Chapter 23, Part 23: Pei Duo: Sister-in-law, tell me, who bullied you...?

Jiang Ninghui went to Pei Duo's room to light a charcoal fire, but did not spread out the sheet of Xuan paper.

She put the Xuan paper away and then went over to tell Sister Mu about boiling water for washing clothes.

Upon hearing this, Sister Mu also said, "In that case, I will also give Young Master Pei a sesame cake as a token of my gratitude."

As dusk fell, Jiang Ninghui prepared dinner and, as usual, waited outside the courtyard for her husband to return with a kerosene lamp.

The alley was covered in snow, and the eaves and branches were also weighed down with thick snow.

The young man, dressed in a dark blue robe, strolled through the vast snowy night. He looked at the woman outside the courtyard carrying a kerosene lamp, stood on tiptoe and gazed expectantly at her lover. When she saw him, the woman's almond-shaped eyes curved slightly, and a faint smile appeared on her beautiful face.

"Young Master Pei, will my husband still be two quarters of an hour late?"

Pei Duo nodded: "Mm."

The young man subtly observed the subtle expressions on Jiang Ninghui's face, his handsome brows lifting slightly for a moment.

It seemed that my sister-in-law hadn't opened the sheet of Xuan paper.

They did not uncover his secret.

What a pity.

He was curious to see if his sister-in-law could still be as calm and peaceful as she was now when she discovered his secret.

Jiang Ninghui turned around and went to the kitchen.

Just as Young Master Pei said, the young master did not return until 15 minutes later.

After dinner, Zhao Zhixue sat at his desk reviewing his lessons. Jiang Ninghui brewed him a pot of hot water, walked behind him, and massaged his shoulders and neck. Zhao Zhixue sighed comfortably, turned around, hugged Jiang Ninghui, buried his face in her lower abdomen, and inhaled her faint fragrance.

Jiang Ninghui raised her hand and gently massaged Zhao Zhixue's temples with her fingertips, asking, "Is something troubling you, my lord?"

Zhao Zhixue closed his eyes, his tone revealing a hint of frustration: "I didn't quite understand what the Master taught me today, and there are some things I can't grasp."

Jiang Ninghui paused, about to suggest consulting Young Master Pei, but then remembered that her husband had been angry with her yesterday because she had mentioned Young Master Pei, so she dismissed the idea and said softly, "Take it slow, I believe my husband can do it."

Zhao Zhixue sighed inwardly.

How wonderful it would be if his wife had a lucky birth chart and was also talented.

In this way, he could also discuss things with his wife.

Two days later, Jiang Ninghui and Sister-in-law Mu finished washing the clothes. On the fourth day, after the clothes were dried, Jiang Ninghui and Sister-in-law Mu folded them and Sister-in-law Mu delivered them to the master's house, while Jiang Ninghui stayed at home to help Sister-in-law Mu take care of the children.

Sister-in-law Mu said she would be back in half an hour at most.

Jiang Ninghui waited for a full hour before Sister-in-law Mu finally arrived.

As soon as Sister Mu entered the door, she exclaimed loudly, "Madam Jiang, something terrible has happened in Qingping Town! Several people have died, and one of them is someone we both know!"

Jiang Ninghui didn't know many people in the town.

Moreover, these are people she knew from the same time as Sister Mu.

It seemed that apart from Pei Duo, there was no one else...

Jiang Ninghui instinctively thought something had happened to Young Master Pei. Her face paled, her lips trembled, and she asked in a low voice, "Who is it?"

Sister-in-law Mu: "Liang Wentao!"

Jiang Ninghui suddenly breathed a sigh of relief.

fine.

Thankfully, it wasn't Young Master Pei.

For a moment, she was stunned again, somewhat incredulous: "Sister Mu, are you saying that Liang Wentao... is dead?"

Mu Hua: "That's right. I was delivering clothes to a rich family when I came back and heard a lot of people talking about it on the street. Mr. Liang, the father of the Liang family's small restaurant in Qingping Town, found a cellar in the woodshed in the backyard of their restaurant. The cellar was burned black. Mr. Liang and the restaurant's servants found four charred remains in the cellar. One of the remains had Liang Wentao's personal jade pendant on it. Mr. Liang has already reported it to the authorities. This matter has spread throughout the entire Qingping Town."

Jiang Ninghui's heart sank suddenly, and a sense of panic and helplessness surged through her body.

She thought Liang Wentao was afraid she would report him to the authorities with Pei Gongzi, so he temporarily left Qingping Town to avoid trouble.

I never imagined he would die.

Liang Wentao, along with three burly men, matched exactly with the four remains in the cellar.

How could they all have been burned to death in the cellar?

What happened between the four of them in the cellar after she and Young Master Pei left that day?

Upon hearing Sister Mu say that the government was now thoroughly investigating the case, Jiang Ninghui felt as if she had been thrown into a layer of freezing ice. The chill instantly permeated her entire body, and even her fingertips trembled from the cold.

If the authorities find out about her and Young Master Pei, even if they didn't harm Liang Wentao, they will still be held accountable for having been to the cellar.

Young Master Pei saved her out of kindness.

He's not even twenty yet; he has a bright future ahead of him and shouldn't be dragged down by her.

Mu Hua was preoccupied with figuring out who did it and didn't notice Jiang Ninghui's unusual behavior.

Jiang Ninghui pursed her dry, trembling lips, got up and told Mu Hua to go back. Mu Hua put ten coins into her palm.

This was the first time in her more than ten years of life that she had earned money.

At this moment, there was no joy, only bottomless fear and worry.

She feared the authorities would find her and Young Master Pei.

She was worried that she would jeopardize the future of Young Master Pei and her husband.

Jiang Ninghui was filled with regret. Why did she go to the ferry that day? If she hadn't gone, none of this would have happened.

If she had stayed at home every day and never left, she wouldn't be in this predicament today.

Jiang Ninghui sat blankly in the kitchen all morning, listening to the footsteps passing by outside the courtyard. She was like a frightened bird, fearing that the government officials would come to her door.

This continued until noon. She prepared lunch and waited anxiously outside the courtyard for her husband and Young Master Pei to return, but only her husband returned; Young Master Pei was nowhere to be seen.

Jiang Ninghui noticed that her husband looked displeased.

She felt even more uneasy.

Jiang Ninghui placed the food on the table and asked casually, "Young Master, why didn't I see Young Master Pei return with you? Is he having lunch at the school?"

Zhao Zhixue paused, his hand holding the bowl still, as an uncontrollable surge of jealousy welled up inside him.

Thinking back to this morning, it was that same servant from the prefect's residence who came to the school to find Pei Duo, saying that the prefect had invited him to his residence for a chat. At that time, many students cast envious glances at Pei Duo and tried to befriend him. After the teacher left, several classmates even inquired about Pei Duo's preferences.

His tone carried a hint of impatience: "Brother Pei has been summoned to the prefect's residence and won't be back until noon."

Jiang Ninghui's chopsticks fell to the ground with a "clatter".

She hurriedly bent down to pick it up, and when her husband looked at her, Jiang Ninghui stiffly pulled at her lips: "My hands were too cold, I couldn't hold it properly, my husband, let's eat."

Jiang Ninghui held the bowl, but couldn't eat.

Why was it at this particular time that Young Master Pei was summoned to the prefect's residence?

Could it be that the prefect has already become suspicious of Young Master Pei?

Various unpleasant speculations, like wildly growing vines, swirled around Jiang Ninghui's thoughts.

After having lunch, Zhao Zhixue went to the school. Jiang Ninghui couldn't stay at home; her mind was filled with the matter of the prefect sending someone to pick up Young Master Pei. She went for a walk in the streets and alleys, where everyone was talking about the murder case at the Liang Family Restaurant.

The government only started investigating today and has yet to make any progress.

So perhaps the prefect really did just invite Young Master Pei to his residence for a short chat.

Jiang Ninghui added coal to Pei Gongzi's room twice in the afternoon, making it warm and cozy. The faint scent of cedarwood enveloped her, like fine silk threads piercing her skin. In just a quarter of an hour, she was covered in his scent.

The scent of cedar gave her a strange feeling.

It was as if Young Master Pei was right there in the room.

As dusk fell, the narrow, long alley was dark and gloomy. Jiang Ninghui stood outside the courtyard with a kerosene lamp in hand, biting her lip and gazing at the end of the alley, hoping to wait for the person she always met first every night.

But tonight she didn't wait for Young Master Pei; instead, she met her husband.

Zhao Zhixue looked much better than he had at noon.

He stepped forward, put his arm around Jiang Ninghui's thin shoulder, and led her inside: "My wife, it's late and cold. If I were to return, I would come inside. You don't need to wait for me in the cold."

Jiang Ninghui wanted to smile at him, but couldn't because she was worried about Young Master Pei: "I'm not cold."

Young Master Pei did not return even after dinner.

That evening, her husband told her about Liang Wentao's murder, and Jiang Ninghui nestled in his arm, saying, "I heard it from Sister-in-law Mu."

Zhao Zhixue snorted coldly: "Liang Wentao bullies others by relying on his family's wealth and power. He is arrogant and has made many enemies. This time, he probably offended a desperate criminal. Otherwise, how could he have died in his own cellar in such a gruesome manner?"

Jiang Ninghui remained silent, but her heart pounded like a drum.

She was also wondering who had done such a cruel thing to Liang Wentao and the others. Now that they were dead, the blame might fall on her and Young Master Pei.

Jiang Ninghui tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep.

The next morning, she went to Young Master Pei's room and found that he had not returned home all night.

Immediately, intense unease and lingering fear surged forth.

Could something have really happened to him?

Jiang Ninghui waited anxiously day after day, but there was still no news of Young Master Pei. She tried to subtly inquire with her husband, but he only said that Young Master Pei had gone to the prefect's residence and had not returned yet, perhaps he was staying there for some reason.

On the fourth day after Pei Gongzi's disappearance, Jiang Ninghui learned from Sister Mu that the real culprit who killed Liang Wentao and others had been arrested by the authorities the day before.

Jiang Ninghui could no longer sit still!

Young Master Pei went to Longchang to serve as the prefect and has not returned since. Meanwhile, the real culprit who murdered Liang Wentao and others has been caught. Connecting these two events, she couldn't help but think more deeply.

If... if it really is Young Master Pei, then it was she who harmed Young Master Pei!

Young Master Pei was implicated while trying to save her. He is a handsome and outstanding scholar in Qingping Town, a prodigy in everyone's eyes. He has a bright future ahead of him, and he has a loving and protective Pei couple at home.

She couldn't selfishly drag Young Master Pei into a desperate situation and then ignore him.

After much deliberation, Jiang Ninghui came up with the only way to save Young Master Pei without affecting her husband.

She divorced her husband.

He then went to the government office to turn himself in and take full responsibility for all his crimes.

Jiang Ninghui sat in the room for a long time, so long that her legs became numb.

She wiped away the tears on her cheeks, took out the ten coins she had hidden from the wardrobe, went out, spent two coins to find a scribe on the roadside to help her write a letter of divorce, and placed it on the table along with the remaining eight coins.

Her name is in the bottom left corner of the divorce agreement.

Once my husband returns, I'll write his name on it, and that will be it.

In this way, even if she turns herself in, it won't implicate her husband.

This was the best solution she could think of.

Tears streamed uncontrollably down her face. Jiang Ninghui covered her face, squatted on the ground, and cried for a long time. After the overwhelming emotions subsided, she wiped away her tears, stood up, and resolutely stepped out of the room.

With her departure, she would never have the chance to be husband and wife with her beloved again.

Perhaps, this was her fate.

Jiang Ninghui opened the courtyard gate, and a tall and handsome figure was reflected in her red almond-shaped eyes. The young man was still wearing the light blue clothes he had left that morning, with a book bag hanging on his shoulder. His clean face was handsome and refined. After three days, there was still a very faint scent of cedar on him.

Jiang Ninghui once thought she was hallucinating.

She bit her lip, her pale fingers gripping the edge of the door tightly, staring in disbelief at Young Master Pei who had suddenly appeared at the door.

Jiang Ninghui opened her lips, then after a moment spoke with difficulty: "...Young Master Pei?"

Pei Duo stared at Jiang Ninghui's almond-shaped eyes, which were red from crying like a rabbit's. A hint of dark and malevolent energy gradually seeped into her dark pupils. His calm blood seemed to boil, surging and raging restlessly within his body, while the young man's face remained calm and indifferent.

He said coldly, "Why is my sister-in-law crying? Did someone bully you?"

He had only been gone for three days, but his sister-in-law had lost weight, looked haggard, and had red, swollen eyes from crying.

How pitiful.

A note from the author:

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There's a red envelope in this chapter!

I recommend similar stories about uncles and aunts; you can find them by clicking on my author page.

The Cannon Fodder Widow of the 1970s

(Military officer brother-in-law x cannon fodder widowed sister-in-law)

Copywriting:

Jiang Nian woke up to find herself transmigrated into a period novel, becoming a widow who had just lost her husband.

Although she didn't appear many times, she was deeply impressed by this character. A few days after the original owner's husband died, she was bullied by local thugs in the same village. Unable to bear the humiliation, the original owner committed suicide by crashing into her doorstep.

If she remembered correctly, this cannon fodder character was the male lead's widowed sister-in-law.

The book describes how the male protagonist originally came to pay respects to his elder brother, but unexpectedly stumbled upon the original owner's funeral. The male protagonist dealt with the thugs who had bullied the original owner, arranged the original owner's funeral, and took the train back to the city.

He happened to meet the female protagonist in the book, and the two developed feelings for each other, which naturally led to their marriage.

When Jiang Nian transmigrated, the plot had just progressed to the point where she had fallen into the hands of local thugs.

**

Lu Yu's biggest regret in life was not being able to see his elder brother one last time, and he regretted even more that he was not able to save his poor widowed sister-in-law.

In an accident, Lu Yu was injured and returned to five years in the past. The first thing he did was rush home overnight. Although he missed his elder brother's funeral, he managed to save his widowed sister-in-law who was being bullied by thugs.

Only the widowed sister-in-law remained at home.

To avoid the tragedy of his previous life, he brought Jiang Nian to the military base and settled her in the military family compound.

His comrade-in-arms, Song Bai, came to visit him to catch up. Looking at Jiang Nian, who had fair skin, a delicate figure, and a slender waist, he secretly asked him, "Who is this?"

Lu Yu saw right through his thoughts and gave him a sidelong glance.

Song Bai scratched the back of his head, chuckled, and shamelessly leaned in: "If she doesn't have a boyfriend, you can introduce her to me, I..."

That day, Song Bai was kicked out before he could even eat a hot meal.

Song Bai's words also caused the desires that Lu Yu had been suppressing to resurface.

Every time he returned from training, smelling the cooking smoke in the house and watching the woman walking back and forth inside, he felt as if his heart was being torn apart every night.

In particular, every time Jiang Nian finished taking a shower, she would walk around right under his nose wearing only a thin tank top.

Lu Yu couldn't help but swallow hard when he smelled the soap scent on the woman, and his dark eyes swirled with a frenzied possessiveness.

He shouldn't have fallen for her, but he did anyway, and even wanted to keep her within his own territory, so that no one else could even dream of having her.

People say that rabbits don't eat the grass near their burrows, but he just happens to crave that particular blade of grass.

① The female protagonist transmigrates into a book, and the male protagonist is reborn.

②1v1, sc

③ The male lead is pure in body and mind. He had absolutely no romantic relationship with the female lead in his past life, not even the slightest bit. There are foreshadowing elements in the plot about the male lead avoiding the female lead, but I won't go into details to avoid spoilers; they will be revealed later.