When Jiang Sui walked arm in arm with Madam Jiang into her eldest brother Jiang Chengfeng’s courtyard, the cold, hard clash of swords and blades rang out from within.
The mother and daughter stepped into the courtyard without batting an eye. On the open ground to one side, two figures—one in green, one in white—were locked in fierce combat, their cold sword light flashing between them.
A gentle young woman stood beneath the eaves nearby. Seeing Jiang Sui and the others enter, she immediately came forward to greet them:
“Mother, Third Sister.”
Madam Jiang nodded, and Jiang Sui obediently called out, “Sister-in-law.”
Her elder sister-in-law, Zhou Yuebai, responded in a soft voice, half helpless and half exasperated: “My husband and the young marquis insist on sparring the moment they see each other, and so they’ve started fighting again. I really can’t talk them out of it.”
Pei Zhiyu and Jiang Chengfeng had been fellow students in their youth. One was Grand Tutor Jiang’s prized disciple, the other his eldest son—neither willing to concede to the other, competing over everything to prove who was better.
That rivalry had yet to cease to this day.
Madam Jiang waved a hand, clearly long accustomed to it: “It’s fine, no need to mind them. Let’s go inside and talk.”
Jiang Sui warmly linked her arm through Zhou Yuebai’s, eyes curving into crescents. “Sister-in-law, I’m craving your Jade Dew Dumplings.”
Zhou Yuebai relaxed a little at that, tapping Jiang Sui’s forehead with her fingertip. “I knew you’d want them, so I’ve already made some. They’re waiting for you inside.”
Hearing this, Jiang Sui’s smiling eyes curved even more like crescent moons, and she hugged Zhou Yuebai’s arm tighter, practically pressing her whole body against her.
Ever since her sister-in-law had married into the family, there wasn’t a single person in the household who didn’t adore her.
A gentle soul like Zhou Yuebai—just standing there, she seemed to radiate a soft, luminous glow that made people instinctively want to draw close.
And since Zhou Yuebai had always indulged her closeness, Jiang Sui loved her all the more.
Right now, with her arm linked through Zhou Yuebai’s, Jiang Sui felt a sense of peace and comfort. Unlike the fierce pounding of her heart when Pei Zhiyu held her, being with Zhou Yuebai brought a tranquil calm, like a gentle spring breeze and fine rain.
On the other side, Pei Zhiyu had been distracted ever since he spotted Jiang Sui entering the courtyard. He no longer traded blows with Jiang Chengfeng, instead only defending and dodging while stealing glances at the scene over there.
Jiang Chengfeng found the fight frustrating, so he pressed his attack even harder.
Pei Zhiyu continued to evade, but his gaze kept drifting away, landing only on that petite figure.
Seeing Jiang Sui leaning almost entirely against Zhou Yuebai, his jade-like features tightened slightly, his eyes darkening by several shades. He twisted his wrist, and the tip of his sword sent out a blade aura even sharper than before, striking toward Jiang Chengfeng.
…Why? Why was Suisui so close to others?
She had never been like this with him… What right did they have?
Even though he knew full well that Jiang Sui’s closeness to her sister-in-law was beyond reproach—and that being jealous of a woman was utterly ridiculous—Pei Zhiyu could not suppress the jealousy that grew wildly within him. His heart felt as if a hand had suddenly clenched it, squeezing out bitter, sour venom.
His attacks grew increasingly ferocious, every strike cold and killing in intent, his aura surging sharply.
Jiang Chengfeng was initially surprised by the sudden shift in his swordplay, but soon his eyes lit up with excitement:
“Good! Huaishu, that’s more like it!”
The two fought with mounting intensity, the clamor growing louder and louder, until—with a sharp clang—all sound ceased, and the courtyard fell into sudden silence.
The three inside the house, who had been listening the whole time, hurried out to check.
The two figures remained in their final stance: Pei Zhiyu’s sword pressed horizontally against Jiang Chengfeng’s throat, while Jiang Chengfeng’s sword tip pointed directly at Pei Zhiyu’s brow. Neither had the upper hand; the outcome was impossible to determine.
Pei Zhiyu’s expression was calm, revealing nothing beyond eyes that seemed a shade darker. Jiang Chengfeng, by contrast, was panting heavily, eyes bright, looking thoroughly unsatisfied.
He sheathed his sword and raised it again, brimming with enthusiasm: “Huaishu, one more—”
“My lady.”
But the young man across from him sheathed his sword with a clean, crisp motion and walked toward Jiang Sui without looking back, tender smile spilling from his eyes as the cold sternness of their duel melted away like spring snow.
“Did you wait long? Are you tired?”
“I’m not tired,” Jiang Sui said, taking out an embroidered handkerchief and rising lightly on her toes to dab the fine sweat from his face. Her eyes widened slightly as she looked him over from head to toe. “And you, my lord? Are you hurt?”
Pei Zhiyu obligingly bent down and lowered his head, watching Jiang Sui’s focused expression, catching the faint fragrance wafting from the handkerchief, his smiling brows and eyes growing ever more clear and deep:
“Rest assured, my lady. I wouldn’t be injured in a spar like this.”
“Little sister, really—why do you only fuss over Huaishu and not even ask about your big brother?”
Jiang Chengfeng’s plaintive voice drifted over, and Zhou Yuebai quickly pinched him, eliciting a low “Ouch!” from Jiang Chengfeng.
Madam Jiang’s gaze swept back and forth between the two young couples, then said meaningfully:
“Our Third Girl has truly grown up.”
She had worried earlier that Jiang Sui was only reporting the good news and hiding the bad, but now seeing how naturally they cared for each other, it seemed it was all genuine. At last, she could rest easy.
Feeling the teasing looks from her family, Jiang Sui belatedly realized and felt her cheeks grow warm of their own accord. Her hand holding the handkerchief paused, then, as if in a fit of pique, she tossed it into Pei Zhiyu’s arms.
“…My lord can wipe it himself.”
Pei Zhiyu caught it with a light laugh. “Very well.”
Zhou Yuebai and Madam Jiang exchanged a knowing smile, and finally spoke up to rescue Jiang Sui from her predicament:
“Since the competition is over, there’s no need to keep standing outside. Come on in, all of you.”
The two of them tactfully walked ahead, leaving Jiang Sui and Pei Zhiyu to linger behind at their own pace.
Pei Zhiyu couldn’t bear to use the silk handkerchief to wipe his sweat again, so he simply held it in his palm. Watching his shy little wife who nevertheless stayed close by his side, the jealousy from earlier dissipated like smoke.
Suisui… still cared about him more.
How wonderful.
That night, Jiang Sui naturally slept in her former maiden chamber, and Pei Zhiyu stayed there with her as well.
The room had been kept exactly as it was before Jiang Sui married out. As she lifted her skirts and skipped lightly inside like a weary bird returning to its nest, Pei Zhiyu abruptly halted at the threshold, hesitating for a moment.
He hadn’t stayed overnight during their earlier visit to her family home. Today… was the first time he had ever set foot in Jiang Sui’s boudoir, and it made him… unbearably nervous.
“Husband, why aren’t you coming in?”
“Right away.”
Pei Zhiyu’s voice betrayed not a hint of anything unusual. He steadied his racing heart and stepped inside with measured strides.
The room was elegantly and delicately arranged—layers of sheer curtains drifting lightly, the window draped in soft gauze that let through the hazy moonlight. Calligraphy and paintings by famous masters hung at staggered heights on the walls, and beneath them, a white porcelain vase held fresh seasonal flowers, clearly just changed today. From a gilded incense burner in one corner rose a thin wisp of white smoke, carrying the faint, familiar fragrance of Jiang Sui that he knew so well.
This place… belonged entirely to Jiang Sui, so much so that traces of her presence were everywhere, making Pei Zhiyu’s steps feel heavy.
His gaze unconsciously drifted toward the bed.
Tonight… was he going to sleep in Suisui’s bed?
The thought made Pei Zhiyu’s chest burn, the heat spreading through his entire body and sending a thrill of excitement through him. He took several deep breaths before he could suppress the surging tide of emotion.
“My lady.”
Jiang Sui, who had just thrown herself onto her favorite soft couch, looked up at the sound. She saw Pei Zhiyu standing at the edge, backlit by the candlelight, his expression somewhat obscured in the shadows.
But his tone remained as gentle as ever:
“My lady, if you don’t mind, might I take a careful look around? When we return, I’ll have our room arranged just like this. What do you think?”
Jiang Sui blinked, a joyful smile rippling across her face as she met his gaze:
“Alright then, I’ll leave it to you, husband.”
The corners of Pei Zhiyu’s lips twitched almost imperceptibly, then softened into an even deeper, tender smile:
“It’s no trouble at all.”
For you, it is my greatest pleasure.