The two men were hard workers Liang Meng Yao had to admit. Hong Jia Yi soon came out with drinks, sandwiches, and pastries.

"Okay, take a break and get some rest."

Rest? Were they allowed to? Usually in this place you'd have to work yourself to death just to earn fifty coppers. There were no rest breaks and most of the time you were treated terribly. Liang Meng Yao never yelled at them, though, and just observed from time to time telling them where to stop digging. With the high pay he had offered, they worked enthusiastically even though they were hungry.

"Food? Ah! No need," the men protested.

"Do you want collapse from starvation? Remember dead men can't do a thing," Liang MengYao insisted.

They climbed up with the ladder Liang MengYao had built and washed their hands before relaxing for a bit. Wen Shen took a bite off of a pastry then smiled with gleam in his eye. It was delicious! When he took a sip of the drink, Wen Shen's heart warmed; he felt energized and no longer tired. His body was refreshed.

"What is this?!" he exclaimed.

"Lemonade - it's a drink from my home town." Liang Meng Yao told them.

"It must be expensive!" Wen Shan said.

"Hmm..."

They saw that Liang Meng Yao wasn't a man of many words, much like Hong Jia Yi. Liang Meng Yao blew an errant lock of his hair before pushing it behind his ear. He was still giving all attention to constructing the carriage. The men saw that Liang Meng Yao was a hard worker, which didn't fit with the villagers' assumption that he was a noble who had been kicked out of his home. Looking at Liang Meng Yao closely, they could see that he had hard work written all over him. It was evident from the lumpy, hard, callouses on his hands, the thick arms (as if he used to be a carrier) and his intense professionalism while working. The two felt he was a mystery but they left it at that and just let it be. After enjoying their lunch, they rested a bit longer and then went right back to work, full of energy.

And when evening came around, just as they had been promised, Liang Meng Yao gave them their eighty coppers.

Hong Jia Yi gave them some pastries too. They refused at first but Hong Jia Yi insisted, so they took the treats and went on their merry way, not forgetting to thank the other two men sincerely.

"So what are you building down there?" Hong JiaYi asked, deeply curious.

"Nothing. I just asked them to dig it deep and little wide so when I'm done killing the village chief and doctor I won't have any troubles hiding the bodies," Liang Meng Yao answered with a mischevious grin.

"Oh, I see -- what?!"

Liang Meng Yao chuckled, feeling his wife's reaction was cute. He kissed him on the lips and said, in a tone of mystery: "We shall see when we see."

Hong Jia Yi tried not to blush. He was a little irritated because he was just teased and it wasn't funny. They both went inside and Liang Meng Yao enjoyed a lovely, quiet dinner with his wife.

"I'm planning on buying a shop in the capital eventually," he told hong Jia Yi.

"The capital?" Hong JiaYi asked.

"Yes, but not now. We will need to do a lot more before we're ready for that," Liang Meng Yao explained.

"Right." Hong Jia Yi accepted everything Liang Meng Yao told him but he still had unspoken questions.

Did Liang Meng Yao mean starting a family or just fixing up the home when he said they needed to do a lot more? Their home was four days from the capital by carriage.

They both talked while finishing up their dinner, which was especially delicious with the addition of mayonnaise to the mashed potatoes. It gave them a particularly savory flavor.

Hong Jia Yi had learned a lot of recipies from Liang Meng Yao and now does most of the cooking and cleaning. Liang Meng Yao feeds the chickens and donkey, checks for eggs, and when he is done with all that he works on the house - especially the roof. Their days were constantly busy so by night neither had energy to do any extra activities. They both just slept peacefully within each other's embrace.

From time to time Hong Jia Yi would think about making a family but it seemed like Liang Meng Yao's mind was on the other side of the river.

Hong Jia Yi knew he wasn't as attractive as the other she-men. He was tall compared to them. In fact, his height even matched some of the other men. His face didn't look soft and delicate like the she-men but was more rugged like the he-men. He was handsome like a he-man rather than pretty like a she-man.

Hong Jia Yi feared that Liang Meng Yao wasn't attracted to him at all.