Chapter 218: Wonderful Cook Chapter 220: Farewell

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Protagonist:

Song Miao

The Xiang family steward gritted his teeth and got onto the carriage, while a group of boatmen and fisherfolk cheerfully climbed onto the mule carts.

Once the vehicles moved and had gone some distance, everyone saw that Han Li was out of sight, and Song Xiaoniangzi was no longer beside them; someone started it, and one after another they all let out sighs of relief.

For a while, some crossed their legs as Second Young Masters, some shook their legs, some loosened the bellies they had been sucking in with one breath, some leaned against the cart walls, some complained that the person next to them was crowding them, and some called out not to crush their hawthorn tea leaves; the two large carts were filled with noisy voices inside.

"This meal today has me about to burst!"

"Then eat less!"

"What are you saying? How come I don't see you eating less?!"

"Lu Zuo, it's you! You still have the nerve to tell others to eat less? I saw you loosen your trouser waist rope twice just now—take it easy, careful you swell up so much you can't walk!"

The Lu Zuo who had loosened his trouser waist rope didn't blush at all; instead he raised his head and said, "If I can't walk, I can't walk, but today Han Xiu Cai is treating us, such a big table, several kinds of food I've never even seen before—I have to eat some to show my support!"

As soon as these words came out, many people nearby chimed in.

"It's my first time seeing what 'lily bulb' is; I can't describe the taste, it's wonderfully fragrant and a bit powdery, and it's also my first time knowing that lotus seeds, coix seed, and ginkgo can be boiled with soy milk drink—hey, don't say, it's delicious! The soy milk is good too, the thickness is just right, fragrant and sweet; how come all the soy milk I've drunk before wasn't nearly this good!"

Someone immediately hurried to say, "That's nonsense! Listen to what Song Xiaoniangzi said—she put rock sugar in it; how could it not be sweet!"

Someone who knew goods immediately called out, "Damn! Who would dare think! I've actually eaten rock sugar in my lifetime!"

Others who didn't know goods were anxious and hurriedly asked, "What is rock sugar? What is rock sugar?!"

"You know rock candy, right?"

"I know, it's very expensive!"

"Rock sugar is much more expensive than that! A pack of rock sugar can buy a basket of rock candy!"

This person spoke with great conviction: "When I used to help people transport goods, I saw it once; it looks like the ice that forms on the river in winter, almost transparent enough to see through; in our area, only high officials and big merchants get to eat it, and even in Jingcheng not everyone can eat it—I heard that today's rock sugar was specially sent by Cen Tongpan to Han Xiu Cai to nourish his body, and because we came, he took it all out!"

This man told it like a storyteller, and for a while the whole cart fell silent, listening to him chat and brag about how precious and rare the rock sugar was.

When he finished, suddenly someone slapped his thigh and sighed, "Ai! Why didn't you say so earlier! If I'd known rock sugar was so rare, I would have drunk several more sips even if my belly burst!"

"Your belly is already big enough; careful it really bursts!"

"Didn't you taste that the sand weng and the small fried dough sticks were also coated with rock sugar powder?"

"No wonder! No wonder they're so delicious! Ai, Song Xiaoniangzi's skill is top-notch, and Han Xiu Cai is also very generous; it's clear they treat us as honored guests, only willing to bring out such good things!"

"It's thanks to Lu Zuo!"

So a group of people went to thank Lu Zuo.

"Don't say that, don't say that; everyone put in effort, and it wasn't just for me; otherwise how could we have caught that thief boss?" Lu Zuo was smug, but forced himself not to show off.

"You acted so much like it! Usually we couldn't tell at all!"

"When you saw the thief boss, were you scared?"

"Scared my ass; my eldest nephew's youngest child was taken by kidnappers, and the couple almost cried their eyes blind; it's been seven or eight years, and they still haven't found anyone; this time I heard it was a human trafficker coming, and I only hate that I couldn't attack the moment I went up; scared? There's no such thing!"

A group of people had money in their pockets, hawthorn tea leaves in their hands, everyone with puffed-up bellies, chatting very lively.

When they arrived home one after another, as soon as Lu Zuo entered the house, he saw his old wife coming out to answer the door holding an oil lamp.

"How did you get back so late? At your age, you still think you're young?!"

The old woman complained while putting down the oil lamp, but she handed the big sea bowl to the old man with a "here," and then said, "I cooked millet porridge tonight and specially saved the rice soup on top for you; after walking all the way, you must be thirsty, right?"

Lu Zuo took the bowl but didn't drink; instead, he held onto his wife's shoulder and walked straight into the house.

"What are you doing? It's such hot weather; your hand is burning hot, making me sweat all over!"

"Ay, come on!"

After carefully locking the door, Lu Zuo took out a cloth bundle from his pocket and held it up to his wife like a treasure, saying, "Quickly put it away; don't let Old Da and Old Er see it, or they'll think our family is rich and spend money recklessly!"

The old woman took it suspiciously, and her eyes lit up with a swoosh; she exclaimed "Oh yo," "Oh yo" twice, then quickly coughed once, lowered her voice, and said, "Where did this come from! It's actually two strings of cash; you didn't do something bad, did you?!"

Lu Zuo scolded in displeasure, "Am I that kind of person? If I really were, would you dare marry me?! This is what I earned by risking my life outside! It's reward silver from the yamen!"

He recounted last night's events once, and then instructed, "The yamen and Han Xiu Cai both specially told me not to let this get out, in case the kidnappers have other accomplices who come for revenge—I'm only telling you, you must not blab!"

"I won't!" The old woman was startled, quickly agreed, and then complained, "For such a thing, you're old in the arms and legs; next time let young people go; otherwise, if you're not careful and get hurt by villains, what will we do!"

"How reliable are young people? It was just his bad luck that he found me; if I hadn't stayed calm and acted convincingly enough, with such ability and water skills, such nimble hands and feet, everything could go smoothly! If it were a young person, they might not be able to catch the kidnappers!"

Seeing Lu Zuo boasting without end, the old woman couldn't help but spit and laugh-scold, "Go on and boast! Anyway, no one will expose you!"

"So you admit I'm impressive, right? The yamen even gave reward silver; I originally wanted to beat gongs and drums and have the li zheng come to the door, but the case wasn't finished..."

"Yes! You're impressive!" The old woman laughed happily, brought the cloth bundle in her hand close to the oil lamp, looked at it again and again, and counted it; her face was full of joy; for a moment she lowered her head, looking at the wrinkled old face opposite her, but it was rare that the more she looked, the more pleasing it was.

After giving the money, Lu Zuo took out another cloth bundle, carefully opened it to look, and sighed "Ai" regretfully, saying, "It's a bit squashed!"

He then urged, "You try a taste; this is called sand weng, coated with rock sugar powder on the outside!"

He exaggerated the identity, status, and price of the rock sugar he had heard about in the cart several times, and said, "I took one bite and knew you would definitely like it, so I secretly wrapped up this big half and brought it back—quickly eat! It's cold now; although not as good as when hot, it's still very fragrant and sweet!"

The old woman hurriedly said, "Such a good thing; better to save it for tomorrow for Baobao and Taohua, the two little ones, to share and eat..."

Lu Zuo glared at her displeased and said, "You might as well not call yourself Chun Gu; just change your name to Chu Gu! I barely saved this one bite from my mouth; could it be saved for them?"

"They're only a few years old; they'll earn their own in the future, with plenty of good things to eat waiting; you and I are an old couple, eating one day less each day; don't you understand?!"

The old woman was glared at, but instead grinned and laughed, laughing and scolding, "I understand, you za old man! You have quite a few tricks!"

While saying this, she went to taste the sand weng.

"Ai yo, this rock sugar powder, no wonder it's expensive! This sand weng is also too fragrant! Indeed I have good fortune; back then I had good eyesight and chose a good head of the family; when he sees something delicious, he remembers to save a bite for me!"

Lu Zuo smiled so that the wrinkles on his face all bloomed into a big chrysanthemum; at this moment he finally felt embarrassed and said, "Eat yours, eat yours! What are you grinning about!"

After Xiang Yuan's seventh day passed, the Xiang family steward came to the door again.

This time he sent over travel money, and also gave Liang Yan two strings of cash to keep, instructing him: "Keep a little money on your person, stay close to Song Xiaoniangzi on the road, don't run about wildly. If you really get separated, having money means you won't go hungry, but don't spend recklessly either. You can go to the government office or the Xunpu..."

After saying all that, he thanked Song Miao for a long while, finally saying: "Originally the Xiang Family should have sent someone along, but... alas, this time you've gone to great trouble, Young Lady!"

The next day, he left together with the Xiang Family's caravan.

Xiang Yuan's funeral was held with great pomp.

Xiang Guan Shi was capable; everything that needed to be procured was procured, and people were invited to perform rites day and night on both water and land routes, with great fanfare.

Those who had done business with the Xiang Family in the past inevitably came to pay their condolences, and there were also those urging for goods, urging for debts, and urging for account settlements. Knowing that when a person dies the debt vanishes, if they didn't sort it out clearly now, perhaps it would come to nothing later. So each and every one grabbed Xiang Lin, this little boy, and the Xiang Family steward.

Xiang Lin had lost a hand and was injured in the face. At first he took mafeisan, and though it was his first time acting as a filial son, he found it somewhat novel. But after kneeling for a whole day, he was already impatient. Then everyone pulled and shouted at him, and he only felt a headache. He dumped everything onto that Xiang steward, wanting the other party to handle it quickly, however they liked, as long as it didn't cause trouble in front of him.

But once the Xiang Family steward had finally tidied things up more or less, and he taught Xiang Lin, though the other party was a child, he had to interject in everything. It was unknown whether it was because he had been running around with Xiang Yuan all this time, but he was quite quick at picking faults. Here he complained too much was given, there he was dissatisfied that no one had asked him.

Xiang Guan Shi had used immense effort to barely sort out the clues, and Xiang Lin kicked them about so recklessly that the steward was so angry he almost couldn't catch his breath. In the end, he had no choice but to ask for opinions again.

But that Xiang Lin was only a few years old—how could he give an opinion? He just blurted out nonsense in a fit of anger, making Xiang Guan Shi feel his belly's blood wasn't enough to vomit from rage.

After the Xiang Family left, there were many rumors circulating in Hua Prefecture City.

Before the culprit was caught, Han Li had already reported to Cen Dezhang, sending an urgent memorial with one man and three horses racing day and night to the Capital to deliver the news. In just a few days, officials from the Capital Prefecture Office arrived in Hua Prefecture overnight on swift horses.

By this time, the Hua Prefecture Zhou Ya had already tried the case halfway.

That Rui Fusheng was indeed a straightforward fellow, apparently knowing he could not escape no matter what. He confessed everything readily. Not only that, he also embellished and recounted how Xiang Yuan had helped him escape.

Even without him saying it, among the constables who had gone to make the arrest earlier, someone had already been spreading the word outside. Even though Xiang Yuan was dead and his crime exposed, people who knew him still couldn't help but discuss him, wearing expressions that said "you know, I know, we all know."

Hua Prefecture was a thoroughfare for land and water, with many traveling merchants. Xiang Yuan was also a sociable man, so soon the merchants carried the news to all corners.

From Jingcheng to various places, bit by bit, there were many different scenes telling this story.

Unchanged, however, were those knowing glances that said "you know, I know, we all know."

"Heard about it? That merchant who came that year, surnamed Xiang, the one with two little boys..."

"The one who sent word to the kidnappers? Alas, what was he thinking! Other things aside, this was kidnappers!"

Spreading along with these news to various prefectures and places were also the clues Rui Fusheng had confessed.

As the Hua Prefecture Zhou Ya and the Zhou Ya sent out document after document and letter after letter, team after team of personnel were dispatched, and more and more victims rescued from various places were found.

What a coincidence: Xiang Yuan had lost two little boys in his hometown years ago. This time, pulling up the radish brought up the mud, and they actually found those people along with him and sent them back.

When kin are reunited, there is naturally much weeping and sorrow, touching and heartbreaking. But since the people had been found, they inevitably had to ask about the case details, ask about the thief chief, and then ask how they would finally be punished.

Although the case was not yet concluded, the chief culprit's death sentence was unavoidable. Asking about the remnants, asking this and that, the Hua Prefecture Zhou Ya didn't say much, but outside people could inquire.

In a small city with many acquaintances, all were fellow villagers and neighbors. One person knowing was equivalent to everyone knowing.

Overnight, the Xiang Family's reputation was ruined.

Just as the case was being tried with great fervor, Hua Prefecture's new river channel was finally opened.

It was a very ordinary afternoon. When the gate opened, the water of the main channel surged out, following the new river channel, flowing straight into Wang Jing's old channel. Countless people by the riverbank cheered.

Although the river channel was open, there were still many loose ends to tidy up. But so many hands were no longer needed, and Song Miao's errand was finally coming to an end.

Although she had been in Hua Prefecture for less than two months, she had met many people and done many things—truly a full harvest.

This time when the river channel opened, Han Li specially invited everyone from the kitchen, upper and lower, to the riverbank to watch together.

Seeing the river water rushing, those cook's wives, one by one, were so excited they couldn't contain themselves. Some even immediately put their palms together and bowed to the sky, praying that this new river channel would surely work and there would be no more floods.

Song Miao was also very happy. Although she hadn't personally broken ground or wielded a hoe, she felt that the new river channel being opened meant the effort she and the others had put in at the kitchen was of use.

Once everything was settled at once, she packed all her luggage and inevitably said goodbye to various acquaintances in advance.

There is no feast that does not end. Finally came the day of departure back to the Capital.

Early in the morning, the Yi Guan Guan was packed full. They were all the wives and aunts from the kitchen that day, who, knowing Song Miao was returning to the Capital, came to see her off.

After thanking everyone in turn, Song Miao received five or six pairs of straw sandals and cloth shoes alone, more than ten handkerchiefs and headscarves, and plenty of local specialties—things to eat and use, everything included. Since most were handmade, everyone said they weren't worth much money, and if she didn't accept, it would be looking down on them. She could only thank everyone for their kindness and invite them to visit if they ever came to the Capital, promising to do her best as a host.

When both sides had said their farewells and the mule cart slowly drove out of Hua Prefecture City, Song Miao felt quite reluctant to leave.

However, not long after leaving the city, the cart wheels ran slower and slower, until finally they stopped altogether.

The cart driver reminded her: "Song Xiaoniangzi, Han Xiu Cai is ahead!"

Not long after, a light knocking sound came from outside the side of the cart.

Song Miao lifted the cloth curtain at the cart window and looked up. Sure enough, Han Li was riding his horse right beside them. Seeing her show her face, he immediately bent at the waist, first apologized once, saying: "These past two days there have been too many miscellaneous matters. I wanted to take half a day off, but really couldn't manage it. I couldn't even see off Stall Owner Song along the way. When I return to the Capital in the future, I'll come to your door to accept punishment."

"Young Master, you truly went to unnecessary trouble making a trip—we'll meet again right away, no need to see me off." Song Miao replied with a smile, and urged him to go back.

Han Li, however, said: "Not only did I come to see you off, there is also one matter."

As he spoke, he took a letter and two small cloth bundles from his sleeve and handed them over, saying: "I ask Stall Owner Song to do me a favor as a Blue Bird Messenger and deliver this letter to my senior brother—Chen Xiansheng Chen Ting."

He pointed to the two cloth bundles and said in a low voice: "Two small things not fit for the table—one for my senior brother, and the other is a thank-you gift solely for Stall Owner Song."

Song Miao had been on close terms with him recently. She accepted the gifts without standing on ceremony and was about to ask how to divide them, when she heard Han Li say: "The names are written above. You'll know as soon as you open and look."

Speaking this, he clasped his hands, looked at her steadily, then rode his horse aside, waved his hand at Song Miao, and watched the mule cart depart into the distance.

?? There are still two days until the double monthly tickets end. Asking everyone for the extra monthly tickets in your hands for Xiao Miao, thank you thank you thank you ^_^