Shen Xuan saw Shen Jia about to hit Afu and stepped in front of Afu, seizing the opportunity to slap Shen Jia across the face.
"You! You dare to hit me!"
Shen Jia hadn't expected Shen Xuan to strike him. Normally, he was the one bullying Shen Xuan at home, and he never imagined Shen Xuan would fight back today.
Shen Xuan himself hadn't expected to lash out at Shen Jia. At that moment, he only thought of preventing Afu from being harmed in front of him.
Seeing Shen Jia raise his hand again, Lu Yu grabbed his descending hand, gripping his wrist tightly and forcefully flinging it aside.
"Young Master Shen, this is a medical clinic, not a place for you to run wild. If you're sick, get treated. If you're not, please get out of our clinic," Lu Yu said coldly.
Hitting her husband in front of her, did he really think Lu Yu was easy to bully?
Shen Jia, being scolded with "get out" in front of so many people, flushed with anger and embarrassment. They were at the clinic entrance, and if this escalated, his reputation would suffer. He glared at Lu Yu, wishing he could kill her.
"You all just wait!" Leaving behind a harsh threat, Shen Jia turned and left in a huff.
After Shen Jia left, Lu Yu glanced at Shen Xuan with a playful look, suppressing a smile as she nodded.
Shen Xuan didn't understand the meaning behind Lu Yu's gaze and felt uneasy. He didn't know why he suddenly had the courage to treat Shen Jia like that. However, he was very afraid that Lu Yu would change her perception of him after seeing this less-than-pleasant side of himself.
He wasn't usually this fierce.
"You stay here and chat with them for a while. Once I'm done packing, I'll accompany you for a stroll in the streets," Lu Yu said with a smile, looking at Shen Xuan's wronged expression.
They had been together for so long, yet they hadn't properly gone shopping together. Today, she would accompany him, which also served as a break for herself.
Shopping?
This word was not only unfamiliar to Shen Xuan but also to most men in this era.
Why would men leisurely stroll through the streets? The men on the streets were either out on errands or accompanying their wives to buy things. It was rare for them to wander aimlessly.
It was Shen Xuan's first time shopping, and he was a little nervous. Despite wearing a veiled hat, he kept his head down, following Lu Yu and tightly gripping her sleeve. He listened to the street vendors' calls, feeling very curious but not daring to look openly.
The ground was sometimes uneven and pitted, making Shen Xuan's walk even more strenuous.
Lu Yu, afraid he might fall, took one of his hands and said softly, "Don't be nervous. Hold onto me, and I'll guide you. You won't fall."
Lu Yu's words were always so reassuring. The warmth that rose in his heart dispelled the surrounding chill. Shen Xuan nodded and obediently let her hold his hand.
Perhaps accustomed to the street noise, Shen Xuan was no longer as timid as when they first came out. Walking alongside Lu Yu, he would look at the novelties on the stalls a few more times.
Lu Yu bought everything Shen Xuan liked or found interesting.
"Wife, you don't have to buy them. I don't need them," Shen Xuan said softly, tugging at Lu Yu's sleeve.
Most of the things Shen Xuan fancied were small, peculiar toys for children. "Buying them is just a waste of money."
Shen Xuan mumbled with his head down.
Lu Yu, having precisely caught his words, shook Shen Xuan's hand and said, "How can you say it's a waste of money? As long as it's spent on your husband, no amount of money is considered a waste."
"But these things..."
"I said before, what you didn't experience as a child, I will make up for it all now. We'll relive your childhood together." Lu Yu interrupted Shen Xuan before he could finish, forbidding him from saying such things.
Seeing Shen Xuan about to speak again, Lu Yu quickly added, "If you refuse again, I'll kiss you in public."
Shen Xuan hadn't expected Lu Yu to say such outrageous things on the street. He froze, not daring to move, his cheeks burning, feeling as if he were about to combust.
The air inside the veiled hat was already not circulating well, and coupled with Shen Xuan's shyness and flushed face, he felt like he couldn't breathe.
Sensing her husband's stiff body and his chest heaving due to difficulty breathing, Lu Yu quietly reached into the veil and lifted a corner.
"Don't suffocate yourself. You'll get ill," she said, kindly fanning the thin veil hanging from the hat a couple of times.
Through the gap, Lu Yu saw Shen Xuan's flushed cheeks and let out a low chuckle.
Shen Xuan, embarrassed and annoyed, yanked the veil back, leaving Lu Yu behind, and walked forward with a pout.
After walking for about fifteen minutes, he realized Lu Yu hadn't caught up and turned back in a panic, searching for her in the crowd.
The moment he spotted Lu Yu standing in the crowd, gazing at him affectionately, his face bloomed into a smile.
Lu Yu jogged a few steps to catch up with the flow of people and reached Shen Xuan's side, pouting and muttering, "I thought you had forgotten about your wife."
"How could I? I've been waiting for you." I will always wait for you.
Their hands clasped together again, and they smiled at each other.
"Boss, I've brought my husband to the shop for some pastries today," Lu Yu shouted loudly to the owner inside as she brought Shen Xuan to a pastry shop.
"Come in quickly and sit!" The boss turned, saw Lu Yu, and waved them in.
"Is this young gentleman your husband? He's so handsome," the boss's husband came out from the inner room and started praising Shen Xuan as soon as he saw him.
"My husband hasn't even taken off his veiled hat, Uncle. How could you tell?" Lu Yu frequented this shop and was very familiar with the owner and his husband.
"How can I not tell? Whether someone is beautiful or not, I can tell just by their build," the boss's husband said with a smile. He took Shen Xuan's hand and led him to a stool.
"Now that you're inside, quickly take off your veiled hat," the boss's husband said, reaching out to help Shen Xuan remove it.
"Uncle, my husband is timid and very shy. You..."
Lu Yu was interrupted by the boss's husband before she could finish. "Don't worry, would I bully your husband?"
Lu Yu smiled at this. "Of course not."
"Then you stay here and have pastries with Uncle." Lu Yu patted Shen Xuan's hand and nodded at the boss's husband, indicating her departure.
After all, the boss's husband was a man, and even with Shen Xuan present, it wasn't appropriate for him to linger. He went to the front hall to find the boss.
"Are you pregnant?" Lu Yu left, and the boss's husband looked at Shen Xuan's stomach, asking curiously.
Shen Xuan felt a bit awkward and didn't know how to respond. He stammered, "No, no."
"No?" the boss's husband exclaimed, surprised. "Then why did you buy so many toys?"
"...These toys, they were all bought for me," Shen Xuan said after a moment of hesitation, organizing his thoughts.
"..." The boss's husband was completely stunned. He looked Shen Xuan up and down. Judging by his appearance, he was about fifteen or sixteen years old, and he was buying toys?
Shen Xuan understood the boss's husband's gaze and felt a little embarrassed, murmuring, "My wife said she wants to spend my youth with me."
Seeing the happy smile on Shen Xuan's face, the boss's husband smiled and said, "Your wife treats you so well."
"She often buys pastries from us, saying her husband loves them. She even specifically asked us to reduce the sugar, fearing it would damage her husband's teeth," the boss's husband said, laughing heartily.
Listening to the boss's husband's account, Shen Xuan's eyes welled up with warmth, and his heart burned even brighter. The happy smile on his face became even more pronounced.