Just moments ago, when Zhao Zhixue and Pei Duo came out, they saw Liang Wentao blocking a young woman's path.
When Zhao Zhixue realized the young woman was Jiang Ningsui, he rushed over frantically, afraid that his wife might be bullied by that scoundrel Liang Wentao. But Pei Duo's Langhao brush had already flown ahead of him.
Zhao Zhixue shielded Jiang Ningsui behind him, glaring furiously at Liang Wentao, his handsome face flushed with anger: "Liang Wentao, don't you dare throw your weight around with your family's wealth and influence! If you dare humiliate my wife again, I will report you to the government office! The Longchang Zhifu is upright and impartial—I refuse to believe he would shield your Liang family!"
At the mention of the Longchang Zhifu's name, Liang Wentao's blazing anger was doused as if by a bucket of cold water.
He wasn't afraid of Zhao Zhixue reporting him to the Longchang Zhifu—at worst, he could secretly have someone cripple his leg and see how he'd make it to the Longchang government office to file a complaint.
What he feared was Pei Duo meddling again, for the Pei family had connections with the Longchang Zhifu.
The more Liang Wentao thought about it, the less he could swallow this humiliation—yet there was nothing he could do to Pei Duo.
In a rage, he snapped the Langhao brush in his hand and hurled it to the ground. The black brush landed in the mud, and Liang Wentao shifted his venomous glare to Zhao Zhixue, then glanced at Jiang Ningsui, half-hidden behind him.
What was there to be smug about?!
If he couldn't touch Pei Duo, couldn't he still deal with a worthless woman?
All he needed was to find out where Zhao Zhixue lived, and he'd know where his wife was. Then, when Zhao Zhixue was away, he could have someone snatch the woman, have his fun, and toss her back—who would ever find out?
That parting glance from Liang Wentao sent an inexplicable chill down Jiang Ningsui's spine.
Her fingers clenched Zhao Zhixue's arm, her palms damp with a thin layer of cold sweat.
Zhao Zhixue turned and took Jiang Ningsui's hands, wrapping both of her icy hands in his palms: "Suisui, don't be afraid. It's over now. Let's go home."
Jiang Ningsui's face was pale as paper, and when the cold wind blew, she seemed like a jade porcelain teetering on the edge of a table—one light touch would shatter her.
Pei Duo stood two steps away, watching Jiang Ningsui's frail, slender form pressed close to Zhao Zhixue's side. Her taut shoulders trembled visibly, and her apricot eyes, dampened by rain and snow, held a trace of moisture.
She blinked rapidly, forcing back the fear and wetness in her eyes.
She looked both pitiful and resilient.
Zhao Zhixue gently rubbed Jiang Ningsui's fingers and asked softly, "Wife, why did you come to the academy?"
Jiang Ningsui snapped back from Liang Wentao's dark, terrifying gaze: "I saw it was raining and snowing, and I was afraid you and Brother Pei would get your clothes soaked and catch cold, so I thought I'd bring you umbrellas. Who knew…"
She bit her lip and didn't continue.
They all knew what happened after that.
Zhao Zhixue handed the umbrella in Jiang Ningsui's hand to Pei Duo: "Brother Pei, your umbrella. Thank you for what you did just now."
Pei Duo walked over and took the paper umbrella, opening it. His strong, slender fingers gripped the handle, and the umbrella's edge blocked Zhao Zhixue's line of sight—but it couldn't block the young man's gaze at Jiang Ningsui. It was deep and obscure, laced with a darkness no one could fathom.
"No need to thank me. She's my sister-in-law—I can't let others bully her."
Jiang Ningsui felt immense gratitude toward Pei Duo, but also guilt.
For her sake, Brother Pei had disciplined Liang Wentao the first time, and the second time, he'd even lost one of his brushes.
She looked down at the Langhao brush snapped in two on the ground, its body caked in mud—it could no longer be used.
She could not repay Pei Duo for that brush, but she could repay him in other ways.
Pei Duo glanced at Jiang Ningsui's lowered gaze and knew exactly what she was thinking.
His sister-in-law wanted to repay him again.
With her limited means and clumsy methods.
Zhao Zhixue held Jiang Ningsui's hand and tilted the umbrella slightly toward her, leaving half of his own body exposed to the rain and snow.
Seeing this, Jiang Ningsui grabbed Zhao Zhixue's hand and pushed it back toward him: "Husband, don't always worry about me. I've been resistant to cold since I was young—I'm not afraid of wind or rain. But you—you can't catch a chill and fall ill."
If her husband caught a chill and fell behind in his studies, her in-laws would scold her to death.
Zhao Zhixue stubbornly tilted the umbrella toward her: "Wife, I'm a man of seven chi after all—my body can definitely withstand the cold better than yours. Don't argue with me. If you catch a chill, who will cook our three meals a day? Listen to me—my body is fine."
Pei Duo walked three steps behind them, watching the young couple who were so considerate of each other, so deeply in love—
He looked up at the gray, overcast sky of the drizzling rain and snow.
This rain and snow today was truly irritating.
When they returned home, half of Zhao Zhixue's shoulder was soaked. He went into the room to change clothes.
Jiang Ningsui entered the kitchen and checked the food in the pot. Since there were still embers in the stove, the food was still warm. Today she had steamed flower buns, cooked millet porridge, and stir-fried two dishes.
When she lifted the pot lid, a thick cloud of white steam rose up.
Jiang Ningsui turned her head slightly, but the scalding steam still rushed at her face. Her cheeks instantly flushed with heat, and the frost on her eyelashes melted into water, making her apricot-shaped eyes look shimmering and bright.
The kitchen door was pushed open from outside, and a tall, broad shadow entered through the doorway, falling precisely over Jiang Ningsui, enveloping her slender, delicate figure beneath that wide, long frame.
Jiang Ningsui heard footsteps behind her but didn't turn around, only saying: "The food is ready—I'll bring it to the table now."
She tested the temperature of the plate—warm, not too hot to the touch—so she lifted it with both hands. But as her fingers touched the bottom of the plate, she felt the scalding heat. In a panic, Jiang Ningsui twisted around and hurried forward, wanting to quickly set the plate on the table a few steps away.
Someone suddenly walked up from behind. Jiang Ningsui turned hastily and nearly collided with the newcomer. The plate in her hands wobbled, about to tip over, and her body couldn't stop itself from leaning backward.
She wanted to avoid the person, but forgot that behind her was the scalding iron pot.
Pei Duo's hand caught the plate just as it was about to slip from Jiang Ningsui's fingertips, while his other powerful arm swiftly wrapped around her leaning waist and pulled her forward.
He used no force at all, yet the person in his arms was still drawn into his embrace by that slight pull.
The person in his arms was even thinner than he had imagined.
She was wrapped in a loose, bulky coarse-cloth cotton garment, yet the waist beneath his palm was small enough to be held in one hand. The faint fragrance on the woman was exactly the same scent that had lingered on his quilt that night.
Jiang Ningsui, suddenly having her waist embraced by a man other than her husband and pulled by an external force into a broad, warm chest—
A faint scent of cedar drifted into her nose, the tight sensation of a palm gripping her waist, and the furnace-like heat of the body before her jolted Jiang Ningsui's sluggish mind back to reality. She stiffly looked up—and saw the young man's sharply defined jawline, pulled taut.
Higher still, it was Pei Duo's cold, handsome face with its excellent features.
Jiang Ningsui's apricot eyes flew wide open.
Before she could push Pei Duo away, her husband’s voice came from outside the kitchen door.
“Wife, what delicious meal did you make this morning? I could smell the fragrance from the entrance.”
Zhao Zhixue pushed the door open and entered, catching sight of the two people in front of the stove at a glance.
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This chapter has a red envelope~