CHAPTER 134: CHAPTER 134: WHY ARE YOU COMPETING WITH A TIGER?

He killed ten people in a row and seized a Dazi horse.

He then ordered the Dayan soldiers to mount and charge at those cavalry.

The horses, not yet tamed, were not easy to control and would even take orders from the Dazi, causing some obstacles for these people.

But none of these issues troubled Tang Zan, who charged swiftly at the Dazi.

Like slicing melons and chopping vegetables, the Dazi fell wherever he went, with their heads clasped in Tang Zan’s hands before being thrown into the basket tied to the horse’s rear.

This was his military achievement.

The Dazi were frightened and retreated; in the past, the Dayan soldiers would not have pursued them.

But this time, Tang Zan still led a few men to chase them out, striking like a sharp sword, dispersing the Dazi troops.

And once again, they took twenty heads, their eyes cold as steel.

The Dazi were so terrified they couldn’t even touch him with their swords or spears.

The Dayan soldiers kept casting glances at this new recruit.

This new recruit is something else.

The Dazi lost nearly two hundred men, and so did the Dayan forces.

The difference was, the Dazi were robust warriors, while those who died from Dayan were the sickly soldiers.

Moreover, Dayan seized two hundred horses.

General Zhao was very pleased; maintaining a horse isn’t easy now, with food shortages and a lack of foals.

The Dazi used to humiliate them, with infantry unable to catch up with the Dazi.

They could only be covered in dirt from horse hooves, looking up and howling in humiliation.

While the Dazi laughed and rode away in a grand manner.

Now the situation is reversed.

It is the Dazi’s turn to flee in humiliation, while the Dayan soldiers feel proud and elated.

Not only did they kill Dazi, but they also seized spoils; this is a small-scale victory.

Moreover, Tang Zan, in this battle, killed a hundred men directly.

According to the soldier’s tally, he could be promoted to a hundred-household leader.

But the number of enemies a convict needs to kill is three times that of an ordinary soldier.

Yet soon, Tang Zan was promoted to hundred-household, and Lin Zhi’s reputation for bravery spread in a small area.

Making many envy and even more, their eyes reddened with jealousy.

...

When Tang Zan returned to the Deserted Mountain, he found the kitchen lights still on.

He walked in and saw Pei Shu’er wearing a light blue long dress, with a simple wooden hairpin in her black hair.

She was sitting by a millstone, equipped with a hand crank, using it to make something.

Beside her stood Yinxing, occasionally adding some water to the millstone.

At her feet lay the little White Tiger, occasionally opening its eyes to watch her, then closing them contentedly again.

He stood and watched for a while, a smile unknowingly forming at the corner of his mouth.

When he got closer, he saw Pei Shu’er putting some tender corn kernels into the millstone and turning it with her hand.

The corn from other households had just sprouted silk, while the corn at the third house was already ripe; once cooked, it tasted incredibly good.

Sweet and sticky.

Tired of eating boiled corn, Pei Shu’er decided to make corn juice.

She did it slowly and elegantly, under the warm yellow candlelight, exuding a sense of tranquility.

The millstone quickly ground the corn, and the corn juice flowed into a wooden bucket through a small spout.

Later, while making corn juice, Pei Shu’er would add a bit of cold rice to the corn kernels for grinding.

A small bucket of corn juice had already accumulated.

Pei Shu’er then smiled, raising her head to look softly at Tang Zan.

"You’re back just in time, there’s about to be corn juice to drink," she said.

Tang Zan raised an eyebrow; he had never heard of corn juice before, but the hardness in his heart, cultivated by killing, softened a little.

Pei Shu’er always had some peculiar ideas in her head.

He watched her pour the corn juice into a large pot to boil, adding a bit of sugar to it.

In fact, Pei Shu’er mixed a bit of milk into the corn, making the resulting corn juice more fragrant and delicious.

When Pei Shu’er had finished making the corn juice, she scooped a bowl for Tang Zan, who was standing beside her.

"Try a sip," she urged.

Tang Zan blew on the corn juice to cool it, took a sip, and his eyes lit up.

"This flavor, I’ve never tasted before," he exclaimed.

Even someone like him, who wasn’t fond of sweet things, found himself liking it.

Pei Shu’er laughed and said, "Then tomorrow, take a bowl with you."

Tang Zan nodded, thinking of the envious and jealous looks from others, which pleased him more than all the enemies he had slain.

After all, who among them had such a good wife?

Tang Zan drank two bowls of corn juice that night before pulling Pei Shu’er by her sleeve to bed.

Before leaving, Pei Shu’er instructed Yinxing and Granny Zhang to carry a bucket of corn, and if they found anyone still awake, to serve them some corn juice.

Those who were still awake were delighted and surprised by such a late-night treat.

As for those already asleep, the sweet aroma in the air, coupled with everyone’s "It’s so good" exclamations, awakened them from their slumber.

They quickly dressed, opened the door, and saw Yinxing serving corn juice to everyone.

Seeing them awake, she turned and smiled at them.

"Come on, miss... Heir’s wife said, serve the awake some porridge, and those asleep can have it tomorrow."

Perhaps from spending so much time with Pei Shu’er, Yinxing’s temperament had become somewhat like Pei Shu’er’s.

It was a gentle temperament, though still lacking some of Pei Shu’er’s softness and tolerance, but it made her very approachable.

Everyone quickly approached and picked up a bowl of corn juice to drink.

The rich corn flavor, along with a slight sweetness, filled their tongues, and they almost couldn’t bear to swallow it.

There was also a subtle hint of milky fragrance.

Once they started drinking, it was hard to stop, but Yinxing did not deter them.

"Drink slowly; there’s enough for everyone," she reassured.

Pei Shu’er was generous; once she decided to let everyone drink, she ensured they drank to their heart’s content.

The servants of the third house were never treated harshly, never told to stop halfway through enjoying food.

It was because there were not so many rules that these people genuinely admired and respected Pei Shu’er.

And Pei Shu’er, holding the little White Tiger, stood shoulder to shoulder with Tang Zan at their room door, watching everyone. She poured some corn juice into the White Tiger’s bowl, placing it on the ground for it to lap up.

It now had its eyes open and accompanied Pei Shu’er when she went up the mountain, already walking steadily.

Pei Shu’er regularly gave it milk powder, alternating between cow and goat milk powder, letting it drink whatever it liked, and the little White Tiger grew robustly.

Pei Shu’er named it White Rice.

Whenever she called it White Rice, the little White Tiger would happily pounce at Pei Shu’er’s feet, looking up at her with its moist eyes.

It sure knew how to act cute.

Tang Zan noticed Pei Shu’er looking at White Rice with affection and, feeling a bit displeased, gently nudged White Rice’s back.

White Rice let out a pitiful little whimper and turned to eat in another direction.

Pei Shu’er couldn’t help but laugh.

"Look at you, competing with a tiger," she teased.

Tang Zan snorted coldly, dismissing it with a pout.

"It’s just an animal, why would I compete with it," he retorted.