Young widow in her boudoir

Because the old lady of the Tong family came, the Shen family prepared a sumptuous family feast.

Xie Rutang still had to serve her mother-in-law her meal first. As she was bowing and serving the dishes, she looked up and saw Pei Zhiheng also having a meal. He was holding a pair of warm jade chopsticks and eating slowly and deliberately, while Hongyao was serving him dishes.

He ate with ease, and his every move was pleasing to the eye.

Today is the second day of Xie Rutang's period. She has been serving her mother-in-law meals for most of the day and hasn't even had a sip of water. She is already feeling dizzy.

On a sweltering July day, there was a maidservant fanning the old lady, but the cool breeze was only directed at her. Xie Rutang was so hot that she had to wipe her sweat with a handkerchief.

Just as she was feeling exhausted, Xie Rutang noticed a gaze fixed on her. She met Pei Zhiheng's phoenix eyes across the mahogany dining table, but couldn't understand what he meant at all.

Her heart skipped a beat.

Fortunately, Rong Mama came to take her place, and Xie Rutang was finally able to sit down and eat her meal and have some soup.

She had just sat down when Pei Zhiheng and Shen Wen left the main room. She felt more at ease without him, no longer needing to deliberately avoid his gaze in front of her sisters-in-law and sister-in-law, worrying about others discovering their relationship.

After all, once a man and a woman have been intimate, there will always be subtle nuances in their physical contact. If someone is observant, they will be able to detect these nuances through the details of their contact. Xie Rutang dared not gamble.

[At this point, I hope readers will remember our domain name: ①⓪①ⓚⓚⓢ.ⓒⓞⓜ]

Moreover, she and the Second Master in the Shen family see each other all the time.

After dinner, Pei Zhiheng and Shen Wen went for a walk in the garden. The sun was blazing, and waves of heat were hitting their faces, but Pei Zhiheng remained calm and composed.

In the blink of an eye, Shen Wen was covered in sweat. He wiped the sweat from his face with a handkerchief and then said goodbye to him.

Then Pei Zhiheng was left alone to walk along the lake. The lake reflected the shadows of the willows and the outlines of the pavilions on the shore. Ripples spread across the hem of his long robe. A red carp swam by and then sank into the depths of the blue water.

Suddenly he remembered that Xie Rutang's Cuiwu Courtyard was in the most secluded corner of the Shen family's backyard, which would be perfect for him to sneak over there unnoticed.

Her Cuiwu Courtyard was elegantly decorated, with two crabapple trees planted in the courtyard.

With nothing to do in the afternoon, Pei Zhiheng had intended to go find her. It was the hottest time of the day, and the servants were all resting in the corridor instead of working. Xie Rutang should have returned to Cuiwu Courtyard and was taking a nap at the moment.

Pei Zhiheng frowned. Although he wanted to consummate their marriage, she was, after all, a daughter-in-law of the Shen family. Just now, in the main hall, she had behaved herself and avoided him from a distance.

Aside from sperm donation, they shouldn't have had any other involvement.

I went there uninvited, and besides, her period hadn't ended yet, so what would it mean for me to go there?

If he visits her too often, it might cause Xie Rutang, this widow, to have some inappropriate fantasies. He had already made it very clear to her that they would not have any involvement after she had a child.

He returned to his study and processed several official documents.

……

Xie Rutang was taking a nap.

After finally finishing serving her mother-in-law, Xie Rutang was irritated by the summer heat, so she changed into a cooler thin robe in the Cuiwu Courtyard. Xie Rutang leaned against the chaise lounge by the window, while Jin Yue massaged her sore and numb legs with a beauty hammer.

Freshly picked fruits were chilled in an ice basin beside the tatami mat, which slightly relieved the unbearable heat in the room.

While gently massaging her legs, Jin Yue said with concern, "Madam has worked so hard today. She got up early to wash and wait for orders, and stood in the main hall for most of the day without drinking a drop of water. Unfortunately, she was feeling unwell. Just now, I secretly went to the small kitchen to warm up some brown sugar ginger and jujube tea, and brought it over in a moment. Madam, drink it to warm your body and relieve your stomach pain."

Xie Rutang buried her face in the bed, feeling miserable, and softly hummed in agreement. Being a daughter-in-law is always difficult. Every day she has to obey her parents-in-law's orders and not complain. Others will only advise her that this is how women have always endured hardship, so what is there that she can't endure?

But she still felt it was unfair. Why should a daughter-in-law be treated the same as a horse or cow in the field?

Xie Rutang's courtyard was somewhat secluded. When Pei Zhiheng arrived, he saw Jin Yue holding a beauty hammer and massaging the woman's legs.

Her bedroom was exquisite, and Pei Zhiheng saw a graceful figure lying under the window of the green gauze curtain. The light and shadow fell, outlining her undulating figure.

Jin Yue was visibly startled upon seeing him and quickly curtsied, saying, "Second Master!"

Xie Rutang was also surprised to see him coming.

The woman rose from the couch, tidied her appearance, and curtsied to him from a distance that was neither too close nor too far: "Second Master..."

The afternoon hours were drowsy and long, and Xie Rutang hadn't expected him to come.

She quickly had her maid serve him tea.

Pei Zhiheng then sat on the daybed.

Jin Yue, being sensible, quietly stopped what she was doing and tiptoed to the outer room to serve, leaving the two of them in a quiet room.

Xie Rutang didn't dare sit with him; his status was undeniable. She stood to the side, timidly rubbing her handkerchief, and asked, "Why did you come over after dinner, Second Master?"

Pei Zhiheng glanced at her, a look that was utterly unfathomable.

"My mother is coming to the manor, and I'm afraid she'll inevitably get a scolding at Su Xue Ju, so I've come here to avoid her."

So that's how it is. Xie Rutang breathed a sigh of relief, her soft, long eyelashes still drooping.

Aside from their physical relationship, there seemed to be nothing else between them.

Xie Rutang was usually very quiet and would paint in her room in her spare time. She was also afraid of his status as the head of the Pei family, and at this moment she didn't know what to say to him. The room was quiet in the afternoon, with only the sound of cicadas tired from being exposed to the sun outside the window.

Pei Zhiheng had already drunk his third cup of tea when he arrived at Cuiwu Courtyard.

Xie Rutang frowned, her delicate willow-leaf eyebrows furrowed, truly unaware of when this great Buddha would leave.

He sat down, drank a cup of tea, and then left.

Just as the man was about to leave, his Adam's apple bobbed. He thought of his noble status as the second master of two mansions. What could the Shen family possibly have that he couldn't have?

He suddenly grabbed her slender wrist, pinned her against the wall, and kissed her. During the day, when she was serving Shen's mother at the Shen family home, his dark eyes had gazed at her rosy lips for a long time.

Xie Rutang trembled from his kisses and could only reach for Duobaoge's clothes, which were in disarray. She grabbed his shoulder.

Pei Zhiheng bit her lips hard, and her sweet earlobe became more flirtatious, but his handsome face remained cold as ice, and his dark eyes coldly watched her move with passion.

The woman responded involuntarily to his kiss, but Xie Rutang swallowed her words back when she thought of the Shen family's backyard, afraid that someone would hear.

Her consciousness was hazy and confused as she looked at the cloud patterns that were faintly flowing in the light on the Second Master's robe.

Before he went to Dali Temple to work, he came to Cuiwu Courtyard to kiss her.