Chapter 120 You're afraid of the heat, this bowl of tea has already gone cold.
Tao Weixian appeared behind Zhou Zhining at some point: "Still watching?"
He glanced in the direction the carriage had disappeared, his gaze settling on Zhou Zhining's face: "I thought you would stay at the new residence tonight."
His tone was sarcastic and somewhat gloating.
Zhou Zhining turned around, her expression showing a hint of loneliness and disappointment.
She looked at Tao Weixian: "He has a new maidservant by his side. Why didn't you tell me?"
Tao Weixian said, "Xingzhuo didn't mention it in his letter to me and Prince Xin, and we don't know either. She's just a maid, what's so important about that?"
That's what he said, but he stared straight at Zhou Zhining's face.
Although Zhan Xingzhuo didn't mention it in his letter, his spies saw him when he entered the city. Therefore, Tao Weixian knew that Zhan Xingzhuo had a woman who resembled Yao Qingling by his side.
He knew Zhou Zhining would be disappointed, so he tried to coax her insincerely.
Men understand men best.
Zhan Xingzhuo prides himself on being a gentleman, but how can a man who has tasted meat endure such a long period of vegetarianism?
In a godforsaken place like Los Angeles, how can one survive without a woman to brighten their day?
Zhou Zhining pursed her lips, feeling uncomfortably unsatisfied.
It turned out that Zhan Xingzhuo had intentionally kept it a secret, not even telling Prince Xin and the others.
If she hadn't gone to the Duke's mansion to wait for him, if she hadn't gone to the new mansion, would she have been kept in the dark all along?
Did he deceive her like he did Yao Qingling?
Zhou Zhining swallowed hard. "I'm a little tired."
She didn't say anything more and stepped over the threshold.
Tao Weixian raised an eyebrow, satisfied with her reaction.
There is no such thing as love stronger than gold.
Before, when we weren't separated, we were watching right under our noses; but now that we've gone to such a faraway place, we know nothing, and the worst aspects of a man's nature are laid bare.
After Zhou Zhining's disappointment, will she no longer be devoted to Zhan Xingzhuo?
...
Yao Qingling's business is thriving; she even managed to get Ruan Dahuzi a household registration.
However, he shouldn't be called Big Beard anymore.
On the newly registered household registration, his original name, Ruan Sheng, was no longer used; instead, he was called Sheng Dahe.
The name was chosen by the bearded man himself; he retained a part of his original self, and the river was chosen to commemorate his hometown.
Yao Qingling advised him to shave his beard, and she herself shaved him with a razor.
He had a thick beard that covered half his face, and he was a burly and tall man. On the official wanted poster, he was drawn as a bear with one ear.
The bearded man was reluctant to part with his thick, imposing beard, but for safety's sake, he listened to advice and shaved it.
Without his full beard, he instantly transformed from a middle-aged man in his forties into a young man in his early thirties!
As the saying goes, "A young man with no experience is unreliable." His two hundred-plus subordinates, seeing him like this, initially didn't recognize him, and later became less trusting of him.
The bearded man used force to suppress the troublemakers, beating them up and calming the face-changing incident. He showed them with his strength that even though he had changed his name, Sheng Dahe could still beat them to a pulp!
Qingling gave them the other documents. Those people received their new household registrations and were so excited that they cried and laughed at the same time.
Just like those people Qingling hid in the manor back then.
They must break free from their inhuman and ghostly past, embrace a new life, and live a normal life.
Yao Qingling looked at them, her heart overflowing with joy.
She reaffirmed the significance of what she was doing and no longer felt negatively that these people had forced her down this path.
"Madam Yao, when will you give us household registration certificates too?" The others couldn't wait and started asking all at once.
The light in their eyes was as intense as when they saw silver, no, even more intense than their thirst for gold and jewels.
Yao Qingling was surrounded and unable to move forward or backward, fearing that things would get out of control.
I somewhat regret not having Lin Shiyuan come along.
Fortunately, Sheng Dahe still had control over himself. He waved his hand and shouted, "What's all the noise about? Do you think I won't give it to you? I said next time and that's next time. Get out!"
These people followed him and recognized him as their leader; their eyes lit up when they saw the new household registration documents.
He was worried that these people would be abducted by Yao Qingling, and then he would be left without any leaders.
If I had known, I wouldn't have let that girl shave his beard.
Sheng Dahe touched his hairless chin, still feeling quite uncomfortable.
He pulled Yao Qingling aside and said, "I've got a connection. The other party is willing to sell the warehouse. Come with me to take a look."
Yao Qingling glanced at him and shook off his hand: "What are you looking at? That's your warehouse, why should I interfere? I only got you the household registration, there were no other transactions."
Sheng Dahe rubbed his hands together: "People in the capital are cunning. You know those people from your business dealings. If we can reach an agreement, your goods will be stored in my warehouse, and I'll give you a 5% discount for the first five years. Is that alright?"
Yao Qingling glanced at him: "A 5% discount? Do you know how busy I am? No way."
Only 5% off? They're so stingy.
In the future, Yao Qingling will be the biggest user of his warehouse. Isn't this just giving him free money?
"10% off".
Yao Qingling pouted, still unwilling. After some bargaining, they finally agreed on an 88% discount.
Sheng Dahe felt a pang of regret afterwards, realizing he shouldn't have invited Yao Qingling.
After Yao Qingling left the temporary village of Shengdahe, the carriage stopped at the post station intersection outside the city gate.
Yao Qingling lifted the curtain, her eyebrows curving into a smile: "Lin Shiyuan, what are you doing here?"
Lin Shiyuan was drinking tea in the teahouse.
Even in the sweltering heat, he drinks hot tea without complaining that it's too hot for his mouth.
Yao Qingling got off the carriage and glanced at the coarse tea he was drinking; but beside him was a bowl of cold tea that wasn't steaming.
He placed the bowl of tea in front of Yao Qingling: "You're afraid of the heat, so this bowl of tea has already cooled down."
Yao Qingling smiled; he was quite thoughtful.
Before she could even express her gratitude, Lin Qiao plopped down on the floor: "Brother, where's my tea?"
Yao Qingling: "..."
A sudden surge of joy welled up inside me, yet I felt somewhat lost.
Lin Shiyuan looked at Lin Qiao and asked, "Are you the older brother, or am I? Shall I pour you some tea?"
Lin Qiao pouted and obediently poured herself some tea.
It's still piping hot, how can I drink it?
She took a deep breath and shouted at the waiter, "I want a bowl of noodles, with extra meat!"
She was at a crucial stage of growth, and her love for martial arts was very taxing. Besides her brother and Yao Qingling, she also loved eating rice and meat.
Yao Qingling was a kind person; she gave her so much money each month that, besides being well-fed and clothed, she still had spare change to buy other food after her three meals.
Yao Qingling watched the siblings bickering, never expecting that Lin Shiyuan had this side to him.
But he must have been waiting here for a long time, right?
The tea was served hot, but hers had cooled down, while Lin Qiao and Lin Shiyuan's tea was hot, indicating that this was at least the second pot of tea.
Moreover, Lin Shiyuan used to often wait for her halfway...
As Yao Qingling was lost in thought, she heard Lin Shiyuan say, "A batch of valuable goods has arrived at the shop, and I'm here to receive them."
Yao Qingling nodded haphazardly, then remembered what had happened: "Have they arrived yet?"
After asking the question, I realized I had asked a pointless question.
If he had received the goods, would he still be waiting here?
Then Lin Shiyuan said, "I've already had Pingfeng and the others escort them back."
"and you--"
“Last time you said that you almost got into a conflict when you were negotiating the deal with him. I’m worried that he might change his mind after getting that thing. If something goes wrong, your people can find me in the shortest amount of time.”
Yao Qingling was deeply moved.
He still remembered the things she said last time, even though it was just a casual remark.
Just as I was about to say something, I suddenly saw a carriage driving on the official road, raising clouds of dust.
The carriage stopped, and a man in official robes got out and walked towards them.
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