Mier: ...
Niley spoke without looking up while eating, "Making too much takes too much time."
But she didn't want to reject Mier completely, so she said to the others at the table, "It's okay, you guys eat. I didn't eat much this morning."
After quickly finishing her porridge, she took her empty bowl and headed out. Just as she walked out, she brushed past Xing, who was carrying two small bowls of seafood porridge.
Xing, who had been ready to throw a fit, looked a bit embarrassed when he saw Niley.
He had just been bad-mouthing her, but she turned out to be pretty decent. Not only did she cook, but she even made enough for them too.
He thought that when she finally spoke to him, he'd try to be nice. But then Niley walked right past him without even a glance.
He snorted coldly.
Carrying the bowl inside, he said, "Second Brother, only you can stand that woman."
After putting the bowl on the table, he went back to get the rest.
Mier looked at his own bowl—completely full—then at the other four, which only had a little. He quickly tried to pour some of his untouched porridge into the bowl of the youngest, Xing.
But Xing picked up his bowl immediately. "Don't. I'm afraid she'll come back and scold me."
Just as he said that, Niley came back in after washing the dishes.
Seeing they were still eating, she got bored and went to sit in her usual rattan chair.
Mier gave up and sat down. The others joined in, eating their breakfast together.
"This... what is this made of? It's so delicious!"
Xing picked up a piece of pancake, ate it, then went back to his seafood porridge. He couldn't stop complimenting it as he ate.
No wonder she looked so unimpressed when the older guys made breakfast. This was real food!
Han, who had watched how Niley made the food, looked at Xing and shook his head helplessly.
The food was really tasty, but it used up a lot of ingredients. In their kind of household, it was already rare to have a breakfast like this once a year.
After eating, Xing patted his full belly and let out a burp. Realizing Niley was still there, he quickly covered his mouth.
He hurried to clean up the dishes and escaped to the kitchen to wash them.
The rest sat around, not saying much. They kept glancing at Niley, unsure if they should speak.
Liam finally broke the silence. "Wife-lord, where are you from?"
Niley, lazily leaning in her rattan chair, turned her head when she heard the term "wife-lord."
It was her first time really looking closely at the four men who came knocking that morning. Even as a girl, seeing four handsome men with different charms made her a little shy.
"Are you two twins?" she asked instead, looking at the two who looked identical—one she had seen briefly the day before.
One looked sickly but blunt, always speaking his mind. The other had a cold aura and rarely talked.
Seeing her interest, Mier stood and began introducing them one by one.
That's when Niley finally learned who they were.
The eldest, Han, who had helped her in the kitchen—he had sharp, defined features. One look and he gave off a reliable feeling. Even though his muscles were hidden under his clothes, she could still tell his body was just right—not too skinny, not too bulky.
She couldn't help but swallow, wondering what it would feel like to touch him.
She shook her head quickly to clear the inappropriate thoughts.
She pulled Mier closer to her side, interrupting his introductions.
"These are the third and fourth brothers—Liam and Lei. As you can see, they're twins. But Liam isn't very healthy. He was born weak, and after falling into water as a kid, his body got worse."
Niley nodded. She could already tell. Liam didn't look like he had much time left.
Mier's voice trembled as he spoke about his third brother.
Liam had always been sick, and with someone like Jiang Yu as their mother, they had been beaten and scolded a lot growing up. Thinking of this, he looked to Han, their big brother, and said, "Big Brother, we should look again. Maybe Third Brother still has a chance."
Han's eyes darkened with sorrow, but he nodded. "Don't worry. I will."
"Maybe... I can give it a try," Niley said suddenly, cutting through the gloomy mood.
She had a wood-type power that could heal and even bring someone back from the brink of death—as long as they weren't infected by zombie virus.
But after she spoke, everyone stared at her in disbelief.
Xing, who had just finished washing dishes in the kitchen, rolled his eyes. "You sure know how to brag. Third Brother has seen so many doctors, even traveling priests couldn't help. Even Little Dad went to temples. Nothing worked—he survives on herbs alone. And you say you can help? Who do you think you are?"
He gave Niley a long, annoyed look.
Don't give false hope, especially to Third Brother.
Niley had disliked him since the beginning. The way he talked reminded her of those bratty kids at the base.
She gave him a fake smile. "Believe it or not. He only has three months left."
Everyone froze.
Liam and Xing both looked at her and asked in unison, "How do you know?"
Mier's legs gave out, and Niley quickly caught him. "Lei... you said yesterday he was fine?"
Mier asked, looking at Lei, though he already knew the answer.
Their family never talked about bad news. They didn't want others to worry. And Jiang Yu would just use it as another excuse to beat them.
But Niley had just said she could help. Mier looked at her, his eyes full of pleading, just like when he had begged her to save him before.
Niley sighed. "Don't worry. I'm here."
She helped Mier sit down in a chair, then walked straight to Liam. Looking around at the others, she paused and said, "Can you all step out for a moment?"
"Why do we have to leave? Can't you check him with us here?" Xing asked anxiously, confused.
Han and Lei quickly pulled him back. The three of them looked toward Mier.
Just as Mier was about to stand, Niley said, "Mier can stay. He's my man."
That made Mier freeze awkwardly, unsure whether to sit or stand. He lowered his head and started spinning the fruit plate in his hand.
Liam looked annoyed. "We get it—you two are close. No need to make it that obvious."
But he still straightened up and clenched his fists nervously.
Then he asked, "How are you going to treat me? Do I need to take off my clothes?"