Transmigrating to the Ancient Times with Lu's Convenience

by Usui Takumii

not mine, melisa Garcia and ye yiluo, on ao3. Beware Bl.

28. 28

The winter days were peaceful and quiet. From time to time, Lu Lin would take several people to do some ploughing in the desolate land that were under Chen Xiao Mi's name now.

Lu Lin had invited a few experienced farmers to help out on the first time.

The villagers tended to follow them to the field whenever Lu Lin and his group went to the field, some of them would volunteer to do the ploughing so that they could try the ploughs.

Quite a few villagers asked Qin Yi if this farm tool was for sale, and if it was, how much it was.

Qin Yi didn't have the heart to dampen their mood, so he explained they couldn't sell them just yet considering it took a lot of time and effort to produce one, but they would sell them after they found a way for mass production.

Knowing that the ploughs were not for sale for the time being, many villagers were disappointed. However, they didn't feel as bad when they took the price of the plough into consideration, such a farm tool must be expensive.

"Your Lordship," Tian Zheng walked to Lu Lin with a fawning smile.

Lu Lin glanced at Tian Zheng and asked, "How can I help you?"

The blacksmiths and carpenters he had hired had all done military service before, and they were very respectful to Ji Cheng Kang. Lu Lin had been expecting the same respect from them, and now it looked like he had won their respect even though sometimes he thought these people acted respectful towards him for the sake of money.

"I've noticed there are many trolleys in the warehouse now, are you considering selling them?" Tian Zheng asked.

Lu Lin glanced at Tian Zheng and said, "The workmanship of this farm tool is very complicated, you know it better more than anyone. I'm afraid I need to sell them for at least one tale of silver each."

Tian Zheng frowned and said, "So expensive!"

Lu Lin nodded, "Yeah! One tale of silver is actually very cheap considering the time and effort we've out into it. The farmers only use them in spring ploughing season, so I don't think the best solution is to sell them, I've been thinking about renting them out."

"Renting them out, how does that work?" Tian Zheng asked curiously.

"Anyone who works for me for free for two days can rent the trolley for one day, the mules in the yard are also up for rent, work for me for free for one day and you can rent the mule for one day. Look at these mules, getting so chunky, they need some exercise."

Tian Zheng's eyes lit up and he asked, "Your Lordship, a carpenter like me can do carpentry to rent a trolley from you. What if a regular farmer wants to rent the trolley?"

"Easy, they can do farm work, as a matter of fact, any work will do," said Lu Lin.

"But do you have so much work to do, Your Lordship?" Tian Zheng asked curiously.

Lu Lin nodded, "Not yet, but soon! I will reclaim more land in spring, and I'm going to plant more trees." Lu Lin had many ideas in his mind, but he hadn't come up with a perfect way to execute them yet.

Tian Zheng smiled and secretly exclaimed that Lu Lin had it all figured out already. However, Lu Lin's conditions were generous. The villagers would be more than happy to work for him to rent the mules and the ploughs.

"Your Lordship, you're really farsighted!" Tian Zheng said.

Lu Lin smiled and said, "Thank you."

Tian Zheng rented a mule and a plough after he talked to Lu Lin, Chen Xiao Cai recorded that in the account book.

Tian Zheng felt fully contented as he held a mule and a plough in hand.

In order to show off the mule and plough, Tian Zheng didn't go directly to the field, but he took a detour in the village instead.

The villagers were actually very curious about the plough, but they were too shy to swarm to the ploughs when Lu Lin was around. It was different when it was their fellow villager Tian Zheng who was holding the plough, they swooped to Tian Zheng and grabbed the plough from him, studying every part of the plough.

They wished they could tear it apart for better study.

"Zheng, this is the trolley that you guys have developed?"

Tian Zheng said smugly, "Yes, Magistrate Lu is the one who designed it, but me and my friends made it."

Tian Zheng enjoyed the villagers' attention and admiration, but deep down he felt so guilty. He had no idea what Lu Lin was up to until he saw the assembled product, so he felt a bit guilty for taking some credit, but he convinced himself that he didn't lie and he deserved some credit.

"Fancy this new county magistrate knows how to make farm tools," a farmer said in surprise.

Tian Zheng was surprised as well, he thought to himself, 'The new county magistrate looks like he's been living a comfortable, well-fed life, how come he knows about farm tools!'

In fact, the host Lu Lin was indeed a farmer, but Lu Lin managed to build up a family fortune not long after he transmigrated here, his skin got pale and his callus from farm work had all disappeared. No wonder people couldn't see any connection between him and farm work.

Several more villagers came to rent the ploughs after Tian Zheng rented one, but the majority of the villagers still had their hesitations.

The first ones who had rented the ploughs were the carpenters and blacksmiths who had worked with Lu Lin. The workers had spread Lu Lin's good name in the village, then the majority of the villagers started to come around.

The Commendation Letter

Chen Xiao Mai walked into Lu Lin's study with a worried look on his face.

Lu Lin glanced at Chen Xiao Mai and said happily, "Mai, you are here how can I help you?"

"Lin Ge, our mules are gone, all of them," said Mai with his eyes wide open.

"Oh, the mules! Recently, I can't find enough meat, so I've asked a butcher to butcher them all, "Lu Lin said with indifference.

Chen Xiao Mai asked excitedly, "Meat? When? Why? And most importantly, how come I didn't have a slice?"

Chen Xiao Mai let out a piercing shriek, giving Lu Lin a start.

The resources in Sha County were rather poor. Even if Lu Lin had money to buy meat, meat was just not available on the market.

Ji Yun An followed Chen Xiao Mai in. When he heard Lu Lin making up that story to trick Chen Xiao Mai, he could not help but shake his head, 'That is a mean joke, Mai isn't going to take it well.'

"Mai, come on now, relax, Magistrate Lu is just joking with you." With that Ji Yun An looked at Lu Lin and judged him a bit in the heart.

"Joking with me? You mean he lied to me?"

Chen Xiao Mai stared at Lu Lin with puffed up cheeks.

"The mules are rented by the villagers," Lu Lin said embarrassedly as he felt Mai's anger.

Chen Xiao Mai asked suspiciously, "Rented?"

Lu Lin nodded. "The villagers will return them in a few days."

Livestock was very valuable in this time and space, especially in a remote and backward place like the Sha County, even more expensive than humans. A mule was sold for seven or eight taels of silver, much more expensive than a maid or a servant sold by the human traffickers.

Chen Xiao Mai pouted his lips and said, "Why did you do that?"

Lu Lin rubbed Chen Xiao Mai's head and said, "The mules have been doing nothing but eating all day, they need some exercise, isn't it a good thing they can help the villagers to do some work? Plus, the villagers will work for us for free according the how many days the mules have worked for them."

Chen Xiao Mai tilted his head and nodded. "Lin Ge, you're so smart."

"I guess I'm all right."

Ji Yun An looked at Lu Lin and thought to himself, 'This magistrate is so smart, it almost borders on scheming! He has so many strategies to lure the villagers to work for him, but I guess he is right, he is helping the villagers out by renting out the mules and trolleys. I don't know should I call him cunning or smart.'

…

Soon the Yamen County was thronged with visitors who were here to rent 'trolleys', Chen Xiao Cai couldn't attend to them all, he came up with the idea of distributing six 'trolley' to each village. Whenever the villagers wanted to rent one, they could just go register with their Village Head, and the Village Heads would report the registration to Chen Xiao Cai.

This had expelled the villagers' misgivings, they became more active in renting 'trolleys' from their own Village Head.

For a time, villagers working with a plough could be seen everywhere.

A Village Head and an anxious-looking villager came to Chen Xiao Cai's tofu shop this day

Chen Xiao Cai glanced at them and asked, "Village Head Zhang, did something happen?"

Village Head Zhang said awkwardly, "Master Chen, one of the trolleys is broken."

Chen Xiao Cai raised his head and glanced at the anxious-looking man next to Village Head Zhang. He estimated that it was this man who had broken the trolley The man was a nervous wreck, Xiao Cai felt sorry for him.

"Have you brought the broken trolley with you?"

"Yes, yes."

"Can I have a look first?"

Chen Xiao Cai checked the plough and said in an assuring tone, "Don't worry, it's not serious. Would you like to leave it here so we can repair it? I will give you a new one later."

Village Head Zhang said with disbelief, "Master Chen, how come you're not angry!"

Chen Xiao Cai said casually, "There will always be accidents, it's no big deal, don't stress."

Chen Xiao Cai looked at the man beside Village Head Zhang and asked, "Is it you who has broken it?"

The man said anxiously, "Yes, it's me. I swear I don't know what happened, something just fell apart when I was working."

Chen Xiao Cai nodded and said, "I know you didn't do it on purpose, but the thing is broken by you. I can't pretend that nothing happened. It will set a bad example."

Village Head Zhang chimed in, "Master Chen, He is just a poor villager, please…"

"You need to work two more days for us."

Village Head Zhang was delighted on hearing that, "Just two more days of work?"

Chen Xiao Cai nodded and let out a "yes".

Village Head Zhang hurriedly said, "Thank you so much, Master Chen."

Village Head Zhang then left with Song He in raptures.

"He, you are really lucky this time, Master Chen is such a nice person. Otherwise, you'll be in trouble this time!

Song He scratched his head and smiled. "Master Chen is Magistrate Lu's brother-in-law, but he is so approachable! Today is really my lucky day, I've broken such a fancy tool, but he doesn't demand an exorbitant price or even the repair fee, all I need to do is to work for him for two more days! I don't think he even wants to use that as a punishment, I guess this is just a matter of principle."

Village Head Zhang nodded and said, "That's true. It's said that this Master Chen is a great merchant."

Song He nodded as he heard what Village Head Zhang just said, his footsteps were so brisk and his smiles were so genuine, completely different from an hour ago. He stayed up all night the night before, now he could finally let out a sigh of relief.

…

Ji Yun An was reading books in the room, he would be buried in thought from time to time.

Lu Lin let Ji Yun An run free since he found out who Ji Yun An really was, and Ji Yun An had a lot of free time in hand.

Ji Yun An found that Lu Lin was so talented in a lot of things, especially cooking.

'Food is the first necessity of the people.'

Ji Yun An admired Lu Lin for his cooking abilities.

Chen Xiao Mai ran in, his face flustered. "I'm in trouble! Trouble!"

"What's wrong?" Ji Yun An asked.

Chen Xiao Mai showed a book in his hand to Ji Yun An. "I've tarnished Lin Ge's book with my drool, what should I do!"

Ji Yun An looked at the oily paper, he frowned and said, "You went to the magistrate's study?"

Chen Xiao Mai nodded, "Yeah!"

Ji Yun An was confused, "What were you doing in the magistrate's study?"

Lu Lin's study was filled with books. And Mai hated books. This guy dozed off when he read a book or sometimes in the vicinity of a book.

"Some villagers sent Lin Ge a turtle, Lin Ge kept it in his study. I just went to feed the turtle. I accidentally fell asleep by his desk after I fed his turtle," Chen Xiao Mai made a face as he said that.

Ji Yun An also knew about the turtle Chen Xiao Mai was talking about, he was home when the villagers sent Lu Lin the turtle as a thank you gift.

Lu Lin had helped the poor villagers to build kangs, recently he rented mules and ploughs to the villagers, so some villagers sent a turtle to him as a thank you gift. Lu Lin felt so touched and he offered the villagers some money, of course they didn't take it, so he gave the villagers some tofu as return.

Ji Yun An looked at Chen Xiao Mai and thought, 'Did you really just feed the turtle? Did you not poke the turtle or try to play with the turtle? Naughty boy, naughty naughty naughty.'

Chen Xiao Mai was a little depressed, "What should I do now?"

Ji Yun An smiled and said: "It's not a big deal. I'll copy the tarnished pages for you."

Ji Yun An secretly felt that the handwritings on it were messy and he doubted it would be anything important, but seeing that Chen Xiao Mai was anxious, he offered to help to ease Mai's mind.

Chen Xiao Mai was surprised, "You can read and write? You are literate?"

Ji Yun An was rendered speechless.

'Of course I'm literate, have you been under the impression that I don't read and write?' Ji Yun An screamed in his heart.

Ji Yun An's father was a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations, therefore, he was erudite through paternal teaching and influence. Ji Yun An had his own tutor since he was a toddler, reading wasn't his passion, but he had established a foundation of profound learning inherited by the family. His father was very strict when it came to his study, he would even physical punishment when he slacked off.

The Ji family was a military officer family, but they valued reading just as much as martial arts skills.

After Ji Yun An was taken into the Ji family, he read many books and Ji Cheng Kang was very strict when it came to his study.

"Yes, I'm literate," said Ji Yun An with a darkened face. "I can attend the imperial examination if I want to."

"Bullshxx," Chen Xiao Mai looked rather dubious.

Ji Yun An, "Hey, don't underestimate me."

Chen Xiao Mai blinked and said, "My Second Brother is also literate."

Ji Yun An nodded and thought to himself, 'Yeah, Mai, keep telling yourself that. I've seen your brother's handwriting, the same style as Magistrate Lu's, I could write better than them when I was three.'

Ji Yun An transcribed the characters on the tarnished papers and put it back in the study.

Chen Xiao Mai's eyes travelled back and forth between the tarnished papers and the new ones, "Hmm, such different handwritings."

Ji Yun An smiled and said, "The characters are the same, just different styles."

Chen Xiao Mai tilted his head and said, "Lin Ge's handwriting is way more beautiful."

Ji Yun An sat there transfixed on hearing that. 'Are you joking me? I spent years on my calligraphy and my tutor spoke high of me about it! How can you say your Lin Ge's handwriting is better than mine!'

Chen Xiao Cai and Lu Lin didn't have the best handwritings in the world, but they were both go great at math, so was Shen Chi. Ji Yun An had seen them using abacus, it was just mind-blowing how fast they could get all the right numbers within seconds.

"Yes yes yes, your Brother Lin and your Second Brother have beautiful handwritings," Ji Yun An did not bother to argue with Chen Xiao Mai.

…

During the winter, Ji Yun An and the Chen brothers got along better and better.

It was soon spring ploughing season, the ploughs were becoming more popular.

The ploughs had greatly reduced the difficulty of the farmer's work.

The Ministry of Works had also earned a lot of money by selling the ploughs. The Emperor was overjoyed by that news, he had even issued a commendation letter to praise Lu Lin. The letter, however, was sent to the Lu family instead of the Sha County.

Neither the Emperor nor the officials in court had a clue of the relationship between Lu Lin and the Lu Family. They didn't know Lu Lin was married into Chen Xiao Mi and Lu Lin had nothing to do with the Lu Family already.

If the imperial government didn't know, it was even more impossible for the Emperor to know.

The commendation letter had provoked an uproar in the Big Stone Village.

"Lu Lin is really impressive. He has gained recognition from His Majesty."

"I didn't expect him to be so capable."

"Yeah! I heard that Sha County is not a good place. I didn't expect Lu Lin to do so great that he has received the Emperor's commendation."

"What exactly did he do?"

Curved Iron Plough was just popularized in the capital city, it hadn't made it to the Big Stone Village yet.

"Who cares!"

"Granny Shen had discerning eyes that could tell greatness from mediocrity. Shen Chi is related to Lu Lin now, so lucky."

"Yeah! It is a pity that Granny Shen has already passed away, but I'm sure she can rest in peace now."

The girls in the village all wished it were themselves who married Chen Xiao Cai and be the one who was related to Lu Lin.

To Build a Winery

Grandma Lu had been in a sulk since she heard the news.

"This Emperor is so stingy, why doesn't he reward us some silver, who needs that flashy commendation letter! We need money, not some letter," the old lady said angrily.

Lu An sighed, "Mother, watch your language please! It's a monstrous crime to discuss His Majesty with no respect! We may end up in jail because of that!" Lu An who had worked in town before knew better than his ignorant mother.

Grandma Lu said awkwardly, "What have you taken me for, son? I'm just talking about this at home and I won't go out and talk about the emperor."

"Mother, you don't know. There's a lot of reward silver. I heard that there's a few thousand taels of silver, but none of that was sent to us. Lu Lin has got it all. That's thousands of taels we are talking about, I used to feel good about my 2 tales salary, tut tut tut, that is nothing!"

Grandma Lu's eyes reddened. "This is too unfair. That little bastard already has so much silver. The Emperor should have given us the reward money instead of him!"

The old lady thought to herself, If the silver was delivered to me, I would guard it with my life, no one can take that money away from me! Including Lu Lin!'

For Grandma Lu, there was nothing more painful than the fact that she had missed the chance to have so much silver. Grandma Lu simple couldn't let go of the fact that Lu Lin got the emperor's reward, she stayed up all night sighing and sulking.

Lu An would also sigh deeply seeing how mad his mother was.

Lu An was full of regret. He had never thought that Lu Lin would be so capable. If he had known better, he should have treated Lu Lin better. If that was the case, he would be a County Magistrate's uncle. This identity was enough for him to mount the high horse in front of his fellow villagers.

As for Lu Cheng Yu who was a Xiucai now, Lu An just felt very disappointed. True, they enjoyed some tax exemption thanks to Lu Cheng Yu, but compared with the money that Lu Cheng Yu had to spend on studying, the exemption was like a drop in the bucket.

Grandma Lu's face darkened and she said, "I heard that the butcher's family is going to take refuge with Lu Lin."

Lu An frowned. When Lu Lin left for Sha County, Zhang Rui didn't follow because he just had a newborn, and Lu Lin had left him a large sum of money. Recently, Lu An heard that Zhang Rui was planning to go to Sha County and join Lu Lin.

In fact, Lu An had also thought about seeking refuge with Lu Lin. However, he was fully aware that Lu Lin would not patch things up with him even though he travelled all the way to Sha County.

It was indeed a long journey from Forest Town to Sha County. Lu An wasn't sure whether it was worth it to make that effort for nothing.

Grandma Lu said sullenly, "This bastard is full of himself. We are his family, but he hires strangers instead of us!"

Grandma Lu thumped her chest and stamped her feet. Every time she heard news about Lu Lin, she would feel depressed. Deep down, regret had seized her, how she wished she had treated Lu Lin better and she felt she should have sent Lu Lin to school instead of Lu Cheng Yu. She was sure Lu Lin would have respected her if she had done all that.

…

Chen Jing was now a perfect farmer. At first, when he was required to go to the field, Chen Jing was reluctant, but h over the past few years, he was gradually used to all the work.

He would still pick easy jobs and shirk hard ones, but he had made profound progress compared to when he first left school. He would recall his school days at night when he finished the toil in the field with an exhausted body and soul.

Chen Jing heard a few people talking about Lu Lin, panic seized him, he didn't have the guts to join them.

The villagers talked about Lu Lin and Chen Xiao Mi all the time, they loved to talk how outstanding they were and how wealthy they had become. After so many years, Chen Jing had already accepted the fact, but he would feel like a failure when he heard that.

Chen Jing heard his grandmother swearing when he went back home this day.

"Mother, why is grandmother swearing again?" asked Chen Jing.

Grandma Chen's attitude towards Chen Jing had gone from bad to worse since he borrowed usury from the hooligans. After Grandma Chen and Grandpa Chen found out that Chen Xiao Mi was the boss of Sino Commercial House, they saw Chen Jing as an eyesore, they became even more disappointed with Chen Jing. They preferred Chen He and Chen Qu now. Chen Jing felt that he was becoming more and more inferior at home.

Chen Jing's mother said sullenly, "Your grandma just went to your Second Aunt's house to borrow money, of course she didn't get a penny."

Chen Jing sighed, "That butcher is not easy to deal with!"

Chen Jing's mother nodded, "I told her exactly the same thing, but she insisted that your Cousin Rui has earned a lot of money with Chen Xiao Mi, and we should take a cut from that money!"

Chen Jing shook his head insilence.

…

In Village Head Zhang's house.

"This is mind-blowing! " the old Village Head Zhang Cheng exclaimed.

Zhang Cheng had retired a few years ago and now his son Zhang Jin was the Village Head.

Zhang Jin sighed, "Yeah! One of our fellow villagers has got a commendation letter from His Majesty!"

Zhang Cheng had been looking forward to Lu Cheng Yu bringing glory to the village. He did not expect that Lu Lin, who had always been hostile to Lu Cheng Yu, had made it.

The Lu family was in a very awkward situation since the great news of the commendation letter.

Lu Lin, who was favored by the emperor actually was sold by the Lus years ago.

The villagers started to compare Lu Cheng Yu with Lu Lin again, everyone agreed the Lus had made a huge mistake, they agreed the Lus had failed to recognize a thing for what it was.

There were also many villagers blamed Zhang Cheng for not on a great term with Lu Lin. Therefore, some villagers who wanted to seek refuge with Lu Lin didn't have the courage or confidence to do so.

"I think it is a good thing for our village that Lu Lin has got a commendation letter from His Majesty," Zhang Jin said.

It was true, other villages were mad jealous about the great honor the Big Stone Village had enjoyed.

…

Lu Lin, who was far away in Sha County, had no idea that he once again had become the talk of the village. As a matter of face, the talk of all the neighboring villages.

Lu Lin had been busy building a winery since the beginning of spring.

The business of the tofu store was good. Every day, the blacksmiths and carpenters worked for Lu Lin would make a few orders, the villagers would frequent the store as well, but the profit was too small.

Chen Xiao Cai looked at Lu Lin and said, "Lin Ge, you want to build a winery, right?"

Lu Lin nodded, "Correct! Our tofu shop is doing great, but let's face it, it's not going to make us any money."

Chen Xiao Cai nodded in a hurry, "I totally agree!"

Chen Xiao Cai hired two reliable young men from the village to manage the tofu shop, he was confident that he could help out with the winery.

It was not an easy process to buy shops in Forest Town, but it was much simpler in Sha County. There was much empty space around and it was very easy to do the site selection.

During winter, many villagers rented mules and farm tools from Lu Lin. And they need to work for Lu Lin accordingly as return.

The soldiers in the camp also volunteered to help Lu Lin when they heard that Lu Lin wanted to build a winery.

Lu Lin was surprised and touched at the same time when he saw that so many soldiers showed up and worked for him for free.

Lu Lin did not expect that he would enjoy so much love and esteem of the soldiers. They volunteered to work for him for free. He knew it for a fact the soldiers looked down upon all the previous county magistrates.

Lu Lin couldn't help but feel self-satisfied, 'It looks like the soldiers appreciate me for who I am, they have such a golden heart, you are nice to them and they will be even nicer to you as return.'

"Lin Ge, the soldiers say they don't want any money from you, but they want delicious food. They want to eat hotpot, egg pancakes, spring rolls, brown sugar steamed cakes…" Chen Xiao Cai said.

Lu Lin sighed, "I thought they were here for me, it turns out they are here for food! Well, who can blame them."

Chen Xiao Cai nodded and said with a strange expression, "Now many people outside say that there is a great female cook in our county yamen. I'm sure they just assumed it's a woman who has been cooking all those yummy and creative food for us."

Lu Lin smiled, 'That is an outmoded notion, but that's the mainstream in this time and space where people have never heard of gender quality.'

Lu Lin thought chances were Ji Yun An had spread the word in the military camp that he would have a feast every day in the county yamen and the soldiers assumed it was Yun Niang who had done all the cooking.

Lu Lin shook his head with a smile and said, "That's all right, let's prepare some good food for our soldiers."

Chen Xiao Cai nodded and said, "I know, but we don't have much oil left in the kitchen, let alone other ingredients."

Lu Lin sighed and thought to himself, 'I wish I had stocked more oil in the convenience store.'

"A few soldiers asked me whether it's true we are going to build a winery," Chen Xiao Cai said.

Lu Lin nodded and said, "Of course it is true."

Chen Xiao Cai smiled and said, "They told me to treat them to some wine after we brew our first batch."

Lu Lin nodded and said, "This can be done."

Lu Lin thought maybe he could even sell some wine to the soldiers in the military camp at a low price. He was sure they would appreciate some good wine, wine was good, it was great in deepen communication.

Everything went smoothly in building the winery, none of the villagers or soldiers slacked off

Chen Xiao Cai once again admired Lu Lin's wisdom.

"Lunch time! "

At noon, Chen Xiao Mi shouted cheerfully. Everyone's eyes sparkled and they walked towards the makeshift 'canteen'.

Chen Xiao Mi set up a giant round table considering there was a large number of villagers and soldiers.

"Xiao Mi Ge, what are we having for lunch today?" a soldier called Lei Zheng asked with a fawning smile on his face as he leaned closer to Chen Xiao Mi.

Chen Xiao Mi replied casually, "Stewed Chicken with Potato."

Chicken was very expensive, so Lu Lin put a lot of potatoes and bamboo shoots in the stew.

Lei Zheng nodded and let out an "awesome".

Chen Xiao Mi glanced at Lei Zheng and said, "I remember you, you were here yesterday too. Are you being slack in the camp?"

Lei Zheng denied it fervently, "How can that be? I'm on my day off."

Chen Xiao Mi looked at Lei Zheng and thought to himself, 'This guy seemed to have said the same thing a few days ago. What on earth is going on? Is he telling the truth?'

As soon as the workers arrived at the canteen, they sat down and dived in immediately. Everyone was savoring the food with obvious relish for fear of missing out, no one was really talking.

The dishes on the table were quickly swept away.

There was strength in numbers, the winery was completed ahead of schedule.

After the winery was completed, Lu Lin wanted to purchase a batch of wine jars, to his surprise, the soldiers brought him a lot of jars.

There was also a winery in the patrolling camp, but no one had really used it properly. Some villagers had stolen one or two empty jars to make pickles, but there were quite a lot left.

Knowing that Lu Lin needed some jars, the soldiers brought a batch, saving Lu Lin some money.

What Lu Lin appreciated the most was not the money but the gesture.

Mai Knocking over a Drink

After spring, many farmers began to fling themselves into the farm work. The ploughs that Lu Lin and his team had made during winter time were all distributed to different villages.

With the help of the ploughs, the farmers were able to finish their work in a more efficient way, and they opened up large tracts of wasteland for Lu Lin within a short amount of time.

Lu Lin bought some good sapling from other places and asked the villagers to be responsible for planting them.

Some villagers were too poor to buy their own seeds for grains, Lu Lin bought a batch from outside and lent them to the villagers.

Lu Lin had assigned the Qins a task, he asked them to transport a batch of white mulberry and plant them on the mountain near the county yamen.

It took the Qins an entire month to finish that task, the Qins has even asked help from the patrolling camp. But they managed to get it done in the end.

The Qins promised the villagers that they would pay them three cents for each tree they plant on the barren mountain near the county yamen. The villagers scrambled to get that job opportunity.

Dozens of villagers went ahead at full steam, working so hard.

Every tree pit was round and deep, no one had slacked off.

When some villagers saw Lu Lin coming over, they greeted Lu Lin one after another. They wore a kind smile on their faces, which was completely different from the gloating look when Lu Lin first arrived.

Soon, a mulberry forest covered the barren mountain. Lu Lin exclaimed at how fast the mountain looked completely different now, he showed a satisfying smile on seeing the new scene.

In addition to the mulberry trees, there were also some fruit trees.

Chen Xiao Mi stood beside Lu Lin and asked curiously, "Why did you plant so many mulberry trees? Do you want to get into silkworm breeding?"

Lu Lin nodded, "Yeah!"

Lu Lin had spent a lot of money to bring this batch of mulberry trees over, and quite a few died on the road.

Chen Xiao Mi glanced at Lu Lin and asked, "Do you know how to raise silkworms?"

Lu Lin shook his head, "Well, I can slowly explore it. We've just got the reward money, it's not like we are spending our savings, let't just take a bet on this one. And hopefully it will work."

Chen Xiao Mi nodded.

"Actually, I did have raised silkworms," Lu Lin said.

Chen Xiao Mi looked at Lu Lin with disbelief and said, "What? When? Didn't you just inherit a convenience store in your hometown? When did you raise silkworms"

Lu Lin looked at Chen Xiao Mi's sparkling eyes and rubbed his nose with affection. He couldn't figure out if Chen Xiao Mi was admiring him or ridiculing him.

Lu Lin had raised silkworms before. When he was a child, someone sold silkworms outside the school. He spent two yuan on some silkworms and some mulberry leaves for fun. A lot of his classmates did the same thing, but unfortunately, none of the kids could find fresh mulberry leaves to feed the worms, and slowly the worms had died. Lu Lin's silkworms were no exception.

Lu Lin glanced at Chen Xiao Mi and said, "I've done many things that you don't know."

Chen Xiao Mi looked at Lu Lin and didn't believe it.

Lu Lin looked at Chen Xiao Mi's expression and thought to himself, my mysterious aura in Mi's eyes are slowly fading away, I better come up with a plan to spice things up and keep Mi interested. But it's getting seemed more and more difficult.'

Lu Lin looked at the mulberry grove and smiled, "We can set up a few chooks runs here and raise some chickens."

Chen Xiao Mi glanced at Lu Lin and said with surprise, "Raise chickens here?"

Lu Lin nodded, "Yeah! Do you know chicken manure is a natural fertilizer, trust me, our more mulberry trees are going to love that."

No one in Sha County dared to pick and steal for fear of the patrolling camp, Lu Lin didn't worry that the chickens would be stolen.

Chen Xiao Mi nodded and said, "Alright. If we raised a few chickens here, we wouldn't have to worry about buying chicken meat."

"I will raise a few more children, the kids at home have been complaining that they are craving for meat," Lu Lin said.

Chen Xiao Mi glanced at Lu Lin and thought to himself, 'You don't have to use the kids as excuses, I know you are the one who has been craving for meat.'

…

After Lu Lin inspected the mulberry forest, he went to inspect the winery.

Lu Lin's winery was now fully operational.

Chen Xiao Mai had been frequenting the winery quite often recently.

The alcohol percentage in the wine was not high, so Lu Lin coaxed Chen Xiao Mai into drinking some wine for fun.

It was supposed to be a one-time thing, but Chen Xiao Mai had fallen in love with wine and he had been thinking about drinking more.

Lu Lin would cut Chen Xiao Mai out, but Xiao Mai didn't take it very well, he would assume a position and dash towards at Li Lin's chest like a mini tank.

When Lu Lin first transmigrated into this time and space, he saw Xiao Mai as a cute chubby kid, but Mai had fully evolved into a 'mini tank' during the past few years.

Lu Lin didn't expect he would face such a huge consequence from a joke.

Seeing this, not only Chen Xiao Mi did not sympathize with Lu Lin, but he also gave Lu Lin a good scolding. Lu Lin had to only use various methods to divert Chen Xiao Mai's attention, but none of them seemed to have worked.

The winery was built near the County Yamen, and the fragrance of the alcohol would often waft into the county yamen.

Chen Xiao Mai would often sneak into the winery whenever he smelt the fragrance of alcohol. Yuan Bao who always followed Chen Xiao Mai around would sneak into the winery as well.

Lu Lin would just press his forehead when he saw the two kids sneaking around.

Chen Xiao Mi looked at Lu Lin and said, "We really need to do something now if we don't want to have two juiceheads in the family, the two brats have been sneaking into the winery almost every day."

Two days ago, Mai drank a large bowl of wine when no one was watching him, and he ground the millstone for half an hour in the yard, giving Chen Xiao Mi a start. Chen Xiao Mi thought Mai was possessed by something.

Lu Lin nodded in silence how he regretted for coaxing Mai into drinking.

Chen Xiao Mi glanced at Lu Lin and said, "Do you have any ideas?"

"I'm thinking," Lu Lin said.

Chen Xiao Mi said sullenly, "Look at what you did!"

Lu Lin said embarrassedly, "I didn't expect things to be so serious." Lu Lin shook his head and thought to himself, 'I was just too bored, so I created a little fun, oh man, I miss the internet!'

"Mai is tall and strong, looking like a young man, but his brain still works like a child's mind. If there is anything that can divert his attention, he probably won't be thinking about the wine day long."

Lu Lin thought about it and said, "How about asking him to feed the chicken in the mulberry forest."

Chen Xiao Mi thought for a moment and said, "That's worth a try! He used to like feeding chickens and ducks when we were in Big Stone Village…"

Not long after Chen Xiao Mi and Lu Lin got married, Lu Lin set up a chook run at home. Mai would spend all his free time watching the chickens, and he would feed the chickens without anyone reminding him.

Lu Lin nodded and said, "Well, that's settled."

A few days later, Chen Xiao Cai held a basket with rice bran in one hand, and Yuan Bao's little hand in the other hand, together they went to the mulberry forest.

After Chen Xiao Mai arrived at the chook runs in the mountain, several chicks surrounded Chen Xiao Mai asking for food.

Chen Xiao Mai counted the chooks and he let out a sigh of relief that no one had stolen any chook.

Chen Xiao Mai searched around and picked up a few eggs before he grabbed Yuan Bao's chubby hand and went back home.

Seeing that Chen Xiao Mai no longer sneaking into the winery, Lu Lin could not help but let out a sigh of relief.

Lu Lin swore to himself that he would never coax Mai into drinking again. He decided to stew a chicken for dinner this day to celebrate this, but he decided to not mention a word in case Mai recalled the taste of wine and slipped back into his old ways.

…

Ji Yun An walked into the room only to see a few wine jars sitting in front of Yuan Bao.

Yuan Bao held his chin in his small and chubby hands.

"Where did the wine come from?" Ji Yun An asked.

Yuan Bao glanced at Ji Yun An and said, "It's my wine, you are not allowed to drink it!"

Ji Yun An pinched Yuan Bao gently on his cheek, "You are not allowed to drink any of this, you will get dumb if you start drinking at such a young age, you know?"

Yuan Bao glared at Ji Yun An and said, "Nonsense."

"It's true. And you know what, I'll tell your fathers if you start drinking," said Ji Yun An.

Yuan Bao glared at Ji Yun An angrily and said, "Okay, okay, let me tell you the truth, this wine is not for me, Little Uncle hides them here. Father always does surprise inspection in Little Uncle's room now, so he asks me to hide these jars for him."

"What if your father comes to our room?"

Yuan Bao said confidently, "Father won't do that, I'm such a good boy. If he did come and find these jars, I would just say they are yours."

Ji Yun An found that hard to believe, he pulled a long face and said, "You little brat, you plan to make me be the scapegoat, don't you? That's not what a good boy will do!"

Ji Yun An glared at the Yuan Bao, trying to look intimidating.

Yuan Bao put on a fawning smile and acted all cute, "You are a guest, Brother An, neither daddy nor father will scold you or beat you up."

Ji Yun An couldn't really stay mad at Yuan Bao, he just said, "Tell your Little Uncle that drinking isn't a good habit."

Yuan Bao looked at Ji Yun An and said, "I will tell him, but for now let's keep this a secret for him!"

Ji Yun An nodded and said, "All right, you have my word, I won't tell on him."

Yuan Bao nodded and said, "Thank you so much, Brother An. It's peach blossom wine in the jars. It's very rare, it takes a lot of time and effort to brew, it's almost sold out in the winery, that's why Little Uncle hides several jars. "

Lu Lin used the peaches in the mountain to brew this wine.

Ji Yun An narrowed his eyes, 'Sold out? To the soldiers in the military?'

Ji Yun An sighed. After Lu Lin's winery was opened, many soldiers in the military camp who had no self-control would frequent the winery often, they would spend more than half of their salary on alcohol. Fortunately, the wine that Lu Lin sold to the military camp was all at a friendly price.

"It is said that this wine tastes really good, but Little Uncle forbids me from drinking it," Yuan Bao said in distress.

Yuan Bao rolled his eyes and said, "Do you want to taste it, Brother An?"

Ji Yun An looked at Yuan Bao suspiciously and said, "Are you offering this wine to me because you really want me to see how good it is or you just me to be the scapegoat if your daddy Mi or your father Lin finds out you are drinking?"

Seeing that Ji Yun An don't fall for his little trick, Yuan Bao showed a dry smile and ran away.

Ji Yun An looked at Yuan Bao's retiring figure and shook his head helplessly.

…

A few days later, Ji Yun An walked into the room only to see Chen Xiao Mai and Yuan Bao sitting around by a wine jar.

"Little Uncle, you're going to drink, right?"

Chen Xiao Mai nodded, "Yes."

Yuan Bao glanced at Chen Xiao Mai and said, "Let me have a taste, please."

Chen Xiao Mai hesitated for a moment and nodded.

Chen Xiao Mai carried the wine jar to the table, poured himself a bowl, and poured a few drops for Yuan Bao.

Ji Yun An pressed his forehead and let out a sigh. He thought to himself, 'Lu Lin is so. He didn't notice that Chen Xiao Mai has stolen so much wine, all right, it's fair that he didn't notice it in time, but the wine has been in this room for a few days!'

Yuan Bao glanced at Ji Yun An and said, "Do you want to have a taste as well?"

Chen Xiao Mai looked at Yuan Bao and said, "Why are you inviting him?"

Yuan Bao puffed up his cheeks and said, "If you don't give him a drink, he will tell on us later."

Chen Xiao Mai nodded and said, "It makes sense. Come over and drink, you."

Ji Yun An was so speechless, but he accepted the invitation.

Chen Xiao Mai took a sip of wine and frowned, "It's good, but it tastes strange."

Yuan Bao took a sip of the bowl in his hand and said, "Good, good. Give me some more."

Ji Yun An took a sip of the wine and secretly pouted, thinking to himself, 'This is no wine, this is sugar water! This county magistrate is really cunning! He has long changed the wine into sugar water, no wonder he is so calm and peaceful!'

Ji Yun An took another sip of sugar water and found the taste rather strange, but it didn't taste bad.

It turned what they were drinking was drinks from the convenience store blended with water! Lu Lin had been cleaning up the store, he planned to use the store as a warehouse more than anything. An empty space like the convenience store was priceless!

Malatang

Chen Xiao Cai bought all the stores and empty space around the county yamen, intending to hire a construction team and build a commercial street.

Shen Chi followed behind Chen Xiao Cai and asked worriedly, "You've bought so many stores. Have you got a plan for what you're about to do?"

Chen Xiao Cai bought so many shops in one go, making Shen Chi worried.

Although these stores were not expensive at all, none of them was open for business for a long time. Shen Chi felt that it was very easy for Willow Town's stores to change hands. As long as they lowered the price, other merchants would come to buy them, but it was a different story in this Sha County.

If there was a war on the border, the entire commercial street would probably be destroyed.

Chen Xiao Cai shook his head, "Not yet."

Shen Chi looked at Chen Xiao Cai with a strange expression, "Not yet? Have you asked Lin Ge?"

Chen Xiao Cai nodded and said, "Yes, I've asked him. Lin Ge said I'm doing well. He praised me and said that I have the potential to do something big."

Lu Lin quite approved Chen Xiao Cai's plan, he happened to coincide with Xiao Cai on this point.

According to Lu Lin's plan, he would love to develop a commercial street near the county yamen and boost the economy of the entire county. While the commercial properties were still affordable, Lu Lin found, buying the whole street to be a brilliant idea.

Probably the value of the stores nearby would double or even multiply after a while.

The prospect of properties was always beyond imagination from ancient times to the present.

Lu Lin thought that Chen Xiao Cai was a person with dreams, but Lu Lin wasn't entirely sure if Chen Xiao Cai's ambitious plan would work out. Although there was a lot of profit in property speculation, it was high-risk as well.

Even though Lu Lin was not sure, he still gave Chen Xiao Cai a lot of support, he would always supports all the kids' dream in the family.

Shen Chi blinked and said, "Really? that's great!"

Shen Chi was very convinced of Lu Lin. Chen Xiao Cai told Shen Chi that Lu Lin was the only reason that the Chen family had moved to Forest Town, had a successful business, and now had an official title. Shen Chi admired Lu Lin so much that he would buy every word Lu Lin said. If Lu Lin knew he was held in high esteem by Shen Chi, he would be shy.

"The stores here are very cheap," Chen Xiao Cai said.

Chen Xiao Cai's store in Willow Town was worth hundreds of tales. But the entire commercial street had cost him around that amount.

One of the stores that Chen Xiao Cai bought was open for business this day. The store was mainly selling Curved Iron Ploughs and other farm tools. Lu Lin asked the carpenters to build some tables and stools to display and sell in the store as well.

Curved Iron Ploughs was only sold in that store, it had made a name for itself not long after it was open, many villagers from the neighboring counties swarmed into this store, driving economic development in the entire Sha County.

Chen Xiao Mi glanced at Lu Lin and said, "Cai has bought all the nearby stores, do you know?"

Lu Lin nodded, "I do know! I'm so proud of our Little Cai, he is so ambitious, I have high hopes for him, he is destined for something big. In my hometown, so many millionaires even billionaires build up their family fortune through property speculation. Cai is just so forward-looking."

Chen Xiao Mi who had never heard the legendary stories of the real estate speculators rolled his eyes and said with concern, "He is very daring, but I'm worried about him, what if this leads nowhere for him and he loses all his savings?"

Lu Lin smiled and said, "It's alright. We are always here for him, we will support him to start anew! Our Cai is very bold, he has what it takes to be a tycoon! I've underestimated him in the past. Mark my words, Cai is destined for something big!"

Chen Xiao Mi said helplessly, "Stop showering praise on him. Otherwise, he would be immensely pleased with himself."

Although Chen Xiao Mi said so with a helpless expression, he was so happy that his husband saw something special in his little brother.

Lu Lin rubbed his chin and said, "Business is always risky. If you fail, you just embrace it and start from the beginning again. However, I do think Cai will make a fortune from this move."

…

In the military camp.

A soldier looked under his bed and screamed.

Liu Yun came over and said, "What happened?"

The screaming soldier grimaced, "Nothing."

Liu Yun asked suspiciously, "Why were you screaming then?"

Zhang Lin, the screaming soldier, couldn't help but bow his head with sorrow, "Mr. Liu, someone has drunk all my wine. And he has filled my wine jar with water!"

Zhang Lin scratched his head with frustration. He had taken precautions against the veterans who had a tendency to steal drinks from the new recruits. He hid his wine jar under the bed and covered it with a bed sheet, he would check the jar from time to time as well.

Zhang Lin finally decided to drink the wine this day, he opened the jar full of joy only to find the wine has become water!

He usually just shook the wine jar to check if it was empty, but it never occurred to him someone had replaced wine with water already!

Liu Yun was speechless. Drinking was usually prohibited in the camp. Although this was the rule, everyone would indulge themselves with a few drinks on the day off, the officers always turned a blind eye to that as long as they didn't go too far.

Liu Yun said helplessly, "Don't you know drinking is prohibited in the camp? No more sneaking wine into the camp, understood?"

The new recruit lowered his head in silence, he felt so wronged, his wine was stolen and he just got scolded by Liu Yun.

Liu Yun shook his head and returned to his camp.

Ji Cheng Kang saw Liu Yun come in and asked, "Where have you been?"

Liu Yun smiled bitterly and said, "A soldier's wine is stolen."

Ji Cheng Kang shook his head and said, "The soldiers have been frequenting Lu Lin's winery recently, let's not be too harsh on them as long as they don't go too far."

Liu Yun nodded, he had become a regular customer of Lu Lin's winery as well,.

"General Ji, shall we pick Young Master Ji home? He has been in the county yamen for so long, I'm worried about his study."

Ji Cheng Kang shook his head and said, "That brat is probably having too much enjoyment and forgets to go back home."

Liu Yun showed a snicker, he agreed with Ji Cheng Kang.

Ji Cheng Kang glanced at Liu Yun and said, "Shall we find a scholar and ask him to teach Yun An in the county yamen? Magistrate Lu has been looking for a scholar for the kids in his family as well, this works out just perfect."

…

In the county yamen.

Ji Yun An walked to the yard, he looked around and asked Tian Rou. "Uncle Tian, have you seen Magistrate Lu?"

Tian Zheng smiled and said, "Maybe he is in the kitchen."

Ji Yun An rolled his eyes speechlessly. 'Why would a capable man spend his day in the kitchen?'

Lu Lin looked at Chen Xiao Mai and asked, "You've tasted them all, now tell me which one you like the best?"

Chen Xiao Mai tilted his head and said, "They are all great, I like them all."

Lu Lin permitted a dry smile, 'What a surprise! Mai like them all, I should've asked someone else!'

Ji Yun An walked into the kitchen and greeted Lu Lin.

Lu Lin nodded, "Yeah, An!"

"What are you doing, Magistrate Lu? Am I interrupting?"

Lu Lin said casually, "I plan to open a restaurant and I am trying new recipes."

Ji Yun An said delightedly, "Opening a restaurant? That's so exciting!"

Lu Lin seemed to know about many dishes, and he was such a great chef. Lu Lin was not a stingy person, he had shared a lot of recipes with the cooking team in the military camp. The soldiers were so grateful to Lu Lin even though the food was not as exquisite since they were prepared in a large canteen cauldron.

The soldiers in this camp had long wanted to taste the food in the county yamen, so they would volunteer to help out in the county yamen whenever Lu Lin started a new project.

Ji Yun An glanced at Lu Lin and thought to himself, 'But Magistrate Lu, you shouldn't spend so much time in the kitchen, it's women who belong in the kitchen.'

Lu Lin glanced at Ji Yun An and said: "Are you hungry? Do you want to try this and give me some opinions?"

Ji Yun An nodded and said, "Happy to!"

"Lin Ge, what is this? It's so great!" Ji Yun An exclaimed.

Lu Lin smiled and said, "This is spicy hot pot. You just prepare some soup base and add all kind of ingredients you like, nice and easy." (T: Spicy hot pot, or malatang in pinyin, named after its key ingredient, mala sauce, which is flavored with a combination of Sichuan pepper and dried chilli pepper, is a popular street food.)

Ji Yun An nodded and said, "It's so yummy!"

Lu Lin nodded with a smile, "I'm glad you like it.".

Lu Lin originally wanted to make hotpot, then he changed his mind on thinking about how expensive hotpot was. Malatang was a much simpler and affordable version of hotpot, but just as yummy.

Ji Yun An and Chen Xiao Mai tried a few dishes with relish.

Lu Lin looked at Ji Yun An and showed a snicker, he was surprised that a young master like Ji Yun An would enjoy this street food.

Ji Yun An noticed Lu Lin's snicker and blushed, he seemed to have guessed why Lu Lin was snickering.

…

Lu Lin soon opened a malatang restaurant. The resources in Sha County weren't great, but customers still came to the restaurant in an endless stream. Among them were a lot of soldiers.

The soldiers of the patrol camp had long heard that Lu Lin was going to open a malatang restaurant, they had been looking forward to it.

On the first day of the opening, many soldiers went to the restaurant anxiously.

All seats inside the restaurant were occupied, Chen Xiao Cai had to set up a few more tables and chairs outside as well.

There were a lot of customers on the first day of the store opening, Chen Xiao Mai volunteered to help out, he had been running around and doing customer service.

"Little Manager, this spicy soup base tastes really good!"

Chen Xiao Cai smiled and said, "Thank you so much, I'm glad you like it."

The ingredients were displayed on shelves, and customers pick their desired ingredients into a bowl. The customers then paid by the ingredients. Behind the counter the selected ingredients were cooked in a spicy broth for a few minutes before being served. Meatballs were the most expensive ingredient on the shelf, and the rest were mainly cheap vegetables. The soldiers here mostly got some noodles, some vegetables and two or three meatballs for five cents.

The fragrance of the spicy broth had attracted so many villages, especially kids.

Some of them couldn't stand the temptation, their parents would take them here and have a treat.

The beauty of malatang was you could do it fancy or simple according to your budget, some villagers would only have some noodles.

The malatang business seemed to have become yet another hit.

They could earn about one tale of silver per day.

Lu Lin taught Shen Chi how to make the spicy soup base. Shen Chi was such a quick learner, he did such an amazing job in making the soup base.

Shen Chi and Chen Xiao Cai had a lot of savings over the years, but what Lu Lin appreciated the most about Shen Chi was he was still very down-to-earth about everything. Lu Lin was happy for Chen Xiao Cai that he had found such a great parcener.

Malatang Sweeping the County

Several soldiers returned to the camp, beaming with smiles.

"Lei Zheng," Liu Yun shouted fiercely.

Lei Zheng's heart jolted when he heard that.

Then he put on a flattering smile and walked closer to Liu Yun, he bowed to Liu Yun, "Mr. Liu, how can I help you?"

"Don't give me such a cheeky grin. It's your turn to be on duty today. Where did you go?" Liu Yun asked with a darkened face.

Lei Ming scratched his head and said awkwardly, "I've changed shifts with someone."

"Oh? With whom? "

"Zhang Lin."

Liu Yun's face darkened and he said, "Is that so? Coincidentally, a few people have told me they have changed shifts with him, can you give me an explanation? You're a veteran, but he is a rookie, apparently stealing wine from a newcomer is not enough, you have to bully him like this? You should be ashamed!"

Lei Zheng scratched his head again, "Mr. Liu, I'll return him some wine."

Zhang Lin thought he had done a good job hiding the wine, but he was no match for the veterans. Lei Zheng was an old Fox! There was nothing in the dormitory that could be hidden from him.

Lei Zheng knew how great the wine was and he couldn't resist the temptation, so he had stolen Zhang Lin's, he had been feeling sorry and he planned to buy Zhang Lin some wine after he got paid. To his surprise, Liu Yun found this out before he could carry out his plan.

"Where have you guys been?" Liu Yun demanded.

Lei Zheng took a step forward, "Mr. Liu, Chen Xiao Cai, the brother-in-law of Magistrate Lu opened a malatang restaurant, we just went there. I highly recommend you and General Ji to pay a visit there, it is so great!"

Liu Yun said with a stern face, "Is that why you have changed shifts with Zhang Lin? To eat something new? Zero tolerance if it happened again!"

Lei Zheng kept nodding, "Mr. Liu, don't be angry!" I'll go on patrol right now."

Lei Zheng walked back to Liu Yun after he had walked a long distance, "Mr. Liu, that malatang really tastes great! You and General Ji should go."

Liu Yun glared at Lei Zheng, and Lei Zheng fled knowingly.

Lei Zheng smiled dryly and said, "All right, all right, I know what you are about to say, I will get lost right now."

Liu Yun looked at Lei Zheng's retiring figure and shook his head helplessly.

Ji Cheng Kang came out and said, "Looks like Lu Lin and Chen Xiao Cai's new spicy hotpot restaurant is really good!"

Liu Yun frowned and said, "I've only heard good things about them, look at our soldiers, they sure are charmed."

Ji Cheng Kang felt very much indebted to Lu Lin since Lu Lin shared a few recipes with the cooking team in the military camp, but he was a bit worried about some soldiers neglecting their duties to go to Lu Lin's restaurant!

…

In the county yamen.

Chen Xiao Mai poured out a bag of coppers, then he and and Yuan Bao started counting coins.

Chen Xiao Mai had done a great job helping out in the restaurant this day, Xiao Cai rewarded him with 200 cents for his hard work.

Because Chen Xiao Mai was a special kid, Lu Lin was worried that Chen Xiao Mai would be deceived by others if they gave him money. So Xiao Mai had never had money, so he was so thrilled when Xiao Cai gave him 200 cents.

Yuan Bao looked at Chen Xiao Mai and said, "Little Uncle, you are awesome, look at all these coins!"

Chen Xiao Mai said proudly, "Of course."

Chen Xiao Mai could always ask for money from Chen Xiao Mi or anyone in the family, they would give him a generous amount, but it was different. Xiao Mai just felt so proud, because this was the first time that he had ever earned something.

Yuan Bao looked at Ji Yun An and asked, "Hey, brother-wall-climber, have you made money yourself?"

Ji Yun An wished he weren't in this room. The truth was he had not, he had always despised money, he just wanted to do well in his studies and martial arts. He didn't need to worry about making money.

Yuan Bao looked at Ji Yun An and let out a long sigh, "Daddy said that good kids must learn to rely on themselves and be someone useful to the country."

Ji Yun An felt so embarrassed, he felt this little brat was judging him.

Chen Xiao Mai looked at Ji Yun An and said, "You haven't made any money, that's fine, you don't have to feel bad or discouraged. Second Brother's restaurant is very busy, would you like to work there and wash dishes with me?"

Ji Yun An almost gasped. 'To wash dishes with you? I'm not trying to belittle you or anyone else, I'm Young Master Ji from the capital city, I don't think washing dishes is a good idea for me.'

"Are you doing it or not?" asked Chen Xiao Mai.

Ji Yun An hesitated for a while and gritted his teeth, "Oh, yes, I'm in."

Chen Xiao Mai clapped his hands and said, "Very good, very good. You have the desire to advance at least. Don't worry, I will protect you."

Ji Yun An scratched his head. He always felt that he would encounter some strange things in the county yamen. 'If Uncle knew that I'm going to wash dishes in a restaurant, would he stamp his feet with fury?'

…

Liu Yun walked into Ji Cheng Kang's camp, he stood there for a while, wishing to speak but not to do so on second thought.

Ji Cheng Kang glanced at Liu Yun who had a strange expression on his face. "Spill it out already, clearly you have something to say? Is it about the malatang restaurant? You caught the soldiers sneaking out again?"

The malatang restaurant had become the talk of the camp recently. They would have swarmed into the restaurant if not for the strict investigation.

They would just get up early and march into the restaurant on their day off.

It was said that in order to cope with such a huge flow of customers, Chen Xiao Cai had to expand the size of the restaurant within days.

Liu Yun said with a strange expression, "General, the young master is doing customer service and washing dishes in the restaurant."

Ji Cheng Kang raised his head and glanced at Liu Yun. "Oh? How come? He needs money?"

Liu Yun shook his head and said, "No, the young master said he wanted to be independent and he didn't want to be ridiculed by that Bio boy in Magistrate Lu's family."

Ji Cheng Kang smiled and said, "He's grown up! Let him be."

Ji Cheng Kang estimated that Ji Yun An would not keep doing this job, but he was very happy that his nephew was so down-to-earth, he hoped his nephew could learn something from this experience.

Liu Yun hesitated for a moment and said, "General, that spicy hotpot tastes really good! And it's not expensive. You can give it a try when you have time. The restaurant is so popular, and many villagers are taking their kids over as well."

Ji Cheng Kang glanced at Liu Yun and thought to himself, 'Liu Yun, aren't you the one who has complained to me about the soldiers frequenting the restaurant? Look at you now, urging me to give it a try.'

"Is it really that delicious?" Ji Cheng Kang asked.

Liu Yun nodded and exclaimed, "Yeah! I don't know what they have put in the soup base, it's just so addictive."

Ji Cheng Kang smiled and recalled what Ji Yun An told him, Ji Yun An mentioned that Lu Lin would spend hours in the kitchen to try different recipes. "It's probably Magistrate Lu's secret recipe."

Liu Yun rubbed his chin and said, "Magistrate Lu is full of surprises."

…

Lu Lin was shocked by the news that Chen Xiao Mai asked Ji Yun An to wash dishes.

The Ji family was an influential and privileged family in the capital city, and Ji Yun An was the young master of that family, how could a young master wash dishes in a restaurant!

Lu Lin immediately went to the restaurant and talked to Ji Yun An, saying that he was wasting his talent on a petty job, but Ji Yun An said he was enjoying it and he felt great that he was not a freeloader anymore.

Lu Lin nodded with a smile, then he suggested that Ji Yun An could transcribe books to make money if he aspired to support himself. It was a much more suitable job than washing dishes. Besides making money, Ji Yun An could gain new knowledge by transcribing books.

Ji Yun An nodded in agreement when he heard that, he found that made perfect sense. He quit the dish washing job that day and threw himself into book transcription. Ji Yun An's handwriting was very beautiful, he could make good money in book transcription.

The business in the restaurant had cooled down a little after a few days. Chen Xiao Cai finally had time to hire people, so Chen Xiao Mai had lost his job.

Chen Xiao Mai lay on the table and looked at Ji Yun An who was transcribing books, "Brother Ji, are you good at telling stories?"

Ji Yun An was confused, "Telling stories?"

Chen Xiao Mai nodded, "Yeah! Li Ge is a great storyteller, he has read a lot of script for story-telling."

Ji Yun An blushed and somehow he thought Mai was referring to smut novels.

"My uncle doesn't allow me to read those books."

Chen Xiao Mai looked at Ji Yun An in confusion and said, "Why, Lin Ge has read a lot, and he even told me and Yuan Bao about it."

Ji Yun An frowned and thought to himself, 'I know Magistrate Lu defies trivial conventions, but it doesn't seem appropriate to share smut with children!'

Chen Xiao Mai looked at Ji Yun An and said: "I will tell you a story."

Ji Yun An frowned and reluctantly nodded, "Okay!"

Chen Xiao Mai happily told Ji Yun An the story of the Monkey King Sun Wukong who made havoc in heaven that Lu Lin had told him before. Although Chen Xiao Mai was a special kid, he actually had a good memory. Chen Xiao Mai would pester Lu Lin to tell stories whenever he was bored. Lu Lin would always 'borrow' stories from one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature — Journey to the West to tell Xiao Mai. (T/N: Journey to the West is going to appear repeatedly in the following chapters, it's a Chinese novel published in the 16th century, it's hard to do a proper summary, google it if you are interested.)

Chen Xiao Mai looked at Ji Yun An and said, "Have you heard of this story?"

Ji Yun An shook his head, he enjoyed the story so much though. (T/N: Of course he hasn't heard the story, they are living in an alternative reality.)

Chen Xiao Mai looked at Ji Yun An and said with some contempt, "You seem to have very limited knowledge and scanty information."

Ji Yun An pouted and said, "I'm a bit ignorant compared to magistrate Lu."

"I guess you are."

Ji Yun An asked Lu Lin about the story, Lu Lin just said he heard this story from an elder in Big Stone Village.

Then something occurred to Lu Lin and he asked Ji Yun An to transcribe the stories he and Mai were about to tell… Ji Yun An agreed with alacrity.

Ji Yun An found the stories mind-blowing, he admired Lu Lin even more now.

The whole book of Journey to the West was engraved on Lu Lin's memory, he was more than happy to tell the stories.

Ji Yun An was deeply attracted by Lu Lin's stories. Every day, he would pester Lu Lin for more stories.

When Lu Lin was younger, he would watch the adapted TV series of Journey to the West in every school holiday, so he remembered most of the plot, and sometimes he would just improvise about the minor details.

Ji Yun An and Chen Xiao Mai now kept following Lu Lin around for more stories, sometimes Lu Lin just wish to hide somewhere for a moment of peace.

If Chen Xiao Mai were the only one who wanted to listen to the story, Lu Lin could coax him away, but he felt uncomfortable telling Ji Yun An off.

Ji Yun An was completely immersed in the story told by Lu Lin. Seeing Ji Yun An's state, Lu Lin was secretly worried. Ji Yun An aspired to pursue an official career, but now he was worried what if Ji Yun An got distracted by the stories and went off the track.

Ji Yun An had transcribed all the stories that Lu Lin had told.

Ji Yun An would retell the story to Lu Lin every time he was done with a chapter.

Lu Lin found that Ji Yun An indeed had a lively style of writing, he enjoyed Ji Yun An's version very much. As days went by, Ji Yun An had almost finished the whole book.

Chen Xiao Mai always followed Ji Yun An when he pestered Lu Lin to tell more stories, Chen Xiao Mai would doze off whenever it was a story he had heard already, and Ji Yun An didn't mind that.

…

At the end of March, the silkworm eggs that Lu Lin bought had hatched, and a lot of chubby silkworms had popped out.

Chen Xiao Mai's attention shifted from the story to the silkworms immediately.

Lu Lin did not buy many silkworm eggs for the first batch. He planned to keep them at home instead of selling them.

Lu Lin had trypophobia, he tended to not check the silkworms that often.

Chen Xiao Mi, on the other hand, was very interested in the silkworms, and he would check on them from time to time.

The Qins and other employees at home were interested in the silkworms as well.

"The silkworms grow very fast! It's just been a few days since the last time I checked them, they are so big now." Lu Lin said.

Chen Xiao Mi nodded. "Some villagers asked me if they could raise silkworms with us. I didn't promise them anything, I think we might as well wait for a little big longer."

Lu Lin nodded and said, "Good call. The mulberry trees haven't grown up yet. The silkworms don't have much food, let's wait till next year."

"Let me tell you something cute, Qin Lang and a Bio from Sha County fell in love, the Bio is very interested in silkworms, so Qin Lang gave him a few and send him white mulberry leaf every other day." Chen Xiao Mi said.

Lu Lin smiled, "I have no idea our Qin Lang has such a sift heart."

"It's time for Qin Lang to get married and start a family," in Forest Town, quite a few people had proposed marriage to Qin Lang. However, Qin Lang didn't seem to fall in love with anyone back then.

"Have you met that Bio?"

Chen Xiao Mi tilted his head and said, "No, but I think he must be a very lovely person who is a perfect match for Qin Lang."

"I once had a friend who gave his girlfriend a bunny as a present, but his girlfriend had abandoned the bunny when she found out my friend had been cheating on her." Lu Lin said that out of nowhere.

Chen Xiao Mi looked so confused, "Excuse me? What's the point of that story?"

Lu Lin rubbed his chin and said, "I don't know either! It just comes to my mind."

Ji Yun An is Leaving

Lu Lin kept the silkworm eggs and silkworms in one of the side rooms and he would check them from time to time. One day, Lu Lin found a few silkworms in his quilt, he jumped back and screamed like a startled rabbit.

The people in the county Yamen flocked to his room to see whether he is all right, they were so confused when they found their Magistrate Lu made a scene over a few silkworms. They found that behavior rather inexplicable.

Although they thought that Lu Lin was being a bit over dramatic, none of them said anything considering Lu Lin was their magistrate. They kept all the ridicules to themselves.

However, even if the crowd did not say anything, Lu Lin could still sense their ridicule from observing their countenance.

In fact, Lu Lin did not hate silkworms, but it gave him chills when he touched a few worms when he was half asleep.

Although raising silkworms was a profitable business, they were still worms.

It was Yuan Bao who had put the silkworms in Lu Lin's quilt for fun.

Lu Lin wandered around in the house with a pale face, searching for Yuan Bao.

"Yuan Bao has run away in advance, this little brat has gone too far this time. Some pranks are not funny, he needs to learn that! How dare he put worms in my quilt!"

Chen Xiao Mi smiled helplessly and said, "Kids are like this, that's why they are kids. Besides, Yuan Bao might think you like the worms as much as he does, I'm sure he means no harm."

Lu Lin puffed up his cheeks with anger.

"Yuan Bao needs some punishment, he is getting a bit unruly recently."

Chen Xiao Mi looked at Lu Lin and said, "It's just a few silkworms. No need to blow this out of proportion, besides, people may laugh at you if they hear you punish your child because of a prank."

Lu Lin pouted, 'This is so wrong! How can they laugh at me when I'm the victim! Have they laughed at me before?'

Chen Xiao Mi tilted his head and looked at Lu Lin, "What are you thinking, you look so serious."

Lu Lin looked at Chen Xiao Mi sullenly, "Do you think I'm cowardly and useless?"

Chen Xiao Mi smiled and said, "What nonsense are you talking about? How could it be? You're a tough and fierce man!"

Lu Lin looked at Chen Xiao Mi and asked suspiciously, "Really? Do you really think so?"

Chen Xiao Mi nodded, "It can't be more real."

Lu Lin shook his head and said, "With that being said, I still need to discipline Yuan Bao and Mai, it's all right they are running wild at home, but they need to learn to behave themselves when necessary."

…

In the yard.

Chen Xiao Mai and Yuan Bao were feeding the silkworms, each holding a basket full of white mulberry leaves. They were both beaming with pleasure.

"Little Uncle, let me tell you a funny story about Father Lin. " Yuan Bao said in a depressed manner.

Chen Xiao Mai blinked and asked casually, "Funny how?"

Yuan Bao blinked and said, " Father Lin flew into a temper when he saw the silkworms I put in his quilt, he told me that he would punish me if I don't behave myself. How strange. It's a prank!"

Chen Xiao Mai narrowed his eyes, "I'm not surprised at all. You Father Lin now is all prudent and dignified, he is actually very timid. When I was younger, I showed him a snake that Qin Ming Ge caught for me, but you know what, your father turned pale immediately! I didn't even ask him to touch the snake, he just turned pale and stammered."

Ji Yun An who was standing behind Chen Xiao Mai had overheard that, he glanced at Chen Xiao Mai and thought to himself, 'Isn't that a normal reaction? Maybe you shouldn't be saying Magistrate Lu being too timid, maybe you are being too unruly.'

Yuan Bao blinked and said, "Snakes are very scary though! I heard that after being bitten by a venomous snake, you might not be able to live. However, the silkworms don't bite and they are not venomous, but father still makes a scene."

Chen Xiao Mai held his chin as if absorbed in thought, "Hmm, you have a point, I guess some people are scared of snakes, but why the silkworms!"

Ji Yun An listened to the conversation between Chen Xiao Mai and Yuan Bao with great interest, he just found Lu Lin very funny.

Ji Yun An didn't want to cause any attention from Mai and Yuan Bao, so he pretended he was busy transcribing the stories Lu Lin had told him.

Chen Xiao Mi suddenly glanced at Ji Yun An and said, "I heard that scholars are all as timid as a mouse, is that true?"

Ji Yun An frowned on hearing that.

"I'm not timid, thank you very much," said Ji Yun An.

Chen Xiao Mai made a face, obviously he didn't believe it, "Really?"

Ji Yun An looked at Chen Xiao Mai and said excitedly, "I went to the battlefield." Although he was young, he indeed had fought on the battlefield, well, he had entered the field. Liu Yun protected him really well, so he didn't actually fight the battle, he was still proud of himself.

Chen Xiao Mai exclaimed, "You've been on the battlefield! Really? You actually went to the battlefield?"

Ji Yun An nodded and said, "Yeah!"

Chen Xiao Mai looked at Ji Yun An and couldn't help but regard him with special respect.

…

The stores that Chen Xiao Cai bought were already running one after another. Although they hadn't made a lot of money yet, they had definitely made a picture of prosperity.

The number of people on the street had increased drastically. A high flow meant more customer and more business.

Summer was just around the corner. Chen Xiao Mi's belly was getting bigger and bigger with their second child.

There were many farmers in Sha County who planted watermelons. Watermelon was what Chen Xiao Mai's favorite, and Chen Xiao Mi always craved for watermelons after he got pregnant. However, watermelons were cold in nature and Lu Lin always stopped them from eating too much on one go.

"Big Brother, your stomach is getting so round."

Chen Xiao Mi smiled, "Yeah! Soon you are going to have another nephew or niece."

Chen Xiao Mi thought to himself, 'How I wish I could give birth now, Lu Lin doesn't let me eat watermelons because of the baby! I can't wait to give birth and eat at my own will!'

When Lu Lin entered the house, he saw Chen Xiao Mai looking at Chen Xiao Mi's belly with sparkly eyes.

Lu Lin always felt that the way Chen Xiao Mai looked at Chen Xiao Mi's belly was a little strange. Chen Xiao Mai was looking at Chen Xiao Mi's belly like it were a giant watermelon.

Lu Lin shook his head and threw away the strange thoughts in his mind.

Sha County had recently developed quite well. Perhaps it was because of the benefits, it had attracted many people from other counties to settle down. Some people who had left Sha County before had returned, and the villages all look more lively.

Lu Lin invested a lot of money in road repairing. According to what he had heard in his previous life, infrastructure was the key to development.

Lu Lin didn't know if it would work in this time and space, but he didn't mind giving that a try now that he had money.

Lu Lin took out a large sum of money to repair the road. Although many villagers thought Lu Lin was out of his mind, they still joined in the road repairing team. Lu Lin paid them 30 cents per day, that was such a generous pay, so they all worked very hard.

…

Lu Lin went back home in a good mood after work, he saw Chen Xiao Mi playing chess with Chen Xiao Mai.

Chen Xiao Mai saw Lu Lin coming, he greeted Lu Lin and walked out.

Lu Lin looked at Chen Xiao Mai and thought to himself, 'Our Mai is a big boy now, he even knows to give me and Mi privacy!'

Chen Xiao Mi looked at Lu Lin and said, "Mai has been moping all day."

Lu Lin found that rather odd, "Mai? Moping? What happened?"

Chen Xiao Mi sighed and said, "Ji Yun An is leaving in a few days."

Lu Lin couldn't help frowning. "Is he in a bad mood because of Ji Yun An?"

Lu Lin's heart sank as he thought what this might mean. 'Mai might end up getting hurt!'

Ji Yun An was a young master from the Ji family and his family background was extraordinary. In the next few days, Ji Cheng Kang would go back to the capital city to report on his work. After that, he would come back, but Ji Yun An would stay in the capital city.

Ji Yun An was from the Ji family, of course he would pursue an official career.

As far as Lu Lin knew, Ji Cheng Kang seemed to want Ji Yun An to enter the academy in the capital city for further study.

Chen Xiao Mi nodded and said, "It must be about Ji Yun An, I know Mai."

Lu Lin rolled his eyes and an unspeakable thought flashed through his mind.

Mai had reached marriageable age in this time and space, but he had never thought betrothing with Ji Yun An due to the huge gap between the two families. Family status mattered a great deal in this time and space, and Mai was such a special kid, all those practical problems were hard to overlook. Plus Lu Lin wouldn't be counted as wealthy in the capital city.

Lu Lin took a deep breath, deep in thought.

"I heard from those soldiers that Ji Yun An was not doing well in the Ji family."

Ji Cheng Kang was a member of the Ji family, but he had many cousins, some of them didn't like Ji Cheng Kang. Ji Yun An's father seemed to have entered the camp of opposing forces with the Ji family, which caused tension between Ji Yun An and the Ji family.

Moreover, Ji Yun An was not an actual Ji. Of course the younger Jis didn't appreciate the fact that they had such a competitor in the family now eyeing for the resources.

Ji Cheng Kang was the legitimate son in the Ji family, but he had several brothers born of concubines.

Lu Lin trusted and appreciated Ji Cheng Kang, but it worried him that why Ji Cheng Kang insisted taking Ji Yun An to Sha County when the boy was young, there must be some unmentionable drama going on in the Ji family.

The more Lu Lin thought about it, the gloomier he got.

Lu Lin thought for a while and called Chen Xiao Cai in.

"Lin Ge, are you looking for me?" Chen Xiao Cai asked.

Lu Lin nodded, "Yeah! How's the business in the shops recently?"

"The business is good, but the profit is average. However, the development prospects are still good."

Lu Lin nodded and said, "Sounds good. Like I've told you before, this is long term investment, it takes time."

Chen Xiao Cai nodded.

"Actually, I want you to go to the capital city to make a fortune."

Chen Xiao Cai asked curiously, "Going to the capital city? The capital city is far!"

Lu Lin nodded and said, "I know, you know that General Ji will return to the capital city in a few days. If you can go along with him, you don't have to worry about safety along the way."

Chen Xiao Cai rolled his eyes and nodded.

"Lin Ge, what business can I do in the capital?" asked Chen Xiao Cai with excitement.

Lu Lin threw the book in his hand to Chen Xiao Cai and said, "I want you to sell books there."

Chen Xiao Cai flipped through the book and hesitated, "This book?"

Lu Lin nodded and said, "Yes, Ji Cheng Kang and I are done talking, all I need you to do is…"

Chen Xiao Cai's eyes sparkled as he heard Lu Lin's plan.

"Lin Ge, can we make a lot of money just like this?"

Lu Lin nodded and said, "Yes."

Chen Xiao Cai's heart was brimming over with excitement, he owned a commercial street in Sha County, but he always aspired to do something even bigger! And now he had an opportunity to display his talent int he capital city, and that made his blood boil.

Going to the Capital City Together

Ji Cheng Kang looked at Lu Lin and asked suspiciously, "Do you want the kids to go to the capital city with me?"

Lu Lin smiled and said, "Cai is not a kid anymore."

Ji Cheng Kang smiled, "Sorry, I've always seen Cai as a kid."

Lu Lin looked at Ji Cheng Kang and said, "I have prepared everything they need for the tri. General Ji, please take care of them for me."

Ji Cheng Kang looked at Lu Lin and said, "Magistrate Lu, thank you for your trust. I do need to make it clear in advance, it's a long and dangerous journey from Sha County to the capital city, I can't guarantee you anything."

Lu Lin hesitated for a moment and nodded, "I still hope they can go to the capital city to enrich their experience."

Ji Cheng Kang nodded and said, "If you have made up your mind, Magistrate Lu, I promise you I'll try my best to protect them."

Lu Lin nodded and said, "That's great."

Lu Lin walked into his room only to see Chen Xiao Mi wearing an anxious look, "Xiao Mi, talk to me, what's wrong?"

Chen Xiao Mi hesitated for a moment and said, "Mai heard that Cai is going to the capital city, he also wants to go."

Lu Lin sighed and didn't know what to say. "Mai can't be serious, right? He is just being a child."

Chen Xiao Mi rubbed his forehead and said, "I think he seems to be quite resolute this time."

Lu Lin went to Chen Xiao Mai's room to sound him out. Chen Xiao Mai was packing, there were a few clothes and some pancakes in his bag.

Yuan Bao looked at Chen Xiao Mai in frustration. "Little Uncle, you're going to the capital city too? What should I do then?"

"I will bring you all the yummy food from the capital. Don't worry, Yuan Bao, you are not missing out," Chen Xiao Mai comforted Yuan Bao.

Lu Lin shook his head, 'Mai, I know you want to share all the yummy food with Yuan Bao, but it's impossible, all the food will go bad after the long journey.'

Lu Lin looked at the pancakes Mai had put in his bad and showed a doting smile.

'This is very Mai, putting pancakes with his clothes! He has always been like a squirrel, always hoarding food!'

Yuan Bao sat on the bed and pouted as he watched Chen Xiao Mai busy packing.

"Father," Yuan Bao saw Lu Lin and jumped down from the bed.

Lu Lin nodded and stroked Yuan Bao's hair gently, then he sent Yuan Bao away with an excuse.

"Why do you want to go to the capital city all of a sudden?" asked Lu Lin.

"Second Brother is going to the capital, I want to go with him," Chen Xiao Mai said.

"Your second brother is going there to do business. If you follow him around, I'm afraid it might be troublesome," Lu Lin said seriously.

Chen Xiao Mai hesitated for a moment and asked, "Will it be troublesome? But brother Ji asked me to go together!"

Lu Lin was stunned for a moment and he was so surprised. Lu Lin thought that Chen Xiao Mai was just being a good-time boy, but it turned out to be Ji Yun An's doing.

'Is Ji Yun An the reason Mai is so keen to go to the capital city? Why would Ji Yun An encourage Mai to go there?'

"What did Ji Yun An say?" asked Lu Lin.

Chen Xiao Mai blinked and said, "Brother Ji said that there are many fun places and delicious foods in the capital city. He can take me to all those places and try all the food."

'That Ji Yun An surly knows how to convince you Mai, I'm sure he has you at the word food!'

"When did he say that?" Lu Lin asked.

Chen Xiao Mai tilted his head and said, "Two days ago, I told him that Second Brother was going to the capital city to make money. He said that I can go with Second Brother."

Lu Lin showed a knowing smile, 'So Ji Yun An didn't mention a word in front of me or Xiao Mi in case we refuse his invitation, he went directly to Mai and lured him with foods, hmm, what a strategy.'

"Lin Ge, what are you thinking about? You are wearing a very funny smile right now."

"Do you really want to go to the capital city?"

Chen Xiao Mai hesitated for a moment, he blushed and nodded.

Lu Lin looked at Chen Xiao Mai and sighed helplessly, "Since you want to go, then go, me and your Big Brother support your decision."

Chen Xiao Mai hugged Lu Lin and said, "Thank you, Lin Ge."

Lu Lin looked at Chen Xiao Mai and said in earnest, "Mai, now I need you to listen to me, you can go to the capital city and explore, but you must come back with your second brother, all right?"

Chen Xiao Mai nodded cheerfully and said, "Of course, even though the capital city is a good place, you, Big Brother, Yuan Bao are all here in Sha County, of course I will be back with Second Brother!"

Lu Lin nodded, "Good boy… I'm very glad to hear that."

What Lu Lin didn't say was 'You say that now, but I'm afraid you might indulge in pleasure and forget about us by then.'

Lu Lin looked at how thrilled Chen Xiao Mai was about this trip, he couldn't say anything to dampen Mai's mood.

Lu Lin suddenly felt a sense of desolation in his heart, just like a father on his daughter's wedding day.

After seeing Chen Xiao Mai, Lu Lin went to see Chen Xiao Cai and told him to take good care of Chen Xiao Mai. Chen Xiao Cai immediately got the undertone, he guaranteed Lu Lin that he would keep an eye on Mai and drive away anyone with ulterior motives.

Lu Lin was surprised that Cai knew exactly what he meant.

Lu Lin suddenly realized that it was not only him who thought Ji Yun An was making a move on Mai, but Chen Xiao Cai also felt the same way! Chen Xiao Cai really has grown up and he saw his task to protect Mai from getting hurt.

"What? It is Ji Yun An who has asked Mai to go to the capital city?" Chen Xiao Mi said with a strange expression.

Lu Lin nodded, "Correct."

Chen Xiao Mi said unhappily, "This punk, why did he do that?"

Lu Lin squinted his eyes and hoped Mai wouldn't end up getting hurt.