Chapter 5 Check-in and cleaning are good bargainers
These words came from the delicatessen next door.
The woman had her hair in a bun and wore a green skirt with her sleeves pulled up to reveal her rounded arms. A handkerchief was draped over her shoulders. She wore an apron tied around her waist, which was splattered with oil.
It was almost noon, and the sun that had finally squeezed out during the rainy season was steaming away. Coupled with the still-dry ground, the air was damp and stuffy, causing her to sweat all over and fan herself with a palm-leaf fan.
"This old lady looks unfamiliar. Is she the owner of this shop? It's been empty for years. It's damp and run-down now. I heard..."
She put the palm-leaf fan against her face, moved closer to Wang Qiulan, and whispered, "It's still haunted."
The sound was not loud, but it still made the two sisters beside Wei Jinyun shiver and they both snuggled into her arms.
Children have always been the most afraid of stories about ghosts. Even Wei Fuqiu, who was usually calm, had her arm trembling slightly as she carried the bamboo basket.
"No."
Wei Jinyun patted their backs gently. "Auntie is joking with you. Look at my rosy face. I'm plump and beautiful. There's no way this place looks haunted."
"Just kidding, just kidding."
Zhao Xiangping saw the two little kids were so timid that their faces turned black, and heard the girl's sweet talk, she immediately felt a little embarrassed, and hurriedly put on a smile, "Just call me Aunt Zhao, we'll be neighbors from now on... It's so hot in this damn weather!"
She fanned herself vigorously with a palm-leaf fan.
"My last name is Wang. We, the grandparents and I, will live here in the future. Thank you for your concern."
Wang Qiulan's face was obviously not looking good. After all, her two granddaughters were still trembling in her arms. She did not say much to Zhao Xiangping and led the three of them into the room.
There was no detailed introduction to the four generations of grandparents and grandchildren. Seeing Wei Jinyun's frail appearance, Zhao Xiangping had already imagined countless scenes in her mind.
The old lady's accent suggested she was from Pingjiang Prefecture, but she sounded like she had traveled from somewhere else.
Either he was kicked out by his family, or his house was destroyed in a flood... Otherwise, who would live in this musty house that is said to be haunted and has not been repaired in more than forty years.
They all look skinny and don't seem like they would be good at business. It would be better to sell this shop for some cash.
“It’s not easy.”
She was sighing to herself when she heard a smacking sound behind her. She turned around and saw her seven-year-old fat son Meng Ge'er clinging to the door frame with oil stains running down his palms.
He was holding a half-eaten roasted duck leg in his hand, his face flushed.
"How come I turned around and you started eating again?"
Zhao Xiangping pretended to glare at him angrily, but she turned the palm-leaf fan in her hand and fanned him gently.
"Mother, a guest has arrived."
Meng Ge'er immediately broke into a grin, revealing his chipped front teeth. He pointed his greasy finger at the street corner and imitated Zhao Xiangping's tone, saying, "Freshly roasted duck and goose, fat but not greasy, the fragrance spreads from ten miles away!"
Wei Jinyun thought the exterior was shabby enough, but he didn't expect the interior to be even worse.
The door of the house had not been opened for decades. She specifically told everyone to cover their faces with towels and hold their breath when entering, but she still frowned because of the musty smell inside.
The shop was so empty that it was frightening.
I don't know when the tiles on the roof broke, and water leaked all over the floor during the rainy season.
In the dim light filtering through the doorway, one could see muddy sewage pooling in the potholes on the ground, and rotten straw mats and soaked furniture piled in the corners.
Spider webs are piled up layer upon layer, hanging from the beams.
Further back, there was a fairly spacious courtyard connected to a half-collapsed kitchen. In the corner of the courtyard stood a stone well, its edges covered in thick moss, and the water was bottomless.
I went up the wooden stairs to the second floor. Although there was nothing furnished, it was filled with a musty smell.
Wei Jinyun checked the entire shop and sighed softly.
It was so shabby that even mice would go back and write an "Ode to the Humble House" at night when they came.
"Sister, it's so dark here."
Wei Fuling held onto the corner of Wei Jinyun's clothes tightly. The "dong dong" sound of footsteps on the stairs and Aunt Zhao's words outside just now, "This place is haunted", made her even more timid.
"What's there to be afraid of?"
Wei Fuqiu stood aside, folding her arms, clearing her throat and pretending to be calm. "If you're afraid, ask your grandmother to give you the boat fare, and then you can go back to Gaochun Town alone."
Wei Fuling thought of the aggressive faces of her relatives, uncles, and aunts, and recalled the day when her sister was ill, when they had even summoned her husband and daughter to come early to mourn. At that time, her sister was still holding her hand and talking to her, and the people in the courtyard couldn't wait to cry.
The neighbors all thought that my sister was really dead.
Isn’t my sister still here?
She suppressed her fear, sniffed, and got out of Wei Jinyun's arms, putting her hands on her hips. "I'm not afraid. I'm going to live with my grandmother and sister in the future, and I'm going to live here!"
The four of them had just finished their meal and had been thinking about the appearance of the shop in the boat for several days. Now that it appeared before them, even though it was in ruins, they felt a sense of motivation in their hearts.
But after all, it is an old house that has been there for decades, and it is extremely troublesome to clean up.
The items on display that collapsed were all heavy, and the ground was muddy and slippery. Wei Jinyun couldn't let her grandmother sprain her back just to save a few dollars.
She put all the luggage she brought in the backyard, and told the three generations of grandparents and grandchildren not to stay in that moldy house all the time. She then went out and walked around to the street corner.
The arch bridges at the Tianqing Guanqian Street intersection were packed with people, all waiting for work. It was a bit like a labor market in later times, with everything from moving and cleaning to carrying and delivering goods.
Wei Jinyun had noticed them as he walked along.
Several skinny men squatted on the stone steps. They caught a glimpse of Wei Jinyun asking questions and gesturing for prices. They glanced at him and said, "I heard it's a small job cleaning up the old house."
Someone nearby immediately sneered, "That's just a grimy job? Not even enough to wear out the soles of your shoes."
Another one followed suit and said, "No, no, I'm waiting for a big job moving goods, I can earn more."
There were two women chewing soybeans. Seeing that Wei Jinyun was a pretty girl from a small family and looked unfamiliar, they thought she didn't know the price of hiring someone, so they went up to her and started a conversation.
"Look, aunts! My shabby house has been abandoned for decades, and the cobwebs are thick enough to use as quilts. I wanted to clean it up myself, but I can't carry all those tables, chairs, and benches. But you know my situation. My grandmother is old, my sister is young, and I'm really short of money."
Wei Jinyun took out a handkerchief, placed it in his palm, and raised his hand in a serious manner to point to the location of the shop.
A woman with a round face glanced in Wei Jinyun's direction and said, "Young lady, you are not talking about the one next to Li Ji's delicatessen, are you?"
"Exactly."
Wei Jinyun quickly followed suit with an expression of agreement.
"Is this your shop?"
She looked at Wei Jinyun again, a little incredulous. "It hasn't been touched in who knows how many years. It will take a whole day to clean it out. It will cost at least 40 cents per person."
Wei Jinyun immediately frowned and wiped away her non-existent tears with a handkerchief. "Forty cents? I just heard that the other day Mr. Zhang from the east hired someone to clean out his yard, which is twice the size of my shop, and it was only thirty-five cents per person. Besides, you look very quick and nimble, so you can definitely finish it in half a day. I'll pay for dinner tonight, thirty cents, okay?"
The thinner aunt curled her lips and said, "Thirty cents is too little. Your room has been empty for so long. The dust makes people cough, and cleaning up those moldy old cabinets is exhausting!"
Wei Jinyun quickly moved closer to them, lowering her voice. "My aunts are all honest people, and I won't hide anything from you. I cleaned up this house with the intention of opening a small shop for Grandmother. When you come to buy things in the future, I'll give you an extra half liang. This time, I'm returning to Pingjiang Prefecture with Grandmother to fulfill her wish to return to her hometown. Alas... it's only thirty wen. If you think it's too little, I can only grind it out slowly myself. At worst, I can spend more time moving with my sisters."
She coughed lightly a few times, wiped her tears, and made a gesture to get up.
The round-faced aunt sighed and quickly pulled her back. "Never mind, you're a poor person too. Thirty cents is thirty cents, but you have to have enough food."
Wei Jinyun immediately smiled and agreed, "Enough, enough. I will make sure that the aunts will have a good meal."
The men saw them arguing so fiercely and spat, "Women just love to fight over these trivial jobs."
No one spoke to him at this time. He just continued to squint at the passers-by, hoping that a decent employer would come.
The aunts didn't care about this. They took their own things and followed Wei Jinyun back to the shop.
Wei Jinyun bought a broom, dustpan, washbasin and wooden bucket at the street corner, and also added a clay stove, earthenware pot and a basket of charcoal. He bargained all the way and asked the shop assistants to help deliver them.
The aunts were stunned when they heard this. They had wanted to earn more money from this young lady, but they didn't expect that she was so good at bargaining at such a young age.
As expected of a professional sweeper, the two were very efficient. They moved the cabinets skillfully, and brought their own cleaning agent made from wood ash and soap nuts. With a few wipes, they were able to remove quite a few mildew spots, earning Wei Jinyun's praise.
The aunts were also proud of her praise. "Of course. Without some good guys, how could your Aunt Zhou and I earn such a large number of regular customers? If Miss Wei wants to buy again, we will give you a discount."
After a few interactions, everyone became more familiar with each other. Wei Jinyun nodded in response, like a chick pecking at rice.
The younger sisters sat on stools that they had cleared out in the yard and padded with a small piece of cloth, poking their heads out to look around and shouting that they also wanted to take action.
Of course, he couldn't win the argument with them. Wei Jinyun tied a towel behind their heads, making two simple masks. "If you smell the musty smell too much, you'll get sick. I see nails are exposed on several chairs, so be careful when moving them. Don't cut your hands... Let's get started!"
"Okay!"
The two of them seemed to have endless energy and rushed into the house.
"Sister Qi has become much more cheerful."
Wang Qiulan swept the rotten leaves in the yard with a newly bought broom and sat on a chair to rest. "Jinyun, you've just recovered from your illness. You should take care of yourself."
"good."
Wei Jinyun stood beside her with a smile, massaging her back.
The weather was nice today and it didn't rain until the beginning of the evening.
The stove was half collapsed, so it was obviously impossible to cook. Fortunately, Wei Jinyun had bought a new clay stove in advance.
After cleaning up the shop, she will have to find a bricklayer to repair the roof and stove tomorrow, and also find a carpenter to make some tables and chairs. The wood that has been soaked in water for decades is really unusable.
The original owner's parents were doing business outside and would send money back every month, but they also spent a lot on medical treatment and medicine.
Now that her parents are gone, she is trying to find ways to earn more money. After all, the renovations will take a long time, and opening the shop will not be done overnight.
My younger sisters are smart and can be sent to school in the future. When my grandmother returns to Pingjiang Prefecture, she will definitely visit the Wang family. I need to take care of my own health, as it's really not that good. And then there's the issue of food and clothing in the future...
Everything costs money.
It’s inconvenient to cook without a stove, so I still eat noodles in the evening.
There are many river shrimps in water towns.
Wei Jinyun picked out the shrimps that he had just weighed, deftly removed the shrimp threads, opened their backs, and then used the bottoms to make a mellow soup base.
"Sizzle, sizzle", the golden shrimp heads are slowly stir-fried to release shrimp oil, and the whole house is filled with the fresh fragrance of shrimp.
"Starving."
Wei Fuling jumped out first, her little face covered in dust from somewhere, like a black cat that had crawled into the stove.
"Sister, I will definitely eat a whole bowl today!"
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