Fu Sheng did not answer immediately.

For a moment, he simply looked at me, as though weighing his words carefully before speaking.

Then he finally spoke.

"I do not know her," he said.

His voice was calm.

Too calm.

"She is only a shop owner," he added. "There is no reason for her to become a problem between us."

I held his gaze without looking away.

"Is that so?" I asked.

My tone remained steady, but there was no warmth in it.

He nodded slightly.

"Yes," he said. "You are thinking too much into it."

I studied his expression for a moment longer.

It did not change.

That—

Was exactly the problem.

I let out a quiet breath.

"You expect me to believe that?" I asked.

A slight frown appeared on his face.

"I am telling you the truth," he replied.

I shook my head slowly.

"No," I said. "You are not."

A brief silence settled between us.

The air grew heavier with each passing second.

"You do not look at a stranger that way," I continued. "You do not react like that over nothing."

He did not respond.

"You tried to pull me out of that place without any explanation," I added. "You stood there as if something was wrong, yet you refused to say a word."

My gaze remained fixed on him.

"And now you are saying she means nothing?"

He let out a slow breath.

"I said she is not important," he replied.

"That is not the same thing," I said.

My voice remained calm, but firm.

He looked at me, his brows slightly drawn together.

"You are turning this into something it is not," he said.

I held his gaze steadily.

"And you are pretending it is nothing when it clearly is," I replied.

There was a pause.

Neither of us spoke.

Then I spoke again.

"If you do not want to say it, then do not," I said.

My tone remained even.

"I am not forcing you."

I turned slightly.

"But do not stand in front of me and expect me to believe something I can clearly see is not true."

He did not stop me.

He did not argue further.

For a moment, he remained where he was.

Then he stepped forward and followed beside me.

We continued walking.

This time—

In silence.

The tension did not disappear.

It remained between us.

After some time, the farm came into view.

The land had already been cleared, and the work that had been started earlier could be seen even from a distance.

I looked ahead before speaking again.

"We are here to check the progress," I said. "Do not let unnecessary matters affect what needs to be done."

My tone was calm.

Fu Sheng did not respond immediately.

After a moment, he gave a short nod.

"Yes," he said.

By the time we reached the farm, the sky had already darkened.

The air felt heavy.

Then, the rain began.

It came suddenly, without warning.

The drops fell fast and hard, soaking the ground within moments.

"We need shelter," I said.

Fu Sheng nodded.

We both moved quickly toward the makeshift shelter where the Zhao brothers were working.

They had already set up a simple covering using wood and cloth to block the rain.

We stepped under it just as the rain grew heavier.

The sound of it hitting the ground was loud.

The Zhao brothers looked up when they saw us.

"You came," one of them said. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

I glanced around.

Then I paused.

Half of the land—

Had already been cleared.

The difference was obvious.

The overgrown grass was gone, and the soil had been turned in large sections.

I looked at them again.

"You worked this fast?" I asked.

My voice carried a hint of surprise.

One of them smiled slightly.

"We started early," he said. "And we did not stop."

I nodded slowly.

"That is good," I said.

My gaze moved across the land again.

Even in the rain, the progress was clear.

The soil looked fresh and ready.

I stepped closer to the edge of the shelter and looked out at the falling rain.

It was heavy.

This was not light rain.

This was the kind that soaked deep into the ground.

For a moment, I said nothing.

Then I spoke.

"This is the last rain," I said.

My voice was calm.

But serious.

The Zhao brothers looked at me.

Fu Sheng also turned slightly.

"After this," I continued, "the dry season will begin."

The rain continued to fall.

Hard.

"And when it begins," I said, "food will become scarce."

No one interrupted.

They listened.

"People will start to struggle," I added. "And when the supply runs out..."

I did not finish the sentence.

I did not need to.

They understood.

The weight of it settled quietly.

The rain fell between us.

Then one of the Zhao brothers spoke.

"We will finish clearing the rest before that happens," he said.

His tone was firm.

I looked at him.

Then I nodded.

"Yes," I said.

"We must."

I turned slightly and stepped back under the shelter.

...

Earlier that day—

Fu Teng walked through the courtyard, already on his way out.

He had work to attend to, and he did not plan to stop.

But as he passed by the kitchen, he paused.

The smell caught his attention first.

It carried through the air clearly.

He turned slightly and stepped inside.

What he saw surprised him.

Bai Ming stood by the stove, focused on the pot in front of her. Steam rose steadily, and the aroma filled the entire space.

Fu Li was beside her, rinsing utensils and clearing the side table.

Both of them looked up when he entered.

"You are leaving already?" Fu Li asked.

Fu Teng nodded.

"Yes," he said.

His gaze shifted back to Bai Ming.

Then to the pot.

"What are you making?" he asked.

"Congee," Bai Ming replied. "For Master Fu."

Fu Teng nodded slightly.

That made sense.

Master Fu still needed light meals.

But then—

He paused.

Something came to mind.

An Yu’s words from earlier.

He needed a cook.

His current one had left.

Fu Teng looked at Bai Ming again.

Then he stepped closer.

"Is it only for Father?" he asked.

Bai Ming glanced at him briefly.

"Yes," she said. "He still needs something easy to eat."

Fu Teng hesitated for a moment.

Then he spoke again.

"I am still hungry," he said.

Fu Li looked at him immediately.

"You just ate earlier," she said.

Fu Teng did not look at her.

His gaze remained on Bai Ming.

"Can you make more?" he asked.

Bai Ming studied him for a second.

Then she nodded.

"There is enough rice," she said. "I can make more."

Fu Teng gave a small nod.

"Thank you," he said.

He stood there for a moment, watching as she adjusted the pot.

Her movements were steady.

Experienced.

She did not rush.

She did not waste anything.

Even the way she handled the ingredients was careful.

Fu Teng noticed it.

"You cook often?" he asked.

Bai Ming did not look up.

"Yes," she said simply.

Fu Li glanced between them.

"You are asking a lot of questions today," she said.

Fu Teng ignored her.

Instead, he spoke again.

"Would you be willing to cook for someone else?" he asked.

This time—

Bai Ming paused.

Her hand stopped for a brief moment before she continued.

"That depends," she said.

Fu Teng stepped closer.

"It is not for free," he said. "You will be paid."

Fu Li straightened slightly.

"Who are you talking about?" she asked.

Fu Teng finally looked at her.

"A friend," he said. "He needs a cook."

Fu Li frowned slightly.

"And you are asking her?"

"Yes," Fu Teng replied.

His tone was calm.

Direct.

Bai Ming did not speak immediately.

She finished stirring the pot before turning slightly to face him.

"What kind of work?" she asked.

"Simple cooking," Fu Teng said. "Regular meals."

"And where?" she asked.

"In Unit 50," he replied.

She held his gaze for a moment.

Thinking.

Fu Li watched her closely.

"You do not have to agree," Fu Li said. "You already have enough to deal with."

Bai Ming did not respond to her.

Her attention remained on Fu Teng.

"Will I be working alone?" she asked.

"Yes," he said. "You will be in charge."

She nodded slowly.

Then she turned back to the pot.

"I will think about it," she said.

Fu Teng did not push further.

"That is fine," he replied.

There was a short silence.

The sound of boiling filled the room again.

Fu Teng stepped back slightly.

Then he spoke once more.

"The food smells good," he said.

Bai Ming did not react.

But Fu Li smiled.

"I told you," she said. "She cooks better than most."

Fu Teng gave a small nod.

Then he turned.

"I will come back later," he said.

And without waiting for a reply—

He was about to leave the kitchen but Bai king stopped him.

"At least take a bowl with you and give it to that friend of yours... Let’s know if he would like it."