Chapter 305

·

·

·

Protagonist:

Song Miao

"Oh, there are indeed several boxes. I found them in the way, so I had someone put them away." Chen Fuzi was already holding the oil lamp, striding ahead into the inner room.

Upon entering the inner room, there were ten-odd box cages, large and small stacked, placed from the wall side all the way outward.

He casually picked one up, opened it to look; inside were brush washers, brush holders, brush rests, and the like. He opened another; it held various incense cages, porcelain boxes, and other vessels for holding things. Only after much searching did he find the one holding flower vases. He held up the lamp and looked around, then turned back—just at this moment Han Li had already finished tidying up outside and followed him in.

Chen Fuzi picked up one of the porcelain bottles, held it up for his martial brother to see, and asked, "Will this do? Though it's not white porcelain, it's celadon; looking at it, it's quite plain too."

Han Li stepped forward to take the porcelain bottle, lowered his head to examine it seriously for a while, and said, "Not quite suitable—look again. If there's no white porcelain, black porcelain will also do. Martial Brother, just sit; I'll do it myself."

"That's enough already. How come you've suddenly become so particular? It's just sticking in a flower—you even have to inspect the bottle!"

Although he complained verbally, Chen Fuzi refused to step aside; he kept rummaging through the box cages, then stood up again and asked, "Where are the lotus flowers? Let me see them so I know what kind of bottle to match—where did you get them? Such dedication!"

Han Li didn't speak; he only smiled.

Under the dim yellow oil lamp, one couldn't tell if it was Chen Fuzi's aging eyes playing tricks, but he actually saw a few traces of bashfulness on that face.

He had long had a guess in his heart; he probed, asking, "Could it be—from Suanzao Alley?"

Han Li shook his head.

But the oil lamp illuminated the smile hanging at the corner of his mouth, making Chen Fuzi absolutely certain without even needing to rub his eyes.

That smile was actually quite reserved, yet the meaning inside was already so straightforward—it only proclaimed itself again and again, not even willing to cover up a single bit.

A green young brat!

Chen Fuzi couldn't help cursing inwardly, then stretched his hand out again and said, "Hand it over!"

"Hand what over?"

"Still playing dumb! Did you shamelessly beg lotus flowers back from Xiao Song? Hand them over, let me see—I'll pick a good bottle for you, put it in your room, let you watch day and night until you've seen your fill."

Han Li spread his hands and said, "There aren't any."

Chen Fuzi wasn't about to believe him; he patted his hand and said, "Stop playing dumb, hurry up!"

Han Li shook his head and said, "Truly there aren't any. It was another guest who sent some lotus flowers. I saw she only had bamboo tubes to hold them..."

In a few simple sentences, he told the matter of Xu Erlang.

Chen Fuzi instantly grew alert, wearing a look of anguished indignation, and said, "Look at you! Others know to send lotus flowers—what about you? Where did yours go?? Outside there are so many street vendors selling flowers and plants; even if Xiao Song doesn't mention it, you should have put some heart into it. You still need an outsider to teach you!"

As he spoke, he no longer mentioned "that's enough already," only muttering away as he went to the back to rummage through boxes and cabinets, turning back to ask, "Are they pink lotus?"

Han Li assented.

"Pink lotus must be paired with white porcelain; even black porcelain lacks a few points of meaning..." Chen Fuzi spoke as he went, not minding his old bones, squeezing back and forth through the narrow walkway between box cage and box cage, opening one, then opening another.

Han Li hurriedly pulled him out and said, "Martial Brother, just sit! I'll search slowly myself."

Chen Fuzi didn't contend with him this time; he obediently yielded to the side. He didn't say to go outside, but instead brushed the floating dust off the top of a box cage, not daring to brace with both hands, brought over a small wooden box to pad and step on, and sat his butt down on it.

Once he sat steady, he began picking and choosing, pointing and directing from behind.

"Find a proper white porcelain; don't bring those mixed with杂色, with glaze not carefully applied, to make do—how many lotus flowers did they send? Are the flowers large? Are the stems long?"

"Pick a matching one, look at the flowers—tall or short, wide mouth or narrow mouth, you put more heart into it yourself! Be more magnanimous; don't be petty and calculative like an outside guest. Don't spend half a day selecting, only to pick a few unsuitable ones, making people look down on your taste!"

Presently seeing Han Li select a pair of bottles, he looked and looked again, and asked, "Just these two?"

"If I send too many, she'll have something to say."

Chen Fuzi both despised his martial brother's stinginess and knew Song Miao's usual conduct, so he could only sigh and say, "Forget it! Alas!"

Truly!

He wished he could step in to help fan the flames and beat the side drum!

Watching made him terribly anxious!

The two men, one after the other, left the storeroom and entered the study.

Han Li fetched water, slowly washed and wiped those two bottles, then examined them carefully against the lamp to see if anything was amiss.

Seeing him so open and aboveboard, Chen Fuzi, watching from the side, suddenly sighed and said, "If Master and Madam could see you grown into an adult, or if your sister-in-law saw, who knows how happy they'd be..."

Han Li wrung dry the wet handkerchief, gently went to wipe the water on the bottle's body, turned back to look at Chen Fuzi, and smiled, "Martial Brother, help watch more, be happier—lest sister-in-law sees and says again that you have a bitter-gourd face, and at crucial moments you smile inauspiciously."

"Where do I smile inauspiciously!" Chen Fuzi nearly jumped up. "I've told her not ten thousand times, but eight thousand! On our wedding day, I was momentarily excited; when dismounting I accidentally sprained my foot, and the stirrup caught my lower abdomen. It really hurt, so I frowned. In my heart, who knows how overjoyed I was!!"

Han Li smiled, merely changed the subject, and asked again about the family's porcelain.

The two spoke for a while; Han Li saw the hour was not early, and urged Chen Fuzi to go rest.

The latter glanced at the water clock and said, "How early is early! I'm a rotten old man now; I need little sleep!"

He asked again, "Last time you said you changed your mind—what mind is it now?"

He put the words plainly: "Next year you'll shed your scholar status. If you want to be a remonstrance official, I'll pack up these old bones and arrange a few more back roads for you. If you truly go to prison, and meet a harsh winter, if thick cotton quilts can't be sent in, I'll lay several thick layers of straw for you."

"If you have other ideas, I'll also take advantage while I can still move, see if I can get something for you, lest you go out penniless; as an official you won't be able to rally people to help, and you'll have to go it alone barebacked."

Han Li smiled and said, "I'm not a three-year-old child; how could I rely on family for everything? I've already rallied some people myself. If it's truly not enough, I'll come find Martial Brother then."

Hearing this sentence, Chen Fuzi practically wanted to immediately go burn three incense sticks at his own master and madam's grave, thinking it would appease them.

"Stupid brat! Finally came to his senses!" He first let out a breath of relief, then couldn't help shaking his head. "Still stupid—when you have family to use, why not use them? You're creating hardship where there is none!"

"Why is the official path of aristocratic scions always smoother than that of commoners? When high-gate clans are posted out, which one doesn't bring seasoned aides and capable retainers? Whatever they do, there are ready-made veterans who've done it before... Are the people you've rallied up to the task? Even if they are, will they be willing to follow you?"

Han Li simply said, "Haven't asked yet. Waiting until that time to ask isn't too late—if it really won't work, I'll come find Martial Brother then."

"By that time, it'll be too late! In a last-minute rush, where would I go find people for you!" Chen Fuzi blew his beard in anger.

Just how hard it is to assemble a reliable team of subordinates—only those who have truly served as officials know.

People you look up to may not look up to you; or if they do look up to you, they still have to weigh many things—where you're posted, how long you're posted, whether following you has a future. If there's no future, is there at least a money path?

Those without ability might be honest but useless; those with ability often have selfish motives. It's not that selfishness can't exist, but that selfishness must not be allowed to interfere with public affairs. These two types are already considered good; far more common are those who lack ability and are dishonest, and are entirely selfish besides.

But if there's no one else, such people may not count as talent, but they count as manpower, and that's better than nothing.

"I know you've used several people you're familiar with on this trip to Hua Prefecture, but Hua Prefecture is Hua Prefecture, and serving outside the capital is serving outside the capital. Though managing the river is difficult, being an official is a different kind of difficulty altogether. Think it over carefully."

Chen Fuzi thought for a moment, then simply let the cat out of the bag: "His Majesty has mentioned it to me several times in private, saying he wants you to first properly serve as a Civilian Official. Being a remonstrance official is good, but ultimately your foundation is unstable and your backing is thin. I've just never been able to persuade you, and didn't dare agree."

"I see his meaning: he wants to use you for the long haul, and is reluctant to have you used only as a sword or knife, fearing that excessive rigidity leads to easy breaking."

Han Li replied, "Senior Brother, rest assured, I have my own plans. If we truly can't gather enough, you ride your own mule and follow along to help me. How about that?"

"Heartless! I'm not even fit to ride a horse?!?!" Chen Fuzi couldn't help but shout.

But in the end he did not try to persuade him again.

Forget it, children, they will always cause people some worry.

Compared to cursing people all day, making them anxious and worried, fretting over which day they'd have to bring a food box to prison with meals, or whether they'd be exiled to Hezhou, Leizhou, Qiongzhou, and such places—at his age, whether to follow along or not—none of these current troubles amount to anything at all.

Confirming Han Li's plans, he was in high spirits and couldn't help but ask with a smile, "In the past you urged me until my lips were worn out, saying you wanted to be a remonstrance official and cry like a crow. So what's this, suddenly seeing it all at once?"

"I used to think simply. Only by truly doing it myself from start to finish did I realize how difficult doing things is."

"Just cursing people—first, one is of low status and light words, relying entirely on others' words. Though fearsome, whether it works cannot be guaranteed. Second, this time in Hua Prefecture I saw the Song Stall Manager managing the river and kitchen affairs, and only then did I truly realize how important speaking out is—feeling it far more important than establishing virtue or achieving merit."

Han Li said, and as he spoke, his face couldn't help but show an expression of admiration.

"Senior Brother, in the past I only cursed people and cursed things. Actually, for some things, having someone else do them might not be any better. It's not for any other reason, but simply that they are unwilling to put in effort and don't know how to put in effort."

"I naturally haven't cursed wrongly, but cursing back and forth, if there's never any improvement, I might as well go fix it myself first!"

"Big or small, everything can be spoken out. Once spoken out, even if you have no heart for it, following the example will get it done. If you originally don't know how and don't put your heart into it, maybe you can only get two or three parts out of ten. But if you're given an example, letting people follow the gourd to draw the gourd, learning the method of doing it excellently, even at worst there will be four or five parts. Isn't that more useful than me cursing people?"

Chen Fuzi couldn't help but say, "I know you did well managing the river this time, and I know Xiao Song put in great effort and was extremely useful, but I never thought she was this formidable—what is her method?"

Han Li had only mentioned a few words before, but now he recounted many details of how the kitchen affairs in Hua Prefecture were conducted. Then he went to his own room, took out a wooden box, and took out two things written by Song Miao to show Chen Fuzi.

At one point he said again, "In the past when I was with my master and mistress in Tanzhou, I also managed the river, and the method wasn't very different from this time. But this time very few civilian husbands escaped, the laborers were rarely dissatisfied, and even the students doing all the work, not to mention the prefectural officials, patrol soldiers, and the militia troops transferred in, had almost no complaints..."

Chen Fuzi looked at the two things back and forth, finally raised his head to glance at Han Li, and sighed, "What luck you have!"

Han Li just smiled, and urged Chen Fuzi to go to sleep again.

"Too early! I'll sleep again in a while!"

Seeing this old man feigning foolishness and refusing to move, Han Li was about to persuade him again when suddenly he remembered something and asked, "I brought soup back today and had someone keep it warm in the kitchen. Senior Brother, have you drunk it?"

"Ah... drank, drank! It really is good soup! How can it be so fragrant! The ham flavor isn't overpowering at all; the salty taste is actually suppressed by the ham's fresh and rich flavor! The chicken taste is mellow but not heavy! What is that inside, looking like vermicelli, but eating it doesn't seem quite like it. With the soup, that flavor..."

Chen Fuzi said, and as he spoke, he couldn't help but swallow his saliva, and said regretfully, "Pity there's too little! Not enough to drink!"

Han Li said, "There are two bowls. I'll split half of my bowl with Senior Brother—but it's too late now, don't drink too much, otherwise you'll have to get up at night..."

As he spoke, he didn't call anyone, but simply took a lamp himself to go to the kitchen.

Chen Fuzi hurriedly said, "No need, no need to split it. There wasn't much to begin with. You drink, you drink! It's late, I'd better rest early!"

As he spoke, he also stood up, making a show of wanting to go outside.

Han Li pressed him down and said, "Senior Brother, it's nothing. I know you haven't gone to Song Ji's small meal table for two days because of the seasonal examination. Fortunately, there's this soup today. It's fine if I drink two fewer mouthfuls. Once I'm busy with all these matters at hand, I'll have free time to visit often. What good food won't there be..."

As he spoke here, Chen Fuzi, hearing the sentence "It's fine if I drink two fewer mouthfuls," couldn't help but touch his nose, coughed once, and said, "Truly there isn't much!"

As he spoke, Chen Fuzi rang the bell.

"I heard you brought soup back. Seeing the food box was from Song Ji, I knew it was good stuff. Because there were two bowls inside, I was sure it was one bowl each. But... I absentmindedly finished one bowl."

"... Thinking you've been coming back extremely late these days. Drinking soup before bed means you'll have to get up at night! Since it's still early here, why not help you drink some? Then I took a clean spoon and scooped a spoonful from yours..."

As he spoke, his eyes darted around: "Who would have thought that one spoonful would be that big—I really haven't tasted Song Xiaoniangzi's cooking for several meals!"

While speaking, a servant had already heard the noise and brought the soup in.

Han Li opened the lid to look.

Indeed, from a small bowl it had become a small bowl, not even daring to keep the original bowl, specially changing to a teacup to hold it.

And Chen Fuzi hehe laughed, looking very embarrassed, but placed a string of keys on the table in front of him: "Here, take it. Senior Brother compensates you."

Han Li saw the key looked familiar. It was exactly the one he had pushed once before. He couldn't help but sigh and say, "Senior Brother!"

He said again, "Put it away quickly! If I really want something, I'll just ask you for it. Wait thirty or forty years, until you can't manage anymore, then I'll keep it for you!"

"Wait thirty or forty years, live that long, do you think I'm a monster!" Chen Fuzi pouted. Seeing Han Li's firm attitude, he finally put the keys away. "I'll give them to you later!"

Although Han Li had been rushing about several places today from morning to night, almost without rest, he didn't feel tired at all. His heart was lazy and relaxed, and he didn't want to sleep. He simply went to the back courtyard to brush the horse's hair slowly.

And that day, also rushing about outside, was Wang Sanlang of the Song Family Eatery.

He drove the cart, taking Doctor Lin and his party to their destination—originally a large storeroom.

The Eldest Sister took the young doctor to look at medicinal ingredients. Wang Sanlang wasn't in a hurry to leave. Seeing the Buddha off to the west, he wanted to send them back to Tianyuantang before considering the matter properly concluded.

After a long while, the several people finished looking at the medicine and came out. Seeing Wang Sanlang still waiting, they felt a bit embarrassed.

Lin Laodaifu said, "Ai! You say you! We said calling a cart is the same!"

"No one else's cart drives as steady as mine!" Wang Sanlang grinned.

"It's the steadiest!"

"Especially steady!"

"The first time riding such a steady cart!"

Not only Lin Laodaifu, but every one of the other disciples chimed in, vying to agree.

Not far away at the crossroads, several people hid to the side, keeping their eyes on this house.

"Why haven't they come out yet?"

"Never seen anyone send off this house before!"

"Go, you go see if Old Sun is ready."