Ch. 86..90: The Princess of Northern Land Chapter 86-90

Chapter 86 Vegetarian Feast (2)_1 Speaking to this extent, Lin Ziyin had no intention of concealing anything.

“Amitabha, I admire the benefactor for her kind heart and wisdom. However, such a major matter as privately cooked food, can’t be solely decided by this humble monk. Please, benefactors, wait a moment for me to consult with the abbot,” Master Hui Lian said.

“Alright.” Lin Ziyin nodded.

After Master Hui Lian left, one little monk served them incense tea and then retreated.

“Sister, do you really have a thousand menus in hand?” With no one else around, Lin Changshu asked her anxiously.

“Of course I do, brother don’t worry.” Lin Ziyin nodded, giving him a reassuring glance.

“That’s a relief.” Lin Changshu exhaled, no longer pursuing the matter.

Master Hui Lian came back after a long absence, accompanied by five or six other masters, one of whom was Master Hui Zhen who the Lin siblings knew.

“Are there any other conditions the benefactor would lay out for granting favors to Ding’an Temple?” The abbot looked at her, his eyes piercing.

“The menus and training will be my responsibility, but the temple must provide the room and chefs,” Lin Ziyin laid out her conditions.

There’s no such thing as a free lunch in the world!

The monks looked at each other after hearing her words, but it was only Master Hui Lian who spoke. “With the people and room provided by us, it seems like we get less of a share of the profit,” he said.

“What the master sees is just the tip of the iceberg, have you considered other business opportunities that privately cooked meals might bring?” Lin Ziyin asked lightly with a smile. The suggestion implied that the business deal was possible. “Well-cooked hospitality attracts more pilgrims. Don’t these numerous pilgrims need a place to stay and eat, let alone sightseeing in the temple? The vacant land on the left of the temple can be used to build rows of houses for lodging and catering. Of course, all the money earned from the inn goes to you.”

Master Hui Lian was rendered speechless from this counterargument. Indeed, no pilgrim would come to a temple empty-handed.

“You could also build some small shops for selling incense and candles. As for how to make candles, of course, you monks have to find your own partners,” Lin Ziyin said with a smile.

Master Hui Lian’s eyes lit up. Yes, if the temple acts as Lin Ziyin suggested, there’d be no worry about the temple’s expenditures for a whole year, and even the meals of the monks could be improved. The martial monks in the temple got especially excited at the talk of additional funding for their training.

“If the master agrees, I suggest hiring Master Yin who built our house. He can install firewalls in the rooms to keep them warm, even in winter,” Lin Ziyin added naturally after observing everyone’s reactions.

“Warm rooms all year round?” Master Hui Lian was joyful again.

“Yes, it’s warm,” Lin Ziyin nodded.

“Abbot, what do you think?” Being thoroughly persuaded by Lin Ziyin, Master Hui Lian turned to the abbot in excitement, waiting for his final decision.

“Amitabha, let’s leave this matter to Master Hui Lian and Hui Guang,” the abbot folded his hands in prayer to make the final decision.

“In that case, I want to sign a contract with you all tomorrow and rely on you to handle the matter with the Wang residence,” Lin Ziyin said.

“Amitabha,” the abbot replied, “Hui Ming, please make a visit to the Wang residence.”

“Yes, abbot,” monk Hui Ming replied.

After the abbot left, Lin Ziyin discussed the specific details and rules with the remaining monks before leaving Ding’an Temple together with Lin Changshu.

Until they left the market, Lin Changshu was still in a daze – he never expected that the impossible, in his mind, was realized by Lin Ziyin with ease.

Chapter 87 A Recurrence of Groundless Worries (1)_1 All things considered, their trip had been intriguing but uneventful.

Lin Ziyin, in a good mood, went to the butcher’s to collect some offal and bought some pork belly to take back home.

“Those folks won’t come to stir up trouble again, will they?” Lin Changshu couldn’t help feeling a bit uneasy thinking about the two formidable women back at the teahouse.

“No worries.” Lin Ziyin answered, “If Ding’an Temple wants to cooperate with us, they will find a way to deal with that issue. By the way, bro, once we have enough silver, let’s buy a cow and a cart.”

“Good plan.” Lin Changshu readily agreed as he sat on the cart. They needed to go out frequently for their business and having to rely on borrowing Lou Zheng’s cart every time was inconvenient. Besides, to a farmer, a cow was an important asset.

Furthermore, it seemed that his sister didn’t like to walk. Understanding that Lin Ziyin would happily jog every day with the two kids on hilly roads but not venture to the market, Lin Changshu couldn’t help but shake his head. Ever since his sister woke up, he felt like he didn’t know Ziyin anymore.

Because they had spent a lot of time at the market, by the time the siblings returned to the village by cart, many villagers had already finished dinner. Seeing them return in a cart carrying baskets, many looked enviously at them.

“Changshu, you bought quite a few things?” A friendly villager greeted them.

“Just a bit of salt and meat, the rest is offal.” Lin Changshu replied with a smile.

Living in the village, as long as the others bore no malice, Lin Changshu wanted to maintain good relations with everyone.

“You are truly skilled, the offal from your house doesn’t have any strange smell.” A villager complimented with a laugh.

“Ha ha, it’s all Hui Niang’s doing. I don’t really know.” When commercial secrets were involved, Lin Changshu wasn’t foolish and tactfully skimmed over the issue with laughter.

“Here, six copper coins.” At the village entrance, he handed the coin to the cart driver and, without wanting to continue the conversation, shouldered his basket and walked home with Lin Ziyin.

“Why are you only back now?” Lin Zige greeted them with the two children. She immediately asked upon seeing them.

“Let’s talk at home. We were delayed by something.” Lin Changshu didn’t want to elaborate in front of the villagers.

Upon hearing this, Lin Zige quickly transferred Ziyin’s basket to her own back and refrained from asking more.

“Here.” Lin Ziyin gave the two children a handful of rice candy.

The two kids were immediately overjoyed and each took her hand to make their way home.

“Changshu, Ziyin, you’re only back now?” As they passed the Bai family house, Bai’s mother was amusing her grandson Dunzi. Upon seeing them, she greeted them.

“Well, got delayed at the market because of some issue.” Lin Ziyin replied with a smile and then handed a bunch of rice candy to Dunzi.

“Why give it to Changting and Yanzhi, what did he do to deserve it?” Small treats were rarities for rural folks, so Bai’s mother quickly tried to stop her.

However, Dunzi was excited and couldn’t take his eyes off the candy. Though he was a good child, and since mother hadn’y agreed he did not reach out for it.

“Madam, if you’re going to be polite, I’ll be upset. Mr. Bai and his family have helped us heaps, haven’t we also helped you without any hesitation.” Pretending to be miffed, Lin Ziyin stuffed the candy into Dunzi’s pocket.

“Right, insist on being polite and we’ll repay you once our greens are ready.” Zige, being more forthright, added with a laugh.

“Alright, I’ll accept.” Bai’s mother agreed with a smile.

“Speaking of which, madam, I’d actually like to borrow some greens from you later. I want to make some buns.” Lin Ziyin unabashedly added.

Chapter 88: Chapter 88 A Recurrence of Groundless Worries (2)_1 “Alright, we don’t have much, but we have plenty of vegetables in our house for both our families to eat.” Granny Bai happily agreed.

“Dunzi, come over to our place and play with Changting and Yanzhi. Tonight, we’ll all have buns together.” Lin Ziyin encouraged Changting to bring Dunzi along.

Upon hearing he could have buns, Dunzi’s eyes lit up immediately. The child was only five years old, an age when he was particularly eager for food.

“Look at you, drooling at the mention of good food.” Granny Bai tapped her grandson on the head but agreed to let him play with Yanzhi and the others.

Hence, Bai Dunzi, bouncing with excitement, entered the Lin family’s yard with Yanzhi and Changting.

“Are they back yet?” Guo Huiniang was worried when she saw that it was past noon, and her siblings hadn’t returned. Seeing that they were home, she finally felt relieved. “Wash your hands, time to eat.”

After Dunzi had his food, he was focused on eating candy. Lin Ziyin pulled him over to the table, gave him a small serving of rice, and scooped him some egg soup.

“Some things happened.” Lin Changshu explained what had happened while eating.

“Doing business with Ding’an Temple?” Everyone was taken aback, seemingly unable to believe their own ears.

“Yes, we will be signing the agreement tomorrow.” Lin Ziyin said.

“That’s great. With Ding’an Temple protecting us, we won’t have to worry about anyone trying to steal our business.” Lin Zige said excitedly.

“This is Ziyin’s business, the Lin Family will not interfere and none of you are allowed to envy her.” The old master glanced at Ziyin before saying.

“Of course.” Guo Huiniang immediately agreed.

This time Lin Ziyin did not object. It wasn’t out of greed, but sometimes giving too much could hurt the bond between siblings. Having more silver was generally beneficial, but it could also turn into a bad thing.

When she had more silver, she could buy more land for her siblings.

“Miss Lin, please.” When Si Si came over to transport goods on the second day, he respectfully invited Lin Ziyin to ride in his carriage, offering her a ride. “The carriage will pass by Ding’an Temple.”

Lin Changshu was curious as to how he knew they were headed to the market.

Lin Ziyin wasn’t surprised. The Si family were faithful followers of Prince Ling. She figured the message from the monk the day before must have reached them.

“Thank you.” She courteously replied before boarding the carriage with Lin Changshu and Dayou.

The carriage, loaded with goods and passengers, sped off.

The old master let out a heavy sigh at the front door and then walked back into the house with his head lowered.

“My lord.” Suddenly, halfway through their journey, the carriage came to a halt.

Lin Ziyin slightly furrowed her brow.

“Why did we stop? We haven’t arrived yet.” Dayou asked in surprise.

“Get out.” A furious voice came from outside the carriage.

Lin Changshu and Wu Dayou looked at each other in concern, while Lin Ziyin was the first to jump out of the carriage.

“What are you plotting?” Before Lin Ziyin could steady herself, Si Jinhan, donned in white, had already tightened his grip around her neck. His face was ferocious, and his eyes fixated on Lin Ziyin like a venomous snake.

“Let her go.” Lin Changshu and Wu Dayou, who had just descended from the carriage, were shocked at the sight and immediately rushed over to try and pry loose Si Jinhan’s hand.

Despite Si Jinhan’s lean appearance, he was surprisingly strong. Lin Changshu and Wu Dayou were no match for him and could not get him to let go.

“My lord, she’s just a commoner.” Seeing Lin Ziyin’s face turning blue and her breath becoming labored, Si Si panicked. Ignoring the boundaries between a master and his servant, he knelt down to plead for Lin Ziyin’s life.

“Coward.” Barely able to breathe, Lin Ziyin struggled to spit out the two words.

“Seeking death.” Si Jinhan let go of his grip, sending her crashing to the ground.

Lin Changshu and Wu Dayou immediately helped her up.

“Who did you call a coward?” Si Jinhan, with a chilling aura emanating from his body, stared down at Lin Ziyin.

“It’s obviously you.” Lin Ziyin decided to take a gamble. She realized that Si Jinhan genuinely wanted her dead. This suspicious and ruthless man might really take her life if she didn’t handle the situation well. Showing weakness seemed useless; she might as well take a wild gamble. No matter what, she had to protect her brothers.

Chapter 89: Signing the Agreement (1)_1 “Since you covet our tofu recipe, why didn’t you dare to negotiate directly with our Lin Family, but instead let two women threaten us? Now that you see I have found a backup, you even desire to silence us by murder. Are there any laws left in the eyes of the Si Family?” Lin Ziyin struck first.

“Those two women are his people?” Lin Changshu opened his eyes wide in surprise.

“What women?” Si Jinhan asked, frowning. He stared at Lin Changshu and Lin Ziyin. All he saw was surprise on one face and disdain on the other, while Wu Dayou standing beside them wore an angry face.

The expressions of the three of them did not seem to be feigned, and his heart suddenly sank.

In fact, he hadn’t been in Feng City for the past two days and wasn’t clear about what had happened in the Lin Family. All he knew was that as of this morning, the Lin Family was planning to cooperate with the Prince, which immediately reminded him of how Lin Ziyin had saved himself last time.

How could a country bumpkin appear in front of them again and again? Si Jinhan’s first thought was that the Lin Family was hiding something.

“Did you not dare to admit what you did?” Seeing his confusion, Lin Ziyin immediately pressed on.

She knew very well that the two women who had harassed her had nothing to do with Si Jinhan, but in order to dispel Si Jinhan’s suspicion, she felt she had to give him a reason, or rather, a way out.

“What women? Don’t you dare frame me.” Si Jinhan’s gloomy voice resonated loudly across the open field.

“No? If not, I can hardly figure out why you wanted to kill us midway. Isn’t it all because you are coveting our family’s recipe?” Lin Ziyin wouldn’t let go of this excuse.

“That trivial thing, this young master wouldn’t even bother to glance at. However, you guys, why are you approaching the Prince?” Si Jinhan came back to his senses, his eyes seeming colder as he looked at Lin Ziyin. Just now, he was nearly led astray by this cunning woman. It was the first time anyone had managed to sway his thoughts.

“When did we ever intend to get close to the Prince? We haven’t even seen what the Prince looks like.” Lin Ziyin protested, “If you hadn’t sent people to threaten us for the recipe, we wouldn’t have willingly given away our silver. By the way, those two women did mention the Si Family’s name. You can’t deny it.”

“Younger sister, I remember. Yesterday those two women did indeed mention the Si Family.” Lin Changshu confirmed. At this moment, he and Wu Dayou were both extremely anxious, fearing that Si Jinhan might lose control and hurt Lin Ziyin.

“We just wanted to find a backer in Ding’an Temple. As for the Prince, we’re merely taking advantage because he happened to be there to bear witness.” Lin Ziyin continued, “If it weren’t for the threat from the two women yesterday, I would rather make money quietly on my own.”

What a money-grubber! Hearing Lin Ziyin’s incessant talk about silver and profit, Si Jinhan glanced at her with disgust.

Lin Ziyin seemed to be getting more agitated the more she spoke, her face contorted in righteous indignation. She noted Si Jinhan’s disdain for her. Truth be told, if the circumstances were different, she would relish the opportunity to glare daggers at Si Jinhan.

This man in front of her was the epitome of a narcissistic and paranoid individual. Despite her being an innocent civilian, in his eyes she seemed to have sinister intentions.

“You are sure you just want to seek the protection of the Prince?” Si Jinhan asked darkly, deciding to carry out a thorough investigation after returning to see if the women mentioned by the Lin siblings indeed existed.

If anyone dares to cause trouble under the banner of the Si family, he, Si Jinhan, would be the first to not let them off the hook.

“I suppose so, I would rather have Ding’an Temple as my backer. As for the Prince, we’ll just have a contract ceremony today, and from then on, we won’t have any chances to meet him. What ill intentions could we possibly have towards him? If Master Si is not at ease, you are free to come and watch.” Lin Ziyin finished all in one breath.

Chapter 90: Signing the Agreement (2)_1 “Alright, I will go with you and see.” Even without Lin Ziyin asking, Si Jinhan would have gone anyway.

So both parties temporarily maintained peace, and the Lin Ziyin siblings got back onto the carriage.

“How are you feeling?” In the carriage, Lin Changshu noticed the red marks on her neck and felt extremely distressed.

Wu Dayou stared angrily out of the carriage window. He vowed that he would train hard in martial arts once he returned. He was determined never to let Ziyin’s sister get hurt again. These rich people were insane, always resorting to violence against ordinary folks like them.

Si Jinhan stared gloomily at the carriage for the whole journey. Don’t assume that he was swayed by Lin Ziyin’s few words. At this moment, countless thoughts raced through his mind. At one moment, he considered killing Lin Ziyin immediately to save trouble in the future, at another, he was contemplating who to catch and how to punish them.

This complex, contradictory, and sinister thinking persisted until he reached the gates of Ding’an Temple, where he realised that he no longer had the opportunity to harm Lin Ziyin.

That’s because Master Hui Lian, along with several monks, had been waiting at the entrance for them.

Why did Master Hui Lian have to personally greet a few mere villagers? Si Jinhan thought Master Hui Lian was a monk who couldn’t understand the situation, and gave him a cold glance.

Master Hui Lian seemed oblivious to his cold gaze. After quickly greeting him, his attention never left Lin Ziyin. “Benefactor, the prince has arrived early. He’s been waiting for you.”

“I apologize for my tardiness,” Lin Ziyin replied with an apologetic tone, without mentioning the unexpected incident of being robbed by Si Jinhan.

“Let’s go, Benefactor.” Master Hui Lian was a person of hasty disposition. He failed to notice the sullen expressions on Lin Changshu’s and Wu Dayou’s faces and urged Lin Ziyin to hurry in.

Lin Ziyin quickened her pace to follow him, and the group entered the meditation room together.

In the meditation room, the cold and aloof Chu Suifeng was sitting at the head of the table, sipping tea with the abbot. Hearing their footsteps, they simultaneously looked up towards the entrance.

“Brother Abbot, Prince, our guests are here.” A beaming Hui Lian announced as he entered.

“How could we miss such a rare and good event?” Si Jinhan walked over to Chu Suifeng’s side with a grin and sat down.

“Amitabha.” The Abbot put his palms together, “Serve tea to the Third Prince and Benefactor Lin.”

“Master Abbot, Prince.” Seeing no surprise in Chu Suifeng’s gaze, Lin Ziyin courteously greeted the people at the head of the table. Then she continued, “Now that everyone is here, why don’t we have the prince and the master examine the agreement I have drafted.”

As she spoke, she took out a few crumpled sheets of paper from her bosom and handed them over.

Si Jinhan glanced at the papers with disgust before looking disdainfully at Lin Ziyin.

Chu Suifeng’s expression remained aloof, but he was closely observing Lin Ziyin’s reactions. As for Lin Changshu and Wu Dayou, he didn’t pay much attention to them. He instinctively felt that the actual head of the Lin family was this seemingly unimpressive young girl.

Lin Ziyin respectfully passed the agreement to the Abbot first.

After receiving it, Abbot carefully read it once. Then he passed it to Chu Suifeng, “Please read it, Prince.”

Chu Suifeng read the agreement carefully. Si Jinhan, who seemed very curious about the agreement, craned his neck to take a look.

“I seem to have gotten a good bargain.” After finishing, Chu Suifeng looked at Lin Ziyin and spoke self-mockingly.

“The prince worries too much. Although the prince doesn’t have to manage the business, you’ll inevitably face many envious people once the business prospers. By that time, the prince will need to protect us. For instance, once this agreement comes into effect, the prince must help us deal with those competing for land.” Lin Ziyin spoke frankly. She knew that, for someone as mistrustful as Chu Suifeng or Si Jinhan who were in positions of power, direct language was more persuasive than roundabout speech.

“Before the negotiation even starts, you already dare to scheme that the prince will work for you?” Si Jinhan burst into laughter, which was exaggerated and mocking. “What if the prince refuses?”

“If the prince refuses, it doesn’t matter.” Lin Ziyin responded, “The peasants in the countryside have always relied on the land for their livelihood. I think with the one thousand taels of silver from selling the land, the Lin family can still live decently in the future. We don’t aim to be extremely rich or noble, but we’re content with leading a comfortable life.”