Niley looked at Mier with an eager expression.
Mier saw their identical looks and smiled faintly. "Yes, let's go to the town."
It had been a few days since she last went out, only leaving once to handle some household registration matters after arriving. More importantly, she wanted to see what the father and son had been talking about and find out if Mier had an older brother. She didn't hear about that the other day, so it left her puzzled. Seeing the two of them so worried, she decided to accompany them.
"Father, is there a cart to the town?"
Even though she had overheard their conversation earlier, she decided to play along.
Mr. Chen immediately nodded, eager to answer. "Yes, I'll go look for your aunt, and you two can wait at the village entrance."
With that, he turned and left.
Mier felt some excitement, though it was mixed with hesitation. It seemed like his wife was going too. How would they go about meeting his brother once they got to the town?
Thinking about it, Mier slowed down his washing.
Niley just stood by the door silently, observing without a word of advice.
When Mier reached for his clothes to wipe the dishes, she pulled him aside. "What are you thinking so deeply about?"
Mier blinked and looked at Niley, his face flushed as he sheepishly lowered his head. "It's nothing. It's just that I've never been to the town before."
Niley gave him a quick smile and pulled his hand. "No worries. If you want to go, I'll take you later."
"Well… maybe not. It costs money to go, after all." Mier had a longing in his heart, but he knew their family wasn't in the best financial situation. Plus, he didn't have any way of earning money himself, so he didn't want to add to Niley's burden.
Hearing this, Niley felt a pang of sympathy. "But I earn a lot of money. If I don't spend it on you, where should I put it?"
"Do you have that much money?" Mier turned to Niley in surprise, remembering that she had bought him because she had so much gold.
He looked into her eyes, and his bright, clear gaze suddenly dimmed.
"Yes, but your wife values money a lot. She won't spend it on unnecessary things."
At that moment, Niley suddenly lifted his chin, and in a low, pleasant voice, she teased, "Not necessarily," before pressing her lips to his, leaving a quick kiss before pulling away. "Alright, let's go. Your father will get impatient."
Mier was stunned. "Wife, I..."
He wanted to say something, but seeing how happy Niley was, he didn't want to ruin her mood and silently prayed. He prayed that she wouldn't mind if there were a few more husbands at home.
When they reached the village entrance, Mr. Chen was already waiting with Mier's elder brother, Lei, who was also with his wife.
The couple looked at Niley and praised, "Your second brother's wife is quite beautiful!"
"Indeed! He's lucky to have met her. Otherwise, second brother..."
Before he could finish, Mr. Chen's wife stopped him with a glance. She didn't dare speak further.
It seemed that, despite her beauty, Niley had an intimidating presence. It seemed that life at home wouldn't be easy for her.
Noticing this, the man subtly moved closer to Mr. Chen.
Lei, on the other hand, praised Niley briefly before remaining silent, just urging the ox cart forward.
It was noon, and even though it was winter, the sun was warm on their faces, especially with the slow pace of the ox cart.
Niley helped Mier onto the cart and found a seat next to him.
As soon as they sat down, the cart started moving. Though it was slow, the swaying reminded Niley of the times when she was chased by hordes of zombies in the apocalypse.
After about an hour, they arrived at the town.
Mr. Chen glanced at Mier and then said to Niley, "I'll go look around myself. You two should go to your aunt's house after you're done here."
Before Niley could respond, Mr. Chen hurried into the crowd, leaving the couple behind.
The town was bustling, and soon enough, Mr. Chen disappeared into the crowds.
Mier stood there, a bit relieved, but also worried, and quickly grabbed Niley's hand to lead her forward.
While Niley was eager to see the sights, Mier seemed distracted. But as she saw various street vendors and food stands, she tugged him along to try things, making him jump from one experience to the next.
At first, Mier was distracted, but after a while, he was taken aback by Niley's carefree spending. Every time she pointed out something interesting, he would be pulled along before he could even ask if she liked it.
Despite being distracted, Mier habitually paused at each medical clinic they passed.
"What's wrong?" Niley asked.
"Nothing," Mier replied quickly, but at that moment, he spotted his father and Lei coming out of a clinic across the street. His heart sank, and he immediately pulled Niley to cover in front of him, signaling for Lei to stay quiet.
Mr. Chen didn't expect such a coincidence and nervously swallowed before turning back into the clinic with Lei.
"Little father, second brother is here too," Lei commented, noticing Mier and Niley.
At that moment, Mr. Chen's anxiety grew, and he didn't even respond to Lei's comment. Having been used to being suppressed by Jiang Yu, he wasn't sure whether keeping the secret from Niley was the right choice, but it seemed better than allowing his son to be sent away at the right age.
Lei looked at his father's uneasy expression and felt confused.
He had noticed a beautiful woman standing by Mier, but from his brother's demeanor, it didn't seem like he was forced. Glancing at Mr. Chen's anxious look, he quietly stepped outside the clinic.
Outside the clinic, when Mier saw his father talking to Lei, he felt more at ease and was about to pull Niley along. But she was distracted by a candy seller outside the clinic and insisted on asking him to make a figure for her. Mier, already feeling anxious, silently prayed.
"Second brother."
But of course, it seemed the heavens weren't listening to his prayers.
He pretended not to hear and wished for the ground to swallow him whole.
Niley stayed behind, trying to figure out what the father and son were up to. When she heard a voice calling out, she stiffened and turned to look.
Standing before them was a tall, handsome man in simple green robes, with a face that looked somewhat similar to Mier's. His demeanor was cool, and his features were strikingly handsome.
As Niley sized him up, he was doing the same to her. His gaze finally settled on the hands they were holding together.
"Second brother, who is she?"