Unrest in the Tibetan garrison

The morning light, carrying the chill of winter, sparingly spilled onto the blue brick ground.

My head felt heavy after a hangover, as if it were filled with lead. Every slight movement sent a dull ache through me.

Pei Qingwu frowned, his consciousness struggling on the edge of chaos, trying to grasp the fragmented pieces of last night.

Warm lips...

Rapid breathing...

The throbbing beneath the boy's burning body...

And then there was that hand that was finally forcibly pulled away, a hand that showed both restraint and panic...

Thinking of this, she suddenly opened her eyes, her heart leaping heavily in her chest.

The bed beside him was empty, with only the folds of the bedding remaining.

Pei Qingwu propped herself up and sat up. The brocade quilt slipped off her shoulders, and the chill instantly made her shiver.

She lowered her head, and the collar of her plain white undergarment was loose, revealing a small section of her fair neck and delicate collarbone.

Several ambiguous red marks were clearly imprinted on it, like flower petals scorched by something, silently telling the story of the almost out-of-control entanglement last night.

A wave of heat suddenly surged across his face, even more intense than the effects of the alcohol from the previous night.

She frantically adjusted her clothes.

"Squeak—"

A slight sound of the door being pushed open was heard.

Gu Heng walked in, carrying a white porcelain bowl and with his head down.

He changed into a clean round-necked robe, tied his hair up neatly, and walked very lightly, deliberately avoiding her gaze. He simply placed the bowl of steaming hangover soup on the low table beside the bed.

“Sister,” he said, his voice extremely hoarse, as if something was stuck in his throat, “drink the hangover soup while it’s hot, it will make your head feel better.”

For a moment, the room was eerily quiet.

Pei Qingwu's gaze fell on the steam rising from the rim of the bowl, trying to hide the embarrassment on his face.

Last night's passionate kiss, his uncontrollable exploration, her emotional response...

And then there was his pathetic retreat at the last moment, and her words, "I was the one who provoked you first"...

All the fragments of memory surged back in the silence, silently battering the defenses of the two hearts.

"Ahem..." Pei Qingwu cleared his throat: "Thank you for your help, Aheng."

"It's what I should do," Gu Heng replied quickly, still without looking up. "Sister, drink the soup and rest a bit. I'll watch the shop."

After he finished speaking, he turned around almost as if he were fleeing, quickly retreated, and gently closed the door behind him.

Pei Qingwu picked up the bowl of warm soup and sipped it slowly.

After drinking it, I felt much better.

The silence in the courtyard outside the door was completely different from that inside the bedroom.

The sunlight generously bathed the old plum tree in the backyard, and everyone quickly cleaned up the mess from last night's banquet. The sounds of tables and chairs clattering, brooms sweeping the ground, and hushed laughter mingled together.

As Shi Dayong moved the table, he laughed and said, "Be careful, the legs of this table almost fell apart last night because of that girl Wu Niang jumping around on them."

"Brother Shi, please don't wrong me!" Wu Niang's voice was a little hoarse from a hangover, but it was still clear and melodious.

She was helping Yinlan clear the dishes, the blush from last night still lingering on her cheeks, but she recovered her spirits quite quickly: "It's clearly because the gourd chicken smelled so good that everyone fought over it so fiercely that the table suffered as a result!"

“Exactly!” Yu Yi chimed in quietly, “Master’s aged wine really has a strong aftereffect…”

As she spoke, she rubbed her temples, which drew a burst of good-natured laughter from everyone.

Yin Lan had just finished clearing the dishes and straightened up: "You bunch of little monkeys..."

Pei Qingwu stood by the half-open window of the bedroom, taking in the hustle and bustle and warmth of the courtyard.

She tidied her slightly disheveled hair and turned to walk towards the dressing table.

The person in the mirror still had a faint blush on their cheeks, but their eyes had returned to their usual calm.

The shop's doors were already open, and the morning sun shone obliquely on the gleaming counter and the neatly arranged pastry shelves.

Gu Heng was standing behind the counter, head down, counting the transactions of the past few days.

The sunlight outlined the focused profile of his face, his nose straight and his jawline taut. Only when Pei Qingwu's approaching footsteps were clearly heard did his fingers, which were turning the pages, pause almost imperceptibly.

Her fingertips curled slightly, revealing the turmoil she was trying so hard to hide.

"Boss," Qian Tao said, busy at work, "I've recorded yesterday's turnover. It wasn't a profit, but it was..."

Before he could finish speaking, a rapid and heavy clatter of hooves approached from afar, abruptly breaking the tranquility of the city in the early morning.

Gu Heng suddenly raised his head, and Pei Qingwu also stopped in her tracks, her delicate brows furrowing slightly, a sense of foreboding passing through her heart.

Several well-fed and strong warhorses with gleaming saddles suddenly rushed to the front of the shop, raising a cloud of dust.

The leading officer, dressed in leather armor for ease of movement, with a standard-issue sword at his waist, looked travel-worn and exuded a cold, stern aura.

Behind him followed four soldiers dressed in the same uniform, their expressions tense, their right hands unconsciously resting on the hilts of their swords at their waists.

The officer nimbly dismounted, his heavy riding boots thumping loudly on the stone steps in front of the door.

"Who's in charge?" The voice wasn't loud, but it carried an unquestionable tone of command.

Pei Qingwu composed herself and stepped forward: "This is I, sir. What can I do for you, sir?"

Without wasting words, the officer pulled a scroll from his pocket and slammed it heavily on the counter.

"By order of Murong Chengen, Military Governor of Longyou, the soldiers at the front have worked diligently to defend the border and have made great contributions! We hereby order 30,000 portions of finely made cakes from Sushan Xiaoji to reward the army! The cakes must be prepared in full by the deadline without any mistakes!"

"Any delay in military supplies will be dealt with according to military law!"

"Thirty-thirty thousand copies?!" Qian Tao gasped behind the counter, her beautiful face instantly losing all color. She subconsciously repeated the sentence, her voice trembling.

Pei Qingwu's heart sank suddenly.

But at this moment, she could only suppress her turbulent emotions, remain calm on the surface, and reach out to pick up the document.

Thirty thousand copies...

Even with the entire Sushan Xiaoji flagship store and Xishi branch working day and night to meet demand, five days was still practically pushing them to their limits.

This was no ordinary act of providing entertainment to the troops...

Pei Qingwu slowly raised his eyes, meeting the officer's cold, scrutinizing gaze. He tried his best to keep his voice steady: "Sir, since this is a reward for the troops, I will certainly do my best to serve the court. However, this number of 30,000 is truly enormous. I wonder which soldiers will be served? What kind of food and style are they required? And with such a tight deadline, could you grant me a few days' grace? Or perhaps we could distribute them in batches..."

"Hmph!" The officer snorted coldly, interrupting Pei Qingwu's subtle probing: "Why ask so many questions? Military orders are absolute! What we want is the most famous pastry in Qinzhou City!"

"General Murong's order is here; you may simply do as he commands! Five days later, the quartermaster will come to inspect the goods! If even one piece is missing..."

At this point, he suddenly slapped the scabbard of his sword at his waist, his threat evident in his words: "Watch your heads!"

The sound of the scabbards clashing instantly silenced everyone, and they even subconsciously held their breath.

"The seal is here; take care of yourself!"

Having said that, he said no more, turned around and led four equally fierce soldiers, striding across the threshold.

The heavy sound of riding boots on the stone steps grew louder as they approached and faded into the distance, followed by the furious neighing of warhorses and a rapid clatter of hooves that soon disappeared into the hustle and bustle of the long street.

The shop fell into a deathly silence.

In the dead silence, Shi Dayong approached the counter and pointed to the glaring words on the document: "Boss, this isn't right, the amount is wrong!"

As a retired veteran, he spotted the problem at a glance.

"A full 30,000 servings! Even if each person is only given one serving a day, it would be enough to feed an army of 30,000 for three whole days. This is no ordinary troop-feeding; this is stockpiling rations before a battle!"

Upon hearing this, everyone froze on the spot, a chill running from their feet to their heads, and even Gu Heng's face turned ashen instantly.

Pei Qingwu felt a chilling coldness instantly grip her heart.

What are they up to?!

Based on the previous unusual activity, the answer is obvious, yet it is so terrifying that one dares not think too deeply about it.

Inside the shop, the terrified and bewildered gazes of the crowd lingered between her and Shi Dayong, a silent fear filling the air.

Gu Heng rushed to Pei Qingwu's side and tightly grasped her cold, stiff hand.

The boy's palm was warm and strong, like an anchor that temporarily held her faltering mind in place.

As if finding a pillar of support, Pei Qingwu took a deep breath, forced himself to lift his eyelids, and scanned the terrified and uneasy faces in the shop.

This is not requisition; it is a death knell tied around the neck of Sushan Village, a pledge of all their lives and fortunes.

We have to do it, or we'll immediately turn into a fight.

"Yinlan," her voice rang out, unusually calm: "Immediately calculate all the existing flour, oil, sugar, dried fruit, and other supplies in the warehouse... Make sure you provide me with a detailed list!"

"Why."

Yinlan knew this was a serious matter and didn't dare to ask any more questions; she immediately went to do it.

"Brother Dayong..."

"Here I am, boss!" Shi Dayong snapped to attention and straightened his back.

"Go to the West Market branch immediately and find Manager Zhou and the others!" Pei Qingwu spoke very quickly: "Have the couple take stock of all the materials and personnel at the branch immediately. Except for leaving 10 people to maintain daily operations, everyone else, along with all the materials, steamers, ovens... in short, all the equipment, must be withdrawn to the main store within one hour!"

"Let's close the branch for now."

"Huh? Closed down?" Shi Dayong didn't react for a moment. The West Market branch had just opened up business.

"immediately."

Shi Dayong swallowed hard and nodded sharply: "Understood, boss! I'll go right now!"

Before he finished speaking, he had already dashed off like an arrow released from a bow.

The burly figure quickly disappeared into the noisy morning light outside the door, leaving only the sound of hurried footsteps fading into the distance.

“Master…” Wu Niang and Yu Yi came over, their faces still showing lingering fear and confusion.

The Xishi branch was the culmination of their hard work, and its sudden closure felt like a piece of their flesh had been torn away.

Pei Qingwu closed his eyes tightly, and when he opened them again, he had suppressed all his emotions deep in his eyes, leaving only a calm expression.

"Thirty thousand servings, five days, this is going to drain all of our marrow and blood."

"No matter how important the branch store business is, it is not as important as saving everyone's lives and the foundation of the store at this moment. Closing the store is to shrink our strength and to cut our losses. If we can't even save the main store, the branches in the West Market will be nothing more than duckweed on the water."

Then she turned to Qiantao and said, "Qiantao, go and do three things right away."

"First, notify all familiar suppliers to urgently purchase as much raw material as possible, regardless of cost or price. Tell them that Sushan Market is in dire need of their help, and they will surely be rewarded in the future!"

"Second, send someone to the carriage and horse dealership to pay a deposit and reserve all the carriages and horses that can be hired for me, so that they can be delivered materials and manpower at any time."

"Third, find a few of the best master craftsmen, no matter where they are currently doing odd jobs. Pay them double or even triple the wages and ask them to come here immediately. Tell them that for the next five days, they will live and eat in the backyard of the shop and work day and night."

Qiantao didn't dare to hesitate for a moment and immediately replied, "Yes, Master!"

He turned around and jogged off to make the arrangements.

"Master, what can we do?"

Seeing that there weren't many people left in the shop, Fifth Sister hurriedly asked.

“You…” Pei Qingwu’s gaze swept over the remaining people: “Go to the backyard and clean all the usable steamers, baking trays, molds, etc., and check them all. Then, together with Yin Lan, sort out all the usable ingredients in the storeroom, classify and arrange them to make it easier to calculate the shortage. There can’t be any mistakes!”

"yes!"

The four little girls nodded emphatically, glanced at each other, and then quickly ran towards the backyard.