She gave him a big hug. "I know I am."
...
"We should get this to a shade."
"This little flask is for you and Woo Jin specially." She shoved a wooden flask at him while she picked up a small cooler she had put their drinks in. "Where is he by the way?"
"He helped me make a round on the grounds; he'd be back in a minute."
Su Yan called a few crew members that had been watching him keenly since Tale made her grand entrance to come carry and quickly they obeyed. One after the other all the flask was carried.
"Ok, it's time to follow the gold," Precious announced from the front seat.
"What is she talking about?"
"The food obviously," Tale explained. "He needs to park a bit closer to you guys for the drinks. They are in a cooler and I don't want them getting hot," Tale explained pointing to the van.
"Sure," Su Yan showed the driver where he could park the van and he called for a break.
Everyone present was happy they wouldn't be spending money on lunch that day. Everyone took to their fill and in thirty minutes they all had their hands full including Precious.
When everyone found a spot comfortable as it suited them each Woo Jin arrived. "What is going on?"
"Tale brought something really nice for everyone."
"Yep, I did. How are you Woo Jin?" Tale waved at him.
"Why is her mouth stuffed?" he referred to Precious who smiled at him.
"Yeah, it's what we here call 'longer throat', on a first class level," Tale explained. "Here you go, serve yourself," Tale handed him a disposable plate.
All four of them took a cool spot under one of the shades.
Su Yan took out a small towel he had in his back pocket and laid it on the root of the tree to sit on.
Tale sat close enough to him forcing him to leave the towel for her. "You really are becoming one of the locals, sitting down on the ground like this."
"I blend in well, what can I say."
"Not really you don't." Woo Jin replied taking his seat. Precious sat close to him and maybe she was expecting a little bit of awkwardness between them after their last encounter but she was glad that wasn't the case. If anything they seemed closer as friends than before and that to her was one less thing to worry about.
Su Yan explained as much as he can what stage the job had gotten to and Tale tried her best to understand. She only knew the road was going to be completed someday soon but she couldn't be bothered about the details of it all. It seemed like too much information for her too handle.
…
A lot of the guys came to say thank you as the break time came to an end; the two guys she had tried to help get a temporary job on site also came around thanking her a lot and making sure she knew how appreciative they were for the job offer.
"You gave them a job and didn't tell me?"
"Yeah, Woo Jin added them to the team the next day. And you were recovering then, I forgot."
She turned to Woo Jin and hugged his waist. "Thank you, tough teddy bear."
"Okay that's enough mushy feelings for one day." When he tried to get her off him she held on tighter for the fun of seeing him freak out a little. "Su get her off me." He begged.
Su Yan chuckled. "Squeeze him!"
Tale obliged. She finally released him after a few seconds laughing at his reaction. "You look like a potato frowning like that."
He was really frowning when Precious poked him in his lower back. "Potato, you are right he does look like one."
"Irish or sweet?" Su Yan joined in.
"More like an eighty year old Irish potato." Tale poked at his hard belly.
"I'd say sweet." Precious said softly giving him a wink that Tale failed to notice.
He gave in and smiled. This was all new to him and they had no idea. Back home in china his relationship with women were either strictly business or sexual or even both. None of them were ever friends, none of them were ever so comfortable to poke at him, give him random hugs, tease him, call him names, command him, and make him laugh so easily. He thought he liked it that way and maybe he did, the respect and fear attached to his family's name didn't give room for all that but this was different, for the first time he actually thinks of someone other than Su Yan as a friend.
Before finally leaving she made Su Yan promise not to come see her that evening. Even when he was tired he always made out time for her without a single complaint but today wasn't going to be one of those days.
She blew her horn louder this time as the van pulled out of the site and on to the road causing everyone around to laugh.
"Bye!!!" She yelled waving with her free hand as the van drove further away.
"You have your hands full with this one," Woo Jin said opening his bottle of water.
"I wouldn't have it any other way," Su Yan stifled a yawn, he was a bit rested now with a full belly and it was time to get back to work.