Chapter 17

He charged forward; the other constables followed, suppressing the crowd, whips lashed like sheets of rain.
Before long, they had the situation under control.
When questioned, it turned out they'd started fighting over a few steamed buns.
When it's a struggle to survive, what are propriety and honor worth?
Officer Zeng couldn't be bothered to adjudicate their petty disputes. Those who had taken part were given ten lashes, and he barked a harsh warning, "If I see another fight, I'll punish them with two days without food."
That was a punishment more terrifying than any other.
Hunger can drive a person mad, and being denied food for two days while having to march tens of miles, one would be crippled if not dead.
The crowd fell silent as crickets, obedient as sheep.
Only then did Officer Zeng return to his place. Looking at Mu Wanqing, who smiled up at him, he said, "All right, I can only give you one more slot; otherwise I can't command the men."
He named an exorbitant offer, and she drove a hard bargain.
Mu Wanqing thought for a moment. That would do, after all, it would only delay things by a few days.
"That's wonderful, thank you, sir. My father and brothers are simple, honest men, always picked on. Please keep an eye out for them."
This had been obvious for some time; otherwise Officer Zeng wouldn't have dared to remove their shackles.
Tsk tsk, the entire branch family together didn't have half the cunning of Mu Wanqing.
There wasn't a girl in the entire Mu clan sharper than she was.
"With you around, who'd dare bully them? The Mu family is lucky to have you."
Smart, capable and fiercely protective, he'd love to have a daughter like that, a daughter-in-law would do as well.
Unfortunately, his son was still young; they weren't a good match in age.
Mu Wanqing suddenly said, "I have two more requests."
"Qing'er." Second Master Mu was worried, afraid she'd offended the constables.
Officer Zeng looked at her steadily. "Tell me. I may not agree."
Mu Wanqing lightly patted her father's arm, silently soothing him. "First: our family of five will eat with you all, it's simpler that way. Of course, we won't freeload; we'll pay one tael of silver a day for food."
One tael wasn't trivial, enough to feed an ordinary family of five for several days, but that's not how it was meant to be counted.
Eating with the constables meant hot meals and no daily fretting over what to eat, and it served as a deterrent.
Anyone thinking of picking on the second branch would have to think twice about the constables backing them.
That's using a powerful ally as a shield.
Officer Zeng pondered for a while, guessed at her roundabout intent, and had to admit, some people are just on a different level.
But seeing Second Master Mu's blank, worried face made up the difference; the father was dull, the daughter clever. "Fine."
Freeloading wasn't acceptable, but as long as the payment was reasonable, he had no grounds to refuse.
Mu Wanqing had no wages; she had to fight for employee benefits. "Second, whatever accommodation you have, I'll have the same, and I'll pay for it."
She didn't want to cram into a room with too many people; she wanted to sleep on a clean bed every night and maybe take a hot bath now and then.
As for her father and brothers, they'd sleep on the floor, after all, other men and women were crammed together on communal bunks.
Officer Zeng agreed readily. "Very well."
With food and lodgings settled, much of Mu Wanqing's worry lifted and she felt more confident about the future.
As for who would go, Mu Wanqing didn't decide on her own; she let her family make that choice.
The Mu brothers were overjoyed, could there really be such good fortune?
But they were remarkably courteous, each deferring the opportunity to the other.
In one case the eldest brother felt he should step aside for his younger siblings; in the other they were simply following the order of seniority, so it was the older brother’s turn.
Second Master Mu and his wife found themselves in a bind; both choices were precious to them, it was a dilemma.
Mu Wanqing watched them politely yield to one another and felt pleased; her efforts hadn’t been wasted. "If you just wait a few more days, I can get the other one free of his shackles as well."
This time everyone believed her, the proof was right in front of them.
Mu Zicheng, the eldest son of the second household, was bookish and frail, not sturdy like Mu Ziang, so they chose him.
The prisoners erupted in outrage: one would have been bad enough, why another? On what grounds?
Officer Zeng said calmly, "Because Third Miss Mu is going to cook for us. Mu Zicheng is assigned as her assistant, and Mu Zhongping will take care of our everyday chores."
Someone protested angrily, "We can cook too, why not pick me?"
The cook sneered, "Because you never showed any skill."
That argument was too decisive; everyone was left speechless.
Old Madam Mu told herself not to pick a fight with Mu Wanqing, but watching the second household steadily improve while theirs grew worse, jealousy sprouted in her like weeds.
Reason was smothered by jealous fury. "Third girl, you're such a schemer, flattering, fawning, currying favor with the powerful. The Mu family is ashamed of you."
Mu Wanqing raised an eyebrow. Was she someone who only remembered the perks and forgot the beatings? Or did she think Mu Wanqing wouldn’t lay a hand on an old woman?
"Officer Zeng, Old Madam Mu clearly takes a dislike to you; she calls you a bad man."
She was a little tired, so she didn't confront directly, better to use leverage.
Officer Zeng glanced over, and Old Madam Mu felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured over her head; she came to her senses and was frightened. "I didn't, you're making that up."
Mu Wanqing only offered a polite smile. "What sort of person is called a flatterer? And what kind of person accepts flattery?"
They are treacherous men! All of them are corrupt!
Old Madam Mu realized this; her face went pale, she hadn't thought it through.
Officer Zeng glanced at the sky. "Looks like you've eaten too much. Let's walk it off."
At his drumming signal, everyone stood and set off.
Old Madam Mu's vision blurred and she nearly passed out; she felt she might die.
But she dared not disobey; she had to get down and walk. Before long she was gasping for breath, drenched in sweat, begging for mercy.
She had been imprisoned before and thought that was the worst suffering in the world, only now did she realize it was not.
The officers ignored her; she had to bribe them with silver, and after much pleading she finally got Officer Zeng to relent.
"You may ride in the carriage tomorrow."
Old Madam Mu was half worried, half relieved. "Then today...?"
Eldest Master Mu gave her a look. "Mother, don't say another word, I'll help you walk."
She had challenged their authority; they were determined to teach her a lesson and make an example of her.
Old Madam Mu had never walked so far; she fainted several times and was roused each time by dousing with cold water.
Awake, she continued walking, there was no arguing unless she wanted to drop dead on the road.
They showed no mercy for her age or frailty, and that chilling example sent shivers through all the other convicts.
Do not offend the officers!
This was the first time Officer Zeng showed a ruthless side, and it frightened the convicts.
Old Madam Mu was filled with regret, why couldn't she keep her mouth shut? Yet whenever she saw Mu Wanqing, rage flared and she wanted to tear the girl's face off.
She realized once again that she was no longer the honored matron of an official household but a lowly, worthless convict; if she died, it would be a pointless death.
In the end her descendants had to support her along the way; Old Madam Mu staggered step to step, light-headed, the pain dulling into numbness.
When they finally caught sight of the relay station gates in the distance, Old Madam Mu relaxed and fainted again, sending the Mu household into a flurry.
Inside the station, the officers took several ordinary rooms, several people to a room.
Under the agreed terms, Mu Wanqing could pay for her own room.
She never made herself suffer; she would take comfort where she could.
But she kept within bounds, not exceeding the officers' standards for food and lodging to avoid unnecessary trouble.
Mu Wanqing barely had time to wash up before she was summoned to work in the kitchen.
She washed her hands thoroughly, pinned up her hair, and every movement carried a quiet dignity.
There was a ritual quality to it.
The cook couldn't quite name it, only that he felt shaken inwardly.
Peanuts and sesame were ready; Mu Wanqing set about kneading the oil-tea dough while instructing Second Master Mu and Mu Zicheng how to proceed.
Both listened intently; Second Master Mu even repeated instructions under his breath, afraid he'd forget.
Second Master Mu knew carpentry and had nimble hands; he was a bit clumsy at first, but he always completed whatever Mu Wanqing instructed.
Even if the process wasn't very smooth.
Mu Zicheng was much worse; his hands weren't as deft and he sometimes did more harm than good, so Mu Wanqing sent him off to tend the fire.
Stir-frying the flour takes twenty minutes with no break, a delicate task, so after a while Mu Wanqing handed the pan to Second Master Mu.
There wasn't much technique to it; making it tasty depended on the heat and proportions.
On that point Mu Wanqing could exercise full control.
As she began dinner, with fresh pork belly and eggs on hand, she decided to make braised pork with stewed eggs.
The officers had come from poor backgrounds and had just endured a grueling march; they favored meat to replenish their strength and didn't need elaborate dishes, hearty, home-style flavors suited them better.
She rinsed the pork belly clean and put it into cold water with wild ginger and scallions, alas, there was no cooking wine.
"Big brother, tend the fire."
Tending the fire was a skill in itself, Mu Zicheng was doing it for the first time and only managed to get the blaze going with the cook's help.
When the meat was cooked, she took it out and cut it into neat, square pieces, each roughly the same size.
The eggs had been boiled, peeled, and set aside.
She heated the pan, added white sugar and stirred it over low heat until it caramelized. Then she threw in the pork belly and tossed it until it took on color. She added ginger, the white part of the spring onions, cinnamon, Sichuan peppercorns and other seasonings and fried until fragrant, then poured in water, enough to cover the pork. She slipped the round eggs into the pot, covered it, brought it to a boil over high heat, then reduced to a simmer. The aroma of the meat gradually began to seep out.
In the meantime she stir-fried a wok of greens, braised pork is rich, so a vegetable felt like the perfect counterbalance.
When the greens were finished they were a vivid emerald, looking utterly tempting.
Deputy Captain Li followed his nose in and froze at the sight of the greens. He usually loved meat and disliked vegetables, but at the sight of this plate he couldn't help swallowing.
"I'll be the taster."
He found a perfectly respectable excuse, eagerly swept up a chopstickful and bit in, the flavor burst in his mouth, fresh, crisp and well-seasoned.
The cook, quick-eyed and quicker-handed, snatched a chopstickful and stood there stunned.
"Third Miss Mu, how do you keep them from turning yellow while staying so crisp?"
Mu Wanqing patiently explained, "It really tests a cook's control of the heat and takes practice. The key step is to cover the pan and let them steam briefly when they're half-cooked, that locks in the moisture."
"And one more thing: don't add the salt too early. Add it just before taking them off the heat; that keeps them tender and fresh."
The cook thought she was the finest girl in the world, grateful to the point of tears. "Understood. Thank you, Miss Mu."
From then on, she would be his teacher, once someone is your teacher, they're like a parent for life.
Huh, something doesn't seem right?
The braised pork was nearly done, the sauce slowly reducing; when the thickened gravy clung to the meat and the color deepened, it was finished. "Ready to serve."
Before it was even on the plates, Deputy Captain Li, overcome by the aroma, nabbed a piece and shoved it into his mouth.
Fat without being greasy, tender without falling apart, it melted in the mouth, it tasted heavenly.
"Mmm, Miss Mu, this is..." He swallowed a mouthful of braised pork, gave a thumbs-up, his eyes shining with delight.
From today on, she'd be his very own sister, well, a half-sister, at least!
Mu Wanqing took her family's portion and led her father and brothers back to their room to eat.
A swarm of constables rushed in; at the sight of the dishes they cried out with excitement and scrambled for the food.
"Don't rush, there's enough for everyone. Line up!" the cook urged, tapping the pot with his ladle.
Faced with such food, who cared about rules?
Each bowl was ladled with a spoonful of the rich sauce, a scoop of braised pork, a helping of stir-fried greens, and a boiled egg.
A bite of tender, melt-in-your-mouth pork, a bite of fresh, crisp greens, the thick meat sauce mixed through the rice until every grain gleamed, it was heavenly.
The braised eggs were glossy and golden, soaked with meat juices, springy and savory.
"Everything's delicious. Third Miss Mu's cooking is incredible, she could open a restaurant."
"I'd say she could even be an imperial cook; it's that good. She calls herself a little fairy, I don't see the problem."
"Boss, making her the cook was the right decision you've made."
After the meal, everyone lingered, still chatting and savoring the taste.
Suddenly someone cried out, "Ah! My purse is gone! There were over ten taels of small silver in it!"
Everyone jumped. "Look again."
The constable frisked himself all over but couldn't find it, sweating with panic, it was his entire savings, something he carried with him everywhere.
Officer Zeng pressed his shoulder. "Don't panic. Think back to when you lost it. Maybe you dropped it here at the inn. Let's split up and search."
Meanwhile, the Mu family's second household had just finished a pleasant dinner. Afterward, Mu Zicheng volunteered to take the dishes outside to wash.
As soon as he stepped out the door he saw something on the ground and crouched to pick it up.
Huh, it was a rough purse, empty inside.
Who had dropped it?
Urgent footsteps sounded nearby; Mu Zicheng looked up instinctively.
It was several constables. Their startled gazes fell on the purse in his hand.