Chapter 52 52 Her body needs recuperation

Since moving to the town, Jiang Ninghui has felt that her heart is often hanging in mid-air, as if she is standing on the edge of a bottomless cliff, about to fall into the abyss if she is not careful.

The person who constantly plunges her into this extreme stimulation is none other than the gentle and modest Young Master Pei, whom she had always thought of.

That hand brazenly stroked a small bone protruding from her wrist.

Warm fingertips glided across the back of her hand.

I touched her finger bones...

Jiang Ninghui seemed to have been hit on the head, standing there blankly, lost in thought.

She forgot to react.

She forgot to speak up to stop Pei Duo's reckless actions; her eyes, brimming with fear, stared blankly at her lover approaching the room.

The moment her lover stepped into the room, the malicious fingers that had been lurking in her sleeve finally withdrew.

As he left, he casually took the turquoise purse from her hand and tucked it into his sleeve.

Pei Duo saw through Jiang Ninghui's panicked and frightened expression.

A triumphant gleam shone in the young man's dark eyes.

He turned around, his tall and imposing figure blocking Jiang Ninghui's view, completely enveloping her in his shadow, so that Zhao Zhixue, who stepped into the room, would see him first.

Zhao Zhixue did indeed see him.

He froze, then stepped back out of the room in surprise, glancing around as if wondering if he had entered the wrong room.

That's right.

Zhao Zhixue stepped in again: "Brother Pei, what are you doing here?"

He was about to peek at his wife, who was being blocked by Pei Duo, when he was drawn to what the young man said next.

"With the autumn examinations approaching, I've come to see how your writing is, Brother Zhao, so I can find your shortcomings and offer some guidance. I also want to tell your wife that there's no need to cook dinner tonight. I'd like to eat something fresh today, so I ordered a few dishes at the restaurant on my way back from school. They should be arriving soon."

Zhao Zhixue's attention was entirely focused on Pei Duo's first few sentences.

His face lit up with joy; he never expected Pei Duo to take such good care of him.

He made no attempt to hide his lack of understanding, hurriedly saying, "There are indeed many things I don't quite understand."

After speaking, he hurriedly walked to the pear blossom table, not noticing Jiang Ninghui standing next to him. He took out several of his own written insights from the table, spread them out for Pei Duo to see, and pointed out the parts he did not understand, waiting for Pei Duo to explain.

The young man offered a few pointers, then lifted his eyelids and glanced at Jiang Ninghui behind Zhao Zhixue.

Jiang Ninghui finally recovered from her shock. When she met Pei Gongzi's deep, dark eyes, she turned her head away guiltily. She felt annoyed by Pei Gongzi's earlier careless touching and also felt sorry for her husband because she had been touched by another man.

Two conflicting emotions left Jiang Ninghui feeling uneasy and conflicted.

fortunately……

Fortunately, Pei Duo released her in time.

Fortunately, the young man did not notice anything amiss.

Jiang Ninghui thought Pei Duo's claim that the restaurant would deliver food was just a way to fool her husband, but to her surprise, it really did arrive a quarter of an hour later. It consisted of four dishes and a soup, all of which were light and refreshing. The three of them sat at the table, with Jiang Ninghui and Pei Duo facing each other across the window.

Jiang Ninghui kept her head down and ate quietly in small bites.

As they were eating, Pei Duo's clear and melodious voice suddenly came from above: "Sister-in-law."

Knowing Pei Duo's thoughts and having agreed to his unspeakable secret, Jiang Ninghui was already extremely guilty. Now, hearing him call her name in front of her husband, Jiang Ninghui was afraid that he would say something shocking that would arouse her husband's suspicion.

Left with no other choice, he had to steel himself and slightly raise his head: "What is it, Young Master Pei?"

The young man had a refined and elegant appearance with a cool and indifferent demeanor, but his words seemed to be dripping with sticky juice.

Sticky | Ambiguous.

"Sister-in-law, do you think the dishes I ordered suit your taste?"

Jiang Ninghui quickly lowered her head to avoid Pei Duo's dark eyes and nodded repeatedly: "It suits my taste."

The young man raised an eyebrow slightly: "If it suits your taste, then it's good."

He was clearly talking about food, but Jiang Ninghui had a vague feeling that he was implying something else.

Zhao Zhixue laughed and said, "Brother Pei has really gone to great lengths for me today."

Pei Duo: "It's alright."

He was happy to give it to his sister-in-law.

This good-for-nothing got off easy, benefiting from his sister-in-law's fame.

Zhao Zhixue ate very quickly because Pei Duo had given him a lot of useful insights, including a unique perspective that was related to the autumn examination venue in a little over a month. He even swallowed his food whole. After putting down his chopsticks, he said to Jiang Ninghui, "Wife, the medicine the doctor prescribed is in the cupboard. Remember to brew the medicine later. I'm going to go study now."

Jiang Ninghui: "I understand."

After her husband left, Jiang Ninghui became even more restless.

She couldn't bear to be alone with Pei Duo, fearing he would treat her the same way he had just done.

Now that her husband is at home, if he were to accidentally see her, her relationship with Pei Duo would be completely over.

Jiang Ninghui finished her meal quickly and made to leave, but the young man easily grabbed her wrist with his five fingers: "What's the rush, sister-in-law?"

Jiang Ninghui was forced to sit in the chair, her beautiful face showing panic and shock.

She tried to struggle: "Young Master Pei, you promised me that you would not do anything inappropriate to me. Don't break your promise."

The young man's handsome, thin lips curved into a very faint smile: "I just want to give my sister-in-law something to eat."

He rose and walked around the square table, his jade-colored robe brushing against the woman's knees.

The dim light on the table cast long shadows of the two people on the wall.

The tall, dark figure gradually pressed down, binding the short woman inch by inch beneath him. He bent down, opened a small box, took out a black pill from inside, and pressed it against her slightly pursed lips.

"Sister-in-law, open your mouth."

Jiang Ninghui did not do as instructed.

She had no choice but to lean back, her beautiful eyes reflecting the young man's handsome appearance.

The two were very close.

They were so close they could smell each other's breath.

no!

Too close.

If this continues, things will only get more and more out of control.

She had agreed to live with him in a small courtyard and that there should be no further intimate or excessive behavior.

Jiang Ninghui wanted to get up and get away from him.

Just as he was about to get up, the fingertips holding the pill came again.

The young man used his fingertips to pry open her lips, his warm fingertips grinding against her teeth.

He looked at her with a smile.

That smile exuded a chilling, eerie aura, sending shivers down Jiang Ninghui's spine once again.

"Sister-in-law, be good and eat it."

"Your health is too weak; you need to take good care of yourself."

Jiang Ninghui tilted her head back, her hands on her lap twisting the hem of her clothes, her almond-shaped eyes welling up with tears.

They're so pitiful.

It makes you want to bully them even more.

Jiang Ninghui asked softly, "What kind of medicine is this? What if it has adverse effects on my health? I'll just take the medicine that my husband got for me."

His good sister-in-law.

He would rather take the useless medicine bought by that good-for-nothing than the superior pills that he specially ordered someone to prepare.

But he just wanted her to eat it.

She wouldn't eat, so he fed her, just like this morning, when he fed her medicine with his lips.

He was very happy to do so.

Jiang Ninghui sensed that Pei Duo seemed to be losing patience. He pressed the pill against her teeth again and stared at her calmly with his dark eyes.

It seemed to be telling her—

—Eat it yourself, or I'll feed you.

Jiang Ninghui lowered her eyes, hesitated for a moment, and finally had no choice but to open her lips.

The young man's fingertip and the pill were fed into her mouth together. The pill tasted bitter, and the bitterness instantly filled her mouth. This familiar bitterness reminded Jiang Ninghui of the taste she had experienced this morning when she had a high fever and was unconscious.

besides……

And there were fingers swirling around her teeth, pressing against her tongue, and scraping against her flesh.

It was somewhat similar to the tool used to feed her medicine, but not as soft.

Jiang Ninghui's eyelashes trembled violently a few times, and a terrible guess surged into her mind.

Could it be that the person who fed her medicine this morning wasn't the young master, but Young Master Pei?!

Before she could think it through, the finger that had been stirring her mouth withdrew, and then a piece of candy was stuffed into her mouth. The sweetness was instantly replaced by bitterness, which also made Jiang Ninghui's sluggish brain a little clearer.

She stared blankly at Pei Duo, watching him withdraw his hand.

He straightened up, his strong, slender fingers glistening with clear saliva in the warm yellow candlelight.

The young man looked down at her, his dark eyes swirling with intense desire, drawing her in and beckoning her, as if he wanted to strip away every inch of her clothing, leaving her naked for him to observe, touch, and invade.

—And complete possession!

Jiang Ninghui was startled by Pei Duo's gaze.

She hurriedly got up to try to escape, but the other person grabbed her wrist: "Sister-in-law forgot her purse."

Jiang Ninghui tucked the money plug that Pei Duo had placed in her palm into her sleeve with her fingertips and fled in panic.

Young Master Pei is terrifying!

That's absolutely terrifying!

She deeply regretted agreeing to Young Master Pei's absurd and unreasonable request.

But having already made the promise, it would be difficult to go back on one's word.

Jiang Ninghui did not return to her room. She was afraid that her husband would discover the secret she was trying so hard to hide, so she went to Sister Mu's house.

Pei Duo stared at the figure disappearing at the courtyard gate, a wicked smile creeping into his eyes.

My sister-in-law's lips are so soft.

The tip of the tongue is even softer.

Unfortunately, I couldn't taste it with my lips tonight.

He picked up the half-eaten bowl of soup that Jiang Ninghui hadn't finished and drank it all in one gulp.

When Jiang Ninghui told Sister Mu that she had received ten taels of silver, Sister Mu almost thought she had misheard. When she learned that the two of them had received a total of ten taels of silver in wages and bonuses, it was as if she had been hit hard on the head by a huge pie, and she was unable to recover for a long time.

Her husband could only earn five taels of silver in more than two years, but she did it in less than two months.

Mu Hua held the silver in her hands, taking bite after bite, feeling the real sensation of the silver digging into her teeth, before she could believe that this was not a dream.

She hugged Jiang Ninghui, tears of joy streaming down her face: "Madam Jiang, you are simply my lucky star! If it weren't for you, how could I have been so fortunate to earn so much money!"

Jiang Ninghui smiled and said, "Sister Mu, what are you saying?"

Mu Hua: "I'm telling you the truth. Scholar Pei is a good friend of your husband, so he introduced you to this job that makes money. In that case, I'm benefiting from your help. Madam Jiang, tell Scholar Pei tomorrow that I'd like to invite him to a restaurant for drinks. He can go, but I won't. I'll just pay for it."

Jiang Ninghui lowered her eyelashes and smiled, agreeing.

She couldn't express the feelings Pei Gongzi had for her.

No one can say for sure.

The feeling of being coveted by her husband's friend filled her with both fear and worry.

When Jiang Ninghui returned, she unfortunately saw Pei Duo in the window again.

He stood before the pear blossom table, holding a brush and painting on the unfolded scroll.

Jiang Ninghui thought of the paintings he had collected in his painting box, all of which were portraits of her wearing only a small garment. Instantly, her cheeks flushed with shame and embarrassment, and she felt as if countless fine needles were pricking her thin skin all over her body.

Jiang Ninghui lowered her head and quickly ran into the house. After eating, her husband had been practicing calligraphy at the table, having received guidance from Young Master Pei. Jiang Ninghui did not dare to disturb him. She secretly hid her money pouch, washed up, and then lay down under the thin quilt.

She now has five taels of silver and several hundred coins.

She has plenty of money now, so she can boldly go to Wenzhai Pavilion and buy that calligraphy brush as a token of her gratitude and to congratulate Young Master Pei on winning first place.

Before going to sleep, Jiang Ninghui thought of the pill Pei Duo had given her, and felt uneasy. Until the next morning, she felt no abnormality in her body, but rather felt much lighter.

With that, I finally felt relieved.

The sweltering June has quickly turned into mid-July.

That day, Mu Hua came to find Jiang Ninghui and asked her to go to the ferry to buy fish and shrimp.

I heard that a batch of fresh fish and shrimp were caught at the ferry today, and they're very cheap.

Jiang Ninghui hesitated for a moment before going with Sister Mu.

If there was still no news from Liang Wentao, she would never go, but since Liang Wentao was dead, she no longer needed to worry about being kidnapped by him.

Jiang Ninghui went to the ferry with Sister Mu and bought some fresh fish and shrimp. When they passed the school street, Jiang Ninghui looked at the Wenzhai Pavilion in front of her and decided to buy the pen that cost three taels of silver today.

After returning home, he put down the fish and shrimp, took three taels of silver from the wardrobe, and went to the Wenzhai Pavilion.

The manager of Wenzhai Pavilion noticed that Jiang Ninghui had come again; this was her third visit in the past few months.

She was a married woman, poorly dressed, with no jewelry, and her entire being was simply described as poor.

The shopkeeper didn't expect her to buy anything; he guessed she was just looking at calligraphy brushes again.

I never expected this.

The woman cautiously took out three taels of silver from her sleeve, which lay in her pale palm.

She pointed to the completely black calligraphy brush, with a gilded wolf hair brush where the brush body meets the bristles: "Shopkeeper, I'd like to buy this calligraphy brush."

The shopkeeper was genuinely surprised. He never expected that a woman dressed in shabby clothes, who looked penniless at first glance, would spend three taels of silver so readily. However, with such good business delivered to his doorstep, the shopkeeper was naturally delighted and stepped forward to hand her the brush, asking her to take a closer look.

Jiang Ninghui doesn't know how to use a pen.

She just felt that this pen looked very similar to the one that Young Master Pei had destroyed when he saved her that day.

She said softly, "Please wrap this up for me, shopkeeper."

The shopkeeper smiled and said, "Madam, you have excellent taste. You look quite young, perhaps you've only recently gotten married. Is this calligraphy brush something you've chosen for your husband?"

Jiang Ninghui didn't want to say that she had chosen it for her husband's friend, so she just nodded gently and said, "Mm."

The shopkeeper put the brush into the brush box and handed it to her with both hands, not forgetting to praise her: "Your husband is truly blessed to have a wife like you who thinks of him in every way."

Jiang Ninghui felt extremely guilty and hurriedly left after taking the pencil case.

No sooner had they stepped out of the Wenzhai Pavilion than they ran into Young Master Pei, who was walking towards them from the school.

The young man glanced at the pencil case that Jiang Ninghui was clutching in her hand. His sharp jawline was taut, and his cold eyes were filled with a chilling malevolence.

He stared intently at the pencil case, as if trying to bore a hole through it.

He heard everything.

His good sister-in-law used her hard-earned money to buy that good-for-nothing a pen.

For her, it was an expensive pen.

Excellent.

That's absolutely wonderful!

He went to great lengths to help her earn money, allowing her to gradually save up her own savings, so that she could feel more confident and no longer feel inferior.

She's fine, though.

Use the money he helped her earn to buy calligraphy brushes for that good-for-nothing!

A strange, jealous, and irritating emotion exploded in his heart, stirring up a sinister crimson glint in Pei Duo's dark, cold eyes.

Beneath the calm exterior of the young man lies a restless, rising evil thought, a frenzied, clamoring flame of jealousy.

He was jealous that good-for-nothing could easily get her favor even though she hadn't done anything.

He wanted to destroy the pen.

That good-for-nothing can't even touch it!

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Author's Note: Update before 4 PM tomorrow! [hugs]