Chapter 104: Value. (First update)...
Lin Zhi pondered for a moment, thinking that if she didn't tell him today, Sang Bai would know it sooner or later, so she explained, "My parents and I have settled in Bianjing City and have opened a shop."
"Opened a shop?" Sang Bai breathed a sigh of relief, then hesitated, looking at Lin Zhi worriedly: "Then the man you're engaged to—"
Lin Zhi then remembered that she had left Xi's house under the pretext of an engagement. To avoid further questioning from Sang Bai, she casually replied, "He works as a clerk in the Dali Temple, and my shop is nearby."
Sang Bai did not ask Lin Zhi whether she was really stupid or pretending to be stupid at that time, but asked about Song Jiaoniang's recent situation. He finally felt relieved when he learned that the three of them were living a smooth life after leaving Xi Mansion.
Lin Zhi had errands to attend to, so she exchanged a few words before saying goodbye to Sang Bai. Sang Bai watched her walk away, and just as she was about to turn around, a woman called out, "Young lady, do you recognize Madam Lin?"
"Who are you--"
"I work for Guotou." This woman was Aunt Wu, who came to inquire about Linzhi's marriage situation on the orders of Guotou.
She had tried to strike up a conversation with Song Jiaoniang earlier, but she was so defensive, afraid someone might try to trick her into believing Lin Zhi's recipe, that she wouldn't respond. The same thing happened with Lin Zhi and Lin Sen. The three of them were like prickly hedgehogs, leaving her with no idea where to begin.
Aunt Wu followed out and unexpectedly saw Lin Zhi talking to the pretty maid in front of her. It seemed that she was an acquaintance, and she was immediately delighted.
She was afraid that Sang Bai would leave, so she quickly grabbed a handful of copper coins from her purse and stuffed them into her hand. "Don't worry, young lady. I just want to ask you a small question."
Sang Bai showed a wary look on his face, and subconsciously stuffed the copper coin back into the other person's hand, then walked around Aunt Wu and was about to leave.
"Miss, Miss! It's nothing serious, just asking a few questions!" Aunt Wu hurried to catch up. Seeing Sang Bai walking faster and faster, she had to say urgently, "Someone asked me to ask if Madam Lin is married! It's to a well-off family. I'm not lying to you!"
Sang Bai paused: "Sister Zhi is married."
After saying that, she went straight into the house, leaving Aunt Wu stomping her feet outside. She had errands to run and couldn't stay long. She kept looking inside the house, but in the end, she didn't see Sang Bai and had to leave with regret.
Sang Bai left in a hurry, without making any attempt to hide his true feelings. As soon as he entered the room, he was spotted by Song Jiaoniang. Song Jiaoniang pretended to be calm and continued chatting with others, but her heart was filled with turmoil.
She didn't mention this matter until Linzhi finished her work and came to reunite with the two of them.
Lin Zhi smiled and said, "We just met."
Song Jiaoniang gasped, and after a few more questions, she finally calmed down. However, she remained silent for a moment before softly saying, "Actually, it doesn't seem like a big deal if they find out."
Lin Sen nodded when he heard this. "Yes, our household registration has already been completed, and we now have our own business. Besides, it's not something shameful."
Song Jiaoniang thought about it and it made sense.
She no longer cared about Sang Bai. She had no intention of avoiding him, nor did she have the idea of approaching to deal with him. She just calmly put the matter behind her and concentrated on watching the performance in front of her.
First, a group of beautiful dancers came up on the stage. They were dressed in red and green silk skirts and held colorful silk in their hands. They swayed lightly to the music and drum beats, which was a breathtaking sight.
After the dancers left, a group of jugglers came on stage. Several young men stepped through the air and quickly landed on the ground, causing everyone to exclaim in surprise. Song Jiaoniang stretched her neck and watched in fascination.
After the performance ended, it was time for the fireworks display. Linzhi and her parents walked to the window and looked out curiously.
Suddenly, a golden gong sounded in the distance, and someone behind him shouted, "It's about to begin." The next moment, a meteor-like fire shot up into the night sky, exploded with a silver tail, and splashed the sky with tiny stars of light.
Then several more flames rose into the sky, and when they bloomed, they turned into the shape of cranes, circling in the air and scattering gold flakes, causing the man and his wife beside him to exclaim in surprise.
More fireworks rose into the sky one after another, red, green and golden fireworks bloomed in the night. The brilliant light illuminated the palace walls red and cast a warm halo on the faces of Linzhi's family.
It wasn't until long after the fireworks had faded that the family of three, still lingering in their thoughts, came back to their senses. They chatted about the magnificent spectacle as they walked out. Lin Sen walked briskly and excitedly, saying, "I heard there's a lantern festival going on in Bianjing for the next five days until dawn. Let's go check it out later."
"Okay!" Song Jiaonian nodded.
"The scale of the Lantern Festival in Bianjing City must be extraordinary!" Lin Zhi's eyes were full of anticipation, and she continued with a smile.
As the group reached the corner, they saw Aunt Wu running towards them and shouting from a distance, "Chef Lin, Chef Lin."
She ran all the way to Linzhi, her face flushed. She held her knees and panted, but she kept her voice down and said, "Mr. Zhong and Mr. Guo are looking for you. They say the government has sent someone to deliver a reward!"
Lin Zhi was startled and hurried with her parents to the kitchen yard. As soon as they reached the door, they saw Mr. Zhong looking out. Seeing them coming, he breathed a sigh of relief and quickly pulled Lin Zhi into the house to kowtow.
Lin Zhi kowtowed several times, confused, until the person delivering the reward left. She finally realized what was happening. She stared at the boxes and crates piled in front of her, stunned for a moment, and gasped: "Are these all rewards for me?"
Inside were rewards from the saint and the imperial concubine, as well as rewards from the princess and several officials. From silks and satins to gold ingots and spices, the quantity and value were so great that the family of three was dumbfounded.
The three of them looked at each other, and all of them had the same thought: Rich! Their family has become rich!
But after the joy faded, Linzhi was troubled again: How was he going to transport all these gifts back home? His shop had long been under the watchful eye of the neighbors. If he transported them back today, they might be robbed tomorrow.
If we don’t transport it back, should we keep it in the palace?
Linzhi thought about it and shook his head. He planned to transport the things out of the palace first, and then rent a donkey cart to send them back home, trying not to attract attention.
"I'll just go buy a donkey cart!" Lin Sen said hurriedly.
"If you go to buy it, don't you have to go back with it?" Song Jiaonian said with a frown, looking at the boxes in worry.
"So what do you guys say we should do?"
"Why don't we just go to the inn and rent a room to store our things first. When we return tomorrow, we can go out under the pretext of purchasing goods and then ship the things back together with the goods." Song Jiaoniang thought about it and soon came up with a solution.
Lin Sen and Lin Zhi listened and thought it was a good idea, so the three of them asked Mr. Zhong to help them leave.
Unexpectedly, they had just left the palace with the rewards, and before the carriage called by Mr. Zhong arrived, they saw Chen Yan standing under a tree in the distance, with two donkey carts parked next to him.
Chen Yan looked up and saw the three people, and waved hurriedly: "Uncle Lin, Aunt Song, Sister Zhi."
"Why is Brother Yan here?"
"Brother Tao sent someone back to tell me that you had received praise and rewards from the government. I thought you would probably need the donkey cart, so I had someone prepare it and come along."
As Chen Yan spoke, he stepped forward. He took the box from Lin Zhi's hand and gently placed it on the donkey cart. "Lü San and I have heard recently that some of your neighbors are jealous and gossipy."
"If you take them back now, you might get angry. I'll move them to my car first and then send them in when Uncle Lin gets some more goods tomorrow or the day after tomorrow."
This idea coincides with mine!
Lin Sen and Song Jiaoniang were so happy that they couldn't stop smiling. They hurriedly asked Chen Yan to help them. Chen Yan put all the boxes and crates aside and laughed heartily. "It's just a small matter. What's there to say? I have to say that your family trusts me."
Lin Zhi couldn't help but laugh, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly. She thought for a moment, then took out the ebony knife case that Cui the cook had given her from the box. "If I don't bring anything, people will gossip about me. It's better to keep this."
Sang Bai happened to be sitting in a carriage not far away, and saw the scene clearly: Chen Yan's meticulousness when taking the box, and Lin Zhi's look when she lowered her head to speak, did not seem like ordinary friends.
The weight of the burden on her heart finally settled, and she felt completely relieved. On the way back, even when Fourth Sister talked about the fun things that happened at the banquet, she never mentioned her encounter with the Linzhi family.
As soon as Lin Zhi and his family reached the alley entrance, they were surrounded by neighbors. Everyone's eyes glanced into the carriage, and finally landed on the ebony knife case in Lin Zhi's arms. The case was surrounded by cloud patterns and was exquisitely crafted, clearly not a cheap item.
Nosy Aunt Zhang came forward, her voice full of curiosity: "Sister Zhi, what you are holding in your arms, is it a prize given by the palace? What is it? Let us neighbors see it."
Mrs. Yu was afraid that Lin Zhi would show off her wealth, so she immediately glared at Aunt Zhang and said, "What does this have to do with you, old woman?"
"What's this got to do with you?" Aunt Zhang rolled her eyes and retorted.
"They're just a few knives." Seeing the two about to quarrel, Lin Zhi hurriedly opened the box with a smile and took out a bone-chopping knife from it: "Look at this knife, it's so sharp! I've been looking for such a good knife for a long time, but I never thought it would fall into my hands now-"
She praised the knives to the skies, but the neighbors were not interested. They were just a few knives, so why was she so proud of them?
Before the crowd dispersed, Yuan, the shopkeeper from the neighboring Dongji Restaurant, heard the noise and came out. He took a look from a distance, his face suddenly changed slightly, and he hurriedly squeezed into the crowd, his eyes fixed on the bone-chopping knife.
As he watched, his eyes almost popped out of his head and his hands trembled slightly: "Oh my God, is this Master Kang's craftsmanship?"
Aunt Zhang had sharp ears and immediately asked, "Manager Yuan, does this knife have any special origin?"
"If I'm not mistaken, this is Master Kang's work." Shopkeeper Yuan's fingers gently brushed the blade, his voice tense, "Master Kang's work, a bone-cutting knife alone would cost this much."
He opened his palm and made a number.
The neighbors exclaimed, "Five strings of cash? A kitchen knife is that expensive?"
"What five strings of cash?" Shopkeeper Yuan shook his head and said solemnly, "Master Kang's bone-chopping knife costs at least fifty strings of cash!"
The exclamations suddenly became louder.
Even Linzhi was shocked, looking down at the other knives in the ebony box. The bone-chopping knife, a relatively inexpensive knife among the others, commanded this price. Wouldn't all the other knives in the box be worth at least three hundred strings of cash?
Seeing everyone's shock, Shopkeeper Yuan added, "And the price is high. It takes at least six months to make a custom knife, and some even have to wait two or three years to get it."
The neighbors listened, their indifference turning into shock and envy. But knives and the like were ultimately useless to most people, so after a few gossips, everyone dispersed.
However, Shopkeeper Yuan looked at it several times with reluctance before leaving with regret.
The family of three entered the shop and breathed a sigh of relief. Song Jiaoniang took the ebony box from Lin Zhi's hand and stared at the knives inside in shock. "Just a few knives... According to what Shopkeeper Yuan said, they must be worth at least three hundred strings of cash?"
Lin Sen also found it incredible: "So, if Sister Zhi works in the kitchen from now on, she will have a house in her hands?"
When Song Jiaoniang heard this, her hands holding the ebony box trembled slightly. After a while, she said hesitantly, "Chef Cui really spent a lot of money..."
Lin Zhi nodded silently when she heard this. She thought for a moment and said, "Speaking of which, Mr. Zhong has helped us a lot. I was thinking of going to his house to express my gratitude."
"Mr. Zhong is one of the judges after all. We might not be willing to accept anything valuable from him." Song Jiaoniang thought for a moment and said with a smile, "How about you, Sister Zhi, prepare some food and then come to express your gratitude."
Lin Zhi noted it down and continued, "And there's also Chef Cui. In the eyes of others, our spots were given to us by Juyoulou after all, but it's a bit awkward to meet them, so we'll have someone come over and give us a gift to express our gratitude."
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