Ch. 91..95: The Princess of Northern Land Chapter 91-95

Chapter 91: The Downcast Man (1)_1 “Is it really that simple?” Si Jinhan asked, not believingly staring at her.

Lin Ziyin was forthright, without a hint of guilt.

“Are you sure you can extract vegetable oil?” Chu Suifeng, who had remained silent, suddenly spoke up, interrupting the undercurrent between Lin Ziyin and Si Jinhan.

“There shouldn’t be a problem. However, regarding the private-dish matter, it will have to wait until after autumn. Because some condiments can only be made when the weather turns cold.” Lin Ziyin explained respectfully.

“Master Fang Zhang, what do you think?” Chu Suifeng turned his head to ask Fang Zhang.

“Benefactor Lin has the temple’s interests at heart, I am truly grateful. If possible, I hope the prince could be a witness.” Master Fang Zhang said.

Chu Suifeng nodded, “Since Master Fang Zhang has no objections, I am willing to participate as a witness.”

Lin Changshu was thrilled. Who would have thought that just a few words would seal the partnership deal?

“Master Hui Lian, have someone make three copies to bring here.” Master Fang Zhang handed the agreement to the anxious Master Hui Lian.

“Yes”, Hui Lian took it joyfully.

“Wait a moment,” Lin Ziyin interrupted, capturing everyone’s perplexed gaze, she calmly said, “I would like more copies, the extra copy will be posted in the private room at the restaurant.”

The moment Chu Suifeng and Si Jinhan heard this remark, their eyes narrowed.

“You’re really a suspicious person, do you think the prince and the master would deceive you?” Si Jinhan snorted displeasedly.

“Of course, I trust the integrity of the temple’s masters and the prince. I am afraid, however, of the precious nature of human words, especially from those with dubious intentions, who might stab us in the back and destroy the Lin Family. That would really be a wrongful death, don’t you agree, Master Si?” Lin Ziyin replied unperturbedly, “By posting the agreement publicly, it will put those with ulterior motives in check and avoid unnecessary hassles.”

Upon hearing this, Si Jinhan instantly understood that she was hinting at his nosiness and his suspicious nature. What a petty girl!

“A gentleman is magnanimous. Oh, right, I forgot, Miss Lin, you are only a woman after all.” Si Jinhan sneered at Lin Ziyin.

Is he insinuating her to be petty and hard to raise because she’s a woman? Lin Ziyin replied with a smile on her face,”You make a fair point, Master Si. Indeed, I’m just a woman and naturally cannot consider things as thoroughly as you do.”

Si Jinhan was dumbfounded, a smart-aleck indeed, implying that he was inferior to a woman.

Chu Suifeng had been rather amused watching the silent battle between Lin Ziyin and Si Jinhan. Up to this point, his curiosity about Lin Ziyin outweighed his suspicions.

“Master Fang Zhang, the copies are ready.” After a while, a delighted Hui Lian handed over the four duplicated agreements.

Master Fang Zhang glanced at them and then signed his name. He asked Hui Lian to affix the temple’s seal, then it was Lin Ziyin’s turn.

She also wrote down her name. However, without a private seal, she directly pressed her own thumbprint. It was Chu Suifeng’s turn; he took the agreement and read it hastily. When he saw Lin Ziyin’s neat and delicate handwriting, he was silently amazed.

A country girl could write such beautiful characters? His curiosity about Lin Ziyin grew even more.

“Master, Your Highness, we need to get back to making tofu. We will excuse ourselves now.” Lin Ziyin took her copy, quickly tucked it into her bosom, and then hastily announced her departure.

This action finally earned her a point of satisfaction from Si Jinhan.

“Amitabha.” Master Fang Zhang clasped his hands together and had Hui Lian see them out.

“That scared me.” Upon exiting the temple’s gate, Wu Dayou said as he let out a sigh of relief.

Chapter 92: The Downcast Man (2)_1 “So the guest that day was the Prince.” Lin Changshu’s back was drenched with sweat.

Lin Ziyin gave a slight smile, “The Prince is also a human, all we want is to earn silver, what else has to do with us? So you guys don’t need to be so nervous, just do our part. Besides, the Prince will not have anything to do with private kitchen deals in the future, and we won’t either. So, there won’t be many chances to meet.”

“Ziyin is right.” Lin Changshu nodded hard, yeah, just do their part, no matter if he is a prince or not.

“Let’s take the goods and go back.” He cared about the business at home, so he was in a hurry to get back.

“Not in a hurry.” Lin Ziyin replied with a smile, “I want to go to the market and see something. The oil mill still needs some things to buy.”

“Okay, then let’s go and have a look.” When Lin Changshu heard that she wanted to buy something, he immediately agreed.

The three walked forward along the street, with Lin Ziyin walking and looking around.

Since the business was successful, she didn’t feel the burden in her heart. Therefore, she walked all the way with a leisurely mind for shopping. She seemed to be more relaxed.

Wu Dayou and Lin Changshu didn’t know what she wanted to buy and didn’t rush her.

“Buying pastries again?” Seeing Ziyin walk into the pastry shop during her stroll, Lin Changshu quickly pulled her.

“The kids are growing, the grandfather is weak, buying some snacks for them is not a loss, besides, it won’t cost much silver.” Lin Ziyin opened her mouth with a smile, “Shopkeeper, give me two catties of rice candy and two catties of dried fruits.”

“Well, well.” The shopkeeper, seeing the business coming to him, had a face full of smiles, “The young lady is very filial.”

Lin Ziyin smiled faintly and ignored his flattery.

After the three people came out of the shop, “Brother, do you know where to buy hemp rope?” Lin Ziyin asked.

“There is a shop selling it up ahead.” Wu Dayou answered.

“Let’s go and have a look. We need to buy a lot later.” Lin Ziyin said.

“Sure.”

“Discount sale, all are top-quality goods. Don’t miss it.” Suddenly, a shout came from the market ahead.

Lin Ziyin looked up and saw a large group of people all gathered together.

“What is so lively?” Lin Ziyin asked.

“Perhaps there are merchants selling goods at a low price.” Wu Dayou answered quickly, “Some foreign people or voyagers returning from the sea, if they miscalculate, they would sell their goods at a low price.”

“Why don’t they sell it in the city?” Lin Ziyin asked curiously. According to reason, goods from Nanyang and even further places brought by merchants were supposed to be scarce and therefore valuable and easy to sell.

“There is a city law that prohibits selling defective goods in the city. Some merchants even bring stagnated goods to the market to sell. Even though Ding’an Temple market is just a market, many merchants come and go. See how crowded the street is every day? If the goods brought by a merchant catch another merchant’s eyes, the price would not be cheap. There are also some people who come here specifically to buy cheap goods.” Wu Dayou explained in detail.

“Let’s go over and take a look.” Lin Ziyin did not expect that in the feudal ancient times, there was already a so-called “foreign goods market”. Really, there is no merchant that is not cunning!

“The crowd is huge, let’s not squeeze into it.” Lin Changshu hesitated a little.

“It’s fine.” Lin Ziyin replied with a smile.

Seeing her enthusiasm, the few people simply squeezed into the crowd.

Lin Ziyin squeezed to the front and saw a group of merchants standing in line. In front of them were all sorts of goods: cloth with novel patterns, flowers, mirrors, a variety of wool products, and even excellent jewelry.

Upon seeing the goods, Lin Ziyin was somewhat speechless. Such precious gems were actually boldly displayed on the market, and they didn’t even fear being robbed.

Soon, Lin Changshu and Wu Dayou were dazzled by the array of goods.

Lin Ziyin looked for a while, but quickly lost interest. These things, in modern times, what she had seen were much more delicate than the goods in front of her.

Suddenly, she was attracted by something on the side. Sitting there was a slim teenager. In front of him were a few bags of seeds, and in his arms were a few pots of “flowers”. He sat dejectedly among the bearded businessmen.

Chapter 93 Borrow Silver(1)_1 “How much are these items?” Lin Ziyin crouched down before the blue-eyed boy.

The boy looked up, his eyes vacant as they met Lin Ziyin’s gaze.

Upon hearing Lin Ziyin’s question, Lin Changshu and Wu Dayou squeezed their way to her side, “What do you need these items for?”

Looking at the fair-skinned boy with blue eyes and yellow hair, they both became nervous. They had heard rumors that some formidable alien clans would transform into man-eating demons during the full moon, and they did not know if it was true.

Though they had never witnessed such a thing, they chose to believe it after hearing countless stories.

“I’m asking how much for these seeds?” Lin Ziyin noticed the boy had not responded and braced herself to ask again.

“Miss, I’d advise against buying them.” An onlooking merchant tried to dissuade her. “People have brought these seeds from Nanyang before, but unfortunately, even in the vast Daqin Empire, let alone our Northern Land, no one has been able to grow them. You’d be wasting your silver if you bought them.”

“Indeed, even the head of the agricultural department failed to grow them.” Someone chimed in.

Lin Ziyin smiled and thanked everyone for their kind intentions. “I’m just curious, and if they’re not too expensive, I’d like to buy some and try growing them in my backyard. If they do grow, I’d love to see what they turn into.”

Seeing her determination, no one tried to dissuade her further.

“Fifty taels.” The boy finally spoke up gruffly, “I’ll give them all to you.”

He pointed at the seeds, “These for fifty taels.”

Then he pointed to the three potted plants in his arms.

“Ziyin, don’t listen to him. A handful of seeds for fifty taels of silver, that’s daylight robbery!” Wu Dayou exclaimed alarmingly.

“Ziyin, let’s leave.” Even Lin Changshu advised her against it.

“Alright, I’ll take them all. However, I don’t have the money on me right now. Would you mind waiting for a while? During this time, you cannot sell the seeds to anyone else.” Lin Ziyin said to the boy earnestly.

The boy’s eyes lit up at her sincere look, then he nodded vigorously.

“Brother, you go to the temple and borrow a hundred taels of silver from the Host. Hurry!” Lin Ziyin urged Lin Changshu.

“You really want to buy?” Lin Changshu panicked. Spending a hundred taels of silver just to buy some seeds was exorbitant.

“Brother.” Lin Ziyin’s voice elevated.

“Elder brother.” Wu Dayou looked at Lin Changshu helplessly. In his heart, spending a hundred taels of silver on seeds seemed wasteful, especially when everyone claimed these seeds wouldn’t grow in the Northern Land. The silver might as well be thrown into a river. Yet, seeing Lin Ziyin’s displeasure, he felt reluctant. He was caught in a dilemma.

“Alright, you wait here.” Seeing Lin Ziyin’s displeasure and urgency, Lin Changshu finally relented, gritting his teeth.

“I’ll buy these items.” Suddenly, a playful voice rang out from the side.

Wu Dayou and the others looked up, only to find Si Jinhan, the eccentric, with Chu Suifeng standing beside him.

“Your High…” Wu Dayou and Lin Changshu were surprised and about to pay their respects.

However, before they could finish their greetings, Si Jinhan interrupted them with a stern look, “No more formalities.”

Wu Dayou and Lin Changshu were so frightened that they dared not utter another word.

“I’ll take these, one hundred and fifty taels of silver.” Si Jinhan proposed to the boy, smirking, but his gaze was challenging when he looked at Lin Ziyin.

The boy’s eyes lit up.

“Are you planning to break your promise?” Lin Ziyin confronted the boy, who seemed ready to go back on his word.

The boy was startled, only then remembering his previous conversation with Lin Ziyin. For a moment, he seemed confused.

Chapter 94 Borrow Silver(2)_1 “Traders do business by selling to the highest bidder, especially when you don’t have any silver on you.” As soon as Si Jinhan spoke, he paved a clear path for the youth.

The youth once again hesitated, observing Lin Ziyin, then gestured towards her, “One stick of incense time, no money, sell them.”

Lin Ziyin nodded and urged Lin Changshu to hurry to Ding’an Temple to borrow money.

“Si Si, make a trip to the temple.” Si Jinhan gleefully ordered the guard by his side.

Upon hearing this, the guard immediately turned around and dashed off, moving much faster than Lin Changshu.

Lin Ziyin was secretly furious. Si Jinhan was simply insane, dispatching someone to the temple at this moment. There was no need to guess what he was plotting.

“Master Chu, may I borrow a hundred taels of silver from you?” Spontaneously, Lin Ziyin asked Chu Suifeng.

Chu Suifeng had been watching Si Jinhan bully Lin Ziyin. He hadn’t expected Lin Ziyin to ask him for help.

“Will you be able to repay it? And when do you plan to?” Si Jinhan asked with a sinister smirk.

The Lin family were truly detestable. They professed to distance themselves from the Prince, but turned to borrow money from him at the first opportunity. Perhaps borrowing money was merely a pretext; ingratiating themselves with the Prince was the actual intention?

“I promise to repay the silver by the new year, and I can write a promissory note for you. If I am unable to repay by then, I am willing to…”

“Willing to sell yourself to serve in the Residence?” Bellittling Lin Ziyin, Si Jinhan’s facial expression changed dramatically, his smile playing hide and seek with his glare.

Chu Suifeng gave him a fleeting sideways glance.

Si Jinhan’s expression darkened even further as he watched Lin Ziyin.

“I’m willing to sell my tofu recipes as compensation,” Lin Ziyin finished calmly, “Master Si, are you still worried that I won’t repay the money?”

“Give her the silver.” Chu Suifeng ordered his guard nonchalantly.

The guard promptly handed a silver note worth a hundred taels to Lin Ziyin.

“Sabotaging my plans?” Si Jinhan asked Chu Suifeng with faux grievance.

“Is continuous humiliation amusing?” Chu Suifeng murmured, “Perhaps it might bring good fortune in the future.”

What good fortune? Si Jinhan followed Chu Suifeng’s gaze to find Lin Ziyin spending the hundred-tael note to buy all the seeds from the youth, including the three pots of green fruits.

Did Lin Ziyin, just a farmer’s girl, really think she could grow something worthwhile? Si Jinhan sneered disdainfully.

“Thank you, Master Chu. I’ll make out an IOU for you right away,” she responded.

“No need, just deduct it from future business transactions,” Chu Suifeng said before coolly walking away with his guard.

“You should remember your own words,” Si Jinhan sneered menacingly at Lin Ziyin as he left.

“I always keep my word. However, I hope you too will remember your promises, Si. I am eagerly waiting for the tools,” Lin Ziyin retorted bluntly.

“Ziyin.” Lin Changshu, fearful of provoking Si Jinhan, attempted to appease her by tugging on the sleeve of her garment.

“Ziyin, now that we’ve bought the goods, let’s go back quickly,” Wu Dayou added, worried for her.

After her outburst, Lin Ziyin felt a hint of regret. How could she have lost her composure over Si Jinhan’s provocative remarks? Inciting Si Jinhan was certainly not a smart move, considering she was in Feng City and Si Jinhan was notoriously unpredictable.

“Of course I remember. Si Si will deliver the tools ten days from now.” Surprisingly Si Jinhan managed to contain his anger. He gritted his teeth in reply before striding off with his guard.

“You really should watch your temper,” Lin Changshu sighed once Si Jinhan had left, then he started to lecture her earnestly.

“I understand my mistake, I’ll be careful next time,” Lin Ziyin admitted quietly.

“Ziyin knows her limits in dealing with matters. Big brother, stop criticising her,” Wu Dayou tried to mediate. “It’s getting late. We should buy the rest of the things and go home.”

Seeing Lin Ziyin’s submissive and pitiful demeanor, Lin Changshu’s anger dissipated.

He gave a long sigh and said, “Let’s go.”

The three of them then struggled their way out of the crowd, carrying their bags and plants.

Chapter 95: Chapter 95: Discovering a Surprise (1)_1 The trio bought the offal and borrowed a carrying basket from the butcher to pack their things and prepare for their return journey.

They had borrowed the Si family’s horse cart for the outbound trip, but for the return journey, Lin Ziyin insisted that they rent a bullock cart, unwilling to not treat herself well.

By the time they returned to the village, the sun was directly overhead. Some villagers had been waiting at the village entrance already, curious to see what the siblings had bought this time.

“Pig offal again?” Some looked on with envy, while others scoffed disdainfully.

“What’s all this?” A villager asked Lin Changshu, who was carrying a basket on his back containing bags of items.

“These are some seeds.” said Lin Ziyin.

“What kind of seeds?” Learning that they were seeds, villagers who lived off the land became even more curious, and many crowded around to get a better look.

“I’m not sure, but I was told they came from Nanyang. They were selling them cheap, so I bought them out of curiosity. A bag of seeds for 200 Wen,” Ziyin intentionally lowered the price when she spoke, knowing better than to show off her wealth. If the villagers learned that she had spent fifty taels of silver on these seeds, she would have trouble keeping the peace at home.

“Two hundred Wen?” one person murmured. The Lin family lass had a knack for squandering fortune. A pound of meat only costs twenty Wen. A bag of these seeds was worth more than ten times its weight in fat.

“I’ve heard seeds from Nanyang cannot be grown in Feng City. Changshu, why didn’t you stop Ziyin from buying it?” Some friend of the Lin family asked Lin Changshu sympathetically.

“I bought it first. My brother and the others only found out about it later.” Lin Ziyin feigned chagrin, taking all the blame onto herself. “Had I known they couldn’t be grown, I wouldn’t have bought them! Brother, Dayou, did you not tell me on purpose to spare my feelings?”

Lin Changshu and Wu Dayou…

They had both witnessed Ziyin’s knack for bluffing on the fly. Although they knew the gravity of the situation, they tried to comfort her. “You’ve already bought them! You were only trying to help.”

“Yes, you’ve bought them already. We can’t possibly expect the seller to take them back. And those merchants were obviously unfair.” Seeing sad look on Ziyin’s face, the villagers decided to hold their tongues, despite their initial inclination to scold her for being wasteful.

“We should get going. We haven’t eaten yet,” Lin Changshu took the opportunity to shoulder his basket, grabbed Ziyin and Wu Dayou and led them away.

“The Lin family is capable, a shame they had to spawn a wastrel like Ziyin,” many of the villagers shook their heads in judgement after they left.

“Who would dare marry such a profligate girl?” someone bluntly commented.

Lin Ziyin wasn’t bothered by the gossip. When she returned home, before sitting down to eat, she lay out the seeds in the sunshine, watered her potted plants, and then settled down at the table.

“Ziyin, what are these?” Zige had been looking at them for a while, but she still could not figure out what these seeds – and the fruits grown in the pots – were.

“The yellow grains are corn, a high-yield crop that can resist drought and loves sunlight. After it matures, you can boil it, make porridge, make cakes, or even extract oil. The red prickly ones are chili peppers, which serve as a sort of spice. The longer ones are cucumbers, and these three potted fruits are called tomatoes. Both of them are delicious vegetables that can also be eaten as fruits.” Lin Ziyin explained.

Lin Changshu looked at her in surprise.

“Ziyin, do you really know?” Wu Dayou asked excitedly. “Can you grow them?”

“Yes I can,” Lin Ziyin nodded.

“The hundred taels were well spent after all.” Wu Dayou nearly shouted out in delight.

“A…A hundred taels?” Lin Zige stuttered, her eyes wide in disbelief at Lin Ziyin.