Chapter 204: Miao's Kitchen Chapter 206: Selling One's Life

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Protagonist:

Song Miao

Song Miao was quite startled, stopped and asked: "How is Elder Xiang here?"

Xiang Yuan sat on the chair with a swaggering air; after calling out once, he had originally been waiting grandly, but after a few breaths, seeing Song Miao not take the initiative to approach, he frowned slightly, then revealed a smile again. He did not get up to welcome her, but pointed to the seat opposite and said: "Little lady, please sit down, drink a cup of tea, wait for me to explain slowly!"

Song Miao shook her head: "It is hard to accept Elder Xiang's kind invitation, but I have business on hand and cannot delay—I won't drink the tea."

Speaking, she looked toward Liang Yan, who had already stood up early by the side, smiled and called out "Little Yan," then reached out to take the purse at her waist.

Liang Yan had already stood up when he saw her enter the door, eager to move; hearing his name called, he could not restrain himself, trotted over a few steps, and kept calling "Song Jiejie" with his mouth.

Song Miao did not rush to attend to him, but first asked Xiang Yuan behind the table: "I made some snacks the other day and wanted Little Yan to eat them for fun—I just don't know if Elder Xiang minds letting Liang Yan eat outside food?"

Xiang Yuan said: "What outside food? I have known the little lady for a long time, and we are close; such a good relationship, you can almost count as Little Yan's elder! To have such a good lady taking care of him, I am delighted to see it happen!"

Song Miao paused, smiling: "I dare not; I thought I should call you Uncle Xiang, so as not to mess up the seniority."

Xiang Yuan had wanted to speak more, smiling on his face; hearing this, his smile stiffened slightly, but he quickly covered it up as if nothing had happened, laughing it off: "It's not necessary to call me uncle; I look steady, but I am actually in my prime. It's just that to do business, I have to make myself seem more important. Besides, there is no careful person at home to manage things—one person supporting such a large scale, not to mention family and clan matters, there are even more businesses below to manage, with hundreds of partners and hired hands relying on me for their livelihood, so it is always difficult."

"This time I rushed home because I received news in a hurry, saying that my old lady at home suddenly had heart-wrenching pain. I panicked, stopped doing business, and brought people to hurry back, but the road was blocked by water, I couldn't go far, and was anxious to leave the goods and go back alone—fortunately, someone brought news again, secretly telling me that it was not a real emergency illness, but that my old lady, seeing I hadn't returned home for a long time, worried about big matters, and wanted to..."

Hearing this Elder Xiang here saying things that sounded less and less believable, Song Miao was already prejudiced against this person, so she naturally became more and more impatient, could not feel the slightest emotion, and did not think that a wealthy merchant with a huge fortune had anything worth pouring out his grievances to her, a debt-ridden stall owner.

She was about to make an excuse to leave, but when she looked up, she saw Dabing standing at the second gate, looking like he wanted to come out but was afraid of disturbing them, so she gave him a look.

Dabing saw this, his feet were itching as if someone had scratched them with a wooden claw for a long time; he was instantly happy and ran out like flying, calling: "Young Lady, are you done being busy here? The kitchen behind is waiting for you to prepare dishes!"

As he spoke, he seemed to have just seen Xiang Yuan and Liang Yan; he hurriedly stood still and saluted, calling out: "Elder Xiang! Why have you come, sir?"

Xiang Yuan had spoken for a long time, his mouth was dry, and he was taking the opportunity to drink tea. Hearing the words "sir," the tea got stuck in his throat, and he almost sprayed it out from his nostrils. He finally endured it; nodding was not right, explaining was not right, and it was even worse to argue with a waiter. He could only put down the tea and gloss over it.

Song Miao responded, first handed the purse to Liang Yan who had already come up to her, and instructed: "They are amber walnuts, with maltose added inside; remember to rinse your mouth after eating."

She also said: "I have been busy with many things lately. If there is any news, just send someone to pass a message; report it to the relay station. After I finish my errand, I will naturally go ask."

Liang Yan hurriedly said: "Song Jiejie, don't worry about me! I have been making progress lately. Uncle Xiang hired a Head Escort to teach me martial arts. Now I can squat in a horse stance for the time it takes to burn an incense stick! The master has praised me several times as a good seedling for martial arts, saying I can endure hardship, persist, have big hands and big feet, and hard bones..."

He chattered on and on like a string of firecrackers, anxious to show off, wanting the people in front to know how capable he was, and also rushing to finish all the words in one breath in the shortest time, so as not to delay time and affect Song Miao's work.

Liang Yan was not originally someone with a particularly glib tongue; several times his tongue almost got tied. After finishing speaking at once, he said reluctantly: "Song Jiejie, go be busy. Wait until later..."

He did not say the second half of the sentence.

Uncle Xiang was right behind him.

For so many days living under someone else's roof, although Liang Yan was young, he had learned to think things over in his belly before speaking or acting.

Uncle Xiang wanted to recognize him as an adopted son; after changing his surname, he would continue to stay in the Xiang residence, hire someone to teach him at home, and cultivate both literature and martial arts. He also said he would send Xiang Lin to study at an academy outside. This approach would obviously not satisfy any of the people involved.

At this time, he was determined to go to the Capital to learn martial arts. He had already planned that after returning to the Xiang residence, he would find Elder Xiang, Lady Xiang, and others to persuade them together, and did not want to leak the news in advance.

Liang Yan closed his mouth all at once.

But Xiang Yuan had already gotten enough from his first sentence as a ladder. Seeing that if he continued to put on airs, the bird would fly away, he hurriedly stood up and went to meet Song Miao, saying: "Song Niangzi, when do you have free time? I have some matters and still want to discuss them with you."

He also said: "Just now, a tea merchant from below flattered me with two packs of Jingshan Tea. This tea is newly produced, brought from Yuhang over a thousand li. When brewed, it is tender green, tender green, the taste is pure and mellow, the fragrance is pure and secluded, like an orchid. The tea merchant said that if it were not for me, even if my own father came, he might not be willing to give it. Niangzi, come and try something new!"

Song Miao said: "If it is about opening a wine house, I have already thought it over carefully. I really do not have such a plan—thank you, Elder Xiang, for your trouble, but there is no need to mention it again."

"Not a wine house; I have other important matters."

Song Miao had already started walking, but she did not stop. She only kept the posture of wanting to leave and said: "Elder Xiang, please speak."

"Two or three sentences cannot make it clear. Simply, I have no other matters today. I will wait here. Little lady, after you finish being busy tonight, come out to find me. We will eat, drink tea, and talk slowly in detail!"

Song Miao shook her head: "Elder Xiang is a straightforward person. I have always been straightforward too. I have business on my body now. After I finish being busy, I don't know when it will be. The night is too late. Although there is a difference in seniority and age, I can call Elder Xiang 'Uncle.' But after all, men and women are different. In a melon field or under a plum tree, we won't have rice or tea."

"Elder Xiang has connections all over the world and is extremely wealthy. Even if you have important matters, there is no need to discuss them with me, a cook doing small business. Thinking it over, it is probably because of the business on the new river course?"

"If you want an introduction, Elder Xiang, just say it. Whether it is Wu Gong or Young Master Han, they are all very easy to talk to. Moreover, this is public business. Even without an introduction, they would not refuse. If there is something else, you know me. I only know how to cook all day and have no other skills. I am willing but lack the ability."

Her words blocked in front and obstructed from behind, throwing Xiang Yuan's originally thought-to-be-certain plan into a mess. But after all, he was tempered in the business world. Leaving other things aside, his thick skin and patience were enough. He smiled: "It is about the river course, but not me. It is another old friend of mine. This person is not here now. I will bring him over tomorrow to talk about it."

—In the time of a few words, he had decided on his own to visit tomorrow.

Song Miao said: "No need for such trouble. If it is about the river course matter, Elder Xiang, please wait a moment. Someone will be back soon. I will talk to them and give an introduction. Tomorrow, you can take that friend to the river course. It saves time and effort. You, an old hand at doing business, naturally know much more than I do!"

Xiang Yuan's eyelid jumped. He said: "Too many words. I cannot make the decision entirely. If when the matter is brought up later, I know nothing about it when asked three questions, people will think that I, Xiang Mou, have water in my brain and come to talk about business. It is better to talk about it tomorrow night!"

While speaking, just then outside there was a clamor of voices. Some were talking and laughing, some were scolding and shouting, and some were laughing and scolding. In a short while, a crowd of people rushed in. They were all students who had come from the Capital on the same road. The one in the lead, seeing Song Miao, his eyes lit up. He stepped forward and called: "Niangzi, look what we brought back!"

While saying this, he raised the thing in his hand high.

Song Miao looked closely and saw that this person was holding fish in both hands, of various sizes. The large ones were nearly a foot long, and the small ones were only the size of a palm.

The fish were all strung with ropes, heads up, hanging in his hand. The largest one was swinging its tail full of vitality.

"Today, official business took us to test the river sweep. Unexpectedly, the water that was blocked left so many fish. Coincidentally, many of the river workers were originally fishermen. They helped us tie them. They said that except for some miscellaneous fish, the rest were all White Fish, and they were all sharp-mouthed. We probably stumbled upon a nest of Sharp-mouthed White Fish. They also said this fish is delicious, so the official business hurriedly called us to bring them back!"

This person's voice had just fallen. He tilted his head, caught a glimpse from the corner of his eye, and realized there was a stranger standing to the side. He hurriedly asked: "Who is this? I hope I didn't disturb your conversation?"

Song Miao was about to speak, but Xiang Yuan, fearing that someone surnamed Han or Wu might really come behind, took the opportunity to find an excuse. He took Liang Yan and left in a hurry.

The other students didn't think much. Seeing the person leave, they all gathered around, asking Song Miao to look at the fish they brought back. Everyone held fish in their hands, and someone else carried a bucket. Inside were fish two or three fingers long and wide. Six or seven people, I'm afraid there were twenty or thirty fish here.

Song Miao hurriedly asked them to bring all the fish to the back kitchen and called Dabing to prepare large basins and buckets.

She originally planned to eat something simple tonight, stir-frying dried lettuce stems as a side dish. But now she suddenly got so many fish. Fish cannot be kept for long. She was afraid that if left alone, they would float belly-up and "fall asleep." So she could only plan to deal with what should be dealt with as soon as possible.

For a moment, she went to look at the fish. Just as she was counting them, she saw Zhang Siniang come in and say: "On the road, I saw the scholar gentlemen carrying many fish. I'm afraid they brought them back to eat. I grew up by the river since childhood. I am used to eating and killing fish. I hurried back to give Niangzi a hand!"

Zhang Siniang not only knew how to kill fish but also knew how to identify fish. Whether big fish or small fish, she could call out the wild name of each one, and she had eaten them all.

Seeing this, Song Miao first simply asked about the texture. Knowing that most were tender meat, but some had many bones, some had few bones, and some small fish had a stronger fishy smell. She asked her to help classify them according to the number of fish bones. Then she took Dabing to slowly kill and clean the fish. She herself freed her hands, first taking the few large fish with many bones that had been killed, wiping and washing them clean with cloth, curing them with salt, and hanging them up to air-dry.

In the relay station, Song Miao was cleaning large and small White Fish with two helpers. In a house on a street outside, Xiang Yuan was sitting opposite his old friend.

The other person's surname was Rui, given name Fusheng. He was only twenty-five or twenty-six years old, born with five or six parts of handsomeness. But his clothing, food, housing, and travel were all particular. Relying on his dressing, he added two parts to his appearance out of thin air.

The two had entered Hua Prefecture City the day before yesterday and directly lived in the house that the medicine merchant had previously prepared. These two days, they each ran around outside for a while.

Now that they had gathered again, Rui Fusheng first recounted what he had learned, saying: "This line of business is still worth doing. Right now there are five or six thousand people along the river; although they are divided into two shifts per day, they all need two meals a day, and quite a few stay overnight in the sheds. I've already sent word to hire a few experienced hands—all former workers from the Tingjiao Hang—and they should arrive the day after tomorrow."

"By then we'll hire a Tingjiao head locally in Hua Prefecture; labor is cheap here. If we can secure this job early, once the scaffolding is up, the money will naturally roll in—it's just that building a toilet on the river is troublesome and will take some effort."

Xiang Yuan said: "That's simple. When the time comes, we just stick up some wood, hang some rotten hemp cloth, and build a grass shed every three or five hundred steps..."

The two discussed for a while how to save money and how to make money, and finally Rui Fusheng said: "I fear nothing, only that we might not win the bid."

He added: "I hear the person in charge of this matter is surnamed Lu, and is not from the Hua Prefecture Government Office."

Xiang Yuan had previously, because of Song Miao's matter, already learned about the group of people staying at the Yi Guan Guan in Hua Prefecture City. This time, asking again, he naturally knew even more clearly, saying: "He came with the people from the Du Shui Jian, named Lu Wenming, and I hear he is rather inflexible in character."

"He won't refuse money, will he?"

"Then give him more, give enough that he accepts it." Xiang Yuan didn't take it to heart at all. "In all these years of doing business, I've never met anyone who didn't love wealth. They say they don't want it with their mouths, but give them a little more and they become honest."

He added: "Once we get this job, we can ask around about other things too. I hear they plan to open several grocery stores along the river. Although the workers come and go, they're mostly poor devils. Squeeze them a bit, and you can still make a tidy profit."

After speaking, Xiang Yuan then invited this Rui Fusheng to go to the Yi Guan Guan tomorrow afternoon.

"I've found someone to introduce you to me, but that old Xia won't be brought tomorrow."

The two exchanged a glance, tacitly understanding, and neither spoke.

Rui Fusheng paused, then began praising Xiang Yuan's abilities: "... Xiang Xiong said he was unfamiliar with the place, yet he can find connections everywhere!"

Xiang Yuan only waved his hand and laughed: "It might not succeed—just a twist of fate."

Speaking to this point, he suddenly paused and said: "Actually, there is one matter I've always hesitated about in my heart. Speaking of it today is because I know you've seen much, so I might as well ask you, Rui Didi."

"There's this woman..."

He roughly recounted Song Miao's situation, saying: "Although she can read and has skills, she ultimately has no natal family to support her. I originally thought it didn't matter. Earlier, Linzi's mother did have a natal family, but in the end it turned into this mess—better to have none. But thinking it over carefully these past days, after all, my roots are all back home. If I bring back a woman from a weak family, and she bears children, there will inevitably be rivalry with her natal family. If Linzi suffers, fine; if I lose, after all, it's my own flesh and blood..."

Rui Fusheng understood and said: "She's a great beauty, right?"

Xiang Yuan smiled.

Rui Fusheng then said: "They all say marry a virtuous wife. Older Brother, why not find one locally with a good family background? With your wealth, are you short of money? You want your children to study and become officials to protect the family business. As for that woman, just hire her to help manage the Jiu Lou. If you really like her, give her some gold, silver, and treasures—won't you still be able to do as you please?"

"But any decent cook, relying on having some skill, one or two of them open their mouths like lions. Last time I offered five hundred strings to open a Jiu Lou with her, and she thought it was too little. If you really want to use her, you'd have to hire her—who knows how much silver it would cost." Xiang Yuan shook his head. "Not worth it. Better to bring her home. Then, for her own sake and for her children's future, she'll work hard for us."