Chapter 159: Let’s Make Some Hotpot

Wu Wei gave a mysterious smile and led Liu Cuiwei out of the narrow alley. They followed the main road for about fifteen minutes, passing fewer and fewer shops until they left the bustling market district and entered a residential area.

The two of them walked along the street for about half the distance they had covered earlier. Then Wu Wei pulled Liu Cuiwei off the main thoroughfare and onto a side path. They passed through a bare grove of trees, and suddenly, several courtyards came into view.

Wu Wei pointed to the one at the far end. “There it is!”

Liu Cuiwei finally understood—Wu Wei had come prepared today. She shot her a playful glare and quickened her pace toward the house.

“Third Sister, wait for me!” Wu Wei hurried after her, her padded legs making her look like a ball rolling across the snow.

At the gate, the main doors were locked. Stone door drums flanked the entrance, connecting to walls taller than a person. The courtyard was built of gray bricks with white plaster walls, giving it an air of grandeur.

“This… wasn’t home to ordinary folk back in the day, was it?”

“Mm-hmm. I heard from the folks at the brokerage firm that all these houses used to belong to the retainers of Elder Prince Pingyan. Later, the owners followed him to the Capital Region. Some left servants behind to manage their properties, but this one has been empty. The owner listed it with the brokerage—originally for five hundred taels—but no one bought it. The summer heat must have cracked some of the roof tiles. Then this winter’s heavy, sudden snowfalls collapsed the roof on one of the rooms. Once the brokerage found out, they sent word to the owner, who dropped the price to two hundred taels and told them to sell it quick.”

“Can we take a look inside?”

“Heh heh, I’ve got a clever plan!”

Wu Wei led Liu Cuiwei along the wall. Liu Cuiwei noticed a trail of repeated footprints in the snow beside it—footprints she recognized at a glance as Wu Wei’s.

She had made countless pairs of shoes for Wu Wei and knew her size by heart.

Gazing at those prints, Liu Cuiwei pictured Wu Wei’s path: before bringing her here, she must have paced back and forth along this wall several times. Just as she had said, Wu Wei had given a lot of thought to buying this house.

A warm surge filled Liu Cuiwei’s heart as she contemplated all that Wu Wei had done for their family.

Taking care of Mother was her own duty, yet it was Weiwei who had suggested buying a house. Weiwei was also the first to notice how hard it was for Mother to go up and down stairs—a real hazard.

Liu Cuiwei’s eyes quietly reddened. She let Wu Wei pull her along to the corner of the wall, where a ladder stood propped up.

“This is…?”

“Not every agent at the brokerage gets the keys to the houses. So they leave a ladder here for showings. There’s nothing inside but the buildings anyway. Come on, let’s go in.”

Wu Wei steadied the ladder as Liu Cuiwei climbed up. “Third Sister, just sit tight up there!”

“Alright.”

Wu Wei climbed after her, straddled the wall, pulled the ladder up, and set it down on the other side. “I’ll go first. Wait for my signal.”

Once Wu Wei was in the yard and holding the ladder steady, she called up, “Come on down!”

As Liu Cuiwei descended the final two rungs, she felt herself lighten. The next moment, she landed softly in Wu Wei’s arms—warm and plush. “Thank you,” she murmured.

“Come on, let’s check out the place.”

Inside the imposing gray-brick-and-white-plaster walls lay a grand residence, the sort Liu Cuiwei imagined only a county magistrate or someone like Elder Wu of the silk shop could afford.

The courtyard had a main gate, a back gate, and two side gates for easy access. Right inside the front entrance was the half-mu garden Wu Wei had mentioned, now blanketed in snow.

Wu Wei explained, “This used to be a spirit screen or maybe a rockery, but someone must have taken it down—sold it or hauled it off. We don’t need anything fancy. We can plant trees here or even vegetables. Once the greenery grows in, it’ll serve the same purpose: blocking evil spirits.”

“See that? That’s the gatehouse. Our family has the four dogs, so we don’t need it for a porter. I could turn it into a kennel. At night, the dogs can sleep there. They’re well-trained—if they bark, we’ll know someone’s come calling.”

Liu Cuiwei gave a light scoff. “Since when are your dogs that smart? Do they know how to open doors, too?”

Wu Wei burst out laughing. “We’re not some big-shot family—who’s going to come visiting anyway? The gatehouse is useless and would cost extra wages. Dogs just eat and don’t demand pay. Worst case, I could hang a rope outside the gate with a sign: ‘Please pull this rope instead of knocking.’ The rope runs all the way to our rooms with bells on it. One tug, and we’ll hear it.”

Liu Cuiwei considered it and nodded approvingly. “That’s a great idea—way better than relying on dog barks. Otherwise, with a place this big, someone could pound on the gate till their hands bled, and we might not hear.” She truly had no idea where Weiwei got her endless stream of clever inspirations.

In high spirits, Wu Wei waved her padded arms as she led Cuiwei around, chattering all the while. “See, there are moon gates on either side of the courtyard. Through this one… watch your step, it’s slippery.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Through here is the main hall, with side rooms on both flanks. We don’t need maids, so we can convert those into guest rooms, no problem. The main hall’s roof caved in, but we could keep it as is—turn it into a dining room or a bedroom. Second Brother-in-law’s family of three, plus Zhuzi, could live there. It’s spacious enough to carve out a study for the boy, too. The side rooms are close to the vegetable garden and a decent size—we could house the three elders there. The back courtyard offers more privacy for us two, hee hee.”

Having laid out her plans for the central courtyard, Wu Wei tugged the Embroider Maiden through a long covered walkway and past a small square door into the rear yard.

The back had its own smaller sub-courtyard—half the size of the front—perfect for flowers or plants.

Four buildings made up the rear: the main bedroom, east and west wings, with a row of back sheds behind the bedroom. The sheds were cramped for living, though, so they would make ideal bathhouses and storage.

Buoyed by enthusiasm, Wu Wei said, “Turn the east wing into my study, the west into a kitchen. We live in the main bedroom, convert the sheds into two bathhouses—one for men, one for women—and use the rest for storage. What do you think?”

Deeply moved, Liu Cuiwei replied, “You’re planning to have Second Brother-in-law’s whole family move in?”

“Of course! A house this big isn’t safe for just the three of us, and cleaning it would be a chore. Besides, we head to the rice shop during the day—what’s Aunt Liu going to do, all alone in this huge place? It’s like being in prison. The stairs at the oil-pressing workshop aren’t much better than ours. Having the elders live on the second floor is a hazard waiting to happen. Better they all come here. When we’re both at work, the three of them can keep each other company, tend the vegetable garden, cook for us, chat. With this house, no more worrying about Zhuzi wandering into the street and getting hit by a cart. The only thing is… I wonder if Second Brother-in-law’s family will mind living up front.”

Wu Wei was a history buff at heart and knew side rooms were for servants, the main hall not the proper place for living quarters. But this was the best she could manage within her means.

Her relationship with Third Sister needed privacy. Wu Wei wasn’t afraid of scrutiny if they went public, but as Third Sister had said: people lived their own lives behind closed doors—peace was best, so why borrow trouble?

The two of them had come together willingly. Neither was married or betrothed. Who did it hurt?

Going public would be a grand spectacle, sure—but was all that followed really what they wanted?

What if their family couldn’t accept it?

Better to live quietly together, solidly building a life.

Liu Cuiwei said, “Don’t worry. The three elders go without saying. Second Sister and Second Brother-in-law feel nothing but gratitude toward you—no other thoughts. Without you… forget a grand house like this—even the two shops in Taizhou City might have eluded our families. They know that full well.”

“Mm!”

After touring the house, Wu Wei and Liu Cuiwei retraced their steps. On the way back, Wu Wei made a point of teaching her the route. From the rice shop to the house, there were two paths: the main road allowed horses or carts but was longer overall.

The side path was walking only, no detours. Either way took nearly half an hour to reach the shop.

When they returned to the rice shop, Wu Wei and Liu Cuiwei’s shoes were soaked through. Second Lady Liu teased the pair of them with a smile. “On a cold day like this, why aren’t you two hunkering down for winter in the shop? Where did you run off to play? Hurry up and take off those wet shoes—I’ll dry them for you.”

Wu Wei and Liu Cuiwei exchanged a glance, both wearing knowing smiles. After this outing, the matter of the house was more or less settled. They couldn’t renovate it during this season, but buying it outright was still feasible.

For now, Wu Wei and Liu Cuiwei didn’t have enough silver on hand. They’d wait until spring arrived next year, when the weather warmed and they’d saved up sufficient funds, then hire workers to fix it up.

Liu Cuiwei turned to Second Lady Liu. “Second Sister, I’ve got some great news to share with you.”

“What is it? Tell me quick!” Second Lady Liu perked up right away.

No sooner had she spoken than Zhang Shuisheng arrived at the rice shop, cradling a copper hotpot in his arms. “Weiwei, is this the thing you described last time? I just picked it up from the blacksmith shop. What’s this pot called?”

Liu Cuiwei and Wu Wei exclaimed in perfect unison, “Hotpot!”