Ch. 66..70: The Princess of Northern Land Chapter 66-70

Chapter 66: A Huge Heart(2)_1 “Going to the city for what?” Lin Changshu’s chopsticks halted mid-air. As a rural man, he naturally harbored some aversion to the city. In past times, he wouldn’t consider stepping into the city unless he was looking for work.

“I need to have some tools made, and then conduct a big business deal.” Lin Ziyin replied without any attempt at concealment.

“It’s not convenient for a young maiden like you to go to the city alone, so I and your big brother will come with you.” After the marriage alliance was settled, Wu Dayou started having meals at the Lin Family, only returning home to sleep.

“I might need to use up all the silver from the house again.” Lin Ziyin began somewhat sheepishly.

“Don’t say such silly things, sister. The silver in the house was earned because of your ideas, so you can use it however you want.” Guo Huiniang spoke up.

“Once the tools are made, we’ll earn even more.” Lin Ziyin didn’t want to explain further as actions were much more convincing than rhetoric.

“Dayou’s words are right, tomorrow both of us will accompany you there.” Lin Changshu nodded in agreement.

When the old gentleman brought out the silver after dinner, Lin Ziyin counted the amount, but her heart was filled with sighs. Although it seemed like they had made quite a fortune in the past half month, after deducting the cost and some expenses, they only had a little over seven taels of silver left, and even with the reward from the young man last time, they merely had forty-eight taels of silver. This amount was a fortune for an ordinary family, but for what Lin Ziyin intended to buy, it was a drop in the bucket.

What to do? At night, Lin Ziyin lay in bed, overwhelmed with worry, while her sister Lin Zige slept soundly by her side.

As the old saying goes, there is always a path when obstacles arise.

The next day, when Lin Ziyin saw Si Si, an idea came to her mind.

“Big brother Si, we are going to the city today; may we trouble you to share your convenient carriage?” Lin Ziyin looked at Si Si with a beaming smile.

“No problem.” Si Si had quite a good impression of Lin Ziyin. As each time he came to the Lin Family to receive tofu, he would always get a bowl of soymilk or tofu pudding if he arrived at the right time.

Being indebted to someone often meant one was obliged to return the favor, thus Si Si would absolutely not refuse her request.

Moreover, the carriage from the Si Family was large and could easily accommodate three to four people.

Since there were other orders at home, Lin Ziyin and Lin Changshu gave detailed instructions before departing on the Si Family’s carriage.

“The Si Family is wealthy, right?” Sitting in the carriage, Lin Ziyin started to probe with random questions.

However, Si Si was a taciturn person, “Quite so.”

His reply was as good as no answer at all.

Lin Changshu glanced at Lin Ziyin, wondering what she was plotting.

“There are many ways to prepare tofu, how do you guys usually do it?” Lin Ziyin laughed and continued questioning.

“We cook it with vegetables.” Si Si replied, “I’m not a cook, I don’t know much.”

Still non-committal.

Lin Ziyin immediately understood that the Si Family was particularly strict in discipline.

Therefore, she decided not to beat around the bush anymore and spoke directly, “I wish brother Si would help me with something.”

“Please, say.” Si Si blinked in surprise.

“Truth be told, I want to buy something, but I’m short of silver. Hence, if possible, I’d like to request brother Si to recommend me in front of the master in your residence, allowing me to sell a few tofu-based dish recipes.” Lin Ziyin replied calmly.

“Ziyin, don’t cause trouble.” Before Si Si could respond, Lin Changshu jumped up agitatedly, his head hitting the carriage’s roof, causing him to gasp in pain. “Your culinary skills… How could you disgrace yourself in front of a wealthy family? They have their dedicated chefs.”

Lin Changshu’s face wore worry and his tone was filled with reproach.

Lin Ziyin hung her head, secretly sighing. It seemed impossible.

So what if the wealthy family has its own chefs? Her cooking skills were not bad either, she was not afraid.

“Miss Lin, it’s not that I’m unwilling to help, but there are many rules in my house and the kitchens are under the mistress’ charge. We males are not allowed to enter the inner yard.” Si Si declined her request.

“I was just making small talk, Brother Si, you needn’t take it to heart.” Lin Ziyin tactfully changed the topic with a smile.

Seeing this, Si Si breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, Lin Ziyin was not persistent. If she had been, their business deal might fall through. If the young master found out, the Lin Family could possibly get into trouble. The young master detested those who tried to take advantage of connections.

 

Chapter 67: Unlucky (1)_1 During the remaining journey, Lin Ziyin no longer mentioned wanting to join the Si family as a sous-chef, to which Si Si and Lin Changshu secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

“Thank you Brother Si.” After entering the city, Lin Ziyin took the initiative to disembark the carriage and bid Si Si farewell.

“If you encounter any problems, come find me at the Si residence.” Considering the Lin family’s good treatment of him, Si Si hesitated before offering a courteous remark upon his departure.

“Thank you, Brother Si. If we run into any real difficulties, we’ll certainly turn to you for help.” Lin Ziyin emphasized the phrase ‘Brother Si’ to convey to Si Si that she, Lin Ziyin, was indebted to him, but also assured him that she wouldn’t intrude on his life unreasonably.

Si Si gave a nod of approval and then instructed the carriage to depart.

“Ziyin, you must be less rash in the future. Wealthy households are full of rules. If we lack silver, we can earn it over time.” Upon reaching a great tree, Lin Changshu finally voiced the worry in his heart.

Seeing Changshu rebuke Ziyin, Wu Dayou stepped in to smooth things over, “Ziyin is just thinking about our family in trying to find silver quickly. Please don’t reprimand her, brother.”

Lin Changshu understood that Ziyin was trying to benefit the family, or he wouldn’t have used this gentle approach to address the issue. “I’m not blaming her. I’m afraid she might get herself into trouble. Making money can be a gradual process. I don’t want any of us to encounter issues because of silver.”

Saying this, his voice began to choke up.

Wu Dayou sighed deeply and placed a reassuring hand on Changshu’s shoulder, “Ziyin is sensible, you don’t need to worry too much.”

Lin Ziyin felt somewhat moved and regretful. She was solely focused on improving their home life and had forgotten that this was the ancient era, not the modern world where everyone is equal. She should have taken into consideration the feelings of her family members.

Her brother was right, they could gradually accumulate silver and once their life improved, she could then start a new business.

Having realized this, she assured Lin Changshu with a calm smile, “Brother, I was impulsive. I promise not to be so in the future.”

Lin Changshu knew Ziyin to be smart and trustworthy, and so, reassured by her promise, he seemed to brighten immediately.

“Ziyin, what are you planning to buy?” Wu Dayou asked.

As the sun rose higher, they were starting to feel the heat. The trio stood under the shade of a tree with no particular direction in mind.

“I’m thinking of finding a blacksmith shop,” Lin Ziyin replied.

“You need something forged?” Wu Dayou asked in surprise, “There’s one at the marketplace.”

“They aren’t skilled enough,” Lin Ziyin replied. She had paid a visit to the blacksmiths at the marketplace, but their craftsmanship fell short of her expectations.

“What do you want forged?” Lin Changshu asked, curious.

“A set of tools for extracting oil from soybeans,” Lin Ziyin answered quietly.

“What?” Wu Dayou and Lin Changshu exclaimed in unison, drawing curious glances from passers-by.

“Soybeans can actually produce oil?” Once the pedestrians were no longer paying attention to them, Lin Changshu lowered his voice to confirm again with Lin Ziyin.

Lin Ziyin nodded, “Yes, they can. However, it’s laborious. Nonetheless, soybean oil and peanut oil taste better than pork fat, and are healthier too.”

“That’s great.” Wu Dayou was a bit excited but mindful of the public gaze, he tried to lower his voice. “We aren’t afraid of hard work, we have plenty of strength.”

“Let’s see if we can get the tools made first,” Lin Ziyin suggested. She had already reasoned that if they couldn’t get the metal tools, they would just use traditional wooden ones. Although less efficient and more wasteful, they would still be functional.

Chapter 68: Unlucky (2)_1 “Let’s go, I’ll take you to the blacksmith shop,” Wu Dayou said excitedly, full of energy.

Lin Changshu simply agreed with him, as Wu Dayou, who often came to town to sell game, was indeed more familiar with the city’s situation than he was.

Swiftly, the trio arrived in front of a blacksmith shop, “Sir, what would you like?”

As soon as the blacksmith saw customers entering, he promptly asked enthusiastically.

“Can we take a look at the raw materials?” Lin Ziyin asked.

The master blacksmith was taken aback at seeing a young girl answering him. However, he quickly composed himself and replied to Lin Ziyin with a genial smile, “Sure, they’re behind the counter, feel free to have a look.”

After saying this, he couldn’t help but sneak another glance at Lin Ziyin.

This young girl was not simple, only a seasoned customer would ask to see the raw materials upon entering. He just wasn’t sure if she truly understood what she was asking or if she was just pretending.

Unbeknownst to the blacksmith, Lin Ziyin actually did understand—much more so than he could ever imagine.

At this moment, she picked up a piece of pig iron and examined it closely. She was satisfied with what she saw. Although the impurities in these raw materials did not meet her ideal standard, they were indeed much better than the ones sold in the marts.

“I want to make something, can you estimate how much silver it might cost?” Lin Ziyin described what she needed.

“Miss, your order is quite substantial,” the blacksmith looked at her in surprise, “I estimate the cost to be no less than 300 liangs of silver.”

Lin Ziyin was taken aback—”300 liangs of silver?”

She only had just under 48 liangs of silver on her. The difference between 48 liangs and 300 liangs was simply too vast.

“A single piece of iron costs a considerable amount of silver, and you are asking for over ten of them, in addition to troughs and iron plates. Any price below 300 liangs is simply impossible. You would receive the same quotation in any other shop,” the blacksmith explained, sadly. “Even if you want it done, I wouldn’t be able to help you right away. Truthfully speaking, each shop has a limit on the amount of material we can use each month, and the quantity of pig iron you’re asking for is simply too much.”

“Thank you for your honesty, but I must confess that I don’t have that much silver on me. It seems this business arrangement won’t work out after all.” Lin Ziyin forced a smile. How could she have forgotten that in ancient times, iron was a controlled item and incredibly expensive?

“Ah, that’s alright. Feel free to come back when you get the chance,” the blacksmith didn’t take offense when she couldn’t afford the price, not exhibiting any attitude despite the circumstances.

“Okay, with your good nature, I’m sure your business will flourish in the future,” Lin Ziyin thanked him.

“May your words come true,” the blacksmith responded delightedly, appreciating her kind words.

“300 liangs? That’s an extraordinary amount,” Wu Dayou couldn’t help but remark as they left the shop.

Lin Ziyin gave a small smile, but didn’t say anything. If it really came down to it, she would just use wooden tools instead, getting whatever she could.

“If there’s nothing else, we should head back early,” Lin Changshu suggested, looking up at the sun—it was already midday.

“There’s no rush. Let’s find a place to eat and fill our stomachs first,” Lin Ziyin suggested. She didn’t say this so much out of hunger, but because she wanted to spend more time in town, observing and preparing for what may come in the future.

Realizing it was indeed time for lunch, Lin Changshu didn’t refuse and agreed with her.

The trio took a seat at a noodle stall.

“Two bowls of plain noodles, and one bowl of meat noodles,” Lin Changshu ordered.

“No, three bowls of meat noodles,” Lin Ziyin insisted.

Lin Changshu glanced at her, heart aching but knowing her stubbornness and did not protest further.

After seated, Lin Ziyin scanned the surroundings, noticing numerous stalls lining the street selling all sorts of goods and dozens of people of all sorts coming and going.

Looks like this city really was a major traffic hub bustling with activity.

Just then, a group of men brandishing weapons rushed out of a shop across the street and attacked a carriage.

“Ziyin, be careful,” Lin Changshu quickly pulled Lin Ziyin out of the way and sought refuge to the side.

Chapter 69: Payback (1)_1 “What’s going on?” Wu Dayou was quick-witted enough to follow Lin Changshu and guard Lin Ziyin behind a corner of the wall.

“I don’t know.” Lin Changshu was drenched in cold sweat, keeping a vigilant eye on the street opposite.

Lin Ziyin didn’t have the heart to answer him, her eyes never leaving the other side.

In the middle of the street, the once busy pedestrians and vendors had long since scattered. Only a lone carriage stood in the middle of the road, the horse that pulled it had been struck with an arrow and had collapsed on the ground.

The arrow was poisoned. Lin Ziyin’s heart trembled.

How unlucky were they to encounter such a situation?

“Guard your sister-in-law.” In the blink of an eye, a young man in white came down from the carriage, his sword pitted against the coachman and an assassin. Behind him, a beautiful young woman brandishing a whip was protecting a young lady who had a terrified look on her face while tightly hugging a four-year-old child.

“It’s the young master of the Si family who visited us the other day.” Wu Dayou recognized the young man in white.

“Brother, Brother Wu, listen to me,” Lin Ziyin said seriously with furrowed brows.

“What is it?” Lin Changshu held onto her tightly. “Don’t do anything foolish.”

Even though Lin Ziyin hadn’t finished her sentence, Lin Changshu had a gut feeling that whatever she was about to say next wouldn’t be good news.

“Take care of yourselves. Seek shelter in the shop across the street.” Lin Ziyin wrestled free of Lin Changshu’s grasp and took a staff from the noodle shop, handing it to Lin Changshu. “Listen well, protect yourself. I am going to help that child. Brother Wu, look after my brother.”

Having said that, she pushed Lin Changshu aside and grabbed a meat cleaver from the shop before rushing headlong into the crowd of fighting people. She had noticed that out of the Si family members, only three could fight. The young woman had to protect the young lady and the child, which meant only Si Jinhan and the coachman could fend off the assailants. If things continued like this, they would surely be at a disadvantage. The child and the young lady would be in danger!

“Ziyin.” Lin Changshu let out a roar, attempting to chase after her.

But Wu Dayou, understanding Lin Ziyin’s intentions, forcefully dragged him into the shop for safety.

If they were to rashly join the fray, they might not be able to help the Si family and instead become a burden to everyone.

Lin Ziyin, cleaver in hand, swiftly dispatched two of the attackers.

She didn’t know martial arts; her strength came from raw skill. After all, she had spent her years in a modern military camp, even serving alongside special forces. Not to mention, she learnt some self-defense techniques to protect herself against her own family.

The assassins were all skilled martial artists. Given her lack of Inner Strength, Lin Ziyin’s interference was suicidal. But she had the advantage of surprise, and her specialty was close quarters combat.

Most importantly, she knew she couldn’t show mercy. She rushed in, ready to fight to the death. The two assassins died tragically, without even getting a clear look at their killer before their throats were slit.

Si Jinhan, in the midst of his busy fight, stole glances at the newcomer, puzzled. How did the farm girl come to be here?

Lin Ziyin, while helping the young lady kill another attacking assassin, commanded, “Stand against the wall.”

Seeing that the young lady was scared but still managed to keep her composure, she gave her instructions in a deep voice.

The young lady was taken aback, but quickly understood and immediately moved against the wall, holding the child and a young servant girl, pushing the child behind for protection.

“Why are you guys here?” Just then, Lin Ziyin noticed that Wu Dayou and Lin Changshu had rushed over, each armed with a staff.

Chapter 70: Payback (2)_1 She was suddenly anxious.

She had relied on a bit of self-defense skills to burst over, but the two older brothers only had brute strength.

“Don’t be afraid, brother will help you.” Lin Changshu was terrified, but he did not back down, and neither did Wu Dayou. In his opinion, since he was already engaged to Lin Zige, Ziyin was his sister too.

The assassins were somewhat infuriated. They originally wanted to take advantage of their numbers and the Si Family’s lax defenses to finish the fight quickly and leave. But they absolutely did not expect to encounter heroes to come to the rescue halfway.

Although these three men were not to be feared, the girl’s moves were unpredictable, costing them several of their brothers.

“Looking for death.” Si Jinhan’s face was cold, and he did not show any mercy when he attacked.

“Be careful.” Seeing an assassin charge at the woman and child, Lin Ziyin’s heart tightened, and she dashed over to save them, but it was too late. In her panic, she threw the kitchen knife she had in her hand right at the assassin.

“Ah.” After a terrible scream, the assassin fell to the ground and did not get up. The kitchen knife had pierced his left side.

“Go on.” Si Jinhan saw that Lin Ziyin’s hand was empty, quickly tossing her a weapon the enemy had left behind.

With an agile leap, Lin Ziyin caught the longsword and rejoined the battle.

“Move away.” By that time, an army had showed up.

Seeing the unfavorable situation, the assassins instantly prepared to retreat.

However, Si Jinhan and the arriving soldiers did not give them any chance, directly moving forward and killing them.

“Leave one alive.” Si Jinhan ordered, then left the battlefield.

The remaining assassins listened, stunningly committing suicide with the weapons in their hands.

Lin Ziyin was able to take a breather and rest a bit. She was physically weak, and just a moment of exertion had left her breathless. It seemed that she needed to exercise more in the future.

“Why are you here?” Si Jinhan looked coldly at Lin Ziyin and the others.

Lin Changshu and Wu Dayou were taken aback by his question. They had just saved the Si Family’s people, but now they were being questioned in such a tone by one of them?

“Why does the Si son think we would be here?” Lin Ziyin flared up somewhat. “This road doesn’t seem to be particularly owned by the Si Family, does it? Even if it is owned by you, we aren’t breaking any laws for just passing through, right?”

“Sis, are you alright?” Seeing blood on Lin Ziyin, Lin Changshu could not care less about Si Jinhan’s words, and harnessing her, he began to check her over.

In response to Lin Ziyin’s glare, Si Jinhan looked somewhat embarrassed. That’s true. He had been too suspicious. The Lins were just ordinary villagers who lived here for generations, and he had already found this out when he bought tofu from them. Even if the Lins wanted to please them, they wouldn’t risk their lives for that, and these assassins were not people ordinary villagers could afford.

“You saved us, what do you want?” He asked.

“Fourth Brother, you are too cautious.” A young girl came over, looking at Lin Ziyin with a mixture of curiosity. The young woman also came over with her child to thank them, “Thank you all for your righteous rescue.”

“Just passing by.” Lin Ziyin replied calmly.

“What do you need?” Si Jinhan showed no intention to show gratitude.

“We just happened to be passing by and seeing the child in danger we stepped in, we never thought of getting a reward. However, since Si son has asked, I will not hold back.” Lin Ziyin answered, frowning slightly. She really hadn’t thought of a reward before rescuing them. But seeing Si Jinhan’s expression now, if they don’t request some reward, it seems he would not be happy.

Well, after getting a reward, the two families would then owe nothing to each other.

“Firstly, we currently lack silver, and it seems that Si son is not short of it. Secondly, I want to find someone to forge a set of tools, but the blacksmiths in the city can’t do it. If possible, I would hope that Si son could help.” Lin Ziyin said with a bit of aggression.

“How much silver?” Hearing Lin Ziyin making demands, Si Jinhan breathed a sigh of relief.

“If possible, seven or eight hundred would be best. After all, we did unexpectedly save you guys.” Lin Ziyin said softly.

“What kind of tools do you want to forge? Tomorrow, Si Si will bring the blueprints.” Si Jinhan said. “Give them a note for one thousand and five hundred silver pieces.”

“Yes.” One of the guards responded.

“Let Si Si bring it together tomorrow.” Lin Ziyin said indifferently.

“Are you not afraid the patriarch will go back on his word?” Si Jinhan’s face took on a jesting expression.

“I think the Si Family’s face is worth more than a bit of silver.” Lin Ziyin didn’t even look up, “Brother, let’s buy some buns and find a horse cart to go back.”

“Let’s first find a clinic and take a look.” Lin Changshu looking heartedly at her.

“It’s just a superficial wound.” Lin Ziyin reassured him.