He Yuchun's outstretched hand froze in mid-air, and the warm smile on his face vanished, turning pale and then flushed.

She sheepishly withdrew her hand, wiping it on her trouser leg, and cursed inwardly: What an idiot! Mind your own business! Ruined her plans!

But then she noticed that Li Xiaocao had indeed listened to Mingzhao's words, put down the basket, and subconsciously wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand. Her other hand also unconsciously and gently stroked her lower abdomen. The movements were very natural, almost like a habit.

Is she pregnant?

He Yuchun's mind clicked as if she had grasped a lifeline! She vaguely remembered from her past life that Li Xiaocao's promising son was born in this year! He must still be quite far along in the pregnancy!

The opportunity has arrived!

She immediately adopted a look of shock and anger, pointed at Mingzhao, and her voice suddenly rose, piercing the noise of the junkyard:

"Oh my goodness! Sister-in-law Xiaocao! How could you let a stranger order you around like this! Look at you, even in this state, you're still helping her move such heavy pieces of junk? What are you thinking?! What if you ruin your health? Isn't this just trying to kill her?"

Her shout immediately drew the attention of several other bargain hunters at the junkyard. Their gazes all fell on Mingzhao, filled with scrutiny and a hint of disdain.

Li Xiaocao was taken aback, then realized what He Yuchun was referring to. Her face immediately turned red, and she quickly waved her hands, "He... Sister He, what nonsense are you talking about! I'm perfectly fine, this little bit..."

Li Xiaocao was actually somewhat dissatisfied with He Yuchun's bluntness. The old folks said that pregnancy in the first three months should not be publicized. What was wrong with this person? Why did he suddenly say it?

Mingzhao immediately raised her head! Her clear pupils instantly locked onto Li Xiaocao's hand, which was instinctively protecting her lower abdomen!

Pregnancy? Li Xiaocao is pregnant? The Alliance's physiological database instantly popped up with entries about human pregnancy: "Avoid strenuous physical labor during the first three months, nutritional needs increase, and emotional fluctuations are common..."

She hadn't received this crucial information at all! Li Xiaocao didn't tell her either!

“Sister Xiaocao,” Mingzhao’s voice was unusually serious and urgent, “Put it down!”

She took two steps forward and snatched the heavy basket full of scrap metal and parts from Li Xiaocao's hands without saying a word. Her movements were so fast that Li Xiaocao didn't even have time to react!

That large basket was quite heavy, filled with solid metal lumps. Li Xiaocao had found it cumbersome to carry just now, but now Mingzhao lifted it with one hand as if it were a stone!

He Yuchun watched with disdain as Mingzhao, who was so thin, tried to lift so many heavy iron objects.

They were just waiting to see Mingzhao make a fool of herself, and were planning to make fun of her again later.

Unexpectedly, what awaited them was Mingzhao easily tossing the cloth bag behind his back, then bending down, grabbing the large basket full of iron lumps with his other hand, lifting it up, and it was up.

Li Xiaocao hurriedly reached out to support the large basket, "Mingzhao, be careful, this is so heavy, don't try to be brave!"

The others in the garbage dump also gasped. The old man who collected recyclables pushed up his reading glasses and carefully examined Mingzhao's physique.

I never expected someone with such thin arms and legs to be so strong.

Mingzhao remained silent. The Alliance's advanced scientific training method was no joke; it was the culmination of thousands of years of Alliance experience, and even the military used this training method as a foundation.

He Yuchun's mouth was wide open, big enough to fit an egg! This...this little girl is incredibly strong!

Ignoring the astonishment of the crowd, Mingzhao steadily carried the basket and bag to the weighing area and carefully placed the items down.

Then he looked at Li Xiaocao with a serious expression, "Sister Xiaocao, you are in the early stages of pregnancy now, so you should avoid heavy physical labor, as the risk factor is high. From now on, I'll handle the heavy objects. I'm strong. You give the orders."

Li Xiaocao looked at Mingzhao's flushed face and the beads of sweat on his forehead, then at the heavy basket. When she had helped him lift it, Mingzhao had lifted it himself to bear most of the weight.

She felt both touched and bittersweet. As a girl, she had been required to do all sorts of farm work since childhood, and after marrying Wang Aiguo, Wang Xiufen continued to leave all the housework to her. She herself spent her son's money to dress herself up like a city person, while letting her daughter-in-law bear all the burdens.

Wang Xiufen still hadn't stopped talking. Wang Aiguo was a rough man, and the most kind words he ever said were the few he uttered after his mother passed away; the rest of his advice was to be patient.

Li Xiaocao thought that she would just have to endure it all her life.

This wasn't the first time someone had felt sorry for her and thought she was suffering. But it was the first time someone had actually helped her and taken her burdens in person.

Ever since Mingzhao made her mother-in-law leave, she had wanted to be good to Mingzhao and thank her. From that moment on, Li Xiaocao decided to genuinely treat Mingzhao as a younger sister.

"I understand, I'll listen to you." She couldn't care less about He Yuchun's little schemes right now. Although she didn't know why this person was inexplicably speaking up for her, she was still focused on Mingzhao, her heart filled with Mingzhao's straightforward and sincere feelings.

Weighing and calculating the money. A pile of scrap metal sold for only a few cents. Mingzhao took out a faded old handkerchief pouch from her inner pocket, carefully opened it, and inside were a few brand-new ten-yuan bills and some change. This was the pocket money her cousin Minglang had secretly slipped to her, which she hadn't been willing to touch.

She took out a one-yuan note and a fifty-cent note and handed them to the old man who collected recyclables. The old man received a few coins in change.

Li Xiaocao watched from the side, clicking her tongue in disbelief, feeling sorry for the 1.5 yuan: "Oh dear, girl, that money could buy so much meat! And all we got for these lumps of iron..."

“It’s worth it.” Mingzhao carefully put away the remaining wallet, her words concise and to the point. In her eyes, these lumps of iron were precious raw materials for building the robot butler.

The two packed their things and prepared to leave. This time, Mingzhao refused Li Xiaocao's help, instead carrying the basket on his back and holding his own cloth bag in front of his chest.

Having been ignored and left out, He Yuchun, whose face was as dark as the bottom of a pot, suppressed her shock and jealousy and forced a smile to approach again, this time with her target still clearly Li Xiaocao.

"Sister-in-law Xiaocao! Look, it's already noon! You've been busy all morning! It's fate that we met here! Come on, it's my treat, let's go to the state-run restaurant for a good meal! I heard they have braised pork on the menu today!"

She spoke loudly on purpose, with a condescending air of superiority, but her eyes glanced defiantly at Mingzhao, as if to say, "Let's see how you respond! You can't possibly have the nerve to come along, can you?"

A state-run restaurant? Braised pork? Li Xiaocao subconsciously swallowed. That place was the epitome of high-class dining for her; she had never been there before.

Wang Xiufen had gone there before and brought back some braised pork. She tasted the broth then and still remembers the flavor vividly.

But looking at Mingzhao beside her, and then at He Yuchun's subtle disdain for Mingzhao, she instinctively felt uncomfortable and was about to refuse.

Mingzhao spoke first, pulling on Li Xiaocao's arm and saying softly, "No need for you, Sister Xiaocao, I'll treat you to it."