Becoming the Villain's Discarded Wife
Chapter 165 Boiling Stones_1

Chapter 165: Chapter 165 Boiling Stones_1

"Wake up now!"

As Nanzhi hurried Shen Wenchen to get up, she also changed Little Zhiyu’s pants.

Luckily, she had brought two extra pairs of trousers for Zhiyu, otherwise, he would have to spend the whole day in soaked clothes.

Seeing Nanzhi’s back, Shen Wenchen scratched his head. As he raised his hand to get up, he felt a dampness on his palm.

Looking down, he noticed a dark "map" imprinted on the thick quilt.

Turning his gaze to his son, wearing only a shirt over his backside, Shen Wenchen let out a chuckle.

"What’s so funny? Hurry up and get dressed, then tidy up the bedding." After dressing Zhiyu, Nanzhi glanced back at the laughing Shen Wenchen and gave him a disapproving look.

"Alright, alright. I just didn’t expect that Zhiyu, almost four, would still wet the bed."

With a warm smile on his face, Shen Wenchen got dressed and, obligingly, began to tidy up the bed.

"If it wasn’t for you blocking me, Zhiyu wouldn’t have wet his pants." Seeing her husband making amends for his fault, Nanzhi calmed down a bit.

Take it slow.

Aunt Guihua and Shen Miaomiao got off to cook, while Ms. Li climbed back into the cart, finding no one there.

Shen Zhong, who hadn’t slept all night, had dark circles under his eyes and seemed listless.

"Brother, why don’t you sleep for a bit..." Shen Miaomiao looked at her brother’s exhausted face with worry.

"I’m fine, I’m fine." Even though he was clearly not, Shen Zhong relieved his sister with a wave of his hand.

Seeing him in such a state, Aunt Guihua felt disappointment mixed with concern.

Did he really spend the whole night trying to woo her?

Even though she disapproved of his timid nature, he was still her son after all.

Aunt Guihua couldn’t help but feel sorry for him at that moment.

In the end, it was her fault for not raising him properly, and for mistakingly approving of the Li family for him to marry into.

Shen San understood his wife’s anguish over their son, but he didn’t want Ms. Li to remain in their family.

So, he walked over and sat down beside Shen Zhong.

"Dad..."

Despite his displeasure with his son, Shen San advised, "You should apologize to your mother."

Shen Zhong looked at Aunt Guihua’s busy back and shook his head: "She’s probably still mad at me. I’d better not."

Seeing his son’s reluctance, Shen San despaired over Shen Zhong’s obtuseness.

They’ll have their own luck, he thought, giving up.

Aunt Guihua just started cooking and when she opened the pot cover, she saw a lump of frozen chicken heads and feet and couldn’t help but feel disgusted.

Laziness from Ms. Li again.

She dumped out the contents of the pot. Then she asked Shen Miaomiao to make some Steamed Buns.

With the cold weather, you needed to fill your belly to keep your legs from giving out during the long walk.

The Lin Family’s side had also started making Steamed Buns.

It was important to fill stomachs during such times.

Given the appetites of the men in the Lin Family, including Shen Wenchen, it took quite a bit of flour and effort from the three women to make enough large Steamed Buns.

The three children were awake and playing together while the adults busied themselves with cooking and feeding the mules.

Only after everyone was full and hydrated did they resume their journey.

Seeing Nanzhi also wrapped up tightly and walking by the side of the cart, Shen Wenchen decided not to ride his horse and chose to walk beside her instead.

Every now and then, Nanzhi could feel a burning gaze on her. It made her uneasy. Yet every time she turned to look, Shen Wenchen was always looking ahead and would ask her, in a puzzled manner, why she was looking at him.

After several times, Nanzhi simply gave up. He wants to look, let him.

It was not until they stopped to rest that Nanzhi sat on the axle of the cart and massaged her calves.

Though it didn’t snow last night, her feet were still freezing from the journey.

Seeing her slightly damp shoes, Shen Wenchen frowned slightly.

If the shoes got wet, the socks wouldn’t dry either. Traveling in damp shoes and socks in this cold weather, it was no surprise the feet would develop sores.

No wonder Nannan was secretly making a fire when he found them yesterday.

Their lunch was still steamed buns, reheated leftovers from the morning meal.

"Mother-in-law, I’d like to borrow a small pot."

Lin Ercheng’s mother paused in the midst of heating the buns. She was puzzled: What did her son-in-law want a pot for?

Did he dislike her steamed buns and wanted to cook by himself?

"Will this one do?"

Despite her confusion, she fetched a small pot from the ground and handed it to him.

"Thank you, mother-in-law." Wenchen received the pot, thanked her, and proceeded to fetch some snow.

He waited for the snow water to boil, then added several clean stones to the pot.

Watching him put stones into the pot, Lin Ercheng’s mother’s initially curious expression turned dark.

The pot was for cooking porridge for the three children.

She wondered what her son-in-law needed the pot for. All this fuss for boiling stones?

Lin Yicheng, Lin Ercheng, and Lin’s father, who were resting nearby, frowned at the sight of Wenchen’s actions.

Could boiling stones be some sort of a remedy?

When Shen Wenchen estimated that the stones in the pot were hot enough, he brought the pot back over to his mule cart.

"Nannan, remove your shoes and socks."

Nanzhi, who was staying warm in the carriage, was taken aback at his words; her ears turned red instantly.

What on earth was this man saying!

"Dad, why do you need mom’s shoes? Mom’s feet are too small, they won’t fit you."

Little Zhiyu poked his head out of the cart and giggled as he mentioned this.

"Dad isn’t trying to wear your mom’s shoes. Now, go back a bit to avoid getting burnt." Wenchen ruffled his son’s hair instructing him to stay away from the pot before continuing to explain further with a smile.

"I noticed your shoes and socks are wet. I’m going to dry them for you so they’ll be comfortable to wear when we’re on the road later."

Hearing him say this, Nanzhi blinked, somewhat intrigued.

To dry them?

How would he dry them?

Could it be like in those martial arts novels, using internal energy to dry them?

But wouldn’t using internal energy to dry shoes be too wasteful?

Although she felt hesitant, the discomfort of walking with wet shoes and socks was too much.

After a moment of hesitation, the pragmatic Nanzhi handed over her shoes and socks.

The once apricot-colored pair of shoes had turned gray, looking rather shabby, even with new insoles added inside.

Noticing Wenchen frown at her shoes, the blush that had just faded from Nanzhi’s face came flooding back.

How could she forget, she had been wearing these shoes for a whole month now!

Initially, she only had two pairs of shoes at home. One had worn out before the exodus and she hadn’t brought it with her. She lost one of the other pair when she fainted. So, for more than a month, she had been wearing this pair of shoes that she’d bought before the exodus.

At first, it wasn’t too bad as she was mostly seated in the carriage and seldom needed to disembark.

But as she recovered, and with the mule’s load decreased, she started to walk occasionally.

Trodding through mud and snow, her shoes had become so dirty they were almost unrecognizable.

"How about... How about you give them back to me..."

Nanzhi bumbled and reached out to take her shoes back.

Wenchen recognized her embarrassment, but he just shook his head.

"It’s my fault for coming late."