Chapter 30 Zhang Yuer or Lin Ling’er?

This time she was not riding in a carriage, nor did she have any attendants. She walked alone at Li Chen’s left side, her bright eyes blinking as she stared at him without pause.

“Does the young lady need something else?” Li Chen asked, feeling somewhat uncomfortable under her gaze as he led the cart forward.

“Young sir, how should I address you?” Zhang Yuer asked, her suspicion deepening. Her intuition told her it had to be him who saved her.

But why would he refuse to admit it?

“A chance encounter on drifting waters. No need to exchange names,” Li Chen replied calmly, refusing outright.

Yet Zhang Yuer did not give up and continued walking beside the cart. “Where are you headed, young sir?”

“A chance encounter on drifting waters. No need to disclose my destination.”

Li Chen rejected her again without hesitation.

Zhang Yuer bit her lip. “Then where do you live?”

Before Li Chen could respond, she quickly added, “A chance encounter on drifting waters. No need to reveal one’s origin. Right?”

“Mm.” Li Chen nodded and kept walking.

“Hey, you’re terribly rude. I’ve asked you all this, and you still refuse to tell me anything. I’m a dignified young lady. Don’t I deserve some face?” Zhang Yuer complained angrily as she followed.

“A chance encounter on drifting waters. No need for face,” Li Chen said, still walking forward.

“Is that the only phrase you know?”

Zhang Yuer’s cheeks puffed up in anger as she glared at him.

“A meeting of strangers on the road, or perhaps an unexpected encounter. Those would work too,” Li Chen considered seriously before answering.

“Are you playing idiom chaining with me?” Zhang Yuer snapped.

“Young lady, stop following me. I am not the person you’re looking for,” Li Chen said.

“How do you know I’m looking for someone?” Zhang Yuer seized on the flaw in his words.

“Even a blind man could tell,” Li Chen replied with a faint smile.

At that moment, he looked up and saw the salt shop ahead.

A prominent signboard hung above the entrance: Lin Family Salt.

Above the two-story wooden building flew a large banner bearing the character “Lin.”

He stopped the cart.

Zhang Yuer froze, amusement flickering in her eyes as she stepped forward. “Hey, you there. What are you doing at the salt shop?”

Li Chen ignored her. He tied the horses to the hitching post and was about to step inside when shouting erupted from within.

Moments later, a broad-shouldered middle-aged man was shoved out by several sturdy young workers.

Li Chen glanced over and froze.

He had seen this man the night before. He was the one who had led people to rescue Zhang Yuer, her so-called Second Uncle.

What was he doing at Lin Family Salt?

“You filthy worms! How dare you treat the old master like this? Aren’t you afraid of heaven’s punishment?” the man roared.

“Lin Yuxin, what old master? Our master is Lin Yufeng. The young mistress is Lin Ling’er. You’re only the master’s cousin. These past few months, while the master has been away and the young mistress is still young, you acted as steward of the salt shop and embezzled nearly 1,000 taels of silver. The young mistress has already investigated everything thoroughly. We haven’t broken your legs and thrown you into the street, and you dare keep shouting and disrupt business? Try it again and we’ll beat you with sticks!”

The shop assistants shouted back. The leader among them was the very same young man who had driven Lin Ling’er’s carriage earlier.

Li Chen’s eyebrows twitched.

Piecing everything together, he understood instantly. Zhang Yuer had lied to him.

She was not Zhang Yuer at all, nor some distressed young lady. She was the young mistress of this salt shop.

The owner of the shop must be her father, Lin Yufeng. The man before him was her real Second Uncle, Lin Yuxin.

After returning, she discovered irregularities and used decisive measures to expel her uncle from management.

Having lost his interests, he was now furious and shouting curses.

Just another family power struggle driven by profit. Common and predictable.

“All lies. Good thing I kept my face covered last night,” Li Chen thought, half amused and half annoyed.

Still, Lin Ling’er, though playful in appearance, was ruthless in action.

The moment she returned, she struck with thunderous decisiveness and seized control.

She had also uncovered evidence of her uncle’s embezzlement and clearly instructed the shop assistants to expose him publicly, securing both moral and legal high ground.

Strategic, clear-headed, and decisive. Li Chen found her style admirable.

However, she likely lacked solid proof of her uncle’s collusion with the mountain bandits.

Otherwise, with her temperament, she would have already handed him over to the authorities.

There were still inconsistencies. With her calm and calculated nature, how could she have been captured by bandits?

A moment of carelessness?

Li Chen frowned and glanced at Lin Ling’er beside him.

At that very moment, Lin Yuxin looked over as well. Upon seeing Lin Ling’er, he seemed invigorated and leapt forward, pointing at her and cursing.

“Lin Ling’er, you heartless wretch! I risked my life to rescue you from bandits two days ago, and today you drive me out of the salt shop and strip me of authority? You ungrateful creature! You want me gone? I won’t leave! And let me tell you the truth. My cousin, your father, left me a letter before he departed. It’s right here. In it, he clearly states that if anything happens to him, I will manage the salt shop, and it will remain under the Lin name. You’re just a daughter who’ll be married off with a dowry. Look, everyone, look! This is my brother’s final letter!”

Lin Yuxin shouted and pulled a letter from his sleeve, waving it wildly.

A crowd had gathered at a distance, pointing and whispering.

But with his outburst, Li Chen was even more certain of Lin Ling’er’s identity.

Lin Ling’er’s anger surged, and she was about to speak when she suddenly noticed Li Chen at her side. Her eyes flickered with cunning.

She grabbed his sleeve and said anxiously, “My ruthless uncle wants to seize my family’s shop. Young sir, save me…”

Li Chen was stunned.

How had this suddenly become his problem?

He initially intended to stay out of it, but then remembered he was about to discuss refined salt business with her. If relations soured now, negotiations would become impossible.

He exhaled deeply and resigned himself to helping her smooth things over.

Looking up at Lin Yuxin, he asked calmly, “Second Master Lin, what exactly does that letter say?”