All of them were chatting as they sat for a rest break.

"Fa Enlai ran away? Why?" Wen Shan asked after hearing about the gossip from the river.

Liang Meng Yao didn't need to ask that question.

"He didn't want to get married to the bastard second son of the village chief," Xin Yi told him with an exasperated glare. The males of the village were so dense sometimes! "I wouldn't either," he added bitterly. "What with all that bastard has done to the she-men in this village!"

"What do you mean?" Liang Meng Yao asked. He knew Fa Enlai didn't want to marry the man but not why.

Xin Yi quickly told him of the instances of the chief's son harassing vulnerable she-men. Jia Yi didn't share about his attempt to rape her. He worried that Meng Yao might get into trouble if he got angry about it.

"The reason why we can't make money is because the bastard and the chief started collecting twenty coppers from anyone who fishes or sells in this village," Wen Shen added angrily.

"We make fifty coppers or less each day. How will we maintain our home and household with that added expense? Whenever we can't pay in full, they take our fish!"

"Good thing I'm allergic to fish," Meng Yao joked.

Jia Yi looked at Meng Yao. He had wondered why Meng Yao had never bought any fish. Jia Yi had actually planned to go fishing one day and make some delicious fish for dinner. It was a good thing Meng Yao mentioned this allergy before he actually did.

"Ah, too bad! What about crab?"

Meng Yao's mouth twitched with amusement.

"No. No crab either."

"Too bad. Crab is good!"

Meng Yao said nothing.

"So, what's your home like Mr. Liang?" Wen Shen asked.

"Busy."

"I see."

Wen Shen felt a cold sweat ran down his cheek at the vague answer. Obviously, Meng Yao didn't like to talk about where he came from.

"Yao..."

"Hmm?"

"Drink."

"Thank you."

Meng Yao took the lemonade and drank. He smiled at Jia Yi and gave him the empty container back.

"You know Mr. Liang, I'm happy you married Hong JiaYi," Wen Shen said suddenly.

"Hmm."

"Hong Jia Yi is a good person but because of he is slightly more manly in appearance, people treat him badly. I was worried about him but you seem to care about and respect Hong Jia Yi so, thank you," Wen Shen added.

"There's no need to thank me. Jiajia is really my type and I'm lucky to be married to him," Liang smirked looking over at Hong Jia Yi to see his reaction.

Hong Jia Yi flinched instinctively and then froze, his cheeks heating up. Meng Yao's satisfied smirk grew deeper as the corners of Jia Yi's lips curved up moments later.

"You're not bothered that he is a little 'manly'?" Wen Shen asked.

"No, I prefer it that way. To me he is perfect. Besides, it's not the outside that matters, it's the inside," Meng Yao asserted.

"I see. I once thought you were interested in Fa Enlai," Wen Shan said.

"No, I'm grateful for him helping me but otherwise I don't feel anything for him. He is just a good friend."

"You're the first person I have seen that doesn't seem to care about his looks. I was enchanted at first," Wen Shen admitted.

Maybe Liang Meng Yao would have thought the same if he were raised here but to him Fa Enlai was too close to being female, so no.

"It's really pitiful being in his situation," Meng Yao observed.

"Hmm? How so he gets gifts every day and people do his work for him. How is it difficult?"

Meng Yao's eyes narrowed as he hit a nail.

"There once was a beautiful she-man in my town. She was so beautiful that every day men fawned over her, left and right. But she was very sad. Can you tell me why?" Meng Yao asked.

"I don't see why he would be sad. He has many suitors."

"Hmph, even though he has many suitors and proposals there was no one who had genuine feelings towards him. So he was lonely. Jewelry, diamonds, and riches mean nothing when there are no genuine feelings there. Fa Enlai must have been very lonely," Meng Yao said.

The two brothers finally understood what Meng Yao was talking about. They might have only grasped a small bit of his point but they got the main idea. Meng Yao understood Fa Enlai because he was a friend of that person, who was a woman in his former world. To finally get a spouse that loved her for who she was, she faked a big scar on her face.

After that the woman who was once flooded with proposals was now the most isolated woman in town. Even though Meng Yao had stuck by her, he didn't love her as anything more than a friend. Fortunately, in the end she found someone who loved and cared for her.

It might have sounded like a fairy tale to most but Meng Yao knew it was a true story. It gave him hope that Fa Enlai would someday find the one who loved him for who he is too.