Living on a Mountain with my Husband

Chapter 130: Tense Emotions

After lunch, LongWei urged Zimo to take a nap with him. Old man Li was a little surprised to hear they were planning to sleep. He wasn't one to nap.

"It's good for the health to take a walk, then an afternoon nap." LongWei explained. Old man Li wasn't one to object. He was also exhausted after dealing with the fire the night before followed by climbing up the mountain.

Zimo and old man Li set up the extra bed they owned and planned to use in the warmer seasons in the living area. It left the room a little crowded,  it it was good enough for old man Li.

Entering their own room, Zimo was busy making the bed.   "Baby, be honest with me. Are you okay?" LongWei asked. Zimo was still acting eerily calm and strict. His appetite improved a little which was good,  but it wasn't great. He was also acting more serious than LongWei was used to seeing him.

Zimo turned back to face LongWei. "Dear, I'm okay." He said with a slight smile. It was different from the usual smile with cute dimples.

"Baby, you're acting strange. You can't even smile properly." LongWei continued.

"I just don't feel like smiling, can't I?" Zimo replied with attitude.

"Baby, I'm worried about what the doctor said about your reaction. If you keep holding it in, you'll make yourself sick." LongWei said as he pulled Zimo into his arms.

However Zimo didn't want to be coaxed by LongWei. He quickly moving out of his arms. "Dear, I'm fine. I'm not incapable of taking care of you, myself, or the animals. Stop worrying about me and focus on yourself." Zimo said frustrated by LongWei's questioning.

With those words, LongWei had a better understanding of Zimo's mental state. He seemed to be stubbornly holding back not because he couldn't deal with what had happened, but because he wanted to be strong for LongWei.

"I'm sorry little birdie. I'll do my best to heal quickly, so you can relax and be your usual absent-minded self." LongWei thought.

"I'm sorry baby. I know your very capable. When I was in a coma you took amazing care of me and the wolves and little Bay are only alive because of you. You are intelligent, strong, and resourceful.
I just can't help but worry, not because I don't believe in you. It's because I care about you. I'm also upset at myself for needing to rely on you I always want to be able to support you." LongWei said as he moved in closer.

"We're married, a family who have promised to be together forever. Sometimes I get sick or hurt and need your help. Sometimes you'll also get hurt or sick and need my help. If we can't rely on each other, who else can we rely on?" Zimo said feeling embarrassed by his own words.

After their talk, both Zimo and LongWei felt a little relieved. They still had lingering fears and anxiety, but the tense emotions eased a lot.

...

The three men's nap lasted longer than expected. Everyone slept well with the exception of Zimo. He was plague with nightmare after nightmare, waking up every twenty or so minutes.

LongWei on the other hand slept deeply despite Zimo tossing and turning next to him. The exhaustion was and injury clearly affected his body.

"Forget it, I can't sleep. It's better to get up and do something rather than risk waking LongWei up." Zimo thought as he crawled out of bed quietly.

Normally Zimo would sleep on the inside. However, because of LongWei's injury, Zimo insisted on switching. This way he could get up and help LongWei if needed. It's also lowered the risk of him hitting LongWei's injured leg at night.
Sneaking out of the bedroom, Zimo then faced a sleeping old man. "I can't do anything in here with old man Li sleeping. Let's go give the stable animals some love. They've been neglected the last two days with us gone." Zimo decided as he left the house with the three wolves and tiger in tow.