Lucky Repairs the Roof

"Lucky, be careful up there! Don't fall!" Lily Evans stood under the eaves, holding an umbrella. Her neck was sore from craning upward.

Lucky, dressed in a rain cape, was fixing the roof. He turned to wipe the sweat off his face, grinned, and said, "Lily, go back inside. It's cold and raining out here. Don't catch a chill."

Lily Evans frowned, worry written all over her face. "Hurry up and finish so you can come down. Look at you—your clothes are soaked through!"

From the kitchen, Margaret Evans called out, "Lily, I've made hot ginger tea. Come over with Lucky in a bit and warm yourselves up."

Lucky chuckled, "Mom, I'm almost done. Once I fix the roof, it won't leak anymore. You and Lily can sleep easy tonight."

"Good boy," Margaret Evans couldn't help but laugh. She tossed a few more slices of ginger into the pot, muttering, "More ginger will help keep the chill away. Don't want the kids catching cold."

Lucky finished patching up the leaky spots on the roof with a clatter, while Lily Evans held the ladder for him as he climbed down.

Don't be fooled by Lucky's tall frame—he was surprisingly nimble. In just a few quick moves, he hopped down to the ground and grabbed Lily Evans's hand. It was cold to the touch.

"Are you cold, Lily? Your hands are freezing. Let me warm them for you." Lucky led Lily Evans inside, cupping her hands and blowing warm air on them, worried for her.

Lucky was drenched, his handsome face misted with water, long eyelashes dotted with droplets, and water dripping steadily from his rain cape onto the floor.

"Are you still cold?" Lucky rubbed Lily Evans's hands.

"Not anymore," Lily Evans smiled as she helped him take off his rain cape and used a handkerchief to wipe the rain from his face. "Lucky, why are your hands always so warm?"

Lucky grinned, "Because I want to keep you warm, Lily."

Margaret Evans brought over a steaming bowl of ginger tea. "Drink up, both of you. It'll ward off the chill."

Lily Evans took a sip, feeling the heat spread through her body. She handed the bowl to Lucky, who drank it all in one go.

"Mom, this ginger tea is amazing! I feel warm all over," Lucky said, his eyes bright.

Margaret Evans smiled, "Good, good. There's more on the stove. Lily, make sure Lucky dries off before he catches cold."

"I will, Mom." Lily Evans replied, helping Lucky towel off his hair.

The rain outside had eased, leaving only a fine drizzle. Lily Evans glanced at the patched roof and let out a sigh of relief.

"Lucky, you did a great job. The roof doesn't leak anymore," Lily Evans said, beaming at him.

Just then, Cynthia Wu arrived, brushing off the damp from her clothes. Margaret Evans handed her a bowl of ginger tea.

Cynthia Wu didn’t stand on ceremony and downed the tea in one gulp. "Lily Evans, Aunt Margaret, did you know? The Evans family's new house is finished today—they’re setting off firecrackers!"

Lily Evans smiled, her heart full. She handed Lucky a dry shirt, "Change into this. I'll hang your wet clothes by the stove."

Cynthia Wu curled her lip, "They rushed the job for extra pay, that’s all."

The women were chatting when suddenly Helen Parker’s shrill voice rang out from the courtyard: "Oh my, in this pouring rain, some poor, shabby families are living in broken grass huts—must be flooded inside! Look, even their firewood shed’s been washed away. You should come see our new tile-roofed house—so big, so bright, and not a single leak. Tsk, some people will never live in a decent house in their whole lives!"