"Yo, Zhao, riding solo today, huh? Where's your squad of warriors?" Liu Fengnian greeted him with a hearty laugh.
There was a bitterness in his heart, but he quickly regained a smile on his face and politely said, "Brother Liu, you're up early! They all coincidentally had things to do and couldn't make it today, so I'm soloing. Monkey will be over later to help me net the fish!"
"Mr. Badass Li is probably afraid of bumping into his dad, so it's understandable he's not showing up, but why is Teacher Zhou also absent, did he go to a fitting?" Qiangzi said with a hint of sarcasm.
To an outsider, the comment might seem like casual banter, but to Zhao, it stung. The mention of Li Cungen's dad referred to the debt acknowledgment to Yue Feng after losing a gambling bet, and Zhou Tao going to a fitting alluded to the last time he sulked after losing a fish challenge.
"Heh," Zhao gave a hollow laugh, not responding directly.
