Chapter 45: A Fortunate Purse Cannot Buy Tent Comfort

Inside the tent, just as Chu Chen finished zipping it up, he caught the sound of a faint rustle.

"Could it be a wild beast?" he muttered, instantly reaching for his pistol.

As the sound drew closer, it unmistakably resembled footsteps.

He called out cautiously, "Who's there? Creeping around like that."

"Chu Chen, it's me, Sister Xiufang. How on earth can you be sleeping out here in the dead of winter?"

Recognizing the voice as Gu Xiufang's, a wave of suspicion washed over Chu Chen: Could this woman be stalking me? Am I really just that devastatingly handsome?

Out here in the wilderness, with the entire village fast asleep, you really shouldn't...

Otherwise, how is young master here supposed to keep his composure?

So he asked, "Sister Xiufang, what brings you all the way out here? Can't sleep either?"

"Not really. I saw you had guests at your place tonight, so I thought I'd check in. Given your setup, I figured I'd ask Qinglian to squeeze in with me."

"Then I saw you sneaking out and followed you, thinking you had a perfectly good bed at home yet came out here to pull some sneaky stunt."

Against a married woman like Gu Xiufang, Chu Chen felt utterly defenseless.

Her tactics were simply too ruthless; she'd veer into the fast lane without the slightest warning.

And this wasn't even a slow-moving school bus; it was hurtling past all boundaries completely unchecked.

Yet, remembering the sight of Gu Xiufang's damp hair the other day, Chu Chen felt a subtle physiological shift within him.

"Ah, I see. I was planning to share a tent with Huzi, but that guy snores and farts nonstop."

"The night is so lovely, I thought I'd come out to admire the moon and do some camping."

While they spoke, Gu Xiufang had already reached the exterior of the tent.

Eyeing the little dwelling before her, she remarked, "You're a refined young man, how could you possibly share a tight space with a rough brute like Huzi? Besides, what on earth is camping? Isn't it freezing in the middle of winter?"

With that, she reached out to yank open the tent flap.

Damn it, woman, don't tear my tent apart!

Resigned, Chu Chen unzipped the tent.

Gu Xiufang waltzed right in as if she owned the place, flopping down directly beside him.

"Oh, it's surprisingly spacious in here, and it's not cold at all! This little house is fantastic."

Chu Chen groaned inwardly. Out here in the wilderness, was this woman genuinely oblivious or playing dumb on purpose?

"Sister Xiufang, aren't you afraid of what I might do, just barging in like this?"

"What's there to be afraid of? Plenty of women would kill for the chance. It's just that, well, you know my situation—I'm not worthy of you."

Chu Chen thought to himself: Someone like you, dropped into modern society, would be infinitely more sought-after than any young maiden.

In times like these, you wouldn't even secure a match without hundreds of thousands in bride wealth, and a single night's experience would easily start at three thousand.

"Sister Xiufang knows you've been taking care of me—giving me money, grain, and paying me wages. I never knew how to repay you, so since fate brought us together, just let sister..."

In the dim light, Gu Xiufang dropped her usual boisterous demeanor and looked at Chu Chen with complete sincerity.

"No, Sister, you're a good woman, but you also know I can't offer you any official status. Helping you was nothing more than a drop in the ocean for me, so please don't take it to heart."

"There are plenty of good women in this world, but sister appreciates you, and I don't need any title. Am I really not pretty enough?"

Without another word, Gu Xiufang pushed Chu Chen back onto the air mattress.

Damn it, anyone who says she isn't pretty enough is going to have to fight me.

Surrounded by Gu Xiufang's intoxicating fragrance, Chu Chen gradually found his resistance crumbling.

He casually pulled a small foil packet from his side pocket.

Looking at Gu Xiufang, he confirmed one last time, "Are you truly certain you don't mind? I can't give you any status, and moreover, we must keep this entirely between us."

"Why are you stalling so much? Usually, you've got an answer for everything. Don't tell me you can't actually perform?"

Just like that, Gu Xiufang seemed to snap right back to her usual unfiltered self.

On the back mountain of Mashan Village, the yellowish lantern light finally flickered out.

After a brief internal struggle, Chu Chen accepted reality.

The arrow was notched on the bowstring; it had to be loosed.

If he kept hesitating, the readers wouldn't stand for it, and frankly, even the author couldn't bear to watch any longer.

A pale moonlight washed over the tranquil little mountain village.

Yet beneath that tranquility, the night was far from peaceful—insects hummed, birds chirped, and midnight blossoms unfurled in full bloom amidst the winter chill.

Roughly an hour later, everything finally settled back into stillness.

That night, Chu Chen slept exceptionally soundly.

The first bark of morning broke the lake-like stillness of the little mountain village.

Chu Chen opened his eyes.

Naturally, the noisy hound was none other than Uncle Feng the Second's big yellow dog.

At that moment, it was guarding its empty bowl, eyeing the chicken feed in the pen with longing.

Well, a country-bred mongrel raised in the village never knew the meaning of being a picky eater.

Noticing the empty space beside him, Chu Chen couldn't help but smile knowingly.

He strolled leisurely back home and called out to the three women inside, "Time to get up! The sun's already high in the sky."

The three women stirred and woke up. It seemed they had kept their beloved man somewhat short on sleep the previous night.

Just look at them, waking up at the crack of dawn to make a fuss—they definitely hadn't slept well last night.

"Qinglian, you're always the earliest riser."

Chu Chen greeted her with a smile.

"Not at all. The two younger sisters were probably sleeping in a mountain village for the very first time, so they tossed and turned and woke up a bit late. They'll get used to it soon enough."

Li Qinglian replied, making excuses for the other two out of fear that Chu Chen might scold them for sleeping in.

Ever since Chu Chen's household grew prosperous, that stray big yellow dog used for his experiments always showed up punctually at meal times.

Li Qinglian didn't mind it either.

After Xiaofang finished cooking breakfast, Li Qinglian scooped a portion for the hound, which wagged its tail and wolfed it down noisily.

Then, Li Qinglian tossed some feed into the wild boar pen before finally returning to eat her own breakfast.

"Look at that, Husband. That big yellow dog is so greedy, eating out of its own bowl while staring longingly at the wild boar pen."

That single remark nearly made Chu Chen spit out the noodles he was chewing.

No matter how you twisted that sentence in your head, it just sounded wrong.

Too embarrassed to offer a reply, Chu Chen simply gave the hound a benevolent, friendly look.

After the meal, Chu Chen assigned Luo Yi to the workshop, briefing her on the workforce size and the monthly wages per person.

Coupled with the monthly transaction records, such basic arithmetic was a breeze for the literate Luo Yi to handle.

And just like that, Chu Chen slipped comfortably back into the role of a completely hands-off boss.

Faintly, he found himself looking forward to the arrival of nightfall all over again.

That tent was worth more than a king's ransom.

The construction of the house was proceeding methodically, with the main framework long since completed.

What remained were the specific interior finishes requested by Chu Chen.

Changwei would easily pass as a master architect in modern society, and he grasped Chu Chen's unconventional specifications instantly.

Therefore, Chu Chen didn't need to micromanage.

The problems he needed to tackle right now were modern furniture and his long-coveted solar power equipment.

It seemed he would have to find an opportunity to slip out and "purchase" those items to stock his spatial storage.