“I’ve thought about it! I’d like to ask Uncle Er Lai to be the accountant. Back when he and my father were in business together, he was excellent at reviewing and recording accounts. I just haven’t mentioned it to him yet. I was planning to wait until Uncle Daqiang had found everyone before going to speak with him about managing the accounts for me.”
Lin Youwang sighed. “Er Lai has had a hard life. He and your father were as close as brothers, and he watched you two grow up. But with his leg, going back and forth every day might be difficult. Have you thought about how to handle that?”
Lin Xiaoman replied, “There’s no room to live in behind the shop. I was thinking of looking around nearby to rent a small courtyard. If things get busy and we can’t make it back to the city before the gates close, we can stay there.”
“Sounds good. That’s thoughtful of you. But the rent for the courtyard should also come from the shop’s earnings. We can’t let you and your brother bear that cost.”
Lin Xiaoman didn’t argue with him.
Lin Daqiang was gone for most of an hour. When he returned, he had twenty or thirty people following him.
He pulled six men and four women aside. “Xiaoman, I’ve found the people you asked for. These are the ones who’ll be helping in the city. The rest will work on the wall and fixing up the house. Do they all seem suitable to you? If not, tell Uncle Daqiang, and I’ll swap them out.”
Lin Xiaoman looked them over one by one. They were all hardworking villagers who weren’t prone to gossiping.
Among the ten selected for the city work, two had even helped out in city restaurant kitchens before. Clearly, Lin Daqiang had chosen them with her requirements for the stove in mind.
Lin Xiaoman smiled. “I can see Uncle has picked the best in our village. I trust Uncle Daqiang’s judgment!”
Her words not only pleased Lin Daqiang but also reassured the villagers who had worried she might not find them suitable. The clan elder had told them when he recruited them that this was a joint venture between Lin Xiaoman’s siblings and the clan. If they didn’t perform well, someone else would take their place.
Next, Lin Xiaoman first arranged for those who would work on the yard, telling them to start tomorrow. She set their wages at twenty wen per person per day, with a project duration of twenty days. If they finished within twenty days, each would receive an additional hundred wen.
Typically, building a yard wall in the village took about ten days. Lin Xiaoman’s yard was no larger than average, and with so many people, they could easily finish in twenty days as long as they didn’t slack off. The bonus of a hundred wen had everyone rolling up their sleeves, eager to get to work.
She instructed one person to go to the neighboring village the next morning to buy bricks. The others were to come early and start working. After that, she sent them on their way.
Once they left, Lin Xiaoman discussed wages with the ten who would be helping in the city. She offered the standard city rates: six hundred wen per month for general helpers and eight hundred wen per month for those working the stove. If they performed well, there would be an additional bonus at the end of the month.
After Lin Xiaoman finished speaking, Lin Youwang said gravely, “Let me make one thing clear from the start. This business originally belonged to Xiaoman and her family. But they couldn’t bear to see the clan suffering—unable to even afford repairs for the ancestral hall—so they decided to share it with the clan, which gave you all these jobs. If anyone tries to take advantage of Xiaoman and Erhu because they’re young, or harbors any improper thoughts, don’t blame my son when he punishes you according to the clan rules.”
Lin Daqiang had already explained this to them. Being able to work for the clan was an honor as long as they did their jobs well.
Now, they all thumped their chests in assurance. “Uncle Er, don’t worry. We’ll work hard and won’t slack off or cut corners.”
“Yes, Uncle Er, we promise too!”
Lin Youwang nodded with satisfaction. “Alright, you can all go. Come here tomorrow morning to go into the city with Xiaoman.”
They said their goodbyes to Lin Xiaoman and her brother before leaving.
After everyone had gone, Lin Xiaoman and Lin Daqiang drew up a contract regarding the profit-sharing arrangement for the shop, outlining the split with the clan and some relevant terms. Two copies were made, and both Lin Daqiang and Lin Xiaoman pressed their fingerprints to them.
Lin Xiaoman also shared her idea about building heated kangs with Lin Daqiang and his father. “I came across this concept of a heated kang in a book. It’s constructed from bricks or adobe, covered with clay slabs, with a chimney at the rear to draw smoke out. The outer part connects to the stove. As long as you cook, the heat travels through the flue and warms the kang, keeping you from feeling the cold when you sleep on it in winter. I was thinking Uncle Daqiang could select a few trustworthy people from those helping with the construction. I’ll teach them how to build the kang. Once the kangs in our village are done, they can take on kang-building work outside.”
Although Lin Daqiang and Lin Youwang didn’t know exactly what a kang was, they were both intrigued. “Xiaoman, tell us more about it.”
Lin Xiaoman dipped her finger in water and sketched a simple diagram on the table. The more father and son studied it, the more excited they became.
Since the kang hadn’t been built yet and they didn’t know how well it would work, they asked Lin Xiaoman to let them come and see when the construction began.
As for who should learn, Lin Daqiang felt that the people he had chosen were trustworthy, and since it was a clan enterprise, they could be instructed not to discuss it outside.
After all, kang-building would only be a lucrative skill for the first year. By next year, outsiders would probably have figured it out, and no one would need to hire them anyway. The more people who learned, the faster the entire village could get kangs. Only after the village was finished would they take on outside work.
Back at home, Lin Xiaoman and Lin Erhu reverently placed their mother He’s memorial tablet in the house. After kowtowing several times, they wrapped it in a piece of red cloth and burned it in a brazier.
Their parents’ tablets were already in the ancestral hall, receiving daily incense offerings—they didn’t need one that Old Lady Lin had made.
It wasn’t late yet, so Lin Xiaoman had Lin Erhu bring out the “four treasures of the study”—brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. Together, they sketched a construction plan for the house and a design for the kang.
The kang surface could be made from a mixture of yellow earth and straw, but it needed to be prepared and dried well in advance. If they waited until the house was finished to make the kang slabs, they’d be delayed for many more days.
As dinnertime approached, Lin Xiaoman and Lin Erhu took the other piece of pig head meat they had bought in town and headed to Lin Er Lai’s house.
Fourth Grandma and Lin Er Lai were in the yard weighing mushrooms for a customer when they saw the siblings arrive. Fourth Grandma called out to them, “Xiaoman, Erhu, go inside and have a seat. I’ll be with you as soon as I finish weighing these mushrooms.”
Lin Er Lai, whose face was usually etched with worry, managed a rare smile. “Xiaoman, Erhu, have you eaten? If not, stay and have dinner with us.”
The siblings didn’t stand on ceremony. “We haven’t had Uncle Er Lai’s pancakes in a long time. We’ve been craving them.”
“Alright then, tonight I’ll make pancakes for you. Mother, keep an eye on the mushrooms here. I’ll go make the pancakes.”
“Go ahead. Make plenty, so Xiaoman and Erhu don’t have to cook tomorrow either.”
“Got it!” Lin Er Lai said, grabbing his crutches and heading to the kitchen.
Lin Xiaoman followed him without hesitation, taking a cleaver to slice the pig head meat into a large bowl.
She filled a big bowl with the sliced meat, then crushed two garlic cloves into a smaller bowl and mixed them with some soy sauce.
Lin Er Lai saw this and said, “You two, coming over is fine enough. Why did you have to buy this?”
“Uncle Er Lai, I was the one who wanted it, so I asked my sister to buy it,” Lin Erhu said quickly. “It’s cheaper than regular meat in town.”