22

When Du Xun’s family suddenly showed up at her door, Lin You’s first reaction was to wonder if she had somehow become involved in some complicated family drama with the original owner’s tangled emotions and relationships.

But after a second glance, it didn’t seem like it. The family of four appeared harmonious and well-mannered, more like they had come with a request and their attitude was very sincere.

Du Xun’s family, without hesitation, followed Lin You to Lianhua Village, where their million-yuan car drove slowly along the mountain road.

Yao Jiu asked, “What does this family want with you? Why didn’t you ask before bringing them back?”

Lin You replied, “I don’t think they’re bad people.”

Yao Jiu said, “…You really are too trusting.”

Should she remind Lin You that, as a former celebrity with many anti-fans in the entertainment industry, some fans could be extremely unreasonable?

Lin You happily rode the tricycle, “I don’t know, I just feel so happy. My intuition tells me it’s not a bad thing.”

Bo Chuan, holding the plump raccoon cat, thought to himself, “That’s right, the little mountain god is much stronger than me.”

However…

Bo Chuan also felt a bit troubled. His master had told him to cultivate his spiritual power and support the mountain god, but hadn’t explained how to know if the support was successful. Now, other than the mountain god turning into a cat every day to mooch food and drinks, there didn’t seem to be any progress.

The cultivation of spiritual power felt vague and intangible, while his own path of fasting had been interrupted. It was said to be a journey of self-cultivation, but recently, he hadn’t made any improvements.

He had no idea when he would see even a little progress.

The cat in his arms, however, was completely unaware of his concerns, or perhaps didn’t care even if it did know.

The spring breeze was gentle. The raccoon cat’s head tilted back, its long fur blowing in the wind, its cat eyes gleaming. It stared…

At the child in the car behind the tricycle.

Xingxing, sitting in the passenger seat, was happily eating chocolate balls with one hand and popcorn with the other.

The raccoon cat stared intently at the chocolate ball, which was as brown as dirt. Hmm, that human child looked so happy eating it. Was dirt really that delicious?

The chocolate crunch ball was bitten open, revealing a semi-solid, gooey center that smeared on the child’s cheek, faintly smelling of sweet chocolate.

Yao Jiu cried out, “Lin You! Your cat is drooling! It’s not a stupid cat, is it?”

The raccoon cat, not understanding, was still thinking about the chocolate ball. Hmm, I wonder if I can trick that human child into giving me one later…

The group entered the village, where everyone stared at them.

It was no surprise—there weren’t many such cars in the village. When they saw Lin You leading them, they didn’t say anything.

Lin You led them to her house, and Du Xun’s mother looked around with nostalgia.

“This place really resembles my hometown. The mountains and the houses are just like back home.”

She was getting old and had trouble remembering recent events but could recall the past in great detail.

Lin You asked them to park the car outside and served tea to everyone in the yard. Xingxing was clearly fascinated by the half-grown chickens in the yard and waddled over to chase them, crouching by the cow pen to peek through the fence at the cows.

The raccoon cat meowed a few times, jumping off Bo Chuan’s lap.

Bo Chuan casually moved a stool and sat down, while Yao Jiu scratched his head and also stayed.

At this point, Du Xun couldn’t quite figure out the relationship between these people. He had initially thought that Bo Chuan was Lin You’s boyfriend, but now it seemed that wasn’t the case.

However, since Lin You didn’t ask anyone to leave, it was clear she was close to both of them, so Du Xun didn’t bother to speculate further.

“Hello, I’m Du Xun from XXX Medical Testing Company in Shenzhen. Here’s my business card.”

Medical testing?

Lin You couldn’t recall how she might have gotten involved with this person.

Du Xun continued, “Actually, I’m here to discuss with you the purchase of your milk biscuits.”

Then Du Xun went on to elaborate how his child had previously been a picky eater, but after randomly trying the milk biscuits, his child had started eating well and his health has improved a lot.

“I’ve tested the biscuits. The nutrients and ingredients are safe. I just want to thank you because if it weren’t for your biscuits, my child wouldn’t be as lively as he is now.”

Xingxing used to eat very little, always feeling sluggish and easily upset. Now, he was much more energetic and had become much more cheerful.

Lin You replied, “…You’re overpraising it.”

It’s just a biscuit!

Why is it being treated like some health supplement?

She sincerely explained, “Actually, I think this might be more of a psychological effect. There are many reasons why children might not eat well, and it’s not just one biscuit that can change that. Plus, the recipe for these biscuits is quite simple, there’s no secret formula.”

“If there’s anything good about it, I’d say it’s the milk. We live in the mountains, so the milk quality is naturally better. As for the digestive benefits you mentioned, that kind of effect isn’t possible.”

Lin You spoke from the heart, “I agree that the ingredients in the biscuits are clean, but as for these extra benefits… I think it might be worth taking your child to the hospital to check. Perhaps there’s an allergy or some environmental issue that hasn’t been noticed.”

If not, you could always ask this expert by your side.

But please don’t attribute all the credit to the biscuits!

Du Xun’s wife was about to say that she had already taken her child to many hospitals, consulting all the famous pediatricians in the country, whether it was Chinese or Western medicine. If it were an allergy or environmental issue, she would have noticed by now.

But Du Xun gave his wife a subtle look, signaling her to stop talking.

“You’re right. Maybe it’s just a detail we missed… But we can’t deny that these biscuits are really good.”

Du Xun thought deeply. He suspected that Lin You was pretending to be clueless on purpose.

Lin You said the milk here was good, but they had also tried what was supposed to be pure, additive-free buffalo milk at home. They had even gone to a farm to watch the milk being squeezed directly from the cows. Which of those could achieve this effect?

The milk didn’t even have the fragrance that the biscuits did!

Du Xun believed that all these explanations were Lin You’s way of hiding the secret of the milk.

However, Du Xun could understand. After all, she must be using some secret formula to feed the cows. The mountains here were vast, stretching endlessly, and beyond the Yanxia Mountain, there were a series of mountains. Who knew what kind of herbs she might be feeding the cows?

Moreover, when Lin You had raffled off the biscuits, she hadn’t mentioned the benefits of the milk, treating it like a regular biscuit raffle. She probably didn’t want to attract troublemakers, just like with some rare medicinal herbs—some people find them effective and feel cured of all ailments, while others think it’s just a scam.

It’s likely that Lin You didn’t want to bring these matters up publicly, also fearing that others might find faults with her.

Du Xun carefully opened his mouth, “Actually, I’m not just here to buy the biscuits, but also to ask if you’re interested in scaling up production and selling the biscuits externally?”

Lin You replied, “Mr. Du, I’ve already mentioned, the biscuits really don’t have that much of an effect…”

I already said not to exaggerate!

“Yes, yes, you’re right,” Du Xun quickly agreed. “But we, as parents, are really concerned with how much our children like these biscuits. Besides the benefits, my child really enjoys eating them. As parents, we just want to make our children happy. Don’t worry, as long as you agree, I’ll register a company and hire people right away. You won’t need to worry about anything, just provide the milk, and I’ll calculate the market price and the profit split… How about a 50/50 split?”

Lin You exchanged a look with Yao Jiu, both surprised by the proposal.

To praise a biscuit as delicious enough to start a company in its hometown for the sake of a child…

Well, that’s what wealthier parents do, straightforward but unpretentious.

“Mr. Du, there’s something I need to tell you.”

Lin You wasn’t sure how to respond, so she decided to pass the buck.

“The milk isn’t mine, it’s his.”

Bo Chuan sat in the yard, his side profile like something out of a painting.

Du Xun cautiously asked, “Then who is this?”

Bo Chuan replied, “I’m the Taoist from the local mountain temple.”

Lin You was a bit surprised, as Bo Chuan had never introduced himself like this before.

Bo Chuan continued, “Although the cows are mine, the milk isn’t.”

He had already passed the milk to Lin You.

Du Xun: ??? Wait, what is your relationship?

“So whether we sell it, and how we sell it, is all up to her.”

Lin You noticed the ball being kicked back her way and no longer had the strength to argue.

But thinking about it more, Bo Chuan had so many cows, and it was becoming a problem that the milk couldn’t be consumed. She had even been thinking of buying equipment to make the biscuits herself. Since Du Xun had come asking for a partnership, it seemed like a good opportunity.

Du Xun continued to express his goodwill, even suggesting that the profit split could be negotiated.

Lin You responded, “It’s not really about the profit split… What I want to ask is, what’s your plan for these biscuits?”

Du Xun was taken aback, “A plan?”

What plan could there be? He wasn’t expecting to make a lot of money, he was just looking for a stable supply of biscuits for his son.

Lin You said, “The split is a small issue, I don’t need that much. But there are some things we need to address first.”

She thought for a moment and then spoke, “First, the biscuits can’t be marketed for their health benefits, they should only be promoted as milk biscuits. The company registration should also strictly be for food sales. Second, you’ll need to arrange staff to help with raising the cows and milking them, as the supply will be irregular. We will decide whether or not to expand the cow farm. Lastly, the milk price can’t be high, and the profit margin can’t exceed five times the cost.”

Lin You added, “The most important thing is, the biscuits must be named after Yanxia Mountain.”

Du Xun’s expression grew serious as he listened carefully from beginning to end.

Actually, most of Lin You’s conditions were understandable to Du Xun. Not using health supplements for marketing was to avoid future complications. The irregular supply was to prevent him from taking control of the production. As for the last two points, he still had some doubts.

The price not exceeding five times the cost was really quite low. Especially when it comes to snacks for kids these days, the profit margins are usually shocking. If the price didn’t exceed five times the cost, a pack of biscuits costing one yuan would only sell for five yuan at most. That’s incredibly cheap.

And naming it after Yanxia Mountain… Du Xun couldn’t understand why.

Bo Chuan, however, only gave Lin You a faint glance, already understanding in his heart.

Although they hadn’t spent much time together, Bo Chuan had gotten to know Lin You a bit. She didn’t care much for money. She probably had been more focused on making money for the lawsuit, but now that the legal issues were resolved, she wasn’t even bothering with live stream ing as much. Obviously, she was someone who lived life with personal freedom as her priority.

Yet, this carefree Lin You always considered the interests of others when things arose.

For example, if the biscuits were priced too high, they would soon become just a snack for the rich. With Lin You’s character, she definitely wouldn’t agree to that.

Naming it after Yanxia Mountain was both a way to prevent counterfeiting and a consideration for local development.

Du Xun thought about it carefully and felt that Lin You’s conditions weren’t excessive, so he agreed.

“Don’t worry, I’ll have my secretary handle the details, and everything will be arranged soon.”

Du Xun wisely took care of all the miscellaneous tasks, which allowed Lin You to breathe a sigh of relief.

At least now she wouldn’t have to run the processes herself.

With all the aspects covered, she would be more at ease helping with product promotion in the future.

After discussing the main business, it was almost time for lunch, so Lin You decided to keep them around and make lunch.

The lamb leg meat bought in the morning didn’t need to be blanched, so she directly soaked out the blood and stir-fried it. Onion slices and carrots followed, along with spices, and she braised everything together. She cooked the meat until it was about 70-80% done, then added rice to steam. Once the rice was cooked, she sprinkled some raisins and mixed it well. The fragrant hand-pulled rice was ready.

The rice was soaked with the lamb broth, turning a golden color, and the lamb was tender. Taking a bite, there was both meat and rice, deliciously fragrant.

It was the first time the Du family had tasted Lin You’s cooking. Although they repeatedly reminded themselves that they were guests, they still finished every last bit of food.

Du Xun had loosened his pants three times from overeating, and his wife had a large bowl as well. Even the youngest, Xingxing, dropped his chocolate ball and had rice all over his face.

Slumping in his chair, Du Xun quietly discussed with his wife.

“Do you think this town has any development prospects? Maybe we should build a real estate project here?”