Chapter 134 Staying in Jizhou
Zhu Mingyue immediately confessed: "Do you still remember the place where you took me to learn to ride horses last year?"
Xie Pei immediately understood and reminded him, "That's the outskirts of the city."
"The countryside is better."
Although its location is remote, it has advantages that bustling areas lack. The beautiful scenery alone surpasses that of restaurants in the city.
Moreover, Mingyuelou's dishes are not cheap to begin with, and its target audience is not the majority of the city's residents. Locating it in a bustling area would be futile.
The bowl of food was still steaming. He picked up a piece of braised pork and put it into Xie Pei's bowl. "Eat it while it's hot. The meat won't taste good when it gets cold."
Xie Pei put the meat in his mouth, squinted his eyes, and looked quite pleased.
Seeing this, Zhu Mingyue raised her chin and continued to boast, "Isn't it delicious!"
"Mm." Xie Pei nodded, a hint of a smile flashing in his eyes.
Immediately afterwards, a piece of meat was offered to Zhu Mingyue's mouth. He glanced down and saw that it was pure lean meat with the fat removed. He then opened his mouth and put it in.
Zhu Mingyue chewed and swallowed, and was about to speak when...
Xie Pei suddenly spoke up: "That piece of land is not feasible for now; we can wait a bit longer."
Zhu Mingyue knew that opening a restaurant in Jizhou was not something that could be accomplished overnight. Haste makes waste. Part of his initial purpose in coming to Jizhou was for Xie Pei, so he was not in a hurry and was willing to wait.
He still had some doubts, "Why not for now?"
Xie Pei fed him another bite of rice with soup on it and patiently explained, "This land is under the jurisdiction of Luoshui County, and the county magistrate is one of Wang Youzhong's men."
"Who is Wang Youzhong?" Zhu Mingyue asked.
Xie Pei said calmly, "Prefect of Jizhou."
So the governor of Jizhou was named Wang Youzhong? He couldn't help but recall vaguely hearing someone mention him in front of the butcher shop that day, something about an official being inhumane and so on. It wasn't a nice thing to say, but he remembered it after hearing it only once.
It's rare for commoners to dare curse a prefectural governor in the street. It seems Wang Zongxiu wasn't exaggerating; this corrupt official did indeed commit many immoral acts in Jizhou.
Zhu Mingyue pursed her lips: "This Prefect Wang must be very vengeful, right?"
Xie Pei curled his lips into a smile: "Wang Youzhong is a greedy man. He has only one purpose in controlling land transactions."
Zhu Mingyue's eyes lit up, and she quickly replied, "To make money!"
Xie Pei's eyes were full of doting affection. He wiped the rice grains off the corner of his mouth and then fed him another bite.
"He holds grudges, but he loves money even more, and you are both an enemy and a source of wealth for him."
Zhu Mingyue's cheeks were wrapped up like a little hamster's, and she trembled upon hearing this.
He was mistaken. He had been thinking that Wang Youzhong wanted money, so he could just give it to him. It would only cost him a little more money, but he could afford it.
Fortunately, Xie Pei's words woke him up.
If you're just an eyesore but a delicious piece of fatty meat in someone else's eyes, and you're willing to offer yourself up, you'll definitely be eaten up without even leaving a scrap of oil.
Wang Youzhong was so greedy that he tried every means to exploit even ordinary people who ran small businesses. Wouldn't someone like him be even worse off?
He does have Xie Pei behind him, so they might not be able to harm him personally.
But people can resort to crooked means, such as threatening high-ranking officials and wealthy households in the city not to patronize Mingyue Tower, or sending government soldiers to cause trouble.
In the end, the restaurant will eventually go out of business, and it might even end up benefiting him.
"I'm not going to drive anymore." Zhu Mingyue slid to her knees decisively after she had made up her mind. "After a while, when the snow melts and the weather gets warmer, I will take Wang Zongxiu and the others back to Ganzhou."
It's still more comfortable to stay in your own little corner of the world.
Xie Pei's hand holding the chopsticks suddenly tightened: "You're going back?"
Zhu Mingyue nodded: "Yes, I'll go back in a while."
"If the restaurant opens, will you still go back?" Xie Pei asked in a deep voice.
Zhu Mingyue thought for a moment, "From the construction of the restaurant to its opening, everything requires someone to handle it."
That means I'm not going back.
Xie Pei suddenly felt a little depressed. Was his status in Zhu Mingyue's eyes even lower than that of the restaurant?
Seeing the person in front of him talking so eloquently and carefree made Xie Pei instantly deflate.
He stretched out his long arm and pulled the person into his arms. "Then you can stay in Jizhou and give me some more time, okay?"
Zhu Mingyue was speaking enthusiastically when, in the blink of an eye, she was pulled onto someone's lap.
He shifted his position, finding a more comfortable spot to lean against Xie Pei. "Could it be that you can handle this?"
Xie Pei scratched his lower back. "Trust me, it will be no later than a few months."
A fierce glint flashed in Xie Pei's eyes. If it weren't for the fact that Wang Youzhong could still profit from being allowed to remain, he would have already secretly dealt with the man.
However, Wang Youzhong was nothing more than a puppet. If one Wang Youzhong was gone, the court would simply send out a second one. Before the matter was settled, all efforts were in vain.
Zhu Mingyue's eyes lit up with a mischievous glint in her eyes: "Then I'll go back to Ganzhou first and wait for your good news."
Xie Pei: ...
His desire to kill Wang Youzhong suddenly reached its peak.
Xie Pei frowned: "You're not allowed to leave."
Hehe! Zhu Mingyue winked playfully and reached out to hug his neck: "Are you reluctant to let me go?"
Xie Pei has always been frank about this matter.
“Hmm,” he tightened his throat, “I can’t bear to part with him.” Then he stared at him intently.
Zhu Mingyue pondered for a moment, as if she had made a very difficult decision: "Since you can't bear to part with me, I will reluctantly stay for a while longer."
Xie Pei's brows relaxed instantly.
"However, the restaurant can't open for the time being, so Wang Zongxiu and the others have to go back. It's almost the start of the new year, and the restaurant can't afford to be short-handed."
Xie Pei paused for a moment, as if considering something, before saying, "Tell them to keep a close watch on things when they return to Ganzhou. If there is any disturbance in the capital, they should immediately close the restaurant."
Zhu Mingyue's expression turned serious. Xie Pei clearly knew something, but his unwillingness to reveal it meant that revealing it would not benefit him. Naturally, Zhu Mingyue would not ask questions; she would simply listen to his advice.
“Okay, I will talk to him,” Zhu Mingyue agreed.
Xie Pei wanted to feed him more, but Zhu Mingyue burped and patted his stomach, saying, "I'm full."
After saying that, he hugged Xie Pei's neck and kissed him, leaving a greasy lip print on Xie Pei's face.
After doing her mischief, Zhu Mingyue happily ran away.
Xie Pei watched the carefree figure disappear into the distance, then touched the oil on his face with his fingertips, unsure whether to wipe it off or not, feeling somewhat helpless.
The snow fell for several days at a time.
After the snow cleared and the winter snow melted, Zhu Mingyue stood at the city gate, leading her horse.
"Shopkeeper, are you really not coming back to Ganzhou with us?" Guan Jing asked before leaving the city. This was the umpteenth time he had asked this question today.
Zhu Mingyue smiled and said, "No, you must be careful on your journey. I made some fried pancakes for you, filled with meat. Make sure they are heated up before eating."
Wang Zongxiu walked over, holding the reins, and sighed with a worried look on his face: "We came all this way for nothing, and we still haven't found a location for the restaurant."
They even took the shopkeeper to Jizhou.
Wu Shan turned around and retorted, "Boss, it wasn't a complete waste of time. I've even fattened up a bit."
Spending the New Year in Jizhou was truly comfortable. With brothers gathered around, there was no worry about food, drink, clothing, or shelter. Life was so pleasant. Now that I have to go back, I'm actually a little reluctant to leave.
Wang Zongxiu shoved a white steamed bun into his mouth, "Shut up!"
He chuckled at Zhu Mingyue. He had come to Jizhou on paid leave but had done nothing but take a vacation. He had to pretend to express his regret before leaving.
Zhu Mingyue had no idea what he was planning. After seeing the person off, she rode back to camp.
Xie Pei seems to be busy with endless matters every day lately. Zhu Mingyue never takes the initiative to ask about it, but when he is so engrossed in his work that he forgets to eat or sleep, she will bring him a bowl of hot soup and a thick coat.
When Xie Pei gets busy, there are times when he can't take care of him, so he has learned to entertain himself.
Recently, I've become fascinated with grinding ink for Xie Pei. At first, I just clumsily tried to imitate the ink-grinding scenes from TV dramas, but after Xie Pei reminded me, I realized there's a lot more to it than meets the eye.
He learned a skill on a whim, but it would be a waste if he couldn't find a place to use it. So, Xie Pei had a little assistant by his side when he worked.
Fortunately, Xie Pei did not resist; on the contrary, she was happy to do so. When she had a spare moment, she would touch her little hands and gently stroke her little face, as if all her fatigue would be swept away.
Guan Shao had met him a few times, and although he didn't say it, he was secretly filled with envy.
"Xie Pei, you're really lucky. In the whole army, how many people can get the same treatment as you?"
Xie Pei smiled and shook his head slightly.
"What? Did I say something wrong?" Guan Shao laughed.
Xie Pei rarely spoke up to explain: "No."
Guan Shao asked in confusion, "Nothing?"
Xie Pei was in a good mood, raised an eyebrow, and stopped answering.
From Xie Pei's smug face, Guan Shao instantly understood what he meant.
This is blatant showing off!
He snorted: "Don't get too cocky, kid. Watch your step. The rumors about you in the army have reached my ears."
Of course, some people may have done this intentionally, but the fact remains that Xie Pei and Zhu Mingyue's affair was real.
Xie Pei's expression froze for a moment, but quickly returned to normal.
"What's wrong? Feeling stifled?" Guan Shao teased him a couple of times, feeling much better. "If you ask me, your relationship isn't exactly a rumor. Even if I teach those gossiping people a lesson, it's only a temporary fix. In my opinion, it's better to be open and honest, and not let people talk behind your backs."
Xie Pei remained silent, his gaze sweeping across the outside of the tent, lost in thought.
...
After seeing Wang Zongxiu and the others off, Zhu Mingyue returned from outside, carrying a knife of mutton in her hand, and seemed to be in a fairly good mood.
Upon learning that Xie Pei was not in the camp, he was slightly surprised and went to stew mutton.
As noon approached, Xie Pei did not appear, but instead a strange face appeared before them.
The newcomer had an unusually rugged appearance and was tall, over eight feet, but appeared to be slightly shorter than Xie Pei.
"You're General Xie's sister-in-law?"
The man seemed to have come specifically for him, looking down at him with disdain.
Zhu Mingyue didn't know who the visitor was. Although she already felt uncomfortable, she chose not to cause Xie Peitian any trouble, so she replied calmly, "Yes. May I ask who you are?"
"He Dayong, Commandant of the Central Army." His tone remained arrogant.
Zhu Mingyue's lips twitched, and she replied dryly, "Oh."
The mutton soup in the pot was bubbling and releasing an enticing aroma.
He Dayong sniffed the garlic, then glanced at the mutton soup casually. "What the hell did you cook?"
Zhu Mingyue replied to him: "Soup."
He Dayong: "What time is it now?"
Zhu Mingyue didn't answer him, but instead asked, "Lord He, are you looking for General Xie?"
He Dayong's face stiffened for a moment. "It's alright."
Look for it if you want, or leave if you don't. It doesn't matter.
"Since it's alright, why don't you come another day, Lord He? It's almost noon, and we can't delay your lunch."
"you!"
He Dayong, unable to get anywhere, became somewhat exasperated. He finally lowered his head and was willing to look this quick-witted fellow in the eye.
Her skin was as fair and tender as a woman's, her almond-shaped eyes were round and bright, and her small mouth was full and red...
He Dayong's eyes were full of contempt, which made him even more certain of his guess.
Xie Pei's mother not only likes men, but she also slept with her own sister-in-law!
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