Lin Guan's family handed over Zhao's visiting card and then retreated to one side to stand.

  Lin Qingwan tapped her invitation card and coldly smiled: "You've arrived quite quickly, has Fangzi sent it to the clan's side yet?"

  "It's been sent. The clan elder said he will pass it on to the younger generation in the clan. If anyone is interested in doing this business, they can come over and ask the chef for guidance."

  Lin Qingwan smiled contentedly and put down the letter, saying: "Tell the servants of the Zhao family that I will pay my respects to Master Zhao on the day after tomorrow."

  Lin Guan's family lowered their heads and retreated.

  There are also many poor families in Lin's family who want to come and there will be many people willing to do this business.

  Zhao Sheng was still visiting Lin's villa for the first time and had yet to reach the main gate when he caught a whiff of the bean fragrance wafting all around.

  Following the fragrance, he saw that every household in the surrounding area was emitting smoke from their kitchens. Zhao Sheng, who had seen the process of making tofu before, knew they were making tofu. Thinking about how tofu was now rampant in Suzhou City and even radiating to the surrounding villages, he felt a wave of annoyance and his face turned somewhat unpleasant.

  Lin Guanjia came out to greet him, seemingly not noticing his expression, and with a smile all over his face, he invited Zhao in, "Master Zhao, please come in, our mistress has been waiting for some time."

  Zhao Sheng's expression turned solemn as he nodded at Lin Guan and walked inside.

  Walking into the flower hall, I saw that there were only two maids standing on both sides. As soon as they saw me, their eyes sparkled and they walked in through the door just in time to see Lin Qingyan lift her tea cup to take a sip. Zhao Sheng revealed a smile and bowed his hands, saying: "Miss Lin, I'm disturbing you."

  "Master Zhao, a noble person has arrived at your doorstep. It's said that one doesn't enter the Temple of the Three Treasures without good reason; I wonder what brings this esteemed guest to our humble abode?"

  Zhao Sheng's face stiffened, clearly caught off guard by Lin Qingyu's directness. He looked at Lin Qingyu and saw that her face was full of smiles, with an air of nobility, this sentence didn't seem like a probing question, but rather a casual inquiry.

  Zhao Sheng felt a sense of relief in his heart, for even Lin Jiang had not detected the malicious intentions of the Zhao family when he was alive. It was even less likely that Lin Qingyu, a young girl, would have noticed.

  He must have thought too much just now.

  Zhao Sheng's face regained its smile, "Lin'niang is joking, I'm also good friends with your brother, and our two families have known each other for generations. It's only natural that I come to take a look at you and put my mind at ease."

  Lin Qingwan smiled slightly and thanked him, "Thank you, Zhao Er Ye, for your concern. My sister and I are both fine. However, compared to Lin Gu Niang, I prefer being called Lin Gu Nai Nai. If it's not too much trouble, could you use that title instead?"

  Zhao Sheng sighed, then changed his tone and called out "Wan Jie", and exclaimed, "In the blink of an eye you've grown up and gotten married. I still remember the first time I saw you was at your sister-in-law's house, back then you were just that small, now you're already the mistress of a household."

  Zhao Sheng looked at her with a pleased expression, "Your brother is a talented young man of Jiangnan, I didn't expect you to be no less than him. Being able to support the family business even after leaving the Lin family clan, I think Brother Lin would be very delighted if he knew."

  Lin Qingwan looked at him deeply, but didn't correct his way of addressing her again.

  "Our family's property has been donated, and only two estates are left. Now we still have to rely on the emperor's reward of juntian," Lin Qingyan shook her head slightly: "It's just farming, and I don't need to do it myself, what kind of skill is that? Zhao Er Ye also overestimates me."

  "As for living in another house instead of staying in the old mansion, it's also because I enjoy the quietness of the other house. Even if I couldn't hold up the family business, our clan would still help us cousins out." No matter what her relationship with the Lin family was, she wasn't an outsider, especially since Zhao Sheng could chime in.

  Zhao Sheng ran into a snag at Lin Qingyu's place, seeing her ignore his relationship with Lin Jiang but clarify her relationship with the Lin family, and he couldn't help but become more serious in his heart. After thinking for a moment, he said: "Sister Yu, your brother left in a hurry, perhaps without even having time to explain the relationship between our two families, Zhao and Lin."

  "He solemnly said: 'Our two families have been friends since our ancestors' generation, and we are also relatives by marriage. Since my elder brother and your elder brother became officials, they have been supporting each other like arms. Now that Lin brother has passed away, I hope our two families can continue to support each other. Aristocratic families have always been a matter of shared honor and shared loss.'"

  Lin Qingwan's mouth curled up with a hint of ridicule, "Zhao Er Ye is joking, the Lin family is just a farming and reading family, still far from being a noble family."

  Zhao Sheng's face stiffened slightly, just as he was about to speak, when Lin Qingyan said: "However, what Second Master Zhao said is not wrong. The relationship between our two families will not change because of my brother's passing. In the past it was like this, and in the future it will still be like this. After all, the ancestors of the Zhao family were once a brave general under the command of the Lin family, and the friendship forged through life and death by our ancestors is not something that can be easily changed."

  Zhao Sheng's eyes flashed with a cold light, his hand under his sleeve clenched into a fist, and a smile was forced onto his face: "It won't change for the better. Because over the past year or so, our two families' connection has decreased, that's why I've been worried that our relationship between the two families will become distant, and also worried that Ruan Jie'er is not doing well in Suzhou."

  Lin Qingwan smiled, "Zhao Er Ye is worrying too much. In Suzhou, there are relatives to protect me, and also Zhou Cishi sitting in office. How could I, the emperor's personally appointed princess, not live well?"

  "That's good," Zhao Sheng lowered his eyelids, took a sip of tea, and calmed down before smiling and saying: "Actually, I came this time to ask you for something."

  Zhao Sheng had some difficulty uttering the last two words, his hand under his sleeve clenched tighter, but a warm smile spread across his face as he asked: "I heard you taught the villagers below how to make tofu?"

  Lin Qingwan slightly tilted her head, "Tofu? Oh, I remember now, it's an ancient recipe from Huainanzi." She smiled faintly and said: "I happened to flip through a cookbook that looked interesting. It was also discovered by King Huainan by chance when making door knockers. So I had the cook in our house try it out. What's wrong with tofu?"

  Zhao Sheng patted his cheek and said, "Sister Wan may not know that at the beginning of spring, I accidentally met a chef named Liu. His ancestors were once servants of the King of Huainan, so he learned the art of making tofu. At that time, I paid a high price to buy the recipe from him and asked someone to make several dishes with tofu as the main ingredient. This is how the restaurant opened, but I didn't expect tofu to become so popular now..."

  Zhao Sheng sighed, "Nowadays, guests all think that Pin Yu Lou is not trustworthy, using cheap ingredients to make high-priced dishes, the name doesn't match the reality. But they don't know, when I bought that recipe at first, it really cost a lot of money."

  Lin Qingwan looked at him sympathetically, "Actually, the method of making this tofu is very clever. No one would think of it unless they mention it, but once you think about it, it's not difficult, and all the materials are very cheap. So this recipe is both precious and inexpensive, and Zhao Er Ye didn't lose out. It's just a pity that if I had discovered this ancient recipe earlier, maybe Zhao Er Ye wouldn't have had to spend this money."

  Zhao Sheng saw that she didn't understand his meaning, and he hastily said: "Now the root of this matter is still in the rampant tofu. If you, Wan Jie, can issue an order to let the villagers stop making and selling tofu, then after a while, when the incident cools down, this matter will also be over."

  Lin Qingwan's eyes widened in disbelief as she asked, "Ordering the villagers to stop making and selling tofu?"

  She couldn't help but laugh and ask, "How can this be stopped? Do they want to eat their own food, and I can force them to starve and not give it to them?"

  Zhao Sheng said meaningfully, "This method is what you taught them, so naturally it can also be used to stop them. By the way, last time I went to Hanmozhai, I heard people discussing that there were many things missing inside, and even wanted to buy Xuan paper but couldn't find any stock."

  Lin Qingwan's eyes narrowed slightly, was this a threat or an enticement?

  Does she really think she doesn't know about the Hanmo Studio incident being his doing?

  Lin Qingwan lowered her eyes to gaze at the teacup in her hand, her fingers stroking the cup wall for a moment before she raised her head with a hint of a smile and asked: "Can Zhao Er Ye really help Han Mozhai get into Xuan paper?"

  Zhao Sheng smiled and said: "The Zhao family also has several bookstores. Unfortunately, there is a bit too much Xuan paper in stock. It just so happens that we can transfer some to Hanmozhai."

  Most of the Xuan paper that can't be bought in Hanmo Studio was intercepted by Zhao Sheng at a high price, so he could take it out and sell it to Lin Qingwan at a higher price later.

  Lin Qingwan nodded and tapped the table, deep in thought: "In the past, our top-grade Xuan paper was always two taels for one knife, but the people from Xuancheng have been saying they're out of stock. Zhao Er Ye is willing to transfer some to us, but I don't know about the price..."

  Zhao Sheng smiled and said, "This bookstore matter is not under my management, I'm not too familiar with these things either. Why don't we let the owner of Hanmozhai go to our Zhao family's bookstore to discuss it with the owner? Don't worry, given the relationship between our two families, the owner won't dare raise the price and will definitely sell it to you at the original price."

  Lin Qingwan's interest waned somewhat, "In that case, I'll let Liu Guanshi go ask."

  "That tofu thing..."

  Lin Qingwan smiled and said indifferently, "This matter involves many people, not only the tenants of our estate, but also the tenant farmers. It's not something that can be settled in one or two days. I'll mention it to Lin Guanjia later and let him handle it."

  Zhao Sheng was not satisfied with this answer and wanted to say more, but Lin Qingyuan had already served tea and saw him off.

  He had no choice but to get up and bid farewell, walking out of the Lin family's courtyard with a smile. It wasn't until he got into his carriage that his expression fell. His face changed for a moment before he gritted his teeth and said, "Indeed worthy of being a member of the Lin family, truly calculating every step. Is this their plan - as long as I don't let go, she won't either?"

  The shopkeeper outside heard this sentence as soon as he climbed onto the horse cart and hastily asked: "Second Master, didn't Miss Lin agree?"

  Zhao Sheng fell silent, his fists clenched tightly for a moment before he closed his eyes and said, "Have someone send a message to Hu Zhanggui, ease up on the pressure, let Linshi Bookstore and Hanmo Studio catch their breath."

  He thought of Lin Qingyan's excuse earlier, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes. Although he was unwilling, he still said, "If it's someone from the Hanmo Studio who comes to the door, let them sell some rice paper to them."

  The shopkeeper of the Gluttonous Pavilion heard the nervous inquiry and asked, "What's the price?"

  Zhao Sheng gritted his teeth and said: "Just raise the price a bit, now the most important thing is the Piaoyuelou."

  The profits of the restaurant are unmatched by the bookstore, and he invested a lot in the restaurant, because last year's purchase of Lin's properties cost a lot of money. This time, the opening of the restaurant also borrowed a lot of money from others.

  If it can't make money, then isn't he just busy for nothing?

  The Lin's bookstore and bookshop were already on their last gasp, so let them live a little longer.