Chapter 18: Zhao Lingyin’s Evaluation
Translated by algoo | Proofread by algoo
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Zhaiyue Restaurant today was completely different from yesterday.
When Lin Xiu arrived yesterday, the restaurant was empty. Today, he and Sun Dali walked through the entrance, lifting the thick curtain, only to find the first-floor hall packed. The private rooms on the second floor were also filled with shadowy figures. The hall was much more crowded than yesterday, clearly with added tables.
The improved business of Zhaiyue Restaurant was not surprising. Outside was scorching hot, but inside felt like an air-conditioned room. Currently, it was probably the only summer retreat in the Capital.
As soon as they entered, the restaurant manager, Manager Qian, rushed out from behind the counter. Grasping Lin Xiu’s wrist, he sighed in relief, “Young Master Lin, you’re finally here! Yesterday’s ice is almost gone. If you hadn’t come, I was about to personally visit your home to invite you…”
“I’m here now, aren’t I?” Lin Xiu smiled. “Let’s begin.”
Led by Manager Qian, he once again arrived at the well in the back courtyard. Fifty buckets were already placed there, filled with water. Before his arrival, Zhaiyue Restaurant had made all the preparations.
The rest was up to Lin Xiu.
After washing his hands, he placed his palm on the surface of a bucket of water. Before the entire bucket had frozen, a fragrant breeze suddenly blew from behind him.
Zhao Lingyin stood behind Lin Xiu, asking curiously, “What are you doing?”
Lin Xiu was surprised. “Why are you here?”
Zhao Lingyin replied, “I happened to see you and came over to take a look. What are you doing here?”
“Doing business.” Lin Xiu had already frozen the first bucket of water. Removing his hand from the ice’s surface, he said, “The weather will turn cooler in a month at most. Why not make more money while it’s still hot?”
Zhao Lingyin frowned. “Are you that short of money? What if someone sees you?”
Lin Xiu rolled his eyes at her. “Where did you get the idea that I’m not short of money?”
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What an Arcanist pursued should be powerful strength. Using their heaven-gifted arcane abilities to earn money undoubtedly lowered their status.
As Lin Xiu reached for the second bucket of water, Zhao Lingyin directly grabbed his wrist. “How much money do you need? I’ll give it to you.”
Lin Xiu was stunned.
When a rich woman tells you, “How much money do you need? I’ll give it to you,” few can resist the temptation.
Even if the woman is old and ugly, or even has some peculiar癖好, there will still be many men who flock to her. Lin Xiu had seen plenty of such people.
What’s more, this woman was young, beautiful, and had a great figure. These words undoubtedly had an immense impact on men.
Unfortunately, Lin Xiu wasn’t buying it.
Why rely on others when he could earn his own living?
He glanced at Zhao Lingyin again and said indifferently, “What do you take me for? Besides, what’s wrong with being seen? I’m using my own abilities to earn money. There’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
Zhao Lingyin looked at Lin Xiu. In her mind, after the “lecherous” image of Lin Xiu, there was now an additional label: “greedy.”
With a flick of her sleeve, a wave of cold air surged out, and the water in the dozens of buckets by the well instantly froze.
She glanced at Lin Xiu indifferently. “Is this enough?”
Lin Xiu marveled at Zhao Lingyin’s formidable strength but also felt nervous. “I could have done it slowly myself. Since you did this, whose money is it?”
Zhao Lingyin gritted her teeth. “It’s yours. I don’t want a single coin.”
This put Lin Xiu at ease. Although he hadn’t done anything, without Lingyin, he could have finished it himself within an hour at most. This was originally his due reward.
Manager Qian of Zhaiyue Restaurant was quite principled. He didn’t cause any further trouble because of Zhao Lingyin’s intervention and honestly had someone offer three hundred taels of silver.
He simply sighed inwardly. These powerful Arcanists truly earned money like it was robbery. If they were so inclined, it would be easy for them to accumulate vast wealth in a short period.
Walking out of Zhaiyue Restaurant, Zhao Lingyin walked ahead of Lin Xiu. Without turning back, she said faintly, “Even if you’re greedy for money, you should consider your identity. Doing this will make others look down on the Lin family.”
Lin Xiu knew that Lingyin meant well. In the Capital, nobles had to act like nobles. How could a noble mix with merchants, especially like Lin Xiu, personally getting involved? Such behavior, in the eyes of other nobles, was undoubtedly a rare joke.
This wasn’t just losing face for the Lin family, but also for the Zhao family.
He shrugged. “What they think is their business. Last time, the family spent dozens of taels of silver inviting an imperial physician. Later, we dismissed several servants, and the severance pay cost a lot. If I don’t go out and earn some money, I’m afraid we won’t even be able to afford food. If I don’t do these things, should my parents do them?”
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Zhao Lingyin’s footsteps halted. She hadn’t known that the Lin family had fallen on such hard times. At this moment, she wanted to say something but didn’t know how to begin.
By then, Lin Xiu had already passed Zhao Lingyin and continued walking forward.
In the middle of the street, a ragged woman held a child in her arms, kneeling on the ground, anxiously and sorrowfully pleading, “Please, kind-hearted people, help us…”
Countless pedestrians passed by them, only glancing down at her. Many didn’t even bother to look.
Lin Xiu walked over, crouched down, and asked, “Madam, what’s wrong?”
Seeing someone talking to her, the disheveled woman abruptly raised her head.
Holding her child, she anxiously explained, “My child, my child is sick. The doctor said, said if he doesn’t get treatment, he won’t survive. I, I don’t have money…”
Lin Xiu took out a silver ingot from his pocket and handed it to her. “Is this enough?”
“Enough, enough!” The woman snatched the silver, without even having time to thank him. She picked up her child, scrambled up from the ground, and sprinted in a certain direction.
Zhao Lingyin walked over and said, “In the Capital, nine times out of ten, people like this are swindlers.”
Lin Xiu smiled indifferently. “What does it matter? It’s only a few taels of silver. A meal at Zhaiyue Restaurant costs more than that. If I’m being swindled, so be it. What if it’s real? Besides, the child’s illness didn’t look fake.”
In fact, Lin Xiu had been quite restrained in his actions in this life. After all, he had many times in his past life impulsively thrown his wallet to beggars on the roadside and then ridden his bicycle home.
In this life, he had a family, parents to care for, and a dog to raise. He couldn’t be so carefree.
Because Zhao Lingyin had helped Lin Xiu greatly, saving him an hour’s time, he had time to stroll around the streets. This was also a good opportunity to familiarize himself with the Capital.
Zhao Lingyin silently followed behind Lin Xiu, quietly observing him.
Then she discovered that she couldn’t understand many of the things Lin Xiu did.
He would unhesitatingly give a silver ingot to a begging woman, yet haggle with a street vendor for a quarter of an hour over a few copper coins.
He would spend one tael of silver to buy several tables of food at a small restaurant to give to beggars on the street, yet squat on the roadside himself eating a bowl of plain noodles for three copper coins, and even have three bowls in a row.
He was the least noble-like noble Zhao Lingyin had ever met, but strangely, she found him more agreeable than any other noble.
Lin Xiu finished the last mouthful of noodle soup and put down the bowl. He looked back at Zhao Lingyin and asked, “Are you sure you don’t want a bowl? This place really tastes good.”
Zhao Lingyin shook her head. “I’m not hungry.”
In the past seventeen years, she had never eaten in such a place and naturally wouldn’t now.
However, she couldn’t help but wonder, were these noodles really that delicious? Delicious enough that Lin Xiu and Sun Dali ate three and five bowls, respectively…
Lin Xiu ate three bowls because, like Sun Dali, after awakening his power, he easily felt hungry. Moreover, he had long been tired of delicacies like abalone and lobster. In his past life, he had enjoyed those small restaurants with unique flavors. Although such places couldn’t be considered elegant, they often hid true delicacies.
Zhao Lingyin looked at him. “I’m going back. I’ll find you for cultivation tomorrow.”
After saying that, she turned and walked towards the Zhao family’s residence. Passing by a medical clinic, she saw the ragged woman, holding several packs of medicine, beaming as she carried her child out of the clinic.
Seeing Zhao Lingyin, the woman pulled her child down to kneel together, repeatedly saying, “Thank you, young lady! Thank you for saving our lives!”
Zhao Lingyin didn’t dare to look at them more and hurriedly left. She felt unworthy of this kneeling.
Back at home, Zhao Lingyin was preoccupied, even somewhat absent-minded during dinner. Across from her, a middle-aged man smiled and asked, “How is he?”
Zhao Lingyin came back to her senses and looked at her father. “How is who?”
The middle-aged man said, “I heard you’ve been with Lin Xiu these past few days. What kind of person is he?”
Zhao Lingyin thought for a moment. “He’s a good person.”
The middle-aged man was taken aback. “A good person?”
Zhao Lingyin nodded, put down her chopsticks, and said, “He cultivates diligently, is frugal, kind-hearted, righteous, responsible, and takes charge. His only shortcoming is that his arcane ability awakened a little late…”
“Achoo!”
Lin Xiu, who was strolling down the street, sneezed for no apparent reason, and a sense of foreboding arose in his heart.
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