“R-… redeem… my freedom…”
It was obvious that Chunlan had never even dared to dream of those two words. She stood there frozen, unable to react.
Lin Shanyue smiled.
“Yes, redeem your freedom. As long as you work hard with me, once we make enough money, I’ll definitely buy your freedom.”
Chunlan’s eyes reddened.
“I’ll definitely work hard for you, Madam! I’ll serve you like an ox or a horse!”
Lin Shanyue burst into laughter.
“That won’t be necessary. Come on, let’s go buy you some clothes first.”
To be fair, Liu Niang had treated her exceptionally well. She had handed over fifty taels of silver without hesitation and even given her a servant girl. If Lin Shanyue didn’t build a successful business after receiving such kindness, she’d truly be letting Liu Niang down.
At this moment, she was overflowing with motivation.
Her first stop: the cloth shop.
Making clothes herself would take too long. Today she bought two ready-made outfits.
For herself, she chose a light pink stand-collar jacket with a moon-white long skirt embroidered with peonies.
For Chunlan, she picked a green cross-collar jacket with a pale yellow skirt embroidered with orchids—a combination that suited her name perfectly.
The two outfits cost a total of three taels of silver.
Chunlan was so nervous she barely dared touch the clothes.
“Madam… I… I don’t deserve to wear something this nice.”
“It’s only one outfit, and just this once,” Lin Shanyue said with a smile. “When we’re doing business outside, if we don’t dress properly, why would anyone believe our products are worth buying? Later, we’ll sew our own clothes. Once we’ve earned more money, we can buy more.”
Chunlan nodded blankly.
Lin Shanyue also bought a padded jacket for Little Bao.
After fiercely bargaining with the cloth shop owner over the price, she finally left in satisfaction.
“Next,” she said, “we’re going to buy a mule cart.”
This had been part of today’s plan from the beginning.
She couldn’t afford a horse carriage yet, and besides, the little courtyard she rented didn’t even have a stable.
There was, however, a small mule shed.
After cleaning it up, buying a mule and cart would be perfectly practical. Since they would be traveling frequently, they needed transportation.
Lin Shanyue went straight to the brokerage office and found the same young broker who had helped her rent the house before.
The young man was shocked to see that she had returned so soon—not only to buy a mule cart but with a servant girl in tow.
He no longer dared underestimate her.
“Our brokerage doesn’t sell mule carts,” he said quickly, “but I can introduce you to someone. There’s a man named Ma Bing in the Eastern Market. His mules are excellent.”
Lin Shanyue smiled and slipped him a few copper coins.
“Then I’ll trouble you to make the introduction.”
The young broker beamed.
“Of course! Please wait just a moment.”
Lin Shanyue had gone out early in the morning, and before she knew it, noon had arrived.
Auntie Pang glanced anxiously toward the alley.
If Lin Shanyue didn’t return soon, Little Bao might start crying again.
Fortunately, he had been very well-behaved today.
Soon, the rumbling of wagon wheels echoed through the alley.
Auntie Pang hurried outside carrying Little Bao.
Sure enough—it was Lin Shanyue.
She immediately climbed down from the mule cart.
“Auntie Pang! Little Bao!”
It was Little Bao’s first time seeing a mule.
He instantly broke into an excited grin and stretched out his little arms toward his mother.
Without hesitation, Lin Shanyue scooped him into her embrace.
Auntie Pang looked astonished.
“You went out and came back with a mule cart?”
Lin Shanyue smiled.
“Yes. Traveling is much more convenient this way.”
Chunlan knew how to drive a mule cart. She climbed down as well and obediently stood beside Lin Shanyue.
Lin Shanyue introduced them.
“This is Auntie Pang, and this is my son, Little Bao.”
“This is Chunlan.”
Chunlan quickly greeted Auntie Pang respectfully.
What more was there to understand?
Auntie Pang chuckled.
“Wonderful, wonderful. Your life is finally starting to look proper.”
“I also have to thank you, Auntie. Starting tomorrow, I’ll try to take care of Little Bao myself.”
“Don’t stand on ceremony! If you ever get too busy, just come find me!”
Lin Shanyue smiled and agreed.
Chunlan was remarkably perceptive.
Without being told, she immediately noticed the mule shed.
“Madam, I’ll go clean the shed and lead the mule inside.”
The mule Lin Shanyue had chosen was a large blue-gray mule—strong, hardworking, and sturdy.
It had cost six taels.
“Alright, do what you think is best. I’ll start making lunch.”
Chunlan hesitated.
“Shouldn’t I cook instead? Madam can rest for a while.”
Lin Shanyue shook her head.
“I didn’t bring you home to cook. You’ll help me with miscellaneous tasks, look after Little Bao, and at night we’ll be making pastries and incense. That’s tiring enough. Leave the cooking to me.”
Chunlan obediently nodded.
Little Bao was extremely curious about the new addition to the family.
His big eyes stared at Chunlan without blinking.
Chunlan adored him.
As soon as she finished cleaning the mule shed, she hurried over and picked him up.
“Madam, so you have such an adorable son! How old is he?”
Lin Shanyue had already changed into simpler clothes and was washing her hands to prepare lunch.
Smiling, she answered,
“Two years old. Just call him Little Bao.”
“Little Bao, Little Bao! I’m Chunlan~”
Little Bao wasn’t shy around his new big sister at all.
He babbled happily.
After a while, he pointed excitedly toward the big mule.
Chunlan laughed.
“Madam, Little Bao wants to go see the mule.”
“That’s fine. You can take him, just don’t get too close.”
“Alright.”
The moment Little Bao saw the large mule, his eyes sparkled.
He had clearly never seen such an animal before.
He even reached out, trying to touch it, but Chunlan carried him away before he could.
A little later, she returned and asked,
“Madam, where should I put Little Bao?”
“Just put him on the bed inside.”
“Alright.”
As Chunlan carried him inside, Lin Shanyue suddenly remembered something and followed.
She glanced at the silver mirror.
There didn’t seem to be anyone on the other side at the moment.
Feeling relieved, she said,
“My house is rather simple. There’s only one proper bed in this room.”
“But there’s a small room next door with another wooden bed. It hasn’t been cleaned up yet, though. You’ll probably have to tidy it yourself.”
Chunlan smiled.
“Leave it to me, Madam.”
“I’m afraid I’m making things difficult for you.”
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
“At the pleasure house I slept in a communal dormitory.”
“Now I actually have my own room.”
“I should be the one thanking you.”
“Alright. Go get settled. We’ll eat a little later.”
Chunlan left cheerfully.
Only then did Lin Shanyue turn toward the mirror and softly call,
“Young Master?”
Huo Yi didn’t have anything important to do.
He knew that Lin Shanyue was usually busy during the mornings, so he normally didn’t wait by the mirror.
Hearing her call, he walked over.
“I’m here.”
Lin Shanyue noticed immediately that both his room and his desk were much tidier than before.
She stared for a moment.
The previous night, Huo Yi had hurriedly cleaned everything up.
The moment he noticed her looking around, he knew she’d definitely seen the chaotic mess the day before.
He felt slightly embarrassed.
Clearing his throat, he asked,
“What is it?”
Snapping out of her thoughts, Lin Shanyue smiled and recounted everything that had happened that day.
Hearing how much she had accomplished in a single outing, Huo Yi was genuinely surprised.
“You… did very well.”
Far better than he had expected.
“It’s all thanks to your guidance, Young Master. Today I even borrowed fifty taels of silver from Huayue Pavilion. It was my first time borrowing money, so I felt rather guilty.”
For some reason, hearing that she’d had to borrow money made Huo Yi uncomfortable.
His first instinct was to say he’d simply give her the money.
Then he remembered the biggest problem between their two worlds:
Their currencies couldn’t cross between them.
After thinking for a moment, he asked,
“So you’ve reached an agreement with them about supplying pastries?”
“Yes!”
Her eyes lit up.
“The milk powder and sugar you gave me are both top-quality!”
A smile tugged at Huo Yi’s lips.
“I’ve got even better things for you.”
“Here.”
As he spoke, he tossed another enormous bag through the mirror.
It was stuffed with all sorts of items.
Lin Shanyue’s eyes widened.
“They’re all basic baking supplies.”
“Take your time learning.”
“Experiment little by little.”
“I believe in you.”