Chapter 62 Pei Duo: But I've caught my sister-in-law's eye?

Footsteps approached from outside the window, growing ever closer until they stopped at the door.

A voice from outside Zhouzhuang called out: "Young Master Pei, Young Master Zhao is back."

Upon hearing the voices of others and the news that her husband had returned, Jiang Ninghui shuddered. She was then surprised to find herself being embraced by Pei Duo, her back pressed against the young man's broad, warm chest, her left earlobe held in his lips.

Jiang Ninghui's cheeks flushed with embarrassment and embarrassment, and she was both angry and annoyed.

She discovered that Pei Duo always managed to find an opportunity to take advantage of her.

Standing outside was Zhou Zhuang, with the windows wide open. If Butler Zhou were to glance inside, he could see this married woman engaging in shameful acts with another man in the house.

She didn't dare linger, so she slipped out of Pei Duo's arms and took several steps back.

Pei Duo stood by the table, staring at the woman who was now avoiding him like the plague.

Jiang Ninghui dared not look into Pei Duo's dark eyes, so she lowered her gaze to the ground and said in a soft, gentle voice, "Young Master Pei, my husband has returned, I must go back."

After saying that, he turned around, quickly opened the door, and ran away. His fleeing figure looked as if he were being chased by wolves and tigers.

The young man lowered his eyes and gently traced the three characters on the rice paper with his fingertips.

—Jiang Ninghui.

My sister-in-law's name is so beautiful.

ear of ear...

Ears of grain.

A chilling aura gradually rose in the young man's dark eyes.

If only he had been the one to meet Sui Sui first.

In that case, that good-for-nothing will be out of the picture.

.

The two courtyards were next to each other. Jiang Ninghui crossed the flower garden and returned to the place where she and her husband lived.

She had barely stepped back into the house when her husband arrived.

The young man seemed to be in a bad mood, and since she had done something wrong, she dared not say much to him.

The next day, Pei Duo and Zhao Zhixue left the house together. At noon, Steward Zhou handed a dark blue bundle to Jiang Ninghui and relayed the servant's message to her: the master had instructed that fifty sachets needed to be sewn, and the payment was ten taels of silver. The master had given five taels in the bundle first, and the remaining five taels would be given after the goods were delivered.

Jiang Ninghui was truly astonished.

She never expected that her master would give her so much money again.

Jiang Ninghui took the bundle, her fingers gripping it tightly. She looked up at Butler Zhou, hesitating about how to ask him to keep her secret about working and earning money.

Steward Zhou was adept at reading people's expressions. He noticed that Jiang Ninghui was hesitant to speak up, so he took the initiative to say, "Madam Jiang, please rest assured. Young Master Pei instructed me and the other two servants to keep quiet about Madam Jiang's work and money-making to Young Master Zhao. Neither I nor the two maids outside are gossipy people."

Jiang Ninghui lowered her head shyly and thanked her softly.

She always felt that this housekeeper, Zhou, must have discovered the unspeakable secret between her and Pei Duo.

The thought that others might know about her secret affair with another man while she was a married woman, especially under her husband's nose, made her feel even more humiliated and ashamed. She wished she could hide herself away in a cramped place where no one could see her.

She was afraid they would gossip about her behind her back.

She feared that her affair with Pei Duo would eventually spread to Longchang County.

She feared that one day, everyone would come to her door, point at her nose, and spit on her, calling her a slut.

Jiang Ninghui only hoped that these few months would pass smoothly, and that everything would be over once the palace examination was over.

Days passed by.

Jiang Ninghui was no longer so bored because she had the job of sewing sachets.

When she had nothing to do, she would stay in Pei Duo's room sewing sachets, and when her husband returned, she would quietly go back inside.

In recent days, Pei Duo has taught her to recognize some characters. Now she can at least write her own name, although it is crooked and ugly. But at least she can recognize that it is the three characters Jiang Ninghui.

However, for her, the character '穗' was indeed quite difficult to write.

Since the young master entered the academy as a teacher, he often left early and returned late. Even when he came back at night, he had a cold expression and sat at his desk reading books until midnight. Jiang Ninghui was afraid that he would ruin his health by staying up late, so she took the care to massage his shoulders and back to help him relieve his fatigue.

She didn't understand.

Why does my husband always have a cold face since we moved to Longchang County?

After thinking it over, Jiang Ninghui felt that her husband must be worried about the upcoming spring imperial examination.

We can't just...

Jiang Ninghui's breath hitched, and her heart felt as if it were sinking.

Could it be that her husband has discovered her affair with Pei Duo, which is why he comes home with a cold expression every day?

As soon as the thought crossed Jiang Ninghui's mind, she felt a cold sweat break out on her back.

No, it won't.

Certainly not.

If the young master knew about her affair with Pei Duo, he should question her directly, rather than pretending nothing had happened.

Jiang Ninghui was so terrified and distracted that she didn't hear Zhao Zhixue calling her several times.

"Wife?"

Zhao Zhixue grasped the soft hand draped over his shoulder, looked up at his wife who hadn't responded for a long time, and saw that her face was pale and her eyelashes trembled as if she had been frightened.

Zhao Zhixue frowned, stood up, grasped Jiang Ninghui's shoulders, and looked down at her: "Wife, what's wrong?"

Jiang Ninghui snapped out of her daze, looked at her husband who was so close to her, and belatedly shook her head: "No, nothing."

Zhao Zhixue: "Your face is so pale, how can you say you're okay?"

Seeing how much her husband cared for her, Jiang Ninghui secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Perhaps she was overthinking it; perhaps her husband was unaware of her affair with Pei Duo.

Jiang Ninghui didn't know how to explain to her husband. She lowered her head, hesitated for a long time, and then guiltily stretched out her two slender arms to hug Zhao Zhixue's waist. She leaned into his arms, pressed herself against him, and listened to the heartbeat coming from his chest. Her soft voice had a hint of coquetry in the dark night.

"I'm just worried about my husband. Since he came to Longchang County, he's been leaving early and returning late. When he comes back, he sits at his desk reading until midnight before going to sleep. How can his body withstand this?"

Zhao Zhixue hugged Jiang Ninghui and said with a smile, "So that's what happened."

He explained to her, "I'm studying so hard to prepare for next year's imperial examination, but I didn't realize I'd neglected my wife's feelings."

Zhao Zhixue bent down and picked up Jiang Ninghui horizontally, carrying her to the bedside. Jiang Ninghui was suddenly lifted into the air and, startled, wrapped her arms around Zhao Zhixue's neck. She then heard her husband whisper in her ear, "My wife, tell me, how long has it been since we last shared a bed?"

Three months? Or longer?

He had almost forgotten the last time he had shared a room with his wife.

It seemed that not long after he married his wife, the two of them slept together less and less. Whenever they did, they were always disturbed by various things, especially that damned black cat. He had searched for a long time in Qingping Town but could not find any trace of that wild cat.

Now that we're in Longchang County, we can't possibly run into that black cat again.

Jiang Ninghui was placed on the couch by her husband, who then took off his clothes and shoes and came up to her.

She wanted to refuse, but couldn't find a suitable excuse.

Furthermore, she and her husband had indeed not shared a room for a long time, and if she refused again, it would be bad if it aroused his suspicion.

Jiang Ninghui glanced at the closed doors and windows, feeling a sense of relief.

Pei Duo had previously said that he did not want her to share a room with her husband, and he could hear it all, because the two houses were next to each other, separated only by a thin wall. Now that they had moved here, although the two courtyards were next to each other, they were separated by a flower bed.

I suppose Pei Duo wouldn't be paying attention to what's going on here?

Jiang Ninghui felt a little relieved. When Zhao Zhixue hugged her, she felt so guilty that she didn't dare to look at her husband. She just put her hand on his shoulder and let him do whatever he wanted to her.

Zhao Zhixue removed Jiang Ninghui's clothes.

After the outer garment was removed, only the inner garment remained.

He glanced at his wife's exquisite and charming figure, and felt his blood boil. He became impatient as he began to undress her.

When Jiang Ninghui was left only in her undergarments, a "knock knock" sound suddenly broke the silence of the night.

Someone knocked on the door.

Jiang Ninghui was so startled that she shrank into her husband's arms and looked at the black shadow reflected on the door.

Zhao Zhixue was ready to pounce, but he had to hold back. He turned and glanced at the closed door, asking, "Who is it?"

Zhou Zhuang said, "Young Master Zhao, it is I. The Prefect suddenly sent someone to tell you that Young Master Zhao must come to the Prefectural Office immediately."

Zhao Zhixue paused for only a moment before getting up immediately, picking up his clothes from the bed and quickly putting them on. Without turning his head, he said to Jiang Ninghui, "My wife, go to sleep first. You don't need to wait for me. I'll go see what the prefect wants to see me about."

Jiang Ninghui pulled the quilt over herself, sat up, watched her husband open the door, exchange a few words with Steward Zhou, and then close the door and leave.

For a moment, she was the only one left in the room.

The enchanting and sultry atmosphere from just moments ago has vanished.

Jiang Ninghui put on her undergarments and lay down. She tossed and turned for a long time before finally falling asleep. When she woke up the next morning, she was still alone on the bed.

My husband did not return home all night.

Jiang Ninghui didn't know why the prefect had summoned her husband so late at night; she only wished that he was safe and sound.

She could think about it, but she still couldn't put her mind at ease.

After Jiang Ninghui got up and washed up, Zhou Zhuang came again, saying that Pei Duo invited her to have breakfast in his courtyard. She had no choice but to go with Zhou Zhuang. When she entered Pei Duo's room, she saw several exquisite dishes laid out on the table.

Pei Duo was wearing a light blue cross-collar robe today, with the jade pendant still hanging at his waist. Below the pendant was a dark blue silk ribbon. The young man's black hair was half tied up and half tied back, held together only by a white jade hairpin, with the rest of his black hair hanging down his back. Looking at him from behind, one could only feel that the young man was tall and slender, with a cool and aloof demeanor like a pine tree in the mountains.

Jiang Ninghui stared at Pei Duo's retreating figure, lost in thought.

Whether in her eyes or in the eyes of others, Pei Duo was a handsome and talented man, one in a million, with a face as beautiful as jade and a natural intelligence. He became the top scholar in the provincial examination at the young age of eighteen. Such a person would be hard to find even in the capital.

Jiang Ninghui really didn't understand.

What exactly does this gifted man admire about her?

In terms of both appearance and family background, she was no match for others; placed in a crowd, she was so ordinary that she was inconspicuous.

Jiang Ninghui was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't even notice Pei Duo getting up and walking in front of her.

The young man took her hand and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

He looked down at her, his dark eyes filled with amusement: "Sister-in-law, you're staring at me so intently, does that mean I've caught your eye?"

Jiang Ninghui felt embarrassed and secretly annoyed that she had lost her temper.

She hurriedly pulled her hand away from Pei Duo's and hid it in her sleeve. Before she could find an excuse, the young man grasped her hand again and led her to sit on a chair, placing a bowl and chopsticks in front of her.

"Did you sleep well last night, sister-in-law?"

Pei Duo served her a bowl of soup and placed it in front of her.

Jiang Ninghui looked down at the rich and fragrant soup and said softly, "It's alright."

The young man stirred the thick soup with a spoon: "But I didn't sleep well."

Jiang Ninghui hesitated and raised her head, just in time to meet the young man's dark eyes. He looked at her with extreme calmness, and what he said sent a chill down her spine.

"Sister-in-law, I heard it all last night."

“My sister-in-law promised me that she would not get close to your husband.”

"But sister-in-law, you broke your promise."

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Author's note: Update before 6 PM tomorrow!