Lin Shanyue sat there, allowing her to look, her expression entirely free of panic.
Seeing that she did not shrink away, Liu Niang began to examine the Storax Incense again. After a long while, however, she shook her head. "It won't deceive anyone who knows the genuine article."
Lin Shanyue had clearly anticipated this. "You are more experienced and knowledgeable than I, Lady. Real Storax Incense is hard to come by. I have blended frankincense with resin and cloves to create this. If you have some face cream, you can grind this incense and mix it with the cream, then burn it in an incense burner; the resulting scent will be indistinguishable from the real thing."
She stopped there, but Liu Niang understood her meaning instantly, her eyes lighting up once more. After a long silence, she finally smiled. "Seeing that you know how to make this, you must have seen many fine things in your time. But why..."
Liu Niang left the rest of the sentence unspoken, but Lin Shanyue understood perfectly. She was naturally curious about how she had fallen to such a state. Lin Shanyue smiled faintly. "My family fortunes collapsed. Let the past remain in the past."
Liu Niang understood immediately and stopped probing into painful matters. After a moment of thought, she said, "Fine! I will take this Storax Incense. Fudong, get some money for this young lady."
A young flower girl appeared from behind her and, without a word, handed Lin Shanyue a tael. Lin Shanyue was startled. "You've given me too much, Lady. Mine is worth at most five hundred copper coins..."
"If it were the true fragrance of Storax Incense, it would go for two taels a catty. Your asking price is already quite low. Take it; it isn't much."
Lin Shanyue was moved. "Thank you, Lady. I would be deeply grateful if you would try it. If there are any issues, you can find me at Tianshui Lane in Guangde Ward."
Liu Niang offered her a faint smile.
Stepping out of Huayue Pavilion, Lin Shanyue let out a long sigh of relief, feeling a profound sense of accomplishment. She had truly made a sale on her own... This was only her first step. Later, she would surely produce real Storax Incense, and perhaps other things as well. Lin Shanyue felt full of confidence.
Clutching the money she had earned, Lin Shanyue immediately headed to the snack street in Pingkang Ward.
"Hu bing! Hu bing! Just fresh out of the oven!" someone was hawking. Lin Shanyue swallowed hard. These were pies filled with mutton, glistening with oil and exceptionally fragrant—one of the most famous snacks in the Imperial Capital. However, one cost a hundred copper coins; it was quite a luxury.
But since she had earned money today, Lin Shanyue thought for a moment before walking over to buy one.
The hu bing was piping hot, but it was truly delicious!
Lin Shanyue couldn't bear to eat it all herself; she tore off a small piece to taste and saved the rest for Xiaobao. A two-year-old child should be able to eat this.
After satisfying her craving, Lin Shanyue began to budget carefully. First, she went to the butcher’s shop to buy two catties of pork. In the Imperial Capital, pork cost fifty copper coins per catty, making two catties equal to one hundred coins. This, too, cost her another hundred coins. This only bought ordinary meat, however; spare ribs and fatty pork belly were even more expensive. Additionally, Lin Shanyue spent some time haggling with the butcher and managed to trade three copper coins for a large marrow bone. Though there wasn't much meat on it, simmering it for soup would at least provide some nourishment.
The butcher was truly stingy, though. Because she had haggled, he had scraped the bone so clean that the surface was almost shiny enough to serve as a mirror...
Lin Shanyue shook her head and moved on to the next shop. The Mirror Demon Young Master had provided vegetables, rice, and oil, so she wasn't lacking in those, but the house still lacked other seasonings, such as bay leaves, cinnamon, and sugar.
Just like salt, seasonings were frighteningly expensive. Lin Shanyue only allowed herself to buy a tiny amount. After wandering through Pingkang Ward for a short while, only four hundred coins remained of the one tael she had earned today.
She couldn't spend any more. She carried her small basket and prepared to head home, guessing that Xiaobao must be getting impatient.
The Imperial Capital was vast. There were seven or eight wards between Pingkang Ward and Guangde Ward, a walk of more than an hour. Gritting her teeth, Lin Shanyue spent one copper coin to ride a mule cart to save time.
These mule carts could move freely within the wards; the Imperial Capital was truly bustling.
Having finally returned to Pingkang Ward, Lin Shanyue hurried toward her home. She didn't expect to run into an acquaintance just as she reached the mouth of the lane—a limping steward from the Zhenbei Marquis Estate. The steward was accompanied by two servants, wandering around Pingkang Ward. Seeing them, Lin Shanyue deliberately stayed out of sight.
Why would they be here?
When she had been looking for a place to live, Lin Shanyue had deliberately chosen the area furthest from the Zhenbei Marquis Estate. To run into them across the entire span of the Imperial Capital was impossible. Surely they couldn't be here specifically looking for her?
Lin Shanyue frowned.
She truly did not want to have any more entanglements with the Zhenbei Marquis Estate. She waited until the two men had left before rounding the corner into Tianshui Lane. Keeping her wits about her, she asked an old woman setting up a stall at the entrance of the lane, "Granny, who were those two looking for just now?"
The old woman glanced at her and said, "I heard they were looking for a girl with the surname Jiang. I told them there's no one like that here."
Lin Shanyue felt relieved.
It seemed that while the Zhenbei Marquis Estate was looking for her, it wasn't necessarily because they wanted her back. They likely just wanted to see if she was using the Jiang family name now that she had been kicked out. It was a pity for them, then; she, Lin Shanyue, was not that pathetic.
Her surname was Lin, and she would have nothing to do with the Jiang family henceforth.
Lin Shanyue hurried back to her small courtyard and immediately went to pick up Xiaobao. Auntie Pang saw her and smiled. "You're back?"
Lin Shanyue nodded quickly. "I'm back. Thank you so much for today, Auntie Pang! I've caused you so much trouble."
"What are you thanking me for? Xiaobao is such a well-behaved child! He didn't cry or fuss all day. He's just a bit thin, so I fed him some rice porridge; he wasn't picky at all!"
Upon hearing this, Lin Shanyue quickly took a block of tofu from her basket. She had bought it today, and the young woman who sold it had wrapped it neatly in lotus leaves. Auntie Pang saw it and immediately refused. "What are you doing? Don't be so formal with me!"
"Auntie, please take it. Really. If you don't, I won't dare to trouble you again in the future! To be honest, it’s not easy for me to look after Xiaobao on my own, and I've been worried about how to get by. But I can see that all the neighbors are very warmhearted. I haven't properly thanked everyone for yesterday, and if you take this, I'll feel much better."
Put this way, Auntie Pang hesitated. "This... Oh! You child!"
She looked at Lin Shanyue with sympathy. "Fine! I'll take it this time, but let me say this: don't be so formal with me in the future! I have a son, he's twelve this year, named Shitou. I see that your Xiaobao and my Shitou get along quite well, so feel free to visit often!"
Lin Shanyue accepted with a smile.
After a few more polite exchanges, Lin Shanyue carried Xiaobao back to her own small courtyard.
What she had said earlier was true. If she were to truly start a business, she would inevitably have to rely on her neighbors, and maintaining good relations was a necessary skill.
"Xiaobao, be good. I bought hu bing, I’ll feed you some in a moment, okay? And I bought fresh meat today, we can have meat today."
Xiaobao laughed as if he understood her. Lin Shanyue felt her heart melt. She carried him into the house and was just about to put him on the bed when she saw a large pile of items on the floor.
A thick quilt, a large bag of food, and all sorts of other things.
Lin Shanyue subconsciously looked toward the Silver Mirror. "Young Master, are you there?"