Chapter Ninety: Selling the Land

Lin Shengrong nodded with a grave expression. "Mm. We do need to make plans."

The next day, Lai Ruyu and Lin Shuimei carried their wash basins to the river to do laundry, and by chance they ran into Aunt Wu there as well, scrubbing her clothes while chatting with the people beside her.

Lai Ruyu was instantly annoyed at the sight of her. She slammed the basin down hard on a large rock, successfully drawing everyone's attention on the riverbank.

"Mother!" Lin Shuimei felt embarrassed. "What are you doing?"

"You ask me? I'd like to ask some people how they can have the cheek to eat pork and fish bought with someone else's money!" Lai Ruyu said sourly.

Aunt Wu understood at once. "Oh? The eldest Lin family's wife, are you talking about me?"

"If I'm not talking about you, then who?" Lai Ruyu snapped back. "How can you have the nerve to take things from our Lin family?"

"Now that's interesting. The pork and fish were given to me by Miss Sang Qian, and the money was spent by Miss Sang Qian too. What does that have to do with you? Why are you so angry? Mind your own business!"

"You!" Lai Ruyu's voice rose. "Isn't Lin Sangqian part of our Lin family?"

Aunt Wu gave a cold laugh. "But didn't your family split long ago? How much money the third Lin family earns, and what they buy for whom—what business is that of yours? Oh, I see. You didn't get your share, so now you're furious, is that it?"

The other women burst out laughing too, looking at Lai Ruyu with disdain.

"You, you talk as if it's a joke! What good thing do they have to take advantage of? Just a bunch of paupers!" Lai Ruyu retorted stubbornly.

"Paupers, you say? The third Lin family isn't poor anymore. Didn't you see they've moved to the town? And yesterday, when Miss Sangqian came to see me, she told me her family had bought a piece of land!"

"What? Really?"

Everyone was somewhat astonished. "The third Lin family has even bought land? Where did they buy it?"

"Right in town."

The women all started talking at once, while Lai Ruyu stood there dumbfounded, her mind fixed on one thing alone: the third Lin family had actually bought land.

Shouldn't the third Lin family be dirt poor? Weren't they born to be paupers? What right did they have to buy land?

Any good thing should belong to her family instead!

Jealousy blazed in her heart, and she wanted nothing more than to swallow up the entire Lin Sangqian family on the spot.

"Mother, what's wrong?" Lin Shuimei asked nervously.

She was afraid her mother would be stunned into stupidity by the blow.

"I'm fine!" Lai Ruyu came back to herself and glared at her fiercely. "Hurry up and wash the clothes!"

Lin Shuimei pouted and began washing reluctantly, while Lai Ruyu walked up to Aunt Wu and asked coldly, "Lin Sangqian told you her family bought land?"

"That's right," Aunt Wu said.

"Where is their land?"

"Why are you asking? What reason do I have to tell you?" Aunt Wu glanced at her sidelong.

"You! I was just asking, what's the big deal? Is her family's land some precious treasure? Can't even ask?"

"Who knows whether you're plotting something nasty again?"

Lai Ruyu trembled with fury, but she did not dare offend Aunt Wu at the moment, so she forced a smile and said, "Aunt Wu, I was only curious. Besides, we're relatives of the third Lin family. What bad scheme could we possibly be up to?"

"Have you done few enough heartless things?" Aunt Wu said coldly. "Still, I'll assume you can't do much now."

With that, Aunt Wu told her the address of the plot Lin Sangqian had bought.

Lai Ruyu quietly memorized it, then hurried off to the family's fields to find Lin Shengrong.

"Mother! The laundry isn't even done yet!" Lin Shuimei cried out anxiously, but Lai Ruyu paid her no mind.

She was so anxious she nearly burst into tears. With so many clothes, was she supposed to wash them all by herself? It was outrageous!

...

Lately, Lin Sangqian had deliberately delayed by another day, and only when dinner was nearly ready did she go with Lin Wenyan to the entrance of Wanhua Restaurant.

Qian San had already been thrown into prison, but the other workers recognized her. Bao Mingzhi had instructed them that if she came, they were to invite her in.

They immediately and respectfully ushered Lin Sangqian and Lin Wenyan inside.

Someone from the opposite Fuman Restaurant naturally saw them. The young servant quickly found Yang Shi and said in a mysterious tone, "Brother Yang, guess who I just saw?"

"Who? If you've got something to say, say it. If not, get lost," Yang Shi replied carelessly while wiping a table.

"Miss Lin!"

"Really? Miss Lin is here?" Yang Shi craned his neck to look outside. "Is she here to teach another recipe?"

"She didn't come to us! She went across the street!"

Yang Shi was startled. "You mean Miss Lin went to Wanhua?"

"Exactly. I saw her go in with my own eyes. Oh, and Lin Wenyan was with her too."

Yang Shi frowned. He couldn't understand why Lin Sangqian and the others had gone to Wanhua.

"Brother Yang, do you think Miss Lin might be going to teach recipes at Wanhua Restaurant too?"

"Don't talk nonsense!" Yang Shi smacked him on the head. "Miss Lin would never do such a thing! She's worked with us for so long, and don't you know what kind of person she is? Besides, Brother Yan and I are on very good terms."

"Then what do you think they went to Wanhua Restaurant for..."

"Mind your own business! I warn you, don't go spouting nonsense in front of the manager. Understood?"

"All right, I know."

Bao Mingzhi was in his room looking over the账book when he heard that Lin Sangqian had arrived. He was instantly overjoyed and hurried to his feet.

Just then, Lin Sangqian walked in, with Lin Wenyan following behind her, his face guarded.

As soon as he heard that Lin Sangqian was coming to Wanhua, he had insisted on coming along. After all, Bao Mingzhi was the sort of man who could think up any underhanded trick.

He had already been studying martial arts with Lin Hongda for some time, and he was no longer the Lin Wenyan who had once been bullied so easily.

Still, Lin Sangqian knew very well that Bao Mingzhi did not dare lay a hand on her now.

The matter of Qian San had already implicated him. If he dared kidnap her now, the constables would be the first to suspect him.

That was why she could walk into Wanhua so calmly and confidently.

"Miss Lin, Wenyan, at last you've come," Bao Mingzhi said with a broad smile. "Come, serve tea!"

"No need for tea, Manager Bao," Lin Sangqian said. "I'm here to discuss the matter of that plot of land with you. Are you certain you want to buy it?"

"Absolutely!" Bao Mingzhi said at once. "Just sell it to me!"

"That plot of mine really isn't all that good," Lin Sangqian said with innocent concern. "Why do you want to buy it?"

Bao Mingzhi thought to himself that this damn girl was still putting on a hard front before him. Was she trying to drive the price up?

"Miss Lin, there's no need to say all that. Just name your price. I'm definitely buying this land."

Lin Sangqian let out a faint, lingering sigh. "Since Manager Bao insists, I can't help it. What price do you think is fair?"

"Then how about the one we discussed before—one hundred taels?" Bao Mingzhi asked cautiously.

Lin Sangqian showed a conflicted expression. After a long while, she finally nodded as though surrendering. "All right, then. One hundred taels. I'll sell the land to you. But..."