The next day, at first light, Shu Rui went to the shop again.
Before leaving, Lu Ling asked for ten copper coins. Shu Rui guessed he was going to wait for work at the dock, so he didn’t ask much and gave him fifteen coins.
At the old inn, Shu Rui rented a cloud ladder from the general store and borrowed a carrying basket from Mrs. Yang.
He filled the basket with tiles, then set the ladder against the eaves, pressing and shaking it to ensure stability.
Though not afraid of heights, Shu Rui had never repaired a roof before.
The day before, he had asked a tile worker about hiring someone to repair the roof—it would cost 180 coins a day. He immediately dismissed the idea of hiring, deciding to tough it out himself.
He felt it was stable enough and planned to climb first with empty hands to get used to the height. As he reached to step onto the ladder, a calm voice came from behind:
“I don’t need this. Why make it so complicated?”
Shu Rui turned to see Lu Ling carrying the tiles, and in a few agile moves, he leapt onto the roof.
“What are you doing here? Weren’t you waiting for the ship at the dock?”
Lu Ling placed the basket down: “If I don’t come, who will fix the roof?”
He took out the tiles and, seeing Shu Rui remain silent, added:
“The ship may not arrive at a fixed time anyway. I gave a laborer ten coins to come find me when it does.”
Shu Rui looked up at him: “Clever.”
This time, Lu Ling didn’t respond, immersing himself in work. Shu Rui thought he must still be sulking about last night—such a grown man, yet with a childlike streak.
“I’ll make you fish soup from the relay station again once the kitchen roof is repaired,” Shu Rui said. “No dog-feeding this time.”
Lu Ling remained silent, crouched on the roof.
Shu Rui felt helpless, deciding to focus on the work first. With Lu Ling on the roof, he didn’t need to climb—just handed tiles up and fixed the edge of the roof he could reach.
Broken tiles were cleared away, replaced with new ones, overlapped precisely with the old tiles, making it look neat. Both roofs used black tiles, so the repaired section blended in seamlessly.
The two worked quietly, and after about two hours, the kitchen roof was repaired.
All morning, the sun didn’t appear, making it cool. Shu Rui planned to rest a while before fixing two rooms meant for living, but a gust of wind brought dust, and Lu Ling came back in: “It looks like rain. Better hurry and finish the tiles.”
Shu Rui stepped out and saw the sky darkening, the clouds heavy as if the heavens had lowered.
He abandoned his rest plan, moving the ladder to the eaves of the east main room.
About an hour later, Shu Rui felt a few raindrops on his face. Soon, the sound of rain pattering on the tiles grew heavier.
“Go down. I’ll handle the rest.”
Lu Ling came over from the other end of the roof, telling Shu Rui to move to the section he had repaired earlier.
Seeing half of the planned two rooms still unfinished, Shu Rui refused to go down, instead speeding up his work.
“No problem, I can finish laying the tiles.”
“If you get wet, it won’t matter—but you’re young, easy to get sick. The kitchen roof needs cleaning too.”
Hearing this, Shu Rui looked at the kitchen—it was still a mess, only the stove remained, and the boiler had long since been removed. Even what remained was rusty from neglect.
Not only did it need cleaning, but a new stove and cookware had to be installed.
Though the sky looked dark as if night had fallen, it was only early afternoon. Cleaning the kitchen roof meant that tonight, cooking and boiling water could be done without paying the inn.
Shu Rui considered it: “Alright, I’ll tackle that first.”
He stepped down the ladder. The rain was soaking the steps; moss in the courtyard made his footing slippery.
His heart leapt as he slipped slightly, instinctively grabbing the ladder, avoiding an immediate fall. But the ladder, resting against the eaves, shifted under his weight, tilting toward the ground, carrying him with it.
Shu Rui’s stomach dropped—last time he’d felt this way was when a donkey had gone out of control.
With the donkey, at least there was a rein to grab. Now, only the ladder could decide his fate.
Seeing that he was about to hit the stone floor, Shu Rui felt his waist tighten as he suddenly fell into a broad, solid embrace.
With a muffled thud, the ladder, now uncontrolled, crashed heavily onto the stone floor. Two chunks of wood splintered and flew up high.
Shu Rui instinctively shrank his shoulders, feeling a sharp jolt of pain ripple through his skin and bones. After a long moment, he realized he hadn’t fallen.
Not only had he not fallen, but the person beside him had held him firmly. He lifted his eyes and could only see a thin, sharp jawline.
Shu Rui’s face flushed. He had never been this close to another man before. He quickly struggled to rise.
Lu Ling, kneeling halfway to the ground, only released his hold once Shu Rui steadied himself.
“Th… thank you.”
Shu Rui felt too embarrassed to look Lu Ling directly in the eyes. Luckily, a layer of grayish-yellow powder on his face masked his natural complexion, or else his pale skin would have burned red.
Lu Ling, however, rose calmly.
He looked at Shu Rui and asked, “Do I… smell?”
Shu Rui’s face burned as he lowered his head slightly. “You’re fine.”
“Hm?”
Lu Ling frowned slightly, uncertain, and lifted his arm to sniff his own shoulder.
“Do I?”
Shu Rui’s eyes widened. “Ah?”
Lu Ling shrugged and said, “Well, after we finish, I’ll take a bath.”
Shu Rui only then realized what Lu Ling meant, and he coughed dryly. Over these past days, he had grown accustomed to Lu Ling’s unconventional thought processes.
He assumed Lu Ling had made sure Shu Rui was unharmed before bothering about his own scent.
“There’s no bad odor—just a hint of soapnut,” Shu Rui said, unable to help recalling the scene with the tiles, his face flushing. He hadn’t planned to speak of such ambiguous things, but he didn’t want Lu Ling to mistakenly think he smelled bad.
Lu Ling always seemed to pay attention to the smallest details.
Shu Rui continued earnestly: “You’ve been busy all morning, climbing up and down to fix the tiles, your body covered in dust and sweat. Any smell is from hard work, not from laziness or neglect. No one would mind. If someone did, that would be their fault, not yours.”
Lu Ling raised an eyebrow and looked at Shu Rui, feeling that his black eyes shone with unusual clarity whenever he spoke earnestly.
Shu Rui, caught in the direct gaze, looked away awkwardly.
He glanced at the rain falling steadily in the courtyard. “The rain’s picking up. Don’t rush back onto the roof; I’ll go buy a raincoat and straw hat.”
With that, he tucked his hands in and jogged out the door.
“Shaoge, the roof’s done? With this heavy rain, where are you going?”
Shu Rui exited through the back door and ran into Mrs. Yang, who was carrying water out.
“One room still needs tidying, and with the rain, I thought to go to the general store to get a raincoat. Not sure how long the rain will last, so better to finish the roof today, so we can move in sooner.”
Mrs. Yang retrieved an umbrella from her shop. “Take this. When my eldest son comes home from school later, I’ll have him watch the shop, and I’ll come help you.”
Shu Rui accepted the umbrella. “That’s too kind—your business, too.”
“The shop will be slow with the rain anyway. Sitting idle just dozing off is worse than moving a bit,” she said. “Don’t be polite; just get your rain gear and go.”
Shu Rui agreed and, fearing the rain would worsen, thanked Mrs. Yang and hurried to the general store.
Along the ten-li street, the store wasn’t far. He happened to meet Qing there, buying lamp oil with a little girl who looked somewhat like him.
Shu Rui smiled and greeted Qing, also teaching the little girl to call out to him. The girl was small but sweet, her eyes curved in a cheerful smile.
Shu Rui reached into his pocket and gave the girl two wrapped pieces of candied winter melon, gently patting her slightly yellowed hair.
Then he asked Qing, “You here shopping for the inn?”
Qing said, “She wouldn’t want us coming to buy things, afraid we’d take even a bit of advantage. You went out early; I didn’t expect to run into you.”
“I see. That explains it.”
“We rested at home half the morning, had lunch, then I brought my sister out for a walk, buying a little lamp oil. Didn’t expect the rain. Wet and miserable, we couldn’t wander much.”
Seeing Shu Rui buying rain gear, Qing asked, “What are you busy with? You’ve been out since early morning these past two days.”
Shu Rui didn’t hide it, explaining he was rushing to repair the old shop.
“Better to finish sooner, so I save a day’s lodging and move in earlier. Funds are tight; staying outside makes me uneasy.”
“Didn’t hire help?”
Shu Rui explained the costs: female laborers could do odd jobs cheaply but still 80 coins a day; strong men required at least 100 coins plus lunch. Too costly—better to endure the work himself.
Qing’s family wasn’t wealthy, so he understood the difficulty. Seeing Shu Rui troubled over money, he felt sympathetic.
Raising his eyebrows, he said, “I’m free this afternoon. I can come help clean. More hands will make the old shop work easier. You and your brother will have enough to do!”
Shu Rui was moved by Qing’s willingness to help. Despite the cold, rainy day, his heart felt warm.
“Thank you, but you’ve been busy at the inn. It’s rare to have a day off—don’t add to your labor.”
“Once the shop’s repaired, I’ll come play,” Qing said, grabbing Shu Rui’s arm. “I enjoy being with you. Any work feels fun.”
Shu Rui laughed. “Never seen you so eager to work. If you’re willing, I’m happy.”
Qing, seeing Shu Rui agree, handed the purchased lamp oil to his sister to take home first, then accompanied him to the shop.
Having them meant two extra helpers on this trip.
Seeing their sincere help, Shu Rui bought a large iron pot, a stove, a kettle, a few kilos of charcoal, two buckets, a wooden basin, and bowls and spoons—preparing basic kitchen necessities.
He would have compared prices and shopped more carefully, but with Qing and Mrs. Yang helping, it would have been messy otherwise.
Since the rain hadn’t stopped, Shu Rui didn’t hire a cart but arranged with the store to deliver the goods. The shopkeeper, seeing the bulk and weight, agreed to deliver them soon.
Shu Rui and Qing, wearing straw hats and raincoats, headed to the shop together.
“Your shop’s really big!” Qing exclaimed after looking around.
Shu Rui put on his straw hat and dropped a bucket down the well, trying to turn the crank. The old mechanism squeaked, but the bucket wouldn’t lift.
Qing went to help, but even together, they couldn’t move the crank at first. Eventually, they managed to lift the bucket manually.
The half-bucket of water contained rotting leaves and was far from clear.
Shu Rui frowned: “This well needs professional cleaning and repair. Water is too important to handle carelessly.”
Qing agreed: “Right! If it’s just for washing, maybe okay. But for drinking, you must be careful. Sick stomachs are no joke.”
“No problem. I’ll have Old Zhou bring barrels of water for now. Once the well’s fixed, it’ll be much easier.”
Mrs. Yang’s voice called from the courtyard: “Shaoge, is there a water tank at the kitchen?”
“There’s a square stone cistern. I checked it—it’s not broken, just very dirty.”
Mrs. Yang inspected the long stone cistern behind the stove. “It’s wide and well made. Must have cost a lot at the time. If it were ceramic, it’d be broken by now.”
She collected intact buckets and basins and placed them under the eaves to catch rainwater. “With heavy rain, water is easy to get. Once the cistern is clean, Old Zhou will bring water—two buckets for a coin. Usually, three coins for two buckets.”
Shu Rui agreed to start with that, asking where Old Zhou was so he could organize water delivery while preparing the roof.
“The moment it started raining, I began collecting water. The cistern’s almost full now, so I brought some over for use. No need to call Old Zhou just yet. My own water is almost gone, and I asked him to deliver some from the houses in the back alley—he’ll bring it soon, then just have him make another trip.”
Shu Rui sincerely thanked her. “It’s lucky to have you, Mrs. Yang. Otherwise, I wouldn’t even know where to start.”
“You’re just too polite,” she said, rolling her sleeves high. “Get to work.”
With that, the three of them busied themselves, first clearing the kitchen of cobwebs, piles of dust, and rotting leaves, then sweeping the floor and tidying the cistern.
By the time they finished cleaning the room, the general store’s delivery had arrived. As they were about to fetch it, Lu Ling, having come down from the roof after heavy labor, carried the stove into the kitchen and even brought the rainwater collected from Mrs. Yang’s eaves.
Shu Rui noticed the raindrops still dripping from Lu Ling’s raincoat, his bangs wet from the wind and rain, and the smooth skin of his forehead seemed even clearer in the damp light.
Although Shu Rui himself had not spared a moment’s rest, he could not help asking Lu Ling, “You were on the roof in the rain and wind—aren’t you cold? It’s pouring. We can finish the rest when it clears.”
Lu Ling shook his head. “It’s almost done.”
Shu Rui pressed his lips together, knowing that Lu Ling would insist on finishing the last little bit of work. He took out the final piece of candied winter melon and handed it over. “Eat this, it’ll give you some strength.”
Holding the still-warm candy, Lu Ling glanced at Shu Rui busying himself in the kitchen. His eyebrows twitched slightly, and with a careful movement, he tucked the candy into his pocket. Smiling faintly, he leapt back onto the roof.