Chapter 27, Section 27: Depriving Inch by Inch, Caressing Tenderly

Zhao Zhixue twisted his waist suddenly and was unable to get up to go to school the next morning.

Jiang Ninghui got up early to prepare breakfast, brought her husband's portion into the room, and helped him up to eat first.

She returned to the kitchen and saw Young Master Pei placing food on the table.

Pei Duo placed the chopsticks in front of Jiang Ninghui, and casually lifted his eyelids to look at her: "Sister-in-law, did something happen last night? While I was fast asleep, I seemed to hear Brother Zhao's voice in the courtyard. I only learned this morning that Brother Zhao's back injury had flared up again."

Jiang Ninghui blushed and quickly lowered her head to drink her soup to cover her embarrassment.

How could she tell Young Master Pei about what happened last night?

So he gently shook his head: "It's nothing. There was a cat meowing in the yard last night, and when you went out to chase it away, you twisted your back."

The young man spoke in a light, almost imperceptible tone: "I see."

Jiang Ninghui breathed a sigh of relief and ate her meal quietly.

After dinner, Pei Duo went to the school alone, while Jiang Ninghui stayed home to take care of her husband.

At lunchtime, Young Master Pei returned with good news for Jiang Ninghui: the master was very satisfied with the tassels she and Sister-in-law Mu had made, so he gave her an extra fifty coins as a reward, making a total of one hundred and fifty coins.

Jiang Ninghui looked at Young Master Pei holding a string of coins between his fingers, unable to hide her excitement.

This was the first time she had earned so much money, and her cheeks flushed with excitement.

Pei Duo looked at the woman's beautiful eyes, which sparkled and shone, lively and alluring.

The young man's usually aloof face showed a rare hint of a smile: "Sister-in-law, please keep it safe."

Jiang Ninghui nodded emphatically: "Yes! Thank you, Young Master Pei."

She reached out and took the string of coins, one hundred and fifty coins. It felt heavy in her hands, yet very reassuring.

She also has her own savings.

I had earned ten coins earlier. I spent two coins to have someone write a letter of divorce, and one coin to buy a flatbread for Young Master Pei. I had seven coins left. Adding the coins I earned after splitting the money with Sister-in-law Mu, I now had eighty-two coins.

I'll save up some more, hoping to save up one or two taels of silver as soon as possible to buy that pen.

Pei Duo looked down at the woman holding the coins, her face flushed with excitement, as if she were holding some kind of treasure.

At that moment, she inexplicably wanted him to get closer.

Ideally, they should be tightly twisted together, stuck together, and inseparable.

The young man raised his foot to block her, his towering figure looming over her. But the woman in front of him suddenly turned around, put the coins on the table, went to the stove to get rice, and brought the food to the table: "Young Master Pei, please eat first. I'm going to Sister Mu's house."

Pei Duo sat down, lifting his robe: "No rush, sister-in-law, go after you've had lunch, otherwise the food will get cold."

Jiang Ninghui suppressed her excitement: "Okay."

After lunch, Young Master Pei went to the school. Jiang Ninghui collected her husband's bowl and chopsticks and washed them. She then made an excuse to go to Sister Mu's place. When Sister Mu saw the 150 coins, she was just as excited as Jiang Ninghui.

"In all my years, I have never seen a master give fifty coins as a reward."

Mu Hua never imagined that one day she could earn so much money in just half a month.

The two divided the money.

Sister Mu took out ten coins and forcefully stuffed them into Jiang Ninghui's hand: "If it weren't for you this time, how could I have been so lucky to earn so much money? You must keep this money, otherwise, I will get angry."

Seeing that Sister Mu was so determined, Jiang Ninghui had no choice but to accept the ten coins.

She went to the street in the afternoon and bought two pieces of meat. She gave one to Sister Mu, afraid that Sister Mu would not want it. She put down the meat and ran away. Mu Hua watched Jiang Niangzi's figure run away and laughed out loud.

What a lovely young lady, what a beautiful woman.

I hope that Scholar Zhao will pass the imperial examination in the future, and that he will not let Lady Jiang down.

Dusk had fallen, and the night grew colder.

A person walked out into the deep, narrow alley.

The young man was dressed in a jade-colored robe, his black hair was half-tied up, and a book bag was hanging on his shoulder. The sleeves and hem of his robe were billowing wildly in the wind that swept up from the alleyway.

That handsome face was hidden in the night, his dark pupils fixed on the distant courtyard.

The courtyard was dark and deserted.

The person who used to wait there with a kerosene lamp every night is nowhere to be seen tonight.

The young man lowered his eyes, a hint of cold mockery creeping into them.

Her husband did not go to school today.

Therefore, she would no longer wait outside the courtyard.

A faint glimmer of light dispelled the darkness of the night, and scattered rays of light entered Pei Duo's eyes.

He lifted his eyelids, his gaze fixed intently on the person in the distance.

In an instant, the mockery in the young man's eyes vanished completely.

"sister in law……"

That low, alluring sound was repeatedly swallowed and chewed between the young man's lips, as if he were taking the person in the distance into his mouth, taking away inch by inch, caressing her gently, and listening to her helpless, anxious, and light breathing.

Jiang Ninghui prepared two kinds of dinner tonight.

One portion was for her and her husband, and the other was a meat soup pancake made separately for Young Master Pei. After finishing the meal, she took the kerosene lamp and went out to see if Young Master Pei had returned.

Unexpectedly, as soon as they stepped outside, they saw a young man walking towards them.

As the man approached, Jiang Ninghui instantly felt the dampness of the night emanating from Young Master Pei.

She whispered, "Young Master Pei, I've made meat soup dumplings. Please wash your hands and come eat."

Pei Duo gazed at the woman in the dim light, his eyes sweeping over her upturned neck, and nodded slightly: "Thank you for your trouble, sister-in-law."

Jiang Ninghui whispered, "It's my duty."

She went into the kitchen, put down the kerosene lamp, and brought her husband's food into the room.

Zhao Zhixue was still lying on the couch. She went up to help him sit up. Zhao Zhixue supported himself on the couch with his other hand, but when he exerted force, he pulled on his lower back and immediately gasped in pain. Jiang Ninghui looked worried and said, "My lord, why don't we go to the clinic with you tomorrow?"

The Lunar New Year is just a few days away; he really needs to get his back checked out.

Otherwise, it would not only delay his schooling, but also prevent him from having a good New Year.

Zhao Zhixue nodded: "I'll go tomorrow."

Jiang Ninghui served the food to her husband before going to the kitchen.

The food was laid out on the kitchen table. Young Master Pei sat by the window, so Jiang Ninghui went to the other side. Only after sitting down did she see a bowl of meat soup dumplings in front of her. Looking over, she saw that Young Master Pei also had a bowl of meat soup dumplings.

The original large bowl of meat soup dumplings was divided into two bowls of moderate size.

Jiang Ninghui asked in confusion, "Young Master Pei, this is something I made for you."

Pei Duo: "I'm not very hungry tonight, I can't eat a whole bowl, sister-in-law, please help me with some of it."

Jiang Ninghui didn't know whether what Young Master Pei said was true or false.

But judging from Young Master Pei's calm expression, it didn't seem like he was faking it.

Jiang Ninghui blushed and reluctantly accepted the bowl of meat soup noodles.

After dinner, Jiang Ninghui prepared some hot water for her husband to wash up and asked him which clinic in town he wanted to visit.

Zhao Zhixue handed the hot towel to Jiang Ninghui: "Let's go to the one at the end of our alley, it's closer."

Jiang Ninghui: "I understand."

The next morning, after breakfast, Jiang Ninghui heard Young Master Pei ask in a calm tone, "Sister-in-law, are you taking Brother Zhao to the clinic later?"

Jiang Ninghui was stunned: "How did Young Master Pei know?"

The young man's voice was indifferent, and his expression was calm and indifferent, but what he said made Jiang Ninghui's heart pound.

“I heard it from inside the house last night.”

Jiang Ninghui subconsciously bit her lip.

She was once again astonished by Young Master Pei's exceptional hearing.

Pei Duo: "Sister-in-law is frail and may not be able to support Brother Zhao's physique. I will take Brother Zhao with me."

How could Jiang Ninghui dare to trouble Young Master Pei?

Besides, Young Master Pei still needs to go to the school; how can we delay his studies?

Before she could refuse, the young man said, "It's settled then. I'll go inside and talk to Brother Zhao."

Jiang Ninghui's lips parted, but she couldn't utter a single word.

Zhao Zhixue was willing to let Pei Duo take him to the clinic. His wife was frail and couldn't support him. If he walked all the way, his back would only hurt more. It would be better if Pei Duo could help him.

Jiang Ninghui was a little worried and wanted to go with them.

Pei Duo lowered his eyes and glanced at Jiang Ninghui, whose brows and eyes were full of worry. His eyes were filled with a faint chill.

He said, "I would like to trouble you with a favor, sister-in-law. I wonder if you would be willing?"

Jiang Ninghui readily agreed: "Please speak, Young Master Pei."

Pei Duo: “Someone will come to my house to borrow my books in a quarter of an hour. Please wait at home, sister-in-law. When he arrives, let him come into my room and take them himself. Brother Zhao, I will keep an eye on things, so please don’t worry.”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Ninghui felt it inappropriate to follow Young Master Pei and her husband to the clinic.

She nodded gently: "I've got it."

Jiang Ninghui saw them off at the door and waited at home for a long time. An hour passed and the person still hadn't come. She didn't want to close the door and leave, in case the person came right after she left and she missed him.

Two hours later, Young Master Pei and his husband returned.

Jiang Ninghui noticed that although her husband was walking slowly, he no longer needed anyone's help. She asked him a few questions and learned that the doctor at the clinic had given him acupuncture and massage, which had been very effective. He told her to come back for two more days and he would feel much better.

Zhao Zhixue went back to his room to read.

Jiang Ninghui looked at Pei Duo and said truthfully, "Young Master Pei, the person you mentioned hasn't come yet."

Of course, they won't come.

That person was entirely fabricated by him.

The young man said, "It's alright, perhaps something has delayed us."

Two days before the school's break, Zhao Zhixue, once he was able to get out of bed, went to the school without delay. Although he moved slowly and his back ached from sitting for a long time, he did not neglect his studies. On the day of the break, Young Master Pei hired a carriage and invited the couple to go back together.

Before leaving, Jiang Ninghui secretly handed over the money she had saved to Sister Mu under the pretext of saying goodbye, asking her to keep it for her.

The Zhao family had nowhere for her to hide her coins, and leaving them in the empty courtyard risked attracting thieves.

The only safest option is Sister Mu's side.

Seeing that Jiang Ninghui trusted her so much, Mu Hua naturally agreed: "Don't worry, Madam Jiang, I will definitely keep it safe for you and return it to you without losing a single penny when you come back."

Jiang Ninghui smiled and said, "In that case, thank you, Sister-in-law Mu."

This time, the carriage was driven by the same driver as before. There were two plates of delicate pastries and a pot of hot tea on the carriage. As usual, Jiang Ninghui ate one piece and then felt embarrassed to touch it again. An hour later, the carriage arrived at Xiping Village.

When Jiang Ninghui returned to her husband's family home, that oppressive and uncomfortable feeling gradually spread from her chest.

Upon learning that Zhao Zhixue had injured his back again, before even entering the hospital, Zhao's father immediately berated Jiang Ninghui: "We spent five taels of silver to marry you so that you would take good care of Xuege'er. Look at how you've been doing it! You just hurt your back during the New Year, and now you've hurt it again during the New Year. What kind of wife are you?!"

Li said, "Sui Sui, don't blame your father for speaking harshly. If you had been more careful, Xue Ge'er wouldn't have hurt his back."

Jiang Ninghui hugged the bundle tightly, her slender shoulders and neck tense, and the fingertips gripping the bundle were faintly pale.

She obediently lowered her head, her eyes glistening with moisture: "It's my fault, I didn't take good care of my husband."

Zhao Zhixue gently patted Jiang Ninghui's hand and explained to the two elders, "Father, Mother, you've misunderstood. I twisted my back while chasing away a stray cat. It has nothing to do with my wife. Please don't blame her anymore."

Zhao Zhixue's protection made Jiang Ninghui's eyes burn even hotter.

She bit her lip, afraid that she would burst into tears.

She knew that the two elders had been holding a grudge over the five taels of silver, and she also knew that they loved their son very much and couldn't bear to see him suffer any hardship.

Jiang Ninghui's thin and frail body clung to Zhao Zhixue, deeply piercing Pei Duo's eyes not far away.

The young man lowered his gaze slightly, his sharp, cold jawline taut with a chilling aura.

The Zhao family are nothing but selfish scoundrels who only care about profit.

My sister-in-law suffered a lot of grievances in their family.

Kill them.

The young man suppressed the evil thought that had just surfaced.

They cannot be killed for the time being.

If they die, the sister-in-law will inevitably be suspected, so we need to proceed cautiously.

The four members of the Zhao family returned to the house one after the other.

Pei Duo watched as Jiang Ninghui, carrying her bundle, followed behind them all alone. A surge of malice suddenly welled up in his calm heart, as if countless tightly woven nets were binding him.

"Duoge'er?"

Madam Xie gently patted Pei Duo's arm: "What are you standing there for, child?"

Pei's father was taken aback: "Duo-ge'er, what are you looking at?"

He was about the same height as Pei Duo, and seeing that Pei Duo was staring at the Zhao family, he looked in the same direction as him...

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Author's Note: There will be another update at midnight tonight, and there's a red envelope in this chapter! [Sprinkling flowers]