Chapter 95: Chapter 95: Discovering a Surprise (1)_1 Chapter 95: Chapter 95: Discovering a Surprise (1)_1 The trio bought the offal and borrowed a carrying basket from the butcher to pack their things and prepare for their return journey.
They had borrowed the Si family’s horse cart for the outbound trip, but for the return journey, Lin Ziyin insisted that they rent a bullock cart, unwilling to not treat herself well.
By the time they returned to the village, the sun was directly overhead. Some villagers had been waiting at the village entrance already, curious to see what the siblings had bought this time.
“Pig offal again?” Some looked on with envy, while others scoffed disdainfully.
“What’s all this?” A villager asked Lin Changshu, who was carrying a basket on his back containing bags of items.
“These are some seeds.” said Lin Ziyin.
“What kind of seeds?” Learning that they were seeds, villagers who lived off the land became even more curious, and many crowded around to get a better look.
“I’m not sure, but I was told they came from Nanyang. They were selling them cheap, so I bought them out of curiosity. A bag of seeds for 200 Wen,” Ziyin intentionally lowered the price when she spoke, knowing better than to show off her wealth. If the villagers learned that she had spent fifty taels of silver on these seeds, she would have trouble keeping the peace at home.
“Two hundred Wen?” one person murmured. The Lin family lass had a knack for squandering fortune. A pound of meat only costs twenty Wen. A bag of these seeds was worth more than ten times its weight in fat.
“I’ve heard seeds from Nanyang cannot be grown in Feng City. Changshu, why didn’t you stop Ziyin from buying it?” Some friend of the Lin family asked Lin Changshu sympathetically.
“I bought it first. My brother and the others only found out about it later.” Lin Ziyin feigned chagrin, taking all the blame onto herself. “Had I known they couldn’t be grown, I wouldn’t have bought them! Brother, Dayou, did you not tell me on purpose to spare my feelings?”
Lin Changshu and Wu Dayou…
They had both witnessed Ziyin’s knack for bluffing on the fly. Although they knew the gravity of the situation, they tried to comfort her. “You’ve already bought them! You were only trying to help.”
“Yes, you’ve bought them already. We can’t possibly expect the seller to take them back. And those merchants were obviously unfair.” Seeing sad look on Ziyin’s face, the villagers decided to hold their tongues, despite their initial inclination to scold her for being wasteful.
“We should get going. We haven’t eaten yet,” Lin Changshu took the opportunity to shoulder his basket, grabbed Ziyin and Wu Dayou and led them away.
“The Lin family is capable, a shame they had to spawn a wastrel like Ziyin,” many of the villagers shook their heads in judgement after they left.
“Who would dare marry such a profligate girl?” someone bluntly commented.
Lin Ziyin wasn’t bothered by the gossip. When she returned home, before sitting down to eat, she lay out the seeds in the sunshine, watered her potted plants, and then settled down at the table.
“Ziyin, what are these?” Zige had been looking at them for a while, but she still could not figure out what these seeds – and the fruits grown in the pots – were.
“The yellow grains are corn, a high-yield crop that can resist drought and loves sunlight. After it matures, you can boil it, make porridge, make cakes, or even extract oil. The red prickly ones are chili peppers, which serve as a sort of spice. The longer ones are cucumbers, and these three potted fruits are called tomatoes. Both of them are delicious vegetables that can also be eaten as fruits.” Lin Ziyin explained.
Lin Changshu looked at her in surprise.
“Ziyin, do you really know?” Wu Dayou asked excitedly. “Can you grow them?”
“Yes I can,” Lin Ziyin nodded.
“The hundred taels were well spent after all.” Wu Dayou nearly shouted out in delight.
“A…A hundred taels?” Lin Zige stuttered, her eyes wide in disbelief at Lin Ziyin.