Chapter 24: Chapter 24 Improvement(2)_1 Chapter 24: Chapter 24 Improvement(2)_1 “What can I get you?” the waiter asked with enthusiasm, not showing any hint of disdain towards his customers.
“How much for these high-quality flour?” Lin Ziyin asked.
“Ziyin, we should get the dark flour.” Lin Changshu was becoming anxious. If she continued spending like this, they would quickly run out of money from selling tofu.
“How much for the rice?” Lin Ziyin then cast her admiring gaze on the rice. She loved food both made of flour and rice.
“White flour is five copper coins, dark flour three coins, and rice is five coins,” the waiter quickly listed the prices.
“I’ll take ten catties each of flour and rice, and ten catties of the dark flour as well,” Lin Ziyin decided in a matter-of-fact tone.
“Alright, I’ll get them bagged up for you right away,” the waiter, fearing that a somewhat distressed Lin Changshu might object, quickly bagged up the items Ziyin ordered.
“One hundred thirty copper coins,” Lin Ziyin tossed over a handful of coins.
The waiter counted them, “Exactly right, miss.”
And so, they got their rice and flour.
“Ziyin, I think we have enough now, right?” Feeling pressured by the weight of their haul, Lin Changshu warned, “We can’t keep buying like this.”
“No, we need to buy some flavorings too,” Lin Ziyin insisted.
Though the concept of flavorings wasn’t common in this era, she was clever and went straight to the pharmacy.
Once there, she truly found what she needed – Sichuan peppercorn, fennel, black pepper, and such. Without hesitation, she spent another eighty copper coins.
In the end, Lin Ziyin also bought two sugar figurines on the street for the kids, spending another three copper coins.
So, when they finally went back home, they had only nineteen copper coins left from their tofu sales earnings.
“Grandpa, when we get home, I’ll make you all something delicious,” Lin Ziyin said, never one to deprive herself. Seeing the load she had bought, she was nothing but jolly all the way home.
“Good, I’m looking forward to your blessing,” the old man seemed also pleased, only Lin Changshu felt deflated at their spending. Considering the debt they owed the Ma family, it was disheartening to see them spending so extravagantly.
Yet he found he couldn’t bring himself to scold Lin Ziyin.
Without any significant incidents on the way, they had rested three times before finally reaching the entrance of their village.
As they walked through the village, though some people noticed they were carrying a load, no one paid much attention since it was covered and everyone knew the Lin family was poor.
“Did you go to the marketplace?” Their neighbor from the Bai family noticed and asked.
“Yes, ma’am. Grandpa and my brother took me to thank the monks at the temple.” Lin Ziyin was quick to answer. Not that she was stingy, but considering their poverty, she thought it better to keep their tofu business a secret from the other villagers. “On our way back, we picked up some offal.”
“How can you eat such stuff?” Grandmother Bai frowned and asked, causing the surrounding villagers to lose interest previously shown.
“It’s still meat,” Lin Ziyin replied with her head down.
“Humph, I’ve warned you before, don’t always think about eating, you better pay back the money you owe our family soon.” Just then, Mrs. Yan arrived from the fields. Seeing Lin family carrying a load, she instantly became unhappy.
Lin Changshu felt a bit awkward hearing her words, which made him more uneasy considering what was inside their load.
However, Lin Ziyin looked up and responded with an impassive face, “Don’t worry, we had agreed on a one-year deadline to repay the debt. The Lin family will certainly abide by that.”
When Mrs. Yan saw Ziyin’s cold gaze, and the disdainful looks from the other villagers, she gritted her teeth and responded, “You’d better not forget.”
With that, she twisted her body and walked off, regardless of what others thought.
“Despicable,” Grandmother Bai spat in her direction.
Seeing her taking sides, Lin Ziyin could not help laughing. “Grandmother, we’ve been away for a while and I’m tired. We should head home now.”
“Alright, you go ahead,” Grandmother Bai turned back around and replied with a smile.