Chapter 72 72 His sister-in-law was 'bullied' and cried.
Hearing the sound, Jiang Ninghui looked up and saw Pei Duo almost next to her.
He and she held hands.
He lowered his head, looking at her with tender and lingering eyes. Her fearful and uneasy face was reflected in his dark pupils, as well as the glistening tears welling up in her eyes.
Their fingers were spread apart, and their palms were pressed tightly together.
Her hands were completely enveloped by him.
At this moment, Jiang Ninghui's fear of being in an unfamiliar place, the unease caused by the strange looks from others, and the fear of not being able to keep up with her husband's increasingly fast-paced figure all seemed to be soothed by the young man's gentle gaze.
Even so, another layer of fear arose in Jiang Ninghui's heart.
How could Pei Duo hold her hand in public!
If the young master suddenly turns around and sees it, everything will be over!
Jiang Ninghui's fear, which Pei Duo had finally managed to calm down, resurfaced for another reason.
She struggled to pull her hand away, but the young man held her fingers tightly, and she couldn't break free.
Jiang Ninghui was terrified, glancing ahead every now and then, but the crowd ahead was so large that her husband was nowhere to be seen.
Pei Duo couldn't help but laugh in exasperation at the woman's guilty conscience and eagerness to distance herself from him.
He released her hand. Jiang Ninghui had just breathed a sigh of relief when the young man pulled her into his arms again: "Suihui, let's go to the carriage and wait for Brother Zhao."
Jiang Ninghui's almond-shaped eyes widened in shock as she heard him call her by her full name in front of outsiders, without even calling her "sister-in-law." A blush immediately spread across her face as she was forcibly pulled into his arms and led to the carriage ahead.
As soon as she entered the carriage, Jiang Ninghui pushed him away and slumped onto the couch.
Her eyes were red, and she was breathing heavily with lingering fear. She seemed uneasy and hurriedly lifted the carriage curtain to look outside, to see if her husband was there, and to see if he had seen Pei Duo embracing her so recklessly.
People were coming and going outside. Before she could find her lover, her chin was suddenly pinched and turned to one side by two fingers, and the young man's soft lips pressed against hers.
He kissed her fiercely, forcefully breaking through her teeth.
Jiang Ninghui stared in horror at Pei Duo's dark eyes that were staring straight at her. She was so frightened that she quickly pulled down the curtain and pushed her hands against his chest, but he grabbed her wrists and pressed them over her head against the car wall.
He lifted her chin with his hand, forcing Jiang Ninghui to raise her head high to receive his even more ferocious kiss.
The young man swallowed Jiang Ninghui's sobs, moans, and the saliva that flowed from her mouth.
She was so scared.
Fearing that Pei Duo, who was insane in front of her, might do something reckless, fearing that someone might suddenly lift the curtain and peek inside at the immoral scene, fearing that her husband might suddenly return and lift the curtain to catch his friend and his wife in an affair.
Jiang Ninghui was like a frightened bird; any slight movement outside the carriage would make her tremble uncontrollably.
Her tears flowed more and more, dripping onto their lips and mixing with their saliva.
Pei Duo tasted the salty and bitter flavor.
The kisses grew increasingly fierce.
He loved her, cherished her, and followed in her footsteps, but he couldn't resist the sight of that good-for-nothing's back.
He watched her frantically follow that good-for-nothing, saw her rely on him as her only support, and in that instant, she saw only him. He walked beside her every step of the way, yet she couldn't even see a trace of him!
An unprecedented sense of resentment and jealousy surged wildly within my chest!
Those gloomy and resentful souls wanted to find a way out, but all that remained in their bodies, besides the clamoring and boiling blood, was a violent desire to destroy everything!
A terrifying crimson hue welled up in the young man's eyes, and a faint red tinge of desire clung to the corners of his eyes.
His madness, infatuation, jealousy, and resentment were ultimately defeated by the woman's endless stream of salty tears.
My sister-in-law cried.
He bullied me until I cried.
She cried pitifully and helplessly.
When she first arrived in Kyoto, she was like a cat lost in a crowd, filled with fear and timidity.
At this moment, she was not only physically afraid, but even more afraid mentally.
What she needs now is reassurance, not this wanton taking from her.
If things continue like this, his sister-in-law may avoid him like the plague, or even become hostile towards him.
The carriage was dimly lit, and the only sound inside was the woman's frightened and helpless sobs.
Outside the carriage, a surging crowd and a cacophony of noise filled the air.
The woman inside the carriage trembled with fright when the carriage wall was bumped.
Pei Duo released his grip on the woman's wrist, put his arm around her waist, and pulled her onto his lap. He cupped her face in his hands and gently sucked away the tears on her cheeks.
"Don't be afraid, sister-in-law. The driver is my man. If Brother Zhao comes back, he will tell me."
"The coachman stood guard outside. With him there, no one dared to approach the carriage, much less lift the curtain."
The look of fear on Jiang Ninghui's face finally faded a little.
She trembled as she lifted her wet eyelashes: "Really...really?"
Pei Duo kissed her wet eyes tenderly, his lips feeling the ticklish sensation of her eyelashes brushing against them. He kissed them again affectionately: "It's true, of course. If I were to lie to my sister-in-law, may I suffer the consequences—"
A soft, warm hand covered Pei Duo's lips in time, stopping him from uttering the word 'death'.
The young man's dark pupils suddenly lit up, as if a ray of dawn had illuminated the darkness before it was fully bright. He raised his hand and placed it on the woman's soft hand, pressing her palm to his lips, his dark eyes fixed on her with adoration.
"Is my sister-in-law pitying me?"
"My sister-in-law can't bear to see me die, can she?"
"sister in law……"
The young man's repeated calls of "sister-in-law" filled Jiang Ninghui with shame.
As he spoke, his lips frequently brushed against her palm, his warm breath constantly washing over her skin, sending shivers of tingling and numbness through her. Jiang Ninghui tried to pull her hand away, but he held it firmly in his grasp, preventing her from breaking free.
She turned her head away, refusing to look at him: "Let me go, put me down."
Pei Duo greedily licked and sucked it a few times.
Jiang Ninghui's fingertips trembled slightly, wishing she could immediately pull her hand back into her sleeve.
Pei Duo: "I won't let go."
Jiang Ninghui bit her lip in embarrassment and anger, and after a while she said, "You promised me that you wouldn't touch me or do those kinds of things to me, but you broke your promise. You are a faithless person."
Pei Duo released her hands, pinched her cheeks, and forced her to look directly at him: "When did I ever promise my sister-in-law anything?"
Jiang Ninghui never expected him to deny it.
She said angrily, "The day you tried to kill my husband, you agreed to the conditions I discussed with you."
The young man raised his eyebrows slightly: "Sister-in-law, do you remember the several conditions you made that day?"
Jiang Ninghui didn't understand what he meant, and hesitated before saying, "Hmm."
Pei Duo: "Sister-in-law, think about it again. I only agreed to your request once, didn't I?"
Seeing Jiang Ninghui's almond-shaped eyes widen in surprise, Pei Duo kindly explained to her, "I only agreed to one condition of my sister-in-law—that after the palace examination, we would go our separate ways. I didn't agree to anything else."
Jiang Ninghui was shocked by his sophistry.
How could he be so untrustworthy!
Pei Duo let her glare at him angrily.
At this moment, his sister-in-law's heart and eyes were filled with him; he was the one she relied on, and he was the one holding her.
Even so.
He was still not satisfied.
He wanted his sister-in-law's heart and eyes to belong only to him from now on, with no trace of that good-for-nothing.
He wanted to be completely integrated with his sister-in-law.
He wanted his scent to permeate his sister-in-law's body, inside and out.
Jiang Ninghui couldn't break free from Pei Duo, so she could only let him hold her and take advantage of her.
The carriage was closed, so no one could see inside, and she couldn't see outside either. The panic she felt upon arriving in this unfamiliar place had lessened considerably thanks to Pei Duo's reassurance. Even though her husband was nowhere to be seen, she didn't seem as frightened as before.
Zhao Zhixue returned to the carriage with Fang Ya more than half an hour after he left.
We haven't seen Pei Di and his wife along the way, and we don't know where they went.
Zhao Zhixue lifted the carriage curtain and saw the two missing people inside. Pei Di was leaning against the carriage wall with his eyes closed, resting, while his wife sat to the side, taking small bites of a pastry. Zhao Zhixue frowned: "Why didn't you come with us?"
Jiang Ninghui clutched the pastry tightly, about to speak to her husband, when she heard Pei Duo say, "The streets are crowded, and Brother Zhao walked so fast that my sister-in-law and I couldn't find you when we chased after you. How would we know where you went? In case we got separated, my sister-in-law and I went back to the carriage to wait for Brother Zhao."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Zhixue smiled knowingly and said, "It's my fault for not thinking this way. You and my wife have never been to the capital before, so you're not familiar with this place."
His words carried a hint of boastful superiority.
Pei Duo ignored him.
Zhao Zhixue: "I contacted a real estate agent, and he knows of a small courtyard that isn't too remote and is reasonably priced. Let's go take a look."
Pei Duo: "Thank you for your trouble, Brother Zhao."
Zhao Zhixue: "It's alright. I've been to Kyoto before, so I'm more familiar with this area."
Jiang Ninghui sat to the side with her head down, still holding the unfinished pastry in her hand.
Fang Ya led the way to a relatively secluded alley. He opened the door and led the three of them inside to take a look at the small courtyard. The courtyard was not large, with two rooms and a kitchen, much like the small courtyard in Qingping Town, but it was not as spacious as the courtyard in Qingping Town, and the rent was much higher.
Houses in Kyoto are incredibly expensive, and Zhao Zhixue knew this all too well. In the end, he reluctantly partnered with Pei Duo to rent this small courtyard.
Last year, my parents were robbed by bandits. Not only were some of their money stolen, but they were also seriously injured. The family spent a lot of money on their medical treatment, leaving them with very little. Fortunately, after he passed the imperial examination, he became a teacher at the prefectural school, and his monthly tuition was enough for him to travel to the capital to take the examination.
This alley was mostly inhabited by scholars from all over the country who had come to the capital for the imperial examinations. Jiang Ninghui noticed that the people passing by were all dressed simply and were engrossed in reading books as they walked.
The courtyard was small and not particularly dirty or messy. The driver carried their bedding and clothes inside.
Pei Duo offered to take the couple out for a meal, as Zhao Zhixue had just gone to great lengths to find Fang Ya, and he felt he should repay him. Upon hearing this, Zhao Zhixue did not refuse.
The three of them came out of the courtyard. Zhao Zhixue still walked very fast, and Jiang Ninghui's legs were tired from chasing him.
Helplessly, she slowed her pace and saw Pei Duo walking unhurriedly beside her. The two figures were cast on the ground by the sun, creating shadows of one tall and one short. She could faintly smell the cedar scent on the young man's body, and Jiang Ninghui's uneasy heart suddenly settled down.
With Pei Duo around, she seemed less afraid.
Jiang Ninghui looked at her husband, who was walking ahead of her at a great distance. She wondered if it was just her imagination, but ever since they arrived in Kyoto, her husband seemed to be avoiding her.
But why is my husband avoiding her?
Could it be...?
Jiang Ninghui's heart sank suddenly.
The young master knows about her affair with Pei Duo, which is why he's avoiding her?
But she felt that it wasn't quite right. Given her husband's personality, if he knew, he would definitely confront her and Pei Duo to get an explanation.
Jiang Ninghui couldn't help but look down at her coarse cotton clothes, which had a few patches. Such clothes were not uncommon in Qingping Town and were even more common in Hongshan Village, but in the capital city, they would probably look no different from those of a beggar on the street.
She couldn't help but glance again at her husband's clean and tidy brown clothes, and then at Pei Duo's excellent dark blue robe beside her.
She stood out so completely as she walked among them.
Jiang Ninghui lowered her head, clutching her sleeves in embarrassment. Suddenly, her forearm was grasped. Her eyelashes fluttered, and she saw Pei Duo's long, bamboo-like fingers encircle her forearm and gently squeeze it. Her clear, deep voice reached her ear: "Why should sister-in-law care about other people's opinions? Wouldn't that make life too tiring?"
“In my eyes, even if my sister-in-law is dressed in rags, she is the best in the world, and no one can compare to her. Therefore, sister-in-law, why should you belittle yourself?”
Jiang Ninghui was fine with his first words, but when she heard his sudden outburst of sweet talk, her cheeks flushed red all the way to her ears.
She glanced at her husband walking ahead, afraid that he would turn around and see Pei Duo holding her hand, so she quickly shook off his hand, took a step away from him, and walked hurriedly and uncomfortably.
The young man's dark eyes were fixed on the woman walking in front of him.
He shifted slightly to the left, watching his shadow gradually envelop the woman in front of him beneath him.
What a wonderful sister-in-law.
Honest and gentle.
That good-for-nothing desperately tried to distance himself from the person was, little did he know, the treasure he had always dreamed of possessing.
Pei Duo chose a fairly large restaurant, requested a private room, and ordered several dishes.
Once all the dishes were served, Jiang Ninghui realized that they were mostly the meals Pei Duo often brought back for her when she was at the Longchang residence. They were all her favorite dishes. She couldn't help but glance at Pei Duo, just as the young man lifted his eyelids to look at her.
Jiang Ninghui quickly lowered her head, afraid that her classmate would notice something amiss.
Zhao Zhixue ate the meal without tasting it.
He knew the Pei family was wealthy, but he didn't know just how wealthy they were.
In terms of family background, Pei Duo was better than him; in terms of talent, he was not as good as Pei Duo. The two of them passed the imperial examination together and were sent out of Xiping Village by the villagers. They were all waiting for the good news that he and Pei Duo had passed the exam. But what if Pei Duo passed the exam and he failed?
Even if they both pass the exam, what if Pei Duo gets into the top three in the palace examination, while he only gets the Jinshi degree?
Regardless of the possibility, he was completely overshadowed by Pei Duo.
Even if he were to become an official in the court in the future, Pei Duo would still be above him. He could only watch Pei Duo climb higher and higher, watch him become a leader in the vortex of power, and he would always be an inconspicuous supporting character by Pei Duo's side.
Zhao Zhixue's eyes twitched violently a few times, and he looked up at Pei Duo sitting opposite him.
Pei Duo raised his eyes, his cold gaze extremely indifferent: "Brother Zhao, is there something you need?"
Zhao Zhixue smiled and said, "No, it's just that I feel this meal cost you too much."
The young man looked at the slightly stiff smile on his face, and a mysterious smile appeared in his deep eyes.
After the meal, the three returned to the courtyard.
Jiang Ninghui was quite surprised when she stepped into the courtyard.
Even Zhao Zhixue was extremely surprised.
When they left, the courtyard was a bit dirty and messy, and the bedding in the two rooms was just left lying around. But now, the courtyard has been cleaned up, the bedding in the two rooms is neatly made, and even the stove in the kitchen is ready.
The couple then learned that Pei Duo had paid the driver before leaving to help with the cleaning and tidying up.
Zhao Zhixue appeared extremely grateful, but inwardly he felt a mix of emotions.
As dusk fell, the sky was shrouded in deep black, and candles were lit in every courtyard.
After Jiang Ninghui washed up, she saw her husband sitting at the table looking through books, but his gaze lingered on one page for a long time without turning it.
The orange candlelight cast flickering shadows on Zhao Zhixue's face, illuminating his taut jaw and the slightly bulging muscles of his cheek, making the handsome scholar's face appear even more somber. He suddenly looked up, staring at the two articles on the books, which Pei Duo had given him when he came to the capital that day.
He could recite these two articles almost perfectly.
Two slender hands suddenly rested on his shoulders to help relieve the tension in his neck and shoulders. Zhao Zhixue turned his head to look at Jiang Ninghui, whose expression had not improved, and continued to read his book.
Knowing that her husband was nervous and worried about the upcoming imperial examination, Jiang Ninghui massaged his shoulders and neck and said softly, "Don't worry, my husband. With your diligence and hard work, I believe you will definitely pass the exam."
Zhao Zhixue mocked himself inwardly.
He studied diligently, almost forgetting to eat and sleep, but he still couldn't compare to Pei Duo, who studied casually but was naturally intelligent.
He had studied diligently for over a decade for the imperial examinations, and his family had spent a great deal of money to support his studies. He had witnessed the prosperity of the capital and experienced the vanity of being attached to power. He dared not imagine what he would do if he failed the provincial and palace examinations this time. Would he have to endure another three years of hardship?
No! He has to go to the residence of the Vice Minister of Rites tomorrow.
When he left the capital, the Vice Minister of Rites personally told him that if he came to the capital to take the imperial examination, he could stay at his residence.
Zhao Zhixue brushed Jiang Ninghui's hand away, his tone not very pleasant: "Stop pressing, it's annoying me. You should go to sleep."
Jiang Ninghui curled her fingers and bit her lip as she watched her husband's back.
She had been married to her husband for almost two years, and he rarely spoke harshly to her and was very considerate. However, since arriving in Kyoto, he seemed to have become a different person and was extremely cold towards her.
Jiang Ninghui dared not disturb her husband any longer, and sat alone by the couch, gazing at his back in a daze.
She sat there for a long time, gazing into the distance, but her beloved never turned around, nor did he even glance at her.
Jiang Ninghui lowered her eyes and went straight to the couch.
She didn't sleep well; the slightest noise would wake her up.
The candles were still lit in the room, and the young man was still sitting at the table reading. Jiang Ninghui closed her eyes, and in the quiet night, she suddenly heard the young man's murmured voice. He kept repeating two words, but his voice was too soft for her to hear.
Jiang Ninghui dared not disturb her husband, and soon fell into a deep sleep again.
The next morning, Jiang Ninghui woke up to find her husband nowhere to be seen. She only saw his clothes piled up at the foot of the bed. She got up and put his dirty clothes in a wooden basin, intending to wash them after breakfast.
As soon as Jiang Ninghui stepped out of the house, Pei Duo grabbed her hand. Startled, she quickly looked at the courtyard gate and, seeing it was closed, relaxed but still felt uneasy. She tried to pull her hand back, but he held it even tighter.
"Let go."
Jiang Ninghui glared at him, embarrassed and annoyed.
The young man didn't loosen his grip; instead, he inserted his five fingers between hers, holding her even tighter.
Jiang Ninghui was helpless against his shameless behavior.
You can't argue with him, and you can't pull him away; he's like a stubborn leech that you can't shake off.
However, remembering that she and Pei Duo had gone their separate ways after only two months, Jiang Ninghui didn't forcefully pull her hand away. She let him hold it and followed him to the kitchen. When she saw several steaming dishes on the kitchen table, Jiang Ninghui looked up in surprise: "Why are there so many dishes?"
Pei Duo led her to sit down: "I had the restaurant deliver this early this morning. Sister-in-law, please try it and see if it suits your taste."
Jiang Ninghui could tell from the porcelain plate that this breakfast was probably not cheap. She whispered, "Don't spend any more money in the future. When I have nothing to do, I will still prepare three meals a day for you and your husband, just like in Qingping Town."
Pei Duo placed the bowl and chopsticks in front of her, ladled a bowl of hot porridge for her, and personally scooped a spoonful and brought it to her lips: "It's still chilly in spring. I can't bear to see my sister-in-law suffer from the cold while I cook for her."
Hearing Pei Duo's sweet words flow so easily, Jiang Ninghui's cheeks flushed, and even her depressed and uneasy mood improved inexplicably. She was too embarrassed to eat the porridge that Pei Duo fed her, so she turned her head and started to eat it herself.
"Young Master Pei," Jiang Ninghui bit her lip and asked, "Do you know where my husband has gone?"
The young man brought the spoon to her lips again: "Eat it, and I will tell your sister-in-law."
Jiang Ninghui had no choice but to open her mouth and eat the porridge that Pei Duo fed her.
The young man's dark eyes were filled with an extremely cold jealousy.
Look.
She only ate the porridge he fed her in order to find out where her husband was.
Despite what her husband said to her last night, she still cares about him so much.
Last night, the man she longed for kept muttering another woman's name for half the night.
I wonder if my sister-in-law will give up on that good-for-nothing completely after she finds out?
Pei Duo fed Jiang Ninghui half a bowl of sweet porridge before saying, "Brother Zhao left early this morning without telling me where he went."
Even if Jiang Ninghui was slow to realize, she knew that Pei Duo had tricked her.
After breakfast, Pei Duo said, "These dishes are fine to leave; someone will come to collect them later. Sister-in-law, I'm going out for a bit; I'll be back in an hour at most."
Jiang Ninghui nodded gently: "I understand."
Once Pei Duo left, she was left alone in the courtyard.
Not long after, someone knocked on the door. Jiang Ninghui opened the courtyard gate and found it was a waiter from the restaurant coming to collect the dishes.
After everyone left, Jiang Ninghui bolted the courtyard gate again.
No sooner had she returned to the house than someone knocked on the door again. She turned around, went out, opened the courtyard gate, and saw a middle-aged man of about forty. His clothes were made of very fine fabric, which was completely out of place in this shabby alley.
Jiang Ninghui gripped the door latch nervously, her almond-shaped eyes filled with wariness: "Who are you looking for?"
The man nodded slightly to Jiang Ninghui and gestured for her to enter.
A carriage was parked behind him, with a bench placed beside the carriage shaft. He said, "Madam Jiang, my master invites you over for a chat."
Jiang Ninghui's wariness intensified, and she couldn't help but take a half step back, her soft voice trembling slightly: "Who are you? How do you know my surname is Jiang?"
She had never been to Kyoto before, let alone known anyone there.
This person's arrival was too suspicious.
The man said, “Madam Jiang, don’t be afraid. This servant has no ill intentions. Although you don’t know my master, you must know Young Master Pei. My master and Young Master Pei have quite a history. You will know once you go there, Madam Jiang. This servant is not at liberty to say anything more.”
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Author's Note: Sorry, my darlings, I'm late today. I'll update tomorrow at 6 PM [please!]
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