It was rare for him to meet someone who truly cared about him…
His eyes dimmed slightly as he let out a deep breath, releasing the frustration in his heart before giving a bitter, silent smile.
"Why are you thanking me? This is what I should do!"
Niley waved her hand casually, not taking it to heart. But as she turned to the kitchen, a small smile crept onto her lips. She didn't notice the change in Mier's expression behind her.
Mier stared at Niley's back, a hint of sadness in his eyes. Poor guy—he had once thought he was special to her. But now, he realized he had been imagining things.
The fate of his fathers had already shown him what kind of people women were. He would never follow in their footsteps.
He quickly collected himself and walked into the kitchen to help Niley.
The two of them boiled a pot of hot water. Niley picked up the cleaned chicken and began dipping it in the hot water to remove the feathers. Once it was cleaned, she rinsed it again and began cutting it into pieces.
Mier was surprised by how skilled Niley was. Without waiting for instructions, he turned and washed the two potatoes she had left in the kitchen.
"Mier, do you know how to cook chicken stew with potatoes?"
Seeing Mier finish washing and cutting the potatoes, Niley nodded in approval and asked.
Mier looked up at her, blinked, then quickly looked away and nodded.
Seeing this, Niley immediately understood and began teaching him step by step.
Thankfully, Mier was smart and picked things up quickly. But he was reluctant to use the ingredients. He only poured a few drops of oil into the pot and gripped the oil bottle tightly.
Niley couldn't stand it anymore. She picked up the oil bottle and poured a proper amount into the pot. When Mier tried to stop her, one sharp look made him freeze.
"If you don't use enough oil, the food won't taste good."
Once the oil was in, she left the kitchen to Mier and went to steam rice for three people.
By the time everything was done, it was already evening. Luckily, they had a light meal around noon, or else they would've been starving by now.
Niley served a portion for Mier's father and handed it to Mier.
Mier glanced outside at the sky, looking unsure, his eyebrows furrowing.
"What's wrong?"
"My mother is probably back by now."
Even if he brought food for his dad, his dad wouldn't get to eat it.
Niley nodded. Judging by how Jiang Yu acted during the day, it was clear the father and son had suffered a lot under her hand. But now that she was here, she wouldn't let Jiang Yu bully Mier anymore.
She reached out and gently lifted Mier's chin, freeing his lower lip that had been bitten until it bled. Mier looked up at her nervously.
He wouldn't be hungry tonight, but his father…
Thinking about this made him feel guilty. He had also promised his father that he would visit his third and fifth brothers in town, but he didn't make it. On top of that, he had lied to his wife. All these things rushed to his mind, making him panic.
"Wife…"
"Don't worry, we'll go together. She wouldn't dare lay a hand on us."
Niley didn't know what Mier was thinking. She just assumed he was worried about his father not getting to eat. She comforted him and wiped away the tears clinging to his lashes. Taking the food from his hands with one hand, she pulled him along with the other and walked out the door.
Mier looked at the person beside him, eyes full of emotion.
His lips moved silently.
Niley, please don't be so kind to me anymore.
---
The two walked out of the courtyard together. Before Niley could knock, they heard shouting from inside.
"What the hell did I raise you for?! Back home for one day and you feed me this garbage?! Is this even food?!"
"Crying again? All you do is cry all day! You're making me lose my luck!"
"Made me lose money too. Next time I'll just sell you off to cover my debt!"
Niley frowned deeply and kicked the door open. The already fragile wooden door gave way with a loud bang.
The two people inside were startled.
Jiang Yu kicked Gu Chen and motioned with her chin for him to check it out.
Gu Chen was timid. He looked at the dark night outside and felt more scared. Just as he was about to shake his head, a heavy kick landed on his stomach.
He couldn't help but let out a muffled groan.
"Dad!"
Hearing that familiar voice, Mier broke free from Niley's hand and rushed inside in the dark.
Having lived there nearly twenty years, he could find his way around without light.
Inside, the two people let out a sigh of relief at the familiar voice. Jiang Yu sneered coldly.
"Hmph, your wife just took you back today and already sent you home? Guess she's had enough of you. Good, I can make another deal."
"Jiang Yu, you…"
"Jiang Yu, you went out and came back eating sh*t?"
Gu Chen and Niley spoke at the same time.
Even though Gu Chen feared Jiang Yu, as a father, he couldn't let her insult his child like that.
Jiang Yu was surprised to see Mier come back so soon, but then thought about his looks and figured only a brothel keeper wouldn't mind him. Besides, the woman who bought him was incredibly beautiful—of course, she wouldn't want him.
But this way, she got money and another chance to sell him off. A win-win.
Then she heard a voice behind Mier, and Gu Chen's pitiful voice mixed with it. Jiang Yu froze. Pain shot through her arm and she went silent.
Niley noticed the room was pitch black. While no one could see clearly, she secretly pulled a candle from her storage space and lit it, placing it on the only wobbly table supported by stones.
The room lit up instantly.
Seeing clearly who it was, Jiang Yu clenched her jaw, pain radiating through her whole arm.
Mier only cared about his dad. He quickly made his way to the back of the door and found his father huddled on the floor.
"Dad, are you okay?"
He gently lifted his father and helped him sit on the bed.
"Mier, why are you back again? Today's your wedding day. You shouldn't be running back home." Gu Chen tried to stop him.
But Mier interrupted, "Dad, I was worried about you."
Hearing this, Gu Chen glanced at Niley, worried she might be unhappy.
"We live nearby, and Mier really cares about you," Niley said, stepping forward and placing the food beside Gu Chen.
Hearing her words, Gu Chen finally relaxed. He looked at Mier with pride. His son had always been so filial. It was just their unfortunate family that brought them so much suffering.
"Then take him with you."