Chapter 146: Chapter 132: Lin Mao and Ling Yu’Er
"For those who already have a family name, it’s fine; for those who don’t, you can all take the surname Lin. From now on, you are all members of the Lin Family."
"Lin Mao pays respects to the foster father!"
"Stop, I’m not much older than you all, and I don’t have a preference for taking in godsons. You can call me Young Master or Master." Lin Miao stopped them, as he had no habit of being anyone’s godfather.
"Xie, take them to change clothes and have a good meal," Lin Miao instructed. "Also, order some beds and cabis to be brought over. I’ll give you the styles and dimensions later. For now, let them sleep in the communal beds. Equip them with daily necessities, and you will teach them the family’s rules."
"Huh?"
"What’s the matter? Do these basic rules need to be taught by me personally?"
...
"Miaoxue, do you also have such children at Huaye Tower?" Lin Miao asked as he casually entered Si Miaoxue’s study and picked a grape from the fruit tray to eat.
"Yes, but if they’re unwilling to raise them themselves, I mostly adopt them. They stay at an estate outside the city; I’ve hired people to take care of these children. The oldest is almost thirteen or fourteen." Si Miaoxue nodded. "These children mostly don’t know who their fathers are, and some have even lost their mothers, so they make suitable warriors. If they’re trained well, they will be much more reliable than those recruited from outside, whether they’re taken on as apprentices or employed as subordinates."
"Apart from Huaye Tower, aren’t there others from different towers?"
Si Miaoxue paused slightly. "Why do you ask?"
"Adopting orphans and training them to become warriors is a favorite strategy of organizations like yours, isn’t it?" Lin Miao replied.
"To avoid exposing myself, I don’t engage in such activities." Si Miaoxue said, "Adopting children of the women at Huaye Tower doesn’t leak information, but if it were from other towers, that’s not guaranteed. Our Moon Worship Sect doesn’t have a good reputation in Da Li, so we must act cautiously."
"Alright, I understand." Lin Miao nodded and stood up, ready to leave.
"You come and go as you please, not even taking a moment to warm up with me?" Si Miaoxue playfully blocked Lin Miao’s path, clearly indicating that he shouldn’t think about leaving once he was already there.
"Miaoxue, look, Mr. Long is back..."
"Master?" Si Miaoxue asked nervously, peering towards the doorway. Lin Miao seized the opportunity, slipping away into a secret passage like a slippery eel, disappearing without a trace.
Si Miaoxue stomped her foot in frustration, realizing that such a low-level trick had succeeded against her. She found herself increasingly trapped by him.
...
"Elder Sister, both the Lin and Sun families currently have few people. I’ve heard that there are many homeless orphans at Xiuyue Square, so I want to adopt some to give them a home and possibly cultivate some useful talent. By the time our families have grown in numbers, these children will have matured and can support us, wouldn’t you agree?" Lin Miao suggested after returning home, discussing with Sun Youwei.
"Are there any girls?"
"Yes, today I had Xie bring back a few, among them five girls. The oldest is ten, and the youngest only four. If you like, I can arrange for the oldest one to be with you. She can even read."
"If she can read, how did she end up on the streets as a beggar?"
"I didn’t ask much about that. You can inquire when you get to know her. She seems quite mature." Lin Miao explained.
"Can I meet her?"
"Of course, you are the matriarch of this household. You can see whoever you want and keep anyone you like by your side to serve you." Lin Miao replied.
"Yes, Junior Brother, we who study medicine should not only save lives but also help those in need. We should assist the weak more often." Sun Youwei said in a lecturing tone.
"I will certainly follow Elder Sister’s teachings," Lin Miao smiled gently. Doing good deeds is fine as long as one doesn’t act like a saint.
"I will go find her then. By the way, Mr. An came by today and asked if I wanted to learn the Xu Family’s Qi Observation Skill." Sun Youwei remembered and sat back down to share.
"Do you want to learn it, Elder Sister?" Lin Miao picked up an apple from the table and started peeling it with a knife.
"I wanted to learn it originally, but after following you on house calls these past few days, I feel that it’s not necessary to study the Qi Observation Skill."
"If you don’t want to learn it, then we won’t. Our family’s four diagnostic methods are sufficient to deal with most conditions without the need to owe anyone any favors." Lin Miao said as he finished peeling the apple and handed it over. "Have an apple, Elder Sister—one a day will keep you healthy."
"Thank you, Junior Brother."
...
In the evening, Liuli and Shi Yin came together, carrying a jar that they placed on the desk, eagerly watching Lin Miao.
"Why are you showing me a jar? Could it be..." Lin Miao paused briefly, then grew excited.
Lin Miao opened the jar, and sure enough, it was white sugar, ground into a sand-like fineness, looking very beautiful.
"Liuli, Shi Yin, did you really succeed?"
"Following your method, Young Master, we experimented with a small pot. The method with yellow clay and water works but yields inferior quality white sugar. The ash absorption method isn’t ideal either. Only the charcoal absorption method works best, especially your charcoal-making process, which is top secret and must not be disclosed. It’s the core technique for producing white sugar. Without that method of producing charcoal, it has no effect." Liuli said excitedly.
"How much white sugar can we produce from a pound of brown sugar using our current method?"
"At most half, or even less."
"What is the market price difference between brown and white sugar?"
"Brown sugar is easy to buy, but white sugar requires pre-orders and costs twenty times more than brown sugar." Liuli answered.
"If we convert brown sugar into white sugar based on the current price, how much profit can we earn?"
"At least five times the profit."
"With mass production, our costs will further decrease, and profits should increase. Since transporting brown sugar here is already expensive, if we can convert it into white sugar directly at the source, how high do you think the profits will be?" Lin Miao asked.
"That... I don’t know, but considering transportation and tax fees, it’s bound to be very profitable." Liuli said.
"First, refine the process and purchase a batch of brown sugar under the guise of setting up a pastry shop, then establish a workshop outside the city."
"Young Master, if we set up a workshop outside the city and our white sugar is brought in, it will be taxed by the authorities. Given current prices, paying taxes will cost us. Are we planning to produce white sugar only for personal use and not for sale?"
"Is there an appropriate place within the city where we can establish a sugar factory?"
"We need somewhere with a water source or close to one. Such places in the city have likely already been claimed. Outside the city, it should be easier to find."
"If it’s not feasible, we’ll start by producing just enough for our own use with the tofu workshop. We can consider expanding later. We currently don’t have a stable supplier of raw brown sugar, so we shouldn’t rush into anything." Lin Miao thought aloud.
"We’ll follow your arrangements, Young Master."
"Shi Yin, here are some medicinal recipes with health benefits that you need to make. They will help prepare us to eventually open a Medicinal Cuisine Workshop." Lin Miao handed a booklet to Shi Yin, giving her an instruction.
"A Medicinal Cuisine Workshop?"
Combining medicine with food requires a guarantee, as any issues could have serious consequences. Even in a restaurant, where issues can arise, the owner can’t evade responsibility, and if a medicinal dish causes problems, the consequences are even more severe.
"Also, here’s a guide to emergency treatment for food and herbal allergies. You must memorize and master it. Different people have different constitutions; some ingredients or herbs may be harmless to some but could cause a rash in others." Lin Miao said with a smile. "You’ll be the Chief Shopkeeper of the Medicinal Cuisine Workshop in the future, with the same status as Liuli."
Shi Yin was stunned, unsure how to respond to the sudden honor.
"Shi Yin, quickly thank the Young Master."
Encouraged by Liuli, Shi Yin immediately bowed gracefully.
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