Chapter 47 His sister-in-law finally discovered his secret…

Zhao Zhixue was unconscious for two whole hours, and didn't wake up until noon. The first thing he did after waking up was to go back to Xiping Village with his father to see his parents. Pei's father came on foot; he was much faster than others and arrived in just over half an hour.

However, Zhao Zhixue and Jiang Ninghui have difficulty walking.

Pei Duo hired a carriage and went back with them on the way.

The carriage sped away from Qingping Town. Jiang Ninghui leaned against the carriage wall and glanced at the carriage curtains billowing in the wind.

The lush greenery was a sight to behold. The tall weeds, reaching a person's height, were swept by the wind, their rustling sound like the whispers of countless people brushing past hidden in the grass, making Jiang Ninghui's spine tremble.

She had traveled this road many times and had never encountered any bandits.

Unexpectedly, my in-laws saw us.

And they were tortured like this.

Jiang Ninghui dared not think about what would happen if she were kidnapped by bandits while passing through this place alone one day.

Will they also have their eyes gouged out and their tongues cut off?

An endless wave of panic and fear crashed down on Jiang Ninghui, making her hands and feet go cold and her face turn pale.

Pei Duo raised his eyes and took in the fear in Jiang Ninghui's watery eyes.

It seems I've scared my sister-in-law again.

He asked Pei's father, "Their tongues were cut out, how do you know they were kidnapped by bandits?"

Pei's father: "Your mother asked them if it was the work of bandits, and they nodded. Last night, I took my knife and went to the bandit stronghold forty miles away to settle accounts with those bastards. Who would have thought that they had already run away, leaving behind an empty stronghold. There wasn't a soul in sight on the mountain!"

Pei Duo lowered his eyes and lightly tapped his kneecap with his bent knuckles.

It is impossible to find.

Even if you searched the entire mountain, you still couldn't find it.

Zhao Zhixue clenched his fists in anger, his face filled with grief.

Those bandits must have fled because they were afraid the authorities would report them to the government and send troops to annihilate them!

Now, even reporting it to the authorities will be of no use.

Half an hour later, the carriage arrived at the Zhao family's house in Xiping Village.

Zhao Zhixue hurriedly jumped off the carriage and ran home. Jiang Ninghui got off the carriage after him. Perhaps because of the fear and anxiety she had endured on the way, her legs went weak when she got off the carriage. She was about to fall to the ground in a sorry state, but fortunately, a hand caught her forearm in time and supported her swaying body.

Pei Duo's fingers tightened around the woman's slender forearm, his clear, melodious voice tinged with a subtle tenderness.

"Sister-in-law, be careful."

"Thank you, Young Master Pei."

Jiang Ninghui was worried about her in-laws, so she pulled her hand away and ran into the yard.

The young man lifted his eyelids, his deep, dark eyes following the slender figure that disappeared in front of the door.

Shouldn't my sister-in-law be happy?

Those two old bastards treated her like that, they humiliated her.

He helped her get revenge.

Why should she still worry about them?

A wail came from the Zhao family's courtyard; it was the hoarse wail of someone whose tongue had been cut out.

There were many villagers standing outside the Zhao family's gate.

Hearing the cries of the Zhao couple, they felt deeply distressed.

Two perfectly fine people went to town to visit their son, but they were unlucky enough to encounter bandits. Not only were they robbed of their money, but their tongues were also cut out and their eyes gouged out. How could this not make people sigh?

Some people who disliked or were at odds with the Zhao family usually came with the intention of watching the show.

Inside the Zhao family's house.

The Zhao couple held Zhao Zhixue and wept bitterly.

Jiang Ninghui stood aside like an outsider, watching the family of three.

She saw her parents-in-law's mouths without tongues, and looked at her father-in-law's one eye covered with a thin cloth.

The father-in-law's injuries were more severe; one of his eyes had been gouged out, his tongue had been cut off, and he had numerous wounds all over his body. The mother-in-law, apart from having her tongue cut off, had no other injuries, so it seemed that the bandits hadn't mistreated her much.

Jiang Ninghui breathed a sigh of relief.

I've heard from villagers before that none of those who were kidnapped to the bandit stronghold ever came back alive.

Fortunately, the two elderly people survived and returned alive.

The Zhao couple lost their tongues and could no longer speak, so they could only awkwardly and clumsily use sign language to communicate with Zhao Zhixue.

Zhao Zhixue told the two elders that he wanted Jiang Ninghui to stay and take care of them, but Li strongly stopped him.

She shoved Jiang Ninghui towards Zhao Zhixue, mimicking the act of writing with her hands, trying to tell Zhao Zhixue that Jiang Ninghui's birth chart was auspicious for him and could help him have a smooth path in the imperial examinations. She insisted that he must stay by her side at all times, otherwise, if staying at home wouldn't bring him any good fortune, they would have wasted five taels of silver.

Zhao Zhixue understood his parents' intentions, but still hesitated.

Li patted her arms and legs, then pointed to Zhao's father, who was covered in injuries, as if to tell Zhao Zhixue that she was alright and that she could take good care of his father.

Zhao Zhixue could only nod: "Then I will listen to my parents."

As the intense emotions of Mr. and Mrs. Zhao gradually subsided, they noticed three scratch marks on Zhao Zhixue's left cheek.

Li thought Jiang Ninghui had caught her, so she grabbed her collar and tried to hit her.

Caught off guard, Jiang Ninghui stumbled and was quickly supported by Zhao Zhixue.

He stopped Li and explained, "Mother, this was scratched by a cat. Look at the scratches if you don't believe me."

After speaking, Zhao Zhixue leaned forward so that Li could see him clearly.

Li squinted and examined it carefully before believing Zhao Zhixue's words.

Zhao Zhixue invited a doctor to his home to examine the injuries on his parents' bodies and get some medicine. He and Jiang Ninghui stayed with them for two days. After the parents' mood improved considerably, Zhao Zhixue took Jiang Ninghui and Pei Duo and rode in a carriage to the town.

Zhao Zhixue felt that his family had been experiencing a series of bad luck lately.

First, his parents were captured by bandits who gouged out their eyes and cut out their tongues. Then, he was scratched on the face by a black cat, which almost caused him to lose his manhood.

Upon arriving in town, Zhao Zhixue said, "Wife, another day you should go to the temple to offer incense and pray for our family, to get rid of the bad luck."

Jiang Ninghui nodded gently: "I will listen to my husband."

She also felt it was time to go to the temple.

May passed in the blink of an eye.

June arrived in the blink of an eye.

Since his parents-in-law's accident, the young master has been wearing a tense expression every day. Apart from eating and resting, he spends all his time immersed in books. Jiang Ninghui doesn't dare to disturb him. She knows that the young master has resentment in his heart and can only wait for his resentment to slowly dissipate.

That day, Pei Duo handed his young master a book and a stack of his own unique insights, asking him to read and study them.

Zhao Zhixue was naturally grateful.

Over the past three months, he has found that after reading the books and some unique insights given to him by Pei Di, many things have become much clearer. It can be said that the help Pei Di gave him was much more effective than the two quarters of an hour he spent at the Master's every night.

Jiang Ninghui was extremely grateful to Pei Gongzi for helping her husband with his studies.

She no longer knew how to repay Young Master Pei for his kindness to her and her husband.

She hoped that her husband would not disappoint Young Master Pei's good intentions.

I hope my lord will pass the imperial examination in the future.

June is rainy, with rain every few days.

The weather cleared up that day, and Jiang Ninghui went to Young Master Pei's room first to take the bedding from the bed to the courtyard to air it out.

The courtyard gate opened, and Pei Duo strolled in.

The young man stared intently at the woman who was drying bedding in the yard.

The woman's fingers were fair and slender, her nails were neatly trimmed and beautiful, and the tips of her fingers had a faint pink tinge.

Those delicate, boneless hands, little by little, smoothed out the wrinkles on his bedding.

Just like that night.

Her warm fingertips touched him.

The swift blade yearned for her mercy.

Caressing and tenderness.

But she refused.

She hardened her heart and told him to solve it himself.

That night, he had clearly already taken her hand and held her firmly.

But she still left heartlessly.

Pei Duo stepped towards Jiang Ninghui, who had her back to him. His towering figure, as majestic as a small mountain, pressed down on Jiang Ninghui from behind her knees, gradually engulfing her slender and frail figure.

The black shadows, like demons emerging from hell, enveloped Jiang Ninghui in a sinister aura.

Jiang Ninghui smoothed out the wrinkles in the bedding, and when she looked up, she suddenly saw a tall, dark shadow cast on the bedding.

Her heart sank suddenly, and her face turned pale with fright, thinking that some lecherous man had broken in in broad daylight and was about to do something indecent!

When he turned around in a panic, he saw Pei Duo just two steps away.

Jiang Ninghui was stunned, her bright, watery eyes reflecting a mixture of shock and relief.

Only then did she realize that she had broken out in a cold sweat.

Pei Duo took in every subtle expression in her eyes.

He took a step back, his manners polite and measured, and asked in a calm voice, "Did I frighten your sister-in-law?"

Jiang Ninghui secretly breathed a sigh of relief: "Thank goodness."

But I couldn't help but complain in my heart.

Young Master Pei is such a big man, how come he walks without making a sound?

She asked again, "It's not even noon yet, why has Young Master Pei returned early?"

Pei Duo handed her a bamboo-green bundle: "My friend needs fifty sachets. The needles, thread, fabric, and spices are all inside. There is a finished product inside, which you can use as a template to sew. These sachets are quite valuable, so my friend has set a price of five taels of silver. If the finished product is well made, there will be a reward."

Five taels of silver?!

Jiang Ninghui doubted that she had heard correctly; she had never seen so much money in her life.

If she could really earn those five taels of silver with Sister Mu, she would have the money to buy a calligraphy brush for Young Master Pei.

But she had never sewed sachets before and had no confidence in the matter.

Jiang Ninghui hesitated before taking the bundle and examining the fabric inside.

The fabric was soft and smooth, and the patterns were novel and beautiful. It was a fine fabric that she had never encountered before, and she couldn't even name the styles of these fabrics.

Jiang Ninghui was unsure of herself.

She feared that she might ruin the fabric, which could potentially implicate Young Master Pei.

After a moment's thought, Jiang Ninghui decided to decline the job.

Before she could even speak, Young Master Pei said, "Sister-in-law, I've already accepted this job for you and promised my friend that I'd deliver it within a month. I'll have to trouble you for the next month."

Jiang Ninghui suddenly looked up: "Young Master Pei has already... agreed?"

The young man glanced at the woman's bright almond-shaped eyes, a faint smile hidden in his dark eyes. He nodded and said, "Well, if you're unsure about the finished product, you can sew a sachet for me first. I'll show it to the master. If they're satisfied, I'll pass the message on to you."

Jiang Ninghui agreed.

That's the only way.

After Pei Duo left, Jiang Ninghui locked the door and went to Sister Mu's house to tell her about the matter.

Like her, Sister Mu was also unsure of what to do with the fine fabric and thread, fearing she might ruin it.

After examining the finished product closely, the two tried sewing two sachets.

She is one, and Sister-in-law Mu is one.

When the young master and young master Pei returned at noon, Jiang Ninghui took advantage of the young master's absence while he was in his room to hand the two embroidered sachets to young master Pei.

Pei Duo remained seated at the dining table, his long, slender fingers twirling the sachet ribbon. He glanced up at his obedient and honest sister-in-law standing beside him.

He asked, "Which one was embroidered by your sister-in-law?"

Jiang Ninghui pointed: "The one on the left."

The young man pressed his fingertips against the bulging sachet, gently kneading it as if trying to crush the lingering scent of his sister-in-law onto his fingertips. He traced the floral patterns on the sachet: "I'll go to the master's house later and give my sister-in-law a message when I get back tonight."

Jiang Ninghui's beautiful eyebrows curved down: "Thank you, Young Master Pei."

Pei Duo glanced at the woman's small, pink tongue hidden behind her teeth as she spoke.

Sweet and tempting.

It's also very soft.

After lunch, feeling uneasy, Jiang Ninghui chatted with Sister Mu to pass the time.

In the evening, she prepared dinner and waited outside the courtyard with a kerosene lamp.

After waiting for a quarter of an hour, they saw Young Master Pei strolling towards them under the moonlight.

The young man was dressed in a dark blue cross-collar robe, with a book bag slung over his shoulder. His black hair was half-tied up, and his handsome face was illuminated by the clear moonlight with a chilling aura. His dark pupils were fixed on Jiang Ninghui, who was not far away.

He just stared at her.

His dark, intense gaze gripped the woman's slender, porcelain-white neck, caressing it inch by inch.

He walked closer and asked her for the first time, "Is my sister-in-law waiting for me?"

Jiang Ninghui nodded truthfully.

A faint smile spread across the young man's eyes.

Jiang Ninghui stepped aside to let Pei Duo into the courtyard, her fingers clenching tightly as she held the kerosene lamp.

She asked anxiously, "Young Master Pei, what did the master say after seeing the sachet?"

Pei Duo took a sachet from his sleeve and handed it to Jiang Ninghui: "The master said that the appearance is fine, so it's acceptable."

Jiang Ninghui's heart, which had been hanging in suspense all afternoon, instantly settled down.

She gasped for breath a few times from excitement and joy, her beautiful eyes reflecting a bright and lively smile: "Thank you, Young Master Pei!"

Jiang Ninghui took the sachet; it was embroidered by Sister Mu.

She looked up, puzzled: "Did the owner leave the other sachet behind?"

The young man nodded: "Mm."

Jiang Ninghui smiled and said, "I'll go tell Sister Mu this good news. She's probably still worried right now."

After saying that, she clutched the sachet tightly and ran out.

Pei Duo turned around, looked at the woman who was gracefully rising, and raised his sparse eyebrows slightly.

It's been almost a year.

This is the first time I've seen my sister-in-law so charming and graceful.

It really is beautiful.

When Jiang Ninghui told Sister Mu the good news, Sister Mu's reaction was even stronger than hers; her laughter could be heard even through two courtyard walls.

Holding the sachet in her hands, her eyes welled up with tears of excitement: "Madam Jiang, does this mean that after we finish sewing these fifty sachets, we can earn five taels of silver and also receive a reward?!"

Jiang Ninghui nodded repeatedly, her cheeks flushed with excitement: "Yes! That's what Young Master Pei said."

Sister-in-law Mu hugged Jiang Ninghui: "Once I've earned this money, I'll definitely treat Scholar Pei to a good meal at a restaurant!"

Jiang Ninghui, however, was thinking that once she earned this money, along with the reward money, if she could raise three taels of silver, she would buy the pen and give it to Young Master Pei.

Fifty sachets had to be sewn within a month. Jiang Ninghui stayed at Sister Mu's house every day, doing her best to embroider the sachets to the best of her ability, so that there would be no flaws, in order to be worthy of the five taels of silver paid by her employer.

The two worked day and night and finished sewing it in just half a month.

That evening, after dinner...

While her husband was reading in the house, Jiang Ninghui quietly went to Sister Mu's house and brought back a bamboo-green bundle. Under the pretext of delivering tea, she knocked on Young Master Pei's door. To her surprise, as soon as Jiang Ninghui raised her hand to knock, the door opened a crack.

She called softly, "Young Master Pei?"

No one answered from inside.

Is Young Master Pei not inside?

Jiang Ninghui hesitated for a moment before finally pushing open the door and entering.

The room was empty. The bedding was neatly folded, and a scroll was laid out on the pear blossom table. On the scroll was a pair of charming and affectionate almond eyes, shimmering with water, as if they were alive, gazing at Jiang Ninghui from afar.

Jiang Ninghui blushed upon seeing this and quickly looked away.

This was the third time she had seen those eyes in Young Master Pei's room.

I have no idea which young lady she is.

It seems that in the near future, after Young Master Pei passes the imperial examination with flying colors, he will surely marry the young lady he admires.

The table was covered with a scroll, so Jiang Ninghui could only place the bundle and tea on the edge of the table. When Young Master Pei returned and saw the bundle, he would know that it contained a sachet.

When Jiang Ninghui pulled her forearm back, she accidentally bumped into a drawing box on the edge of the table.

The painting box suddenly tipped over, rolled twice on the ground, and two scrolls rolled out, half of them unrolling.

Jiang Ninghui was flustered and hurriedly squatted down to pick up the painting box and put the scattered paintings inside.

Then, they went to pick up the two unfolded scrolls.

The moment their fingertips touched the scroll, their gazes were captivated by the figure in the painting.

Those same brimming, watery eyes still reflected the tide of passion.

But then look at the overall facial contours, eyebrows, eyes, nose, lips, slender neck, and... below the collarbone, only wearing a pomegranate-colored embroidered blouse.

The pomegranate-colored blouse, bursting with color, was stretched taut, its curved lines alluring and taut...

Jiang Ninghui felt as if she had been hit hard on the head with a heavy hammer, and immense fear and shock ran through her limbs.

She stared at the painting in disbelief.

Only then did she realize it.

These eyes were actually—

It was her!

The young lady that Young Master Pei has been painting has always been her?!

As if to confirm this terrible fact, Jiang Ninghui unfolded another painting with trembling hands. When she saw the woman wearing only a light purple dress, she felt as if the painting was a hot potato and threw it on the ground in fright.

She collapsed to the ground, backing away repeatedly, trying to distance herself from the two terrifying facts that she couldn't believe.

Further away.

How could that be?

How is that possible?

Young Master Pei possesses extraordinary talent and handsome appearance, and is also extremely knowledgeable; his future prospects are immeasurable.

How could such a gifted and refined gentleman... how could he possibly covet a woman who couldn't even read a single word?

She must have seen it wrong.

She must be dreaming.

She must be having another nightmare.

Yes, a nightmare! It's a nightmare!

Jiang Ninghui trembled as she got up from the ground, quickly rolled up the two paintings and put them into the painting box, then hurriedly put the painting box back in its original position before repeatedly retreating outside the door.

She bit her lip, turned around and was about to leave the room, but unfortunately bumped into Pei Duo who was returning from outside.

At that moment, he ran into Pei Duo.

It's like encountering a demon or monster.

Jiang Ninghui involuntarily clenched her sleeves, and her toes uncontrollably retreated.

The young man held the letter in his hand, his dark eyes fixed on Jiang Ninghui's panicked face.

The fear, unease, and panic in the woman's clear, bright eyes were fully observed by the young man.

The young man's handsome features narrowed almost imperceptibly for a moment.

He stepped over the threshold and approached Jiang Ninghui step by step.

He had never seen his sister-in-law so afraid of him.

I've never seen my sister-in-law avoid him like the plague before.

Her actions at this time.

This was undoubtedly telling him that his sister-in-law had discovered his secret.

Pei Duo's eyes narrowed into a bewitching yet wicked smile.

When his secret was discovered by the person he coveted, the young man did not panic. On the contrary, the gentlemanly demeanor that had always covered his good appearance was torn away inch by inch by the wicked smile, exposing the evil nature beneath the gentlemanly demeanor.

Sister-in-law—you finally found out!

He had been waiting for this day for a long time.

very nice.

From then on, he no longer had to pretend in front of his sister-in-law.

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Author's Note: There's a red envelope in this chapter! Update will be before 6 PM tomorrow! [Sprinkling flowers]