GD (QT) Chapter 7

The two sisters hurried out.

Lin Yu had already brought the braised meat to the table. “The wild boar sold for two taels of silver. The butcher gave me some extra pork as a bonus, so eat your fill. Later, I’ll go next door to see if I can buy some grain.”

After all, one couldn’t live on meat alone, and the house was out of grain.

Naturally, the sisters listened to their father. Even without many spices, the plain boiled pork was incredibly fragrant; they ate until their mouths were glistening with oil.

Halfway through the meal, Lin Pan asked worriedly, “Dad, we smashed Eldest Uncle’s house. What if they go to the officials?”

It had felt satisfying at the time, but thinking back on it now made Lin Pan break into a cold sweat.

“They have a guilty conscience; they won’t dare go.” Lin Yu didn’t care. If Lin Da reported it, that would be for the best—they could settle the score regarding the attempt to sell his niece.

Only then did Lin Pan feel at ease.

After eating, Lin Yu pulled the copper coins from his waist and poured them out onto the table with a loud clatter.

The sisters’ eyes turned into the shape of the coins. “So many!”

Two taels of silver sounded like a lot, but seeing two thousand copper coins was far more shocking.

Lin Yu took out a portion. “I’ll take these to buy grain. You two will manage the rest. From now on, whatever the household needs will come from this.”

“Dad, you’re giving it to us? Neither of us has ever managed money before.” Lin Pan felt timid.

Lin Yu laughed. “There’s a first time for everything. Besides, it’s our own money. A few coins more or less isn’t a big deal.”

Despite his words, the sisters counted the coins back and forth several times before carefully placing them into a clean ceramic jar, terrified of losing even a single copper.

…

Lin Yu took some coins and went to the neighboring Liu family. As soon as he entered, everyone in the room froze.

“Lin Er is here. Have a seat, quickly.” Liu Dazhu greeted him awkwardly, his eyes filled with wonder and a hint of fear.

Lin Yu wore a kind smile. “Brother Dazhu, my family has run out of food. I wanted to ask if I could buy some grain from you to tide us over. I wonder if it’s convenient?”

“Convenient! Of course it’s convenient! Mother of my children, go to the kitchen and bring some out,” Liu Dazhu called out.

Liu Dazhu’s wife hurriedly stood up, her pace a bit rushed.

The children all stole glances at him, behaving as quietly as little quails.

Lin Yu knew they must have heard about him smashing up the Eldest Lin’s house. Raising an eyebrow slightly, he acted as if he didn’t notice the Liu family’s strange behavior and continued: “Brother Dazhu, I also wanted to borrow your iron plowshare.”

“The autumn harvest is almost here. What do you need an iron plowshare for?” Liu Dazhu asked, puzzled.

Lin Yu simply said, “I have a use for it. Don’t worry, if I break it, I’ll compensate you for the full price.”

“Our families have been friends for how many years? What’s there to worry about?” Though Liu Dazhu was concerned, he still brought out the iron plowshare. For an ordinary farmer, this was an expensive piece of equipment.

When Lin Yu left, he left behind the copper coins and took a bag of grain and the plowshare with him.

Inside, the family whispered: “They say Lin Er has gone mad, beating people on sight. He even hit his own mother and brother. Lin Da’s house was smashed to bits; even the eggs were shaken until the yolks broke.”

Liu Dazhu shook his head. “Lin Er has always had a good temper. He was likely pushed to the brink. Look, didn’t he seem fine just now?”

“It’s the honest ones whose tempers are the scariest. We should be more polite when speaking to him from now on; our house couldn’t survive a smashing.”

“But what is he doing borrowing a plowshare at a time like this?”

One of the children eating quietly suddenly blurted out: “To dig a hole and bury someone.”

“What nonsense are you talking, child!” Mrs. Liu turned pale with fright and nudged her husband. “He wouldn’t really be digging a hole to bury someone, would he?”

“You actually believe a child’s words?” Liu Dazhu said, though even he felt those words were quite chilling.

In the middle of the night, Mrs. Liu tossed and turned, unable to sleep. She nudged the man beside her. “Husband, do you think Lin Er went home and got angrier the more he thought about it? Maybe smashing the place wasn’t enough, and he wants to kill someone and bury the body?”

Liu Dazhu snapped irritably, “Stop talking nonsense! Why would anyone use a heavy iron plowshare instead of a hoe to bury a body? Just to show off how much strength they have?”

Mrs. Liu thought about it and realized he was right, finally falling asleep.

…

Lin Yu wasn’t sleeping either. He was tinkering with the iron plowshare by the moonlight.

The Lin family was truly poor; they didn’t even have candles, let alone oil lamps. Fortunately, the Mid-Autumn Festival was approaching, and the moon was bright.

“Dad, aren’t you sleeping yet? Mom used to say working at night hurts the eyes.”

Lin Yu was at a critical point. “I’ll sleep after working a bit longer.”

Lin Pan and Lin Lai simply decided not to go inside, squatting nearby to watch.

Seeing this, Lin Yu put down his tools. “You two go rest first. I’ll be sleeping soon.”

“I’m not sleepy yet,” Lin Lai said, just as she let out a yawn.

Lin Yu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, so he stood up. “Then let’s all go rest.”

“Dad, I’m really not sleepy.” The young girl’s face turned red.

Lin Yu reached out and patted her hair. “But your father is sleepy. Let’s go.”

All three went into the house, and the courtyard fell silent.

Lin Yu closed his eyes, visualizing the design for the improved plowshare in his mind.

The Zhou Dynasty still used the traditional long, straight-shaft plow. This type of iron plow wasn’t flexible enough for turning; it was physically taxing and inefficient.

What Lin Yu wanted to create was the curved-shaft plow. He already had a preliminary plan in his head.

As for whether this thing would be worth money or if it could earn a reward from the imperial court, that would depend on whether the County Magistrate had the eye for it.

…

Early the next morning, Lin Pan and Lin Lai woke up yawning to cook breakfast. As they walked out, they saw their father sitting in the courtyard again, fiddling with the iron plowshare.

“Dad, you’re up so early.” The two girls were stunned.

Lin Yu nodded, not mentioning that he had gotten up in the middle of the night to keep working. Without looking back, he said, “Hungry? There’s porridge simmering in the pot. It’s ready to eat.”

Lin Pan ran into the kitchen and saw a pot of porridge indeed. It was thick and hearty—completely different from the watery soup they used to have.

She quickly had her sister serve the porridge while she found a jar of pickles, took one out, and sliced it up. It was perfect for the meal.

Simple porridge with pickles tasted bland to Lin Yu, but the two girls ate with great relish.

“Dad, are we eating too well? Even though you earned some money, there’s still a long time until the autumn harvest. We should be a bit more frugal,” Lin Pan said, feeling a bit uneasy as she drank her porridge.

Lin Lai also nodded repeatedly. “Actually, we could add more wild greens to the porridge.”

Lin Yu smiled. “Money is earned to be spent. If you eat wild greens all day, your faces will turn green. Why don’t you check what the house is missing? I’ll go to the town later to buy everything.”

Hearing this, Lin Pan and Lin Lai forgot everything else and began counting on their fingers.

“We’re almost out of salt; we need to buy some. Dad, check if the price of salt is expensive later. If not, buy extra to store.”

“The lard, soy sauce, and vinegar are all gone. Those are expensive, so we can buy just a little and use them sparingly.”

“We’re out of needle and thread, too. We should buy some to have ready for mending clothes.”

Listening to their calculations, Lin Yu realized that two taels of silver wouldn’t go very far. “Why don’t you two come with me to do the shopping?”

To his surprise, Lin Pan shook her head like a rattle. “How can I go to town? I’ll only get in your way.”

She had never been to the town in her entire life. Lin Lai, who had been tempted, went quiet upon hearing her older sister’s words.

Lin Yu laughed. “You’re both so sensible, how could you get in my way? Let’s go together. Dad can’t remember so many items. You can do the math and handle the shopping—from now on, you two are the family’s accountants.”

Hearing this, the sisters were even more tempted and could no longer find words to refuse.

Lin Yu smiled. Stepping out of the house was the first step toward change. He had thought about it last night: life for women in ancient times was difficult and restricted. Because of that, his daughters needed to have stronger, more resilient personalities so they could protect themselves.

The two girls couldn’t win against their father and eventually left the house with him.

Lin Yu pushed the cart in front, which held the modified iron plowshare. The sisters walked on either side, helping him push.

When the villagers saw the father and daughters heading out together, they were surprised.

“Lin Er, why are you taking those two girls with you to town?”

Lin Yu replied directly: “I’m afraid someone might have bad intentions while I’m not at home.”

He said it so openly that the questioner was left speechless.

It was the sisters’ first time traveling so far. They couldn’t help but look around along the way, finding even the wild flowers by the road novel. However, both girls were physically weak and were soon drenched in sweat halfway there.

Seeing this, Lin Yu told them to get on the cart.

Lin Pan and Lin Lai refused, insisting they could still walk.

“Get on. It’ll be faster if I push you,” Lin Yu stated.

Lin Pan lowered her head. “Dad, we really are a burden to you.”

“How is this a burden? How much could you two possibly weigh? Pushing you is as light as a feather.”

Lin Yu truly didn’t think it was heavy. The original owner had raised both daughters to be skin and bones; combined, they didn’t even weigh as much as the eldest sister-in-law. Being this thin, he worried their health might be permanently damaged. Once they had more money, he would have to take them to see a doctor for some tonics.

Because of this, the sisters felt a bit downcast, feeling like they were holding him back, and weren’t as excited as they had been at the start.

Once they entered the city, however, they had no time for such thoughts. They stared around curiously at everything. The pedestrians on the streets, the small stalls on both sides, and the bustling shops—it was all fresh and new to them.

Lin Yu slowed down so they could get a good look.

Sensing this, Lin Pan quickly reined in her gaze. “Dad, let’s go take care of business first.”

“Yes, yes, business is more important,” Lin Lai nodded repeatedly.

“Alright. Once we’re done with business, we’ll have a good look around.”

Lin Yu smiled and led the children straight to the gates of the yamen.

Seeing the bailiffs at the entrance, Lin Pan and Lin Lai scrambled off the cart, too terrified to speak.

Seeing their country attire, the bailiffs were about to drive them away, but Lin Yu was already in front of them.

“I ask the officers to please announce my arrival. My name is Lin Yu, a commoner, and I have come to present a crucial agricultural tool that the Imperial Court urgently requires.”