Chapter 13: Got a Room ……

Since crossing over, Fang Dahai hadn’t had a solid night’s sleep—but last night, he slept soundly. Even after waking up, he still felt a bit dazed.

So much so that when he looked up at the age-worn beams above in the morning light, everything felt as if it had a filter over it. He kept feeling as though he were still in Ming Dynasty.

“Wake up!”

He Yulan came through the door with Xiangcao, who had just finished washing up, and spotted Fang Dahai sitting on the bed. Seeing that he was awake, she quickly coaxed Xiangcao to sit on the bed and play by herself, while she went over to the barrel and took out the box where she had hidden the money the night before.

“I went out this morning to take a look. There doesn’t seem to be any small shops nearby. I’m afraid we’ll have to go to the area where we met Second Uncle yesterday. As for the stove and the other things you mentioned—we’ll probably need to ask Second Uncle where to buy them. Have you set a time to go exchange the deed?”

Oh, right. This wasn’t Ming Dynasty. Ming Dynasty didn’t have younger siblings like this, especially not ones who could help manage household affairs.

“Let’s wait for the old lady to greet us. It shouldn’t be too early; we’ll wait until people are up and about.”

Fang Dahai sat up, started putting on his clothes, and got off the bed, thinking about what needed to be done today.

People—so long as they’re alive—have to keep trying to survive, no matter the era. As the saying goes: There are so many things in this world that don’t go your way, but life still has to go on…

While washing up, Fang Dahai thought things through carefully: the deed exchange would take time and need to be handled at the yamen—it might not even be done by noon. As for shopping… there were indeed many shops near the Drum Tower. He’d need to ask where the local market was, too—they’d need it for buying food and other daily necessities. And they’d have to find someone to build a wall—that also required asking Second Uncle.

…Sigh. Back when he was just thinking about coming to the capital, he thought he was somewhat prepared. But now that he was actually here, he realized he had underestimated how brutal the passage of time could be.

He gargled some salt water, spat it out on the ground, and was about to return inside when he suddenly had the feeling he’d overlooked something.

Huh? Where were Dajiang and Xiangcao?

“Xiangcao’s at Second Uncle’s house—she and Dalian are about the same age, just two years old, so they’re having fun together. Dajiang went out. He said he heard someone selling firewood this morning, so he went to ask about the price.”

At this point, He Yulan’s expression shifted slightly.

“He’s been gone for a while. Based on what he said, he should’ve come back by now. Could he be lost?”

No, Fang Dajiang wasn’t lost. He had just received some news—he wasn’t sure if it was true or not—and now he was a bit dazed. He walked slowly, aimlessly. See? There he is, back now.

As soon as Fang Dajiang saw his elder brother, his previously darting eyes immediately steadied. He glanced around and saw that several houses in the front yard were already occupied. He quickly walked a few steps forward, tugged at Fang Dahai’s sleeve, and spoke loudly:

“Brother, I found someone buying firewood! Hurry and give me a few yuan—I’ll go and make the sale.”

Although Fang Dahai didn’t know what this kid really wanted to say, he knew Dajiang wasn’t the reckless type. Without arguing, he twisted off his cloth towel and led the way back into the house.

“Speak. What’s going on?”

Once inside, Fang Dahai lowered his voice. Fang Dajiang, on the other hand, had a look of disbelief on his face.

“Brother, guess what I saw out there?”

“What did you see?”

What are you trying to sell here? If there’s something, just say it already. He had a lot on his plate today and didn’t have time for guessing games.

“People moving. Just walking through three or five alleys, I ran into four different moving groups.”

“Huh? Four groups?”

Fang Dahai’s brows furrowed. He had expected some people might flee early, but he always thought that wouldn’t happen until closer to the end of the year—after things settled down on Jin Tian’s side. Who would’ve guessed people were already retreating in waves? What were these people thinking?

“Did you hear why?”

“They say there are too many stragglers in the area, and there’s a risk of an outbreak. So some folks want to leave and avoid the potential mess.”

That reason caught Fang Dahai off guard. An outbreak? Wasn’t disease more likely to spread in hot weather? It was the end of September—what epidemic could there be now? Probably just an excuse.

But that wasn’t even the important part. The important thing was what Dajiang said next.

“I also heard that since more people have started leaving, house prices nearby are dropping. There’s a small yard south of the city, five rooms, the whole thing—going for 250 yuan. Brother, that’s cheaper than what we paid.”

It was a good deal. Fang Dahai felt a twinge of temptation. But what good was that? It wasn’t just about whether they could afford it—did it even fit the image of a poor family like theirs? Even if they could buy it, could they hold on to it? South of the city? Things were in chaos over there right now.

“Cheap or not, we don’t have money to buy anything. Alright, I’ll give you the money—go buy the firewood. Once we have a stove, we can finally cook properly. Oh, and find out where they sell coal briquettes. Buy some—those burn longer.”

In fact, Fang Dajiang knew this whole thing was just something to hear and think about. But his family had just bought a house—not surprising that he was sensitive to pricing. Could he really not tell his big brother about it? Of course not. And as he passed on the news, he vaguely felt a sense of responsibility awakening within him—like he was finding his place in the family.

Of the four children in the household, Dajiang was out of the question—just a baby, and couldn’t even cause trouble, let alone help. As for the others? Big Brother was the backbone, earning money and keeping the household running would all fall on him. Yulan took care of the house—ever since their mother passed, it had always been her job.

So what could he do?

In the past, back in the countryside, he used to follow his big brother to cut firewood, dig for wild vegetables, and collect pigweed to feed the livestock. Though he didn’t do much, it still counted as a contribution—he wasn’t just eating for free. But now, in the city…

That feeling of waking up in the morning and not knowing where to begin was truly panic-inducing. Thankfully, Sister Yulan had asked him to go out and inquire about things. That errand helped him realize there were still things he could do.

From now on, all the shopping and errands for the household would be his responsibility. And while he was at it, he could also keep an ear out for news. Their family had just arrived in the city and was still blind and deaf to everything happening around them—someone had to stay alert.

“Alright, I know. I’ll go now.”

Fang Dajiang took out his small coin pouch from inside his shirt, dropped in the twenty to thirty copper coins his big brother had given him, gave it a gentle shake, and said cheerfully:

“This is the first time I’ve ever gone out with so much money!”

“Hide it well—there are a lot of thieves in this town.”

“Uh-huh, I’ll stuff it inside my clothes. Oh right, big brother, when we moved out, did you check for Father’s stash of personal money? I was so focused on packing yesterday that I forgot to ask. I remember Dad used to be really good at hiding money.”

Seeing the coins reminded Fang Dajiang of something else. In the early years, when their mother was still alive, their father used to secretly take one or two yuan to buy snacks for them at the big fair. Back then, he didn’t know any better and accidentally exposed his father a few times, which resulted in some serious scoldings and a whole household of chaos. Later… both their mother and father were gone, and moments of happiness like those could now only be found in dreams.

At his words, Fang Dahai also recalled those memories. The smile that had appeared at his younger brother’s naive excitement quickly faded. His expression turned somber as he replied:

“Don’t worry. I practically turned the house upside down—I made sure not even a single copper was left behind.”

“That’s good. That’s good.”

After saying “that’s good” twice in a row, Fang Dajiang didn’t know what else to say.

Fang Dahai patted his brother’s arm and said softly:

“Hurry and go buy the firewood. On the way back, buy a few roasted sweet potatoes for lunch.”

“Lunch? We’re not going to cook ourselves?”

“I’m afraid it’ll be afternoon by the time I’m back from buying all the supplies—it’ll be too late to cook. We can’t keep going to Second Uncle’s house for meals, can we? We already had two meals there yesterday. We can’t keep troubling them. They’ve already done more than enough.”

That was true. People needed to know their limits. Just because someone was kind didn’t mean you could take advantage of them endlessly.

Fang Dajiang obediently went out again. Coincidentally, just as he left, He Maozhu arrived to call on them. Following behind him was an elderly lady—her white hair was neatly combed, and her indigo jacket was spotless. Though she walked with a slight hobble on her bound feet, she still carried a certain grace and dignity. One glance was enough to tell that she came from a distinguished background.

“Good day, madam. Sorry to trouble you today.”

“No trouble at all,” the old lady replied warmly. “It’s fate, after all. In the future, we’ll be neighbors in the same courtyard.”

Indeed, this was what it meant to live a full life—husband, son, a well-settled family. Unlike that deaf old woman who had to rely on selling her home just to survive, this old lady didn’t have a calculating glint in her eye. She looked content, not grasping.

Because both sides had already discussed everything in advance, the formal procedures went smoothly. Apart from the long queue—thanks to the number of people—and the short wait for the new deed to be processed, everything else was practically done in no time.

Walking out of the Finance Department, Fang Dahai touched the deed tucked inside his shirt and couldn’t help but smile with satisfaction.

This was the foundation of his life in the capital—they finally had a home!

“Dahai, the old lady and I are heading back now. What about you? Are you going back too, or going to find Master Lei?”

While waiting for the deed earlier, Fang Dahai had already taken the opportunity to ask He Maozhu whom he should hire to build a wall. He Maozhu had introduced a few people, but the old lady had a different suggestion.

According to Mrs. Lin, the houses along this stretch of the courtyard hadn’t been renovated in thirty or forty years. Though they looked solid, if he really wanted to open a door toward the side room—as Fang Dahai had planned—it was best to hire someone experienced to assess it thoroughly. Otherwise, he might accidentally damage the structure and turn the house into a safety hazard.

With such a thoughtful reminder, and since he wasn’t short on money, Fang Dahai didn’t dare ignore her advice. He immediately decided to take her recommendation and go with the Lei family—well-known in the capital’s construction scene—to handle his housing matters.

That was why He Maozhu was asking about it now.

“I’ll go find Master Lei. If I get everything set up early, I’ll have my hands free sooner to start earning money.”

“That’s true. Oh, and you should have Master Lei take you to buy a stove, too. There’s a shop near his place—the shopkeeper is apparently one of his relatives, right, madam?”

“Exactly,” Mrs. Lin chimed in. “They have everything for home use. Just tell them your address and they’ll deliver it straight to your door. Their place is in the third alley west of ours—they’re practically neighbors.”

See? Building good relationships with people nearby really paid off. Just a few words back and forth, and Fang Dahai was already saving so much time.

“They say that having an elder in the family is like having a treasure. Madam, I’m really lucky to have your help.”

“Haha, you child,” Mrs. Lin laughed, “you’ve grown quite the clever tongue.”