Chapter Sixty-Eight Shopfront

At the brokerage, after carefully examining the transfer agreement, he pressed his red fingerprint on it, paid the deed tax, and the clerk affixed the end of the deed and stamped it with a seal across the seam. The land deed had finally been transferred.

Zhang carefully folded the contract with her name written on it and put it in her makeup box, placing it together with the hairpin that Xiong Zixiang had given her.

The shop space has finally been settled.

The lingering doubts in my heart have been largely resolved.

The money was gone, and there were still debts, but at least when there was nowhere else to go, there was a place where they could settle down.

Once they got the shop, the whole family immediately started working like spinning tops.

As usual, Xiong Zixiang got up before dawn, dressed neatly, slung his tools over his shoulder, and went to the county government office to check in for his shift.

The stall couldn't be shut down yet. Zhang Yili, Zijuan, and Xiulan were working just as hard. They got up even earlier, pushing their heavy carts to the dock before dawn, setting up a fire, cooking soup, and serving the passing boatmen and laborers.

However, once noon passed and the crowds thinned out, they quickly packed up their stall, put their goods in a corner, asked a familiar peddler and laborer to keep an eye on them, and the three of them hurried to their new shop.

Zhang Liuji was the key figure in the shop renovation.

He still had work to do at Erhu's yard, so he couldn't just quit immediately and had to juggle both tasks.

“Brother Liu Ji, you should focus on finishing up Brother Erhu’s business first,” Xiong Zixiang said. “We’re not in a rush these next couple of days.”

Zhang Liuji thought about it and nodded, "Yes, the wall expansion over there is almost finished. Once it's done, I'll bring people over immediately."

He worked hard and finished tidying up Erhu's yard in just a few days.

With his tools and the help of two carpenters, Zhao and Sun, with whom he had a good relationship and solid carpentry skills, he plunged into the new shop.

“It’s a bit of a waste of space as it is now, so I plan to tear down the attic planks and stairs and rebuild it.”

Zhang Yili and Xiong Zixiang had no idea about these things, so they naturally listened to Liu Ji Ge's orders.

He led Master Zhao and Master Sun, using ladders to carefully dismantle the old wooden planks, beams, and stair railings piece by piece.

The work was done carefully, resulting in very little waste of wood.

The better old materials were all gathered in the corner for future use, and the scraps were even used to make a small stool and a small table, so nothing was wasted.

After the demolition was completed, the shop looks much brighter and more spacious.

Zhang Liuji looked at the beams and pillars inside again. They were fine and didn't need reinforcement. It was just that some of the old materials needed to be replaced.

With a plan in mind, we proceeded with the original design to build a small, three-story building with staggered levels.

First, at the bottom against the wall, several thick, low, round wooden pillars are erected steadily; these form the framework of the entire structure.

Once the pillars were stable, the second layer of the frame was erected, about half a person's height off the ground.

“This is the bottom layer.” Zhang Liuji pointed to the newly erected frame and said to Xiaoyi and Zixiang, “It’s not high off the ground. It’s mainly used to store those things that take up space but don’t require people to stand on them all the time.”

He paused, then added to the young couple's explanation: "I was thinking that if we put the stove here, it would be good. The stove is bulky and takes up a lot of space, but it doesn't need to be very tall. Putting it at the bottom is just right. The smoke from cooking soup and porridge can also go out through the holes left in the wall, so it won't bother the people above."

The frame was extremely sturdy, and the wooden planks were laid out perfectly, flat and even.

After the second-floor frame was erected and the wooden planks were laid, the project continued upwards.

Building upon the second layer, we begin constructing the third layer.

“This floor,” Zhang Liuji pointed to the smaller space that was taking shape, “is a split-level, so the ceiling height is acceptable. It will allow our tallest son, Zixiang, to stand up straight without feeling cramped. We’ll build a sturdy bed and leave a gap against the wall so we can put a shelf for a washbasin or a chamber pot.”

"I was thinking that if business is good and I close up late, or if it's windy or rainy and I don't want to walk home in the dark, it'll be convenient to stay here. It can fit two people, and it has everything I need."

The third-floor attic was quickly completed. Zhang Liuji specially opened a small wooden window on the wall facing the riverbank so that it could be ventilated.

But he didn't forget the local specialties by the river. Pointing to the window frame, he said to Zhang Yu, "This window needs to be fitted with a fine mesh screen that can be opened and closed properly to keep out mosquitoes. Otherwise, it's impossible to stay here in the summer. They bite people and it's really annoying."

The passageways between the upper and lower floors were completely transformed and utilized from the original dilapidated staircase.

Zhang Liuji leaned against the wall and rebuilt a sturdy straight wooden ladder.

Each step is made of thick wooden planks, with sturdy handrails on both sides.

It connects smoothly from the ground to the second floor, and then from the second floor to the third floor.

Zhang Liuji also pondered the light and the wind.

On the bottom floor, facing the road outside, there are two large wooden lattice windows with sturdy frames.

He specifically instructed the person in charge of purchasing items to keep an eye out: "This big window needs to be fitted with better screens. I'll nail a screen window for you! In the summer, it can be left open for ventilation, and those little bugs won't be able to get in."

With the window open, light and air can flow in, making the shop much brighter.

The small windows on the second and third floors also ensure ventilation.

Inside the shop, the sounds of sawing wood and shavings filled the air, clanging and creaking for days on end.

Zhang Liuji and his two masters, Zhao and Sun, were always covered in dust, their clothes filthy, but no one complained, and they did their work meticulously.

As soon as Xiong Zixiang finished his shift, he would always rush to the shop.

After taking off their sergeant's robes and putting on short jackets, they helped move materials and pass tools.

Around noon, whenever I have a spare moment, I come over to lend a hand and work up a good sweat.

After Zhang Yili, Zijuan, and Xiulan finished packing up, they rushed over immediately to help clean up the wood shavings and sawdust scattered all over the ground.

Seeing how hard the chefs worked, Zhang would often braise some offal or stew a pot of oily minced meat when he got home at night.

The next day at noon, bring it to the shop and serve it with thick porridge or a few bowls of chewy hand-pulled noodles.

"Masters, take a break and have something to eat," Zhang Yili said.

Master Zhao put down the saw, wiped his sweat, picked up the bowl, slurped up a mouthful of hot porridge, and grinned as he ate the savory braised meat.

"This girl's cooking is absolutely amazing! After eating this, I'll have even more energy to work this afternoon!"

Master Sun ate his noodles heartily and mumbled, "That's right, it's much better than eating dry bread. Brother Zixiang, sister-in-law, you're too kind!"

Zhang Liuji was a man of few words, focusing on his food while a smile played on his face as he watched Li Xiulan bustling about.

Other family members come over when they have time, help hand things over, tidy up corners, and do whatever they can to help.

The cost of this renovation is like water flowing away.

Everything costs money, and every time Zhang Yi paid, it felt like a needle pricked his heart.

But as I watched the shop gradually transform from dilapidated to orderly, and as the three-tiered shelves slowly became sturdier, the heartache in my heart quietly disappeared.

The two craftsmen were honest people. They knew that it wasn't easy for the two families to open the shop, so they worked very carefully, never wasting any materials they could save, and making the most of any old materials they could use.

"Brother Liu Ji, Master Zhao, Master Sun, we've really been grateful to you all these past few days!"

Seeing that the main structure was basically completed, Xiong Zixiang handed over some herbal tea.

Master Zhao took it, gulped down a large mouthful, wiped his mouth, and said, "Officer Xiong, you're being too polite. We get paid for our work, it's only right and proper. Besides, Brother Liu Ji has his own plans, we're just following along, it's convenient for us!"

Master Sun nodded in agreement: "That's right. Our craft is all about building and repairing houses for people. If we're doing your house today, it might be my turn tomorrow. We're all neighbors, and everyone needs to lend a hand sometimes. You two are such good people, so if you ever need any repairs done in the future, just let us know."

Xiong Zixiang and Zhang Yili both nodded with smiles.

There's plenty of time; there will always be a time when I can repay those favors.

The once dilapidated shop looks completely different now!

That split-level three-story building makes excellent use of space.

The first floor is the storefront; the ground has been leveled, and two brand-new large wooden windows are open, waiting to be fitted with screens.

Now, this vacant lot is waiting for the most important things: a stove, partitions, tables, chairs, and benches.

Zhang Liuyi was already planning in his mind that the stove should be against the inner wall, and next to it, a simple partition should be built with thick wooden planks or bricks to separate the place where soup and porridge are cooked from the place where guests eat, so that the oil fumes would not be irritating and it would look clean.

Outside the partition is the area where tables, chairs, and benches are placed.

It was just the right size to fit their long tables and benches for setting up their stall.

The second layer runs along the wall, with a sturdy frame already in place, divided into layers and compartments.

The few empty spaces are just the right size to put small jars for storing grain and feed; they can be reached out and grabbed easily.

Zhang Liuji pointed to the shelf and said, "I'll get some dried mugwort and mint later, tie a few bunches up and hang them here, they can also keep out some mosquitoes and other insects."

The sleeping area is small, but people can stand up straight without bumping their heads.

The bed frame is set up, and a space has been left for the washroom.

Zhang Liuji deliberately left a hook by the bed: "I'll use it to hang the mosquito net later. There are a lot of insects by the river, and I can't sleep peacefully without a mosquito net."

The small window is also waiting to be fitted with a screen.

Standing in the shop, looking at the three floors, Xiong Zixiang and Zhang Yili both felt that the shop was now taking shape.

The new business is waiting to open in this split-level house that my cousin built himself.