8 Building Brick by Brick

Page (1/3)

It hadn’t rained today. The enthusiastic Xiao Zhang noticed there was still some space left on the donkey cart and kindly offered Wei Jinyun a ride, which was faster and saved her some effort compared to walking.

Wei Jinyun naturally agreed. After wandering the grass market all morning, her feet were nearly worn out. She quickly crossed over and took a seat. Along with her bricks, tiles, and millstone, she returned to the shop.

The journey was bumpy but fruitful. Though it cost her quite a bit, she felt even the muddy, grassy scent in the air had taken on a hint of sweetness.

The small courtyard, having been thoroughly cleaned yesterday by her family and the two laborers, had been refreshed. Now, with the sun shining, it looked even brighter—finally showing some signs of life.

The two donkey carts she hired were fully loaded, drawing the attention of several shopkeepers from the Tianqing Temple nearby, who peeked out to see.

A woman unfamiliar to them appeared, seemingly headed to the old shop where two children had been sitting that morning.

At that moment, Zhang Renbai stepped out of his shop carrying a stack of rice paper.

His family had been dealing in stationery for over twenty years. He was just in his early twenties, with a refined and pale complexion. Although he had met Wei Jinyun that morning, he blushed before speaking.

Now, seeing her return with two burly men, he seemed a bit flustered, tightening his grip on the rice paper.

“Wei... Miss Wei has returned.”

Zhang Renbai’s voice was soft, tinged with a scholar’s shyness. His eyes quickly glanced at Wei Jinyun’s face before dropping to the rice paper in his arms.

He had already noticed someone leaving the shop that morning, and Aunt Zhao from Li’s Delicatessen had stepped inside with a jar of soybeans to chat with them.

Brother Meng told him that the young lady’s surname was Wei, and that she was accompanied by her grandmother and two younger sisters. As he chewed on soybeans, he repeated the gossip his mother had shared, but unlike his usual clear speech when introducing paper and brushes to customers, he suddenly found himself at a loss for words.

Wei Jinyun paused, smiling politely. “Yes, I just went to Wang’s to order some household items for opening the shop. These two gentlemen are here to help repair the courtyard walls and roof.”

She pointed to Xiao Zhang and Er Niu behind her.

Only then did Zhang Renbai look at the two masons, nodding to them before turning back to Wei Jinyun. “Miss Wei, you’ve worked hard. If you need anything in terms of brushes, ink, paper, or inkstones, just come to the shop.”

“Of course, of course.”

Wei Jinyun glanced up at the sign above the shop that read “Zhang’s Stationery Shop” and replied naturally, “When my sisters start school, we’ll come to Mr. Zhang’s shop to pick out some supplies.”

Zhang Renbai gave a soft “hm” and walked briskly back inside.

She actually knew his surname was Zhang!

The Wei sisters had long been standing at the doorway, gazing expectantly down the street, eagerly awaiting Wei Jinyun’s return. Throughout the morning, several shopkeepers and clerks had come by to chat with their grandmother, leaving the girls dizzy and bored.

The millstone on the donkey cart had hidden Wei Jinyun’s figure, so when she finally jumped down, they were immediately intercepted by the stranger selling paper.

Why did people always seem to have endless things to say? Did human beings really have so much to talk about?

That person didn’t even know their sister and hadn’t explained properly.

Wei Fuling held a bowl and quickly ran down several stone steps to Wei Jinyun’s side. “Sister, are you tired? Drink some water.”

Wei Fuquu held a palm fan, fanning her gently with a soft “swish swish” sound.

“I’m not tired.”

Wei Jinyun drank the water in one gulp, then shoved some carefully weighed candied apricots into her sisters’ hands. “I’ve tasted them—they’re super sweet!”

Wei Fuling muttered, “Sister is so kind,” and pulled Wei Fuquu into the courtyard, sharing the apricots between them one by one.

Once all the bricks and tiles were unloaded into the courtyard, Xiao Zhang and Er Niu immediately set to work.

They swiftly inspected several bricks in the courtyard wall that had been softened by rain, counted how many bricks were needed to rebuild the stove, and climbed onto the roof to check the tiles.

The stove had to be built first—after all, cooking and making pancakes would depend on it. Once it was usable, they would still need to wait seven or eight days during the rainy season for the clay mortar to dry.

Xiao Zhang gazed curiously at the large pile of bricks in the courtyard and asked, “Miss Wei, this shop is only for repairs. Although the upper layer of bricks is damaged, some beneath are still good. Isn’t buying so many a waste?”

Many roof tiles were broken and needed replacing, but the bricks were the same. Since they weren’t rebuilding the foundation or constructing a new house, they didn’t need so many bricks.

“If there are some left over, could I trouble Brother Xiao Zhang to help build a clay stove in the courtyard?”

Wei Jinyun brewed them some barley tea and set it aside to cool. “My sisters also want a separate room.”

Some crispy cakes needed to be baked in a clay stove to become crisp and flaky. Even in modern times with ovens, her grandmother’s bakery still had a clay stove in the backyard.

She always said baked goods from an electric oven didn’t have the same aroma as those cooked in a clay stove.

Her grandmother rarely used it, so whenever they did, she and her grandfather eagerly awaited the treats.

“That’s easy, that’s easy.”

Xiao Zhang drank a bowl of barley tea and continued working.

There were already two rooms on the second floor. Since the two sisters were used to sleeping separately, Wei Jinyun asked them to build an additional brick layer in the larger room to create a small partition.

That way, Wei Jinyun would have her own room, and Wang Qiulan and the sisters would each have their own. After measuring over the next couple of days, she planned to scour the grass market for some small cabinets to place inside. Today she had seen several cabinets about seventy to eighty percent new with carved decorations, all very affordable when bought in sets.

The son of Shopkeeper Wang, who delivered the beds, made the trip alone, carrying each bed upstairs. Xiao Zhang wanted to help but was stopped.

The young man’s arms were even thicker than Xiao Zhang’s—no wonder he was used to heavy labor. After delivering the beds and drinking a bowl of water, he hitched the donkey cart and rushed to the next job without a moment’s rest.

In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, three beds were placed in their respective spots. Wang Qiulan laid the bedding on the beds, and Wei Fuling jumped up and down enthusiastically on the new bed on the second floor, making a loud “thump thump” sound.

Page (2/3)

“I finally don’t have to sleep on wooden benches! This bed is even better than the one Lingjie had before!”

“If you keep jumping on the new bed, you’ll break it. Tonight, you’ll still sleep on the wooden bench.”

“Fuquu, you’re mean.”

Wang Qiulan had only been here less than two days but had already seen her granddaughter buy beds and renovate the house. In the blink of an eye, an abandoned shop had been transformed.

Seeing her two little granddaughters fussing about, when Wei Jinyun had a moment to enter the main room, Wang Qiulan pulled her aside and couldn’t help but speak.

“Jinyun, this… buying beds and hiring people to repair… Our four of us came back to Pingjiang Prefecture just to find a place to settle down and live quietly. Why do we need such nice things?”

In Wang Qiulan’s simple view, settling down meant having a roof over their heads, one bed and one stove was enough. She understood Wei Jinyun repairing the walls and tiles, but from what the young man who delivered the beds said, Wei Jinyun had also ordered many tables and chairs from his shop.

Why did they need so many stools?

She even thought that if things got tough, this shop location looked decent and might be sold someday to exchange for silver coins to leave for the three granddaughters.

There had to be something left for them.

Wei Jinyun understood her grandmother’s concerns.

She was used to the peaceful life in Gaochun Town, and given the original owner’s long-term bedridden condition, her energetic efforts must have seemed rash and even unbelievable to Wang Qiulan.

“Grandmother, don’t worry. We’re not just settling down—we’re putting down roots and living well here. I’m thinking that once we’re settled, opening a shop would be just right. Buying tables and chairs is for running the shop. We want to truly establish ourselves in Pingjiang Prefecture, so you can enjoy your old age peacefully.”

Hearing “opening a shop,” Wang Qiulan’s eyes flickered with surprise and confusion. “What kind of business?”

To her, it seemed too risky.

“Making pastries.”

To ease her doubts, Wei Jinyun added, “Grandmother, don’t you remember? Mother taught me at home, I still remember. I’ve inquired, and if we run the shop for a full year, we can register our household here. My sisters and I won’t need to move back to the Wei family.”

The original owner’s maternal relatives made pastries. When not doing business outside, the mother would always make snacks for the three sisters.

The original owner was weak, so kneading dough was hard work. The mother rarely taught her to make pastries. Wei Jinyun thought about it and realized this was her only excuse to conceal her skills.

Wang Qiulan sighed, patting Wei Jinyun’s hand. “You’re a clever child, Jinyun. Grandmother is old and doesn’t understand these things. If the money runs short, I still have a few strings of cash and some jewelry.”

“Grandmother’s money should be kept to buy sweets for Fuquu and Fuling. I bought two bolts of cloth; when you have time, you can make them some clothes. It’s about to get hot in July; these fabrics will be comfortable.”

“All three of them are growing taller by the year.”

Wei Jinyun helped Wang Qiulan settle in the courtyard and called the two sisters down from the second floor to avoid bricks or tiles accidentally falling on their heads.

There wasn’t enough water in the wooden bucket. Wei Jinyun thought of fetching water outside but was stopped by Wei Fuquu. “The water here is clear. Can’t we drink well water?”

“Well water isn’t clean. I’ll find a laborer to clean it. It’ll be drinkable in a couple of days.”

Xiao Zhang overheard this and volunteered again, “Why hire a laborer? Isn’t it just removing some silt? I can do it for Miss Wei later.”

He felt energized today, thinking Wei Jinyun’s smile gave him strength.

Wei Jinyun felt a bit embarrassed. She had already troubled them by asking for help moving goods and giving her millstone a free donkey cart ride. The daily labor cost eighty wen—why were they competing for work?

“This old well has not been cleaned for decades. The water is murky and has a faint odor.”

Xiao Zhang leaned over to look into the deep well. “Don’t worry, Miss Wei. Cleaning silt from a well takes effort, but I can handle it. Since the well has been sealed for years, the bottom might be dirty, so it will take some time to clean... Right, Er Niu?”

He glanced up and raised his eyebrows at Er Niu, who was roofing above.

Er Niu rolled his eyes. “Yes.”

“Thanks, Brother Xiao Zhang.”

“No problem, no problem.”

Xiao Zhang and Er Niu set to work immediately after finishing the room partition and stove. They began cleaning the well like a perpetual motion machine.

Buckets of murky black water were hauled up and dumped into a mud trench dug along the courtyard wall, spreading the stench of silt in the air.

Taking turns, they climbed down into the narrow well bottom, using shovels and bricks to painstakingly remove decades of accumulated silt and rubble.

Watching this, Wei Jinyun felt just providing meals wasn’t enough. During their break, she went out and returned with a large, round watermelon with a bright green rind.

By afternoon, the sun blazed fiercely.

Wei Jinyun placed the watermelon on a chair in the courtyard and called out, “Brother Xiao Zhang, Brother Er Niu, come take a break and have some watermelon to cool off.”

Sweaty and speckled with mud, they washed their hands casually and gathered around.

She had carefully chosen one soaked in well water.

The cool watermelon was sweet and juicy, quickly devoured. Xiao Zhang and Er Niu ate heartily, thoroughly enjoying it.

Wei Jinyun naturally handed each sister a large slice. Wei Fuquu nibbled delicately, while Wei Fuling’s eyes squinted into crescent moons as she buried her face into the fruit.

“Is it really sweet?”

A head popped out from the wall, clutching the low dividing wall between the two houses, watching them eat happily in the courtyard.

Wei Jinyun saw him and couldn’t help but smile, waving. “Brother Meng, I’ll cut you a slice too. Be careful climbing so high.”

Hearing this, Brother Meng quickly slid down the low wall, unbothered by the dirt, and ran over to Wei Jinyun.

Page (3/3)

Though he was rather big, it didn’t slow his movements.

He bit into the watermelon, thoughts drifting—this sister seemed easy to get along with, and she had two little sisters…

Brother Meng tilted his head toward the sisters. Although they ignored him today, he wanted to be their friend and planned to bring them some roasted chicken later.

“You’re getting all the watermelon seeds on your clothes.”

Wei Fuling pouted and gave him a glance.

Brother Meng hurriedly brushed the seeds off his collar, trying to look a bit more elegant while eating watermelon.

Wang Qiulan ate a slice, carefully smoothed her hair, tidied up, and prepared to go out. “The weather’s good today. Since we’ve come to Pingjiang Prefecture, I want to visit your great-aunt. It’s been over forty years since we last saw each other.”

She paused, a hint of expectation on her face. “I’m going out to buy some things. Tomorrow, I’ll take you all with me.”

Wang Qiulan and her sister exchanged letters every few months. They often said they would visit when free; her sister promised to take the boat to see her but was never available.

Her sister had trouble walking, and Wang Qiulan had to care for three granddaughters. Back then, Jinyun’s health couldn’t endure days of boat travel.

So, over forty years had passed, yet there was still a chance to meet again. Wang Qiulan wiped away tears as she left, recalling the shops her sister loved as a child to buy some treats.

“Alright, grandmother, take your time and be careful on the road.”

Wei Jinyun dozed briefly in the courtyard, and the afternoon passed.

As the sun shifted westward, she opened her eyes—the well had been cleaned.

The sisters had been called outside by Brother Meng and hadn’t returned yet. Only the sounds of Xiao Zhang and Er Niu working on the walls remained.

The stove was completed, and her large iron pot was placed atop, fitting perfectly.

Squinting, she ran around inspecting with satisfaction.

This gradual building of a small home was truly joyful.

Wang Qiulan had returned and was sitting in the courtyard sewing but frowned slightly, her complexion darker than when she left, seeming a bit downcast.

“Grandmother?”

Wei Jinyun moved a stool beside her.

Hearing her granddaughter’s voice, Wang Qiulan smiled brightly, showing no trace of gloom. “Jinyun, I’ve made rice in your new steamer today. Tonight, we’ll have steamed white fish, gluten stuffed with meat, and stir-fried salted soybeans. How does that sound?”

Her grandmother hadn’t even noticed she had just gotten up to look around, clearly preoccupied.

“Grandmother, why are you unhappy?”

Wei Jinyun picked up a candied apricot from the chair and offered it to her. “Have a sweet apricot to chase away your worries.”

“That’s for children.”

Wang Qiulan chuckled but still ate the apricot. “It’s nothing serious. It’s just that the pastry shop your great-aunt and I used to frequent as children has closed and become a straw sandal shop.”

“I heard the ‘Xu’s Pastry Shop’ on Shantang Street is famous. Grandmother, you should try there. Maybe you’ll find what you want.”

“I did, and the taste is similar, but maybe I haven’t eaten it in too long and forgot… I remember the shopkeeper’s daughter, Changge. We used to play together. What a beautiful name—I still remember it.”

No one knew where Changge had gone or if she still loved singing.

“Actually, the pastries are the same.”

Wei Jinyun added a smile, as if coaxing, “It’s just that you miss your sister terribly. Tomorrow, we’ll go together. When you see her, you can cry then.”

“If you say that, how can I cry?”

After being teased by her granddaughter, Wang Qiulan’s sadness vanished. The apricot seemed to sweeten her heart. She got up to prepare the fish she had just brought back, making dishes the granddaughters loved.

“Miss Wei, come take a look at this!”

Xiao Zhang was repairing several collapsed sections of the courtyard wall when he suddenly called out, his voice tinged with surprise and uncertainty.

Wei Jinyun walked over.

Xiao Zhang pointed to a few green bricks at the corner where the wall met the neighboring shop’s foundation. “Miss Wei, look at these bricks and the direction of the foundation…”

Using a trowel, he gestured, “The courtyard wall should have been built straight from here. But see, these bricks were obviously added later, crooked, and…”

He stepped back a few paces, squinting as he examined the shared wall between the two shops.

“Looking closely at the seams, it feels like the foundation on our side has been encroached upon by the neighbor’s wall. Part of their wall seems to have been built on our land.”

This wall was shared with the stationery shop owned by the Zhang family—the same Mr. Zhang Wei Jinyun had met today.

Er Niu joined, staring for a moment. “Yes, this stone foundation should clearly be on our side, but it’s mostly covered by their wall. Could it be that when they built their wall, they secretly moved it over by about a foot into our property?”

Xiao Zhang looked seriously at Wei Jinyun. “Miss Wei, this could be a big or small issue. This corner of the wall is suspicious. Your courtyard might have some of its land taken by the neighbor.”