Chapter 5: Settling In and Tidying Up

The voice came from the delicatessen stall next door.

The woman wore a traditional blue jacket and skirt, her sleeves rolled up with cloth bands to reveal plump forearms, and a towel draped over her shoulder. An apron tied around her waist was splattered with oil spots.

It was nearly noon, and the sun, having squeezed through the clouds after the rainy season, beat down on the damp ground. The air was heavy, humid, and stifling, leaving her drenched in sweat as she fanned herself vigorously with a cattail fan.

"I don't recognize you, Granny. Are you the owner of this shop? It’s been empty for years—damp, dilapidated, and they say..." She pressed the fan against her cheek and leaned in toward Wang Qiulan, whispering, "It's haunted."

Though her voice was low, it made the two sisters beside Wei Jinyun shudder, both of them ducking into her arms. Children are always most fearful of ghosts, and even the usually calm Wei Fuqu felt the arm carrying her bamboo basket tremble slightly.

"Don't be afraid," Wei Jinyun said, patting their backs gently. "The auntie is just joking with you. Look at her, she’s glowing with health and looks like a fine, prosperous woman—this place doesn’t look like it’s haunted at all."

"Just joking, just joking!" Seeing the two little ones turning pale with fright and hearing the young woman’s honeyed words, Zhao Xiangping felt a bit embarrassed. She quickly put on a bright smile. "Just call me Auntie Zhao. We’ll be neighbors from now on... Goodness, this weather is sweltering!" She fanned herself even harder.

"My surname is Wang. We are the grandmother and granddaughters who will be living here. Thank you for your concern." Wang Qiulan’s expression was clearly strained; with her two granddaughters still trembling in her arms, she didn’t say much more to Zhao Xiangping before leading the three of them inside.

Without a detailed introduction, and seeing Wei Jinyun’s frail appearance, Zhao Xiangping began to conjure up countless scenarios in her mind. The old lady had a Pingjiang accent but seemed to have traveled a long way. Perhaps they were kicked out by their family, or their home had been lost to a flood... otherwise, who would move into this moldy, haunted house that hadn't been repaired in over forty years? They all looked so thin and sickly; they didn't seem like the type to run a business. It would be better to sell the shop and get some cash.

"Must be having a hard time," she muttered to herself. Suddenly, she heard a smacking sound behind her. She turned to see her seven-year-old son, Meng-ge, peering around the doorframe, oil dripping down his palm. He held a half-eaten duck leg, his cheeks flushed red.

"How is it that the moment I turn my back, you're eating again?" Zhao Xiangping glared at him in mock anger, though she used her fan to gently cool him.

"Mother, a customer is here!" Meng-ge grinned, revealing a gap-toothed smile, and used his greasy finger to point toward the street corner, mimicking his mother’s tone: "Freshly roasted duck and goose! Fatty but not greasy, fragrant for ten miles!"

Wei Jinyun had expected the storefront to be dilapidated, but the interior was even worse. Having been sealed for decades, she had instructed everyone to cover their noses with handkerchiefs, yet they were still hit by a wave of moldy air that made her frown.

The shop was unsettlingly empty. The roof tiles must have broken long ago, allowing the rainy season to leak water all over the floor. In the dim light filtering from the entrance, one could see murky puddles in the hollows of the floor. In the corners, piles of rotting straw mats and water-damaged furniture lay discarded. Spiderwebs hung in thick, layered sheets from the rafters.

Further back was a relatively spacious courtyard connected to a half-collapsed kitchen. In the corner of the yard stood a stone well, its rim covered in thick moss, the water deep and bottomless. They climbed the wooden stairs to the second floor, which, despite being empty, was just as musty and foul.

After inspecting the entire shop, Wei Jinyun sighed. It was truly a wreck; even a mouse would likely stay up all night writing a "Lament of the Humble Dwelling" if it moved in.

"Sister, it’s so dark here." Wei Fuling grabbed the corner of Wei Jinyun’s skirt tightly. The "thump-thump" sound of their footsteps on the stairs, combined with Auntie Zhao’s talk of hauntings, made her even more timid.

"What’s there to be afraid of?" Wei Fuqu stood to the side, crossing her arms and clearing her throat to feign composure. "If you’re scared, ask Grandmother for the boat fare and go back to Gaochun Town by yourself."

Wei Fuling thought of their relatives’ bared fangs and claws, and remembered the day her sister had been ill, when they had already called for the mourners before she had even passed. At the time, her sister was holding her hand and speaking to her, while the courtyard was already filled with the sound of people crying in anticipation, leading the neighbors to believe her sister was truly gone. But here she was, perfectly fine!

She suppressed her fear, sniffled, emerged from Wei Jinyun’s arms, and put her hands on her hips. "I’m not afraid! I’m going to stay with Grandmother and Sister, and I’m living right here!"

The four of them had just eaten their fill. They had spent several days on the boat imagining what the shop would look like, and now that it was before them—even in its dilapidated state—a sense of determination began to stir in their hearts.

However, it was an old house that had been neglected for decades; cleaning it up would be a huge task. The fallen furniture was heavy, and the floor was muddy and slippery. Wei Jinyun couldn't let her grandmother strain her back just to save a few coins. She moved their luggage to the backyard and told the three of them not to linger in the moldy rooms, while she went around to the street corner.

The street corner in front of Tianqing Temple was filled with people waiting for work—a labor market of sorts for moving, cleaning, and hauling goods. Wei Jinyun had noticed them on her way in.

A few lean men squatted on the stone steps. Catching sight of Wei Jinyun inquiring about prices, they glanced at her sideways. "I hear it's a small job cleaning out an old house," one said. Someone nearby scoffed, "That dusty, dirty work? Not even worth the wear on my shoe soles." Another waved his hand. "Not going. I'm waiting for a big hauling job—that pays more."

Two women chewing soybeans saw that Wei Jinyun looked delicate and unfamiliar, assuming she didn't know the going rate for labor, and stepped forward to talk to her.

"Aunties, take a look. My old house has been sitting for decades; the spiderwebs are thick enough to use as blankets. I wanted to tidy it up myself, but I truly can’t lift those heavy tables and benches. You know my situation—Grandmother is old, my sisters are young, and money is very tight." Wei Jinyun pulled out her handkerchief, draped it over her hand, and pointed toward the shop.

A round-faced auntie looked in the direction Wei Jinyun pointed and spoke first: "Little lady, you don't mean that one next to the Li family delicatessen, do you?"

"That’s the one," Wei Jinyun nodded eagerly.

"That’s your shop?" The woman looked at her, incredulous. "That place hasn't been touched in I don't know how many years. It’ll take a whole day to clean out. It’ll cost forty wen per person."

Wei Jinyun immediately furrowed her delicate brows and wiped away non-existent tears with her handkerchief. "Forty wen? I just heard that the wealthy Mr. Zhang from the east side hired people to clean his courtyard—twice the size of my shop—and it was only thirty-five wen per person. Besides, I can see you are both very capable. Half a day should be enough. I’ll provide the meal in the evening. Thirty wen, how about it?"

The other, thinner woman curled her lip. "Thirty wen is too little. That house has been sitting forever. The dust will choke you, and you have to deal with those moldy old cabinets. My back will break!"

Wei Jinyun leaned in closer, lowering her voice. "Aunties, you are honest people, so I won't hide anything from you. I want to clean this up to open a small shop for my grandmother. When you come to buy things in the future, I’ll give you extra portions. I brought my grandmother back to Pingjiang because it was her wish to return to her hometown. Sigh... just thirty wen. If that’s too little, I’ll have to do it slowly myself, even if it takes a few more days, and move things with my sisters." She coughed lightly, wiped a tear, and made as if to leave.

The round-faced woman sighed and quickly grabbed her. "Fine, fine. I can see you’re a hardworking soul. Thirty wen it is, but the meal must be substantial."

Wei Jinyun’s face lit up immediately. "Substantial, absolutely. I promise you’ll be satisfied."

The men watched the scene, spitting on the ground. "Women love to haggle over pennies." No one responded to him; he just kept squinting at the passing crowd, hoping for a "proper" employer.

The aunties didn't care. They brought their own tools and followed Wei Jinyun back to the shop. Along the way, Wei Jinyun bought brooms, dustpans, basins, wooden buckets, a clay stove, earthenware pots, and a basket of charcoal, haggling at every stop and asking the shop assistants to help deliver them. The aunties were stunned; they had intended to overcharge this young lady, but she turned out to be a master negotiator.

They were professional cleaners, and they worked with great efficiency. They moved the cabinets with ease and brought their own cleaning solution made of wood ash and soap locust. With every scrub and wipe, the mold stains vanished, drawing constant praise from Wei Jinyun. The aunties were pleased. "Naturally! Without good tools, my friend and I wouldn't have so many repeat customers. If you need any more cleaning in the future, Little Wei, we'll give you a discount."

Through the work, they grew familiar. Wei Jinyun nodded like a bobbing chicken in response.

The sisters, sitting on stools in the courtyard that had been padded with a small cloth, craned their necks and clamored to help. Wei Jinyun knew she couldn't win against them, so she tied a handkerchief behind their heads to make simple masks. "Breathing too much mold will make you sick. I see nails sticking out of these chairs, so be very careful when moving them—don't cut your hands. Let's get to work!"

"Alright!" The two girls seemed to have endless energy and dove into the house.

"Fuqu is much more cheerful now," Wang Qiulan said, resting on a chair after sweeping the rotting leaves from the courtyard. "Jinyun, you just recovered from your illness; you should take care of yourself."

"I will," Wei Jinyun said with a smile, standing beside her to knead her shoulders.

Luck was on their side, and it didn't rain until early evening. The stove was half-collapsed, so she couldn't cook, but fortunately, she had bought a new clay stove. After the shop was cleaned, she still had to find a mason to repair the roof and stove, and a carpenter to make tables and chairs, as the waterlogged wood was beyond saving.

Money was disappearing fast. Her parents had sent money monthly while doing business abroad, but a great deal had gone toward medicine. Now that her parents were gone, she had to find ways to earn more—repairs would take time, and opening the shop wasn't something that could be done overnight. Her sisters needed schooling; her grandmother needed to visit the Wang family; her own health needed attention... everything required money.

Without a stove to stir-fry, they had noodles for dinner. As people of the water country, they had plenty of river shrimp. Wei Jinyun picked out the shrimp she had weighed earlier, efficiently deveined them, split their backs, and used the heads to simmer a rich, fragrant broth.

"Sizzle, sizzle." The golden shrimp heads were slowly fried to release their oil, and the entire room filled with the savory aroma of shrimp.

"I'm starving!" Wei Fuling was the first to bounce out, her face smeared with dust from who knows where, looking like a black cat that had crawled through a stove. "Sister, I could eat a whole bowl today!"