After a long while, she found a hillside with a path leading directly to the top of the mountain, where there was a dilapidated little pavilion.
This place is perfect for building modern hillside villas.
With that in mind, she began to sketch the villa on paper.
Qianxia was asked to find Lin Qingxiang and Wu Xu, who were in charge of building the house.
Lin Yinan pointed to the hillside on the map and said to the two of them, "I want to use this hillside to build some two-story villas, which will be sold to visiting merchants in the future."
"And in this relatively secluded area, all the original large houses have been demolished, and several courtyards with different styles have been built."
"Are they also for sale?" Wu Xu's eyes lit up at the thought of making money from them.
Lin Yinan said, "That's right. The shops are almost fully repaired. We can start preparing now. Next spring, Longtan will be bustling again, regaining its former prosperity, and perhaps even reaching new heights."
Her words stirred their blood, and they wished they could turn Dragon Pool into what the city lord had described with a wave of their hand.
"These are sketches of two houses. Build them according to this design. If you don't understand, come ask me."
Lin Yinan handed the completed drawing to Lin Qingxiang, asking them to go back and make a plan to see how many materials were needed before making the purchase.
Before dinner, Liang Wen and the others who had gone to weed and fertilize the sugarcane field returned.
It is said that they brought back two petty thieves who stole their provisions. They were brought to the main hall to await their fate.
He was called a petty thief, but he was more like a savage. His clothes were so worn that their original color was no longer discernible; they were tattered and barely covered his buttocks.
He didn't look very old, but his face was filthy; it looked like he hadn't washed it in ages.
The petty thief's clear black and white eyes darted around the county government office. He mostly nodded or shook his head when asked questions, and his speech was slurred, probably due to a lack of communication and language development.
Looking at the tangled mess of hair hanging down the back of her head, Lin Yinan frowned and asked, "Where are their family members?"
When the older child heard her question, he turned to look at her and said, "Dead...dead."
Lin Yinan then asked, "Do you want to stay here?"
The child made a gesture indicating he was full, "Yes, there's food to eat?"
"Yes, wash them clean, cut their hair, and I'll feed you all." Lin Yinan gestured as she spoke.
"Yes, I want to keep it." The child nodded frantically, afraid that she might change her mind at any moment.
Liang Wen and the others standing nearby were somewhat moved, wondering how the two children had survived in the mountains.
So Lin Yinan had his guards take them downstairs to wash up, and also asked Doctor Lü to check if they had any health problems.
After the people were taken away, Lin Yinan looked at Liang Wen and asked, "Did you go to check where they were staying?"
Leung Man-tao said, “I saw that the two brothers lived in a small cave and that’s how they survived to this day. There were no living supplies in the cave. I don’t know where they came from. We’ve lived on the mountain for many years and never seen them before.”
"Then let's keep it for now."
As she spoke, Lin Yinan's gaze fell on the two buckets full of wild honey beside him.
She asked with delight, "Where did you get the honey?"
Liang Wen said, "We have to thank those two brothers for this, otherwise we wouldn't have been able to find them."
"Is it difficult to collect?" Lin Yinan knew that wild honey was either found deep in the mountains or on cliffs.
"We had to be lowered down by ropes to retrieve it from a cliff."
"We need to leave some for the bees, so they can collect it next year."
"Rest assured, Lord City Lord, we spared some; we did not exterminate them."
Lin Yinan had Lin Yiheng register the two buckets of bees into the warehouse, and at the same time, she added one point to Liang Wen and the others' performance for the month.
With nothing else to do, Lin Yinan decided to try brewing some lychee wine.
She asked Qianxia to call Lin Yirong, Lin Chunni, Lin Huihui, and Huang Qingqing to come and help.
At first, the women were responsible for raising chickens and ducks, but after Pan Qingfeng and others arrived, Lin Yinan took over the work of raising them.
The girls mainly helped her with some experimental work.
Making lychee wine is a meticulous task. Lin Yinan had tasted it but never made it herself, though she had a general understanding of the steps.
First, remove the peel and pit. Then, put the pulp into a pre-prepared jar, shred it, squeeze out the juice, and add sugar and fermented wine.
Instead of using the high-proof liquor she had stored in the space, she used fermented liquor with a lower alcohol content from that era.
Soon, we'll be able to drink lychee wine.
Yunying put down her needlework and joined them in making lychee wine, chatting and laughing.
Everyone knows that Yunying and Yunyao's wedding is approaching, and they all tease her about it.
"Ah Ying, tell me quickly, how did you two get together?"
"I never expected that Yun Er, this celestial being, would end up in your hands."
"Ah Ying, quickly share some tips with us."
"..."
The girls chattered incessantly until a bodyguard hurriedly approached, at which point they pursed their lips and chuckled.
I hope the guards didn't overhear what I just said, or I'd be incredibly embarrassed.
The guard walked straight up to Lin Yinan and bowed.
"Lord of the city, there is a woman outside the city who claims to be the eldest daughter of the Yu family of Nanzhou Prefecture and requests an audience."
"Did they say what it was about?" Lin Yinan asked, his smile fading.
"No, she insisted on entering the city, but our Second Master stopped her..."
The guard also relayed Yu Xunmei's threatening words.
Lin Yinan stood up. "In that case, I'll go see what she's doing here?"
Seeing that she was about to go out again, Yunmu, holding the child, peeked out of the house and instructed, "Qianxia, put a headscarf on the Third Madam."
Under the blazing sun, Lin Yinan, dressed in thin clothes, had beads of sweat on her forehead. She quickly refused, saying, "Don't worry, there's no wind outside."
Lin Yinan came to the city wall and looked down, and saw more than 20 guards surrounding a girl in red outside the city gate.
Yu Xunmei, dressed in red, rode on horseback, looking heroic and spirited. She had a sweet face, but her fair skin was pale from recovering from a serious illness. Her dark eyes were filled with intense hatred and malice, giving her an unapproachable appearance.
While she was sizing up Yu Xunmei, Yu Xunmei was also looking up at her.
The woman on the city wall had an aura that she found repulsive.
Lin Yinan's condescending attitude and imposing manner made her feel uncomfortable all over.
Yu Xunmei raised her head and smiled at Lin Yinan on the city wall, but the smile that didn't reach her eyes revealed a hint of ferocity.
"Name your price, how much is Yun Er?" Her arrogant demeanor made it seem as if she were asking how much a dog cost.
This man was extremely rude, immediately demanding to buy Yun Er. The guards on the city wall were enraged.
Lin Yinan said coldly, "Not for sale! Yun Er is not a servant; money cannot measure his value."
Upon hearing this, Yu Xunmei's eyes flashed with a sinister glint that bordered on madness, and her pale face twisted slightly.
She glanced at Lin Yinan sideways, her voice tinged with impatience, "You're the city lord? You're a woman?"
"What? You want me to become a man? I'm afraid that's impossible," Lin Yinan said.
A guard in the crowd sneered, "I never expected Miss Yu to be so shameless, actually wanting to be bisexual!"
He had a good relationship with Yun Er, so he naturally knew what Yun Er had done to Yu Xunmei.
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