Ch. 341..345: The Princess of Northern Land Chapter 341-345

Chapter 341: Chapter 341: Old Age(2)_1

"Yes." Jue Ming agreed with a smile.

"I’ve picked the big ones." After a short while, Si Tingwei came over with a basket of tomatoes. "How did you all get to eat them?"

"Follow her to wash them and see how good your harvest tastes." Lin Ziyin pointed to Qiaoqiao.

Si Tingwei considered it and thought what she said made sense. Not minding the inconvenience, he followed Qiaoqiao to the field, found water to wash the fruits, then ate as he walked, exclaiming from time to time.

"Such a good thing, it’s a pity it can’t be transported far." Si Jinhan sighed.

"There are many ways of transportation. Selling them individually to distant areas certainly won’t work, but they can be processed into sauces to sell." Lin Ziyin said.

"They can be made into sauce?" Si Jinhan exclaimed in surprise.

Lin Ziyin nodded. "They can be made into sweets and also used as condiments."

Though it couldn’t be transported to faraway places, it could still reach some nearby areas. Lin Ziyin thought to herself about investing more, planting more in large pots, and selling them altogether.

"Auntie," Yanzhi ran over just like a little swallow.

"Watch your feet, the ground is all dirt." Lin Ziyin scooped him into her arms.

"I watched carefully." Yanzhi carried a cucumber in each hand, "Grandpa asked me to bring these to Auntie and the Prince."

"Well done." Lin Ziyin praised him and his face instantly lit up with a brighter smile.

"Cucumbers are more delicious in winter than in summer. Try." Lin Ziyin handed a cucumber to Chu Suifeng, broke the remaining one into two, gave half to Si Jinyu and the other half to Si Tingwei.

Si Tingwei held a tomato in one hand and the half cucumber in the other. He was actually quite jealous of Lin Ziyin’s affection towards Yanzhi, but thinking about it, Lin Ziyin was the boy’s biological aunt, so it was only natural for her to love him dearly.

"Little brother, my name is Si Tingwei, what’s yours?" But in order to get along well with the Lin Family, Si Tingwei put his ego aside and attempted to befriend Yanzhi.

"My name is Lin Yanzhi." Yanzhi didn’t know the boy in front of him, but since his attitude was kind, Yanzhi decided to behave well in turn.

"He is the nephew of the Third Prince, Yanzhi, you are the young master, you should be nice and entertain Tingwei. Would you take him to pick cucumbers or cherry tomatoes?" Lin Ziyin asked.

"Sure." Lin Yanzhi happily nodded; he was the young host and it was his responsibility to entertain the guests well.

"Miss Si, why not stay for a casual meal today?" Lin Ziyin invited with a smile. Generally speaking, the ladies of the Si Family were always polite to her. Now that they were on her own turf, as the host, Lin Ziyin felt it was right to offer hospitality.

"Then I will impose." Si Jinyu responded with a smile, glancing at the busy surroundings.

"Make yourselves comfortable, I have a few things to take care of." Lin Ziyin spoke with ease. "By the way, Prince, by the end of the year, the veggies in my greenhouse will probably be sold out. After the New Year, you might have to start selling the veggies from your own estate." Lin Ziyin added.

"Haven’t you planted more?" Chu Suifeng asked.

"There won’t be enough to cover it." Lin Ziyin replied with a laugh. The purchasing power in Feng City had completely exceeded her expectations. Since opening to the public, all the different restaurants scrambled to buy her stock every day. Some even offered to deliver directly, and if there weren’t limitations, she wouldn’t even have any vegetables left in the greenhouse.

She didn’t worry about Chu Suifeng’s goods selling cheaply after the New Year, as her supply from the greenhouse was insufficient, and the Vegetarian Feast needed a large amount of vegetables daily, so there was no worry about selling off the stock.

Chapter 342: Chapter 342: Old Age(3)_1

"Hmm," Chu Suifeng replied indifferently, indicating he understood.

Those familiar with him knew that when he spoke in this tone, the Prince was undoubtedly very pleased.

How could the Prince not be pleased? Congyi and Conger reasoned.

Ziyin of the Lin family alone has made countless silvers solely from cherry tomatoes. Just wait until she’s nearly sold out, and the Prince’s greenhouse starts yielding its harvest. Then, wouldn’t he see silver daily?

Moreover, Miss Lin is indeed generous. Whatever she has, any good things, she always gives a portion to the Prince. No wonder he’s pleased.

Thinking of this, the guards were all beaming too.

"Hey girl, I’ll also let you grow vegetables on my estate next year," Si Jinhan stated, looking envious and dropping the subject straightforwardly.

"Rather than growing vegetables, the Third Master might want to consider rice cultivation next spring. If you fancy growing rice, make sure the Prince has a good stock of seedlings in his estate first," Lin Ziyin responded without agreeing or refusing outright.

"Stingy," Si Jinhan stared down at her.

"Prince, rice seeds must be quite plump to be suitable. I would need them immediately after the New Year," Lin Ziyin said.

"Hmm," Chu Suifeng replied indifferently.

Humph, pretending! Lin Ziyin who didn’t want to bother any further excused herself, giving a nod to Si Jinyu before taking her leave with the girls, Hong Ying and Lun Luo.

Seeing the light steps of Hong Ying, Lun Luo and Jue Ming, Si Jinyu somewhat understood, and again he sighed inwardly.

"Enjoy yourself while you’re here," Si Jinhan said to Jinyu. "Prince, I’ll take my leave first."

Chu Suifeng nodded, "I’ve to attend to some matters at the estate."

Busy till noon, Lin Ziyin still hadn’t shown up. It was left to Changting and Yanzhi to entertain the guests at home.

It was Si Jinyu and Si Tingwei’s first visit to the Lin family. Si Jinyu hadn’t expected the Lin family business to be so large, even the numerous courtyards were beyond the means of an ordinary family to build.

The courtyard was decorated differently from the homes of the wealthy in the city; it was neat and also featured trees and flowers, specifically hardy tree species. At the back of the courtyard, there was even a large field of vegetable patches. It was a true depiction of a farming family’s traits everywhere.

"Your house is very warm." As soon as he entered the house, Si Tingwei was overwhelmed with the warmth. Prior to their departure, his elders at home, fearing he might catch a cold, forced him to bundle up so much he felt like a ball. Little did he know that it was not at all cold here.

"The kang is warm," Yanzhi informed his newly made friend.

"It’s so beautiful," Si Tingwei exclaimed as he looked around in awe, much like when Granny Liu first set foot in the Grand View Garden.

With guests at home, lunch definitely had to be a larger affair. Nonetheless, with everything readily available at home and professional chefs around, Si Jinyu and Tingwei ended up having an extremely filling lunch.

"You’ll see something in a bit. Make sure it’s what you’re looking for," Chu Suifeng said as he put down his chopsticks.

"Sure," Lin Ziyin replied, "I need to check on the pastry workshop. We started making jade belt cakes today."

"Hmm," Chu Suifeng replied, and then he marched straight into the study with his entourage.

All along, he had not been amiable towards Si Jinyu.

Feeling a small sense of regret in his heart, Si Jinyu masked his emotions perfectly, "Miss Lin, is there a new pastry at your shop?"

"Just made. We’re short of hands at the workshop and can’t produce many varieties. Jade belt cakes are perfect for the New Year, so we’re ramping up production. As it’s just started, the workers are not very familiar with the process yet, I need to oversee it," Lin Ziyin explained, "If Miss Si is interested, you could come by to have a look."

"I want to go too," Si Tingwei exclaimed, his curiosity piqued by the Lin family’s kitchen. The pastries from Lin’s shop were always delicious and cost a pretty penny. However, if you went late, you might not even get hold of them.

Chapter 343: Chapter 343: Old Age(4)_1

"Sure, let’s go together," Lin Ziyin agreed with a smile, "Take a basket. Whatever you like, you can grab it later."

"Really?" Tingwei asked cheerfully.

"Of course. You can count on my words," Lin Ziyin replied with a smile.

"But what could I possibly need?" Si Jinyu said modestly.

"No problem. We made everything ourselves," Lin Ziyin responded with a smile.

They all arrived at the confectionery shop where Sister Bai and the others were already bustling about having finished their meals. The New Year was nearly upon them, and with new desserts to be made, it means overtime. Everyone essentially rushed over immediately after putting down their bowls.

"Miss, what do you think of the White Jade Cake I’ve made?" Cui Da asked, presenting a thin piece of cake.

Lin Ziyin tore off a piece and tasted it, "Perfect, just like this. Did you memorise the ingredients?"

"Yes, I did," Cui Da answered, "The only concern is whether we have enough glutinous rice."

"We’ll make do with what we have," Lin Ziyin answered.

Glutinous rice and flour are both treasured goods in the Northern Land. Not only are they expensive, but it’s also quite troublesome to purchase them. This is why Lin Ziyin never expanded the bakery.

She only prepared a small selection of items, such as open-mouthed cookies, three-knife pastry dough, biscuits, etc. The best-selling items in the bakery are all sorts of edibles made with beans and nuts.

"Ziyin, is this packaging correct?" Sister Bai asked, holding up a box of neatly packed White Jade Cakes.

"Good job. That’s perfect," Lin Ziyin nodded in satisfaction, looking at the festive red pattern on the cakes. " Make sure to seal them well at the opening."

"Got it," Zige promptly agreed with a smile.

Si Jinyu was surprised seeing Lin Ziyin’s sister and sister-in-law working at this bakery as well, even though they just had dinner together at the same table. Considering the wealth of the Lin Family, she presumed these two would be the masters, so how come they were working together with the servants?

"Boss, when are we sending out the goods?" Sister Bai was in a hurry. As soon as the finished products appeared, she started to feel anxious.

"If anyone comes to purchase in the afternoon, explain to them. The rest will be delivered to Ding’an Temple and into town tomorrow," Lin Ziyin ordered.

"Alright," Sister Bai sighed in acknowledgment. It was due to the production of white jade ointment that they stopped making mooncakes at home. She worried about the white jade cakes not selling as well as the mooncakes.

With her worries and expectations, Sister Bai returned to her tasks swiftly.

For Tingwei, it was his first time seeing how pastries were baked, the aroma of freshly baked goods filled the workshop, almost enough to make him drool.

"I can really choose?" He looked at Lin Ziyin for reassurance.

Lin Ziyin nodded with a smile.

Tingwei was thrilled and started picking his favourite pastries. The freshly baked delicacies were even more fragrant than the cold ones. He sampled a few while filling his basket with others.

In no time at all, his small basket was filled.

"I’m done. Thank you, auntie." Tingwei gave a regretful glance at the remaining pastries but didn’t want to be greedy, so he thanked Lin Ziyin earnestly.

"Come over when you feel like eating," Lin Ziyin said with a smile. She then instructed Qiaoqiao to grab a selection of the packed pastries, "Miss Si, please take these home for the old lady to try."

"These?" Si Jinyu was a bit hesitant. Bringing Tingwei over to eat and take pastries seemed a bit too much, especially considering that Lin Ziyin frequently sent pastries to their home as well.

"You’ve seen it yourself. We made all of these at home," Lin Ziyin said with a smile.

Chapter 344: Chapter 344: Old Age(5)_1

Hearing this, Si Jinyu could no longer politely refuse. She glanced at the ten boxes of White Jade Cake, thinking they were indeed quite festive. Even judging by their packaging, many people would probably buy them. Besides, the symbolism of the cakes was also appealing.

Si Jinyu noticed earlier that these so-called White Jade Cakes were different from the usual steamed cakes sold elsewhere. They weren’t the typical moist variety. The taste should be exceptional!

Si Jinyu was never one to overstep her boundaries. When she arrived at the pastry house, Chu Suifeng had explicitly instructed Lin Ziyin that he would need her assistance later. Therefore, upon leaving the pastry house, she quickly bid her farewell to Lin Ziyin, "We must take our leave now, I’m afraid. We should take advantage of the warm midday sun. Thank you for your hospitality."

Tingwei had just made new friends and was somewhat reluctant to leave. Furthermore, the atmosphere in the Lin Family was very casual, unlike his own home where every interaction was defined by decorum and etiquettes. But with his aunt making the decision, he had to leave whether he wanted to or not.

"Next time your family comes to buy something, you should join them. I’ll take you to play in the schoolyard." Yanzhi was young and was not mindful of other’s social standing. He was genuinely sad to see his newly-made friend leave.

"Okay," Tingwei’s eyes lit up. Yes, he could accompany Si Si on her visits. "Next time I come, I’ll bring you a present."

"Thank you." The two young friends were a bit reluctant to part.

"Look at how well they get along," Lin Ziyin said with a smile.

Si Jinyu heard and nodded, smiling as she replied, "In the Residence, there aren’t many playmates. Coming here and finding someone to play with makes it harder for him to leave."

After watching them ride off in the carriage, Lin Ziyin hastily went to the study. She was curious to find out what Chu Suifeng had discovered for her to appraise.

Upon opening the door to the study, she found Chu Suifeng alone with a few bundles of paper in front of him. Chu Suifeng was frowning, lost in thought while looking at the bundles.

Lin Ziyin took a closer look, and a look of joy appeared on her face.

"We really have found it!" Among the bundles on the table, one contained charcoal, another potassium. As for the remaining few bundles of black stuff, she didn’t care about them at all.

"Is this the black powder you need?" Seeing her clutching one of the bundles and not letting go, Chu Suifeng suddenly felt his mood lift.

"Yes, it’s charcoal. Where did you find it?" Lin Ziyin asked eagerly.

"Floating City." Chu Suifeng replied, "There is an abundant quantity there. One simply needs to scrape lightly on the ground to unearth it."

"With charcoal, the possibilities of what can be made are much more varied. Prince, I will design some parts, please make these parts as quickly as possible." Lin Ziyin said excitedly.

Chu Suifeng looked at her flushed face due to her excitement, the corners of his mouth curling up ever so slightly and his mood involuntarily soared alongside hers.

However, seeing his expression, Lin Ziyin felt a bit displeased. She thought that Chu Suifeng was about to ask for some kind of favor from her.

"Once the machinery is assembled, the Prince will be able to use it on his lands, saving a lot of manpower and resources. It would be best if it could be completed during the cold weather so that it can be used as soon as spring arrives," Lin Ziyin said.

"Alright." Chu Suifeng responded, "What exactly are you planning to make?"

"With coal, numerous possibilities arise, including plows for farming, carts for transportation of goods, even small harvesting machines." Lin Ziyin was increasingly excited. The use of large machinery was not possible without electricity or diesel, but small machinery should be feasible. Although steam-powered mechanical energy was somewhat lacking, and it wasn’t suitable for long-distance work, it should suffice for land cultivation.

Machinery is undoubtedly more efficient than manual labor; there’s no questioning that.

"Farming? With machinery?" Chu Suifeng asked in surprise, "Not using oxen?"

Chapter 345: Chapter 345: Old Age(6)_1

"We won’t need cows, Prince. It’s difficult to explain with just a few words. I will explain to you once the machine is built." Lin Ziyin was reluctant to put down the coal dust in her hands.

"Blueprints." Chu Suifeng, who felt he was being forgotten, suddenly turned gloomy.

Upon hearing this, Lin Ziyin put down the paper bag and started to take out her special tools to draw.

Designing machinery was her forte, and she had already had ideas in her mind at the first place, so she quickly finished several blueprints. "If possible, It would be best to produce more parts at once so that we can assemble more machines and reclaim more wasteland."

Chu Suifeng responded with silence, which Lin Ziyin took as agreement. "It seems that we need to prepare more seedlings."

"By the way, Prince, could you possibly issue us a certificate or something? Can we slaughter two beef cattle raised in our house for the New Year?" Lin Ziyin suddenly remembered the important issue. The chickens they had raised had been gradually sold off, and the eggs had also been sold, but what about the beef cattle? They could not be slaughtered without an official certificate.

"Someone will bring it over later," Chu Suifeng replied indifferently, "Those cattle are originally meant to be slaughtered for meat."

Lin Ziyin was delighted when she heard this, "Then I can start to find someone to prepare."

After saying that, she hurriedly left again.

Chu Suifeng watched her retreating figure, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. Although she usually seemed composed, she was so impatient when things happened!

The next day, the butcher’s license indeed arrived thanks to Congyi.

Lin Ziyin was delighted, and since the New Year was only eight or nine days away, She simply had someone slaughter a beef cow to test the market.

The children in the village had never seen cows being slaughtered. When school was out at noon, they all gathered around to watch the excitement. Mr. Qian and Xu Jin, fearing that something might happen to the children, also followed. There were many children standing around the beef market.

Ma Youcai, Big Dog, and Ergouzi were also standing nearby watching the fun, but these three children were rejected by the schoolchildren, and could only watch from afar.

The beef cattle raised by the servants of the Lin Family were extremely well-fed and healthy. The one in charge of slaughtering the cattle was Kong Yier, who had been a butcher before, but he had never slaughtered cattle. However, as the cattle were bound up, he watched as he took up a sharp knife and cut down the cattle’s neck, the cows let out a heartrending cry.

Many children who watched the slaughter were roused, while some timid children turned pale with fear. Ma Youcai and the others, who had never practiced martial arts and no one had taught them the idea that boys should be brave, were scared to run away upon seeing the cow falling down with his eyes wide open. Several children who hadn’t been to school also ran away.

Bai Dunzi and his group burst into laughter at this, the children shouted at the retreating figures, "Cowards, cowards..."

"Huh, you guys are the cowards." Ma Youcai, though just a teenager, was ordinarily quite fearless. Today, after losing face in front of his village pals, he was both embarrassed and angered, "Let them slaughter beef, let the Lin family run a private tutor school, I won’t let you all attend school."

"Third Brother." Ergouzi was somewhat scared due to the fierce expression on the face, "What’s wrong with you?"

"Get out." Ma Youcai fumed, pushing Ergouzi impatiently.

Ergouzi lost his footing and fell to the ground.

The snow on the ground had not melted, and Ergouzi’s bottom had fallen on the snow. It was somewhat dirty.

"Why do you push people." Ergouzi sobbed.

"Get up, let’s go home." Big Dog looked at Ma Youcai with a resentful gaze. Humph, don’t think he didn’t know, ever since his father’s incident, his uncle’s family had been distant from them. Now, Ma Youcai looked down on them and often picked on his two brothers. Humph, when he grew older and stronger, he would certainly make them pay the price.