CHAPTER 320: CHAPTER 320: MAD THAT SHE ISN’T JEALOUS

Liu Xu knew Tang Zan very well; he wasn’t going to have a crush on the female lead at all. After all, he’s the kind of ruthless person who would slaughter all the characters in a book except for the male and female leads.

Doesn’t Tang Zan having admirers just prove how great her man is?

She should be happy.

Surely she can’t kill someone just because they pursue Tang Zan?

Seeing Pei Shu’er so indifferent, Tang Zan gritted his teeth, wondering how much Pei Shu’er actually liked him.

He actually wished Pei Shu’er would get jealous and throw a little tantrum. That would at least prove that he had a place in her heart.

But no, there wasn’t even a hint of resentment or displeasure in her eyes.

Tang Zan was so frustrated he ground his teeth on Pei Shu’er’s earlobe.

"I don’t even know how much I mean to you anymore."

Pei Shu’er, feeling ticklish from Tang Zan’s actions, gently pushed him away, her pleading voice soft.

"Stop that, someone might come in at any moment."

Tang Zan, however, wouldn’t let go, and his hands became increasingly audacious.

Pei Shu’er’s cheeks were flushed; was Tang Zan trying to play office romance?

That’s quite bold, isn’t it?

She cleared her throat, "Tang Zan."

Tang Zan didn’t want to respond to Pei Shu’er; he was still upset.

Upset that she wasn’t jealous!

Pei Shu’er knew Tang Zan wouldn’t let it go without a satisfactory answer, so she thought for a moment and then spoke.

"Tang Zan, I’m not jealous because I trust you, not because you don’t have a place in my heart."

Tang Zan eased his biting a little, a subtle smile playing at his lips.

But Pei Shu’er felt even more ticklish and nudged Tang Zan’s head.

"Stop biting me, or others will notice."

It would’ve been fine if Pei Shu’er hadn’t said that, because as soon as she did, Tang Zan left a series of bite marks on her neck and ears.

Though it didn’t hurt, the biting process was very ticklish, quite tormenting.

Seeing Pei Shu’er pull up her fox fur to cover her neck and ears,

Tang Zan pulled her close again and left a bite on her fair, jade-like cheek.

Pei Shu’er: "... Tang Zan, are you a dog?"

Tang Zan looked at his handiwork, rather proud.

"Don’t you have work to do? You can leave now."

Pei Shu’er felt like crying but had no tears: "How am I supposed to go out like this?"

With these bite marks from Tang Zan, as soon as she stepped out, everyone in the military camp would know what they had just been doing.

Pei Shu’er simply sat down next to Tang Zan and finally brought up the actual reason for her visit.

"Hey, your subordinate Yan Huan Yu’s injury still hasn’t healed. Give him some time off, or you’ll lose a capable officer."

As soon as she said this, Tang Zan snorted coldly, a little envious.

"You care a lot about him."

Pei Shu’er replied, "Isn’t that the right thing to do? That kid is such a good person, very capable. As a subordinate, he’s very reliable."

Tang Zan instructed a soldier to visit the medical building and tell Yan Huan Yu he was approved for leave.

Yan Huan Yu had originally hoped to see Pei Shu’er today, but the messenger was a soldier.

A trace of loneliness flashed in his eyes. Right then, Lin Shiyao had also arrived, and both their expressions were not very good. They sighed together for quite a while.

The next morning, when Pei Shu’er was treating Yan Huan Yu’s wound, Yan Huan Yu suddenly spoke up.

"Sister, haven’t you been back to Deserted Mountain for a while? I’m free these few days. How about I visit Deserted Mountain as a guest?"

Since he volunteered, Pei Shu’er couldn’t refuse him, especially since it gave her a chance to visit everyone back at Deserted Mountain.

Pei Shu’er nodded, "Sure."

After all, he was Tang Zan’s subordinate, and he called her sister. Besides, there were so many people at Deserted Mountain, it would help avoid any rumors.

Pei Shu’er informed Tang Zan about her plan to return to Deserted Mountain, only to see him looking at her with a gloomy expression.

Since Tang Zan couldn’t leave the camp easily now, she thought for a moment and said, "Don’t worry. I’m just going to Deserted Mountain to get something and cook some food. I’ll be back soon."

Only then did Tang Zan let her go. She took a group of people with her to Deserted Mountain, as Pei Shu’er needed to check on the fruit trees. In such cold weather, she hoped they hadn’t been damaged by the frost.

The snow along the way had already melted, but tiny icicles still hung from the grass and trees by the roadside, making it colder than when it was snowing.

Due to the cold, Pei Shu’er sat inside the carriage while Yan Huan Yu and several soldiers rode in the outer compartment, driving the horses.

When they finally arrived at Deserted Mountain, Pei Shu’er discovered quite a few carriages parked outside.

Pei Shu’er got off the carriage to find that these were old customers and some new ones.

Having heard about the great pastries and grains from Deserted Mountain, they came in person to buy.

There were some customers and some merchants among them.

Pei Shu’er welcomed them inside, but the carriages were left outside, watched over by the Deserted Mountain Guards.

The new customers, constantly looking around, found the freshly built green brick estate of Deserted Mountain quite impressive. The facility had everything from fire-heated beds, showers, toilets, to a comprehensive drainage system.

The residents from the stone houses had moved in, and the old stone houses were planned to be used as processing plants by Pei Shu’er.

The current meeting place was one of the stone houses.

As they were invited onto the earth-heated beds, they couldn’t help but be surprised; it was unexpectedly warm.

How could such a backward borderland have such warm equipment? They were curious about how this fire-heated bed was made, how it could be so warm.

Out of curiosity, they asked about it.

Pei Shu’er said, "These are kang. If you like, our people can make one for you. It costs one silver tael to install a heated bed."

Of course, everyone wanted one. Pery harsh winter here meant a heated bed was essential.

The new customers placed orders to have heated beds made; Yinxing took notes on the side, and just the payment for the beds totaled twenty taels of silver.

There were also orders for pastries, but as for rice and flour, Deserted Mountain wasn’t planning to sell them anymore.

They were already aiming to make a business out of these pastries. If they sold the raw materials cheaply only to buy them back at a higher price, with lower quality, it’d be unwise.

Even if customers were a bit disappointed, they understood.

They placed orders and were then led by Honghua to the room where the pastries were displayed, packaging them up.

With the customers preoccupied, Pei Shu’er and Yinxing finally had some time to catch up on recent events.

Yinxing said, "With Master Liu Xu and Madam managing Deserted Mountain, everything’s in order. After the snow melted and the roads became more accessible, these people came to buy supplies."

"Now we sell out of pastries every day. Under Madam’s management, pastry sales are doing very well."

Knowing Liu Xu’s business acumen, Pei Shu’er didn’t have much to add. Considering the current unreliable state of government salaries, there’s a high likelihood the military wouldn’t be funded either.

Feeding soldiers and servants still costs money after all.

Pei Shu’er thought for a moment and then said, "Yinxing, I want to open a few shops in Su County."