Ch. 191..195: The Princess of Northern Land Chapter 191-195

Chapter 191: Chapter 191 Ambition (6)_1

"No matter what, we can understand, After all you have enough people of your own..." sighed Bai Chunsheng.

"After the festival, perhaps the bakery at home will continue. But I think, our Feng City is not far from the border, and the Tartars come over to harass every winter and spring. If we only have the ability to make money, but not the ability to save our lives, what is the use?" Lin Ziyin said with a sigh.

"Ziyin, we’re all country folk, our ancestors came to Feng city. By our generation, it’s already countless generations. We don’t understand the grand principle, but we know how our lives should be, we will stay on the straight and narrow, you can rest assured, auntie can swear using the lives of the Bai Family, we will never reveal the secrets of your bakery, even if we no longer do this work, we won’t be talkative once we leave." Auntie Bai said bitterly.

Speaking of which, the Bai family is living a good life now, all thanks to Ziyin’s help. After several months of labor, their family income has increased a lot. The income of past years is not as much as that of these few months. What else can they not be satisfied with?

Human beings should not be too greedy.

"You’ve misunderstood. I’ll speak frankly, I’m very satisfied with the ability of all the uncles, brothers, and sisters-in-law here, I also trust your characters. But there are some things I want to say up front, in a few days, I will send Changting and Yanzhi to study. If you can agree to my request, in the future your children can also go with them to study. The teacher I have found is Qian Xuan from our own family, as for his knowledge and abilities, you don’t need to doubt, his skills are definitely much more powerful than ordinary scholars." said Lin Ziyin.

Upon hearing this, the faces of everyone instantly changed from bitterness to joy.

"Ziyin, this is a good thing," Sister Bai said happily.

"Don’t get too happy just yet, let’s hear what conditions Ziyin has." Lou Zheng, the man who had come for dinner, was not easily swayed by the victory.

"Our private school at home not only has academic lessons but also martial arts. If the children from each of your families want to enroll, the adults must also practice martial arts for two hours a day, with both parents of the child attending." Lin Ziyin seriously stated the conditions.

"Ziyin, let’s spare the sister-in-laws." Zige quickly interceded when she saw the surprised looks on the faces of Sister Bai and the others.

"Do you think I’m making things difficult for no reason?" Lin Ziyin said with a bitter smile, "Sister, from now on, you must also go to practice martial arts."

"What?" Zige was stunned when she realized that even she would have to go.

"Martial arts training is bitter, but you reap what you sow. As long as you can persist, there will definitely be benefits in the future. Think about it, if Big Brother Shuanzhu and Big Brother Zhou had self-defense skills, would they have ended up like that?" said Lin Ziyin, "In the future, your days will get better here, aren’t you afraid of encountering disasters again?"

Fang Cao thought of her dead brother Shuanzhu, and could not help but shed tears, while Shuanzhu’s wife was crying so hard she could hardly breathe.

"Since we live in Feng City, we can only strive to become stronger, fight for a chance to survive for ourselves and our families, don’t you agree?" said Lin Ziyin, "It’s better to be safe than sorry, if you think I’m worrying over nothing, you can feel free to give up, just pretend I didn’t say anything today. However, you’ll still need to come to work after the festival."

"Ziyin, I’m in." Suddenly, Fang Cao knelt down, her face full of determination, "I’m not afraid of hardship. Isn’t it just two hours of training a day? If others can do it, so can I."

"Yes, Ziyin, I’m willing, you’re right, even if not for myself, for my child, I also agree." The wife of Shuanzhu followed Fang Cao’s lead and spoke.

Chapter 192: Chapter 192 Ambition (7)_1

"Practicing martial arts is not only tough, but also involves mingling with men. Aren’t you afraid of affecting your reputation?" Lin Ziyin inquired.

Upon hearing this, the enthusiasm of Bai’s sisters-in-law and the others cooled. Indeed, if they became as rough as men all the time, would their families agree? What would people outside think?

"I don’t mind it as long as Zige isn’t scared, I won’t be either," Wu Dayou declared.

"Who’s scared?" Zige glared at him and then glanced at Ziyin with some unease.

"Zige, you don’t have to look at me. I’ve said before, I don’t have a clear concept of gender roles. In my opinion, having a skill to protect oneself is more important than a hollow reputation. I’d rather practice martial arts. Moreover, even if you don’t agree, what if something were to happen and there’s no one from the family by your side to help?" Lin Ziyin stated seriously, "Grandfather, what’s your opinion?"

"You’re the decision-maker of this family, and I’ll follow your lead," the old man stated outright, "Zige has not yet married, so let’s hear your decision. If Dayou disagrees, we’ll just call off the engagement."

"Grandfather!" As soon as old man mentioned calling off the engagement so decisively, Wu Dayou was caught off guard, "I’ve said nothing, Ziyin’s right, survival comes first. We’re in Feng City, if the Tatars attack, knowing martial arts could save our lives. She’s considering our safety, could I possibly not agree?"

"Ziyin is the family head, I have no objections," Guo Huiniang chimed in, sneaking a glance at Lin Changshu. Seeing him show no sign of disapproval, she promptly followed suit.

With the Lin family all on board, the rest had no reason to hesitate.

"Ziyin, name a time that won’t interfere with work or martial arts practice. If you don’t think this old man is too old, I’ll also join your training. If the Tatars cause trouble, we’ll have a means of self-defense, right?"

Lin Ziyin replied with a light smile, "Uncle, there’s no rush. Starting the day after tomorrow, adjust your work schedule and lengthen it by two and a half hours to accommodate martial arts training, also, remember to bring Meibao to both read and practice martial arts."

"Alright, we are agreed on this," Lou Zheng promptly complied.

Hearing Lou Zheng’s agreement, how could the Bai family object?

And so, the decision to study and practice martial arts was settled.

The Mid-Autumn Festival was particularly enjoyable for the Lin family. Despite all the indentured servants being low-class, they worked hard and were compensated fairly by Lin Ziyin. Even the children who watched over the cattle were given appropriate amounts of money. Everyone received mooncakes, pastries, and meat as benefits.

"Our master is good to us, you should put more heart into your work," Yu Sha’ou advised everyone in a low tone. He was once a master too, but he had never been as generous as Lin Ziyin.

"Of course," agreed Kong Yier and the others, "We just wonder where they will send the younger ones?"

Speaking of the youngsters, the previously lively crowd fell silent.

The authorities that be were suspicious and incompetent. A plot hatched in the courier station by an influential statesman had implicated everyone. If not for some well-connected friends stepping in to help, they might have been beheaded on the spot in the Capital City. Thankfully, they were lucky enough to be exiled to the border and found a benevolent master. However, not everyone from the courier station was exiled to the same place. Apart from Kong Yier and his crew, they had no idea where or when the rest would be exiled.

Thinking about their old companions, everyone’s tears well up, turning the earlier gaiety into melancholy and worry.

"You all must behave well. My sister-in-law has provided you with an opportunity, you must seize it firmly. If you don’t take advantage of it, and your parents sell you off, I won’t be able to help," Yan’s wife nervously admonished Yan Yun and Yan Liu.

"Auntie, only you truly care for us. We recognize your kindness. Do not worry, my sister and I aren’t fools, we know what needs to be done," Yan Yun, the eldest sister, smiled to appease her after hearing her words.

Yan Liu was also quick-witted. She laughed and hugged Yan’s arm amicably, "Auntie, we both resemble you, and you have heard how many people in the village compliment us on our appearances. I refuse to believe that we, with our looks, won’t steal the hearts of those country boys."

Hearing this, Yan’s wife felt a tad reassured. In her youth, she was considered one of the most beautiful girls in several districts. Her nieces, resembling her, brought back her youthful memories. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have considered them for this plan in the first place.

"Quickly go out and wait for them. It’s rare to have the opportunity to meet Lin Changshu and Wu Dayou alone," Yan’s wife urged.

"We’re heading out now," Yan Liu replied, already anxious. After witnessing the thriving prosperity at the entrance of the Lin family’s residence, she was determined to join the Lin family as a concubine. As for Wu Dayou, well, she’d have to sacrifice her sister Yan Yun.

The two sisters stood at the head of the village, glancing around from time to time. Before long, the Lin family’s ox cart appeared in their sight.

"Stop!" As soon as they saw their targets, Yan Yun and Yan Liu simultaneously jumped into the middle of the road, stretching out their hands to stop the cart.

"Shh." Kong Yier, who was driving with concentration, was taken aback by the sudden appearance of two fearless women and exerted his strength to halt the ox. Wu Dayou and Lin Changshu, on the cart, were also unprepared for this and broke out in cold sweat due to the ox narrowly avoiding running the women over.

Chapter 193: Chapter 193: Wishful Thinking (1)_1

Yan Yun and Yan Liu, who had fallen to the ground, were also scared to the point of breaking into a cold sweat. They wished to be married into the Lin Family, but they had never dreamed of risking their lives to do so. They had jumped out in front of the cattle car just now because they were desperate. Fortunately, at the critical moment, the Lin Family’s servant had managed to control the ox in time.

"Do you not value your lives?" Wu Dayou furiously leaped off the cattle car to interrogate them.

"Brothers, we were wrong. It seems like you are about to leave the village, could you possibly give us a ride? We were forced to stop the car out of desperation. Please do not take this to heart," Yan Yun pleaded sadly, clutching a small bundle as she looked at Wu Dayou.

"Brothers, we were hasty, please forgive us. Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, and we are eager to return home. No cattle cars came through this afternoon..." the frail Yan Liu was even more pitiful.

"Aren’t you from the Shili Village?" Lin Changshu looked at the two sisters in front of him and found them very unfamiliar.

"Seems like they are the Ma Family’s cousins," Wu Dayou replied softly.

Upon hearing this, Lin Changshu stopped talking. Though he was busy at home, he had heard about the arrival of the Ma Family’s two cousins who were girls from the Yan Family. He had also heard that the two girls were forced to seek refuge with the Ma Family precisely because they were being pressured into arranged marriages by their family.

Thinking of how the Yan Family was planning to marry off the two girls in front of him to pay off their gambling debts, Lin Changshu’s heart softened a bit. Countrymen were straightforward people. The Ma Family may not be good people, but it had nothing to do with these two innocent girls. Besides, in the countryside, everyone warmly pitched in to help whenever a relative visited. Moreover, he wasn’t the only one on the car.

With these thoughts, Lin Changshu’s expression softened a bit, "Do you want to ride our cattle car to the market?"

"Once we get to the market, we will find another cattle car to go back, so we won’t trouble you anymore," Yan Yun replied with her head lowered.

"We are all men." Wu Dayou wasn’t fond of anyone connected with the Ma Family, and seeing these two young girls stopping their car made him feel uncomfortable.

Hearing this, Lin Changshu hesitated. Though the countryside wasn’t as strict about segregation of the sexes, these two girls were still strangers to him. It somehow felt inappropriate to let them onto their car without further ado.

"Changshu, Dayou, are you heading to the market?" Just as they were in a dilemma, several more people, both men and women, emerged from the village. Someone saw their cattle cart and immediately came over to ask.

"Yes," Lin Changshu replied.

"Could we hitch a ride with you?" Several older women came over to inquire.

Lin Changshu amiably agreed,"Alright, there isn’t too much cargo to deliver, we can squeeze in."

"Great." As soon as they got a response, the village daughters and daughters-in-law all perked up. It couldn’t be helped; soybeans and peanuts had to be harvested, so each household was incredibly busy. The people of Daqin Empire take the mid-autumn moon-viewing tradition very seriously, so there must surely be something prepared at home. Fortunately, they could spare some time in the afternoon of the Mid-Autumn Festival to go to the market.

However, this was only a half-day’s respite. Everyone yearned to arrive at the market early, purchase their items, and return home to prepare dinner.

"Since some people can ride, sir, could we..." Yan Liu nervously looked at Lin Changshu, her words trailing off.

"Get on," Lin Changshu straightforwardly answered, his face impassive. With familiar villagers on board, they didn’t need to worry about being gossiped about anymore.

Several women had already noticed Yan Yun and Yan Liu. Seeing the two sisters board the cattle car, one of them, a busybody, immediately started to ask, "Why are you returning only now?"

Chapter 194: Chapter 194: Wishful Thinking (2)_1

Clearly, the person asking was aware of the Yan sisters’ situation.

"The family was pressuring us. Our aunt was feeling sorry for us, so she asked us to go home for the festival. We’ll return tomorrow." Yan Liu answered, her eyes slightly reddish.

Yan Liu listened to everyone’s conversation with a frightened expression.

An older woman, seeing the sisters’ reaction, sympathized with them completely. The two girls seemed quite sensible, but unfortunately had parents like those in the Yan Family. She sighed, foreseeing a bleak future for such bright young ladies.

In the face of people’s sympathetic gaze, the Yan sisters simply lowered their heads in silence, even when edged to the outskirts of the crowd, they didn’t utter a word. Weak women always gain other’s sympathy; soon, the crowd’s attitude towards them became much friendlier.

Lin Changshu and Wu Dayou were crowded to the front, they had no choice but to sit scattered on either side of the driver, Kong Yier.

Unlike the chatter behind, the men were much quieter. Soon, the cart finally arrived at the marketplace.

"Thank you, brothers." After thanking Lin Changshu and Wu Dayou, the Yan sisters followed the crowd into the market.

Neither Lin Changshu nor Wu Dayou paid them any mind, rushing to deliver the goods to the Vegetarian Feast.

"Finally delivered." The monk at the Vegetarian Feast, seeing the goods arrive, immediately came over to unload the tofu, bean paste, and other items from the cart.

"Later, please, master, find a cart to go back to our village and bring some pastries. My sister said that this is her small token of gratitude for the masters at the temple for the Mid-Autumn Festival." Lin Changshu helped unload the goods, then conveyed this to Master Hui Lian and Master Hui Zhen.

"Amitabha." Master Hui Lian was surprised with joy, "Benefactor Lin is thoughtful. I, on behalf of the monks at the temple, express our gratitude to Benefactor Lin."

"My sister said that the masters at the temple have taken great care of the Lin family. Sending some pastries is just her small token of gratitude." Lin Changshu respectfully replied, not daring to accept the gratitude expressed by the librarian of Ding’an Temple.

"On the day of full moon, you should all return home early." Master Hui Zhen wasn’t as fussy. He impatiently watched Master Hui Lian’s verbose chatter, rolled his eyes indelicately, and directly interrupted what Hui Lian was about to say.

"We will return now, please, masters, send someone over early." Lin Changshu said.

"I will lead some men and follow you," Master Hui Zhen stood up and declared. "You go first, I will follow soon with the others."

Seeing his hurried behavior, Master Hui Lian knew that Master Hui Zhen had no regard for trivial formalities. If he angered Hui Zhen, he would definitely suffer from his manipulations afterwards.

To avoid any trouble, he simply let Lin Changshu and his group leave.

As Lin Changshu left the temple and followed the road back to the village, he came across many of his fellow villagers along the way. Therefore, he kindly cleared his cart and offered his fellow villagers a lift.

"Changshu, will your family’s land be available for rent?" originally, no one in the village thought highly of the Heihe land that the Lin Family was reclaiming. Everyone agreed that the land was inauspicious. However, after seeing the reclaimed land, many people changed their minds. That black soil seemed to be even more fertile. Moreover, the Lin family had a lot of land to cultivate, and they surely couldn’t handle it all. So many people started to show interest.

But since the Lins were busy with their own operations, despite many interested parties, there were no opportunities to inquire about it.

Today, upon meeting Lin Changshu, it seemed to be a great opportunity.

"Heihe is my younger sister’s property, I’m not clear about the specifics," Lin Changshu answered apologetically with a smile.

Chapter 195: Chapter 195: Wishful Thinking (3)_1

"Are all those lands Ziyin’s?" someone asked skeptically. In every family, the men were the decision-makers. Although Lin Ziyin was competent, the fact that she was a girl could not be changed. Moreover, Lin Ziyin wasn’t wed yet. Wouldn’t her belongings be considered part of the Lin Family’s possession?

"Of course, they are all Ziyin’s. The Prince has made it clear. Only the Wang Residence and my sister have the right to reclaim the wasteland in Heihe," Lin Changshu said.

"Does the oil business also belong to Ziyin?" asked someone else surprising.

"Yes, it belongs to Ziyin too." Lin Changshu answered without hesitation. The family business had been arranged thoroughly, with soy products being his, Zige’s, and Changting’s responsibility, while everything else went to Ziyin. There was nothing to hide.

The villagers, however, were shocked, "Aren’t you allworking for Ziyin for free?"

"The tofu shop belongs to my younger sister, younger brother, and myself." Lin Changshu responded, somewhat impatiently.

Wu Dayou disliked nosy people but could not be too harsh as they all belong to the same village. All the way along, he wore a stern face, not giving anyone a pleasant look.

The villagers were sensible enough to seize their inquiries when they noticed the dissatisfaction in the brothers. Yet, some relentless ones insisted, "Changshu, can you help us ask Ziyin if she is interested in looking for tenants?"

"Alright, I will ask her when I get back," Lin Changshu didn’t refuse this time.

This satisfied the villagers, and they ceased their discussion, turning to other affairs in the village.

"Sister-in-law, we are a wealthy family. Don’t dismiss these small gifts," Mrs. Yan looked at Mrs. Bao, who had come for a visit, with a congenial smile but her eyes betrayed deep resentment.

"Sister-in-law, this is too small, isn’t it? How can it be enough?" Mrs. Bao was no fool. She knew Mrs. Yan was miserly and stingy. Asking her for help was undoubtedly a torture. But what could she do? Since Ma Er’lang ran away, there had been no news. She was the only woman in the house taking care of her two young boys. Working herself to the bone, there were still half the beans standing in fields. Despite the festivity, she did not have a single copper to spare for meat or sweets.

She heard in the morning the elder brother’s family had brought back a lot of meat. She thought to herself, she had to at least get some for her children’s sake. After all, when Er’lang picked a fight with the Lin’s, he was doing it half for the elder brother’s sake. She deserved some meat!

"Sister-in-law, the children are growing up. I am not capable, and my husband is no good. During the festive season..." As she thought about this, Mrs. Bao looked at the two taels of meat and four eggs in the basket and began sobbing.

At the sound of her cry, Mrs. Yan’s face shifted. Bao came to her house during the festival, cried, and had blatantly come to ask for money. This was so audacious!

"Give elder brother’s family some more meat and bring another pound over," Ma Dalang was just returning from the city. He hadn’t even entered the door when he heard Bao crying in his yard, which darkened his mood instantly.

He was always conscious of his social standing. Despite Ma Erlang’s incompetence, he couldn’t let people belittle him. In his eyes, his son, Ma Zhicai, was destined to be an officer. Any damage to their reputation would affect his authority in the future.

"Sister-in-law, it must be tough for you being busy with no assistance from my brother. It’s a festive season, and you have kids waiting at home. Take some sweets with you when you go back." He said and brought out two packs of sweets.

Seeing the two large packs of sweets and the surplus pound of meat, Mrs. Bao’s crying softened. "Thank you, elder brother. I wouldn’t have come to trouble you if I could help it."