Han Cheng was halfway through lunch when he remembered that the basket of vegetables he had brought back was still in the corner of the courtyard.
"Don't leave that basket of leafy greens underneath everything," he told Chen Chuan. "On the way up the mountain, I specifically asked the driver to put it on top. After all that jostling along the way, if it gets crushed here, all my care will have been for nothing."
"I already unloaded it for you," Chen Chuan said with a smile. "Uncle Zhou even picked out a few bunches. He said we'd use them tonight."
Only then did Han Cheng relax and lower his head to shovel in his rice. Zhao Hai sat opposite him, eating faster than he did, but still remembered to remind him, "Don't forget to return those two planks to the storeroom, either. We can eat the vegetables, but the planks can't go into the pot with them."
"I've already put the planks away."
"What about the rope?"
"That too."
"If you're this thorough, what am I supposed to remind you about?"
"Eat your food first." Han Cheng pointed his chopsticks at Zhao Hai's bowl. "Keep talking, and Fang Ming will finish your plate of vegetables too."
Fang Ming had only meant to take a bite from the dish in front of him. At those words, he hurriedly drew his hand back. Seeing this, Zhao Hai pushed the plate toward him instead.
The cart escort was over, and their banter did not delay anyone's work. After lunch, Han Cheng and Zhao Hai each went back to wash and change. When they returned to the small kitchen that evening, even the layer of dust on their boots was gone. Han Cheng arrived first and lifted a basket of greens out of