Chapter 114: This Thing Could Even Be Used To Siege A City
Lin Xin didn’t care about their gazes. She knew that no matter how nicely she spoke now, without real objects for them to see, they wouldn’t believe her. The current problem was that she didn’t remember much about how to make glass anymore, which was a bit of trouble.
She scratched her head and suddenly remembered that she seemed to have collected quite a few books from a small library back then. At the time, it was for burning to keep warm when it was cold, but she died before the next extreme cold weather arrived.
She would have to search carefully later; maybe she could find one or two things that didn’t exist now but could be made!
With that thought, Lin Xin casually found an excuse to shoo everyone away and began searching in her space. After searching for a long time, she finally found a set of books introducing folk crafts, divided into several volumes. They not only covered firing pottery and glass, but also making various handmade soap, scented paste, rouge and cosmetics, and face oil.
Even more impressive was a book dedicated to researching various mechanisms, one part of which specifically taught how to make crossbow bolts and other lethal weapons.
She held the book and thought for a long time, then knocked on Mo Ziyuan’s room door.
“What’s wrong?” Seeing the struggle in her eyes, Mo Ziyuan asked.
“I······” Lin Xin bit her lip, “I have some things that need to be written down, but my brush writing is no good. Can you help me?”
Mo Ziyuan raised an eyebrow. Lin Xin’s appearance told him the matter was definitely not that simple, but thinking of her mysterious skills, he felt it best not to ask anything, so he nodded and said: “Sure.”
“Then when do you have time?”
“I’m free anytime; anyway, with this weather, we can’t do much outside.”
Lin Xin nodded, took out the book hidden in her sleeve, and looked at Mo Ziyuan with bright eyes: “Then let’s start now. I’ll dictate, and you write.”
Mo Ziyuan was helpless and could only sit at the table, grind the ink, pick up the brush, and look at her.
Lin Xin first recited the method for making handmade soap. Mo Ziyuan’s eyes grew wider as he wrote. The Duke’s Mansion also used soap, but it was very expensive. Except for some noble persons, commoners could hardly afford it. But looking at the production method Lin Xin recited, the materials weren’t rare, and the process was relatively simple. If they could make and sell it, they would surely make a fortune.
“Don’t daze off; keep writing!” Lin Xin pushed Mo Ziyuan, who refused to continue writing.
“Wait, what do you want to do by writing these things down?”
“Don’t you lack money? These things aren’t complicated to make. We can make them ourselves and sell them to get money, right?” Lin Xin looked at him with an expression that said “how do you not understand this.”
“Miss Lin, do you know······ do you know how valuable these formulas are?” Even a worldly man like Mo Ziyuan couldn’t help swallowing. Just what he had written so far was enough to become the foundation of a great family’s heritage.
“Very valuable?” Lin Xin waved her hand carelessly, “Then you sell them and give me a share of the profits. We’ll all have money; how great!”
“Miss Lin! You······” Mo Ziyuan wasn’t Lin Xin; he hadn’t experienced the knowledge explosion of the modern era. In his eyes, Lin Xin taking out these formulas for him to use—didn’t that mean she was also willing······
“What’s wrong with you? Why is your face so red? Are you unwell? Maybe we shouldn’t write anymore today; we can continue another day?” Lin Xin asked, looking at Mo Ziyuan’s suddenly flushed face.
“No, no need. I’m fine.” Mo Ziyuan nearly choked on Lin Xin’s words. He wiped his face and said: “I’m really fine. Let’s continue!”
In the next half day, Mo Ziyuan felt like his jaw had been dropped from the start and never reattached. One formula after another appeared under his brush: handmade soap, rouge, lip balm, eyebrow dye, scented paste, then glass, mirror, red bricks, and finally······ crossbow bolts!
“Miss Lin, this······ this too?”
“This probably can’t be sold!” Lin Xin looked at the vigorous handwriting on the rice paper and said thoughtfully.
“No, that’s not what I mean. You······” Mo Ziyuan’s gaze was indescribable, “Do you know something?”
“Huh?” Lin Xin looked at him in confusion, “What should I know?”
“You don’t know?” Seeing her expression wasn’t feigned, Mo Ziyuan was also puzzled, “Then why give this to me if you don’t know?”
“Isn’t this just an ordinary handheld crossbow? You’re all military generals; you’ll definitely go to battlefields in the future. Can’t this be used for self-defense?” Lin Xin pouted inwardly, thinking it was good she had been cautious and didn’t bring out the bed crossbow, or you’d be scared to death!
“Self-defense?” Mo Ziyuan caught his jaw again, “This thing, used well, can even be used to attack cities. Self-defense! You actually thought of that.”
“Nonsense, isn’t this just small arrows bound to the wrist that can be fired repeatedly? Attack cities?” Lin Xin said as she took Mo Ziyuan’s notes and glanced at them.
At this look, she stuck out her tongue. It turned out she had mixed up the handheld crossbow and bow and crossbow; what she had just recited was the method for making bow and crossbow.
“Um, wrong one. I got the wrong one; forget this.” As she said it, she tried to tear off the just-written production method, but Mo Ziyuan snatched it away.
“Don’t, don’t tear it. Keep it; maybe it can be used later.”
Lin Xin shrugged indifferently and handed the paper back to him, “Then you keep it.”
Mo Ziyuan stared at the paper for a long time, shook his head with a complex gaze, “You keep it. I’ll ask you for it when needed later.”
“That works too.” Lin Xin tossed it into her space with a flip of her hand, then flipped through the book in her hand, “There are also some formulas for making sauces that your restaurants can use. Keep writing!”
“You…”
“Hm? What’s wrong?”
“Rest assured, after taking these formulas of yours, I’ll repay you well in the future.”
“Fine. I’ll just provide the formulas and big-picture ideas, but I won’t do the hands-on work! Let’s make that clear upfront. Unless it’s beating someone up, otherwise no deal!”
Mo Ziyuan laughed. Beating people? Not bad! As long as it’s not him.
Looking at these formulas in hand, his heart grew hot. With these, if they still couldn’t earn enough to support the army, then us big men might as well not live.
“You handle the arrangements. But I think you can integrate the shops, try to put them all together. Then half the street will be yours, with all kinds of businesses. People buying things won’t want to go elsewhere.”
After thinking, Lin Xin added: “One more thing: things sold to women should be sold by women. Absolutely don’t let soldier brothers sell rouge and cosmetics again; no matter how good, people won’t dare buy.”
For every point she made, Mo Ziyuan nodded. After she finished, he summarized on his own: “Once the shops are set up, I’ll take you to see. Point out anything wrong, and we’ll fix it.”
Lin Xin: “…” Fine, she’ll get money anyway, so doing a bit is fine. Once she has enough money later, no one can make her work again!
Thanks to Luoye Zhiqiu-Ad, Goat’s Song and Eyes’ Story, Peace-aD, Mmy Dang for the votes, and thanks to everyone for the support. Thank you!
