Chapter 21, Section 21: My sister-in-law is nervous and scared...

The agonizing shame overwhelmed Jiang Ninghui like a tidal wave, her fingertips gripping the wooden basin turned white, and if she pressed any harder, her nails would break.

Young Master Pei once said that he had excellent hearing and could hear every subtle sound within a hundred feet by concentrating.

Separated by only a wall, he could hear the sounds of her and her lover making love without even having to concentrate.

Jiang Ninghui simply couldn't speak calmly with Young Master Pei.

She just wanted to shrink into her shell, letting the embarrassment and shame tightly bind her.

"Meow--"

A meow came from the roof, startling Jiang Ninghui, who heard the sound of a cat's paws stepping on the bricks and tiles.

Pei Duo glanced at the black cat walking across the rooftop: "Found it. It was this cat. It was meowing so loudly just now."

"Meow--"

Another meow rang out, this time shrill and chilling, sending shivers down one's spine.

Jiang Ninghui gripped the edge of the wooden basin tightly, a sliver of hope in her heart: "This cat was meowing outside for quite a while just now?"

Pei Duo looked at the woman with flushed cheeks, his dark, deep eyes filled with an almost imperceptible malice: "Yes, her shouting was really infuriating. Didn't your sister-in-law and Brother Zhao hear it inside?"

Jiang Ninghui lied guiltily: "I was talking to my husband just now and I wasn't paying attention."

Pei Duo: "Sister-in-law, do you want some hot water?"

Jiang Ninghui nodded slightly: "Mm."

She couldn't very well go back inside now, so she had no choice but to bite the bullet and come out. There was a lot of snow in the yard, and it made a clear crunching sound when she stepped on it. Jiang Ninghui went into the kitchen and saw that dinner was still warm in the pot.

The food in the pot looked exactly as she had just cooked it, untouched.

Jiang Ninghui peeked out of the kitchen and saw Young Master Pei about to enter the house. She asked in a low voice, "Young Master Pei, haven't you had dinner yet?"

Pei Duo turned around, his expression indifferent and flat: "I thought my sister-in-law hadn't made dinner."

Jiang Ninghui then remembered that at dusk, when she learned that her husband had gone to the tavern, she went back to her room and did not seem to have told Young Master Pei that there was a warm dinner in the pot.

Young Master Pei didn't even ask her.

Jiang Ninghui immediately felt a strong sense of guilt.

Young Master Pei treated her so well, giving her snacks and saving her time and time again, but she overlooked whether Young Master Pei had eaten dinner because she was angry with her husband.

How can you treat your savior like this?

Moreover, Young Master Pei also paid for the meals.

Either way, she shouldn't have done that.

Jiang Ninghui: "Young Master Pei, please wait a moment while I heat up the dinner."

She washed her hands, heated up the food and set it on the table. Her stomach growled twice at just the right moment, which Pei Duo, who was just entering the room, overheard: "Sister-in-law hasn't had dinner either, let's eat together."

Jiang Ninghui nodded slightly: "Mm."

The two sat facing each other by the window, with a dim kerosene lamp between them.

Jiang Ninghui was embarrassed because she had mistakenly thought that Young Master Pei had overheard her having sex with her husband in the room.

She didn't want to.

But she couldn't refuse her lover.

Every time she slept with her husband, she felt too ashamed to face him the next day. After all, this was the most private matter between husband and wife, but to have another man overhear it made her feel as if she had been stripped naked and was standing naked in front of him, with no privacy whatsoever.

There are still eight months left. The autumn imperial examination will be held in eight months. With Young Master Pei's talent, he will surely pass the exam. At that time, Young Master Pei should have his own residence.

Upon thinking of this, Jiang Ninghui's heart sank.

Eight months later, the autumn imperial examination will be held. If her beloved fails to be selected, her good days will be over.

Jiang Ninghui was lost in thought, and didn't even realize that she was chewing her food for a long time.

A young man's clear, gentle voice suddenly rang out in the quiet kitchen: "What are you thinking about, sister-in-law?"

Jiang Ninghui snapped out of her daze and quickly swallowed the food she had already chewed: "It's nothing."

She lowered her head to drink her soup, concealing the worry in her eyes.

Pei Duo lifted his thin eyelids, glanced at Jiang Ninghui whose head was almost buried in the bowl, and casually asked, "Did you and Brother Zhao have a good talk?"

Jiang Ninghui's ears burned again: "Let's talk it out."

Fortunately, the meowing of the cat earlier had interfered with Young Master Pei's hearing; otherwise, she would have been too ashamed to sit at the same table with him.

Pei Duo did not miss Jiang Ninghui's bright red ear tips and the guilty and shy look in her eyes.

At midday, she sat here, looking sad.

That evening, after being coaxed by that good-for-nothing for a few words, she was fine again.

The young man suddenly asked, "Sister-in-law, what do you think of Brother Zhao's treatment of you?"

Jiang Ninghui recalled the bits and pieces of the past six months since her marriage to Zhao Zhixue. Apart from today's unpleasantness, every day before was much, much better than her days in the Jiang family...

Jiang Ninghui's beautiful eyes lit up with a smile: "My husband treats me very well. He once praised me for being virtuous and kind-hearted, considerate to him, and knowing his needs. He said that once he passes the imperial examination, he will let me live a life of ease where I never have to lift a finger."

She didn't crave such a wonderful life.

She only prayed that her husband would have a smooth journey and pass the imperial examination with flying colors, so that she could live out the rest of her life in peace.

Pei Duo lowered his eyes, a deep, dark sarcasm lurking in the corners of his eyes and brows.

Listen to those beautiful words.

Unfortunately, they were all fake.

Zhao Zhixue didn't say that to him. In his words, this woman was good for nothing except for her pretty face.

The young man looked at the smile on Jiang Ninghui's face, his dark pupils narrowing slightly for a moment.

If she knew what Zhao Zhixue was really thinking, would she cry again?

After having dinner, Jiang Ninghui cleaned up the room before bringing in some hot water.

Zhao Zhixue was already fast asleep. Jiang Ninghui dampened a towel and wiped his cheeks and palms. The warm touch made the drunken Zhao Zhixue subconsciously grasp his palms and unconsciously wrap his hands around Jiang Ninghui's slender white fingertips.

"My wife."

Hearing her husband calling her from his sleep, Jiang Ninghui felt a warmth in her heart: "My husband, I'm here."

Yesterday it snowed heavily, and when I woke up the next morning, everything in the world was covered in white snow, except for the thick snow piled up in the corner of the yard.

Jiang Ninghui knew that it was Young Master Pei who cleaned it.

She didn't know when Young Master Pei had cleaned the courtyard, and she hadn't heard a sound at all.

When Jiang Ninghui reached the kitchen door, she glanced back at Young Master Pei's room.

The doors and windows are closed. I wonder if Young Master Pei has gotten up yet.

Zhao Zhixue got up after breakfast was prepared. Perhaps because he was drunk last night, his temples were a little sore today, and memories of returning from outside with Pei Duo last night came flooding back.

He was truly drunk and had lost his mind, actually telling Pei Duo that his wife was bad in every way.

If his wife finds out about this, she'll probably give him a good scolding.

However, having known Pei Duo for over a decade and been his neighbor for just as long, he knew the man quite well.

He is not one to engage in gossip or slander.

After breakfast, Zhao Zhixue and Pei Duo went to the school.

After cleaning up the pots and pans, Jiang Ninghui went to Young Master Pei's room to light the charcoal fire in the brazier.

She lingered by the charcoal brazier, enjoying the rare warmth of winter, until she heard Mu Hua's voice outside before finally going out.

"Sister-in-law Mu, what's wrong?"

Jiang Ninghui opened the courtyard gate and saw Sister Mu with her sleeves rolled up, her hands wet.

Mu Hua smiled and said, "I took a job washing clothes for three days, but there are too many clothes for me to wash by myself. So I came to ask if you would like to wash them with me. We can earn twenty coins after washing all these clothes, and we can split it 50/50. What do you think, young lady?"

Jiang Ninghui's almond-shaped eyes brightened slightly.

She has never personally experienced what it feels like to earn money since she was a child.

She wanted to repay Young Master Pei with her meager efforts, but she couldn't even offer a decent token of gratitude. She owed Young Master Pei more and more. If she could earn these ten coins, she could use them to do something to repay Young Master Pei for saving her life and for his kindness in giving her the pastries.

Jiang Ninghui was naturally willing.

The two of them used ice water to wash their clothes, and didn't bother to boil hot water.

Unlike the countryside, firewood in this town is bought with coins. Jiang Ninghui washed her hands all morning, and they were so cold that she couldn't feel them. She had to warm them in front of the stove for a long time before they warmed up while cooking at noon.

My hands were terribly cold, but my heart was warm.

Thinking about those ten coins, I felt full of energy.

At the dinner table, Zhao Zhixue and Pei Duo talked about what happened at school that day. They heard that Liang's father went to the school that morning to ask several people who were on good terms with Liang Wentao, hoping to find out if there was any trace of Liang Wentao.

Zhao Zhixue was very puzzled: "Where exactly did Liang Wentao go?"

Jiang Ninghui kept her head down, not letting her husband see the panic and fear in her eyes.

She knew that Liang Wentao was afraid that she and Pei Gongzi would report him to the authorities, so he went into hiding. But she couldn't let her husband know about this. She even prayed that Liang Wentao wouldn't come back for the next two years.

She was afraid that if Liang Wentao came back, she would be kidnapped by him again one day.

Pei Duo lifted his eyes, his gaze sweeping lightly over the woman whose fingers were gripping the chopsticks tightly.

He could sense the fear she was trying so hard to hide beneath her calm exterior.

She was nervous and scared.

The young man put down his chopsticks and glanced at Jiang Ninghui's hand holding them again, keenly noticing that her hand was different from usual.

Her originally fair and delicate hands were now an unnatural red.

It's like being soaked in cold water for a long time.

Pei Duo glanced at the firewood piled up in front of the stove, which he had sent over a few days ago. There were no clothes or bedding drying in the yard.

Sister-in-law—what trouble have you caused yourself this time?

A note from the author:

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There's a red envelope in this chapter!

Pei Duo: I feel sorry for my sister-in-law