Niley's eyes flashed with complexity as she asked Mier, but her gaze was fixed on Lei.
Mier remained silent as he glanced at Niley, then stood to one side waiting for Mier to speak. His hand, which had been holding hers, slipped away, and she clenched her fist slightly. A hint of hurt passed through her eyes before quickly returning to normal.
"You, are you both alright? What did the doctor say?"
Mier, feeling guilty, didn't dare introduce Niley and instead turned to ask Lei.
"Everyone is fine." Lei said, looking at Niley as if he wanted to say something but stopped himself.
"That's good, as long as you're fine."
Without waiting for Lei to reply, Mier decisively tugged at Niley's sleeve and started to leave, ignoring Lei's unspoken words.
Behind them, Lei frowned as he watched their retreating figures.
At that moment, Mr. Chen came out of the clinic and saw Lei watching Mier and Niley's backs. His heart skipped a beat. After taking all the precautions, he hadn't expected to encounter them!
"Lei, Father!" Lei called out, but Mr. Chen's mind was already elsewhere. He gave a few quick instructions and hurried after Mier and Niley.
Seeing this, Lei frowned deeply, suspecting something must have happened back home.
"Fourth Brother, what are you thinking about?"
While lost in thought, a small, well-groomed boy appeared behind Lei, tilting his head as he looked at him, holding half of a bun in his hand.
Lei glanced at the boy and said indifferently, "Tell Big Brother we're going back tomorrow."
Something must have happened at home; otherwise, Father and Second Brother wouldn't have come to town looking for them.
But why hadn't they mentioned it? Was it because they didn't have time, or because of that woman?
The boy, munching on his bun, nodded and didn't say more, walking straight into the clinic.
Lei's thoughts were confirmed!
Although Mr. Chen had come to town first, finding his brothers one by one still wasn't easy. Since he wasn't familiar with the town, it took him a while. Just when he was about to call Lei to talk, he unexpectedly ran into Mier and Niley. At that moment, he couldn't avoid them, and there was no time to explain.
Mier, still holding Niley, was now in a state of confusion.
Noticing Niley's gaze, Mier felt even more guilty. He didn't dare tell Niley the truth.
Buying a handsome man like him was enough; adding four more would only anger Niley, as no woman would want to marry several men.
As he walked, Mier felt nervous, pushing aside all of Niley's words about liking him.
Niley sighed as she followed Mier, thinking it would be alright. Eventually, her little husband would understand her feelings.
Just as she was lost in thought, she heard a voice behind them. Mr. Chen had caught up to them.
However, as he tried to speak, Mier gave him a look that silenced him. Mr. Chen's heart sank.
None of them had the mood to continue shopping, so they went to the ox cart where Mr. Chen and his wife were waiting and decided to head home.
The journey back was even more awkward than before. No one spoke a word.
Even the gossipy Mr. Chen could sense the tension and kept his distance.
Upon reaching the house, Niley handed over some silver, holding things in one hand while pulling Mier with the other as they entered the house.
Mr. Chen, still on the cart, grabbed Mr. Chen and motioned toward Mier and Niley, asking, "What's going on with them?"
Mr. Chen's face showed a hint of awkwardness.
"They're just not talking much," he replied.
"Enough, Chen Shui, stop asking," Mr. Chen scolded his husband, his face darkening. He then quickly apologized to Mr. Chen and hurried the ox cart away, afraid his husband might say something else inappropriate.
After all, Mier's wife seemed quite capable, and it wouldn't be good to offend her.
Mr. Chen had wanted to ask Mier what was going on, but seeing the door close, he could only walk inside, feeling regretful.
Meanwhile, Niley and Mier arrived home but said nothing. Niley placed the food she had bought in town on the table, hung her coat on a chair, and casually picked up the candy figurine she had bought, taking a bite.
After a moment, she looked at Mier with a playful grin. "It's pretty good. Mier, do you want to try?"
Mier stared at Niley as she ate "him," one bite at a time, unable to resist swallowing nervously. He felt uneasy, and for some reason, Niley's gaze seemed threatening.
He quickly tugged at his sleeve. "Wife, I'll go make dinner now."
He said it quickly and fled.
Niley narrowed her eyes. Her little husband wasn't behaving, keeping things from her and not wanting to tell her the truth.
Well, if he wasn't ready to talk, she would wait until he was.
She continued eating the candy, not minding the fact she hadn't bought enough.
While eating, she sorted through the things she had bought. There didn't seem to be much that Mier had chosen; most of it was her own preference.
After nibbling on a few snacks to satisfy her hunger, she went to the kitchen to find Mier.
At that moment, Mier had already finished preparing dinner. But when Niley saw the food, her appetite disappeared.
"What… is this?"
She stared at the blackened dish in the pot, not knowing what to call it, and looked at Mier with a speechless expression.
Hadn't she bought plenty of food? Why was he making wild vegetables?
"It's wild vegetables," Mier explained quickly, sensing Niley's frown. "Wife, it's edible. I eat it often at home."
Afraid she wouldn't believe him, Mier took a bite himself and looked at Niley with an expectant expression.
In the end, their dinner was eaten in silence, with Niley eating it in large bites.
After finishing their meal, Niley began preparing water for a bath.
Seeing this, Mier felt embarrassed. With so much on his mind, he didn't let Niley bathe him and quickly washed himself.
He changed into fresh clothes and went to bed, avoiding Niley's reproachful gaze.
Niley, fearing Mier might grow distant from her, quickly showered as well and climbed into bed beside him.
"So fast?"
Mier was startled when Niley immediately snuggled up beside him. He had barely settled down to sleep when he remembered what had happened last night. Now, he couldn't fall asleep. He turned and saw Niley beside him.
Niley heard his question and was somewhat displeased. She pulled him close, gently caressing his ear. "Husband, today I specially sent you and Father to town. How will you repay me?"