Chapter 231: Chapter 231

After today’s inspection work was completed, Pei Shu’er took a rest.

She was quite lucky tonight. She originally went up the mountain for relaxation, but unexpectedly found a hawthorn tree on Gulan Mountain, with red hawthorns.

She immediately picked some of the hawthorns, put them in a small basket.

The weather was extremely hot now, and Tang Zan trained hard. She also felt somewhat wilted.

So she simply took out the dried smoked plums and cinnamon she had prepared before, added some white sugar from the space, and made a pot of sour plum soup.

While he wasn’t back yet, she specially chilled it with well water.

Upon hearing the familiar footsteps, Pei Shu’er quickly turned around and saw that Tang Zan indeed entered, his whole body exuding heat, and his face didn’t look good.

She waved to him hastily, her eyebrows soft, and her voice sweet.

"You’re back? I just made sour plum soup today, especially chilled it for you to relieve the heat, you must be exhausted after training all day. Come over, see how it tastes!"

Tang Zan looked directly at her, his face tense, and his dark eyes held a cool indifference.

He didn’t speak, nor did he move, just watched her like that.

Seeing this left Pei Shu’er puzzled, and the smile on her face faded a bit.

She showed a look of confusion, guessing that he might have encountered something outside today.

This villain was just , keeping everything bottled up inside.

He wasn’t as bad as she imagined, yet always maintained a frighteningly stern face.

She sighed, then carried a bowl of sour plum soup over to Tang Zan.

Handing the sour plum soup to his lips, her smile returned again.

"Why aren’t you talking? I made this especially for you, okay? Quickly, have a taste."

Tang Zan lowered his gaze, his eyes falling on her face.

Her eyes were sparkling and curved like crescent moons when she smiled.

Beneath them lay a clear gaze, looking at him as if her entire world revolved around him.

She was still just as gentle as before.

It’s really hard to imagine that the person responsible for bringing the Prince Zhan Mansion to such a state could be someone with such gentle eyes.

Tang Zan’s Adam’s apple bobbed, but he neither moved nor spoke.

Seeing his reaction, Pei Shu’er raised an eyebrow at him, "Take it yourself, or do you want me to feed you?"

Tang Zan’s mouth twitched, feeling waves of anger and sorrow in his heart, like surging waves.

He really wanted to question her about why she did all this.

Were those pieces of evidence forged by others?

But when he looked into Pei Shu’er’s clear black-and-white eyes, the questions he wanted to voice just couldn’t come out.

Pei Shu’er smiled and urged, "Quick, have a taste. Whatever’s bothering you, a sip of this sour plum soup will make it all disappear. Forget it, you haven’t even washed your hands. Open your mouth."

Perhaps it was Pei Shu’er’s pleasing words, or her captivating smile, that made Tang Zan open his mouth, wanting to say something.

Pei Shu’er tiptoed and actually fed the sour plum soup into his mouth.

Her tone was somewhat complaining, "Lower your head a bit, my arm’s getting sore."

The sour and sweet, with a hint of coolness, spread across his lips and tongue, like a refreshing rain instantly dousing the surging anger in his heart.

It also regained some of his rationality.

Indeed, as she said, it really helped fend off the heat.

Noticing his dazed expression, Pei Shu’er snorted lightly.

"Hold it yourself, my arm is really too sore holding it ."

Tang Zan was too tall!

If it were in modern times, he would probably be around six feet two inches tall.

And her current height wasn’t even five foot three.

In front of him, she was really short, making it really hard to feed him.

When Tang Zan reached to take the sour plum soup, only then did Pei Shu’er release her hold, lightly shaking her wrist.

She hadn’t noticed that when their fingertips inadvertently touched earlier, the man’s body had stiffened for a moment.

She didn’t look back at him anymore, but planned to prepare dinner, talking about her dinner plans while busying herself.

"What do you want for dinner? It’s terribly hot right now, so I think you might not have much appetite. How about I make a cold noodle salad and some vinegar-fried cabbage? I’ve had someone from the back mountain send the ingredients." The most update n0vels are published on NoveI~Fire.net

"And then a drink to go with the sour plum soup. Does that sound good? If there’s anything else you want to eat, just let me know now."

After saying this, Pei Shu’er lightly patted the small stove built with blue bricks in front of her, with a mischievous glance like a little fox, with a hint of pride.

"This is the little stove I built, see if it works well."

Listening to her words and seeing her proud expression, Tang Zan’s heart slightly trembled.

And then he couldn’t help but ridicule himself. Even after knowing that Pei Shu’er was the culprit behind the near ruin of the Prince Zhan Mansion, even then, her actions still stirred his emotions.

After finishing the bowl of soup, Tang Zan looked at Pei Shu’er with deep eyes.

Pei Shu’er tilted her head curiously, "Tang Zan, do you have something to tell me?"

Tang Zan opened his mouth, then shook his head.

Pei Shu’er didn’t ask him anything further.

That whole evening, the two of them did not have any further interaction, and after dinner, Pei Shu’er sat by the bed reading a book, while Tang Zan sat beside her without uttering a word.

When bedtime came, Pei Shu’er washed up, turned off the lights, and lay down on the bed.

Just before dozing off, she suddenly thought of the new additions to the tent, and softly began to explain.

"The city walls will soon be built. Once done, we’ll return to the Deserted Mountain. In your tent, I’ve placed some snacks, all homemade dry tofu, and some pickled vegetables like spicy cabbage."

"You need to eat the dry tofu quickly, or it’ll spoil over time and won’t be as pleasant."

Seeing Tang Zan remain silent, she assumed he had fallen asleep.

Pei Shu’er tentatively asked, "Tang Zan, did you hear me?"

Tang Zan gave a muffled "mm," and Pei Shu’er continued her instructions.

"As for your leg, apply for a month’s leave with General Zhao, and I’ll treat it for you. I observed it yesterday, it’s ready for surgery."

Inside, Tang Zan’s heart ached. Pei Shu’er caused his entire family to be imprisoned, exiled, and now she says this? Does she want to make amends?

But no matter how much she recompensed, they could never return to Prince Zhan Mansion.

His father had been publicly executed in front of the citizens, rendering the War God, no matter how mighty, just a part of history now.

Pei Shu’er saw Tang Zan not speaking, remembering in the original story how sensitive he was, especially about his leg.

Pei Shu’er smiled, "Don’t worry, trust in my medical skills."

Tang Zan took a deep breath, nodded, "Okay."

Seeing the lukewarm response from Tang Zan, Pei Shu’er finished her explanations, yawned, and drowsily said.

She nestled her head against the pillow, soon letting out her gentle breaths in slumber.

Tang Zan, meanwhile, lay on the ground with troubled thoughts throughout the night.

In the dim light, he watched the sleeping Pei Shu’er nearby, genuinely contemplating the thought of strangling her.

But each time this thought emerged, his heart was overwhelmed with pain.

Tang Zan does hate Pei Shu’er, wishing to choke her to death.

However, deep inside, his heart tells him that he can’t bring himself to do it.