After a tiring night, Shen Nanchu was truly hungry.
With no one disturbing her, she could finally eat in peace.
The Pei Family's breakfast was quite decent.
Apart from rice porridge, there were steamed buns, pancakes, and eggs.
The food at this time wasn’t like in later years, filled with artificial additives.
The thick, creamy white porridge paired with golden-brown pancakes brought Shen Nanchu immense satisfaction.
In the entire Pei household, she might have been the only one enjoying the meal heartily.
It had only been a little over a month since the eldest son of the Pei Family passed away, and everyone was still immersed in grief.
Pei Zhengnian glanced at Shen Nanchu from the corner of his eye, his gaze growing increasingly dark.
He had prepared himself for Shen Nanchu forcing him into marriage.
Yet, she didn’t mention a single word about what happened last night.
It seemed she wanted to escalate the situation further to force his hand.
The thought of last night made Pei Zhengnian restless.
Originally, he had restrained himself.
But somehow, Shen Nanchu had suddenly transformed, aggressively taking the lead, and he had lost control.
Devious and cunning.
"Xiao Nian, are you injured?"
Auntie Tian hurried downstairs, her face full of concern.
Swish, swish, swish—
The eyes of the entire Pei Family turned toward Pei Zhengnian.
Pei Zhengnian shook his head. "Auntie Tian, no."
"How is that possible?" Auntie Tian didn’t believe him. "If you’re not hurt, why is there a bloodstain on the bedsheet?"
The question rendered Pei Zhengnian speechless.
That blood wasn’t his—it was hers.
Originally, he had planned to secretly wash the bedsheet, but Auntie Tian happened to be doing laundry, so he had to take it back to his room, intending to dispose of it later.
Unexpectedly, Auntie Tian, who was returning clean clothes to his room, caught him red-handed.
This was the epitome of a mortifying situation.
Meanwhile, Shen Nanchu, the instigator, happily finished her breakfast and enjoyed the drama.
She was certain Pei Zhengnian wouldn’t reveal the truth.
In the novel, no matter how much the original host pressured him, he had never yielded.
Wait.
Shen Nanchu suddenly broke into a cold sweat.
Hadn’t the original host failed to seduce him?
But last night, she had succeeded.
So…
Her eyes met Pei Zhengnian’s, and a bad premonition crept into her heart.
Sure enough—
"This matter is my fault."
After struggling for a long time, Pei Zhengnian decided to confess. After all, he had failed to restrain himself.
"It’s not Second Brother’s fault, it’s mine," Shen Nanchu quickly interjected. "I went to see him last night for something, but then I suddenly got my…"
"Zhengnian, tell me, is what your sister-in-law said true?" Pei's Mother, her face pale with exhaustion, looked at him with worry.
Pei Zhengnian glanced at Shen Nanchu and nodded. "Yes."
He didn’t know why she was covering for him, but right now, he couldn’t afford more turmoil in the family.
Pei's Mother sighed in relief.
"No wonder! Last night, when I got up to use the bathroom, I saw Sister-in-law going into Second Brother’s room. I thought I was hallucinating!" Pei Yunzhou exclaimed, as if everything suddenly made sense.
"Nanchu, was there something urgent you needed to discuss with Zhengnian so late at night?" Pei's Mother asked, concern creeping back into her voice.
Grandma Pei, however, was more perceptive. Her wise eyes studied Shen Nanchu with suspicion.
Shen Nanchu’s bright eyes slowly welled up with tears.
"I missed Zhengwei. Second Brother mentioned he had some childhood photos of him, and I wanted to see them."
No more words were needed. The dining room fell into silence, drowned in overwhelming sorrow.
…
After breakfast, the Pei Family members went about their routines—some to work, some to school, others for a stroll.
Shen Nanchu was supposed to be working too, but since she had just lost her husband, the leadership of the performance troupe had given her time off. She was exempted from recent condolence performances and allowed to stay in the capital, essentially on an extended leave.
With nothing to do, Shen Nanchu wandered around the courtyard before heading back upstairs.
At the small sitting area near the second-floor staircase, she spotted Pei Zhengnian sitting on the sofa.
Dressed in his military uniform, he resembled a sheathed blade—exuding an irresistible allure.
One glance, and she was captivated.
The dark green uniform hugged his tall, straight frame. The top two buttons of his collar were undone, revealing his sharp Adam’s apple and chiseled jawline.
His long legs carried him toward her step by step.
A cool, refreshing scent of mint enveloped Shen Nanchu as he approached.
At nearly 170 cm, Shen Nanchu was considered tall—fair-skinned, beautiful, with long legs.
But standing before Pei Zhengnian, she still seemed delicate and petite.
Beauty was indeed a distraction.
Her fingers itched with temptation.
Pei Zhengnian looked down at the radiant woman before him, his gaze icy.
"Whatever your schemes are, don’t you dare harm the Pei Family."
"If you do, I’ll make sure you suffer a fate worse than death."
Shen Nanchu blinked.
Hold back?
No.
Her slender fingers suddenly hooked onto his collar, yanking him down.
"And how exactly do you plan to make me suffer?"
Her other hand boldly pressed against his firm chest—the touch just as satisfying as last night’s.
Her soft, coquettish voice tickled his ear, sending shivers down his spine.
"Shameless!"
Pei Zhengnian swiftly pulled her hand away and took several steps back, his face darkening—though the tips of his ears betrayed a faint blush.
Shen Nanchu pouted and withdrew her hand.
She hadn’t even gotten started, and he was already retreating?
How boring.
"Anyway, if you want something, just tell me directly."
Pei Zhengnian pulled an envelope from his pocket and shoved it into her hands.
"I’m returning to the military base."
With that, he strode past her, his hurried steps almost like a retreat.
Shen Nanchu weighed the envelope in her hand—it had some heft to it.
Back in her room, she opened it and was stunned. Inside was a bankbook and a thick stack of ration coupons.
The balance in the bankbook was 1,000 yuan.
In the 1970s, 1,000 yuan could cover a family’s living expenses for three to five years—enough to buy two sets of the "Three Rounds and a Sound" (bicycle, sewing machine, wristwatch, and radio).
The original host and Pei Zhengwei’s combined savings had only been around 500 yuan, most of which the original host had squandered.
Now, Shen Nanchu had a total of 1,589.6 yuan.
But this money wouldn’t last.
She didn’t believe she alone could prevent the Pei Family from being falsely accused and sent to the countryside.
The power of the plot was overwhelming.
Hadn’t Auntie Tian and Pei Yunzhou already stepped in to "fill in the gaps" this morning, even though Shen Nanchu hadn’t mentioned her night with Pei Zhengnian?
Luckily, she was clever.
The storyline was irreversible.
The only variable was Shen Nanchu herself.
Being sent to the countryside was inevitable, but she refused to let the Pei Family leave in disgrace and live in poverty.
After all, the Pei Family would be her golden ticket in the future.
As for how to protect them, Shen Nanchu already had a plan.
"System, advance me a storage space."
System: "…"
Don’t @ me!
If you need me, I’m dead. If not, burn some paper money!
