The sky was just turning pale when Lu Xunguang reluctantly let go of Li Ying and jumped out of the window.
Li Ying freshened up. She coated the shrimps and crabs with cornstarch and deep - fried them until they turned golden. She scored the squids and abalones, and added fresh scallops, clams, and oysters to make a hearty seafood soup, which she poured over the hand - made bamboo - pressed noodles.
The soup was rich, the seafood was light, and the noodles were chewy and silky. It was the perfect remedy for a hangover.
Sure enough, when Li Ying carried the food tray to visit, Lord Lin and his wife had just finished washing up. There was a hint of weariness on their faces.
"Your Honor, would you like some breakfast?"
Li Ying gently knocked on the door and personally poured them two cups of strong tea.
Her seafood noodles were extremely appealing. Seeing that Lord Lin showed no sign of picking up his chopsticks, Li Ying casually explained, "Your Honor, it's not that I'm being neglectful on purpose."
"First of all, this soup has been simmered for a whole night. It's extremely flavorful and perfect for nourishing the stomach after drinking."
"Secondly, in our village, there's a saying of 'dumplings for departure and noodles for return'. We hope that after you taste this noodles, Your Honor will consider our fishing village as your own family property and take good care of us. The whole village will be extremely grateful."
Her words were so sincere that Lord Lin was secretly delighted, but he remained calm on the surface. He just took the jade chopsticks, chewed a mouthful slowly, and said indifferently, "Sure, sure."
Seeing that he ate the noodles, Li Ying was relieved. She cleared the dishes and personally introduced Lord Lin to visit the village.
Ordinary scenic spots were nothing special, so they just passed by them.
Lady Lin had been childless for many years, so Li Ying deliberately led her to pay homage to the golden statue of Mazu.
Although she had heard of it before, seeing such a towering statue with her own eyes, she couldn't help but feel in awe. She knelt three times and kowtowed nine times, showing her utmost piety.
She offered the three - animal sacrifice and tied a clay doll. Lady Lin was very happy looking at the little doll sitting cross - legged with a beaming face.
Li Ying observed her expression and said, "Madam is so sincere. I'm sure the Goddess Mazu will notice your love for a child. I'd like to congratulate you in advance, Madam!"
Then she sighed and said helplessly, "This golden statue of Mazu has been buried in the mountain for many years, but it has never been dusty. It's obviously very effective. It's a pity that although the livelihood of our fishing village has improved a bit, it's still a small and insignificant place. We don't have the money to rebuild the temple for the Goddess Mazu."
"If there were a temple, the Goddess would surely show mercy and grant our wishes... Such a great deed, it's a pity..."
She showed a look of regret and sadness, but actually stole glances at Lady Lin's expression.
Sure enough, Lady Lin frowned slightly, and her hand stroking the Buddhist beads stopped.
"Sir, how about we..."
She looked up at Lord Lin eagerly.
Lord Lin didn't say a word, but he understood what his wife meant.
He and Lady Lin had been married for many years, but they had never had a child. Over the years, they had visited many famous doctors, but they had never found out the reason.
He had also had affairs and kept concubines in private, trying all kinds of means. By now, he was too old and weak, but still had no offspring.
It was almost impossible for him to have a descendant.
The Lin couple understood each other without words, but they had both secretly had a terrifying suspicion in their minds.
Could it be that he had exhausted all his tricks and damaged his moral integrity, which was why he ended up in such a miserable old age?
Lady Lin just glanced at him, and Lord Lin immediately understood.
He frowned and thought for a long time. Finally, he heaved a sigh of relief, looked at Li Ying seriously, and said, "Boss Li, you're so eloquent and strategic. I'm really impressed."
"I once heard from my colleague that last year, Su Buchi joined hands with the Ministry of Works to submit a memorial asking for the imperial construction of the Tianhou Palace. I guess the emperor's approval should be here by now. Boss Li, you just wait for good news."
Li Ying quickly knelt on the ground and said overjoyed, "Thank you, Lord Lin!"
It was Lord Lin who had secretly detained Su Buchi's memorial. Now that he said this, it meant that he had truly let down his guard and was willing to cooperate with her. He was just giving her a small favor.
She saw through it but didn't say it out loud. She thanked him repeatedly.
It was still early, and there was no time to lose. Zhang Lu and several other boatmen had been waiting at the dock. Li Ying led Lord Lin straight to the pearl farm.
This was exactly what Lord Lin came for, so he had no objection.
First, they inspected the ordinary pearl oyster cultivation. The oyster seedlings had been planted for a short time and had not yet grown into dazzling pearls.
Li Ying was unhurried. She casually picked up a pearl oyster. Lord Lin saw with his own eyes dozens of pearls neatly arranged in the oyster, almost the same size and luster. Even though he was used to seeing gold, silver, and all kinds of rare treasures, he couldn't help but gasp.
This woman, Li Ying, really had such great skills! The information sent back by Qing Liu was indeed true!
He secretly rejoiced that he had finally taken a right but risky step, and his guard was further reduced.
Li Ying observed his expression and saw that he was much more relaxed. She thought that this was the right time, so she smiled charmingly and led him to the area where the conch pearls were raised.
"Your Honor, these pearls are not rare. In less than three years, even ordinary people will be able to afford freshwater pearls."
"The real rare treasures are the 'dragon pearls'."
Li Ying explained in detail the rarity of the conch pearls, and repeatedly emphasized that it was extremely difficult to cultivate them. Throughout the world, only her farm could succeed.
Once this conch pearl farm was established, it would surely become the tribute for the emperor!
She spoke with determination. Seeing the strong fanaticism in Lord Lin's eyes, she sighed sadly.
"It's a pity that cultivating conch pearls is not as easy as cultivating ordinary pearl oysters. It requires a large amount of shellfish bait and manual intervention. Even if I were willing to spend all my money, I'm afraid I still couldn't afford such a huge expense..."
The helplessness in her eyes seemed genuine. Lord Lin sneered disdainfully.
"Small - scale merchants naturally can't achieve much."
"Now that you've joined my camp, just focus on the business. I want the dragon pearl farm to be fully prepared within two years. As for the money, just ask me anytime. I'll take care of it!"
He spoke boldly. Having just seen the initial scale of the pearl oyster cultivation, he didn't have time to think about whether there were any risks in cultivating conch pearls.
He seemed to have seen mountains of silver rushing towards him. Overjoyed, he readily agreed without hesitation.
Li Ying sneered inwardly.
Greed was the beginning of doom.
But on the surface, her expression remained normal. She just bowed respectfully and said sincerely, "Thank you, Your Honor! I will surely live up to your trust!"