Chapter 258

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Protagonist:

Song Miao

That day was busy in a heart-stopping way; early the next morning, after the newly hired carriage arrived, Cheng Erniang followed Song Miao's earlier plan and went out on deliveries separately with Zhang Siniang and her husband, and sure enough everything went smoothly — both sides even returned to the food shop an hour earlier than before.

As soon as Wang Sanlang returned, he volunteered: "Today we went too fast; at many customers' places we had to wait for their people to come. Tomorrow let's leave earlier — why not try the same as yesterday, just using my one carriage, three people dividing the work is already enough."

Zhang Siniang also said: "I'll go with Er Niangzi pulling the board to deliver; for the rest of the route, Sanlang can deliver the other line by himself — he's run it once and already knows the people!"

She also explained her own planning clearly, one by one, two by two.

The young couple were both eager to prove themselves; how could Cheng Erniang not see it? The admirable thing was that everything was planned in a methodical, orderly fashion.

She thought for a moment, then said: "Then tomorrow we'll leave a quarter-hour earlier, turn back and deliver the Xunpu route — deliver the far ones first, then the near ones, and we won't have to wait for people again."

The matter was thus settled.

By midday, a group of Fuzi came to eat; they ate until each leaned on his chair, each crying "aiyo" in his own way.

Taking advantage of being full and satisfied, during the post-meal rest, one of them called out to Song Miao, gave a date, and sighed: "That day there's no need to prepare rice for us."

Song Miao acknowledged and asked with a smile: "Is it because the academy has something that day?"

Chen Fuzi grumbled: "The Emperor is going down to inspect the dikes; the Taichang Temple forcibly assigned me and Lao Cao and several others to make up the numbers — every last one of us is seventy or eighty, and we still have to be put through the wringer!"

Another person at the side said: "You'd better stop complaining. You lot leaving is the easy part; the academy is left with a pile of things for us to clean up — we can't even come eat! At least you're welcoming the imperial procession; once the dike inspection is done, the Emperor will surely hold a banquet, right? At least there'll be food!"

"What banquet? He's not returning to the palace; since he's come out, His Majesty will most likely tour everywhere — we'll naturally each go back to our own homes, each find our own wives!"

Chen Fuzi spat in annoyance, muttering on and on: "Besides, even if there is a banquet, what's good to eat in the palace? It's either steamed or braised; the canteen sends it out and it travels all the way — they don't even dare cook green leafy vegetables for fear they'll turn yellow from the steam. Last time I ate that steamed duck and braised goose, one was tough as firewood, the other mushy with no flavor in the meat — who knows how many hundreds of times they've been re-steamed! And it's proper meat, too; I couldn't spit it out, couldn't swallow it, afraid of wasting it but also hating how bad it tasted!"

Those who have eaten palace banquets are naturally not just Chen Fuzi alone; a whole table of Fuzi, even if they haven't eaten one in recent years, have all attended the Qionglin Banquet in the past — so everyone has something to say.

Not afraid of ducks quacking, only afraid of ducks with literary talent; for a moment the whole table went "gaga gaga," noisy and clamorous, still dragging in literary allusions and quoting classics, terrified their complaints wouldn't be as elegant as the next man's.

Song Miao was listening with relish, but then Chen Fuzi beside her lightly nudged her arm with the tip of his chopsticks.

He coughed once, made a signal, and went to the back courtyard first; halfway there, he turned back to look and wait.

Song Miao hurriedly turned and followed; once out the second gate, she saw Chen Fuzi take out two cloth bundles slightly larger than an adult's palm from behind him and hand them over.

"What is this?"

Song Miao unwrapped the two cloth bundles and asked in puzzlement: "Sir, why are you giving me this money?"

Inside were entirely copper coins, wound tight and placed in tight circles.

"Not from me — it's from Lao Cao. He's too embarrassed to find you, too embarrassed to speak — haven't you seen he's been listless these past few days, not even daring to snatch dishes?"

Song Miao had naturally noticed, but didn't feel right asking.

Chen Fuzi then said: "He put his heart into getting you to send Steamed Bun to the Taixue Canteen; he exerted no little effort — organizing everyone to taste-test the Steamed Bun, taking the lead in getting people to jointly petition, and calling on acquaintances on the left and right to go together to the Taichang Temple and several other offices to urge things along."

"Last time he came to ask you, he heard the academy had sent people to inquire about prices, and thought it was a done deal — who knew that in the end it was finalized, the Steamed Bun were bought, but the ones bought weren't yours — no idea whose they bought; he lost face terribly and didn't dare tell you!"

Song Miao suddenly understood.

But after that Jiang Xia from the Imperial Academy came over last time, there was no further news; although she hadn't received notification, she had already guessed this matter most likely hadn't succeeded, so she smiled: "What's this about? Could I possibly do all the business under heaven? Cao Xiansheng helped me like this — I can't be grateful enough; even if it didn't succeed, it's my own fate, what does it have to do with him?"

Saying this, she handed the money back.

Chen Fuzi waved his hand and pushed it back: "You'd better take it. If you don't take it, he'll feel even worse. At his age, he boasted to the high heavens and then got manipulated — he's mortified, scheming to make trouble; wait until he succeeds, then you can use this money to make something delicious to thank him!"

"Better not to pay it any mind. If it ruins my mood over this, where would my face be? Besides, because of 'Saiweng loses his horse,' my place already has so many orders for Steamed Bun we can barely keep up!"

Chen Fuzi suddenly couldn't laugh; he covered his ears: "Others get to eat, only I don't! Don't let me hear it, I can't stand hearing this!"

But he almost immediately wanted to turn back; he hurriedly lowered his hands and asked: "Actually, although you say you don't sell Steamed Bun at the Food Alley end, you can still slip me a few, right?"

"Naturally! Just don't publicize it outside." Song Miao smiled. "But Sir only has one stomach; Young Master Cheng already brings juanfen every day, sometimes adds glutinous rice and snow steamed cake, and there are soup drinks — if you eat Steamed Bun on top of that, can you fit it all? You come eat at noon; if you eat too much in the morning, what will you do if you can't eat at noon?"

"Ah..."

Chen Fuzi widened his eyes, racking his brains in bitter thought — even when he went to the Jixian Yuan to compile books before, he never struggled and tangled like this...

To eat Steamed Bun, or eat juanfen, or save a bit of belly space to come eat at the small rice table at noon?

"Aiya! Why can't a person have eight stomachs, specially to hold the dishes Little Song makes! If not, even like a cow — four would do!"

Seeing Chen Fuzi so torn, Song Miao said: "I'll pack Sir some small ones separately, one a day. The juanfen was originally two strips; from now on just eat one strip. Try the flavors first, see which you like, and you can also tell me a day in advance — how about that?"

Chen Fuzi found it too hard to choose: "I love juanfen too! Actually that snow steamed cake, it sits well in the stomach; at first I didn't notice, but after a while I liked it very much!"

Song Miao looked at his worried, frowning appearance, like a child, and didn't rush him, only said: "Then tomorrow I'll send both for now. Sir, don't be greedy for too much, and don't eat a mix, lest your intestines and stomach feel unwell. If you can't finish, give the leftovers to You Xuelu to help eat a bite — is that acceptable?"

"What 'he helps me'! It's me helping him! Without me at this age holding down the fort here, if it weren't for my close relationship with you, Little Song, he'd have to age another twenty years before he could eat such good things!" Chen Fuzi blew his beard. "Fine, he gets the advantage! Just more trouble for you!"

Song Miao smiled: "Trouble or not, I also have a matter I want to ask your help with!"

"Our food shop's Xiao Lian, Sir you know her — this child is very sensible and ambitious. Though young, she has already set her heart on learning medicine; a friend gifted her medical books, and she is currently studying and memorizing them."

"But learning medicine is nowhere near that easy. I've thought back and forth — my own experience is too limited. Better to come ask you — first, does your side have any suitable doctors who can help introduce her? If she could become a disciple, that would be best; if not, which medical hall or medicine shop could she go help at, to recognize a few more herbs — that would be a stroke of luck, better than groping blindly at home and not knowing if she's gone down the wrong path."

"Second, after all, literature and medicine are two different families. If there's no suitable person, I wonder if your side could help ask who has a Bencao Materia Medica — preferably a version with illustrations. We'll carefully borrow it and copy it; paying money is fine, giving gifts is fine too!"

Chen Fuzi had been smiling cheerfully, but hearing this, he instantly became solemn: "A little child with the heart to advance, and choosing such a proper path — I must help no matter what!"

He lowered his head, frowned, stroked his beard for a good while, then suddenly said: "There's a Tianyuantang beside Xiangguo Temple — have you heard of it?"

Song Miao nodded: "I've heard the name; it's said several highly skilled doctors sit there, especially a Doctor Qin and a Doctor Meng..."

"Everyone knows the old doctors' medical skills are good, but they don't know there's also a Doctor Lin inside. When my late wife was alive, she often sought her for treatment — only because she didn't have a white beard, being a female doctor, she wasn't as famous as those old men, but her medical skill is excellent, not inferior to those with big reputations!"

"I have an old friend who practiced medicine for decades — only now he's old and hasn't taken young disciples in a long time. He's her uncle. You go take a look; if it's suitable, I'll call him to help ask what the situation is, whether he's willing to take a little disciple!"

Song Miao hurriedly saluted in thanks, then said: "With Sir's introduction, nothing could be more suitable. I'm not in a rush to speak; let's see how that Doctor Lin responds. If she's willing, I'll then mention it to Xiao Lian and the others, to avoid them suffering anxiety!"

"Whether it succeeds or not, I must thank Sir for such kindness!"

Chen Fuzi let out an "ai": "At my age, there's no great kindness or not — I just see those who strive upward and want to lend a hand; help one if I can. If one day I see someone truly stand up because of me, that night I'll sleep even more soundly!"

He added: "I also have a matter I want to ask you — how much of your green plum dew can you spare?"

Song Miao reckoned it in her mind and said: "It was originally made for guests' drinks, with some set aside for sour plum sauce later. If we share it, at most twenty or thirty bottles—did the teacher finish his?"

"I still have half a bottle, saving it to drink slowly. Not me—Old Liu got some last time and went back showing off!"

"These days quite a few people are asking. If you have extra, share some with me. I'll take it and trade for some good things, then you and I will split the benefits fifty-fifty!" Chen Fuzi said while rubbing the back of his hand, looking exactly like someone rubbing his palms together eagerly.

After speaking, he didn't forget to specially warn: "I'm afraid you won't be able to keep it hidden here for long. If someone comes knocking, don't let them talk you out of your goods!"

Song Miao laughed heartily, knowing this was just old men joking around. Originally that green plum dew wasn't for sale, but now she naturally wanted to help her own people, and agreed in one breath.

A carter left Song Ji as if nothing had happened. But by noon that day, everything had returned to its usual routine. On Xu Shifu's side, however, it was a completely different matter.

After he got back, the more he thought about it, the more he regretted it. Especially these past two days, patrol soldiers and patrol officers filled the big streets and small alleys, with various officials coming and going. Many roads were blocked, few people were hiring carts, and his earnings were less than half of what they used to be.

He kept calculating that Song Ji had steady money, especially since Cheng Erniang had promised before that once the probation period passed, his wages would rise. Now the cooked duck had flown away overnight, and he truly couldn't sleep, tossing and turning waiting for someone to come call him—until broad daylight the next day, but no one from Song Ji came knocking.

If the mountain won't come to me, I'll go to the mountain.

Xu Shifu felt terrible thinking about the money. By noon he couldn't help but go knocking again, only to get a cold shoulder—not even seeing Song Miao's face, he was directly driven out by that big pancake.

He was not one to endure and yield. He made a huge scene on the spot. When it got to the point where he saw Song Ji sending someone to report to the authorities, he slunk away in disgrace.

Xu Shifu was no fool. After all this, how could he not realize Song Ji was no longer an option?

At this moment, besides regret, the more he thought about it, the angrier he got. He felt all his hard work had been for nothing—without him personally delivering goods, how could Song Ji have achieved what it has today?

Seeing that everyone had left and the food shop was running in perfect order, while he himself had fallen on hard times, he simply couldn't accept it. When he got the chance, on a day with no business, he went outside to find people and gossip.

He only complained that the people inside Song Ji's food shop were bad and unprincipled. Actually, others didn't like hearing that. If he talked about matters between men and women, that big pancake hadn't even grown his hair fully, and Wang Sanlang had just left, running around outside all day. People wouldn't believe that if he said it for a while. So he simply took another approach and started picking other faults.

"……You don't know. You only thought Song Ji's business was good, and that things looked passable, but actually the people inside are black-hearted! The meat is stinking meat no one else wants, and the vegetables are leftover rotten vegetables from days ago. They never wash them, don't even rinse with water, just cut them straight for you to pick as filling and stir-fry—anyway, once cooked, you can't tell at all!"

"It's filthy everywhere—the toilet is right across from where the dried meat is dried, such a stench. If customers saw it with their own eyes, who would dare eat?"

"I saw it with my own eyes. One of the workers inside, a big lad called Big Pancake, came out of the toilet, blew his nose, didn't wash his hands, and wiped his nasal mucus onto……"

He wanted to say more, but someone beside him couldn't stand it anymore and said: "Hey, Older Brother, aren't you mistaken? You're talking about the Song Family Eatery in Suanzao Alley, right? Her place is considered top-notch clean—before, quite a few people went to look, and said even the stove is clean!"

"I've heard that too. They say the back courtyard is spotless, you can't even find a grasshopper!"

Xu Shifu was choked up, his mind turned, and he asked: "When was that?"

"Back in spring, I guess. Someone had a bad stomach and thought it was her food's fault, even came to make trouble. In the end they went around gongs and drums to apologize—many people followed into the kitchen to look!"

Xu Shifu suddenly got energized and said: "You know it was springtime! Now it's completely different from before! I just worked inside there—how could I not know? They hired many new people. Those young ladies are black-hearted now. Except for money, they recognize nothing. I saw the vegetables right by the feet. The new carter didn't even avoid anything—he just urinated right there. I really couldn't stand it. Against my conscience, I had to quit……"

He described it with nose and eyes, so the bystanders were half-believing, half-doubting, and couldn't help but chime in to ask.

Someone asked, and he got even more worked up as he spoke. That young lady, to save money, how she went to stall vendors to buy rotten pork and stinking chicken to make steamed buns, and used duck meat to pass off as mutton, so smelly and gamey……

Though it was a small wine shop, inside there were over ten small tables, quite full. Hearing him spitting saliva everywhere as he spoke, everyone pricked up one ear to listen.

After scolding for half a day and boasting about himself coming out of the mud unstained for half a day, Xu Shifu's mouth was dry. He finally stopped and was drinking water when he heard someone come in hawking wine and water.

A familiar person hurriedly called the newcomer over and said: "Give me a horn of wine here!"

Someone else said: "Isn't this Lv Niangzi? Didn't you used to work at Song Ji? Why are you out delivering wine at high noon?"

Hearing this, Xu Shifu's heart jumped. He looked up and sure enough it was an acquaintance. He hurriedly shrank his head back to hide.

Lv Niangzi didn't see him and didn't think much. She just had a belly full of bitterness and complained: "Ai, don't mention it. I worked a few days and already quit—it's driving me crazy!"

"How is it driving you crazy?" A busybody immediately perked up.

"Picking vegetable leaves one by one to wash, washing five times. Bowls and chopsticks washed with a loofah gourd twice and still not enough. Then wash again with a cloth, rinse twice with clean water. Wash hands going in and out. Hands are about to be washed raw. In this hot weather, wrapping the head is one thing, but also covering the face with a cloth—Old Lady doesn't go through this much trouble at home!"

"You skip washing once or twice. Are they going to stare you to death?"

"Everyone beside is staring! I don't know what's going on. One or two of them must have been reincarnated from loofah gourds in this lifetime! They wash so diligently! Not to mention washing vegetables and bowls—I just forgot to wash my hands twice, and some kid came up to me, saying this and that. After forgetting a few more times, he said if I didn't change, he'd tell the Manager Lady to make me write a self-criticism and fine me. Old Lady can't be bothered to serve anymore!"

"But this place's skill is truly good, and the things are clean. Not working there, you can't eat the rice wrapped there. It's really a pity!"

Lv Niangzi was speaking here, but not a single person in the room looked at her. Instead, everyone turned to look at a table in the middle.

Behind the table, Xu Shifu held a sea bowl up before his face, drinking for a long time, still holding it high—yet no matter how big the sea bowl, it couldn't hide his face, which was one moment green, one moment white, one moment black.