Chapter 95: Chapter 95: The Jin Family’s Business_1 Chapter 95: Chapter 95: The Jin Family’s Business_1 Disgusted by the stench of copper tainting the air, Lin Yuan picked up her basket and pushed the complaining man to one side, ignoring his incessant grumbling.

With a quick glance, she noticed a maid beaming with joy, leading an older woman towards her.

The woman’s clothes were modest, but she was neatly dressed with a silver hairpin on her head and a silver bracelet on her wrist.

Lin Yuan knew this woman had to be highly favored by the family head of a grand household.

“Lian’er sister, back so soon?

Did you come back because you couldn’t resist the delicious taste of my mooncakes?” Lin Yuan pushed the still grumbling gentleman into a corner with her basket and greeted the maid with a hearty laugh.

Lian’er was the maid who had just bought two pieces of mooncake to please her master.

Given her current status, Lin Yuan couldn’t speak directly to the masters and had to rely on these minor characters to bridge the gap.

And now, a major business opportunity was knocking at her door.

“Yes, young miss, your mooncakes are truly delicious.” Lian’er gestured subtly towards the older woman beside her and signaled Lin Yuan with her eyes, “This is Mother Feng from our old lady’s side, and she’s quite the favorite with the old lady.”

Lin Yuan understood immediately and quickly bent her knees in respect to the imposing Mother Feng.

This ancient form of greeting wasn’t something she was familiar with, but since she was just a village girl, she wasn’t afraid of being looked down upon.

Mother Feng, well aware of her status, didn’t fuss over the inadequacy of her greeting but instead chuckled at Lian’er: “What favorite or most favored, it seems you’re the favorite by the young lady’s side.”

The two exchanged pleasantries for a while before getting down to business.

Mother Feng, looking down from her superior position at the dwindling number of mooncakes on Lin Yuan’s stall, frowned, “Young girl, is this all the mooncakes you have left?

This isn’t enough.

We’re thinking of serving them to guests at our residence, and just for the female guests, we will have forty to fifty people.

Only having these few would be quite embarrassing.”

“Yes, indeed, we’re just not sure if you have enough mooncakes for our residence’s needs,” Lian’er said, echoing her sentiments while giving Lin Yuan suggestive looks.

Lin Yuan didn’t need any more clues.

From what Mother Feng was implying, with forty to fifty women alone, one per person certainly wouldn’t be enough.

She’d have to prepare at least a hundred or more to suffice.

This could be considered a big business deal, and indeed, Lin Yuan was eagerly hoping for such an opportunity.

It was not only a chance to earn money but also a way to provide free advertisement for her mooncakes at their banquet—why would she not embrace it?

“May I ask, Mother, from which family’s residence are you, and how many mooncakes do you require?” Although she was extremely eager for the business, Lin Yuan still maintained her smile, unhurried and calm.

Mother Feng, who had seen many people in her life, took a liking to this composed girl: “The Jin Mansion, at least two hundred.”

“The Jin Mansion?

Could it rather be the Jin Ji Vinegar Workshop?”

“You do have some insights,” Mother Feng said with added amusement on her face when Lin Yuan guessed correctly.

Lin Yuan was quite surprised to receive business from Jin Ji Vinegar Workshop; thinking of her own tofu shop only made her more eager to do well with this deal.

Initially, she thought she could just use plain vinegar for the tofu and then switch to brine, but it turned out that this brine wasn’t the same.

If she wanted to continue her tofu business, she would have to stick to plain vinegar.

Moreover, her last visit to Jin Ji Vinegar Workshop had left her with a very favorable impression, so securing this deal was like a pie falling from the sky.

After confirming the quantity and style with Mother Feng, they agreed to deliver to the back door of the Jin Mansion in three days.

Mother Feng even gave her fifty taels of silver as a deposit—a lavish gesture indeed, thirty taels more than what others would offer.

Lin Yuan knew the status of a favorite by her master’s side and handed over five taels of silver to Mother Feng, “Please have some tea on me, and I will be counting on your care in the future, Mother Feng.”

Lin Yuan was generous with five taels of silver, even more than what some rich young ladies would give as a reward.

Even Mother Feng, who was accustomed to the comings and goings in the back courtyard, couldn’t help but look at this country girl in a new light.

However, since Lin Yuan mentioned ‘in the future,’ it meant that the girl had her sights set on profiting from the Jin Mansion.

Mother Feng thought, as long as she kept her in mind for such opportunities, all would be well.

After some polite refusal, Mother Feng still smiled and slid the silver into her sleeve.

“Mother Feng, Sister Lian’er, my mooncakes are delicious.

I’ll pack two pieces for you to take back and try.” While skillfully packing mooncakes, Lin Yuan secretly signaled to Lian’er with her eyes.

Today, Lian’er had been fostering relationships and making gestures; how could Lin Yuan forget her kindness?

While packing her mooncakes, she also slipped five taels of silver into the package.

Naturally, Lian’er’s status in the Jin Mansion couldn’t compare to Mother Feng’s, but receiving the same amount of generosity surely made her very happy.

Xia Zheng had been hiding behind Lin Yuan the whole time and only showed himself after Mother Feng and Lian’er had left.

He’d watched everything clearly—Lin Yuan’s eyes had practically spun like wheels when she heard it was business from Jin Ji Vinegar Workshop, and she had been so generous with both servants.

If he were told that she had no designs on the Jin family, he wouldn’t believe it even if someone beat him to death!

“Hey, you wretched girl, you’re not thinking of using the Jin family to cozy up to Master Magistrate, are you?

Let me tell you, that Jin family lady married in as a concubine isn’t as splendid as you think.

Recently, I’ve heard that Master Magistrate took a liking to a girl from the brothel.

Not only did he redeem her, but he also brought her into the residence as a concubine.

Despite many attempts, that concubine has been unable to bring that old lech back around, even daring to stand up to her own stepson!”

Lin Yuan crossed her arms and looked at him with narrowed eyes as he rambled on and on.

Ever since she learned that he was the young man driving the horse carriage recklessly that day, her impression of him had worsened.

However, she’d heard that he was actually trying to stop a runaway carriage that day, though his method of doing so was certainly unconventional.

“So, Master Young Sir, it turns out you are not only a rich second generation living off your ancestry, but also an expert on the trivialities of the inner quarters, a veritable gossip.

Oh my, I’m impressed—did you take a wrong turn when you were reincarnating?

Would you like me, your ladyship, to exert some effort and send you back to try reincarnation again?”

Seeing Lin Yuan brandishing a knife and performing tricks with it, Xia Zheng almost bit his tongue.

Good Lord, she indeed was a tough woman not to be trifled with!

Remembering the purpose of his visit wasn’t yet accomplished, Xia Zheng eyed the mooncakes, about to say he’d take them all, when he heard a growing commotion behind him.

Lin Yuan heard it too, and she saw—a group of swaggering young brutes walking their way, casually flipping over the stalls on the roadside as they approached.

The owners of the toppled stalls didn’t dare utter a word, instead quickly taking cover at the side, revealing that these were local bullies.

However, Lin Yuan’s attention was fixated on the youth at the back whose half-face was hidden under a cap.

Although she couldn’t see his features, just by his body shape and the way he walked, she would recognize him even if he turned into ashes.

Wasn’t that her second brother, Lin Yongle?

It seemed like they were coming straight for her!