But after waiting for half a day, she realized that no one had accepted her task. She watched as the tasks from other shops were taken one by one, leaving only hers.
Ning Shan couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed with sadness.
Could it be that the legacy passed down from generation to generation will truly be ruined in my hands?
Just as despair was setting in, a young boy stepped forward and picked up the wooden plaque in front of her.
Ning Shan looked up and saw the boy smiling at her.
"I’ll take this task."
Ning Shan felt a bit dazed.
Because looking at this boy, she felt he was really too young.
So young... Can he really do it?
At this moment, Shang Luoluo approached with a smile and said, "Miss Ning, earlier I was thinking, if anyone can solve this problem for you, it would be him."
"Let me introduce him to you, this is Zhao Ya, Senior Brother Zhao, the one who recently created a stir by capturing the Jade Butterfly."
Ning Shan finally remembered, and couldn’t help but brighten up.
She was aware of the matter of the Jade Butterfly being captured, and heard that this Zhao Ya had used extraordinary means to catch the culprit in just a few days.
She stood up excitedly, almost unable to speak coherently.
"Master Zhao, I..."
"Just call me Ya. Where is your storeroom? Can you take me there to have a look?"
"Of course!" Ning Shan nodded vigorously.
Then Zhao Ya apologized to Shang Luoluo.
"I’m sorry, Miss Shang, I have to leave now."
"Please go ahead, Senior Brother Zhao. If you need any help, feel free to come to me." Shang Luoluo said with a smile.
"Alright."
Zhao Ya also spoke to Xu De and Miao Shaocheng before leaving with Ning Shan.
After they left the house and got on the carriage, Zhao Ya asked Ning Shan to explain everything in detail.
"The incident happened seven days ago. That night, before going to sleep, my father inspected the storeroom. Everything was normal, but by the next day, the thousands of rolls of cloth stored there had vanished."
"Was there no guard at the storeroom at night?"
"Of course there was, but those guards were found unconscious, only waking up in the morning when water was splashed on them."
"When they awoke and were asked, they had no idea when they had blacked out, not even a hint of memory."
"How many rolls of cloth are there?"
"A lot, even with a carriage, it would take three or four trips to transport them."
"So with such a big commotion, didn’t anyone nearby notice?" Zhao Ya asked.
Ning Shan smiled bitterly, "No, I asked the nearby residents, and none of them heard any unusual sounds."
Zhao Ya nodded, "I see. Let’s go and have a look at the storeroom first."
The carriage traversed most of the Commandery until it finally arrived in front of the storeroom of Yongsheng Cloth Shop.
After alighting from the carriage, Zhao Ya habitually surveyed the surroundings, noticing that the area was vast, with the nearest residents being a hundred meters away.
At the same time, there were many large jars filled with water placed around the open space.
"These are to prevent the storeroom from catching fire, because for fabrics, the greatest fear is fire. But unexpectedly, the fire didn’t happen, yet all the cloth was lost," Ning Shan said sadly.
At this moment, the guards of the storeroom came forward.
There were four of them, all around fifty years old, looking very mature and stable.
"Were these four the ones guarding here that night?" Zhao Ya asked.
"Yes, these four people have been following my father for years, being honest and reliable, therefore they were assigned here to guard."
Zhao Ya’s gaze roamed across the faces of the four men.
Their expressions showed sadness, anger, and some fear.
But that was to be expected.
Zhao Ya said nothing and stepped into the storeroom.
The storeroom was very spacious, with the ground paved with bluestone tiles, cleaned spotless.
The air was filled with the scent of fabric. Zhao Ya circled around, finding nothing, so he asked.
"Usually does your cloth shop store that many rolls of fabric?"
Ning Shan shook her head, "Of course not, usually having around a hundred rolls stored here is enough. This time, it was because the Zhu Family in town ordered a large batch of goods that it was so much."
"Oh? Ordered over a thousand rolls of cloth, can you disclose what purpose this cloth is for?"
Zhao Ya did not believe a Noble Clan would order so much fabric for no reason.
Ning Shan hesitated for a moment and then said, "It’s for making cloth armor using thick kudzu cloth."
Zhao Ya had seen cloth armor before. Although its defensive capability wasn’t as strong as real armor, it was sufficient to deal with ordinary swords and knives.
As for why the Zhu Family ordered so much...
The times are becoming increasingly chaotic, and these Noble Clans obviously sense the crisis and are getting prepared in advance.
"Since that batch of cloth entered the storeroom, how many days passed before the theft?" Zhao Ya continued asking.
"Five days." Ning Shan responded.
"During these five days, was there anything unusual?"
Ning Shan thought carefully and then shook her head, "No."
"How many people knew about the large amount of fabric stored here?"
"Not many, besides my father and mother, just me and the few workers."
Zhao Ya pondered and began pacing around the open space after leaving the storeroom.
Ning Shan dared not ask, only watching quietly from the side.
Suddenly.
Zhao Ya stopped walking, glanced at the distant residential buildings, then looked back at the storeroom, as if he had thought of something.
"Do people live in those houses in front?"
"Yes, people live in them."
Zhao Ya nodded, "Can I see your father?"
"Of course, please follow me."
Ning Shan’s family lived in a small courtyard behind the storefront of the Yongsheng Cloth Shop, not far from here.
It took only three to five minutes to walk there.
At that moment, Ning Shan’s father, Ning Shanfeng, had already gone to bed, but upon Zhao Ya’s arrival, he struggled to sit up, wheezing and asking.
"Young Hero Zhao, do you have any clues?"