Chapter 149 What's good about the capital?

Lin Shiyuan: "..."

He picked up his bowl and chopsticks to eat, but seemed somewhat distracted.

Lin Qiao sat opposite him, eating happily, unaware of her brother's unusual behavior.

She finished her bowl of rice and then discovered that Lin Shiyuan had only eaten half of it.

Lin Qiao put down her chopsticks and bowl: "Brother, do you still want to eat pastries?"

She wondered why her brother had developed a fondness for sweets since coming to the capital. There were so many sweets in the south, yet she'd never seen him eat more than a few bites.

"Brother, are you missing Wuzhou?"

Lin Shiyuan's garrison was located in the southernmost part of Li Kingdom, where there were vast sugarcane fields and a great variety of sweets.

But I still miss that place after I leave.

Lin Qiao also misses Wuzhou a little.

Although the capital city was bustling, she had no home there, nor any of the friends she had grown up with.

Lin Shiyuan said, "Wuzhou is very good, and the capital is also quite nice."

He didn't like the capital city anyway.

The climate here is dry, with lots of yellow sand, and the people are cold and callous, scheming against each other and numb to human kindness. The powerful and wealthy run rampant, forming cliques based on their own interests, slandering the loyal and virtuous, fighting amongst themselves, indulging in pleasure, and being cowardly in the face of enemies.

But when did he start to think that the capital was not so bad?

What's so great about the capital?

Lin Qiao lowered her head, twisting her fingers and muttering, "I don't know when I can go back to Wuzhou. But, I can't bear to leave Miss..."

It felt as if a hole had been punched in Lin Shiyuan's heart, and he suddenly felt enlightened.

What are some good places to visit in Beijing?

He only felt this place was good because of that one person.

The journey from Wuzhou to the capital was long and arduous. The closer he got to the capital, the more resistant, dissatisfied, and angry he felt!

He hated the court officials for doing nothing, understanding nothing, yet arbitrarily giving orders about the country. He fought and bled on the battlefield, but they forcibly convicted him and handed over the battlefields they had won to others.

How ridiculous that they want to use his death to negotiate a ceasefire!

But there was one person, whom he hadn't even met, yet felt as if he'd known him for years, sharing similar beliefs.

She spoke out for the fallen soldiers, and she understood their helplessness on the battlefield.

No one has ever understood him so well.

She has a kind and righteous heart, and she tries her best to bring those who have gone astray back to their original path.

She was clearly afraid, but she didn't run away; she wasn't afraid of anything, she wasn't afraid of people, she didn't ask for help, and she wasn't cowardly.

No one, no matter how many are hailed as the most beautiful woman or the most talented woman in Shengjing, can match her stature or her integrity; her magnanimity far surpasses that of many.

That's why he was willing to stay by her side.

He wasn't doing this out of gratitude.

I feel that being with her is comfortable and joyful.

Lin Shiyuan swallowed hard, as if suppressing something, his fingers slowly curling up and clenching.

But what exactly is he struggling with?

Because she had a child?

Or was it because the man she married was the kind of person he hated?

But who she marries is not a choice she can make herself.

Zhan Xingzhuo's protection of a disgraced official and his inability to distinguish right from wrong have nothing to do with Yao Qingling. Moreover, she severed ties with him in such a drastic way and paid a heavy price.

What exactly is he struggling with?

Lin Qiao was still muttering, "...If only Miss could come to Wuzhou with us, brother, don't you think so?"

She looked up and found Lin Shiyuan staring blankly, his fingers clenched into fists.

What's wrong?

"Brother?" Lin Qiao leaned closer to look at him.

Lin Shiyuan snapped out of his daze and was startled to see the little girl so close to him.

He frowned, feigning composure: "What did you say?"

Lin Qiao: "I mean, it would be great if Miss could come to Wuzhou with us. What do you think?"

Lin Shiyuan's eyes flickered slightly.

Back to Wuzhou?

Wuzhou was his territory; if he could return there, he would feel right at home.

He can be the powerful backer that Yao Qingling wants.

But the prerequisite is that he is reinstated to his original position.

However, he already has a lead on the matter of being reinstated to his original position.

Lin Shiyuan narrowed his eyes slightly, looking in the direction of the warehouse, seemingly lost in thought.

Suddenly, a carriage stopped not far away.

Lin Qiao called out with a smile, "Miss is here!"

As soon as Lin Shiyuan turned her head, she quickly ran over: "Miss, be careful."

Diligently put down the treadmill.

Lin Shiyuan: "..."

This fawning and flattery was even more obsequious than towards him.

Lin Shiyuan walked over and silently watched Yao Qingling come down, holding her belly.

But my heart was restless.

There's a saying: Speak of Cao Cao, and Cao Cao appears.

He mentioned Yao Qingling, and she came.

But at this moment, he couldn't tell what he was being reserved about, or why he was so wooden and silent.

Yao Qingling glanced at him, pursed her lips, and said nothing to him. She turned to Lin Qiao and said, "You like digging dirt on construction sites but don't like practicing martial arts anymore?"

Lin Qiao used to practice with a long spear whenever she had free time.

Lin Qiao scratched her hair and looked back at the baskets of soil being carried up one after another.

Making clay dolls from that clay is really nice.

She chuckled and said, "It's been a long time since I ate with my brother. Sister Louyue made some delicious food, so I brought it over to help him recover."

Qingling never glanced at Lin Shiyuan; she walked to the edge of the mud pit.

They've already dug a hole more than a meter deep, but Qingling's requirement is that the hole be dug to six zhang (approximately 33 meters).

Qing Ling frowned. If this pace continued, the warehouse wouldn't be finished by the time Sheng Dahe returned.

Lou Yue, who was standing beside her, said, "Miss, be careful."

The road surface was uneven; if someone fell, others might be able to withstand the fall, but Yao Qingling would lose both her life and her unborn child's.

Lin Shiyuan frowned and couldn't help but raise his hand. But Lou Yue blocked his way, so the man put his hands behind his back, took two steps forward to block half of Yao Qingling's body.

He said, "You don't necessarily have to get that close to check the progress."

Yao Qingling was pulled back two steps by Lou Yue. She craned her neck slightly, still looking into the pit: "Can't the progress be faster?"

Lin Shiyuan: "..."

After her pregnancy was exposed, the two had nothing to say to each other except about the warehouse and the iron ore of dubious origin.

Yao Qingling received no response, so she turned to look at the man with a businesslike expression, showing only concern for the large pit.

“I came here heavily pregnant to check on the progress, not to watch you put on a show of silence.”

Lin Shiyuan walked back and said calmly, "Come with me."

He walked under the shade of the pavilion, spread out the blueprints for Yao Qingling to see, and pointed out what he thought were unreasonable and what situations might occur.

"...If we dig any deeper, groundwater will seep out. Once it rains, the riverbanks will swell, and a lot of water will seep into the warehouse, flooding the goods. In addition, the loosening of the soil will also have adverse consequences."

The man pointed his long, slender fingers at the riverbed, then at the location of the warehouse.

Qingling tilted her head to look at the blueprints, her head very close to his.

They could almost feel the warmth emanating from each other's bodies.

But both of them were focused on the location of the warehouse and neither paid any attention to it.

Yao Qingling looked at it for a while and said calmly, "These blueprints were designed by the people from the Ministry of Works' Construction Office, so there won't be any problems."

She pointed to the bottom of the warehouse: "After this is dug out, stone slabs will be laid on top, and the space between the slabs and the soil will be filled with mud, sand, and glutinous rice juice..."

The construction workers said that they had seen how tombs were built in damp and watery places, and that this method was used to preserve the coffin from water erosion.

However, Yao Qingling wanted a warehouse, not a tomb. The construction workers made other design changes.

The construction cost has increased significantly.

"...In winter, the river freezes over, and both government and private enterprises mine ice from the river for storage in preparation for summer use. The warehouses are close to the river, which saves on transportation costs."

The capital city has many dignitaries, and the consumption of ice is enormous, so this is a lucrative business opportunity.

"The warehouse has two floors, serving multiple purposes. With ice on the lower floor, it can also store fresh fruits, fish, and shrimp from the south..."

Yao Qingling's goal is to earn the equivalent of two warehouses' worth of silver from one warehouse.

So even if the construction cost is high, in the end, you'll earn more money.

Their fingers touched; the man's fingers were thick, long, and strong, while Qingling's fingers were slender, white, and tender like green onions.

Lin Shiyuan listened attentively, occasionally exchanging glances with her. Seeing her working hard to earn money, he felt radiant.