The night passed, and as the sky was only just beginning to brighten, Zhao Yi’an was jolted awake by the growing commotion.
He frowned, and as soon as his eyes opened, the chilly morning air rushed over him. It carried the distinct scent of the stables — hay, livestock, and the faint aroma of rice porridge drifting over from the kitchen.
The courtyard was already a flurry of activity.
Several senior brothers were hitching up carts, while Sister-in-law Ma, wearing an apron under the eaves, directed people to move goods. Everything was exactly as it had been for countless mornings in the past.
Except for one thing.
He had woken up on a flatbed cart.
‘It’s so hard and painful. Even sleeping on a hard bed before never hurt this much.’
“Oh, for heaven’s sake, Little Brother, why are you slumped here again?”
A few brothers carrying cargo happened to pass by and stopped when they saw his state.
“After all this time, don’t you know Little Zhao is a magnet for bad luck?”
“That’s true… but hasn’t it been happening a bit too frequently lately?”
They tossed remarks back and forth with the usual teasing tone, harboring no real malice.
After all, Zhao Yi’an had been like this since he was young. He was never without some major or minor injury, and everyone had long since grown used to it.
“Last night, we all went with Leader Li to move cargo for Wealthy Wang. You were supposed to be safe at home, so how did you end up like this?” one brother asked, leaning over with a face full of confusion.
“The roof hit me.”
“Huh?”
Zhao Yi’an gave a bitter smile. Since he had chosen to settle the matter privately last night, he couldn’t exactly go around shouting about it.
‘I’d better keep this a secret for Lady Yao…’
“Hey! What are you lot whispering about over here!?” a brisk voice called out from the side.
Sister-in-law Ma walked over with an empty wooden bucket, her footsteps carrying a gust of wind.
“If you have time to chat, have you finished moving the goods?”
“We’re going! We’re going!”
“Rest up, Little Zhao! Without you at the stove, the food won’t taste right for any of us!”
The brothers laughed as they shouldered their cargo and noisy walked away.
“Honestly…” Sister-in-law Ma sighed, lifting her bucket and watching them leave with a helpless look.
When she turned back to see Zhao Yi’an struggling to sit up, her expression shifted to one of slight embarrassment.
Sister-in-law Ma rubbed the back of her neck and gave a sheepish smile. “Don’t look at me like that… Didn’t Brother Ma and I get you settled in last night?”
“If the two of you hadn’t been so busy being affectionate, I might have spent 1 hour less shivering in the cold,” Zhao Yi’an said with a roll of his eyes and a huff.
It was no wonder his words were prickly.
After being blown by the cold wind for 1 hour and sneezing repeatedly, he had finally been found by a pair of panicked, disheveled spouses who had forgotten him. Anyone would have lost their temper.
“Oh, stop it!” Sister-in-law Ma’s ears instantly turned beet red.
Seeing Zhao Yi’an still looking at her with resentment, she tried to change the subject.
“Ahem… So, Little Zhao, how do you know that Lady Yao from last night?” She leaned closer, her eyes glittering with a teasing light.
“Have you finally… stopped thinking about the young lady from Wealthy Wang’s house?”
As soon as he heard the name “Miss Wang,” Zhao Yi’an’s face darkened.
“No, Sister-in-law… we agreed not to bring that up.”
“Oh, Little Zhao.” Sister-in-law Ma noticed his expression and softened her tone, speaking with the earnestness of an elder.
“That young lady and her fiancé are of equal social status. Even if the man’s family isn’t what it used to be, they are long-standing family friends. You… you should have let go a long time ago.”
“I know… it just hurts a little.”
She had been the shadow he had secretly kept in his heart for five years.
He had always known he wasn’t good enough for her, but hearing the news of her marriage still made his chest feel tight and stifling.
Zhao Yi’an thought back to a noon when he was 11 years old. The sun had bleached the stone paths white, and the figure of a young girl holding a paper umbrella had suddenly crashed into his sight.
Even now, he couldn’t forget those quiet eyes looking back at him.
“Alright, look on the bright side.” Sister-in-law Ma gently patted the dejected Zhao Yi’an, her voice softening further.
“This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Besides, isn’t Lady Yao here? She’s pretty and she has a direct personality…”
“I’m ‘creating an opportunity’ for you here, so you’d better pay attention, you hear me?” Sister-in-law Ma’s tone shifted again, a mischievous grin appearing in her eyes.
“Heh, Sister-in-law Ma, aren’t you overthinking things?”
Zhao Yi’an snapped out of his sad memories. Hearing her words, he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
‘Sister-in-law, where is your head at?’
With the polite and distant way that woman acted yesterday, how could they possibly be a couple?
“Our friendship consists of having shared a drink one time. Don’t go imagining things.” He looked up and deliberately turned the topic back on her.
“On the other hand, when are you and Brother Ma going to add a little one to the family? Now that’s the real business.”
Sister-in-law Ma’s face turned bright red at his words, and she spat out a retort.
“Bah! Who taught you to talk to your sister-in-law like that!”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! Can I just apologize? Now, can you tell me what you actually came over here for?”
Sister-in-law Ma looked at the irreverent Zhao Yi’an and gave him a sharp glare before finally composing herself. “I came to tell you that Lady Yao is here.”
“Huh? Where?”
“I’m over here…”
From behind Zhao Yi’an, a slightly hesitant and embarrassed voice drifted over.
Zhao Yi’an turned around and saw a girl in white. Her slightly round face was flushed with awkwardness.
“Lady Yao, when did you get here?”
“Uh… Miss Wang?”
Liu Yao opened her mouth, her gaze flickering away as her voice grew even smaller.
Zhao Yi’an found her behavior quite novel, but he didn’t react much otherwise. He was merely confused.
“Then why didn’t Lady Yao say anything?”
“Uh, I saw you two were chatting quite happily, so I didn’t want to disturb you.”
Hearing this, he shot a helpless look at Sister-in-law Ma, who was clearly enjoying the show, before turning back to Liu Yao.
“So, is Lady Yao planning to take me to the medical clinic first?”
“Yes, that’s right! I plan to take you to the clinic for treatment to see if you have any internal injuries, and then I’ll come back to help you fix your roof.”
After saying this, Liu Yao lifted the basket in her hand, which contained tools like a trowel and a mortar shovel. She then pointed toward the roof.
“However, it would be a bit difficult for me to carry you on my back, and it wouldn’t look very proper.”
“So, I was thinking… maybe you could just stay on this flatbed cart, and I’ll push you there.”
*Hiss*, she was right.
‘If Lady Yao had to carry me on her back… not to mention how tired she’d be, I wouldn’t be able to get past the internal embarrassment.’
Zhao Yi’an was stunned for a moment but quickly realized the suggestion was practical. He nodded in agreement.
“Sure, let’s do that.”
“Then… I’ll have to trouble Lady Yao to give me a push.”
He leaned back, settling himself more firmly on the cart.
“Then I won’t disturb you two further.” Sister-in-law Ma picked up her empty bucket and went back to her work.
“Do you want to pull up the quilt? Aren’t you afraid of people seeing your face?”
“Hmm… you’re right.” He silently pulled the quilt upward, covering most of his face.
Just like that, Liu Yao gripped the wooden handles and pushed the cart carrying Zhao Yi’an out of the horse gang’s gates.
The road was smooth enough, but the combination of the two was quite eye-catching. Before they had gone far, the sound of whispering drifted over from both sides of the street.
“Oh, look at that poor child… did something happen to the family?”
“I think that poor girl has cried so much she doesn’t even have any tears left. What a tragedy…”
“Do you think she lost her husband, or maybe her parents?”
“You talk too much! Did something happen to your house too?”
Under the quilt, Zhao Yi’an winced.
Behind the cart, the hands pushing the handles tightened.
‘This might not have been a good idea…’
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