Chapter 78 78 Divorcing Her
The evening breeze in April still carried a chill, especially on the water. The wind blowing against her face was damp and cool, but Jiang Ninghui didn't feel cold. She was almost buried in Pei Duo's arms, enveloped by his burning body temperature, and even felt a bit warm.
A small boat slowly approached from the opposite direction, with exquisite lanterns hanging from its eaves.
Jiang Ninghui glanced at it, but her gaze was drawn to the beautiful scenery beside her.
Jiang Ninghui felt a very light, warm touch on the tip of her ear, and she knew what it was.
Her cheeks flushed, and she turned her head to try to avoid it, but the warm, wet touch persisted.
Pei Duo held her earlobe in his mouth, his tongue freely tracing that small, soft piece of flesh.
The young man's hot breath swirled in and out of her ear, his lingering heat swirling around her earlobe.
Hearing those murmured "sister-in-law" made Jiang Ninghui feel extremely ashamed.
She raised her hand to push Pei Duo's lips away and quickly covered her ears with her hands to prevent him from taking any further advantage.
Unexpectedly, the young man's warm lips landed on the back of her hand, and his wet tongue licked along the back of her hand to her fingertips.
The thought that she and Pei Duo were at the window, and that Pei Duo doing this to her would surely be seen by outsiders, made Jiang Ninghui feel increasingly ashamed and embarrassed. She wanted to escape from Pei Duo's embrace, but she noticed that his body suddenly stiffened—
She could even clearly feel that his breathing paused for a moment.
Jiang Ninghui was slightly taken aback. She gently looked up and saw Pei Duo gazing out the window.
She followed Pei Duo's gaze and saw that the distant ship had somehow gotten close, not far from her own, so close that she could clearly see a man and a woman in the opposite window.
She knew that man all too well.
But the gentle, tender smile on his face felt completely unfamiliar to Jiang Ninghui.
She had been married to her husband for almost two years, and even though the couple had a very sweet relationship in the early days of their marriage, she had never seen such a tender and affectionate smile on her husband's face.
But now he's acting this way for another woman.
Three days ago, she had seen this woman outside the examination hall—Li Fu, the daughter of the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.
She watched as her husband got up and personally poured a cup of tea for Lady Li, his every move filled with care and concern.
She watched as Lady Li raised her head and smiled faintly at her husband.
The flickering candlelight reflected on her beautiful, jade-like face, captivating the young man without him even realizing it.
Jiang Ninghui lowered her hands, her fingers tightly gripping the crimson sash hanging from her waist, watching this scene with a pale face.
It turns out that the young master hadn't returned for three days because he was indeed staying with Lady Li.
Today, while boating on the lake, he was also with this Lady Li.
Did he ever consider that she had been waiting for him at home for the past three days?
Does he know how much torment and helplessness she has felt while waiting for him?
But what about him?
He probably forgot that he had a wife at home who was eagerly waiting for him to return.
Jiang Ninghui felt a deep sadness and desolation in her heart.
She clung to a sliver of hope that her beloved would not forget her.
Once he passes the imperial examination, do not divorce her as Sister-in-law Mu suggested.
She didn't ask him for anything in return, nor did she ask him to treat her well. She only asked to have a place in the Zhao family so that she wouldn't be left to wander outside with the stigma of being abandoned, subject to criticism and contempt from others.
But now, the last vestiges of hope she had were completely shattered.
If the young master really does get together with this Lady Li, how could he allow her to stay in the Zhao family?
A gentle evening breeze blows as two boats stand facing each other.
Window to window.
Jiang Ninghui's eyelashes trembled as she looked at Lady Li across from her, then she got up and walked to her husband's side.
She saw her husband lower his head in delight, gazing lovingly at Lady Li.
She saw—
Lady Li placed her hands on her husband's shoulders, stood on tiptoe, and gently touched his cheek.
Jiang Ninghui bit her lower lip tightly, staring blankly at the scene.
Whether she was too engrossed in her gaze or not, she caught her husband's attention. Seeing him look in her direction, Jiang Ninghui instinctively turned to face Pei Duo. The young man's strong arms embraced her, his hand gently cupping the back of her neck, his fingertips lightly kneading her tense neck to soothe her emotions.
His lips brushed against her ear, but his dark eyes were fixed on Zhao Zhixue, who was looking in their direction.
He kindly reminded her, "Don't be afraid, sister-in-law, he won't recognize you."
The young man smiled and said, "What a coincidence. I didn't expect to run into Brother Zhao and Lady Li while boating on the lake tonight."
Jiang Ninghui closed her eyes, her voice trembling slightly: "That person—is she really the daughter of the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review?"
Pei Duo: "Exactly."
Jiang Ninghui pursed her lips and remained silent.
"Brother Pei, you've come to enjoy the lake too?"
Zhao Zhixue's voice came from the other side.
He glanced at the woman in Pei Duo's arms with some surprise, feeling that her figure looked very familiar, but he couldn't remember who she was.
Upon closer inspection, he noticed her light yellow dress. Even from a distance, he could immediately tell that the fabric was extremely valuable, not to mention the pearl hairpins in her hair, especially the gilded begonia hairpin. As far as he knew, this hairpin was extremely valuable, and its value lay precisely in the pearl on the gilded hairpin.
Zhao Zhixue suddenly recalled that night when he encountered Pei Duo carrying a woman dressed in a red wedding dress outside the Longchang Mansion.
Pei Duo said that she was the one he loved.
It seems that Pei Duo has brought the woman to the capital.
Pei Duo was of noble birth, so the woman had truly risen to a higher social status.
Upon hearing her husband's voice, Jiang Ninghui unconsciously tugged at Pei Duo's sleeve.
She nestled quietly in his arms, inhaling the faint scent of cedar on his body, and feeling the gentle pressure of his hand on the back of her neck. The sorrow and grief that had risen in her heart seemed to have found an outlet, and inexplicably, much of it faded away.
She overheard Pei Duo saying to his lover, "I will stroll on the lake hand in hand with the one I love."
Zhao Zhixue glanced at the woman in Pei Duo's arms again. Although he understood, he still asked, "Is she the woman from Longchang?"
Pei Duo: "Exactly."
Zhao Zhixue stared intently at the woman's back, finding it increasingly familiar, yet he couldn't quite place who it was.
He once asked Pei Duo, who said that he also knew the person he admired.
He had gone through all the women he knew around him who were about the same age as Pei Duo, but he still couldn't figure out who it was.
“Young Master Pei”.
The woman's soft, gentle voice drifted on the evening breeze.
Jiang Ninghui's eyelashes trembled, and almost instantly she recognized that the speaker was Lady Li.
Pei Duo lifted his eyelids, glanced at Li Fu who had walked to Zhao Zhixue's side, and nodded coldly: "Miss Li."
Zhao Zhixue asked in surprise, "You two know each other?"
Pei Duo ignored him.
Li Fu explained softly to him, "Young Master Pei's uncle and my father both serve as officials in the court, so the two families occasionally have contact and have met a few times."
Zhao Zhixue understood.
Li Fu gently raised her eyes and glanced at the young lady being held in Pei Langjun's arms from a distance that was neither too close nor too far.
She lowered her eyelashes and gestured for Zhao Zhixue to sit down and continue enjoying his tea.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Zhixue spoke a few steps to Pei Duo and then turned around and sat down in a chair.
The two boats passed each other and gradually disappeared into the distance.
Jiang Ninghui lost all interest in appreciating the scenery and decided to return home as soon as the boat docked.
She came with anticipation and joy, but returned dejected and sorrowful. She didn't even notice that Pei Duo had been holding her hand the whole time. It wasn't until she returned to the courtyard that she came to her senses, quickly pulled her hand away and ran into the house. As soon as she opened the door, she was embraced by a pair of long and strong arms.
Jiang Ninghui's back bumped into the young man's hot, firm embrace.
Even through her clothes, his burning body heat soothed her.
The young man buried his face in the crook of her neck, his nose gently brushing against her skin.
“Sister-in-law, your good-for-nothing husband is unfaithful to you. He deceives you, neglects you, and seeks pleasure with other women behind your back. Why should you stay with that good-for-nothing? Why not divorce him and I will marry you?”
Jiang Ninghui felt that Pei Duo was talking nonsense.
Whether she and her husband can stay together is another matter.
There is absolutely no possibility between her and Pei Duo alone.
His uncle holds a high-ranking official position, and his mother is the daughter of the Xie family. In the near future, he will pass the imperial examination with flying colors and become the youngest new top scholar. Such a person will surely become a highly sought-after top scholar in the capital. Even if his uncle does not interfere, how could Uncle Pei and Aunt Xie allow him to marry a woman who has already been married once, and who is more than a year older than him?
If others in this capital city knew her identity, they would probably laugh at Pei Duo behind her back.
Jiang Ninghui felt depressed and distressed.
She turned away from his embrace, placing her hands on his shoulders as if to push him away.
But she couldn't push him away...
He held her in his arms, whispering seductive words in her ear.
—Sister-in-law, divorce that good-for-nothing.
—Sister-in-law, turn around and look at me.
—SuiSui, let's get married.
—Ears of grain, ears of grain, ears of grain.
The repeated calls of "Sui Sui" stirred up Jiang Ning Sui's emotions. Tonight, she had inadvertently witnessed her husband's affair with Lady Li, which made her feel suffocated. All the negative emotions crashed down on her, making her dizzy and lightheaded. Her vision seemed to be blurred by a fog, and she could not see clearly. All she could hear was Pei Duo's voice echoing in her ears.
Jiang Ninghui could no longer hold back and collapsed into Pei Duo's arms, bursting into tears.
From childhood to adulthood, no matter what beatings or humiliations she suffered, she would only hide in her cramped and dilapidated hut at night and cry silently. Even after marrying her husband, she would only wipe away her tears alone when she was wronged. Never before had she so unrestrainedly thrown herself into another man's arms and cried so loudly.
She seemed to want to cry out all the grievances she had held in her heart over the years.
The crying only increased.
Pei Duo hugged her tightly, letting her vent without restraint, letting her tears soak his shirt.
After Jiang Ninghui calmed down from her emotional breakdown and her crying subsided, Pei Duo squatted down, wrapped his strong long arm around Jiang Ninghui's knees, and put his other long arm around her lower back. He picked her up and turned to leave the house that belonged to her and that good-for-nothing.
Jiang Ninghui was picked up by Pei Duo and held upright.
Her legs were pressed tightly against the young man's strong, firm waist and abdomen, her hands helplessly clinging to his shoulders.
She looked down at him.
This was the first time Jiang Ninghui had seen Pei Duo from this bird's-eye view.
This was the second time he had held her in his arms in this way.
How is this way of holding someone different from holding a baby?
The thought that the young man holding her in this position was younger than her made Jiang Ninghui blush instantly. She even forgot to cry. Her wet almond-shaped eyes met the young man's deep pupils helplessly. She gently tugged at his clothes on his shoulder: "Put me down."
Pei Duo did not release it.
And he licked away the tears on her cheeks, little by little.
A hot, wet tongue touched her cheek. To avoid it, Jiang Ninghui had no choice but to raise her head, only to find the young man's lips landing on her neck.
Numerous wet kisses covered her neck, and Jiang Ninghui was tormented, unable to look down or up.
Before she could dodge, the half-closed courtyard gate was suddenly pushed open from the outside.
Jiang Ninghui trembled, her almond-shaped eyes, brimming with moisture, looking over.
When she saw the person outside the door, she was so frightened that she stiffened up.
It's my love!
Why...why is he back at this time?!
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Author's Note: The synopsis and plot should be mostly finished in the next couple of days. I've been a bit busy these past few days, and the writing has been a bit of a struggle. I'll try to speed things up. [Please][Please][Please]
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