Chapter 139

"Mommy, Daddy, come back soon," little David said with a pout, his voice sweet and childish.

Tommy leaned against the doorframe, tugging at the hem of his shirt. "Yeah, come back soon."

Emily turned to Michael, frowning slightly. "You didn’t sleep at all last night. Maybe we should go tomorrow?"

Was this man made of iron? He had worked all day yesterday, sneaked out to the black market at midnight, and still woke up early to make breakfast. And now he was ready to head to the county town, full of energy?

"We have to go today," Michael said, adjusting his scarf. "I’ll buy you a new winter coat while we’re there. The one you have is too thin—this winter’s especially cold."

"Too thin?" Emily nearly rolled her eyes. "It’s perfectly warm!"

"I’ll take the kids to Mom and Dad’s place."

"Wait!" Emily hurried into the inner room and pulled a few packs of cream-filled cookies from her PennyDeals space, stuffing them into a cloth bag. "For David and Tommy."

Once the three of them were gone, Emily sprang into action. She quickly placed an order in her PennyDeals shopping app: eight women’s watches and two men’s watches.

Should she bring her phone?

She hesitated, staring at the smartphone in her palm. This was her golden finger—what if she lost it?

"Better keep it hidden," she muttered, tucking the phone back into her PennyDeals space. Instead, she grabbed pepper spray, a collapsible baton, and a personal alarm, shoving them all into her handbag.

"Sweetheart, let’s go," Michael called from outside, now dressed and ready.

The moment they stepped out, they ran into a group of nosy aunties.

"Oh, where are you two lovebirds off to?"

"Taking my wife to the county town for a bit," Michael said smoothly, lacing his fingers with Emily’s.

"The county town?" The aunties’ eyes lit up. "Must be much bigger than our little town, huh?"

"Of course," Michael said with a grin. "Since it’s winter and things are slow, I thought I’d take her to see a movie."

"A movie?!" The aunties clicked their tongues in envy. The town’s film crew hadn’t visited their village in two years.

At the town station, they transferred to a long-distance bus. Emily instantly regretted it—the bumpy road made her feel like her organs were being rearranged.

"Sweetheart, you look pale," Michael said worriedly, pulling her closer. "Motion sickness?"

"This road needs repairs," Emily gritted out.

"They fix it every year, and it falls apart every year," Michael sighed. "Just hang on—it’ll be smoother once we reach the city."

Emily leaned against his shoulder, already calculating how to turn those watches into cash. This trip to the county town was going to be profitable.