Before an hour passed Ye Liu managed to fill two buckets with fish while Shen Li and Chen Mi somehow managed to fill a bucket with snails. Which was a lot less compared to Yu Mai who filled two buckets while playing around, of course, it was because Yu Dong helped him cheat by wrapping a little bit of her spiritual power around his tiny body. She did it because she was worried about him falling and hurting himself so she cast a thin layer off her spiritual energy to ensure his safety. In case he fell, her safety cocoon would cushion his fall, but that cocoon did more than just ensuring Yu Mai's safety it, attracted all kinds of small fishes and snails towards Yu Mai who gleefully scooped snails and fish in his hands.
Like he was picking up some fallen leaves or something to play with, Yu Mai alone filled two buckets with snails and even gave Chen Mi and Shen Li a few from his hunt to save them from humiliation.
" Sister, are snails really delicious ? " asked Yu Mai, he didn't understand how something so slippery and slimy could taste good.
" of course they do, just wait for your sister to cook some for you" said Yu Dong as she helped Chen Mi and Shen Li out of the river. The two of them were completely drenched, and with their saggy clothes, they couldn't move as freely as they could before. Nonetheless, the two were smiling, feeling relaxed and happy after playing a little in the river.
They never understood why children loved playing in the river but now they did, it was too much fun! Though that got we, Luckily, it was late at night, many villagers were already asleep, so they didn't have to worry about being caught either.
Yu Dong didn't give little bun to Chen Mi because the latter was dripping wet, instead, she shrugged off her outer jacket and wipe cloth that she always carry to clean her hands after she washed her hands after taking care of her game and handed it to Chen Mi who opened his mouth to protest but Yu Dong handed it to him " wipe yourself and wear this, it might get wet too but at least you will be safe from the cold for a little while. By then we will reach home and you three can take a bath in hot water"
Though Ye Liu came out dry, he too stood inside the river for a little too long, it was better for him to take a bath as well just to be safe.
Shen Li shivered as he looked at Chen Mi, though he understood that Yu Dong gave Chen Mi her jacket because Chen Mi was still in his postnatal care period but still he felt a bit sore, how good it will be to have his wife worry about him.
Yu Dong packed up and hoisted the heaviest bucket that was filled with croakers and small fish, while she left the buckets filled with snails and small fishes for Shen Li and others. Ye Liu who was the strongest among the three, responsibly picked the second heaviest buckets while Shen Li picked the buckets that Yu Mai filled leaving the smallest and lightest bucket that he and Chen Mi filled with snails for Chen Mi to pick.
The three of them might have their moments where they were jealous of each other but in the end, they were each other's support pillars, no matter what happened Shen Li and Ye Liu would always be considerate towards Chen Mi, this younger brother.
With his Wife's jacket covering him and his brothers' considerate actions, Chen Mi didn't even feel the slightest bit of cold. In fact, he thought a blistering warmth was flowing in his heart, warming up his insides.
He hurriedly picked the bucket that was left for him to pick and then rushed to follow his brothers.
Yu Dong didn't know what happened behind her back but she wasn't worried, Shen Li and Ye Liu treated Chen Mi as their own brother even if she didn't ask them, they would still carry the heavy buckets while leaving the lightest one for Chen Mi. So she didn't look back or interfere with how they distributed the buckets among them, instead, she strode forward and released a bit of her spiritual energy to warn off any wild animals or animals from popping out suddenly and scaring her mers.
The three of them were just this courageous if something popped out all of a sudden, Yu Dong was certain that her husbands would let go of their buckets and jump a few feet up in the air, who wanted that to happen? Such a scare was bad for their health.
Shen Li, Ye Liu and Chen Mi followed behind Yu Dong while Yu Mai was walking right next to his sister. Clutching the end of his sister's shirt he looked around sometimes picking a sweet-smelling flower or shiny little rock. Yu Dong didn't leave him behind either, each time Yu Mai stopped to pick something, she would patiently stop and let Yu Mai pick it up. She didn't even say anything when Yu Mai started piling dirt covered flowers and mud smudged rocks in her pocket once his pockets were full.
She neither scolded nor called his actions useless, instead, she simply asked Yu Mai to wash up once they return.
Collecting shiny and good looking things every child did that, her brothers did too except they collected the spiritual jewels that she brought after hunting zombies.
Shen Li and Ye Liu watched the scene in front of them with their hearts full of greed, and satisfaction. Satisfaction because the scene was too cute and greed because they wanted to see Yu Dong with their children. They loved Little bun and Yu Mai but they too wanted to experience childbirth and watch their kids grow up under their mother's love and care. A happy family, who didn't want that?
Only Chen Mi who didn't pay attention to them couldn't catch the expression of longing on their faces, instead, all his attention was on Yu Dong. Earlier he did have a feeling that Yu Dong was different from before but now he couldn't help but feel that maybe the current Yu Dong was a completely different person! He knew that his thoughts were completely weird and crazy after all how can such a thing happen but then again previously, Yu Dong was really particular about her appearance. Though she never bathed, she changed her clothes every day and kept them clean to impress that Hua from the tavern in the county town.
A single spot on her clothes and she will lift the sky on her head.
But now, she didn't even say anything when Yu Mai filled her pockets with mud! How is it possible?
" brother -" he began as he turned to ask Shen Li what was going on but then he caught the love-stricken expressions of his two brothers. Ye Liu was gazing at Yu Dong with a hunger that was hard to describe. And as for Shen Li, he was looking at their wife's back with such a doting and gentle look, as if he wished to be held by their wife in the palm of her hands.
Chen Mi swallowed all his questions because he already got answers for each of his questions. The woman in front of them wasn't their wife but someone else as for how it happened, he didn't want to ask, to him Yu Dong was his wife. And as long as she was with him, he will be by her side.
As for how, when and where, he would think about them later on.. Right now, all he wanted was to enjoy this serene sight.