Chapter 59 A madman, he kissed her in front of his husband…
"Brother Duo, why aren't you getting off now that we're at the door?"
Pei's father approached the carriage and was about to lift the curtain when he saw Pei Duo lift the curtain and get down first.
As the carriage curtain was lifted, Pei's father saw Jiang Ninghui's figure and asked in confusion, "Why didn't Suihui get out of the carriage?"
Pei Duo: "My sister-in-law is in a bad mood and needs some time to calm down."
After speaking, he slightly raised his chin towards the Zhao family.
Seeing this, Pei's father glanced at the wide-open gate of the Zhao family's courtyard and did not get involved.
Once the Pei father and son entered the courtyard, Jiang Ninghui, who had been hiding in the carriage, finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She pinched her sleeve and vigorously wiped her lips where Pei Duo had touched them. Then she caught a glimpse of her fingertips and remembered the scene of the young man sucking on her fingertips. Her cheeks suddenly burned. She hid her fingertips in her sleeve, feeling both ashamed and annoyed. She got up, got off the carriage, and returned to the Zhao family.
As soon as she stepped into the courtyard, she heard her husband sternly questioning her parents-in-law.
From his words, Jiang Ninghui could tell that he was very angry.
He said that she was his wife, the daughter-in-law of the Zhao family, not an object to be beaten, scolded, or bullied at will by her in-laws.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ninghui felt a deep pang of sorrow in her heart.
She lowered her head hastily, her eyes red-rimmed, feeling even more sorry for her husband.
Her husband protected her so much, yet she did something that betrayed him.
The more Jiang Ninghui thought about it, the more tormented and bitter she felt. She stood silently outside the house, head down, without saying a word.
Inside the room, Zhao Zhixue slammed his fist on the table in anger, pointing angrily at his father, his neck veins bulging with rage.
As soon as he entered the house, he asked whether his parents had made things difficult for Sui Sui when they came to town on his birthday. Although the two elders were unable to speak, he could see the truth from their evasive expressions. Therefore, in a fit of anger, he gave them a severe scolding.
After venting his anger, Zhao Zhixue went outside and saw Jiang Ninghui standing outside the house.
He was all alone, head bowed, hands twisting the hem of his clothes, a red stain at the corner of his eye, indicating he had just been crying.
Zhao Zhixue felt guilty towards his wife. It had been so long since he learned the truth. If it weren't for Pei Di revealing the truth today, he would still be in the dark and would have almost misunderstood his wife because of this. No wonder she couldn't bring herself to say it no matter how he asked her. How could she possibly say such a thing?
Zhao Zhixue stepped forward and took Jiang Ninghui's hand, which was clutching the hem of her clothes, into his own.
He squeezed her hand tightly, looked down at his wife's trembling eyelashes, and said with undisguised heartache, "Wife, I'm sorry, it was my negligence that made you suffer."
The more Zhao Zhixue acted this way, the deeper Jiang Ninghui's guilt towards him became.
She bit her lip tightly, unable to speak, and just kept shaking her head.
Seeing this, Zhao Zhixue stepped forward and hugged Jiang Ninghui, gently patting her slender, trembling back: "It's alright, it's all over now. After this incident, I think I will never dare to do such a thing again."
Jiang Ninghui wrapped her arms around Zhao Zhixue's waist, buried her face in his chest, and cried silently.
She cried because her husband had been so good to her, yet she had done something to betray him.
Especially just now, when her husband was standing up for her, she was in the carriage with Pei Duo...
Jiang Ninghui felt increasingly guilty towards her husband and almost had the idea of biting her tongue to commit suicide.
Perhaps because her husband had lost his temper, her in-laws did not make things difficult for her because of this.
For the next two days, she and her husband stayed at home and did not go to town. Pei Duo next door also stayed at home. Jiang Ninghui suddenly breathed a sigh of relief. The two no longer lived in the same courtyard. She no longer had to worry about Pei Duo bullying her in the house.
The next day at noon, a magnificent carriage arrived in the peaceful Xiping Village and stopped outside the Pei family's courtyard.
Good news spread like wildfire in Xiping Village.
The small village of Xiping produced two scholars who passed the imperial examinations.
The top scholar in the provincial examination was Pei Duo, the son of the Pei family.
Zhao Zhixue ranked eighth and won the runner-up title.
The carriage that arrived was specially sent by the prefect of Longchang County to pick up Pei and Zhao and take them to his residence.
When the Zhao family learned of this news, they were overjoyed!
The Zhao couple felt more and more that the fortune teller's predictions were truly accurate, and that their five taels of silver had not been wasted!
The two elders, who had been displeased with Jiang Ninghui these past two days after being reprimanded by Zhao Zhixue, have now put on smiling faces and find Jiang Ninghui much more agreeable.
Only Zhao Zhixue, though outwardly happy, felt uneasy inside.
Pei Duo helped him a lot in this provincial examination. He could even calculate the questions in advance. This person was so intelligent that he was almost demonic, which was extremely terrifying. It was simply a fantasy to be his classmate and compete with him for the top three in the examination.
Zhao Zhixue felt fear and a dark feeling also arose in his heart.
After passing the provincial examination, the next year will be the metropolitan examination, and if he is lucky enough to pass the metropolitan examination, there will be the palace examination.
His goal was to be in the top three, but with Pei Duo ahead of him, and countless scholars and intelligent people in the world, it was uncertain whether he could even pass the imperial examination, let alone be in the top three.
What he wanted was to make a name for himself in the imperial court of Kyoto and rise through the ranks in the vortex of power, rather than just passing the imperial examination and wasting his life as an insignificant minor official in the small county of Longchang.
He still needs to curry favor with Pei Duo and stay with him at all times so that he can get things done for himself. He hopes that Pei Duo will help him twice more in the upcoming provincial and palace examinations.
Suppressing his gloom and resentment, Zhao Zhixue put on a gentle expression, left the Zhao family home, and boarded the carriage with Pei Duo bound for the prefect of Longchang.
The news of the Pei and Zhao families' sons passing the imperial examinations spread throughout Xiping Village.
The village head led his men to the Pei and Zhao families with gongs and drums. Two scholars from Xiping Village had suddenly emerged, and many people were envious of him as the village head. Moreover, the fact that the two of them would become officials in the imperial court was an excellent thing for the entire Xiping Village.
On that day, many people brought eggs, meat, wild game and other food to the Pei and Zhao families to offer their congratulations. However, most people went to the Pei family, making the Zhao family seem rather deserted. The Zhao couple glanced at the Pei couple next door with dissatisfaction.
He was especially furious when he heard Pei's father say that he would host a banquet for everyone at a restaurant in town another day.
Although the two of them couldn't speak, their eyes were practically rolling back to the sky.
The two elders were angry, so they vented their anger on Jiang Ninghui. Zhao's father glared at her fiercely and snorted coldly. Li grabbed her arm and dragged her into the kitchen, making her look at the firewood by the stove. She indicated that she should go up the mountain to collect firewood and not come back for dinner until she had piled up the firewood stacks on this wall!
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ninghui lowered her head and agreed.
For her, whether she went up the mountain to collect firewood or went hungry, as long as she didn't have to face her in-laws, it was fine.
She carried the rope on her back and walked alone toward the mountainside.
Jiang Ninghui made three trips back and forth, but the firewood she collected only piled up to cover a tiny half-wall. She wiped the sweat from her forehead, didn't go to see the Zhao couple who were having lunch inside, and carried the rope on her back to the mountainside again.
As the sun sets, the last rays of red paint half the sky.
The crimson sunset scattered on the ground resembled spilled blood, steaming with intense heat.
A horse-drawn carriage gradually drove towards Xiping Village.
The carriage was dimly lit, and the curtains were occasionally lifted by the wind, letting in a few rays of light that scattered across the young man's body. His handsome face was sometimes in the light and sometimes in the shadows, and his dark pupils, shrouded in the dimness, were cold and indifferent.
Pei Duo raised his eyes and glanced at Zhao Zhixue on his left.
Once he boarded the carriage, the man remained silent, his jealousy barely concealed in his eyes.
He really wanted to pretend.
pity.
This ugly face could not ultimately conceal the ugliness in his heart.
He's just a useless piece of trash; what kind of future can he possibly have?
However, even if he is a good-for-nothing, we should still give him a hand for the sake of his sister-in-law.
Only in this way can one have the opportunity to get close to one's sister-in-law every day.
Pei Duo: "I wonder if Brother Zhao would be willing to move into my residence?"
Zhao Zhixue's expression changed slightly. Before he could speak, Pei Duo said, "I will find an opportunity to speak with the prefect and ask him to transfer you to the prefectural school as a teacher. In this way, Brother Zhao can earn tuition by teaching and continue to study to prepare for next year's imperial examination. Neither will be neglected. Brother Zhao will live with me, and I can help you with your studies to help you pass the imperial examination next year."
Zhao Zhixue felt as if a knot of resentment had been formed in his chest.
I'm so angry and frustrated!
And they were extremely resentful!
Pei Duo seemed to be thinking of him in every way, arranging his future very well.
But what gives him the right?!
Based on his good relationship with the prefect?
Just because he became the top scholar in the provincial examination, the prefect gave him a house.
Therefore, do you show him great mercy, give him alms, and boast in front of him that you did better in the exam, that you have a good relationship with the prefect, and that you got a big house so that he can live there too? Do you envy him day and night and think of his good deeds?
hateful!
hateful!
Zhao Zhixue lowered his head, his eyes bloodshot from jealousy, anger, and hatred.
He dared not look up, afraid that Pei Duo would notice something was amiss.
He couldn't afford to break ties with Pei Duo yet; he still needed Pei Duo's help to pass the provincial and imperial examinations.
Living with Pei Duo was something he had considered from the beginning, and now that Pei Duo had brought it up first, it saved him the trouble of racking his brains for a solution. It was only during his visit to the prefect's residence that he learned that only two people from the entire Longchang County had passed the imperial examinations.
One Pei Duo.
The other one is him.
Compared to the overwhelming presence of the top-ranked scholar, his eighth-place finish as the runner-up was simply insignificant.
At the banquet hosted by the prefect, he and Pei Duo were constantly flattered by the prefect, who was a top scholar in the imperial examinations, leaving him standing aside. Just now, he almost had the illusion that Pei Duo was a powerful official, and that the prefect was like an ant in front of Pei Duo, and had to be careful to curry favor with him.
Zhao Zhixue still didn't dare to raise his head, but instead bowed to Pei Duo and said, "In that case, I thank Brother Pei."
The last rays of sunlight faded, and dusk approached.
Candles were lit in every courtyard of Xiping Village.
Looking from one end of the village to the other, everything was shrouded in a dark, gloomy black.
Jiang Ninghui struggled to carry a stack of firewood from the end of the village. Her clothes were torn in several places by tree branches, and her undershirt was soaked with sweat, sticking to her body. Her hands, which were gripping the rope, were scratched by tree branches, with some places bleeding. It was a shocking sight.
Jiang Ninghui seemed oblivious to the pain, keeping her head down and hurrying on her way.
It was already dark.
She needed to get back before it got completely dark.
If her husband returns, even if she fails to stack the firewood on that half-wall, her in-laws will not make things difficult for her.
Jiang Ninghui had been hungry all day, spent the whole day gathering firewood, and ran back and forth between the mountains and her home. She was exhausted and her legs were weak. After walking to the end of the village, she put down the firewood and rested for a while before carrying the heavy firewood back onto her shoulder. In the next instant, it seemed as if a very strong gaze fell on her.
It felt real, climbing over every part of her body.
Look closely and observe.
They didn't even spare a single strand of her hair.
This intense feeling of being watched made Jiang Ninghui's hair stand on end and her scalp tingle.
She looked around in surprise and fear, but saw nothing, as if that moment had just been her imagination.
Jiang Ninghui dared not delay any longer. She slung the firewood over her shoulder and hurried home. When she was almost at the Zhao family's house, she saw a carriage parked outside the Pei family's gate. Looking into the distance, she saw her husband talking to Young Master Pei in the darkness of night. After they finished talking, he turned around and went home.
Young Master Pei, on the other hand, was facing her.
He stared at her.
Not a single inch moved.
Even through the pitch-black night, though she couldn't see clearly, Jiang Ninghui still felt extremely uncomfortable being stared at by Pei Duo.
Fearing that Pei Duo might come towards her recklessly, and that he might do something indecent to her again, she lowered her head and ran home.
The tall, handsome young man stood outside the courtyard, his dark eyes fixed on the figure fleeing from his sight.
That delicate and petite woman was carrying an extremely heavy load of firewood on her back.
Even as she gripped the rope, he could still see the many scars on her slender hands.
He had only been gone for half a day, and his sister-in-law had already been tormented by those two old men like this.
It seems that the lesson they learned that day was not enough.
The young man lowered his eyes and listened to his sister-in-law's hurried footsteps and the sound of her putting down the firewood.
Listening to her rapid breathing, it sounded just like the pitiful way she was every time he bullied her until she couldn't breathe, and then she would go limp in his arms, her eyelashes wet, her nose red, letting him do whatever he wanted, going deeper and deeper.
What a well-behaved sister-in-law.
There's only one downside.
Whenever I see him, I always try to avoid him.
In the Zhao family's courtyard, Jiang Ninghui put down the firewood and was threatened by her mother-in-law, who came out of the house, using sign language, forbidding her from telling Zhao Zhixue about the matter.
Jiang Ninghui lowered her head and agreed. She hadn't been this tired in a long time since she went to town with her husband. Today she had run a lot of distances and carried a lot of firewood. She was hungry and tired, and didn't even have the strength to speak.
When her husband asked her what she had been doing, she gave him a perfunctory answer, ate a quick meal, took a bath, and then went to bed to rest.
Jiang Ninghui was so tired that she didn't even know when her husband would go to bed to rest.
In the dead of night, Jiang Ninghui suddenly felt a faint coolness on her palm. The coolness gently caressed the burning wounds on the back of her hands, as if a hand was gripping her wrist and warm, wet sensations were touching her wounds.
And... a very faint breath.
It looks like lips.
Jiang Ninghui was startled awake.
She opened her eyes and saw someone sitting by the bed. He was hidden in the darkness, and she couldn't see his facial features, but Jiang Ninghui could smell the scent of cedar on him.
—It's Pei Duo!
Jiang Ninghui's almond-shaped eyes widened in horror.
Pei Duo...has he gone mad?!
He's incredibly audacious!
This is the Zhao family's house, and it's her and her husband's room. How can he just walk in like this? Isn't he afraid that her husband will find out about him?!
"Is your sister-in-law awake?"
The young man's clear and gentle voice carried a hint of tenderness.
Jiang Ninghui's breath hitched, and her heart nearly leaped out of her throat.
madman!
He's a complete madman!
She looked at her husband in a panic and fear, only to find that he, who had been lying on the outside of the bed, was nowhere to be seen.
Pei Duo dipped his fingertip in medicine and gently applied it to the wound on Jiang Ninghui's palm. He kindly pointed to the foot of the bed and said, "Your husband is over there."
Jiang Ninghui looked in the direction he pointed and saw her husband lying unconscious at the foot of the bed.
She sat up in a panic, trying to pull her hand away, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't pull it out.
She had no idea how Pei Duo had gotten into the room with the door bolted shut.
He didn't even know if his husband knew he had come in.
Jiang Ninghui grew increasingly frightened, so much so that tears welled in her almond-shaped eyes and cold sweat broke out on her back.
She feared that Pei Duo would do something inappropriate to her in front of her husband.
Fearing that Pei Duo might act recklessly and force himself on her, and if the commotion attracted her in-laws, she would be accused of adultery in front of her husband.
Jiang Ninghui felt increasingly terrified and suffocated the more she thought about it.
She lowered her head and clenched her fists tightly, preventing Pei Duo from touching her again.
She pleaded softly, "Young Master Pei, please, can you spare me? I am just an ordinary woman, illiterate, with no redeeming qualities whatsoever. But you are different. You are intelligent, knowledgeable, and have achieved the highest rank in the imperial examinations. Your future is immeasurable. When you go to the capital next year and meet the women of noble families, you will despise your current blindness in having such thoughts about a woman like me. In the future, you will feel that this ill-fated relationship with me is the most shameful thing you will ever want to talk about."
Jiang Ninghui spoke earnestly, but the young man sitting by the couch seemed completely unconcerned.
He pried open Jiang Ninghui's five fingers and gently applied the medicine to her again.
The young man spoke in an extremely calm yet resolute tone: “My sister-in-law thinks she is mediocre and has no redeeming qualities, but I think she is good in every way. All the people in the world combined are not even one ten-thousandth as good as her.”
He lifted his eyelids, gazing at the woman's suddenly stunned expression against the backdrop of the night outside the window, then approached her and sucked away the tear that was about to fall from the corner of her eye.
"My sister-in-law still doesn't understand me enough."
The person Pei Duo has chosen, even if that person is already a wife or a mother, even if that person is extremely mediocre and ugly, he is willing and even happy to accept it.
Jiang Ninghui's eyelashes trembled slightly. The young man's lips were warm and moist, pressed against the corner of her eye, slid down inch by inch, lingered on the tip of her nose, and were about to fall on her lips.
She bit her lip and turned her head away.
No matter how she tried to reason with Pei Duo, she couldn't get through to him.
She really didn't know how else to persuade him.
The young man laughed in her ear, his hot breath hitting her earlobe, making Jiang Ninghui hunch her shoulders and feel extremely tormented.
The young master is right at the foot of the bed, and may wake up at any moment, and may see what she and Pei Duo are doing now.
Jiang Ninghui closed her eyes and continued, "Pei—"
"Shhh."
Pei Duo pressed his fingers against Jiang Ninghui's lips and whispered in her ear, "Sister-in-law, listen carefully, can you hear any interesting sounds?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Ninghui heard a wail coming from outside.
The sound was very mournful, but neither sharp nor loud.
The sound seemed to be coming from the in-laws' room!
Jiang Ninghui's expression changed, and her breathing became much more rapid.
Pei Duo knew she had heard him.
He straightened up and took her other hand to apply medicine to the wound on her palm.
He asked, "Does it hurt?"
Jiang Ninghui bit her lip and remained silent.
The young man said to himself, "My sister-in-law is in pain, and so am I."
Jiang Ninghui's fingertips curled unconsciously, and then she heard him shamelessly say something cheesy: "The injury is on my sister-in-law's body, but the pain is in my heart."
Jiang Ninghui was extremely embarrassed, and even more embarrassed for him.
I don't know how Young Master Pei could say such a thing.
She tried to pull her hand back but failed, and she couldn't stop Pei Duo from talking. She was almost helpless with him, so she could only change the subject and ask her what she was most concerned about at the moment: "What happened to my parents?"
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Author's note: Update before 10 AM tomorrow~
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