person had eaten his fill, Song Miao asked: "Where is your adult at home? How did you run out alone?"

She originally meant to call the adult over; even if not called, she could send him back herself; after all, this Hua Prefecture did not look very peaceful.

But Liang Yan directly replied: "My family has no adult anymore."

He added: "I have had no mother since I can remember; my father was an escort guard, went on escort duty and never returned; now I am adopted by an uncle I know."

Earlier at the Zhu family, after all it was a chance encounter, perhaps there was still something hard to speak of; what he said was not much; but now sitting at the table, he had no intention of concealing anything at all, only laying out his situation completely.

Only then did Song Miao know that Liang Yan was actually Xiang Yuan's adopted son.

"Last time Xiang Lin wanted to snatch my things; I refused to give them, so he took them by force—never mind that, he even threw them away; I couldn't help it, and fought him..."

Liang Yan spoke and spoke, his eyes turning red, but he hastily wiped them with his sleeve, and added: "Because Uncle Xiang saw it, he beat him on the spot, forced him to apologize to me, and said that this time when he returns he will adopt me as his son, change my surname, invite various families to witness, and have me entered into the Xiang Family Genealogy."

"I said I don't want to; Uncle Xiang said this is not just changing surnames; in the future I can still share the family property; it is what my father earned for me; he told me to wait until after he passes away, divide the money, and then change back to the surname Liang."

"Xiang Lin made a scene all the way; Uncle Xiang punished him to kneel, and had someone watch him; actually I know he didn't kneel; but the next day he said his leg was crippled, said it was my fault, and from time to time wanted to fight and quarrel with me."

"This time we came to Hua Prefecture; we had stayed only a few days; he fought me several times; Uncle Xiang was busy with affairs and had no time to deal with it; that day for some reason we fought at the Tang Family Gate, and suddenly he disappeared..."

Song Miao clearly heard Liang Yan's voice trembling.

"They searched everywhere at home, searched everywhere, couldn't find him inside or outside the city—Song Jiejie, I heard that in Jingcheng many children have been abducted; could Xiang Lin also have been abducted?"

"If he really was abducted, does that count as me harming him?"

He asked while his throat was tight; his hand was even clenched into a fist.

Song Miao hurriedly comforted him with a few words, and added: "Wanted posters have already been posted outside; your Uncle Xiang has taken out three hundred thousand silver to find people; the government office is also helping to search; nothing will happen."

Knowing he had come out on his own and his family was unaware, seeing that it was about to rain outside, she again advised him not to wander around outside, lest an accident occur and the Xiang family would have no spare manpower.

Liang Yan honestly agreed.

The Xie family was not far nor near from here; Song Miao discussed with Han Li that he stay here to have Kong Fuyang order two more dishes, while she would first take Liang Yan back.

After sending him for a while, seeing they had reached the door, Song Miao gave a few instructions, waved goodbye; after the person entered, she was about to turn around when she heard someone behind call out: "Is that Song Xiaoniangzi ahead?"

Song Miao looked back and immediately recognized the other party as the Xiang family steward who had forcibly taken Xiang Yuan to depart that day; she responded with an agreement and greeted him.

The other party was quite surprised, but quickly added: "Master Xiang needs to entrust someone with business and has an important banquet; he was looking for a top-notch cook; nowhere was suitable; unexpectedly he met Miss—however, he doesn't know if Miss has the time to take on the job?"

Song Miao shook her head and only said she already had a task at hand and could not take on outside work; she politely declined.

The steward still did not give up, saying: "Just one meal; it won't take long; Miss might as well consider it; the guest is Qian Yaosi from the government office, who is very capable locally; if there is anything, finding him is more useful than finding other officials!"

He was still speaking when a clamor came from inside the door, along with cursing.

"Where did you go this morning?!"

"Young Master Xiang is missing, and you still have the heart to go out and play—tell me, did you collude with bad people outside to deliberately capture Young Master Xiang, so you could rob his things and rob his family's gold and silver?!"

"I didn't go out to play; I went out to find Xiang Lin!"

"I spit on you! You snatched someone's father, snatched someone's wealth; now you want to pretend to be a good person; who are you pretending for? If I were you, I'd be too ashamed to stay here."

Song Miao listened with her brows furrowing.

The steward hurriedly stepped forward several steps, entered the door, and drove away the group of children.

At once seven or eight children surged out from inside; one of them rushed straight into Song Miao's body.

She smelled a faint scent of licorice.