Miao Chu

Chapter 75 By the way
When Song Miaofu looked up, he heard someone yelling and shouting, "My leg! My leg!"

She looked closely and saw that the two workers were staring at the ground with panicked expressions.

With tables, stoves, and other things blocking her view, she naturally couldn't see what was happening. But since she couldn't find Master Su anywhere in the room and only heard his screams, she knew exactly who the victim was. She quickly put down what she was doing and called a servant to go and check.

As you approach, you'll see Master Su grimacing, half-supported on his hand, lying on the ground, his left cheek bruised and swollen.

The two workers who were closer rushed forward first, one on each side, to help.

But before they could even help the person up, Master Su was already screaming in pain like a pig being slaughtered.

Song Miao quickly stopped him, saying, "Don't move him yet, or you might break his bones."

As she spoke, she went up to Master Su and asked him a few questions. Seeing that he was conscious, she gently touched his bones according to the questions and answers. Sure enough, as soon as she touched his shinbone, without applying any force, he cried out in pain.

"My right foot hurts too, it hurts so much I can't put any weight on it!" Master Su cried out.

A worker had already removed his shoes and socks, revealing his stinky feet—the three toes on the right side, near the tail, were all swollen and blue.

Song Miao stepped back, letting a servant touch the person. Sure enough, the person howled so loudly that the roof was about to be blown off when the person was touched even slightly.

"We need to see a doctor quickly."

She hurriedly told the servants to find a stretcher that a person could lie down on, and then told the laborer to find Master Zheng.

The official Zheng arrived very quickly. He was startled to see Master Su lying on the ground, but after asking a few questions and seeing that the man could speak, move his eyes and hands, and wasn't bleeding much, he breathed a sigh of relief.

He only asked, "Are you feeling better? Can you move now? Was it just your legs and feet that were injured? Are your hands okay?"

Master Su answered whatever was asked, gritting his teeth, "My legs... I can't move them, I can't get up, but my hands... they seem fine."

"Have you finished your work?"

Master Su was stunned for a long time before he finally reacted, gasping for breath as he said, "The dough has just risen, and we're wrapping the meat filling in it. We're just about to make the pancakes..."

"Since you can still move your hand, why don't you prepare this food first, and then go see the doctor?"

Upon hearing this, not only Master Su, but everyone in the room, including the servant who was still chopping meat, couldn't help but look at Master Zheng.

Master Su was already in so much pain that his face was covered in sweat and he was a little dazed. He was barely holding on when he heard this and he really felt like he was going to faint. He cried out, "Master Zheng, I don't need my wages for this month. Please take me to see a doctor first!"

Of course, legs are more important than money.

What if it gets worse if left untreated and the person becomes crippled?
“It’s not that I’m making things difficult for you, but if you just leave, you’ll have it easy for yourself. What will the military patrol eat tonight? In such a rush, where will you buy food for a hundred or so people?” Zheng Guanren frowned.

Master Su was like a drowning dog grasping at a straw, almost shouting, "That Miss Song cooked rice! She cooked rice!"

Song Miao, who was standing to the side, had already planned to go back to continue cooking and had even lifted her foot, but when she heard Chef Su call her name, she had no choice but to nod in agreement.

Seeing that Master Zheng had a gloomy face and was full of displeasure, she couldn't help but stand and watch for a while before returning to the stove.

Just then, the servants who had gone to find the porters returned, and Zheng had no choice but to give in.

The two people carefully moved Master Su onto the carrying pole, one in front and one behind. After taking only a few steps, the one carrying the pole slipped and almost fell, but luckily someone nearby helped him up.

As soon as he saw the man off, Zheng Guanren went back to the kitchen to check on where the man had fallen, and asked loudly, "Why is the ground so slippery?!"

The two workers stood awkwardly to the side, but they both looked at Song Miao at the same time.

Song Miaogang put the shredded cabbage into the pot. Just then, she heard Zheng Guanren calling out. She looked up and saw the three people opposite her staring at her. Feeling strange, she put down her soup ladle and went over.

Previously, Master Su was lying on the ground, with pots, pans, and wooden shelves scattered around him. Nothing seemed amiss. Now that he had been taken away and the debris had been cleared away, a stain about a foot long and half a foot wide was visible on the ground.

The stain looked like water but not quite. Song Miao found it strange and followed the source, finding that it came from the lower shelf of a wooden cabinet.

"Is something leaking inside?"

She pointed to the wooden cabinet.

The cabinet was locked, but at Zheng Guanren's command, one of the servants who followed him quickly found an axe and smashed the lock open.

As soon as the lock was opened, the cabinet door was flung open from the inside almost instantly.

With a loud "bang," a large bucket of things fell out of the cupboard and onto the ground.

The locksmith was completely unprepared. By the time he reached out to stop him, it was too late. By the time he helped him up, half of the contents of the bucket had already spilled out, leaving a sticky mess on the ground.

It looks like oil.

Song Miao took two steps closer and indeed smelled a strong odor of rapeseed oil on the ground.

Zheng, who was in charge of the kitchen, naturally recognized the oil. He was furious and scolded the two workers, "Why did you put oil in this cabinet for no reason!"

"No, it wasn't us who put it there!" The laborer, not daring to take the blame, immediately revealed the culprit, "Master Su put it in himself just now, and he's the only one with the key..."

Zheng Guanren was stunned for a moment, and couldn't help but ask, "Master Su stuffed the oil in, why were you looking at that Miss Song just now?"

Although the two laborers were young, they had already made a mistake, so they dared not reply and could only lower their heads and pretend to be mute.

Song Miao, who had crossed the river alone, was not afraid. She just smiled and said, "I'm afraid Master Su has forgotten because he was busy. He went out with Master Zheng just now and came back to tell me that there was no oil in the kitchen. He told someone to go and get some more later."

As she spoke, she went to the cabinet and looked inside.

Sure enough, there was a smaller oil drum inside, and a basin of solidified lard.

No wonder there was no oil in such a big kitchen; it was hidden away.

However, the oil drum that was thrown out was quite large, but the cabinet space was small, so it could not be placed flat. It had to be leaned in at an angle. Once the door was closed, it leaned even more. The oil in the drum was quite full, so it overflowed and spilled out. Who knew that Master Su would accidentally step on it.

All I can say is that they brought this on themselves.

But when something really went wrong despite his hard work, Zheng Guanren's first reaction was to tell him to work himself to the bone and hand over his own job first, which made Song Miao sigh with regret.

Zheng was no fool. After listening to the two laborers and Song Miao's accounts, he could easily piece together the whole story. He could only smile awkwardly, pretend to be stupid, praise Song Miao a couple of times, urge her not to miss the meal, and then hurriedly leave with his men.

After Master Su and Master Zheng left one after the other, Song Miao was left alone in the kitchen.

Without the veiled insults and clamor, she felt the air was fresher.

With twice as many men under her now, Song Miao naturally found it much easier to manage them.

She instructed one of the workers to flip the pan-fried pork belly on time, another to tend the fire and watch the pot, and the other two servants to continue doing their original tasks. She then started another pot to make minced beef and spicy tofu.

Because everything was done according to the plan, even if it was a little early or late, or rushed or slow, it all followed the schedule. When the minced beef and spicy tofu and the first batch of stir-fried bean sprouts with vinegar were served together, there was still half an incense stick's time before lunchtime.

The group carried the rice cooker and vegetable pot outside.

In addition, Song Miao also steamed a basket of meat buns and vegetarian buns that Master Su had prepared in advance and sent them out together.

In the area where the food was placed, the stoves were all closed, with only a small fire left to keep the food warm, except for the stove where the pork belly was pan-fried, which had a larger fire.

A few pots were placed on the stove, and after a short while, while the rest were fine, the fire under the stove on the far right had already made the pork belly sizzle and ooze oil again, with the aroma wafting out.

Song Miao prepared a knife and cutting board, and took out chopsticks. Without waiting for anyone to come, she first took two pieces of pan-fried pork belly from the pot, cut them into thick slices, put them on a plate, and then put soup and vegetables in large bowls.

She placed all the food on two trays before saying to the two helpers, "We're in such a rush today. We should have eaten first before coming out, but we're just too late. Everyone, please take turns going in and having a few bites to tide you over."

After smelling the aroma of the food for a while and having been busy for some time, the group was already hungry. They all agreed and assigned one of the workers to take a tray to the back to eat.

The other worker, Dabing, was used to working in the kitchen. He quickly explained to the two servants and Song Miao how to serve the food faster and how to operate the kitchen more smoothly. Only then did he ring the bell to signal the start of the meal.

As soon as the bell rang, a few yamen runners walked in from outside the door.

The group brought their own rice bowls and jars. As soon as they entered, they went straight to the food area. The one in the lead practically ran up to the front, glanced around, and when he saw Song Miao standing to the side, he immediately grinned from ear to ear.

"I heard from Brother Xin that Miss Song was coming to cook for us tonight, and I thought he was joking! But it's true! No wonder I heard magpies calling in the trees this afternoon when I was escorting the prisoners; it turns out they were here—there's something delicious to eat!"

It turned out that this person was one of the guards who had been on night duty at the Song family's restaurant the day before.

Song Miao naturally remembered his name, greeted him with a smile, and then asked, "Would you like meat buns or steamed bread, sir? Rice is also available."

"Were they all made by Miss Song?" The man surnamed Dong refused to choose first and insisted on asking first.

Song Miao said, "Except for the noodles, which were made by Chef Su, everything else was made by me and a few other people in the kitchen."

The official Dong made the decision almost immediately, saying, "Did Miss Song make the rice? Then I want rice! Lots of it! I'm starving!"

As he spoke, he hurriedly handed over his bowl.

The first spot is for serving rice.

Two large spoonfuls of rice were placed in the very center of a large bowl, and as he walked, people kept adding food to the bowl for him.

First comes a spoonful of glistening tofu with minced pork; you can smell the intensely spicy and numbing aroma just by tasting it.

Then, a large spoonful of stir-fried bean sprouts, oily and fragrant, with tender bean sprout stems that looked very crisp, and a hint of vinegar aroma.

Further down the path, Song Miao ladled a spoonful of chopped meat into his bowl—the meat was still sizzling, its outer layer golden brown and glistening with oil, making a sizzling sound as if it were shouting: Come and eat me!

At the end, someone placed a small bowl of soup on his tray. The soup was white and thick, with shredded cabbage and egg pieces inside. It was hot and fragrant.

Holding the tray of dishes, Master Dong quickly found the nearest table, grabbed his chopsticks, and immediately started eating the pan-fried pork.

***
In the kitchen, Song Miao was busy slicing the pan-fried pork belly and serving the dishes, while in the back office, Han Li was busy dealing with Inspector Xin, who had brought several of his men to cause trouble in front of him.

"Zhengyan, that classmate of yours, the one surnamed Kong, is really annoying! If he doesn't behave himself, you'd better find a way to move him aside as soon as possible, otherwise, not to mention the guys below, I'd like to beat him up myself!"

Han Li put down his pen and asked, "What's wrong?"

Before Inspector Xin could speak, a yamen runner rushed out from behind, complaining loudly, "Brother Han, I've worked in the Kyoto Prefecture for over ten years, and I've never seen anyone talk like that! What a load of rubbish!"

"Exactly! So he's the only one who can read? So he's the only one who's been to school? So he's the only one who's capable?! What's with all the pretense!"

Another constable immediately echoed this sentiment.

Han Li then inquired about the whole story.

It turned out that after bringing Kong Fuyang back to the Kyoto government office last night, he immediately assigned him tasks.

As a result, before the deadline for submitting the report was even approaching this morning, the other party sent over the results.

He organized over sixty documents meticulously in just one night, even categorizing them, labeling important documents, and adding an introduction to the first page for easy navigation.

With such efficiency and ability, Han Li naturally couldn't possibly not use it, so he assigned him several more tasks.

Kong Fuyang excelled in everything he did.

In the afternoon, when it was time to rest, he saw that Han Li was not resting, so he also refused to rest and secretly took over the work.

This task was originally assigned to Qin Zong by Han Li.

Because hundreds of suspects were arrested in one night, and the incident happened so suddenly that the yamen was unprepared, the entire military patrol office was in complete chaos.

Qin Jie called upon all his retainers and even the younger members of his family to help, but he was still extremely busy.

What's more troublesome is that, compared to the shortage of menial workers, the bigger problem is the lack of manpower in the prisons, interrogation rooms, and interrogation rooms.

Once a criminal is apprehended, he should be interrogated before being detained.

However, the number of interrogation rooms and interrogators is limited, so while waiting, they can only be temporarily detained.

However, even Qin Jie, who was in charge of the left and right patrol prisons, could not conjure up hundreds of separate prisons overnight.

But what if they are locked up together and the prisoners who haven't been interrogated yet collude to give their stories?
Qin Jie was so preoccupied with one thing that he couldn't attend to the other, and he was so anxious that he had nosebleeds several times throughout the night.

Han Li, who was planning to stay there for a while, couldn't bear to look at him any longer, so he tidied him up a bit.

He first sent Qin Jie to find Prefect Zheng and request assistance from the Provincial Judicial Commissioner. Such a big case would inevitably be investigated by the Provincial Judicial Commissioner once it was reported. Therefore, it was better to send someone over early to help with the interrogation and share some of the pressure.

After dismissing Qin Jie, Han Li took stock of all the available rooms and manpower in the Kyoto government office. He first cleared out twenty empty rooms to make a new interrogation room. Gamblers whose crimes were not serious were to be interrogated by ordinary officers. If there were any problems, they would be transferred to the patrol inspector. If the crimes were deemed serious, they would be sent to a formal interrogation room for questioning by the patrol inspector.

In addition, he also arranged shifts for the interrogation room, patrols, and officers, with everyone taking turns to rest on time. Unless there were special circumstances, each interrogation should be completed within a certain timeframe. If it could not be completed, they should be notified in advance and then rescheduled.

Since no prison could hold hundreds of prisoners at once, they had to be dispersed and placed in different locations. He took the information on the vacancy of the cells in the left and right patrol prisons and calculated the walking distance between each prison and the interrogation room of the Kyoto Prefectural Government.

However, to determine who might be a serious offender and who might be a minor offender, the first step must be a screening by experienced officers.

The job that Kong Fuyang got from Qin Zong was to learn about the situation from the officials, register and summarize the information of these prisoners, and make a summary so that those who committed serious crimes were detained closer to home and those who committed minor crimes were detained further away. This was to ensure that when it was time to interrogate them, the person could be escorted back on time, and that serious crimes would be tried first, followed by minor crimes.

However, Kong Fuyang would offend almost every official he asked, and the offenses were usually trivial, such as being arrogant, interrupting people before they could finish speaking, or being rude and blaming them for not expressing themselves clearly enough.

(End of this chapter)