“Whew.”
The sun climbed overhead, the heat so intense it made people’s eyes haze. The street remained as busy as ever—merchants sold their vegetables, carters pulled their loads, and life moved on.
Liu Yao sat on the roof of the horse gang building, a wooden bucket filled with trowels and ash shovels behind her.
Perched near the edge of the eaves, she raised a hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead and squinted at the bustling crowd below.
“I didn’t expect fixing a house to be so tiring…” Liu Yao propped her chin on one hand, her gaze unfocused as she stared into the distance.
Yesterday, after settling Zhao Yi’an at the medical clinic, Liu Yao had returned to the horse gang with her miao miao tools to fix the roof.
As a certified troublemaker, she had always felt that while her ability to handle the aftermath might not be top-tier, she should at least be proficient at it.
At least, that was what she thought before she spent an entire day wrestling with the hole in this roof.
Liu Yao raised her arm and pinched her slender limb, which could no longer be described as robust. She sighed helplessly.
‘I’ve finally realized that since turning into this form, my strength has truly decreased. Even moving heavy objects now requires me to grit my teeth and strain. The muscles I was once so proud of have turned into this soft mess.’
“…Muscle soul displeasure.”
The young woman pursed her lips and stared expressionlessly at her thin arms, falling into silence once more.
“Hey! Lady Yao! Come down and eat lunch!”
A loud voice called from below. Liu Yao looked down toward the source and saw Sister Ma standing in the courtyard with one hand on her hip. She held a neatly stacked lunch box and looked up with a bright smile.
“You’ve been busy for so long, you must be exhausted,” Sister Ma waved, urging her. “Come down and rest. Eat something first!”
“Coming, coming!”
Liu Yao propped herself up on the tiles and stood, patting the dust off her hands. With a light kick, she performed a sparrow hawk flip and landed gracefully on the ground.
The girl jogged over to Sister Ma and chuckled sheepishly. “Sister Ma… I told you not to worry about my lunch. Why did you bring it anyway?”
“Oh, it’s no trouble! It was on my way!”
Sister Ma insisted on pulling Liu Yao toward a stone stool in the shade of a tree. She set the lunch box on the stone table and lifted the lid—steam rose along with the savory aroma of the food.
“You’re starving, aren’t you? Quick, eat first. We can talk afterward.”
Seeing that Sister Ma had gone to such lengths, Liu Yao knew that even with her low social awareness, further refusal would seem cold. She stopped being hesitant and solemnly cupped her hands in a respectful gesture.
“Then I’ll trouble you.”
With that, she picked up her chopsticks and began to eat.
Seeing that Liu Yao had stopped refusing and was instead eating with gusto, Sister Ma didn’t rush to speak. She sat to the side and watched the girl with a beaming smile.
‘Hmm… her features are delicate and cute, and she’s fair-skinned. She’s quite likable. She isn’t very tall, but sitting here feels just right—she doesn’t look small, nor does she impose on others.’
‘But those eating manners…’
Sister Ma’s eyelids twitched. She couldn’t help it; the girl’s way of eating was simply too rugged.
Liu Yao sat with her legs apart, one elbow propped on the table and her body leaning to the side. Her chopsticks moved like a whirlwind, and she shoveled food into her mouth with a ravenous intensity.
‘Maybe this is just how martial artists are?’
Sister Ma could only rationalize it to herself, though she couldn’t resist taking a few more looks.
Perhaps because she had been staring for too long, Liu Yao paused her eating and looked up at Sister Ma with a confused expression.
“Is something wrong, Sister? Is there something on my face?”
She even rubbed her face with her hand, fearing a grain of rice might be stuck there.
“No, no!” Realizing she had been rude, Sister Ma quickly covered her mouth and changed the subject. “I just suddenly remembered, how is Little Zhao doing?”
At the mention of Zhao Yi’an, Liu Yao’s movements stiffened. She curled her lip, a complicated expression appearing on her face.
“Well… his external injuries are nothing, but he might have some ‘internal injuries.'”
“Huh? Is it that serious?” Sister Ma looked at Liu Yao in shock.
‘Heh, how could it not be serious? His heart is wounded.’
At the thought of Zhao Yi’an’s miserable expression yesterday after hearing that “Miss Wang was pregnant,” the girl struggled to keep a straight face. She quickly lowered her head and shoveled two more mouthfuls of rice to hide her smirk.
“Cough… It’s not actually an ‘internal injury,'” Liu Yao said, scratching her cheek awkwardly. “He was just hit hard by the news that his crush is pregnant.”
As soon as she finished, Liu Yao’s eyes widened.
‘Wait, what did I just say?! How did I let his private business slip out?! If this gets out and ruins that girl’s reputation… I’m doomed!’
Realizing her slip of the tongue, Liu Yao instinctively wanted to take it back. But when she looked up, she was met with Sister Ma’s wide-open mouth and rounded eyes.
“…Sister, please, you must never tell anyone.”
The girl silently put down her chopsticks, pressed her hands together in a plea, and looked at Sister Ma with total sincerity.
“Huh? Oh… right! Of course, don’t worry.” Sister Ma blinked for two breaths and reflexively pulled her neck back. “Rest assured, this secret will die with me.”
The two stared at each other, neither speaking. The warm atmosphere from moments ago had vanished completely.
Finally, it was Sister Ma who broke the stalemate.
“Um… Lady Yao…”
Sister Ma cleared her throat but didn’t continue immediately, appearing to organize her words.
“Yes? What is it?” Liu Yao looked up, the awkwardness still lingering on her face.
Sister Ma looked at her, remained silent for two breaths, and then sighed with a hint of complexity in her voice.
“Lady Yao, don’t you think… Little Zhao is a bit pathetic?” She paused, her voice dropping lower. “Throwing himself into such a state over a girl who is out of his reach.”
“Not really.”
“I think Zhao Yi’an is actually doing okay. He probably just needs some time to process it,” she said, her chopstick poking at the rice. “Or maybe, he’s just used to it.”
Hearing Liu Yao’s words, Sister Ma’s gaze softened slightly.
However, the girl’s internal thoughts were nothing like what she had said aloud.
‘Hahaha! Another lovestruck fool! I haven’t seen such a pure romance brain since Shang Feiwen a year ago. Hahaha! No, no, I have to hold it in!’
She shoveled a large mouthful of rice, forcing her expression to remain neutral.
Sister Ma, unaware of Liu Yao’s internal state, continued to lament.
“Well, you can’t really blame Little Zhao.” Sister Ma sighed, her tone carrying the weariness of someone who had seen much of the world.
She shook her head, though it was unclear if it was out of pity or helplessness.
“Perhaps this ordeal was already destined for him when he was a child…”