Volume One, Chapter 19: Making a Profit

“Father, if you go, grandmother will surely scold you. Your daughter worries.”

Old Song San smiled broadly. “Your grandmother only speaks harshly; she wouldn’t really hurt anyone. Back when she lived in the countryside, your grandfather passed away early, and she raised the three of us brothers alone. If she hadn’t been strong-willed, our family would have been bullied long ago.”

He reached out to gently stroke his daughter’s head.

Song Ci sighed inwardly—good people often receive no good in return.

She wondered what her father would think if he knew how tragic their family’s fate would be in the final chapter of the previous life.

A few days later, Doctor Lin arrived at their home with Lin Huo. In the main courtyard, they saw Song Ci, whom they hadn’t seen for several days.

The young girl sat on a stool, her lips red, teeth white, eyes smiling, with a faint dimple that instantly warmed the heart.

She wore a thin, pale pink dress, clearly only fourteen years old, yet she exuded an air of command, as if everything was firmly within her grasp. Lin Huo’s gaze flickered strangely.

“Miss Song San, here is the silver I earned as you requested.”

Song Ci took it and glanced over. In just a few days, the original 2,000 taels had grown to 5,000 taels—more than double.

Lin Huo truly deserved his reputation as a business prodigy.

She smiled softly and withdrew two hundred taels, her pale hand extending it toward him. “Lin Gongzi, this is yours.”

Lin Huo accepted it straightforwardly, his expression still puzzled.

Song Ci guessed what he wanted to ask and gestured for them to sit as her gaze swept across the chairs.

Lifting a steaming cup of tea, her delicate face blurred slightly in the rising mist.

“I know, Lin Gongzi, you have questions. Let’s sit and talk.”

Lin Huo sat down and asked directly, “May I inquire, Miss Song San, how did you learn that great changes were coming nearby—that grain prices in the capital would rise so soon, prompting early preparations?”

At first, he had been skeptical upon receiving the letter. How could a young lady from a noble family have any channels of information about an imminent grain price hike?

But then, everything happened exactly as written: on the first day, grain rose by three wen; the next day, broken rice rose by two wen; refined white rice soared by ten wen.

By the third and fourth days, prices continued to climb relentlessly. Lin Huo had grown numb.

What began as a gamble had turned into surprise and astonishment.

Following the instructions, he used his silver to buy half broken rice and half refined rice. On the sixth day, when refined rice reached an impressive price, he sold all his stock at a price one wen below the market to ensure a swift sale.

He earned a steady profit of three thousand taels.

He had considered waiting a couple more days to sell, hoping to earn even more, but recalling the letter’s words coming true, he suppressed his greed and sold as instructed. The next day, prices halved.

The court had intervened to control the grain market.

His heart tightened sharply with curiosity about this Miss Song San.

“It wasn’t difficult. Lin Gongzi, if you put down your books and stepped outside, your intelligence would reveal the differences on the streets. The bustling city had a fixed number of patrolling soldiers, but a few days ago, they began increasing their numbers. At the city gates and nearby begging spots, the number of vagrants rose. I suspected something but without information channels, I couldn’t be sure. Still, buying the grain wouldn’t lose money, at worst, it would take some effort to sell.”

Lin Huo felt relieved. If all these events were truly interconnected and under her control, that would be extraordinary.

But her keen observation and sharp intuition were undeniable.

Seeing his expression, Song Ci knew he believed half of it and breathed a little easier.

If he had real doubts, she wouldn’t know how to explain.

“However,” Lin Huo paused, “these past few days, it seems someone has noticed my actions and has been following me. But don’t worry, I always took several detours to shake them off before returning home.”

“Do you know who is following you?” Song Ci’s eyes narrowed slightly, her slender fingers tightening.

“No,” Lin Huo smiled wryly. “They seem to be a martial artist, nimble and elusive. With my skills, I haven’t been able to identify them.”

“Since they haven’t acted directly against us, perhaps they bear no ill will. Next, place the broken rice as I instructed in my letter. Set up a congee stall under the ‘Fu’ business name to distribute porridge.”

Lin Huo looked puzzled. “Miss San, what do you mean by that?”

Song Ci blinked. “With the vagrants running about the city, causing all sorts of trouble, and the people unable to eat their fill, distributing porridge will temporarily stabilize the populace’s hearts.”

“Is that all?”

Lin Huo doubted it. The girl before him was calculating and far-sighted—would she truly do something with no return?

“Lin Gongzi, I’m curious—what sort of person do you think I am?”

Caught off guard by the question, Lin Huo froze, his face losing its previous composure and becoming somewhat embarrassed.

It felt as if he had been abrupt; if she was simply kind-hearted, his words might have been offensive.

“I spoke too much. Miss Song San, your kindness will surely help the vagrants in and around the capital get through this unforeseen disaster.”

Unforeseen disaster—she was not so sure.

She fell into thought. Lin Huo’s gaze casually rested on her pale cheek, her fingertips pink and soft. Because she was so serious in thought, she clenched the tea cup tightly, the blue-gray veins beneath her thin skin clearly visible.

Though it had only been a few days since they first met—when Song Ci had looked weak and pale, fragile enough to be blown over by the wind—now she seemed to be bursting with new life.

Lin Huo had never before met anyone he couldn’t see through.

After Song Ci gave other instructions, she ordered Wanxiang to escort them out properly.

After lunch, Wanxiang brought a large bowl of tonic medicine prescribed by Doctor Lin. The dark liquid made Song Ci wrinkle her beautiful brows, but she swallowed it down despite the nauseating taste.

“Miss, here’s some candied fruit!”

Wanxiang quickly handed it over, and Song Ci stuffed it into her mouth, chewing until the bitterness faded.

In a grand mansion within the capital—

The dim study door was pushed open. The visitor knelt and reported, “Young master, I have thoroughly investigated. This person is merely an ordinary scholar. His family runs a medical business and makes a living; there is nothing suspicious. However... I saw the letters on his desk. All the trade dealings are controlled behind the scenes by Miss Song San of the Song family. Lin Huo is merely acting on her behalf.”

Behind the desk, a thin figure holding a book coughed softly. His voice, clear as a mountain spring, sounded slowly:

“What has she done?”