Chapter 133 Husband Husband

This physique is simply enviable. As a fellow man, why is it so difficult for me to even have a decent amount of muscle?

Xie Pei seemed to think it wasn't enough and wanted to continue the discussion.

Zhu Mingyue quickly grabbed his hand, "Don't move, I'll change it for you."

The bright red robes on Xie Pei were truly eye-catching; the striking red perfectly masked his fierce aura. He looked like a spirited and accomplished scholar, or a triumphant groom.

But no matter how beautiful it is, you can't sleep in it. Zhu Mingyue gently untied the sash, and just as the robe was about to slip down, Xie Pei firmly pressed it back onto her shoulders with his large hands.

Zhu Mingyue asked in confusion, "Don't you want to take it off?"

Even if he didn't want to take it off, Zhu Mingyue wouldn't ask a drunk person for their opinion. He removed Xie Pei's hand and tried to take off his clothes.

Xie Pei seemed to be in a playful mood, repeatedly taking off and putting on his clothes. After several repetitions, Zhu Mingyue lost her patience and warned him fiercely, "You're not allowed to sleep until you take off your clothes!"

Xie Pei, who was lost in confusion, suddenly raised his head, a glint of light flashing in his eyes: "Don't take off your clothes, go to sleep."

Goodness, are his ears filters? He only hears what he wants to hear.

Zhu Mingyue corrected helplessly: "Sleeping is not allowed."

Xie Pei then repeated with a stern face, "Take off your clothes, and don't sleep."

Zhu Mingyue: ...blood pressure soared

When the soft approach didn't work, he decided to take a hard one. It was just taking off a piece of clothing; why make such a fuss?

Zhu Mingyue grabbed the hem of his clothes, and Xie Pei's large hand followed closely behind, grabbing him. Zhu Mingyue pulled back and grabbed again, only to be caught precisely by Xie Pei once more.

After a chase, Zhu Mingyue finally snapped in a fit of rage: "I don't care about you anymore, just go to bed fully clothed."

"Go to bed."

As soon as she finished speaking, a strong force pulled her down, and after a dizzying spin, Zhu Mingyue's vision underwent a dramatic change.

Delicate kisses landed on his cheeks and waist, Xie Pei's hands groped anxiously, but he couldn't find the right spot for a long time, and a look of confusion and helplessness appeared on his face.

Zhu Mingyue was enveloped in the pungent smell of alcohol, and a faint blush appeared on his face. Looking at Xie Pei's handsome face so close to his, he felt slightly tipsy as well.

The string of reason snapped, and he closed his eyes, sinking into despair.

Beauty can be a trap!

There was no wind all night, yet the tents overhead seemed to float before my eyes.

Just as Zhu Mingyue's consciousness was about to plunge into darkness, she caught a glimpse of clarity on Xie Pei's face. It was fleeting and quickly vanished.

Zhu Mingyue blinked with all her might, a sense of doubt welling up inside her.

Could he have misread it?

However, the next second, Xie Pei leaned down and gently bit his earlobe, his damp breath hitting his ear.

A deep, hoarse voice sounded in my ear, "Call me husband."

Call me grandpa!

In an instant, Zhu Mingyue realized that this bastard was too good at pretending. No wonder he didn't want to take off his red dress. He was obviously trying to play a role-playing game with her!

Zhu Mingyue felt her blood rush to her head and suddenly fainted.

Xie Pei: !!!

His body stiffened for a moment, then a hand gently patted the face of the person beneath him. "Ah Yue?"

Zhu Mingyue's breathing was long and even, and she remained motionless, as if she had fallen into a deep sleep.

Xie Pei stared for a long time, his eyes filled with guilt and regret, which eventually turned into a sigh and vanished into the darkness.

After quickly resolving the matter, Xie Pei quietly removed his outer garment, pulled the girl into his arms, and fell asleep peacefully.

On the second day of the new year, it snowed again in Jizhou.

Seeing that things were not going well, Zhu Mingyue immediately rode out of the camp and headed towards the city.

In just a few days, Wang Zongxiu seemed to have changed. He had carefully groomed himself and looked elegant, refined, and approachable. If you didn't know, no one would know that he was once a merchant who could fight bandits to the death.

"Oh, I see that Young Master Zhu's complexion is rosy and he looks radiant! It's been a few days since I last saw him!" Wang Zongxiu waved his folding fan, sending a gust of cold wind through.

I don't know what's wrong with Wang Zongxiu, he's holding that fan in the freezing cold to try and look classy, ​​doesn't he feel cold at all?

Zhu Mingyue dodged back in disgust, afraid of catching a cold from the slap. "You look pretty good too."

Wang Zongxiu flattered, "You're doing so well. If I had known that life in the army was this good, I would have shamelessly stayed for a few days too."

Look at Zhu Mingyue's face, it hasn't been rough at all, it's still fair and tender, and her blood and energy are better than before.

Zhu Mingyue remained noncommittal. He hadn't suffered much in the camp. At night, Xie Pei was his natural fireplace, keeping his bed warm. During the day, he would watch the soldiers drill and try to run outside the tent. It was better to get some exercise than nothing, as a lack of exercise could easily lead to physical weakness.

He suffered from his weak body, which caused him to faint frequently in bed. Every time he recalled it afterward, he felt it was a great humiliation and felt that Xie Pei's gaze towards him was mocking.

Er Ya fluttered up to the roof, her sharp claws tearing away a patch of snow.

Zhu Mingyue got down to business: "This snow probably won't stop anytime soon. It might snow for a while, just like last time. Let's not delay and get things done at the restaurant while the snow isn't too deep!"

Wang Zongzheng said with a serious expression, "I have looked at a few places. The locations are good and the places are large, but they look a bit old. If we want to use them, they will definitely need to be rebuilt."

Zhu Mingyue nodded upon hearing this: "Reconstruction is a minor matter; it will only take some time."

Wang Zongxiu led the person out, and the two spent half a day touring all the restaurants in the city.

Zhu Mingyue had also made up her mind.

"How is it?" Wang Zongxiu asked.

Zhu Mingyue pondered for a moment and shook her head, "I don't think either of them are quite suitable."

Wang Zongxiu was not surprised by this; in fact, he thought so too.

Zhu Mingyue then explained: "These restaurants are located in the middle of a bustling city. People come and go downstairs. Although it is lively, it lacks tranquility. The streets downstairs are not wide. A few carriages can be parked, but if there are too many carriages, there will be no place to park."

Wang Zongxiu wholeheartedly agreed: "This is indeed a big problem." As the acting manager, he was well aware of how successful Mingyue Tower's business was.

Not to mention the busiest time of the business, even on ordinary days, the open space outside the building is always full of horse-drawn carriages.

Fortunately, Mingyue Tower is located in the outskirts of the city, where there is a large space. It would be unbelievable if the restaurant were located in the city.

"And don't forget the story that helped Mingyue Tower rise to prominence," Zhu Mingyue reminded her at the opportune moment.

Wang Zongxiu was stunned for a moment, then smacked his thigh hard with his fan: "I was so confused, I completely forgot about this. To gaze at the moon over the river and think of someone while looking at the moon, there has to be a river. I was drawing water from the river, but when I got to the source, I completely forgot about drawing water from the river."

He pulled Zhu Mingyue's arm and helped her mount the horse: "In that case, let's not waste our time in the city, let's go straight to the outskirts and take a look."

Zhu Mingyue stood rooted to the spot in the snow, her dark pupils fixed on Wang Zongxiu.

Wang Zongxiu realized he had acted impulsively after being looked at like that.

He kicked at the snowflakes under his feet: "So what do you suggest we do next?"

A cold wind blew by, and Zhu Mingyue tightened her cloak. "I've already thought of a place I like."

"You've made up your mind so quickly?" Wang Zongxiu asked in surprise. "Did you already have someone in mind beforehand?"

"Where is it located? Is it in a remote area? Is the restaurant big? It still needs time to renovate."

Zhu Mingyue: "The location is in the suburbs, surrounded by tributaries of the Ji River. The scenery is beautiful. In spring, it will be an endless green field with wildflowers, and you can even see a peach orchard in the distance."

Just hearing the description made Wang Zongxiu yearn for it. The endless green fields were so enticing, and he couldn't believe how exhilarating it would be to ride a horse across them.

"Wow, this is fantastic! The location is superb!" Wang Zongxiu murmured in admiration.

Zhu Mingyue: "But..."

Wang Zongxiu suddenly came to his senses. What? There's a but?

Zhu Mingyue smiled slightly, "But that area is a wasteland."

Wang Zongxiu's voice rose several decibels: "What! There aren't any restaurants that can be taken over?"

Zhu Mingyue shook her head: "You are more familiar with Jizhou than I am, and you should also know that Jizhou's economy is average. There are so many restaurants in the city that they can't even keep up with the demand. Why would anyone spend a lot of money to build restaurants in the suburbs?"

He was no stranger to building restaurants on flat land. The restaurant in Guangyang County was designed and built by him after he bought the land, and the effect was indeed very good.

Xie Pei had taken him there on horseback before, and he still fondly remembered the breathtaking scenery of that place outside Jizhou.

It would be better to build the restaurant there than on a narrow street.

Wang Zongxiu was convinced of his idea in a short time, but he still had a concern: "Is that piece of land easy to buy?"

This was also Zhu Mingyue's concern. In other places, perhaps it would be easy to buy as long as one was willing to spend money, but Jizhou was different.

Not long ago, they were tricked by the governor of Jizhou, which can be considered as forming an enmity.

Normally, land purchases don't need to go through the governor's office, but the current situation in Jizhou is clearly abnormal.

The governor's office, a prestigious institution, is even eyeing the rice and grain of ordinary people. It seems that the income from land sales has long since bypassed the county magistrate and is now directly under its control.

"It's hard to buy, but how will we know if we don't try?" Zhu Mingyue laughed heartily. He really liked that place and didn't want to give up easily.

Seeing his insistence, Wang Zongxiu had nothing more to say, and declared, "If you're going to the yamen to handle some business, remember to call us. None of those people are good; it's definitely not safe for you to go alone."

"Okay, I understand," Zhu Mingyue replied.

The two parted ways thereafter.

Zhu Mingyue brought two jin of pork belly from the city and stewed it in an earthenware pot over a high fire after returning to the camp.

The broth in the pot was bubbling and boiling, and the air was filled with a strong aroma of meat.

He ladled out two bowls of soup and broth, and gave the rest to the guards who were suffering from the tantalizing aroma.

Everyone was happy to be able to eat real meat; if Zhong Kai hadn't been watching over things, it would have been snatched up by a swarm of people long ago.

Zhu Mingyue nodded to Zhong Kai and lifted the curtain.

Xie Pei was writing at his desk, and only half of his sharply defined profile could be seen.

Hearing the sound, he slightly raised his head and cast a glance at me.

"Are you busy?" Zhu Mingyue asked gently, holding the tray.

Xie Pei simply tossed the pen aside: "No rush."

As dusk fell outside, Zhu Mingyue placed the tray on the table, and the glistening, reddish-brown braised pork caught Xie Pei's eye.

"Your favorite food." Zhu Mingyue emphasized, her tone sounding like she was asking for credit.

Xie Pei glanced at the braised pork with interest, then smiled knowingly: "Thank you."

Zhu Mingyue: ...

That's all?

Why are you being so uncooperative today?

Helpless, Zhu Mingyue gritted her teeth and whispered in Xie Pei's ear, "Husband~"

Anyone who hears that "husband" would feel their heart melt, and Xie Pei was naturally unable to resist. His heart felt like it had been scratched by a cat's claw, and it was incredibly itchy.

She curled her fingers and tucked a strand of hair from Zhu Mingyue's forehead behind her ear, while also pinching her soft earlobe, which was blushing with embarrassment.

Having openly and brazenly taken advantage of the situation, he then slowly and deliberately asked, "So, what is it?"