As soon as the words came out, Xing quickly pulled his hand back.
He looked at Niley, who was staring at him with a sharp gaze, and said, "Outsiders? Only we know about this place. There are no outsiders!"
While speaking, he quietly moved to stand in front of his third brother.
He always felt like the wife leader had it out for him.
Just because he called Second Brother a few times when they came back?
Well, he didn't know her then, so of course, he was going to look for Second Brother!
He didn't expect this woman to hold such a grudge.
Also, was she calling him the outsider?
Thinking of this, he asked directly, "You don't mean me when you say 'outsider', do you?"
Niley said nothing. Xing froze.
So she really meant him!
Mier, seeing his fourth brother looking so scared, gently tugged Niley's sleeve. "Wife leader, Xing is still young. Don't take it to heart."
Then he turned and looked at the other two brothers with a serious face. "Whatever you saw in wife leader's room, just forget it. Don't talk about it outside."
He had never seen those things before, but even so, he knew they weren't supposed to be revealed.
"It's too late. You already wore them outside," Liam said as he glanced at Niley and Mier.
"Yeah, we've never seen clothes like that before. And didn't you go to town yesterday? A lot of people saw you. Are you going to kill them all to keep it a secret?"
After hearing his third brother say that, Xing felt more confident.
"If people don't mess with me, I won't mess with them."
Being reminded by the two, Niley realized it wasn't smart to wear those clothes outside.
Before, she didn't go out much, so it was fine. But now with a husband, she'd be going out more often. Better to buy some local clothes.
After all, when in Rome, do as the Romans do.
Xing was about to say something else when someone outside called them for breakfast. He didn't bother arguing with Niley anymore and quickly got up to open the door.
Mier tried to stand too, but Niley stopped him. "Sit for a while, we'll go."
Knowing she was worried about his health, Mier didn't object and pulled over a chair to sit.
As soon as Niley left, Liam looked at Mier for a moment. When Mier looked up, he suddenly asked, "You two have already consummated the marriage?"
Mier's face turned bright red. He looked away and didn't dare meet Liam's eyes.
Liam let out a short laugh. "Was it your choice?"
His eyes narrowed slightly. If Second Brother was forced, there was no reason to keep this wife leader around.
Mier couldn't help but cough lightly. "Yes. Wife leader treats me quite well."
Hearing the clear answer, Liam felt a bit more at ease. He had also noticed the woman treated Second Brother kindly—just not so much the rest of them.
But that wasn't something he should be worrying about. Remembering what the doctor said—that he only had a few months left—his eyes dimmed again.
A bitter smile passed his lips.
When the others came back inside, he quickly returned to his usual calm expression.
Xing came in carrying food, still grumbling toward Lei, "At least there's food. What's she complaining about?"
The two set the food on the table. Mier looked at the dark wild vegetable porridge and couldn't help but laugh.
The brothers were used to eating at home, and sometimes they didn't even have wild veggies—just cold fruits to fill their stomachs.
But the wife leader? Since coming here, every meal she cooked was rich and flavorful. No wonder she couldn't get used to this.
Seeing Mier laugh, Xing pouted, "Second Brother, that woman said you should wait before eating. Maybe she's making something special just for you!"
In the kitchen, Niley noticed one man still standing nearby. She glanced over at him.
"I'll stay and help the wife leader," Han quickly explained after seeing her look.
"No need. It's not right to have the wife leader cook," he added.
Niley: …
Seeing he was determined, Niley didn't say more and just started giving instructions.
Luckily, he was pretty clever. He found a chair and sat down to shell corn kernels.
"Dice the carrots, slice the mushrooms, and chop the greens into small bits," Niley instructed, giving him the simple tasks while she handled the rest.
Once everything was prepped and washed, she asked him to prepare some chopped green onions. When she was ready, he immediately got up to start the fire.
With the oil hot, she stir-fried the onions until fragrant, then added shrimp heads.
After that, she added the rest of the ingredients and rice, letting it simmer slowly.
While the seafood porridge was cooking, she made some cheesy vegetable rolls.
She originally planned to make a meal for two, but since the man helped a lot, she made extra.
When the rolls were done, the porridge was ready too. She added some seasoning and stirred in the chopped greens.
Then she called out to the man by the fire, "It's ready."
"Grumble…"
Smelling the delicious aroma in the air, his stomach growled.
He looked at Niley a bit embarrassed. "I came back early this morning and didn't eat."
Not just this morning—he only ate once a day to save money for his brothers' treatment.
Now that he smelled the food, he couldn't help it.
Niley nodded, saying nothing.
She picked up two bowls and filled them with seafood porridge. Then she plated the rolls and carried everything into the house. Han followed behind her with another bowl.
Inside, all four brothers sat at the table. Xing was eating non-stop.
It was well past breakfast time. Mier had been exhausted the night before and was quite hungry, but when he reached for food, Xing stopped him. "Wife leader said you're not allowed to eat this."
Then he pulled all the breakfast toward himself and ate as fast as he could, pouting angrily.
When a wave of fragrant smell filled the air, he took a deep sniff and pouted again. "See? Wife leader made your special meal. Smells amazing."
"If you're jealous, just say so," Liam snapped.
He couldn't believe Xing was still talking through breakfast.
Xing was about to reply when he heard the door open behind him.
Niley walked straight to Mier's side with the breakfast. Seeing Han holding the bowl of porridge, she sat down next to Mier.
She told Han, "There's more in the pot."
Right after she spoke, Xing ran out immediately.
Liam rolled his eyes. "All he knows is eating."
Niley placed the two bowls of porridge in front of her and Mier, handed him a pair of chopsticks, and began eating.
Seeing the others watching, Mier felt a little awkward. "You guys eat too."
He even pushed the plate of rolls toward the middle of the table.
"There's not much," Han said quickly.
And it did look like it was just made for two—he and the others were just tagging along.