Niley looked down at the person in her arms—his features were delicate, eyes fluttering slightly, cheeks flushed pink, and his slightly parted lips panted softly. Her heartbeat quickened, and her hands subconsciously tightened around him.
"One more time!"
Just as she finished speaking, Mier pushed her away. Niley frowned slightly, confused.
Wasn't he enjoying it too?
"N-No, not again... We still have to go out later," Mier stammered. He had leaned in without thinking, but things went farther than he expected.
When Niley tried to move closer again, he quickly reached out to push her away and got up to leave.
She had just enjoyed his sweetness—how could she let him go that easily?
Pulling him back into her arms, she kissed him again. Only when she saw that he was genuinely getting upset did she finally let go.
She stood up to fix her clothes and get ready to go out, but before she could take a step, she saw Mier dash out the door. She blinked, touched her lips guiltily. Was I too much just now?
Thinking that, she grabbed Mier's clothes that were left behind and hurried out after him.
At the door, she happened to see Mier talking to his father.
"Dad, I want to use the basket at home. I'm going up the mountain to pick some wild vegetables," Mier said, trying to stay calm, though his eyes nervously flicked toward the person behind him.
Father Jiang, who knew what had really happened, froze. But after glancing at Niley behind his son, he just smiled shyly and went back to get the basket.
"Are you mad?" Niley asked, glancing up at the mountain. "It's freezing up there, and you're going to dig for vegetables? Without your coat?"
Mier just lifted his eyes slightly. They were moist at the corners. He glanced at her but didn't say anything.
Since they couldn't go into town now, they might as well check the traps her brother had set on the mountain.
Seeing he was ignoring her, Niley scratched her nose. "You don't need to take your clothes off just to go up the mountain. It's freezing. What if you catch a cold?" She tried to drape his coat over him.
Father Jiang walked out just in time to see this. He was surprised. This girl seemed to genuinely care about his son. But how long would that care last?
"Uncle," Niley greeted naturally, stepping forward to take the basket from his hands.
He blinked, surprised that his hand was suddenly empty.
Seeing Mier already walking off ahead, Father Jiang quickly reminded them to be careful.
It was deep winter—not only was food scarce, but even the animals on the mountain were hungry. It was dangerous. Thinking this, he decided to follow along.
"Dad, let's go together."
Before Father Jiang could respond, Mier turned back and tugged at his father's sleeve, glancing warily at Niley.
Father Jiang didn't know they were having a little fight, and since he was also worried about their safety, he nodded in agreement.
Niley smiled helplessly at Mier but said nothing. Carrying the basket, she walked ahead to lead the way.
Following a narrow path up the mountain, she didn't sense any danger, so she kept walking forward.
"Wait, don't go further in. The deep mountain is dangerous," Mier warned anxiously. Usually, they only searched the outer edges of the mountain for food. No one dared to go deep—it was too risky.
Even skilled hunters rarely came back alive from those parts.
Niley glanced around. It was winter, and the trees were bare with only a bit of green. There weren't many edible vegetables around, though she did see others on the way up digging for things she couldn't name.
She nodded and stopped beside Mier.
Noticing that Mier had given his coat to his father and was standing there in the cold without complaint, Niley quickly took off her own to give to him.
"I'm fine," Mier refused. "I'm not cold."
He had thick, warm layers underneath, plus new socks and shoes. He was bundled up tightly—he didn't feel cold at all.
So, he had given his coat to his father. But now, seeing Niley trying to take hers off for him, he kept refusing and tried to stop her—his hands were cold, though.
Niley gave him a stern look. He froze, and she quickly helped him put on the coat.
The coat still held her warmth and a faint pleasant scent. It made Mier think of what happened earlier, and his face flushed again.
He stood there like a puppet, letting her dress him. When he finally snapped out of it, he looked at her in surprise—she was helping him put on clothes.
When had a wife ever dressed her husband? It was so embarrassing.
Feeling awkward, Mier turned his face away—only to see his father grinning teasingly at him. He quickly bowed his head in embarrassment.
Afraid Mier might catch a cold, Niley hurried to finish dressing him. "There, all done."
"What about you? What will you wear?" Mier looked down at her hands, a little worried. Seeing her cold enough to rub her hands together, he started to take the coat off. "And this is too bulky for picking vegetables. It'll just get dirty."
When he reached to remove it, he found a small metal chain on the coat. It must have been what she pulled earlier to put it on.
But Niley grabbed his hand. "Then let's not pick vegetables. We'll hunt something instead."
She never planned to dig for vegetables anyway. In this freezing weather, why not stay inside?
Father Jiang saw them bickering over the coat and felt both touched and sad. Since the coat had ended up on him, he started to take it off, but Niley quickly stopped him.
"Uncle, it's fine. You keep it on."
"But this isn't right—it's freezing out here," he said, heart warmed by how much she cared for Mier. And this girl looked like she couldn't handle the cold well either.
Still, he started removing the coat. Mier, seeing this, gave in and reached for the chain on the coat again.
"Wait—there's something!"
As both men fussed over the coat again, Niley quickly used her wood ability and released two chickens behind them.
They had been in her space until now, and the moment they were released, they started running around happily, pecking for bugs on the ground.
They weren't afraid of people at all, circling the three of them curiously.
Father and son were startled by the sudden appearance of the chickens. Forget about the coat—two wild chickens in winter were rare and valuable.
They looked at each other, then started moving in to catch the birds.
To their surprise, the chickens didn't run. They just tilted their heads, pecking at bugs as if nothing happened.
Mier took his chance. Crouching low, he pounced forward—and actually caught one.
Hearing the cluck-cluck in his arms, he lowered his head in disbelief.