Chapter Thirty-Six: The Introverted Little Girl

The enticing aroma wafted into their noses. Lin Yanbei was the first to take a piece of the original flavor and put it in his mouth. Instantly, his eyes lit up. “Crispy and fragrant, delicious!”

“The spicy one is good too!” Lin Beitao stuffed two more pieces into his mouth, crunching noisily. “Cough, cough—water, water!”

Lin Sanqian hurried back to the kitchen, poured a bowl of water, and handed it to Lin Beitao, half exasperated, half amused. “Third Brother, I just put in a lot of chili powder. Don’t eat so fast.”

After gulping down the water, Lin Beitao ate several pieces of the original flavor, then concluded, “Hmm, the spicy one is still the best.”

“I think the original is better,” Lin Yanbei disagreed.

“Spicy!”

“Original!”

“Enough, you two, stop arguing.” Their bickering gave Lin Sanqian a headache. “Let Eldest Brother be the judge.”

Just then, Lin Wenyan walked over. Seeing his two younger brothers’ expectant faces, he tasted one piece of each flavor. After a moment, he declared, “They’re both delicious.”

Lin Beitao’s mouth twitched. “Big Brother really is impartial.”

“Little Sister, are you planning to sell this at the restaurant as well?” Lin Wenyan asked.

“Yes!” Lin Sanqian grinned. “Another chance to extort—well, to cooperate with Manager Lu.”

Lin Beitao shot her a glance.

You just said 'extort.' I heard that.

Still, he believed these potato chips would become popular in no time. By then, Fortune Inn would only profit, never lose.

“Little Sister, what are they made of?” Lin Yanbei asked curiously. “I can’t tell.”

“They’re just potatoes,” Lin Sanqian replied. “Slice them and fry them—very simple.”

“There’s such a way to make them?”

In their minds, potatoes could be stir-fried, steamed, braised, even roasted, but it had never occurred to them to fry them in oil. Nor had they imagined that fried potatoes could taste so good.

Indeed, their little sister was the most resourceful in the family.

“Let’s bring some inside for Mother to taste.”

“Wait a moment!” Lin Sanqian suddenly remembered something, ran back to the kitchen, and came out with a bowl, putting a bit of both flavors inside.

“Are you taking those to someone?” Lin Hongda asked.

“Yes, for Grandpa Qin’s granddaughter,” Lin Sanqian replied. “Her grandfather asked me to visit her more often.”

With that, she carried the bowl and hurried away.

Her three brothers watched her go, feeling gratified.

It seemed their little sister would make friends after all. They had worried before that her introverted nature would make it hard for her to socialize and that she’d suffer for it in the future.

Lin Sanqian arrived at Uncle Qin’s house. From outside the gate, she saw Qin Qiudie, Uncle Qin’s granddaughter, playing shuttlecock alone in the courtyard.

A bright smile lit up Qiudie’s face, her cheeks rosy, making her look adorable.

“Qiudie! Qiudie!” Lin Sanqian called. “Come here, I brought you something tasty.”

Qiudie froze, the shuttlecock falling to the ground. She glanced at Lin Sanqian, then spun around and dashed into the house.

Lin Sanqian: “…”

Was she really that scary?

After a while, Uncle Qin came out. Seeing Lin Sanqian, he smiled kindly. “Sanqian, you’re here. Come in and sit.”

“Grandpa Qin, I just made something to eat. I thought children would like it, so I brought some for Qiudie.”

“So that’s it. You’re thoughtful,” Uncle Qin smiled, leading her inside.

Uncle Qin’s house was modest, just four rooms, but tidy and clean. His wife had passed away early, leaving only a son, who worked the fields with his wife during the day. That left Uncle Qin at home to care for his granddaughter.

When Qiudie saw a guest arrive, she had already hidden herself in her room. Uncle Qin sighed, “This child is so shy. What will she do in the future?”

Lin Sanqian understood his concern. In modern times, it might not matter, but in this era, life was already hard for women. When married, a woman would need to manage the household and maintain harmony with in-laws and sisters-in-law. With Qiudie’s temperament, she might suffer after marriage.

“I’ll go find her,” Lin Sanqian smiled.

Before leaving, she offered Uncle Qin a taste of the potato chips. As she expected, he didn’t care much for them. Even in modern times, older folk often didn’t like snacks like potato chips—children and young people were the main fans.

Lin Sanqian went to Qiudie’s door and spoke softly, “Qiudie, I have something tasty. Would you like to come out and try some?”

Qiudie was a polite child and couldn’t just ignore her. She came out, her face as red as a cooked shrimp.

“Th-thank you,” Qiudie whispered.

It was the first time anyone outside her own family had brought her a treat.

“Try it,” Lin Sanqian encouraged, handing her the bowl. “They’re freshly fried, crispy and delicious.”

Qiudie wanted to run, but she didn’t want to disappoint Lin Sanqian’s expectant gaze. Summoning her courage, she took a chip and tasted it.

At once, a look of delight spread across her face.

“It’s delicious!” she blurted.

“I’m glad you like it,” Lin Sanqian replied.

Only then did Qiudie remember she was standing before someone unfamiliar, and her face turned even redder. She fidgeted, not knowing where to look.

Lin Sanqian understood that these things couldn’t be rushed. Had she pushed too hard to be close, it might have backfired. So, she simply smiled and took her leave.

Watching her go, Qiudie breathed a sigh of relief, but her eyes sparkled with joy.

Big Sister Sanqian… is so nice!

. . .

At noon, Lin Sanqian roasted some sweet potatoes and picked out three to bring to Aunt Wu’s house. On the way, she ran into Lai Ruyu and her younger sister from her natal family, Lai Rufa.

Lai Rufa didn’t live in Shuangji Village—she had married into a nearby village and had come to visit her sister.

When she saw Lin Sanqian, Lai Ruyu’s expression immediately darkened.

“Sis, isn’t that your niece?” Lai Rufa asked.

“Hmph, to have a niece like that is my misfortune!” Lai Ruyu glared fiercely at Lin Sanqian. “You wretched girl, where are you off to?”

Lin Sanqian just smiled. “Aunt, don’t waste your temper on me. Save it for your fights with Second Aunt, so you won’t get the worst of it.”

“You! I’ll beat you!”

Lai Ruyu was so angry she raised her hand to strike, but Lai Rufa quickly held her back.

“Sis, it’s broad daylight. If you hit her now and people see, it won’t look good.”

Lai Ruyu realized she was right and reluctantly lowered her hand. Then she noticed the sweet potatoes in Lin Sanqian’s arms and sneered, “Those must’ve been given by the Qin family, right? Hmph, beggar! Only living off others’ charity!”

Lin Sanqian couldn’t be bothered to argue and strolled off, leaving Lai Ruyu fuming.

Just then, Lai Rufa spotted a carriage approaching from a distance, her eyes lighting up. “Sis, do you have such wealthy folks in your village? Someone actually owns a carriage like that?”