Chapter 11, Section 11: Pei Duo: Sister-in-law, eat it.
In front of the stove, Jiang Ninghui stood with her back to the kitchen door, holding a pot lid in her hand.
Pei Duo was carrying two plates of food, and walked past Jiang Ninghui with his shoulder almost touching hers.
Jiang Ninghui nearly dropped the pot lid, her heart pounding wildly with panic.
She and Young Master Pei clearly had nothing going on.
Young Master Pei was just trying to help her out of kindness.
But... but the two of us were so close together just now, it will surely make the young master misunderstand.
Fortunately, Young Master Pei reacted quickly and released her as her husband pushed open the door, thus avoiding any misunderstanding from him.
Zhao Zhixue walked to Jiang Ninghui's side, looked down and saw that her cheeks were flushed. He raised his hand and gently touched Jiang Ninghui's cheek with the back of his hand. It was warm to the touch. "Wife, why is your face so red?"
Jiang Ninghui's shoulders and back tensed up, and the pot lid in her hand almost fell off and smashed onto the pot.
She touched her warm cheeks, trying to make her smile look normal: "Red...red? It must be from being exposed to the cold wind all the way back and then being steamed by the hot pot."
Only she knows.
Her cheeks were flushed and burning because she was embarrassed and awkward.
Pei Duo put down the plate and glanced at the petite figure still standing in front of the stove.
The young man slightly raised his eyebrows.
Is my sister-in-law blushing?
Zhao Zhixue helped Jiang Ninghui place the porridge and steamed buns on the table: "Wife, you don't need to come to the school anymore. This wind and rain won't freeze me."
Jiang Ninghui nodded gently: "Okay."
She didn't dare go anymore.
If we run into Liang Wentao again, it will only cause more trouble for my husband and Young Master Pei.
Recalling the look Liang Wentao gave her before he left, Jiang Ninghui felt a chill run down her spine once more.
After the meal, Zhao Zhixue and Pei Duo went to the school.
After cleaning up the kitchen, Jiang Ninghui went to Pei Duo's room and added some coal to the charcoal brazier.
His room was warm as spring, and Jiang Ninghui lingered in the warmth of this small space in the winter, reluctant to leave. She warmed herself by the charcoal brazier for a while until her whole body was thoroughly warmed before getting up and going out.
There's still some dough left from this morning, so Jiang Ninghui plans to steam some buns tonight.
She asked Sister Mu to go to the market with her and they bought two ounces of meat. The two ounces of meat cost three coins. This amount of money would be fine if it were spent on normal meals, but Jiang Ninghui did not want to add Pei Gongzi's food expenses to repay him, as it would seem insincere.
She used her own money and her own share of food.
She eats less these days, so she saves money on food rations.
Before marrying into the Zhao family, she had almost never eaten her fill, and going hungry was a common occurrence. This hardship of not having enough to eat was commonplace for her.
When Zhao Zhixue and Pei Duo returned in the evening, they washed their hands and went into the kitchen. They saw a plate on each of their seats, with three white steamed buns on each plate and a freshly cooked vegetable, tofu and egg soup in the middle, steaming gently.
Zhao Zhixue smiled and asked, "My wife also made steamed buns. What kind of filling are they?"
Jiang Ninghui made soup for the two of them, paused, and said softly, "Luosu filling."
She added a little light soy sauce to the meat; unless you looked closely, you couldn't tell the difference between the meat and the basil.
Zhao Zhixue warmed his hands by holding the bowl before picking up the bun and taking a big bite.
Pei Duo took a bite of the steamed bun, and the aroma of meat instantly filled his mouth. The young man frowned slightly and glanced at Jiang Ninghui across from him.
Just as he expected.
She resorted to this clumsy method again.
Seeing that she was only holding the bowl and drinking soup, Pei Duo casually asked, "Sister-in-law, don't you eat steamed buns?"
Jiang Ninghui looked down at the clear soup in the bowl and said in a soft voice, "I had already eaten one before you came back."
Zhao Zhixue did not ask his teacher for guidance tonight. After dinner, he rushed back to his room to continue reviewing his lessons.
After he left, only Jiang Ninghui and Pei Duo remained in the kitchen.
Jiang Ninghui was afraid that Pei Duo would bring up the matter, so she got up and wanted to go out first and wait for Pei Gongzi to finish eating before she came to clean up the dishes. Unexpectedly, just as she got up, a long, slender finger pushed a white porcelain plate in front of her.
She was startled and looked at Pei Duo.
The young man simply raised his chin slightly towards the white porcelain plate: "Sister-in-law, eat it."
Jiang Ninghui quickly shook her head: "This was for you, I've already eaten." She added, "I'm full."
Pei Duo bent two fingers and tapped the edge of the porcelain plate lightly: "Sister-in-law, you can either eat it, or I'll give it to Brother Zhao to try."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ninghui's heart sank.
If this bun ends up in her husband's mouth, her little scheme to repay a debt of gratitude and her lies will be laid bare. How will her husband see her and think of her then? He will surely mistakenly believe that she has other feelings for... for Young Master Pei.
Jiang Ninghui bit her lower lip lightly and stiffly sat back in her original position.
Pei Duo watched her pick up a steamed bun and eat it in small bites, then picked up his bowl and sipped the soup inside.
After finishing his soup, the young man looked up at Jiang Ninghui.
He called her "Sister-in-law".
Jiang Ninghui didn't look up, continuing to bite into her steamed bun: "Hmm?"
Pei Duo: "I'll say it again. I appreciate your gratitude, sister-in-law, but you don't need to make yourself suffer over this. We live under the same roof. You cook three meals a day for me and keep me warm. If you think about it carefully, I owe you a debt of gratitude. If you really want to be so clear about things with me, how about I move out?"
Jiang Ninghui looked up at Pei Duo across from her, bewildered.
The young man's eyes reflected the flickering flame of the oil lamp, sometimes bright, sometimes dim. His gaze was extremely deep, like a dark, deep pool, drawing her in, body and soul, binding her inch by inch.
Jiang Ninghui paused, and upon closer inspection, she saw only a calm, lake-like quality in the young man's clear, cold eyes.
She was only trying to repay a debt of gratitude, so why did she force her benefactor to move out?
Jiang Ninghui choked up for a moment, not knowing what to say.
Pei Duo broke the silence at the opportune moment: "Does my sister-in-law still want to keep such a clear separation from me?"
Jiang Ninghui shook her head.
She was completely unaware that she had been led astray by the young man's words.
Pei Duo's features remained aloof and indifferent, but a hint of barely perceptible amusement lingered in his eyes: "In that case, sister-in-law, you don't need to do this anymore, and don't deprive yourself."
Jiang Ninghui lowered her head and replied, "I understand."
She felt she had been quite discreet, not even her husband had noticed. How did Young Master Pei know she hadn't eaten the buns?
Jiang Ninghui's spine trembled as she recalled how many times Young Master Pei had seen through her thoughts at a glance.
In front of Young Master Pei, it seemed as if she had no secrets to hide.
After dinner, Jiang Ninghui tidied up the kitchen, then brought hot water into the room to wash up with her husband.
Zhao Zhixue stayed up very late reading tonight. Jiang Ninghui fell asleep first, and he didn't even know when he went to bed.
Since Pei Duo and Jiang Ninghui said those words that night, she has never stuck to her initial decision.
Over the next few days, at every meal, Jiang Ninghui seemed to feel Pei Gongzi's gaze intentionally or unintentionally hovering over her head, watching to see if she was still trying to cheat herself.
Jiang Ninghui thought that Young Master Pei was a very good person.
Her husband once told her privately that Young Master Pei was cold-hearted and rarely interacted with others, and was indifferent to everyone and everything. However, she felt that Young Master Pei was a kind person with a cold exterior but a warm heart.
That night, Jiang Ninghui snuggled into bed and was embraced by her husband.
Men have more yang energy and are generally stronger than women. Jiang Ninghui, craving the warmth of Zhao Zhixue's body, snuggled closer to him. Zhao Zhixue held her tightly, his hand stroking Jiang Ninghui's arm through her thin undergarment.
"My wife, I have something to tell you that will make you happy."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ninghui curiously raised her head and asked, "What is it?"
Zhao Zhixue looked at Jiang Ninghui's bright, watery eyes and couldn't help but kiss her forehead: "About Liang Wentao."
Upon hearing this name, Jiang Ninghui recalled the look in Liang Wentao's eyes that day.
It sent chills down her spine.
She pursed her lips slightly and asked, "What's wrong with him?"
Zhao Zhixue: "He hasn't been to school for five days. I only heard from his classmates today that Liang Wentao got drunk and fell down five days ago, disfiguring his face. I heard that he also broke his right hand and left leg and has been recuperating at home."
Jiang Ninghui was quite surprised: "You fell so hard on flat ground?"
Zhao Zhixue chuckled: "It wasn't flat ground; he fell from the second floor of his restaurant."
So that's how it is.
Jiang Ninghui felt much less upset.
Evil will be punished, and even God cannot tolerate such evildoers.
The warm touch moved along her arm to her soft mounds; her skirt was untied, and a hand slipped inside…
Jiang Ninghui snapped out of her daze and quickly pressed Zhao Zhixue's hand down. Her pretty face flushed slightly with a hint of resistance. "My lord, it's getting late. Let's go to sleep."
Zhao Zhixue felt a surge of emotion, pulled his hand back, grabbed Jiang Ninghui's hand, and pressed it above her head.
Only he knew how painful it was to be able to look at the wife he had married but not touch her.
He leaned over her and buried his face in Jiang Ninghui's neck: "Suihui, we haven't been intimate for ten days. Don't push me away anymore. If I make a little noise, Brother Pei won't be able to hear me."
Jiang Ninghui bit her lower lip tightly, her cheeks flushed, and the alluring hollows of her neck, close to her bones, were forced to fill her watery almond eyes with a red flush.
The inner garment peeled off.
Two warm bodies pressed together in the winter.
A charcoal fire was burning inside, and although the temperature wasn't as warm as the room next door, it wasn't too cold either.
In the next room, the coal was burning a golden red.
With the doors and windows wide open, the cold wind rushed in, dispersing the scorching heat.
Pei Duo put down his purple-tipped brush, raised his cold, icy eyes, and gazed at the countless stars in the sky.
The starlight was scattered, like the autumn sunset adorning a woman's eyes.
That night, she sat alone by the window.
A scene of her charming and expressive eyes shimmering with autumn water unexpectedly entered Pei Duo's field of vision.
A cold wind howled, pouring down on the young man and ruffling his robes.
In a moment, the young man spread out a sheet of Xuan paper on the table, picked up a brush, and used the tip of the brush to outline a pair of bright, clear eyes on the Xuan paper. Gradually, the lines of a woman's face were drawn.
Ten days ago, he found a suitable courtyard.
It's a secluded house with its own courtyard, quiet and undisturbed, but it lacks the warmth and hustle of daily meals.
He declined.
Actually, living here isn't necessarily a bad thing.
There's only one thing I'm not entirely satisfied with.
For example, the sounds that are chilling and abhorrent right now.
Pei Duo placed the purple brush on the brush holder, turned around and went out. He walked to the door next door, took his hand and knocked on the door.
The "thump-thump" sound was especially loud in the quiet night, and it made the people inside the house suddenly stop what they were doing.
A note from the author:
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There's a red envelope in this chapter!
Pei Duo: Wants to kill
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