Chapter 7: Look at what you burned!

Shadows shifted silently as time slipped away.

Zhao Yi’an carried the supplies he had purchased at the market, quickening his pace as he wove through the crowds on his way back to the horse gang’s headquarters.

As he approached the street where the gang was located, bursts of shouting reached his ears.

‘What’s that sound?’ Zhao Yi’an wondered, slightly puzzled.

But for him, the most important thing right now was to get back quickly. He hadn’t been back for one whole day; the guys in the gang were probably gossiping behind his back.

Ignoring the noise, Zhao Yi’an shook his head and continued pushing through the crowd.

However, the closer he got to the horse gang’s base, the louder the shouting became. It was only then that Zhao Yi’an realized the noise he had heard from the end of the street was coming from his own home.

He stopped outside the main gates of the horse gang, and the muffled shouts became clear.

“Ma Debiao! Scald the hair off those slaughtered pigs a few more times! I don’t want a mouth full of bristles tonight!”

“And you, Tian Chuanxiang! How many times do I have to tell you? Don’t throw the internal organs away! Those are for the Leader’s ancestral blessing ceremony!”

A fierce woman’s voice rang out from behind the doors, giving Zhao Yi’an a start even out in the street.

‘That voice? It sounds like Ma Sao. Are they setting up a banquet? Is the Leader coming back?’

With a trace of confusion, Zhao Yi’an pushed open the heavy gates. Immediately, a scene of frantic activity filled his vision.

Every man was busy. Some held kitchen knives and were rhythmically chopping vegetables, some carried wooden tables around as they searched for the right spot to place them, and others were handing buckets of water to those washing dishes… The place was a scene of extraordinary bustle.

At that moment, a woman standing in the middle of the crowd shouting orders caught sight of Zhao Yi’an at the gate. She walked quickly toward him.

“Little Zhao, why are you just now getting back?”

The woman, who was wearing an apron, looked at Zhao Yi’an with confusion.

“I’m sorry, Ma Sao. I finished the shopping yesterday but got drunk. I ended up falling asleep in a field…”

Zhao Yi’an scratched the back of his neck, feeling embarrassed as he recalled his pathetic state from earlier that morning.

He didn’t usually drink much. He only ever had a little when the older brothers in the gang pressured him, so it was rare for him to get as drunk as he had been yesterday.

Because his drinking had caused him to miss his duties, he felt a genuine sense of guilt.

“Fell asleep in a field? Hahaha… Oh, Little Zhao, you’re too much.”

Ma Sao patted Zhao Yi’an on the shoulder and laughed loudly.

“It’s fine. It’s just a small thing. My husband told me yesterday that with your usual luck, he didn’t expect you to get things done quickly anyway.”

“Exactly! Just looking at Little Zhao’s face, you knew it would turn out like this!”

“Last time he was moving fodder, he tripped and dove headfirst into the haystack! If I hadn’t found him, he might have been eaten by the livestock! Hahaha…”

Several men passing by stopped to join in the teasing after hearing Ma Sao’s laughter.

Zhao Yi’an could only offer a helpless smile in the face of their mockery. He really was exactly as they described, suffering from bouts of bad luck every now and then. He was used to it.

“Alright, that’s enough! The Leader is returning tonight, and you’re all still loitering!” Ma Sao turned her head and scolded them with a smile.

The men stopped their teasing as soon as Ma Sao began to nag and returned to their tasks.

Ma Sao pursed her lips helplessly and looked back at Zhao Yi’an. “You too. Go put those things away and then go to the accounts room. Report your expenses to Master Huang, and then come over to help.”

“The Leader is coming back so soon?”

“Yes, the mission ended earlier than expected this time.”

“Alright, enough talk. Finish your errands and get to the Kitchen! Everyone was clamoring for your cooking yesterday. They were being so noisy about it.”

After assigning him his tasks, Ma Sao impatiently pushed Zhao Yi’an toward the interior of the compound.

It was somewhat funny. As the only person in the gang who didn’t know how to fight with blades or spears, Zhao Yi’an had learned how to handle a kitchen knife so that he wouldn’t be a burden to everyone.

Over time, he had developed excellent culinary skills. The older brothers in the gang would start complaining if they went a single day without his food, even though Ma Sao used to be the one in charge of the Kitchen.

That was why Ma Sao was grumbling in his ear today.

Urged on by Ma Sao, Zhao Yi’an had no choice but to carry his supplies toward the storehouse and the accounts room. Along the way, several brothers greeted him, and he responded warmly to each one.

After putting the supplies away, Zhao Yi’an arrived at the accounts room. He saw an old man wearing a cloth cap sitting lazily in a rocking chair, sipping tea.

Seeing the door open, the old man sat up, spat out some tea leaves, and said with surprise, “Isn’t this Little Zhao? Why aren’t you helping the others? What are you doing here?”

“I’m here to settle the accounts, Old Huang…”

Seeing that Old Huang was slacking off again, Zhao Yi’an sighed.

“Oh, right! The money you took yesterday, right? Fine, fine. I’ll take care of it in a bit. Just leave the money there.”

After speaking, Old Huang took another sip of tea and lay back down, humming a tuneless little melody.

Seeing the old man like this, Zhao Yi’an could only leave the remaining change on the table and depart.

Next was helping out in the Kitchen.

‘Phew… I didn’t expect today to be so busy. After all, it’s been half a month. We really should celebrate the Leader’s return!’

‘Wait… why do I hear whispering in the Kitchen? Didn’t she say I was the one cooking?’

As he reached the Kitchen door, Zhao Yi’an heard the rustle of voices from inside.

He didn’t barge in; instead, he leaned his head against the doorframe to listen. If he suddenly walked in on some secret, it would be awkward for everyone.

Inside the Kitchen…

“My lady, there’s no need to check the pig hair anymore, is there? I scraped it with hot water several times…”

“That’s enough. The Leader has been working hard outside for the sake of the gang. We have to be careful; there’s no harm in being thorough.”

Ma Debiao rubbed the stubble on his chin with a helpless expression, but he could only follow his wife’s orders.

“Fine, fine… By the way, are you cooking tonight?”

“Why? Not satisfied?”

Ma Sao looked up from her inspection of the pork, her gaze turning sharp.

“Of course not! Your cooking is the best, my lady. Those guys yesterday just didn’t know what was good!” Ma Debiao said, starting to sweat.

“Smooth talker! Fine, look at you. Little Zhao is in charge of the Kitchen today, so you can just enjoy your meal.”

“Eh! His cooking isn’t that great. I’d still rather have yours…”

After saying that, Ma Debiao stepped closer to Ma Sao, wrapped his arms around her waist, and whispered something.

Zhao Yi’an listened to their flirting for a while. Although he didn’t want to disturb them, the sky was slowly turning golden, and he didn’t have much time left to prepare the meal.

After thinking it over, he decided to just push the door open and act as if he had only just arrived.

As the door swung open, Ma Sao and Ma Debiao had already returned to their normal positions, though they both looked away with shifting eyes.

“Oh? Ma Sao and Brother Ma? What are you doing here?”

“Aren’t things busy outside?”

The two looked embarrassed at Zhao Yi’an’s questions, but Ma Debiao eventually stepped forward with a serious face.

“Brother Zhao, we came over to give you a hand, of course. Preparing a meal for so many people all by yourself is exhausting, isn’t it?”

Zhao Yi’an’s mouth twitched as he looked at the burly man. He couldn’t reconcile this image with the flirtatious behavior he had just witnessed in the Kitchen.

“It’s fine, Brother Ma. I can manage on my own. It’s busy outside, so why don’t you and Ma Sao go help out there?” Zhao Yi’an shook his head in refusal.

‘Let you two help? So I can watch you flirt in front of me?’

Faced with Zhao Yi’an’s stiff smile and his insistence, the two took the opportunity to leave, pushing each other out of the Kitchen.

“Give us a shout if you need anything, Brother!”

“I get it, I get it!”

Ma Sao pushed Ma Debiao away with a red face, not wanting to stay in a place that made her so flustered.

Watching their retreating backs, Zhao Yi’an shook his head. He turned to look at the Kitchen, clicking his tongue at the massive pile of ingredients.

“…Tsk. Should I have asked Brother Ma to come back?”

***

As evening fell, Leader Li finally returned to the horse gang. After resting for a brief moment, he was ushered by the group to begin the meal.

“Oh, this food smells amazing! I haven’t had a meal like this for so long while out on the mission!”

At the dining table, Leader Li drank wine and ate, constantly offering praise.

“Exactly! Brother Zhao’s culinary skills are beyond reproach!”

“Mhm! Mhm!”

Everyone expressed their approval of Zhao Yi’an’s cooking.

The spacious hall was filled with tables to celebrate Leader Li’s safe return.

“I’m glad the Leader likes it!” Zhao Yi’an said, standing up and forcing himself to stay alert despite his exhaustion.

“Oh, Little Zhao, your cooking is getting better and better. Look at this meat, and look at these vegetables…”

‘That’s good. At least I didn’t let everyone down. But I’m so tired. Cooking for 100 people alone is…’

Hearing Leader Li continue to praise the dishes, Zhao Yi’an couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief, though the exhaustion in his eyes was impossible to hide.

‘No! I have to stay awake at least until the meal is over!’

Zhao Yi’an patted his face, seeing that Leader Li was still pointing at the dishes.

“…Tsk tsk, this chicken is really good.”

“Little Zhao, look at how you cooked this…”

Zhao Yi’an’s mind began to grow fuzzy as he listened, but he could still make out some of Leader Li’s words.

However, after hearing them, Zhao Yi’an was filled with confusion, and only one thought remained in his head.

‘Huh…?’