Chapter 288

·

·

·

Protagonist:

Song Miao

Song Miao did not answer.

She hesitated for a moment, placed the bamboo tube in her hand on the door threshold, untied the purse from her waist with one hand, and without speaking, only raised her head to glance at the person opposite.

Seeing her take out the purse, Han Li took a step forward in the morning light, stopped at a distance of a little over an arm's length, and without needing any suggestion, had already turned his palm upward and extended his hand.

Song Miao picked out a copper coin from the purse and placed it in his palm, saying slowly: "I am a bit stingy, Young Master, please bear with it."

The copper coin was slightly cool.

Han Li stood in place, only feeling a hard, cool coin in his palm, yet his own heart was soft and yielding.

He gripped that copper coin tightly, raised his head, and looked once more.

In truth, the sky was dark, and he still could not see too clearly, but in the dimness, the eyes of the person opposite were vivid, making him even unwilling to breathe casually; he only made his breath lighter and lighter, and after a long while, finally said in a low voice: "I am going back — Young Lady should rest early as well."

Song Miao then said: "Many thanks for the goat's milk Young Master delivered; I have no other gift to return — would you like to come in for a sip of water before leaving?"

Han Li merely shook his head, pointed at the boots he was wearing, and said: "Today I made a trip outside the city, my feet are covered in yellow mud; the food shop was swept clean with great difficulty, so it is better not to enter and trample about."

Song Miao lowered her head for a glance, and indeed the boots faintly bore much yellow mud; she thought for a moment, then said: "Please wait for me a moment."

She carried that bamboo tube of goat's milk into the room, took out a clean tea cup, poured a cup of hawthorn leaf tea, then brought it out again, and said: "It is a cool tea drink."

Han Li accepted it, drank it dry in one breath, then returned the tea cup, and pointed at the bamboo tube on the table inside the room, saying: "I will come again tomorrow night."

Finished speaking, he unhurriedly untied the horse's reins, first stroked the horse's head, then combed the mane on the horse's neck with his hand, and patted the horse's back several times.

His hands did not stop soothing the horse, but his body was half-turned, and he kept looking back toward the food shop entrance; after a long while, he mounted the horse, had just run a few steps, but could not help turning his head to look again.

The person had already gone back inside to put away the tea cup, not a trace of a shadow could be seen, only a bit of lamplight brightness.

Han Li did not urge the horse's flanks either, still lightly holding the reins, making the horse walk slowly, while he himself kept looking back as he rode, and freed his right hand to reach into the purse at his waist.

The copper coin he had held in his hand for a long while just now was still warm; he pinched it once.

The horse had already walked a few degrees faster.

He rode on the horse's back, the evening wind blew past; it was clearly the middle of the sixth month, hot and stuffy, yet it blew away all restlessness, leaving only a slight numbness, a slight sourness, a slight bitterness in his heart, and an indescribable rich yet faint flavor.

The horse ran to the street front; ahead, a shopfront hung a lantern, illuminating the three characters "Cow and Goat Milk" on the sign flag outside.

Thinking of tomorrow night, thinking of being able to deliver goat's milk to the door again, then thinking of whether he might receive another copper coin from that stingy young lady, the flavor in his heart instantly became rich overwhelming the faint, hot and scorching, clearly like boiling water.

He could not help turning over and savoring those three words "a little bit" from just now again and again; seeing the horse had already run past half the street, he actually did not pull the reins, only let it go as it pleased.

Truly good.

At the end of Suanzao Alley, Song Miao closed the main gate, dropped the bolt, and propped the door bar.

Just as she finished tidying up, she heard faint footsteps approaching from behind from far to near; she turned her head, smiled and called out "Second Young Lady," then stepped forward a few steps, took the accounting paper, and spoke a few sentences with Cheng Erniang about tomorrow's purchasing matters.

Once the talk was done, Cheng Erniang busily helped tidy the tabletop, inevitably washing the brush and putting away the ink and such; seeing that bamboo tube, she asked: "Young Lady, what is this? Should it be put away together?"

Song Miao said: "You came at just the right time; just now Masters Chen and Cao sat in the shop for a while, and Young Master Han also came, and delivered this bamboo tube of goat's milk; I see it can be divided into several bowls, you heat it up, and in a while we will share and drink it, it can replenish qi and blood."

Cheng Erniang agreed with a sound, smiling: "I have grown this big in vain, this time is actually the first time I drink goat's milk; the previous first time I tasted cow's milk flavor was also at our food shop — all thanks to Young Lady's good fortune!"

Speaking, she asked about the method again.

Song Miao then said: "Goat's milk has a much stronger gamey smell than cow's milk; you use a small fire to heat it, smash a piece of ginger into it, and slowly boil it."

The two spoke a few more sentences, then Song Miao entered the back courtyard.

By the time she had finished tidying up properly, Cheng Erniang had already brought in the boiled hot goat's milk.

Song Miao took a bowl into the room and slowly drank it.

Compared to cow's milk, goat's milk is smoother, more delicate; boiled with ginger, the gamey smell was already gone seven or eight parts; drinking it in the mouth, it was like silk sliding down the throat, the milk flavor very rich and mellow.

She finished drinking, put away the bowl, washed up properly, and finally lay on the bed.

Although she had rinsed her mouth, that rich and mellow goat's milk flavor from just now still lingered at her lips.

Life is truly difficult to predict.

When on Pingyang Mountain, Aunt Xu said the child must eat more meat and drink more milk, otherwise he would not grow big or tall; disliking the gamey smell of the mountain's goat milk, she specially urged Xi Ming Ge to go down the mountain and buy many goats.

After the goats were raised, Song Miao drank a bowl of goat's milk morning and evening every day, almost unshakeably, and was indeed raised healthy and strong.

Now having come to this place, she opened her eyes to a body full of debts, and often encountered major and minor matters, fundamentally having no mind to attend to such a troublesome habit.

Who knew, after twists and turns, even if changing a place, it was still night, and there would still be a bowl of goat's milk placed before her.

Unknown whether that goat's milk truly had effect, or some other reason, Song Miao fell asleep not long after lying down.

The next day early morning, the food shop inside operated in orderly fashion, those going out to set up stalls went out to set up stalls, those delivering meals delivered meals.

This time, the Taixue students queuing to buy early food had already successively noticed the change, and could not help but come asking one after another.

"Stall Owner Song, is your food shop going to open?"

"When will the food shop open? If it opens, what will the price be??"

"Can't you simply be like the morning steamed buns supply, Young Lady also contract our canteen! Three meals a day, everything managed by Song Ji!"

"If the food shop opens, will we still set up stalls here? I feel the daily prepared selling quantity has been getting less and less!"

Song Miao answered them one by one, and also said: "Once the food shop opens, I'm afraid there will be no time to set up stalls — but it doesn't matter much, can't we eat Song Ji's steamed buns in the canteen?"

Also said: "Last time the canteen also came to talk; in the future besides steamed buns, they will also add purchases of glutinous rice, shaomai, snow steamed cakes; it seems before long they will all be available in the canteen……"

"What about our rolled rice noodles?? Are there no rolled rice noodles??"

"Wouldn't that mean we never see Song Xiaoniangzi again?? That won't do!! Can you continue setting up the stall!!"

Song Miao smiled and said: "If desired, rolled rice noodles should also be available, just ask the canteen cooks to help roll them, this is not difficult……"

"Difficult or not is one thing, but as long as it's not rolled by Stall Owner Song, the taste is just not the same ah!"