Capítulo 13: Creating An Identity On The Spot
Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
The Lin Patriarch looked Lin Wanwan up and down for a while and suddenly became excited. "You... You you! Is your father called Lin Yousi? Is your mother the daughter of the Xiao family of Nan Liang?"
"She's really the daughter of the Lin family?" Lin Mengjin asked in surprise. Is she uncle Yousi's daughter?"
What could Lin Wanwan say? Of course, she had to power through with her "living in seclusion and forgetting about the past" persona.
"You're saying that you were separated from your family, and then you've been living in seclusion in the mountains with your master? Which mountain is he living in seclusion? What's your master's name?" Patriarch Lin asked.
Lin Wanwan took a step back and slowly said, "I don't know my master's name. He always said that since you're already a hermit, why burden yourself with your name? As for my parents, I don't remember them. However, I have a bracelet with words engraved on it. I don't know if it's a token."
As she spoke, she took off a golden bracelet from her right hand and handed it to Patriarch Lin.
Patriarch Lin wiped his hands on his clothes before taking it and looking at it carefully. The bangle was minimalistic, with a brand logo engraved on the outside and Lin Wanwan's name on the inside. Some time ago, Lin Wanwan had specially ordered this at a modern jewelry store for this moment.
Patriarch Lin was not very literate, but he knew enough to recognize his surname. He quickly spotted the "Lin" character, so he was immediately convinced. "That's right, this is Lin. You're the daughter of the Lin family. Your father is definitely Brother Yousi, and your mother has to be the daughter of the Xiao clan. You look exactly like her. Since you've found a place in the upper clan, you should settle down in the Lin family Village."
Patriarch Lin's words were exactly what Lin Wanwan had hoped for. Even if they were seperated by a thousand years, she was still a Lin, so she immediately thanked him and agreed.
Patriarch Lin returned the bracelet to Lin Wanwan. He was so certain of his judgment because in the first year after the Lin Yousi married, he had brought the Xiao family's bride to the ancestral hall to pay respects. The clan had taken in the beauty of the Xiao lady and were shocked by it.
In actuality, they didn't see her appearance clearly at all. They were all stunned by her ladylike aura and her jade-green hair and Rahu-styled dress. Lin Wanwan, who was also dressed in the same way, was a splitting image, wasn't she?
The preconceived notion made the Lin patriarch believe that Lin Wanwan was their daughter. Moreover, their Lin family Village was a poor and remote place, and it was not in a strategically sound location, either. Why would a noble lady dressed in silk come here to randomly acknowledge them as her family? She was definitely the Lin family's daughter.
The direct descendants had lost their homes in the chaos of war in the previous dynasty, and their whereabouts were unknown. Now that he saw Lin Wanwan, who was standing elegantly, and Xiao Yu'er, who was tightly clinging to her, he couldn't help but sigh.
In fact, after Lin Yousi's ancestral worship, the branch and the main branch had completely walked their own paths, each having their own patriarchs. The main branch grew to be known as the Shi clan, while the side branches were only made up of some farmers and fishermen.
However, the situation changed. Who knew that in the end, the whereabouts of the main branch vanished into thin air, and their far poorer side branches survived the war and stepped forth into the new dynasty. Their barren, remote location had saved them.
When they learned that Lin Wanwan would be coming at the end of the month, Lin Mengbo's family had also brought two of their children to the patriarch's house to accompany her. One of the children was the big girl that Lin Wanwan had saved using the Heimlich maneuver.
"Wanniang, we don't have anything good here. Here's a bag of dried jellyfish blood. It's good for making soup. It's a favorite for the nobles outside. You can have a taste." Lin Mengbo carried over a large bamboo basket, which contained the jellyfish blood he was speaking of.
Lin Wanwan knew that the blood of jellyfish was also known as jellyfish clothing. This thing was very valuable. In the modern world, they for 2,000 Yuan per 500 grams, and there were probably four or five portions of 500 grams here.
However, compared to the other item in the big bamboo basket, the jellyfish clothing that was worth nearly 10,000 Yuan was nothing.
"We caught this big yellow croaker two days ago. Here, try it." She heard Lin Mengbo say.
Lin Mengbo had given up his other fish for the month in exchange for this fish. When the clan went out to sea together, the fish they caught would usually be split according to their contribution.
Lin Wanwan glanced at the massive yellow croaker, which was half the length of a man. It had to weigh more than 50 kilograms! A wild giant yellow croaker like this would definitely be worth more than a million Yuan in modern times.
Lin Wanwan was too embarrassed to accept it, so she immediately said, "This is far too much, I cannot accept this. You can sell it to buy something good for the children."
"Wanniang, you've saved my daughter's life," Lin Mengbo said hurriedly. "I can only offer you something so worthless. If you reject this I'll be too ashamed to show my face."
"Worthless?" Lin Wanwan's mouth was slightly open. Values sure changed drastically over a thousand years!
However, it made sense. Big yellow croakers were not very valuable even in the 1980s and 1990s, let alone in the Tang Dynasty a thousand years ago. The reason why wild yellow croakers in 2022 became valuable was because they were too scarce due to over-harvesting, and the rarer they were, the more expensive they were.
In the end, Lin Wanwan accepted the gift with gratitude. As a return gift, Lin Wanwan opened the box and gave him an eight-piece kitchen set.
Lin Wanwan smiled and took out the kitchen kits, introducing them one by one, and instructions on how to use them.
There were four that were filled with seasoning, salt, brown sugar, chicken essence, and pepper. There were also four bottles, each containing olive oil, black bean sauce (soy sauce), aged vinegar, and cooking wine.
Glass did exist in the Tang Dynasty. The Western regions had the technology to make glass, so Lin Wanwan wasn't afraid to take it out. As for the seasoning, it didn't matter at all. They wouldn't be taken outside anyway, and the clan would consume them all in no time.
Lin Mengbo, Lin Qinshi, and the patriarch's family were shocked to see her treasures.
"This, this, this... Sister Wan, how can we accept this?" Lin Qinshi flew into a panic. Quickly put it away, quickly put it away!"
Lin Wanwan casually said, "The salt was made by Master by drying it in the sea water. Master also made the other things himself. Glass bottles and pepper powder were gifts from foreign visitors. They are common in the west. They are not rare. If you don't accept my gift, then I can't accept your big yellow croaker."
Lin Mengbo and the others were shocked by Lin Wanwan's unwillingness to take any advantage of them, but in the end, they could not accept such treasures.
Lin Qinshi hurriedly waved her hands. "No, no, definitely not! You're my Big Ya's savior. I haven't repaid you yet, so how can I accept such a gift from you?"
In the end, the six families present each begrudgingly took one. As for the pepper and olive oil, they looked expensive at first glance, so no one was willing to take them and returned them to Lin Wanwan.
Lin Qinshi sighed, "You and the old immortal are really living the life of immortals! What kind of glass bottle is this? It looks just like precious gemstones. I've never seen such a beautiful thing in my life. There's also oil, chicken essence, and... Oh great Buddha! I've never even known this to be possible! How could salt be so white and fine? There's even red sugar and pepper! That's something that only the noble families eat!"
-- Presente
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