Chapter 8, Part 8: Pei Duo's toes touched her...
Jiang Ninghui added a lot of charcoal to the brazier. She stood in front of the brazier, enjoying the rare warmth of the winter day. The charcoal fire burned brighter and brighter, making her clothes feel hot and warm.
For the first time in over a decade, Jiang Ninghui felt the warmth of winter.
So comfortable.
She felt so comfortable that she was reluctant to leave the warm room.
But since it was Young Master Pei's room, no matter how much she craved its warmth, she couldn't stay there for long.
Jiang Ninghui closed the door and went out of the house, where she bumped into Mu Hua, who was knocking on the door and coming in.
Mu Hua, holding her son's hand, asked, "Young lady, I heard from someone in town this morning that they caught a batch of fresh fish and shrimp at the ferry crossing, and they're quite cheap. Would you like to go take a look?"
Jiang Ninghui's almond-shaped eyes curved into a smile: "I'll go."
We can buy some while it's cheap and improve the meals for our young master and young master Pei.
In fact, the one tael of silver that Young Master Pei gave her was enough for him to eat well every day, but she couldn't do that. After all, the three of them were sharing the same pot of food. If she did that, wouldn't she and her husband be taking advantage of Young Master Pei?
I don't know what day it is today, but the ferry crossing is bustling with people.
Jiang Ninghui and Sister-in-law Mu squeezed their way in for a long time before being separated by a group of people.
Jiang Ninghui searched for a long time but couldn't find Sister Mu. The crowd in front of her was too dense, so she figured it wouldn't work to squeeze in and look for her. She quickly bought some fish and shrimp and carried them back to the courtyard to see if she could run into Sister Mu.
As soon as she squeezed out of the crowd, her wrist was suddenly grabbed with such force that Jiang Ninghui's entire arm went numb from the pain.
Before she could turn around, she heard a familiar voice.
"Well, Jiang Ninghui! Your father works himself to the bone here, earning only two coins a day, and you spend those two coins on fish and shrimp without even blinking an eye. Instead of giving this money to your parents, you secretly eat the good stuff yourself!"
Jiang Ninghui looked at the person blocking her way—her younger brother, Jiang Chang.
It was because of him that his parents bribed a fortune teller to deceive the Zhao family.
Firstly, Jiang Chang was of marriageable age, and his family wanted to find him a good match.
Secondly, Jiang Chang got into an argument with someone and accidentally injured the other person. The other party demanded three taels of silver from the Jiang family, otherwise they would take the matter to the authorities and have Jiang Chang imprisoned. The Jiang family did not want their only son to suffer imprisonment, so they "sold" her.
Jiang Ninghui never expected to run into Jiang Chang here.
He was even searched by Jiang Chang!
"Give me the river shrimp and all the money you have. I'm your own brother. If you win me over, and the Zhao family bullies you, I'll stand up for you in their place because of how good you've been to me."
Jiang Ninghui's face turned pale with anger.
The people who bullied her the most, besides her younger brother, were her parents.
Although she had to be mindful of her in-laws' attitudes at every turn in the Zhao family, she wasn't subjected to daily beatings and humiliations.
Just as Jiang Chang's hand was about to slip into her sleeve, Jiang Ninghui pushed him away with all her might. This was the first time she had resisted Jiang Chang since her marriage. Jiang Chang was also stunned for a moment, then his eyes hardened, and he gritted his teeth and said, "You worthless good-for-nothing, you dare to push me?! Believe me or not, I'll tell my parents, and they'll beat you to death!"
Although Jiang Ninghui was afraid, she secretly tried to calm herself down.
She is now a daughter-in-law of the Zhao family, not a daughter of the Jiang family.
No matter what, my parents would never lay a finger on the Zhao family.
Moreover, she also had leverage over them, a double-edged sword that could both intimidate the Jiang family and harm herself. She suffered day and night because of this leverage, unable to sleep at night.
When Jiang Chang caught up with her again, Jiang Ninghui grabbed her sleeve and said, "If you dare to take my things, I'll go back right now and tell my parents-in-law and husband that you bribed the fortune teller to cheat the Zhao family. Let's see if the Zhao family will let it go!"
Jiang Chang paused, staring intently at Jiang Ninghui: "Tell the Zhao family, you think you can get away with this!"
Jiang Ninghui gripped her sleeve tightly with her fingertips until they turned white and trembled: "I have no intention of running away. At worst, we'll fight to the death. Anyway, I'm just a worthless life. I don't care whether I die or go to jail. It all depends on whether you and your parents can withstand the Zhao family's wrath and retaliation."
Jiang Chang was truly taken aback by Jiang Ninghui's words.
He knew the Zhao family to some extent, and Zhao Zhixue was a scholar who had passed the imperial examinations. If he knew about this matter, he would definitely not let it go, and might even send the whole family to jail.
But Jiang Chang was still resentful.
The older sister in front of him, whom he had bullied for over a decade, used to be begging for mercy in his presence. Now that she was married, she was actually putting on airs in front of him!
How could Jiang Chang tolerate this?
Even if I can't take her money, beating her up won't be a problem.
Thinking of this, Jiang Chang clenched his fist and was about to swing it. Jiang Ninghui's face changed, and she couldn't dodge in time. She watched helplessly as the fist landed on her head—but the wind of the fist stopped behind her ear, only a finger's width away from the bone behind her ear.
Jiang Ninghui smelled a faint scent of cedar.
She turned her head and saw that Young Master Pei, who should have been in the school, was standing behind her at some point.
The young man's strong fingers gripped Jiang Chang's wrist. Although it was clear that he wasn't using any force, Jiang Chang was in so much pain that half of his body collapsed. His face was contorted, and he grimaced and cried out in pain, begging Pei Duo to let go.
Pei Duo looked down at the person who was so close to him.
The woman's nose was red from the cold, her eyes were damp with moisture, and her cheeks looked as if they were covered with a layer of snow, excessively pale.
After knowing her for more than a month, this was the first time he had seen her show such fear.
Pei Duo applied pressure with his fingertips, causing Jiang Chang to break out in a cold sweat from the pain. The young man stepped forward and kicked Jiang Chang in the stomach. The intense pain exploded from his abdomen, causing Jiang Chang to kneel on the ground and howl in agony.
The commotion attracted the attention of those around them. Jiang Ninghui was afraid that Pei Duo would be implicated by Jiang Chang and that it would affect his future career in the imperial examinations. Ignoring the difference in their status, she hurriedly grabbed Pei Duo's sleeve and said urgently, "Young Master Pei, let's leave. Let's not let others see this and let it reach the teacher."
Pei Duo lowered his eyes, his gaze falling on the fingertips that were tugging at his sleeve.
The woman's fingers were slender and red, clearly from the cold.
The young man lifted his eyelids and looked down at Jiang Ninghui's watery eyes, which were filled with fear and worry.
He said, "Okay."
Pei Duo tightened his grip on Jiang Chang's fingertips again, lowered his head, and looked down at him with a cold, piercing gaze: "If I see you bullying her again, I will teach you a lesson on behalf of the Zhao family."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Chang realized that this person knew the Zhao family, implying that they had a close relationship.
He dared not say anything more. If he found out that the Jiang family had deceived the Zhao family, they would be in deep trouble. So after the man let go, Jiang Chang got up in a sorry state and ran away without looking back. Jiang Ninghui looked at Jiang Chang, who bullied the weak and feared the strong, and felt that it was ironic and laughable.
"Is your sister-in-law hurt?"
The young man's clear, deep voice reached my ears.
Jiang Ninghui snapped out of her daze and gently shook her head: "I'm not hurt."
She noticed the young man glance down at his sleeve, and Jiang Ninghui realized that she was still holding Pei Duo's sleeve. Her face flushed red, and she quickly withdrew her hand and hid it in her sleeve, lowering her head and saying, "Thank you for saving me, Young Master Pei."
Ignoring Jiang Ninghui's embarrassed and awkward appearance, Pei Duo glanced at the fish and shrimp she was carrying and asked, "Why don't you go to the shop to buy fish and shrimp, sister-in-law?"
Jiang Ninghui whispered, "It's cheaper here."
Pei Duo raised an eyebrow slightly, but said nothing more.
Jiang Ninghui then asked, "What is Young Master Pei doing here?"
Isn't he at school at this time?
Pei Duo glanced at the departing ship and said, "I came to meet a friend."
There were many people around. Jiang Ninghui carried the fish and shrimp and left the ferry with Pei Duo side by side. The young man glanced at Jiang Ninghui's fingertips, which were red from the cold, and took the fishing rope and net from her hand: "Sister-in-law, let me carry it."
"No need, no need, these aren't heavy."
"I'll take it."
The other person's tone was cold and indifferent, but their actions were so forceful that she couldn't argue with them.
Jiang Ninghui had no choice but to give up.
After walking for a while, she suddenly thought of something extremely terrifying!
Did Young Master Pei hear what she said to Jiang Chang in a fit of anger?
She thought back carefully and realized that after she finished speaking with Jiang Chang, he attacked her.
Young Master Pei appeared shortly afterward—
Did he hear that?
He must have heard it, since he was so close.
what to do?
Jiang Ninghui suddenly felt a chilling sensation, as if a guillotine were about to fall on the back of her neck.
If Young Master Pei hears this, he will tell the young master, and if the young master tells his parents-in-law, she will be completely finished.
Jiang Ninghui's heart leaped into her throat. She was completely dazed and didn't pay attention to her footing. She stepped into a pit and almost fell, but a pair of strong fingers grabbed her forearm and steadied her.
The young man lowered his eyelids and glanced at the forearm he was holding in his palm.
She was very thin, even thinner than he had expected.
The bones in his forearm are thin and fragile; he could break them with just a little force.
Pei Duo released his hand at the right moment: "Sister-in-law, watch your step."
Jiang Ninghui lowered her head, her ear tips flushed, but her face was unnaturally pale as paper. She clenched her fingers, not daring to look up at Pei Duo, but staring at the ground, and asked softly, "Young Master Pei, did you hear my conversation with my brother just now?"
Pei Duo stood with his hands behind his back, glancing down at the woman's tense shoulders and neck.
She lowered her head, revealing a section of her slender, snow-white nape, with prominent knuckles pressed against the back of her collar.
The young man's dark gaze followed the prominent joints downwards, his cold, sticky eyes seeming to penetrate the heavy clothes, sliding inch by inch along the joints toward the woman's fragile spine.
She was very nervous.
Even fear.
Pei Duo knew perfectly well what she was afraid of.
Because he heard it all.
No wonder she had such high expectations for Zhao Zhixue. It turned out that if Zhao Zhixue failed the exam, she would face the immense resentment and torment of the Zhao family.
Pei Duo looked up and said in a calm voice, "When I arrived, I only saw your brother attacking you."
He lowered his eyes and asked, "What? What did your brother say to you?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ninghui finally breathed a sigh of relief, even feeling as if she had escaped a disaster.
She quickly shook her head: "He didn't say anything, just some unpleasant things."
The two walked through the bustling streets and turned into a sparsely populated alley.
Jiang Ninghui suddenly heard Young Master Pei's voice from the side.
He called her "sister-in-law".
Jiang Ninghui looked up and saw Pei Duo had stopped.
The young man turned to face her, his tall and imposing figure trapping her between him and the wall. The two were only a step apart, and Jiang Ninghui once again smelled the cedar scent emanating from him, forcefully breaking through the cold air around her and enveloping her completely.
Jiang Ninghui recalled the scene from that day when Pei Duo entered the house and found her wearing only her underwear.
Her cheeks flushed instantly, and embarrassment and shame crept onto her face once again.
Jiang Ninghui couldn't help herself and quietly took a step back, trying to create some distance between them.
Pei Duo noticed her subtle movements.
The young man narrowed his eyes slightly.
She was running away from him again.
Pei Duo pushed forward with his toes, his clear voice becoming strangely deep: "Sister-in-law."
A note from the author:
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I recommend similar stories about uncles and aunts; you can find them by clicking on my author page.
The Cannon Fodder Widow of the 1970s
(Military officer brother-in-law x cannon fodder widowed sister-in-law)
Copywriting:
Jiang Nian woke up to find herself transmigrated into a period novel, becoming a widow who had just lost her husband.
Although she didn't appear many times, she was deeply impressed by this character. A few days after the original owner's husband died, she was bullied by local thugs in the same village. Unable to bear the humiliation, the original owner committed suicide by crashing into her doorstep.
If she remembered correctly, this cannon fodder character was the male lead's widowed sister-in-law.
The book describes how the male protagonist originally came to pay respects to his elder brother, but unexpectedly stumbled upon the original owner's funeral. The male protagonist dealt with the thugs who had bullied the original owner, arranged the original owner's funeral, and took the train back to the city.
He happened to meet the female protagonist in the book, and the two developed feelings for each other, which naturally led to their marriage.
When Jiang Nian transmigrated, the plot had just progressed to the point where she had fallen into the hands of local thugs.
**
Lu Yu's biggest regret in life was not being able to see his elder brother one last time, and he regretted even more that he was not able to save his poor widowed sister-in-law.
In an accident, Lu Yu was injured and returned to five years in the past. The first thing he did was rush home overnight. Although he missed his elder brother's funeral, he managed to save his widowed sister-in-law who was being bullied by thugs.
Only the widowed sister-in-law remained at home.
To avoid the tragedy of his previous life, he brought Jiang Nian to the military base and settled her in the military family compound.
His comrade-in-arms, Song Bai, came to visit him to catch up. Looking at Jiang Nian, who had fair skin, a delicate figure, and a slender waist, he secretly asked him, "Who is this?"
Lu Yu saw right through his thoughts and gave him a sidelong glance.
Song Bai scratched the back of his head, chuckled, and shamelessly leaned in: "If she doesn't have a boyfriend, you can introduce her to me, I..."
That day, Song Bai was kicked out before he could even eat a hot meal.
Song Bai's words also caused the desires that Lu Yu had been suppressing to resurface.
Every time he returned from training, smelling the cooking smoke in the house and watching the woman walking back and forth inside, he felt as if his heart was being torn apart every night.
In particular, every time Jiang Nian finished taking a shower, she would walk around right under his nose wearing only a thin tank top.
Lu Yu couldn't help but swallow hard when he smelled the soap scent on the woman, and his dark eyes swirled with a frenzied possessiveness.
He shouldn't have fallen for her, but he did anyway, and even wanted to keep her within his own territory, so that no one else could even dream of having her.
People say that rabbits don't eat the grass near their burrows, but he just happens to crave that particular blade of grass.
① The female protagonist transmigrates into a book, and the male protagonist is reborn.
②1v1, sc
③ The male lead is pure in body and mind. He had absolutely no romantic relationship with the female lead in his past life, not even the slightest bit. There are foreshadowing elements in the plot about the male lead avoiding the female lead, but I won't go into details to avoid spoilers; they will be revealed later.
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