The Empress Wants It All: The Empire and Me - Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Being able to save money made Lin Yanran naturally happy, and she immediately agreed with a flourish. Lin Dahai was so angry his beard twitched; he gave Lin Cuicui a harsh scolding, but she didn’t utter a sound, silently finding a bamboo basket to start loading the leftover bricks.

Chen Xiaohua went over to give her a hand; not a single man on the scene offered to help.

When it came time to settle the wages, Lin Dahai spoke earnestly once more: “You didn’t lose out by inviting your uncle, did you? Look at that look in your eyes this morning—you young people really aren’t up to snuff.”

Lin Yanran silently criticized him for being a calculating old fox.

She handed Lin Dahai thirty coppers. Lin Dahai kept his hand outstretched: “Give me the wages for my second son, third daughter, as well as Jianghe and Chen Xiaohua.”

Lin Yanran clicked her tongue: “Uncle Lin, it’s not right to snatch other people’s wages.”

Lin Dahai’s eyes bulged: “If not for me, would they even have this job?”

Lin Yanran looked around the circle. Lin Cuicui, Lin Jianghe, and Chen Xiaohua all had their heads bowed, looking like honest folks used to being bullied. Only Lin Feng looked somewhat indignant, though he didn’t argue. She had no choice but to count out 120 coppers and hand them over.

Lin Dahai counted the 120 coppers again, laughing so hard his yellow teeth were fully exposed.

Lin Feng took a step forward and called out, “Dad, where’s my wage?”

Lin Dahai shot him a glare: “You haven’t married a wife yet, what do you need money for?”

Lin Feng pursed his lips with a stubborn look. Lin Jianghe and the others also looked at him expectantly. Lin Dahai finally, with visible physical pain, counted out thirty coppers: ten each for Lin Feng and Lin Jianghe, and five each for Lin Cuicui and Chen Xiaohua.

Lin Yanran watched, dumbfounded. This kickback was too brutal!

She couldn’t help but ask, “You don’t want Lin Shan’s?”

Lin Dahai said as if it were natural, “Shan’er is a Qianyuan. How can it be the same?”

Lin Shan squeezed over with a grin, took his thirty coppers, and said boastfully, “Yanran, next time there’s work, you must find us. Within a hundred miles, there’s no one more dedicated than us!”

Lin Dahai stroked his grey beard and agreed deeply: “Fat water shouldn’t flow into outsiders’ fields. If there’s work, Yanran will of course find us.”

So your family education is just ‘be shameless.’ I’ve learned something new.

Feeling stifled, Lin Yanran paid the remaining two Zhongyong their wages and put on a stern face: “Work’s over, disperse! You’ve all got your money, are you expecting me to provide dinner too?”

Lin Dahai heard the sting in her voice and laughed loudly. From today’s job, his pockets were bulging, and he’d eaten oily flatbreads he hadn’t tasted in a long time. It was indeed worth it, so he didn’t mind her tone.

As he was leaving, Lin Dahai said, “In five days, it will be the Spring Hunt. Remember to go to the drill grounds on time. You absolutely cannot be absent this time, or I will surely punish you in my capacity as the Fortress Head.”

Only then did Lin Yanran remember the original owner’s identity as a hunter.

Phoenix Town was located on the border of the Longyuan Kingdom, adjoining the Shenyao Kingdom. Phoenix Town was essentially a strategic pass. The local customs were fierce; the people were both hunters and potential military households. Once war broke out, they would be the first to be conscripted. To maintain the bravery of these households, the Fortress Head organized Spring and Autumn hunts every year, which all hunters were required to attend.

Seeing how serious he was, Lin Yanran had no choice but to agree.

In the blink of an eye, only Lin Cuicui and Chen Xiaohua remained in the yard loading bricks. In this world, female Zhongyong were born to work; even their family members wouldn’t help them.

Lin Yanran couldn’t bear to watch. She walked over to help them lift the bricks into the baskets and helped push them onto their backs. Lin Cuicui was carrying a full basket, the weight making it hard for her to lift her head. Panting, she said, “Sister Yanran, thank you. I’ll come back for the sticky rice mortar in a bit.”

Lin Yanran patted her shoulder comfortingly: “We’re all family, don’t mention it.”

Lin Cuicui looked at her blankly. Family? But her father and brothers never helped her. Chen Xiaohua also whispered her thanks. The two lowered their heads, remained silent, and walked out the door with their heavy bamboo baskets.

Lin Yanran looked at the sky. It was the height of spring with plenty of sunlight. She figured that after three days of exposure, the newly built walls would be sturdy.

With no strangers left in the yard, the black dog finally dared to slip out from the corner, circling around her legs with a look that was both fawning and fearful. Lin Yanran then remembered she’d forgotten to feed it at noon.

She walked into the room and found Youqin Mingyue was already awake, sitting at the table reading the medical book. There really was no entertainment in this farmhouse. The bedding on the bed had been folded neatly by her.

As Lin Yanran cleared the leftovers from the table, she asked, “What would you like for dinner?”

Youqin Mingyue’s tone was icy: “The same as lunch will suffice.”

She had heard Lin Yanran joking with those coarse people and felt deeply insulted. She felt even more pained by the fact that she had briefly doubted Lin’s despicable character at noon.

Lin Yanran didn’t mind her cold tone and said happily, “Alright, I’ll go buy it right away.”

She poured the leftovers into the dog bowl. The black dog immediately began gulping it down, looking up at her after every bite with a soft, fawning whimper. Lin Yanran smiled: “From now on, I’ll make sure you’re fed fat and round.”

Just as she was about to head out for food, the front door was slammed loudly. Lin Cuicui came back that fast?

Lin Yanran went to open the door, and the smile on her face vanished inch by inch.

Three men stood at the door. The leader was a burly middle-aged man with a thick beard, followed by two henchmen in short-sleeved work clothes. She immediately recognized the burly man as a low-level Qianyuan and the two henchmen as Zhongyong.

The burly man looked at her with a half-smile: “Lin Yanran, why haven’t you come to the gambling den to play these past few days?”

Lin Yanran’s eyes flickered as a surge of memory hit her brain.

This burly man was Wu Yuan, the second-in-command of the Yuanbao Gambling Den in Shimen County. He was treacherous, cunning, and insatiably greedy. The original owner had originally lived as a hunter, but after being goaded by Zhang Zhen, Li Qing, and Zhu Shiyu, she went to the gambling den once. From then on, Wu Yuan targeted her, using various ways to lure her into betting. The original owner, being brainless, quickly gambled away most of her family property. These people then began encouraging her to take out high-interest loans.

The original owner fell into the bottomless pit of gambling until she had squandered everything, sold Youqin Mingyue to a brothel, and ended up dead without a whole corpse.

She quickly regained her composure, stepped across the threshold, and slammed the door shut with a thud, showing a look of displeasure.

“Manager Wu, I’ll go play when I have leisure. It’s currently the Spring Hunt, so I haven’t had time. However—” She raised her voice, her aura suddenly becoming fierce: “What is the meaning of Manager Wu bringing men to my door? Do you intend to kidnap people to the gambling den?”

Usually, when Wu Yuan saw her, she only had two modes: fawning with a smile when she had no money, and acting like a big shot when she did. She was the most common type of shameless gambler in the den. This sudden change into a fierce, imposing figure was something he had never seen. He let out a surprised “Eh?” and sized her up.

“Could it be that what the shopkeeper at the restaurant said was true? Has Lin Yanran struck it rich, so she’s playing the big shot again?”

Lin Yanran stood with her hands behind her back, open and poised, letting him stare, though she was actually panicking inside. She remembered that in the original story, Wu Yuan had several lives on his hands. These people wanted money more than life and wouldn’t stop until they squeezed a person dry.

Wu Yuan grinned and said apologetically, “Yanran, you’re joking. It’s just that you haven’t been to the den for several days and I missed you. Passing through Phoenix Town today, I thought I’d check on you, and by the way—”

At this point, his face took on that typical ill-intentioned grin common among men. “The Boss remembers you as a regular and knows you took out a high-interest loan of a full hundred taels. Although we trust you, this debt has been outstanding for ten days. The Boss sent me to… inspect the goods.”

A hundred taels in high-interest loans? With compound interest, hasn’t it already rolled to nearly two hundred taels? Lin Yanran immediately hated the original owner with a passion. She was already short on money!

Wait, what does ‘inspect the goods’ mean?

Her face changed as she looked at Wu Yuan warily: “Manager Wu, what do you mean by ‘inspect the goods’?”

Wu Yuan chuckled twice and said, “Yanran, don’t blame me for speaking plainly. Back then, you personally signed and sealed the contract: if the money couldn’t be repaid, you would use your wife to clear the debt. At the time, the Boss and I treated you as one of our own and allowed you to sign without inspecting the goods. Now that you haven’t paid for a long time, we’re bound to be a bit worried, aren’t we?”

Lin Yanran felt as if she’d been struck by a bolt from the blue!

Use her wife to clear the debt? That dog of an original owner had already used Youqin Mingyue as collateral and signed for it?!

I… She had a belly full of “national treasures” (profanities) to unleash!

Wu Yuan looked at her with a smirk: “Yanran, will you bring the person out yourself for me to inspect, or shall I go in myself?”

Lin Yanran suddenly shifted her body to block the door completely. She said word by word, “Manager Wu, business is about integrity. I recall the repayment date on that contract hasn’t arrived yet. Isn’t it a bit much for you to bring men to block my door now?”

“Though my Phoenix Town only produces coarse hunters, we still have some backbone. Anyone who dares insult my wife will have to fight for it with their life!”

As she spoke, her entire aura shifted. She became sharp and valiant, as if she were a different person. Qianyuan were natural powerhouses; the original owner had appeared sloppy because she was unable to mark anyone, but now Lin Yanran, triggered by the top-tier Kunze scent of Youqin Mingyue, had her pheromones activated, and her entire presence changed.

At this moment, her killing intent was manifest, immediately showing a hard-edged determination that didn’t fear death.

“Ya… Yanran Sis?”

Just then, a somewhat timid voice spoke from the side. It was Lin Cuicui and Chen Xiaohua, returning with bamboo baskets for the sticky rice mortar. Seeing Lin Yanran confronting strangers with such a furious expression, they didn’t dare come forward.

Lin Yanran glanced at her, then returned her gaze to Wu Yuan, saying unhurriedly, “Sister, have Uncle Lin and my five cousins reached home yet?”

Lin Cuicui was stunned. Wasn’t it three cousins? Before she could think, she nodded quickly: “Yes, they’ve arrived.”

Lin Yanran asked nonchalantly, “And they took the money back with them?”

Lin Cuicui didn’t know the purpose of the question but nodded again: “Dad and my brothers took it back. Thank you for hiring us, Yanran Sis.”

Wu Yuan’s eyes suddenly shrank in alarm!

Lin Yanran hired this many hunters, and it involved money? It seems she really has struck it rich!

His Yuanbao Gambling Den sought profit, not a death wish. He had only brought three men into Phoenix Town. This place was a desolate frontier with fierce customs; those hunters wouldn’t hesitate to kill.

Hearing this, he immediately lost his nerve. He stepped back twice and said with a fake smile, “Yanran, I was only entrusted by the Boss to see you. Why be so petty?”

Lin Yanran said coldly, “Manager Wu, if someone broke into your home and insulted your wife in word and deed, how would you feel?”

“You run a gambling den to do business. Business aims for wealth, not robbery and kidnapping!”

“Manager Wu, am I right?!”