Chapter 11: Plans

Since someone else already had a way, Lin Dong naturally wouldn’t get involved. It was just a small spirit beast. If not for Lin Shuang mentioning it, he thought this rabbit would be better off in the kitchen.

Looking at Lin Shuang gently stroking the silver rabbit, Lin Dong smiled and said, “Little girl, is school on vacation?”
“Well… um… Dad, the little rabbit is so cute!”

Lin Dong was stunned. He thought Lin Shuang had come back because the martial arts competition was approaching and school was on vacation. It seemed there might be a misunderstanding.

Lin Dong had occasionally skipped school before and didn’t think much of it. But for the little girl to lie was a challenge to his authority.

His expression turned stern as he glared at Lin Shuang, who avoided his gaze. “Tell the truth!”

Lin Shuang twisted her fingers, lowered her head, and mumbled, “The martial arts competition is in five or six days. The school will surely be crowded… I asked for leave to go home and buy some food.”

Lin Dong was both amused and exasperated. She asked for leave to go home just to prepare snacks for the competition? What kind of daughter did he have?

“Dad…” Since she had already spoken up, Lin Shuang gritted her teeth and said, “I don’t have enough silver. Can you lend me some?”

“Okay, but you must return to school early tomorrow.” Lin Dong didn’t want to argue further. It was normal for an eleven-year-old to crave food.

“Really?” Lin Shuang was overjoyed. She stepped forward and grabbed Lin Dong’s arm, shaking it. “I want ten taels of silver.”

“Ten taels?” Lin Dong widened his eyes. This girl was usually stingy. It was one thing for her to suddenly develop a craving for snacks, but asking for ten taels was extravagant. An ordinary family couldn’t save that much in a year.

“Mm!” Lin Shuang nodded and hesitantly added, “I want to buy some food to sell at school…”

Lin Dong suddenly understood. No wonder he hadn’t thought of that. Even knowing her personality, it was hard to imagine she would be so obsessed with money.

Thinking of doing business at the age of eleven might be premature, but there was no reason to discourage her. After some thought, Lin Dong asked, “Is school on vacation during the martial arts competition?”

Lin Shuang shook her head. “The principal is afraid that if school is on vacation and everyone goes home, no one will cheer for the competitors.”

No vacation, but no classes either. Lin Dong nodded and smiled. “Tell me your plan. If you can really make money, I’ll lend you ten taels of silver.”

“Really?” Lin Shuang’s anxiety vanished. Her father had truly changed his attitude. In the past, not to mention agreeing, she would have had to listen to his nagging for at least half an hour.

As the father and daughter were chatting, Liu Shun next to them suddenly grunted, “Rats give birth to rats that know how to dig holes!”

Lin Dong frowned and glanced at Liu Shun, saying coldly, “If you dare speak disrespectfully again, even if you’re a guest at this inn, I’ll send you to see a vet.”

Recalling how Lin Dong had not only knocked out You Lao San but also broken one of his legs, Liu Shun shuddered and forced a smile, saying, “Young master, this inn is old and dilapidated, and the owner doesn’t seem like a good person. Let’s find another place. Who knows what he might put in the food?”

“Hmm!” The scribe felt humiliated, and Fu Zizhou was also displeased with Lin Dong, but he was too lazy to argue with the owner of a small inn. He turned his gaze to Yun Lan.

Yun Lan shook her head. “I want to hear how the young girl plans to sell food.”

Fu Zizhou frowned slightly, and Liu Shun rushed to speak up, “Miss Yun Lan, being so greedy at such a young age—what’s there to be proud of?”

Yun Lan remained silent, her gaze shifting to Lin Shuang. Though her face was covered by a purple veil, it was obvious she was full of anticipation.

Seeing that Lin Dong was also looking at her, Lin Shuang’s face turned red. “I plan to buy some sunflower seeds and fruits. If I can rent tables and chairs, I’d like to open a tea shop. I’ve already chosen a location—east of the large playground. It’s on higher ground, so if I put up a sign, it will be easily visible.”

Having already chosen a location, it sounded quite thoughtful. Lin Dong nodded and patted Lin Shuang’s head. “If you want to buy anything, write it down in the courtyard, and I’ll go buy it for you.”

“Hmm!” Lin Shuang waved her fist excitedly. “By then, I’ll definitely make a lot of money.”

“Little sister, how much silver do you plan to spend on food at once?”

The voice was soft and melodious, almost like music. Without turning around, Lin Dong knew it was Yun Lan speaking.

“I plan to spend twenty taels of silver,” Lin Shuang said with a smile.

Lin Dong was amazed. Did the little girl already have ten taels of silver of her own?

Her previous adoptive parent had had her for five years, only giving her a few coins to buy candy. Later, when she went to the academy, he tried to give her pocket money, but she refused it herself, even taking care of Tian Hao’s pocket money as well. That meant she must have earned at least ten taels of silver over the years.

Twenty taels of silver might not seem like much, but for a young girl, it was astonishing. If she grew up with such capital, who knew if she could become the richest person in the land.

Lin Dong knew nothing about doing business. Lin Shuang could easily dismiss him with just a mention of the high location, but Yun Lan clearly still had doubts: “There are only seven days left for the martial arts competition. Twenty taels of silver is a considerable amount if converted into food. Have you thought about how many people will be at Qiu Shui Academy during those seven days?”
Lin Shuang replied enthusiastically, “I asked those who participated in the last martial arts competition. Tens of thousands of people come to watch it every day. If each person spends one wen a day, that’s another ten taels of silver per day.”
“There will surely be many vendors too, right?” Yun Lan said with a light smile. “You can be outside the competition venue, but they can sell things inside. If it were me, I’d definitely choose the nearest one.”
Lin Shuang said confidently, “I’ve already taken that into account. I’ll definitely spend every effort promoting it.”
“Promoting it?” Yun Lan was a bit puzzled.
“That’s what Dad told me—it means spreading the word…” Lin Shuang explained cheerfully.
Lin Dong smirked. He was sure he had never explained what advertising meant to Lin Shuang, because if asked, he would only say advertising was promotion, and if pressed further on what promotion meant, he would just say promotion was advertising, in an endless loop…
Yun Lan gave Lin Dong a deep look before asking, “How will you promote it?”
“I asked my classmates to copy many stories. I’ve already agreed with them that during the martial arts competition, they’ll distribute them everywhere. The stories don’t have endings, and it’s noted that those who want to know the endings should come to my teahouse. If we release one story every hour, many people will definitely come.”
Taking a breath, Lin Shuang’s little face turned as red as a blooming flower. “Moreover, I’ve also arranged with Zhou Zhengye to play the piano at my teahouse every day. The first day is the calligraphy competition. After he wins first place, it will surely attract many people to come and listen to him play. I asked my classmates, and they said they’d be willing to pay ten times more for the chance to see Zhou Zhengye play, and even if they’re not from Xilan City, they’d still pay three times the price.”
Lin Dong was speechless. So this was the so-called endorser!
Merchants held a low status in the Great Han Kingdom. Fu Zizhou wasn’t paying close attention, but his ears twitched slightly when he heard the name Zhou Zhengye.
Yun Lan hesitated for a moment before asking doubtfully, “Since that Zhou Zhengye can win first place in the calligraphy competition, hiring him to play the piano for seven days must cost quite a bit of silver, right?”

Lin Shuang shook her head. “He! He only knows how to practice calligraphy and play the zither; he doesn’t understand anything else. I gave him a stack of rice paper, and he agreed. Hiring classmates to tell stories doesn’t cost much either—two wen per person per day is enough. Adding the cost of renting tables and chairs and transportation, three or two taels of silver will suffice.”
Lin Dong was stunned. One wen could buy only four steamed buns, while eight steamed buns required someone to work all day—that girl was really bold. As for that Zhou Zhengye, he couldn’t even be described as bold; he was a great talent. A stack of rice paper worth several hundred wen bought his freedom for seven days.
Yun Lan nodded in approval. If Zhou Zhengye could really win first place in the calligraphy competition, or even rank among the top, then this plan was flawless.
“Little girl, are you very familiar with Zhou Zhengye?” Fu Zizhou suddenly asked.
Lin Shuang paused for a moment before shaking her head. “Not very familiar, but I often exchange rice paper for his calligraphy.”
“You have Zhou Zhengye’s calligraphy?” Fu Zizhou’s face lit up, and his voice rose slightly unconsciously.
“Mm. Even the dean praised his handwriting. I thought it might be worth a lot of money in the future, so I saved some of it.”
Fu Zizhou stood up and asked, “Zhou Zhengye’s calligraphy is gentle yet firm, already showing the demeanor of a master. I’ve always admired him greatly. Could I possibly see it?” Just for a look—Lin Shuang naturally wouldn’t refuse. She quickly ran back to the courtyard and came back holding a stack of Zhou Zhengye’s large-character writings.
“Go get some ink and brushes. My young master still needs to note down the ingredients for the prescription,” Liu Shun waved at Lin Dong.
Lin Dong fetched the ink and brushes from the counter but handed them to Lin Shuang, asking her to write down the foods needed and their quantities.
Once Lin Shuang finished writing, Lin Dong immediately went out to make the purchases. As he stepped out of the gate, there was a thud, and he felt a force hit his chest. Immediately afterward, a ragged-clad boy stumbled backward and fell to the ground.