Towards evening, the sound of carriage wheels came from outside the estate.
A-Gua ran in to announce: “Miss! The master and madam are here!”
Lin Shuying quickly rose and went out to greet them.
Lin Huaizhou and Gu Wanyin descended from the carriage, followed by several servants carrying boxes.
The moment Gu Wanyin entered, she took her daughter’s hands and looked her over from head to toe: “Thinner! Darker! And you were kidnapped! If your second brother hadn’t been babbling nonsense from his beating, you’d have kept hiding this from your father and me?! If—if something had happened to you, what would your mother have done?!”
Warmth welled up in Lin Shuying’s heart, and her nose stung as well: “Mother~ I’m fine. Not even a scratch—just a bit shaken. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want you to worry…”
“A fright is still too much!” Gu Wanyin’s eyes reddened as she pulled her daughter into her arms, sobbing. “Tell me—why couldn’t you just stay in the city? You had to come out to the countryside to farm. And farming is one thing, but now you’ve attracted criminals!”
Lin Huaizhou cleared his throat beside them: “Alright, alright—don’t start lecturing the moment you see her. Shuying is safe and sound, isn’t she?” But despite his words, his gaze toward his daughter was filled with undisguised worry.
Gu Wanyin, upon hearing this, burst into tears and pointed at her husband, not caring whether it was in front of the children: “You think I’m nagging? If you and the eldest hadn’t promised to protect and support her, would I have ever let Shuying come to this remote place alone? If—if something had really happened! I would divorce you!”
Lin Jingshen, upon hearing this, forgot about his pain and dropped to his knees in front of his parents: “It’s all my fault. Mother, if you’re still angry, after I’ve healed, you can give me another beating!”
Lin Huaizhou, who had been about to offer comfort and explanations, shifted gears at his second son’s words: “Those human traffickers—have they been dealt with?”
Lin Shuying, while soothing her mother, quickly nodded in reply: “They’ve all been handed over to the authorities—they’ll be severely punished. Father, Mother, please don’t worry—it won’t happen again.”
“That’s good.” Lin Huaizhou patted her shoulder and smoothly drew his wife into his arms. “Your mother brought some tonics and several bolts of new fabric for you to have new clothes made. Also, your elder sister in the palace sent word—she said to take good care of yourself and let her know if you need anything. Your father has also brought ten skilled men; they’ve built a compound half a li from Little Lin Manor and will stay there to keep you safe.”
Lin Shuying acknowledged this and led her parents into the house.
Along the way, she introduced everything they passed, which soon dispelled the gloom and displeasure in her mother’s heart.
A Li had already prepared fruit tea in the front hall. After they toured the front courtyard, they entered the front hall.
Gu Wanyin sat down and let her gaze sweep the room. Though the furnishings were simple, she could see that her precious youngest daughter had not suffered in terms of food, clothing, or shelter—only then did she relax and ask about other matters: “Your eldest brother says every day that you’ve been growing some fine watermelons.”
Lin Shuying’s eyes lit up: “Mother, want to see? Come—I’ll take you to the greenhouse.”
— —
In the greenhouse, the rainbow watermelon vines had already climbed the bamboo trellises. Hanging among the tendrils were fist-sized little melons, their rinds faintly showing rainbow patterns.
Gu Wanyin examined them with wonder by lamplight: “Can these melons really turn out rainbow-colored?”
“Yes.” Lin Shuying pointed at one small melon. “In about a month, they’ll be ready to harvest. I’ll send the very first ones to Father and Mother.”
Lin Huaizhou also grew interested: “Besides these, what else do you have?”
Lin Shuying thought for a moment and led them to the innermost part of the greenhouse.
She stopped in front of a wooden rack, admiring her handiwork with satisfaction.
The rack held over a dozen transparent glass boxes—custom-made molds with standard cubic interiors.
Inside each box sat a small emerald-green watermelon, its rind pressed flush against the glass walls, already shaped into distinct corners.
Yes—square watermelons.
The principle was simple: when the watermelon was still small, put it in a cubic mold. As it grew, it would naturally fill the mold’s space and eventually become square.
In her past life, she’d seen these at an agricultural expo and found them interesting. In this life, with the means to try, of course she had to give it a shot.
“Th-this is…” Gu Wanyin’s eyes went wide.
“Square watermelons.” Lin Shuying opened one of the boxes and carefully lifted out the perfectly cubic little melon. “They’re shaped with molds—once they grow, they become square. I’ve named them ‘Jade Square Emerald Melons’—symbolizing peace and good fortune.”
Lin Huaizhou took it, turning it over and over, and couldn’t help but laugh: “Interesting. If this melon were put on the market, people would fight over it.”
“Naturally.” Lin Shuying shook her head with pride, smiling as she nestled into her mother’s arms. “Rarity drives value. Besides, the taste is excellent—I’ve already tested it, and it’s even sweeter than ordinary watermelons.”
Gu Wanyin was both surprised and delighted. She hugged her daughter and swayed her gently, a glint of tears in her eyes that she quickly blinked away: “You’ve truly grown up. I’ve asked you to come home and stay, sent message after message—but every time you came back for a day, you’d rush right back… and you’ve actually made something of yourself.”
“Your daughter wanted to surprise Father and Mother too.” Lin Shuying pretended not to see the tears in her mother’s eyes. “When this batch of melons is ripe, I’ll invite you both for a tasting!”
Lin Huaizhou discreetly tugged at his wife’s sleeve and laughed with satisfaction: “Good! My daughter has made something of herself—of course I’ll come!”
The three of them spent a good while in the greenhouse. Gu Wanyin asked about other matters around the estate, and when she heard that Zhao Di’er had stayed on as the security chief, she was somewhat surprised: “Is that the girl who… chased your second brother?”
“Yes.” Lin Shuying nodded. “She’s a good person—skilled in martial arts and a hard worker.”
Gu Wanyin was silent for a moment, then sighed: “I won’t get involved in your second brother’s affairs. As long as he doesn’t marry into the family, I’ll let him be.”
Lin Shuying smiled and didn’t say more.
As dusk fell, Lin Huaizhou and Gu Wanyin had dinner and then prepared to return to the city.
Before leaving, Gu Wanyin once again took her daughter’s hand and gave her a long string of reminders. When she confirmed that Lin Shuying wouldn’t be returning to the Lin residence that day, she cried for a good while before finally boarding the carriage reluctantly.
Lin Jingshen also came out to see their parents off.
Gu Wanyin glanced at him, started to say something, then swallowed it back, only saying: “Come home tomorrow. Don’t wander around outside.”
“I know, Mother.”
The carriage rolled away, fading into the dusk.
Lin Shuying stood at the gate, watching it recede, a warmth spreading through her heart.
Her parents had come to see her—it meant they no longer worried.
And the square watermelons had astonished them—it meant she was on the right path.
“Miss,” A Li walked over, “Miss Zhao seems to have slipped away—I haven’t seen her all afternoon.”
Lin Shuying paused, then understood.
Zhao Di’er had probably known that Lin Shuying’s parents were coming and, to avoid an awkward encounter, had deliberately kept out of sight.
“It’s fine. She’ll be back tomorrow.”
— —
That night, Lin Jingshen sat under the corridor. The injury on his back made sitting uncomfortable, but he still didn’t go inside.
Zhao Di’er returned from her patrol through the back courtyard, and as she passed by the corridor, she paused.
“Your injuries still not healed?”
“Almost.”
The two were silent for a moment.
“Get some rest early.”
Lin Jingshen watched her retreating figure, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly.
In the courtyard, the lantern light swayed gently.
In the greenhouse beyond, the square watermelons were quietly growing inside their glass boxes.
Everything was moving in a good direction.
“Th-this… it really did turn square!” Wei Fuyu pressed her face against a glass box, eyes wide.
Zhao Di’er circled the mold, marveling: “Shuying, how does your brain work? How do you even come up with ideas like this?”
“I read it in a book.” Lin Shuying expertly shifted the blame. “The ancients already used molds to shape fruit—I just borrowed the idea.”
Just then, A Li came in from outside: “Miss, the Eldest Young Master is here, and he’s brought Manager Liu from Drunk Immortal Tower. He says it’s urgent.”
Lin Shuying washed her hands and went to the front hall.
Lin Moqian and Manager Liu were drinking tea. When they saw her enter, they both stood.
“Brother, Manager Liu.” Lin Shuying took her seat. “What’s the emergency?”
Lin Moqian smiled and produced an invitation: “Shuying, take a look at this.”
The invitation was gilded with gold, bearing the words “Strange Melon Tasting Event” in large characters, signed by “Drunk Immortal Tower.”
“This is…”
“I discussed it with Manager Liu,” Lin Moqian said. “With all your remarkable melons—the rainbow-striped ones, the wine-scented ones, and these new square ones—it would be a pity to keep them to ourselves. Why not host a tasting event and invite the nobles, officials, and literati of Jinling to sample them? First, it’ll build the ‘Little Lin’s Fine Delicacies’ brand; second, it’ll test the market; and third, we can soft-launch Little Lin’s Self-Service Canteen in the city.”
Manager Liu picked up the thread: “Rest assured, Second Miss—Drunk Immortal Tower will handle everything. The venue, staff, and promotion—you don’t need to worry about any of it. Just provide the melons, and leave the rest to us.”
Lin Shuying pondered for a moment.
Ever since the incident at Little Lin Manor, her eldest brother and sister-in-law had come by several times, insisting that the estate’s canteen was attracting too many unknown faces. They said that if she still wanted to run it, she should scale down operations here and open a larger one in the city.
Her brother had moved quickly too—he’d already taken over the Fortune Full House restaurant from their earlier negotiation, had everything ready, and was just waiting for her approval to open.
Lin Shuying had no objections to that.
As for the tasting event… it was indeed a good idea.
Her melons were always meant to take the high-end route, and directly targeting her customer base would be much faster than gradual promotion.
“Alright. But I have a few conditions.”
“Name them!”
“First, all melons at the tasting event must be clearly labeled as ‘Little Lin’s Fine Delicacies’ products—Drunk Immortal Tower is merely the host. Second, I set the prices—rainbow watermelons at ten taels each, wine-scented watermelons at eight taels, and square watermelons at… fifteen taels.”
Manager Liu gasped, glancing at Lin Moqian with some hesitation: “F-fifteen taels? That’s…”
“Scarcity drives value.” Lin Shuying replied calmly before her brother could step in. “Can you find a second square watermelon anywhere in all of Great Liang?”
No, he couldn’t.
“Third, the tasting event should be low-key and elegant—not too flashy. Send out only one hundred invitations. No more.”
Lin Moqian looked at his confident younger sister with satisfaction and added with a smile: “Shuying’s right. The rarer something is, the more you need to whet their appetite. One hundred invitations—people will be fighting over them.”
Manager Liu gritted his teeth: “Done! We’ll do it exactly as the Second Miss says!”
And so it was settled.
The tasting event was set for ten days later, with Drunk Immortal Tower reserved exclusively.
— —
Over the next ten days, Little Lin Manor was a whirlwind of activity.
Lin Shuying spent every day in the greenhouse, carefully tending to her precious watermelons with her Wood Spirit Root.
The rainbow-striped watermelons had grown to fist-size, their rind patterns becoming more and more distinct—under sunlight, they really did look like tiny rainbows.
The wine-scented watermelons were also giving off a faint, pleasant aroma—the result of Lin Shuying using her Wood Spirit Root to guide the fermentation flavor. It wouldn’t intoxicate, but just the smell made one’s mouth water.
The most labor-intensive were the square watermelons. She had to inspect the molds daily and adjust the angles to ensure even pressure on every side.
A-Gua volunteered for this task, spending his days in the greenhouse, watching over them like precious treasures.
Wei Fuyu and Zhao Di’er were equally busy, training the servants. On the day of the tasting event, the estate would need enough guards on hand.
Lin Jingshen had now become Zhao Di’er’s shadow—wherever she went, he followed, claiming it was “protection,” though really he was just being clingy.
Zhao Di’er complained aloud, but the smile at the corners of her eyes and brows was impossible to hide.
— —
The day before the tasting event arrived in a blink.
Lin Shuying was doing her final checks in the greenhouse when Xiao Shengrui arrived, holding a booklet that he handed straight to her: “The guest list for the tasting event—take a look.”
Lin Shuying took it and flipped through it, her surprise growing with each page.
The list was filled with the most prominent figures in Jinling: several dukes and marquises, sons of the six ministries’ ministers, scholars from the Hanlin Academy, and even… people from the palace?
“The Empress and several consorts will also be sending representatives,” Xiao Shengrui said with a warm, reassuring smile. “My mother is very interested in your melons.”
Lin Shuying felt her scalp tingle.
Such a big affair?
“Your Highness,” she asked weakly, “didn’t you say… we should keep it low-key?”
“This is already low-key,” Xiao Shengrui said with a straight face, walking around her with his hands behind his back. “Father wanted to come too, but I talked him out of it. If the Son of Heaven were to attend, it wouldn’t be a tasting event—it would be an imperial banquet.”
Lin Shuying: “…”
She suddenly felt the weight of the pressure.
“Don’t worry,” Xiao Shengrui noticed her tension and leaned slightly, tilting his head to meet her eyes. “Good melons, everything’s good. I’ve tasted your melons—they’re flawless.”
His words gave Lin Shuying a surge of confidence.
Yes—good melons. What was there to fear?
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