Ch. 71..75: The Princess of Northern Land Chapter 71-75

Chapter 71 Going Back(1)_1 “Take them to the medical hall, use the best medicine, and bill it to the Si Family.” Si Jinhan also noticed that Lin Ziyin’s arm was bleeding, and the young girl’s clothes were soaked with blood.

Surprisingly, he felt a rare softening of his heart and spoke up like a benevolent grandfather.

“Young lady, if you ever run into any difficulties in the future, make sure to come to our Si Family for help,” the young woman said.

“No need,” Lin Ziyin somewhat ungratefully refused, “Today, we saved you, and Young Master Si has already agreed to my terms – we are even now.”

The young girl was taken aback upon hearing this and looked at Lin Ziyin more closely.

Just an attractive girl from a farming family, where did such nerve come from? Yet thinking of Lin Ziyin’s earlier rescue, she could understand.

“Young lady, you saved our lives, and we can’t put a price on such kindness,” said the young woman, somewhat embarassed, while Si Jinhan fully agreed with Lin Ziyin’s approach.

“After seeing the doctor, take them to First-Class Pavilion and order a table,” the young woman, more thoughtful, added on her own. “The money for this will also be charged to the Si Family.”

Lin Ziyin gave her another glance, noting the young woman was making playful facial expressions at her, which left her speechless.

It seemed like she didn’t have any relationship with this young lady, there was really no need for her to be so familiar.

“Thank you,” Lin Ziyin said, and then together with Lin Changshu and Wu Dayou, immediately followed the guard towards the medical hall.

“Oh, wait.” Lin Ziyin, after walking a few steps, suddenly returned, “There’s one more thing.”

“What?” Si Jinhan’s face cooled again, thinking that she was going back on her word and greedily raising the stakes.

“That kitchen knife belongs to a noodles stall, the carrying pole as well. You’re not short of money, so you should compensate them.” After finishing her words, she walked away, leaving a stunned Si Jinhan standing there in embarrassment.

“Haha, she’s an interesting person,” said the young woman, laughing out loud, “Third brother, it seems like you know her.”

“She’s the tofu maker,” Si Jinhan replied with a glance.

“Really?” The young woman was stunned. These days, she had been praising the tofu at home for being delicious, and had no idea that it was made by such an interesting person.

The young woman looked thoughtfully at Lin Ziyin’s retreating figure, lost in her thoughts.

“There’s no serious harm, only outer wounds, one of which is a bit deep. After applying good medicine, try not to get it soaked in water,” the old doctor said after examining Lin Ziyin’s arm. He was very impressed with the young girl’s tolerance for pain, and knowing that she was hurt attempting to save others, prescribed her the best medicine.

After her wounds were dressed, Lin Ziyin, Lin Changshu, and Wu Dayou were guided by the guard to the First-Class Pavilion.

At this time, it was lunchtime, and the First-Class Pavilion was filled with diners. Seeing the three of them enter in tattered clothes and covered in blood, everyone in the restaurant stared in surprise.

“Sir, you have reserved a private room on the second floor of the Tianzi Pavilion. Please follow me upstairs,” the waiter said respectfully upon seeing them.

The crowd was taken aback once more.

Lin Ziyin and the others didn’t have the energy to worry about other people’s reactions, and simply followed the waiter upstairs into the private room.

The table in the room was already full of various cold dishes.

“Eat,” Lin Ziyin instructed.

Lin Changshu and Wu Dayou looked at each other, then at Lin Ziyin who had already taken a seat, and had no choice but to sit down as well.

“Are there more dishes?” Lin Ziyin asked.

“Yes, there are ten more dishes,” replied the waiter.

“Can you exchange them for pork to take home?” Lin Ziyin requested after she had eaten her fill.

The waiter was stunned again; having worked in this restaurant for so many years, he had never encountered a guest with such a strange request before.

Chapter 72 Going Back(2)_1 “Please wait a moment, sir. I will go and ask the shopkeeper,”

Lin Ziyin nodded, and the three of them unanimously ate several cold dishes and a plate of chicken, leaving the rest untouched on the side.

The shopkeeper was taken aback when he heard the waiter’s words. To convert the leftovers into ingredients? But remembering that the three upstairs were specially instructed by the Si family to be taken care of, he hesitated for a while before finally agreeing.

“Give them more pork, let’s say twenty pounds, plus three chickens and three fish. Prepare all kinds of desserts too,” he instructed the waiter.

“Yes,” The waiter quickly went upstairs to report.

Lin Ziyin and his companions were practical eaters. All three consumed hearty meals of plain rice and quickly filled themselves up.

The waiter, seeing the majority of the dishes still left untouched on the table, felt his heart skip a beat. These guests were too simple, content with plain rice? Could it be they didn’t appreciate the chef’s culinary skills?

“Take these leftovers and pack them for us.” Lin Ziyin pointed at the untouched food.

The waiter’s eyes twitched. As expected, there’s always something unexpected.

This time he didn’t put up any argument. He directly went downstairs to inform the shopkeeper, and then used food boxes to pack all of the remaining dozen dishes.

“Please help us find a carriage.” Lin Ziyin requested, and then left the building with Lin Changshu.

“Here are the converted ingredients. Please take them with you,” the shopkeeper came out to see them off.

“Thank you,” Lin Ziyin lightly said, “Settle the charges with the Si family.”

“The charges have already been added to the Si family’s account, miss. You can rest assured,” The shopkeeper smiled and replied.

“Thank you”, Lin Ziyin thanked them one more time and had Lin Changshu and Wu Dayou carry the ingredients.

A large stack of food boxes, plus the ingredients, was actually quite heavy. The shopkeeper, fearing that Wu Dayou and Lin Changshu might not be able to carry it, had a waiter help carry the food boxes to help them out.

Conveniently, another waiter had already hailed a carriage and parked it outside. So, Lin Ziyin and the others got onto the carriage with their stuff.

Watching the departing carriage, the shopkeeper shook his head. Poor people will be poor people. Once they stumble upon something good, they will never forget their families at home. These three youngsters have good characters.

“Is it wrong what we’re doing?” Lin Changshu tentatively asked within the carriage.

They had just taken advantage of someone else’s invitation, even bringing back ingredients and desserts.

Lin Ziyin, noticing the shopkeeper had added a considerable amount of steamed buns and white rice into their basket, felt a growing fondness towards the shopkeeper of First-Class Pavilion. This man knew how to handle things. Recognizing them as poor people, he gave them what they lacked most.

“Yeah, we seem to be underhanded.” Wu Dayou rubbed his head in agreement.

“What’s wrong with it. We didn’t steal or rob. They willingly gave us these things. By accepting their things, we settled our obligations with them and they wouldn’t be happier.” Lin Ziyin leaned back in the carriage and replied.

Lin Changshu and Wu Dayou, remembering the arrogant look of young master Si, their slight guilt instantly vanished.

What they didn’t know was that after they had left, everything they did in the hospital and tavern was reported to the head of the Si family.

“Indeed, they’re quite simple folk,” the matriarch nodded her approval.

The Si family, given their status, could not afford even a slight mistake. Today’s encounter with an assassin and the coinciding appearance of the Lins, especially the peculiar girl from the Lin family, aroused suspicion. They hadn’t felt reassured about the little girl.

But now, they were relieved. The actions of the Lin family were consistent with those of an ordinary peasant household. Perhaps it was just good luck that found them in a helping position.

When Lin Ziyin and the others returned to their village on the carriage, the villagers were once again astounded. They gaped as Lin Changshu and Wu Dayou stepped down from the carriage carrying baskets and food boxes. The whole village was in an uproar.

The Lins were so fortunate. They had come back from the city bringing back so much fine fare. Items they would never willingly spend money on themselves. How much silver had the Lins made?

Chapter 73: Chapter 73 Building a House (1)_1 “Why did you buy so much stuff?” Guo Huiniang couldn’t help but ask when she came out to help. Didn’t her sister-in-law mention she was just going into the city to handle some business matters? How did it turn into buying this much stuff?

“All of these were exchanged with Ziyin’s life.” replied Lin Changshu, unable to hold back his words.

“What happened?” Guo Huiniang and the elders were panicked. Did they encounter danger during their trip to the city?

“They saw someone trying to assassinate a young mistress and a child, Ziyin stepped in to help and got injured. They sent this stuff as a token of their gratitude,” Wu Dayou said ambiguously, which was a story that the three had made up on the coach ride home in order to avoid baseless speculation from the villagers.

“Are you hurt?” Zige couldn’t hold back her tears.

“It’s just an external injury, only the one on my arm is a bit deep, the doctor said it would be fine if I rest and keep it dry for a while.” Lin Ziyin tried to reassure her.

It was only then that the villagers noticed Lin Ziyin was covered in blood. She had been wearing earth-colored clothes, so the blood wasn’t clear to see. Now looking closely after Wu Dayou’s words, weren’t those damaged parts of her clothes from knife wounds?

Many villagers lost their envy after seeing this.

The stuff exchanged with one’s life, that’s really tough!

“You should lay down in the house. Why didn’t you just run off facing danger with your small frame? What were you thinking, rushing in like that?” Lin Zige scolded her while worrying.

Lin Ziyin obediently listened, promising over and over again, “Next time I’ll definitely run far away. Isn’t it just because I was blocked and couldn’t run?”

“Everyone, sorry for the inconvenience. Ziyin was unsettled today, we weren’t able to entertain you properly.” Lin Changshu apologized to everyone.

“It’s good that everyone is okay,” someone said.

“Consider it our luck.”

…

“When will all this food be finished?” There were those who didn’t want to leave.

But Lin Changshu didn’t give them a chance, directly closing the gate of the courtyard.

“What on earth happened?” Once the door was closed and only the family was left, the old man anxiously started asking.

Lin Changshu honestly narrated the incident that happened in the Capital City.

“Are you stupid or not?” Lin Zige sobbed. “When other people run into danger, they hide. Only fools like you would go forward. What if something happened to you, what would grandpa, your brother and sister-in-law, and I do?”

“I know what I’m doing,” Lin Ziyin replied. “See? I’m fine, right?”

“Does big sister know martial arts?” Lin Changting looked at her in awe, “I want to learn it too.”

“I want to learn too,” Yanzhi chimed in, not wanting to be outdone, even though he didn’t understand much.

“Your sister doesn’t know martial arts. I was able to kill the enemy purely by taking them by surprise. However, during that fight, some unknown things sprang up in my mind, and I acted unconsciously. It seemed to work out, so if you guys want to learn, I’ll teach you. But, you can’t be afraid of hard work.” Lin Ziyin spoke while covertly observing her family’s reaction.

On the way back, she had already prepared her responses to the questions and suspicions they might have raised.

Sure enough, the moment her words came out, Lin Changshu and his father visibly relaxed.

“Sister-in-law, pass some pastries around for everyone, we have plenty.” Lin Ziyin said.

Yanzhi’s eyes sparkled at the mention of a treat.

Seeing the eagerness in her son and his uncle’s eyes, Guo Huiniang smiled and got up. She handed out pastries to them and some to the old man, but neither she nor Zige took any.

Chapter 74: Chapter 74 Building a House (2)_1 “If there’s more, offer some to the shopkeeper. It’s not often we get to enjoy pastries from the fancy restaurant. My sisters-in-law, Zige and Brother Dayou should eat as well. They didn’t eat at the restaurant.” Lin Ziyin said teasingly.

Guo Huiniang hesitated, then distributed a piece to each person in the room.

“We are manly men…” Wu Dayou was about to speak.

Ziyin shot him a glare and he swallowed the rest of his words.

“Grandpa, I want to build a house.” Ziyin said casually while eating a pastry. To those who were accustomed to fine foods, these pastries were nothing special. The only reason she took one was for Guo Huiniang and Lin Zige so they could enjoy it too.

“You see our house is about to collapse and with the heavy rains in summer, I’m not sure it will hold up.”

“I can fix it. You earned that silver with your life, I won’t take it.” Lin Changshu glanced at her and said with a frown.

He was aware the house was in poor condition, but considering the source of the silver, he wouldn’t indulge in taking his sister’s money.

“A house, don’t I also need a roof over my head?” Lin Ziyin said with a laugh.

“Since Brother thinks the silver is mine, then let’s use it to build the house as per my plans.” Lin Ziyin weighed her words before speaking.

“If we buy land to build a house, it should be named after Ziyin.” The old gentleman looked at his granddaughter and said at a leisurely pace.

Though he emphasized the importance of lineage, he never favored his granddaughter. Since Ziyin earned the money, he wouldn’t insist on giving it to his grandson.

“Fine, let’s purchase the land and build a house.” Lin Ziyin agreed with a smile.

“This evening, let’s find Uncle Lou Zheng to purchase the land.” Lin Ziyin suggested.

The old gentleman agreed by nodding.

That night, as they had brought back a lot of food and bread from the restaurant, the Lin family had rice porridge, warmed up the dishes, and had a wholesome meal together.

“You’re buying land to build a house?” Uncle Lou Zheng was slightly taken aback. The Lin family was getting rich so fast he wasn’t able to keep up.

“To be honest, Uncle Lou Zheng, you’re our elder. This time when I went into the city, despite being injured, I was rewarded with silver as a token of gratitude. With the money I’ve earned recently from selling tofu and braised meat, I plan to build a house. You’ve seen the state of our house, it’s on the verge of collapsing. Once the rainy season starts, it will be too dangerous.” Lin Ziyin explained.

“There were assassins?” The moment they heard about assassins, the Zhang family felt Ziyin was extremely lucky. The person she saved must be from a wealthy and noble family.

“I had no choice but to intervene, or we would have been killed. Those assassins don’t care if you’re innocent or not, they kill anyone they come across.” Lin Ziyin said, frowning at the memory of the bloody streets.

“You’re indeed very fortunate.” Lou Zheng commented with a nod.

Feng City was in the north, and while it received many traders, it was also infiltrated by unsavory characters from the Tatars.

Without Prince’s protection over the years, who knows how many people would have been killed already.

“Which plot of land are you thinking of buying?” Lou Zheng returned to the main topic.

“Our Lin family lives on the outskirts of the village, so I’m thinking of buying land near the west. How much is the wasteland there?” Ziyin asked.

“Unused land suitable for construction isn’t expensive. Approximately two taels of silver per acre.” Lou Zheng answered.

“Then I’ll take a hundred acres.” Lin Ziyin declared.

Upon hearing this, Lin Changshu was taken aback, feeling a sense of unease. That was far more land than they needed to build a house, it was excessive.

The old gentleman also looked up at her, but didn’t interrupt her.

“A hundred acres? Are you sure?” Lou Zheng was even more shocked, his mouth agape. A hundred acres, that would be two hundred taels of silver.

“Yes, exactly one hundred acres.” Ziyin confirmed.

With Ziyin’s adamant attitude and no objections from the Lin old man and Changshu, Lou Zheng made up his mind, “Alright, I’ll run this errand for you tomorrow. I’ll go to the government offices and get the land measured and transferred.”

“Thank you, Lou Zheng.” Ziyin thanked him politely.

“Next time you come, don’t bother bringing anything.” Lou Zheng told her sternly.

“But it’s hot out and the gift is perishable. If we don’t eat it, it will go bad. Besides, most of the time, Uncle Lou Zheng, you ask me to bring things and I can’t come up with anything.” Lin Ziyin replied with a smile.

Her words brought laughter to the Lou Zheng household.

Chapter 75: Chapter 75 Poor Mother’s Brother (1)_1 After the matters were settled, the Lin Family quickly returned due to Lin Ziyin’s injury.

“Why are we buying so much land?” Lin Changshu couldn’t help but ask, still feeling a bit low.

“I have a use for it. I’ll need a lot of space for oil pressing in the future, and a special place for the tofu shop; the current space is a bit too small,” Lin Ziyin responded.

Upon hearing Lin Ziyin’s confident reply, Lin Changshu did not inquire further.

When they got home, Guo Huiniang and the others were taken aback when they heard that Lin Ziyin had bought so much land at once.

Early the next day, the Si Family sent people over. This time, they also sent an additional carriage.

Owing to the many idle people in the village, a large crowd assembled to watch the bustle.

“Miss Lin, you saved our young master, mistress, and missy. This old servant came specifically to express our gratitude.” An old lady alighted from the carriage accompanied by two maids.

Upon hearing this, the villagers realized that the people Lin Ziyin had saved in the city the previous day were actually acquaintances. Seeing the fine silks and satins worn by the Si Family’s servants, they all began to envy.

“These are gifts from the mistress and madam,” the old lady said with a smile, waving her hand.

Immediately, the maids behind her unloaded more than a dozen rolls of cloth from the carriage. All of them were made from superior cotton patterned in beautiful colors, which made everyone gasp in awe.

Then the maids brought out a few boxes, “These pieces of jewelry are gratitude gifts for Miss.”

Although the boxes were not opened, the villagers could imagine that the contents inside were definitely of high value. Each of them gawked in surprise at the prospect of the Lin Family becoming rich.

Then the coachman unloaded some meats, rice flour, and other practical goods from the carriage.

“The old madam, madam, and mistress are being too kind.” Lin Ziyin politely expressed her gratitude, “I’ve already explained, it was a small effort.”

“Miss is kind and righteous, hence the madam wanted to send these gifts”, the old lady replied courteously. She was a bit surprised. It seemed that Miss Lin was indeed unique. Many people desire connections with the Si family, yet Lin Ziyin seemed to be pushing them away.

“Miss Lin, let’s go inside and settle the accounts,” Si Si gave Lin Ziyin a look. He was inwardly surprised, this young woman was no ordinary person, she had claimed to lack money yesterday, yet she saved the master by noon.

“Brother Si, you know many people in the city. Can you help me find a reliable tile worker?” After receiving the silver note worth one thousand and five hundred Taels, Lin Ziyin inquired further.

“Are you planning to build a house, Miss?” Si Si asked.

Lin Ziyin nodded.

“Okay.” Si Si agreed, and asked her for a rough sketch of the tools she needed.

“My old madam said if you encounter any trouble in the future, you can mention it to Si Si or you could come to our place. The old madam will be there for you,” The old lady emphasized loudly to Lin Ziyin in front of the villagers before leaving.

“Thank you, old madam. If I encounter any difficulties, I will surely call on you,” Lin Ziyin replied courteously. She knew that the old lady was trying to establish her reputation within the village, so she played along.

The villagers who had ill intentions towards the Lin Family were scared and didn’t dare to say anything.

Having a member of your family assassinated in itself signifies a certain status, who would dare to offend the big family’s bad luck?

After sending off the old servant from the Si Family, the Lin family returned to their courtyard and closed the door, and began to open the boxes.