Chapter 89 Pei Duo: I will cling to Sui Sui like a shadow.
Perhaps because she hadn't done any heavy work or long journeys during the year she spent in Qingping Town and Longchang, Jiang Ninghui's legs felt tired and sore after walking for more than two hours.
She stopped to rub her sore and tired calves, then continued on her way.
Teahouses and restaurants were visible ahead. Jiang Ninghui had been traveling all morning without a drop of water and was extremely thirsty.
She found a less crowded eatery run by a husband and wife. The female owner looked quite young, with a kind face, and seemed easy to talk to. Jiang Ninghui bought some dry food and asked for a glass of water.
She sipped her tea, her heart pounding wildly because she was about to discuss something with the shop owner.
She calmed her racing heart, finished her water, handed the teacup to the shop owner, and whispered, "Thank you."
The female shop owner smiled and said, "It's just a cup of tea, there's no need to thank me."
Jiang Ninghui swallowed a few times and tentatively asked, "Elder sister, I'd like to exchange clothes with you, is that alright?"
The female shop owner was taken aback and looked Jiang Ninghui up and down, making Jiang Ninghui extremely uncomfortable.
Fearing that others would discover she had sneaked out, she racked her brains for an explanation: "I'm going on a long trip to visit relatives. On the way, I heard people say that there might be robbers on the road. I'm afraid I'll be robbed if I wear these clothes, so I thought I'd switch with my older sister. That way, I might be able to avoid being robbed."
The female shop owner understood and readily agreed, taking her to the backyard to change her clothes.
Jiang Ninghui secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
She heard the shopkeeper say that if she returned from visiting relatives, she could come over and change back into her clothes.
Jiang Ninghui had no intention of returning, but she only said softly, "Thank you, elder sister."
Before she left, the female shop owner gave Jiang Ninghui a water bag filled with water and told her, "The weather isn't very good today. I reckon it's going to rain. You should hurry up so you don't miss your journey if it rains."
Jiang Ninghui nodded and replied, "Thank you for reminding me, Sister. I understand."
She left the restaurant with her dry food and water bag. After walking for about 45 minutes, just as her elder sister had said, it really started to rain. Jiang Ninghui quickly raised her hand to shield her forehead and hurried forward in the rain. When she saw a dilapidated temple not far ahead, she quickened her pace and ran over.
The dilapidated temple was drafty, and light shone through the roof, but at least it provided shelter from the rain.
Jiang Ninghui found a corner to sit down and rested for a while. Then she took out some dry food from her cloth bag and chewed it slowly. The dry food was dry and hard to swallow. She ate half of it and that was about it. Then she drank some water before packing the dry food away. After that, she stared blankly at the rain dripping down in the dilapidated temple.
The rain intensified, and the torrential sound of rain pounding on the roof made Jiang Ninghui, who had been walking for almost three hours, feel drowsy.
She wrapped her arms around her knees, pressed her right cheek against them, and stared droopingly at the rain curtain outside the temple gate.
Jiang Ninghui couldn't help but think.
Has Pei Duo returned from court?
Did he see the letter she left behind?
Although her handwriting wasn't as beautiful as his, it wasn't difficult for him to understand it.
He... probably won't look for her.
As Jiang Ninghui thought about it, hot, moist tears welled up in her eyes again.
She buried her face in her arms and sobbed softly for a few moments, then wiped away her tears and began to think about where to go next.
She wanted to find a small town where no one knew her, to find some work, and earn enough money to support herself.
He lived out his life in this uneventful way.
For her, that was enough.
Jiang Ninghui nestled in her arms, listening to the rain, and gradually drifted off to sleep amidst her confused and sorrowful state of mind.
Rainfall is most frequent during the transition from spring to summer.
The air was filled with a damp, muddy smell.
A man galloped along the path on horseback, his hooves kicking up countless mud splatters as he passed.
The rain soaked through the young man's dark crimson official robes, which clung to his body, revealing glimpses of his firm, well-defined muscles beneath the thin garments. Raindrops pattered on his tightly knit brow bone, rolling down his cheek along the lines of his brow bone. He gripped the reins tightly with one hand and pulled his horse to a stop at the dilapidated temple ahead.
The hidden guards, who had been hiding in the shadows, saw their master arrive and stepped forward to wait for him to ask questions.
Pei Duo stood in the rain, looking through the rain curtain at the dilapidated temple not far away.
If it weren't for his good uncle, he would have found Sui Sui an hour ago.
What a good uncle he is!
At a crucial moment, trip him up!
Pei Duo: "Is she alright?"
The guard hurriedly replied, "Madam Jiang is unharmed. A group of people came to the temple to take shelter from the rain, but I was afraid of frightening her, so I drove them away."
Then he told his master everything that Jiang Ninghui had encountered along the way.
Pei Duo stepped into the dilapidated temple and immediately spotted Jiang Ninghui sitting in the corner.
The woman had her knees drawn up, her face buried in her arms, her breathing even and deep; she sounded like she was fast asleep.
He noticed her coarse cloth shirt.
He already knew that it was exchanged with the female restaurant owner.
Sui Sui is quite clever.
She was sleeping soundly in the rainy season dressed so lightly, wasn't she afraid of catching a cold?
Pei Duo walked over and squatted down beside Jiang Ninghui's legs, staring down at the half of the woman's face that was exposed.
He raised his hand, his cool fingertips gently stroking the woman's porcelain-white skin.
The woman seemed to feel a slight coolness on her cheek, and her slender body trembled involuntarily.
Jiang Ninghui wasn't in a deep sleep to begin with, and when she felt the cool, rubbing sensation on her cheek, her sleepiness vanished instantly.
She looked up in alarm, only to see a familiar person squatting in front of her.
—It is Pei Duo.
He was wearing a dark scarlet official robe, soaked to the bone, his dark hair also wet and clinging to his shoulders.
He was very close to her.
Almost within reach.
Those dark eyes stared straight at her.
Jiang Ninghui's almond-shaped eyes widened suddenly as she stared at the person in front of her in disbelief.
Is she dreaming?
Otherwise, why would Pei Duo be here?
When she came out, no one was following her, so he certainly wouldn't know where she was now.
"you--"
Jiang Ninghui opened her mouth, but couldn't utter a single word for a long time.
She tentatively reached out and touched Pei Duo's face, wanting to test whether she was dreaming or in reality.
The moment she reached out her hand, her wrist was grabbed by the other person.
This feeling of being confined brought Jiang Ninghui to her senses completely.
It's not a dream!
Pei Duo really did come looking for him!
She tried to break free from his hold, but he gripped her even tighter.
The young man knelt down between her knees, took her hand, and pressed her palm against his face.
He said, "Sui Sui, I've found you."
Jiang Ninghui stared blankly at Pei Duo, her palm gradually warming as it touched his cheek.
She couldn't help but curl her fingertips to avoid him, but he covered the back of her hand.
He took her hand and moved it little by little from her cheek down to her chin, Adam's apple, collarbone, and finally to her heart.
She could clearly feel the young man's strong, pulsating heartbeat in her palm.
Jiang Ninghui felt guilty and dared not look him in the eye.
She turned her head away and said to him kindly, "Pei Duo, please let me go. We are not suitable for each other."
“You deserve a better future, and the person you marry in the future should be the best woman. That person should not be me, nor can it be me. Our relationship is a tragic one that should never have happened. You promised me that after the imperial examination, we would go our separate ways. Don’t break your promise.”
Pei Duo cupped her cheek with his other hand, forcing her to look directly at him.
He made her press her hand firmly against his chest: "I told Sui Sui from the beginning that the person I love, the person I want to marry, and the person I want to spend the rest of my life with is only Sui Sui."
The young man looked at her with a pitiful expression in his clear, dark eyes: "Sui Sui clearly loves me, so why don't you want me anymore?"
He was soaking wet, his voice was aggrieved, and he looked at her with such pitiful eyes, much like a drowned dog abandoned by its owner on the roadside.
They look so pitiful.
Jiang Ninghui couldn't bear to see Pei Duo looking so pitiful.
She lowered her eyelashes to avoid his gaze, signaling him not to say such things.
Pei Duo lowered his head and kissed Jiang Ninghui's lips, gently licking her lips with the tip of his tongue.
His tongue, moist and warm, invaded between her teeth.
The young man was both infatuated and tenderly fond of her taste.
His tongue withdrew from between her teeth, looking at Jiang Ninghui's lips, which were red and swollen from his kisses.
Extremely satisfied.
He said, "If Sui Sui doesn't want me because of the difference in our social status, then I don't need these statuses either."
"I will abandon everything to follow Sui Sui."
"Wherever Sui Sui goes, I will go."
"Sui Sui, don't even think about leaving me again. I will cling to you, I will always cling to you. I will follow you like a shadow, so that you can never get rid of me in this lifetime."
Jiang Ninghui was frightened by his words.
She never imagined that Pei Duo's ideas would be so obsessive.
"No."
Jiang Ninghui advised him, "I'm not worth your time."
Pei Duo pressed his fingertip against her lips, his dark eyes staring intently at her, and said, word by word, "Sui Sui, don't underestimate yourself. In this world, only you are worth giving up everything for. No matter how good those other statuses are, without Sui Sui by my side, even the position of the current emperor is not something I would covet."
Jiang Ninghui stared at him in astonishment.
His words were like pebbles hitting her heart, creating ripples in her chest.
She truly couldn't understand why Pei Duo was so devoted to her.
What makes her worthy of this?
Jiang Ninghui never dared to take this step. She was afraid that Pei Duo was only young and had only a temporary infatuation with her. Once the novelty wore off, this feeling would disappear, and then what would she do?
She shook her head, intending to reject him.
Pei Duo watched as Jiang Ninghui, just like before, hid in her tortoise shell and refused to come out.
He looked into the woman's moist almond-shaped eyes, as if he could see into her heart and see all the things she feared and dreaded.
He asked, "Is Sui Sui afraid that I'll end up like that good-for-nothing and abandon you?"
Jiang Ninghui never expected that Pei Duo would see through her thoughts once again, just like before.
She wanted to deny it, but he released her hand and swore to the heavens, "I, Pei Duo, swear to the heavens that if I ever abandon Jiang Ninghui in the future, may I, Pei Duo, for all eternity—"
Jiang Ninghui quickly covered his mouth, telling him not to say anything more.
But Pei Duo pulled her hand away and continued, "Let all my wishes be denied in this life and all eternity, let me live a life of loneliness and misery, and die a tragic death, let me—" His lips were blocked by hers, the woman's soft lips pressed tightly against his, her eyes pleading with him not to say any more.
This was the first time Sui Sui had kissed him on her own initiative.
A deep smile appeared in the young man's eyes.
He gripped the back of her neck, turning the tables and using his tongue to pry open her lips, greedily inhaling the breath from her mouth.
He took her tongue in his mouth and teased it.
Jiang Ninghui, unusually, did not resist, and her body went limp from his kisses.
She huddled in the corner, a small ball, her delicate and pretty face flushed red like the sunset.
My lips feel numb and my tongue feels sour.
Jiang Ninghui breathed in the air that rushed in, her mouth slightly open.
She didn't know when Pei Duo had pulled her into his arms; his clothes were soaked through by the rain, wet and damp.
The young man kept rubbing his knees against hers between her knees.
Jiang Ninghui bit her lip, her fingertips gripping his clothes tightly, trying to push him away, but she had no strength.
Pei Duo held her earlobe in his mouth and whispered in her ear, "Sui Sui, please don't leave me."
"Please, Sui Sui, have pity on me and don't be so cruel to me anymore."
Despite his words, the force of his knee only increased.
Jiang Ninghui couldn't utter a single word. He pressed her forehead against his shoulder, her tightly clenched lips emitting an uncontrollable tremor.
How could he do this?
That's terrible!
"Sui Sui, you've spoken up."
"You promised me, you must not go back on your word again."
"Ears of ear, ears of ear, ears of ear..."
"Listen to Sui Sui's voice, how beautiful it is."
As he called out to her repeatedly, Jiang Ninghui's almond-shaped eyes grew increasingly wet. Finally, her body stiffened, her toes curled up, and she gripped his clothes tightly with each fingertip.
The roof was leaking, leaving patches of water stains on the ground.
The spot where Jiang Ninghui was sitting was also soaked with water.
She slumped in Pei Duo's arms, and he picked her up and placed her on his lap.
It took Jiang Ninghui a long time to calm down.
She didn't understand how things had gotten to this point.
Pei Duo gently rubbed his chin against Jiang Ninghui's forehead, his clear voice now a little deep and husky: "If Suihui doesn't want to stay in the capital, I'll take you somewhere where no one knows us, and we can spend the rest of our lives happily together, okay?"
Jiang Ninghui shook her head: "No."
Absolutely not.
Pei Duo has studied for so many years and has now become the top scholar in the imperial examination. How can he just give it up?
Moreover, his relatives and friends were all in Kyoto, and he still had his parents; how could he just leave like that?
He should have been a chosen one of heaven, a nobleman in the capital, how could he be forced to live a life of hardship and toil in the marketplace with her?
Pei Duo pinched Jiang Ninghui's cheeks, lifted her head, and forced her to look at him.
He said, word by word, "Wherever Sui Sui goes, I will go. You can't shake me off."
The final choice rests with Jiang Ninghui.
If she leaves, he will follow.
If she stays, he won't leave either.
Looking at the handsome face before her, Jiang Ninghui remembered all the kindness he had shown her since they met.
He gave her care and affection she had never shown before.
He protected her at all times, keeping her safe from calamity and suffering.
He was too good, good in every way, so good that Jiang Ninghui felt she was not good enough for him.
At this moment, Jiang Ninghui knew that if she insisted on leaving, he would definitely give up everything and leave with her.
But she must not be so selfish as to destroy everything Pei Duo has for her own sake.
Jiang Ninghui saw herself through the young man's dark pupils.
She opened her mouth and called out to him, "Duoge'er".
Pei Duo gently rubbed her lower lip with his fingertips, his voice incredibly gentle: "I'm here."
Jiang Ninghui: "If you ever find a girl you like in the future, don't hide it from me. Tell me, and I won't make things difficult for you."
The young man's gaze remained fixed on her: "Sui Sui, don't worry, that day will never come."
He hugged her tightly, burying his face in the crook of her neck, like a stray puppy that had finally found its owner, and whispered in her neck, "I only wish that Sui Sui won't abandon me in the future."
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Author's Note: The main story will be finished around Sunday~ Leave a comment below if you have any requests for extra chapters~ [Sprinkling flowers]
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