Ch. 131..135: The Princess of Northern Land Chapter 131-135

Chapter 131: Chapter 131: Doubts and Exchange_1

"The Lin family has bought so many people back that it seems like they’re not planning to hire anyone else for the oil mill," a disgruntled villager commented.

"Didn’t you hear? They’re placing trust in the people they bought," someone responded sarcastically.

"In such a short period, the Lin family has bought so many people, it seems they’ve prospered."

"You don’t need to mention it, anyone can see that," another countered.

...

Lou Zheng’s ears filled with the villagers’ discussions, sparking in him uncertainty. With the Lin family having so many servants, might they let go of his two sons?

Thinking of that, he lost interest in making idle small talk with the villagers and walked away, worry lingering in his heart.

"Miss, I can read and am skilled at farming," a fair-skinned man cried out desperately to Lin Ziyin.

But Lin Ziyin was already moving on, ignoring his plea.

"Great Monk, there are a few here with serious injuries, could you please take a look?" Back at home, Lin Ziyin bluntly stated her request to Hui Zhen.

"One hen and plate of red braised pork," Hui Zhen responded unabashedly, now that they were not in the village.

The convicts at the bottom looked at the Great Monk in surprise.

When did monks start eating meat?

Yet Hui Zhen maintained a nonchalant expression as he spoke, as though discussing something important.

"Benefactor Lin, don’t forget us," two medicinal monks interjected. They were martial monks who had long abandoned their vegetarian diets, frequently hunting in the mountains and indulging in meat and wine, proclaiming, "the wine and meat pass through the intestines, but Buddha stays in the heart."

The only reason they got away with it was that the host of the temple hadn’t caught them in the act.

Had they been less familiar with Lin Ziyin’s family, they would have continued to present themselves as devout, ethical monks. Unfortunately, after numerous visits to the Lin family and exposure to their lavish meals, the monks’ true natures were revealed.

Since the Great Monk himself acted in this manner, the other martial monks felt free to behave similarly, often resorting to physical force to secure a spot when there was a chance to dine at the Lin family’s household.

"Wait, I will personally prepare your meals in a moment. Take a look at the patients first," Lin Ziyin said.

"Line up," Hui Zhen ordered the unsettled crowd, immediately after receiving her response.

The purchased servants followed the command and formed an orderly line for Hui Zhen and the medicinal monks to check.

It didn’t take long for the results to come back.

Perhaps due to it being summer, although these people were weak, they didn’t suffer from any contagious diseases. Most of them were burly men bearing injuries from whips and blunt objects.

Such injuries were trivial for the likes of Hui Zhen and his monks.

"Great Monk, you may rest in the lobby for a while. I have some matters to attend to," Lin Ziyin said.

"Alright, you go on with your business," Hui Zhen nodded, "We will be heading up the mountain to gather some herbs."

Hearing this, Lin Ziyin asked no further and went about her work, arranging the bought men.

"The married ones among you will stay in the courtyards on the left side, and the unmarried ones will stay in the front courtyard as guards. Later, we’ll send you food and vegetables. Solve your eating issues by yourselves," Lin Ziyin instructed, focusing on the woman who introduced herself as a cook.

"Yes, I’ll do my best," the cook replied nervously.

"Rest and recover for a few days. You’ll likely be busy afterward, and I’ll assign you to work. Men who do well each month will receive half a guan as wages, and the same applies to women. Children, however, will not have to work," Lin Ziyin continued, not bothering to get to know the servants and making an effort to establish her authority, "You must have realized by now that we are just a small, rustic family. I don’t care about your former identities. Now that I have bought you, you are to understand your place and not harbor any extraordinary dreams. My only requirements are for you to carry out your duties and be loyal to the Lin family. Conversely, if I can buy you, I can also return you."

Her words were direct and devoid of diplomacy, though they held no threats.

It seemed as though she was merely clarifying the situation.

In fact, that was exactly how Lin Ziyin had intended it.

Next, Lin Ziyin had all the servants introduced to the Lin family and informed them of their social rank.

The servants respectfully greeted each family member.

When people referred to them as Master and Mistress, the likes of Lin Changshu and Guo Huiniang felt painfully uncomfortable. They looked at Lin Ziyin pleadingly, to which Lin Ziyin responded with a gentle, encouraging smile. It was only a matter of time before they had to acclimate themselves to these status changes.

"Come with me," Lin Ziyin stood up, and they obediently followed her to the unoccupied premises on the left. After assigning accommodations, she realized they had no extra clothing or necessary bedding.

"Wait a while, I will have someone provide you with necessary clothes and bedding for you to prepare," Lin Ziyin said casually.

"Yes, Miss," the servants responded uniformly.

Having gone through exile, life-and-death struggles, and the collapse of their families, they were good judges of character. Although their stay at the Lin family’s residence was short, they had already discerned that the true authority in this new setting was not the male members nor the elderly head of the family, but the young girl standing before them.

"Rest now." Lin Ziyin left them to their own devices and departed.

"Big brother," after she left, a man came up to Yu Sha’ou, asking concernedly, "Can you make it?"

"It’s fine, just superficial injuries," Yu Sha’ou replied. Among the prisoners, he was the most severely injured, with one of his legs broken.

"Is this place really reliable?" Another man muttered anxiously.

"That kind of talk will not be tolerated in the future," Yu Sha’ou’s face darkened. "Remember, no matter what kind of lives these people lead, they saved us in our time of hardship. If it weren’t for Miss Lin, we might not have survived the journey to the far North. Especially the children." He cast a grateful glance at his wife and child.

"From now on, our only masters are the Lin family. There is no more talk of escorts." He reiterated solemnly, "If any among us bear ill intent towards the Lin family, our family will be the first to disagree."

After uttering these words, he scanned the group with a stern gaze.

"You’re right, big brother. Count us in. If anyone acts against the Lin family, even at the cost of our lives, we will not let them off," the cook’s family unanimously agreed. The rest of the families soon echoed their sentiment.

Only the scholar held his head high, his face full of disdain.

Chapter 132: Chapter 132: Doubts and Exchange (1)_1

Yu Sha’ou and the two Darts Masters instantly took a dislike to him, and the rest of the people were not fond of the scholar either. This man was odd, silent all the way. Occasionally, the remarks he made were quite irritating and lofty.

"There’s not much rice in the house. With so many people, it won’t be enough for two days. What should we do?" Guo Huiniang asked Lin Ziyin anxiously as soon as she returned to the courtyard.

"Don’t worry, let my brothers put off their work for now and go to the market to buy some rice and flour. We also need to buy some cloth and bedding," Lin Ziyin said in a calm manner.

"Then I’ll go with them to have a look." Guo Huiniang said. When it comes to buying cloth and bedding, it’s always best for a woman to do the shopping.

"Have Brother Bai and the others go along as well," Lin Ziyin instructed. "Also, buy more big bones and the likes to bring back. These people are too weak, they need to replenish their strength. After all, we’re counting on them to work eventually."

"Got it," Guo Huiniang agreed. She had the same idea. Especially when she looked at those skinny children, she felt a pang of distress. Perhaps as a mother, whenever she saw children, she would think of Yanzhi and Changting.

"Here are two hundred taels of silver, use it sparingly." Lin Ziyin said.

"Alright." Despite her agreement, Guo Huiniang was worried about the silver.

With so many sudden additions to the household, even though saving lives was a noble deed, life at home was just getting better and seemed like quite a mess. They were not sure how long they could keep it up.

In a short while, Wu Dayou borrowed an oxcart from Lou Zheng’s house and took Bai Dazhuang, Wu Dali, Lin Changshu, and Guo Huiniang along with Mrs. Zhang to the market to shop.

Meanwhile, at home, Lin Ziyin and Zige started preparing lunch. Because of the three martial-art practicing men, the quantity of food needed to be sufficient. Moreover, the three of them arriving were big eaters. Aside from chicken and braised pork, she also prepared several vegetarian dishes.

By lunchtime, everyone who went out to shop returned riding the oxcart.

Bai Dazhuang and his group unloaded the materials and transported them to the left courtyard. Bai Dazhuang, Wu Dayou, and Mrs. Zhang all declined Lin Changshu’s invitation and returned to their homes.

At that moment, Master Hui Zhen and two Martial Monks also returned carrying medicinal baskets.

"Great Monk, you all go ahead and eat. I’m going to check on the people next door." Lin Ziyin was concerned about the servants.

"Always worrying about others." Master Hui Zhen remarked with a laugh.

The old man glared at him, "The girl has a kind heart."

Living with the Great Monk for some time, the Lin family no longer saw Master Hui Zhen and the monks as anything extraordinary. They were just a bunch of food lovers.

The two Martial Monks burst into laughter upon hearing this.

"This is tofu. It can be stir-fried with vegetables. Stew the big bones first, it’s good for replenishing strength as you’re all too weak." Lin Ziyin instructed the cook on how to stew the bone soup and personally watched her stir-frying tofu and dried bean curd. Only then did she leave.

Seeing the food on the table, the servants were grateful. Most of them were even more thankful to the Lin family. The Family Head was truly kind-hearted. They were not at all mistreated in terms of food and clothing; some things were even carefully considered and very thoughtful.

If they still weren’t content, they would surely be struck by lightning from the heavens.

Lin Ziyin’s care for the servants allowed this group of people to prepare for work after a few days of rest, but some were eager to find work from her the very next day. Among them, the diligent ones who used to farm got up early in the morning and went to the backyard to help the old man weed and tidy up. They didn’t recognize the newly grown plants and didn’t dare to move them recklessly. Basically, they did everything precisely the way the old man did.

In this way, they accomplished quite a bit of work in one morning.

Chapter 133: Chapter 133: Doubts and Exchange(2)_1

"Come to work the day after tomorrow. In the meantime, gather firewood from the mountain to make fires and clean yourselves up," Lin Ziyin said, frowning at the sight of their tattered clothes.

Looking down at their own worn-out clothes, those who came were too embarrassed to respond.

With her instructions, besides helping the old man keep an eye on things in the fields, these people spent the rest of their time voluntarily gathering firewood from the mountain.

The villagers were particularly interested in the Lin Family’s purchase of people, but given how the Lin family now stood, ordinary people couldn’t easily inquire.

Only Lady Bai and Lady Zhang couldn’t keep their curiosity at bay.

The reason being, they feared that once the Lin Family had enough manpower, their sons and husbands would be driven out.

Truth be told, working for the Lin Family was very important to them. Besides, seeking work outside entailed tolerating people’s unreasonable demands, potential wage deduction, as well as lower pay than what the Lin Family offered. Moreover, they could enjoy hot meals at home as they lived nearby.

All in all, working for the Lin Family had countless benefits.

The good times just began when the Lin Family bought their own people, so wouldn’t the Bai and Wu families be worried?

Lou Zheng also wanted to ask, but as a grown man, he couldn’t swallow his pride and come over to ask directly.

After some thought, the women from the Bai Family and the Wu Family came over to make inquires.

"Ziyin, with so many people in the house, you must need a lot of food, right?" Lady Bai took the lead.

"Isn’t it obvious? Didn’t Changshu buy a lot of grain and bedding from the market yesterday?" Lady Zhang responded, forcing a smile.

Lady Bai looked at Lin Ziyin, hesitating to speak and seeming troubled.

"What’s on your mind, sister?" Lin Ziyin was the first to ask.

"With more people at home, the expenses must have increased significantly. Ziyin, your sister-in-law won’t beat around the bush. Just give me a straight answer: Do you not want my brother Bai and the others to work for you?" Lady Bai asked nervously, blushing without daring to meet Lin Ziyin’s eyes.

"Auntie, I know your family’s situation too. If it’s too hard for you all, just let them go home. At most, they’ll have larger workloads at the market," Lady Zhang sighed, " Everyone’s life is difficult. I won’t hold you back."

"That’s also what I’m thinking," Lady Bai agreed.

Lou Zheng’s eldest daughter-in-law, Lady Wei, was blushing and anxiously looking at Lin Ziyin without speaking. Thanks to the Lin Family, they’ve saved up some silver over the past few months. Lady Wei’s mother-in-law was kind enough not to take their silver offerings.

She had already discussed with Wu Dali that once they saved up enough silver, they would send their son to school.

But these good times seem to have passed too quickly...

Lin Ziyin observed their reactions and couldn’t help but laugh out loud. She could understand the anxiety of Lady Bai and the others. Life wasn’t easy for farmers, and when they finally found work close to home, it was hard to let go.

"Ladies, stop fretting over nothing." She looked at the women and said, "I have other plans for the people I bought. Of course, I will arrange for a few of them to go to the oil mill, but Bai and Wu brothers, I am definitely going to keep you all here. Rest assured."

"Really?" Lady Bai and the others were joyous.

"Isn’t it too much of a burden to support so many people?" Lady Zhang asked concerned about the Lin Family’s living situation, "A big group of people would require a lot of food each day."

"No worries, in a few days I will arrange work for them," Lin Ziyin explained with a smile, "There will be no idle hands. Who knows, even you ladies might end up coming over to help."

Chapter 134: Chapter 134: Doubts and Exchange (3)_1

"Really?" Mrs. Bai and Madam Yu were thrilled again. "If there’s anything we can help with, feel free to tell us."

Lin Ziyin nodded, "Not for now, but I will definitely need your help in the future."

Ziyin was planning to involve both the Bai and Wu families, and the women from both families were so excited they could hardly sit still.

Three days later, sure enough, Lin Ziyin had assigned tasks to most people.

Most men were first sent to the oil mill to help, and with the increase in manpower, Lin Ziyin promptly added another wooden oil press. This made the deep-frying room become lively.

As for the cultivation of corn, tomatoes, and chili, which had significant implications, Lin Ziyin arranged for two people who could farm to work behind Old Master, laying a solid foundation for the future promotion of chili and corn.

The women were assigned to the kitchen, specifically making tofu, dried tofu, and fermented tofu, along with brewing soy sauce.

With this, only the scholars and children were left.

Scholars were weird folk. If Lin Ziyin didn’t call him, he would just lay in bed and do nothing.

With a smirk, Lin Ziyin first arranged for him to work in the oil mill, but unfortunately, after a day’s work, he was exhausted and didn’t even eat dinner.

Seeing that he couldn’t handle the hardship, Lin Ziyin then arranged for him to work behind Old Master in the field.

However, after just one day, Old Master sent him back.

The Old Master said this scholar couldn’t even distinguish between chives and weeds, let alone perform farming tasks. He was just wasting resources.

In the end, Lin Ziyin arranged him to grind in the kitchen, which ended up breaking him quicker. Half a day later, he fell on the ground and couldn’t get up.

"What’s your name?" After watching the scholar blush for several days, Lin Ziyin finally pulled him up.

"Qian Xuan." The scholar replied, still prideful.

"What do you think you can do?" Lin Ziyin sneered and asked him.

"Read and acquire knowledge." Qian Xuan answered disdainfully.

"Good for nothing, and you have the nerve to say you have knowledge. As the saying goes, ’Travel ten thousand miles, read ten thousand books.’ That means you should combine theory and practice. What good is reading dead books or killing yourself by reading? I’ll tell you something you don’t want to hear: with your character, you’d be doomed if you were outside. You’ve even wasted your name. It sounds like you could be a hero, but you’re just blind, incapable of doing anything." Lin Ziyin mocked him in plain speech.

"I may be useless, but you have no right to insult me like this!" Qian Xuan’s face turned red with anger.

"How did you get into trouble?" Lin Ziyin sneered at him and continued to probe.

"Someone in the Qian family was implicated in creating a false almanac." Despite his anger, Qian Xuan answered her question.

"Is there anyone else in your family?" Lin Ziyin asked again.

"I had an elderly mother, but she died on the way." Talking about his mother, Qian Xuan’s eyes welled up with tears, but he controlled his emotions and didn’t let a single tear drop.

"It’s a good thing you didn’t pass the..."

Before Lin Ziyin could finish, Qian Xuan interrupted, "I actually did pass the examination. I was the top scholar in my region, but my title was revoked because of the scandal."

Oh, turns out he did have some knowledge after all. "It’s a good thing you didn’t become an official." Lin Ziyin sighed. Seeing Qian Xuan’s disapproving look, she continued, "Someone like you who only knows how to read dead books with the delusion that only those who read books are superior, is really unfit to be an official. Think about it, you can’t even feed yourself, and you look down on farmers. There is no way you should govern. Have you ever thought that if there were no merchants or farmers, what would everyone eat and drink? What would the Imperial Court use to support you and the army to defend the homeland? A scholar who doesn’t understand this fundamental concept is actually a laughable person, just deceiving himself and others, unwilling to admit that they are nothing more than parasites."

Chapter 135: Chapter 135: Doubts and Exchange (4)_1

With a wave of his hand, Lin Ziyin couldn’t be bothered to talk further and simply walked away.

Qian Xuan, who was utterly exhausted, was left deep in thought, and also in distress.

After that, he seemed to transform completely, working quietly at the oil mill. Even when he was too tired to stand at night, Qian Xuan no longer complained of fatigue or hardship.

"Miss, we have collected these soybean residues," the servant from the Cui Family said in the kitchen, holding a basket filled with fresh soybean pulp.

Ever since they found out those residues could be eaten, these servants hadn’t missed a meal. Most of it was used to stir-fry vegetables or to make dark bread buns.

"Use only the freshest, the weather is hot, don’t use any spoiled ones," Lin Ziyin reminded.

"Yes, these were just made," the Cui Family servant responded.

"Miss, someone is looking for you outside," said the gatekeeper, a young boy, reporting.

"Who is it?" Lin Ziyin wondered. It was already late, who would come at this hour?

"The gentleman said his surname is Si, and the other one is Chu," the gatekeeper, a newly-bought servant, said. Since he was young, only in his teens, he was still not very skilled at his job.

Upon hearing this, Lin Ziyin immediately knew who the visitors were.

"Invite them in." Even though she wasn’t thrilled about meeting Si Jinhan and Chu Suifeng, she had no choice; the two prestigious figures had already arrived at her doorstep, and Lin Ziyin really couldn’t refuse.

The boy ran out after nodding his understanding.

A short while later, Chu Suifeng, dressed in black, and Si Jinhan in green, appeared in the courtyard.

"Greetings, Prince," Lin Ziyin respectfully acknowledged Chu Suifeng first.

"Hey little girl, your ’Master’ is here too. Why don’t you greet me?" Si Jinhan asked casually.

"Greetings, Young Lord," Lin Ziyin responded with dignity, then dutifully paid him her respects as well.

"You’re such a dull person," Si Jinhan said, losing interest in teasing her when he saw her formal and meticulous demeanor.

"Pour tea for the Prince and Young Lord," Lin Ziyin commanded her maidservants. There weren’t many available servants in the house, so the young Cui Duoduo from the Cui Family and Yu Qiaoqiao from the Yu Family had been temporarily acting as her handmaids.

As Yu Qiaoqiao was originally the daughter of a well-off family, she was very familiar with the rules and didn’t need Lin Ziyin to instruct her.

Upon Lin Ziyin’s instructions, Yu Qiaoqiao followed the formalities and poured tea for Chu Suifeng and Si Jinhan without raising her eyes to look at them once.

Cui Duoduo, standing behind Lin Ziyin, was much less formal and kept stealing glances at them.

"You may leave now," Lin Ziyin instructed, knowing that these two important men definitely weren’t here for a casual visit.

"Still just boiling water?" Si Jinhan asked, disappointed.

Chu Suifeng glanced at the boiling water in the cup, then shifted his gaze back to Lin Ziyin, clearly scrutinizing her.

"The rural conditions are rather primitive, please forgive any lack of hospitality," Lin Ziyin merely implied that she was poor and couldn’t afford any tea leaves.

At least, she hadn’t served them tea in a large bowl.

"Can you check if these things are correctly made?" Chu Suifeng ordered, and a few guards brought out some wooden boxes and opened them.

Lin Ziyin obediently went over, picked up several pulleys to inspect, and then nodded, "The craftsmanship is quite exquisite. The artisans serving the Prince are indeed remarkable."

"Who are you?" Chu Suifeng asked, staring at her, while Si Jinhan looked at her with a knowing smirk.

"I am Lin Ziyin, a daughter of the Lin Family and an ordinary farmer’s daughter," Lin Ziyin answered respectfully, with her eyes downcast.