Dressed as a young lady, she became rich by relying on Pinxixi

Chapter 38 Lin Family

Master Lin stared at Lin Yiqing for a long time before speaking: "Your elder brother..."

"My eldest brother is busy developing the cloth shop business and has no energy." Lin Yiqing immediately blocked his thoughts.

Lin Yiqing has an older brother and a younger sibling. He and his sister were born to Mrs. Lin, Zhou, while his older brother and third brother were born to Aunt Meng.

Although they are not from the same mother, Lin Yiqing and his sister get along very closely, and there is no conflict between legitimate and illegitimate children at all.

Aunt Meng was originally an orphan. She was bought by the Zhou family to be Madam Lin's personal maid when she was young. Later, she followed Madam Lin to the Lin family as a dowry. Madam Lin was allowed to become a concubine only after she had no children for three years after her marriage.

Aunt Meng has been with Madam Lin for many years, from childhood to adulthood, from master and servant to sisters, and her feelings for her mother are much deeper than those for her father.

After Lin Yiqing's brother was born, he was first raised by Mrs. Lin until Mrs. Lin became pregnant, at which time he was returned to Aunt Meng for upbringing.

After Lin Yiqing was born, Mrs. Lin was weak, and it was Aunt Meng who took care of him and raised him.

With the brothers being raised by two mothers, the distinction between legitimate and illegitimate children has long become unclear.

Only his father, Master Lin, and the side branch on the north side of the house were still clamoring about the order of hierarchy. He was the legitimate son and shouldered the heavy responsibility of bringing honor to the family, and he could not let his half-brother suppress him.

In fact, his elder brother was smarter than him, but unfortunately he gave up the imperial examination after he passed the examination for a scholar and honestly followed Master Lin to do business.

Because of the expansion of his business, he married a girl from Pei's dyeing workshop.

The eldest sister-in-law is filial to her parents-in-law, and she takes care of the household. She is a good girl, but she only knows how to weave and dye cloth, and is illiterate. Compared with the eldest brother who loves to recite poems and compose couplets, there is always something missing.

Lin Yiqing felt sorry for his elder brother who had to give way to him, and he was even more disgusted with the arranged life, so he insisted on not taking the imperial examination and doing business.

His father doesn't want to give him the business, but he can't just keep his mother's dowry from being touched.

His mother and aunt both agreed with him and persuaded his father to let him try.

It's not just a try, he also promised the Zhou family's grain and oil shop and the Lin family's Xiangmanlou that if he can make a name for either of them, he will transfer the shop's name to him and let him become the real owner.

If Mr. Lin had known that he would be slapped in the face so soon, he would not have been so stupid as to make such a ridiculous promise.

Looking at his legitimate son, the old father said earnestly, "Yiqing, wouldn't it be better to take the imperial examination and become an official? Sooner or later, all this family property will be yours. Whether you manage it or not, your mother and I will give you the interest as your own private property. Why don't you, for your father and for the Lin and Zhou families, take the imperial examination and become an official, so that you can serve the country and protect your family."

"Dad, can being an official protect a family? The Lin family has been settled in Changjia County for over fifty years. How many county magistrates have changed? How many were turned away, how many were exiled, and how many have truly risen to prominence? Oh, what happened to those who rose to prominence in Heqing Prefecture?"

"That's because they're not careful enough and their family is not well-maintained. Although our Lin family is a merchant, we were once a family of scholars and law-abiding citizens."

"Dad, why is the Lin family a merchant?" This question revealed the family's painful past.

From the family of the Minister of Revenue to his descendants, no one was allowed to enter officialdom and they had to leave their hometown to avoid disaster.

My great-grandfather was upright, but he met a tyrant and a rebellious party, and did not have a good end. Being an official does not necessarily mean protection; sometimes it can even be a death warrant.

My great-grandfather was a lowly businessman. Before he died, he scolded my grandfather, who had supported a large family, for having lost his integrity.

Becoming a businessman was the best way out for the family that my grandfather, who had studied for half his life but had no chance of success, could earn.

Integrity? Humph, if everyone upheld the integrity of the upright, the Lin family, who were starving, would have died out long ago. How could they have waited until the previous dynasty fell and the new dynasty was established? The Lin family would have flourished and would no longer be the descendants of criminals.

The Xin Dynasty no longer deliberately belittled merchants, and re-examined the Guan Xiang's theory of the four classes of people, and classified merchants as part of the civilian population.

"The four classes of people, namely scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans, are the foundation of the country." This means that the four classes of people are the cornerstone of the country and are indispensable.

In fact, Lin Yiqing thought that it was more than a hundred times better than the previous dynasty supported by his great-grandfather.

The Lin family has been in business for more than fifty years. Do they still need to belittle themselves?

Being an official is good, but there is nothing wrong with doing business in the Dali Dynasty!

Mr. Lin paused.

"Dad, 'In ancient times, people kept their words to themselves because they felt ashamed of their own shortcomings.' Cultivating oneself and managing one's family, and keeping one's promises, are virtues. I have done this, and I hope you will keep your promise too."

"You!" Master Lin was really angry. This son was obviously a good student! If he didn't talk about these things in the ceremonial room, he would teach me a lesson.

Lin Yiqing was so kind as to point out a way out for his father: "Third brother is very smart, I think he will be able to pass the provincial examination soon. Why don't you give him a chance and let him realize the glory of having a successful candidate in the imperial examination for the Lin family?"

If the big one doesn’t work, there’s still the small one.

Does he have to be the son of the Lin family?

Mr. Lin was very angry with his son, but he could not let the Zhou family take over the profitable business anymore. He temporarily agreed to transfer Xiangmanlou in the neighboring Nanping County, Changfeng County and Anyun County to Lin Yiqing for management.

In addition, he had to find his brother-in-law. The Zhou family could no longer spoil his son. Paving the way for him to do business would mean cutting off his literary career.

Mr. Lin thought that the Zhou family was secretly helping his son with his business.

……

Changjia County, Yuehua Tower.

On the third floor, Mr. Hu looked down at the most luxurious teahouse in his county. The tea, the tea doctor, the tea ceremony, and the snacks were all the best. He also had storytelling and a stage, and there were actors performing. How come his business was taken away by the Xiangmanlou restaurant?

Mr. Hu speculated for a long time, but he was still not sure whether the Lin family was going to take over his business.

You might say they want to rob, but the Lin family only sells in Xiangmanlou, before and after meals. What's wrong with other people selling tea and having a few cakes?

It can’t be said that they are robbing, but Yuehualou’s business has really declined a lot.

With the Lin family's background, it would be effortless for them to open a teahouse to compete with Yuehualou, but Lin Zhijie did not move and only let people sell in Xiangmanlou.

It really made it impossible for the Hu family to reason with the Lin family.

Forget it, let’s find a supplier and then make plans.

……

The pickup price at Xiangmanlou has doubled.

Xu Siyu changed the delivery time from half a month to once every ten days.

Therefore, she stayed in the town every September and October, delivered the goods early on Mondays, then went to the meat stalls and grain and oil shops to buy some things before returning to Xinshan Village.

It is the busy season of harvest and planting in late summer. Although the sun is very strong, people are busy working in the fields.

The strong sunlight was shining directly down, and Xu Siyu felt uncomfortable walking under the shade of the trees, not to mention the busy farmers who had to bend their waists, with beads of sweat rolling down their foreheads, and they didn't have much time to wipe them off.

Xu Siyu passed by her own field and saw her sister-in-law bending over to harvest the last corner of the field. Her elder brother beat the harvested millet hard on the rack, and the rice grains fell into the barrel. When the barrel was full, Cheng Qi transferred the millet in the barrel to his carrying pole and took it back home to spread it out to dry.

After the sister-in-law finished harvesting, she tied up the threshed rice straw with a straw rope and hung a cloth bag on her body, picking up the rice ears that fell on the ground...

The saying "every grain of rice is hard-earned" probably means this.

Xu Siyu did not stop to help. She could not harvest rice or thresh the grain. She just hurried home to prepare some sour plum soup or mung bean soup, doing what she was good at.