Chapter 142 She Won't Call Him Her Son-in-Law

The strange atmosphere spread outside, and even Lin Qiao could feel it, so she turned around and glanced back into the carriage.

Unfortunately, it was covered by a curtain, so I couldn't see it.

After a while, Yao Qingling spoke up: "Sheng Dahe has already bought a cargo ship, a second-hand one. Before, he couldn't use the ship because the warehouse wasn't settled. After the warehouse was built, his ship started operating, and a round trip takes about a month. Once the goods arrive, they can be stored in the warehouse."

That's all he told you?

Why did she look so unwell? It was as if Sheng Dahe had offended her.

"He's going to take a ship with him, and the rest will stay to build the cargo hold. But so far, only twenty people have been registered, and he still has to take a few more with him. If more than a hundred people are gathered there to build the warehouse, although it will be very fast, we're worried that people will notice something."

“But if we hire others to do those jobs, it will waste a lot of money. Sheng Dahe wants to entrust the reconstruction of the warehouse to me and asks me to make the arrangements.”

Qingling touched her belly.

Suddenly, she felt a kick under her hand, and she winced in pain, exhaling sharply.

Lin Shiyuan tensed up immediately and instinctively reached out his hand, stopping mid-air.

He didn't dare touch her.

After recovering from the shock, Yao Qingling rubbed her belly and muttered to herself, "You little rascal, don't move around. I know you like riding in carriages, but I'm talking to you right now, be good..."

Recently, He Yin has been experiencing frequent fetal movements, which she says is a sign of the baby's health.

Lin Shiyuan slowly withdrew his hand and silently looked at her. He saw that her gentle expression and the tone of her reproach were both tender and doting.

She would be a good mother...

Lin Shiyuan seemed to recall something, and his gaze softened unconsciously.

Yao Qingling looked up and saw the man's soft gaze.

She pursed her lips and continued, "I'm not feeling well and have many things to worry about. So, I'd like to entrust the warehouse reconstruction to you. Are you capable?"

Lin Shiyuan looked at her: "Did you take his money?"

Yao Qingling nodded: "Mm."

She doesn't do things for nothing.

With money, she could open many, many shops and realize the grand promises she made.

Looking at her determined expression, Lin Shiyuan scoffed, "You really do try to make money from anything."

He added, "No wonder Sheng Dahe kept saying he wanted to be your brother and sister; he was just trying to save money. You two really are good business partners."

One wants to be stingy with everything, the other wants to make a little money from everything.

Yao Qingling: "Then can you agree? Or... have you already found other jobs outside?"

Lin Shiyuan was taken aback and looked at her quietly: "What other work?"

"The people in the shop said you've been coming and going these past few days, and they don't know what you've been busy with. Aren't you looking for other ways to make a living?"

"Lin Shiyuan, if you want to leave, just tell me clearly, and please keep my secret, and I won't hold you back. I know people always strive for better things."

This statement seems more like a response to Sheng Dahe's suggestion.

Although they never explicitly confronted each other, Yao Qingling could tell from his attitude that he was avoiding her.

She wouldn't ask him to be her son-in-law.

Her boat was not stable and could capsize at any moment.

He was originally an upright and honest general, revered by the people. How could he possibly associate with bandits?

Lin Shiyuan stared at her for a long while, then took a deep breath and said nothing.

But he couldn't hold back his anger. After a while, he spoke up: "Madam Yao, do you remember the last time the carriage jolted violently near the city gate? Was it because of those scattered large stones?"

Qingling was stunned, somewhat unable to comprehend it.

That incident caused her to have a miscarriage, so of course I remember it.

She nodded.

"I later went to check those stones and found that they were iron ore."

"Iron ore?" Yao Qingling asked in confusion. "How could iron ore be transported into the capital?"

Iron mines were controlled by the government and private ownership was not permitted.

But the ore smelting is not in the city, so why did the government bring in so much ore?

But since those stones came in openly from the city gate, it means they had passed through an open road.

Furthermore, since it's iron ore, why is so much of it lying on the ground, and nobody seems to recognize it or care?

Lin Shiyuan said, "Not everyone recognizes minerals, and I've seen those stones; their iron content is average, so no one recognized them."

Some passersby saw it and treated it as ordinary stone, picking it up to use as padding for livestock pens.

When Lin Shiyuan rushed back, he only found a few pieces of broken stone. He then went to the blacksmith to identify them.

He also asked the guards at the city gate, who said that a truck carrying stones had overturned, and they had moved the stones back onto the truck. They seemed to be in a hurry and didn't want the rest.

"...The guards at the city gate just treated those things as ordinary stones. But I suspect that someone smuggled iron ore into the city disguised as ordinary stones."

How many cars are there?

Lin Shiyuan said, "There are more than a dozen vehicles in total."

Yao Qingling narrowed her eyes slightly. If it were a dozen or so cars, it wouldn't be considered a particularly large number...

Lin Shiyuan added, "They have been transporting it for about ten days."

With official documents, the transport time is not a problem. But this is iron ore; what's the point of sending it to the capital, which has no smelting facilities?

Are they just using ordinary iron ore with low iron content to build houses?

Yao Qingling felt that the government couldn't possibly be unaware that it contained iron ore; it couldn't be...

"So you've been tracking down the whereabouts of this batch of ore these past few days?"

Lin Shiyuan nodded: "I have traveled all over the capital and found that there is only one place that requires a large amount of stone."

Yao Qingling thought for a moment: "The Yongning Temple that is currently under construction?"

After Yongning Temple was burned down, the imperial court originally planned to rebuild it on the original site. However, many people said that the original site of Yongning Temple was remote and it would be difficult for the government to provide timely assistance if something happened. In addition, the site had been attacked by bandits, and the feng shui of the place had been broken.

They discussed it for many days and chose a dilapidated temple in the west of the city to expand.

The dilapidated temple in the west of the city is located at the foot of the imperial city. It was originally a temple left over from the previous dynasty and can be considered an antiquity. However, it has been destroyed by war and is in a terrible state. The Buddha statues inside are not the kind that people of this dynasty like. Yongning Temple was built on the site of Huian Temple. I wonder how much silver will be spent on it.

Yao Qingling used to donate money and goods, saying she wanted to rebuild Yongning Temple, but it was just talk, a way to get out of her predicament at the time.

She believes in gods and Buddhas, but not in the gods and Buddhas in temples.

So much money was used to build magnificent temples, but how many displaced people could have had a home and food with that money?

The gods and Buddhas won't give them money, nor will they pull them out of the Yellow River's mud...

The construction of the temple was a matter for the Ministry of Works. Yao Qingling and the Censor's wife did not get involved in the matter afterward, but simply handed over the money raised to the officials of the Ministry of Works.

But the censor's wife was worried that the money would be embezzled, so she would often go for a stroll in the west of the city.

Yao Qingling said, "Later, I'll ask the Censor's wife where those stones went and what they were used for."

"Hmm." Lin Shiyuan nodded, but his expression still seemed to be thinking about something.

Yao Qingling knew he wasn't looking for other ways to make a living, and suddenly felt happy again.

So it turns out he wasn't avoiding her after all...

But what does that mean?

Yao Qingling felt that perhaps it was because of the mutual help they had had since they had never met, and the tacit understanding they still had now, that made her reluctant to let him leave.

He should be like that too.

"Lin Shiyuan, is there anything else you want to say to me?"