Chapter 19 Changing hands
Yan Baozhen refused directly and cleanly: "No, our family can't afford it anymore!"

"Let's buy some fabric from the Dongmei Clothing Store next door and make it ourselves. If you think my craftsmanship is not good enough, just let Deming help you. Deming's craftsmanship is no worse than that of the big tailors out there!"

"Yin Changrong, the owner of Huamao Women's Clothing Store, has no words to praise Deming for making good clothes!"

"Otherwise, if I were to do the work that grandma and my sister brought back, would I be able to do it well?"

Coincidentally, as soon as I mentioned Dongmei Garment Shop, the owner, Mr. Li, called out at the gate, "Are Mr. Chang and Mrs. Chang home?"

"here I am!"

They bowed to each other and said, "Hello, Mr. Chang, Hello, Mrs. Chang!"

"Boss Li, what a rare guest!"

"Please sit down first. I just got up and I'm going to wash up first."

Boss Li, wearing a long grey silk gown, bowed with a smile on his face and said, "Please come in! I am sorry to bother you!"

Yan Baozhen invited Boss Li into the central hall of the north room and prepared tea. After coming out, she winked at Wang Deming, indicating that he should go in and sit down to see what Boss Li wanted to see Chang Youguang about.
Boss Li is from Shanxi. He is a man who never does anything without profit. He has already bought two courtyards for his own use. Could it be that he is eyeing the remaining two?

Wang Deming nodded with a smile, went back to the house to put the house deed away, and then went to the main hall to chat with Boss Li.

There were two rows of chairs and square tables on both sides of the aisle in the central hall. As soon as Wang Deming entered, Boss Li quickly put down his teacup, stood up and greeted him, without showing any neglect because of Wang Deming's age.

After chatting with Boss Li for a few words over the teacup in his hand, Chang Youguang took a towel and wiped his hands while strolling into the central hall. He casually put the towel on the shelf and said casually after seeing it: "Boss Li, do you like it? This set is for you. It's from the Daoguang period, not the third generation of the Qing Dynasty. It's not worth much."

Boss Li was about to open his mouth when Wang Deming laughed twice at the right time. Boss Li said he didn't dare to
Wang Deming tactfully gave up his seat, and Chang Youguang sat down on the chair next to Boss Li. He picked up the teacup, swung it twice with the lid, took a sip, moistened his throat, and then asked, "Boss Li, you are a noble man, so you don't come to me for no reason. If you have something to say, please speak up."

"This..." Boss Li looked at Wang Deming who was sitting opposite him and hesitated.
"Well, Deming, you know him, we're family, what's there to hide from?"

Boss Li then explained his purpose: "Didn't I hear from Mr. Chang before that you have a can of Camel brand dye at home? Was it given to you by Yu Qiaqing from Shanghai during the Republic of China?"

"I wonder if this can of dye is still available?"

"I happen to know Mr. Zhang from Xinghua Bank. He asked me to ask you if you are willing to sell your house?"

Chang Youguang immediately became interested, sat up straight, and asked immediately: "How much can Xinghua Bank give?"

"This number." Boss Li stretched out his hands, made a two gesture with his left hand, and at the same time turned the palm and back of his right hand back and forth twice.

"sure!"

"Boss Li, wait for me." Chang Youguang put down his teacup, trotted out, and shouted, "Baozhen."

Yan Baozhen came out of the east wing and saw Chang Youguang in such a hurry. She asked in surprise, "Youguang, what's wrong?" At the same time, she secretly wondered in her heart, is it really to sell the house? But if you want to sell the house, don't you have to ask your father-in-law?
"Dye, where is the Camel brand dye at home?" Chang Youguang looked excited.

"Oh," Yan Baozhen was relieved and answered casually, "Didn't you put it in the kitchen before because there was no place to put it?"

"Okay." Chang Youguang went straight to the kitchen and found a large dusty ceramic jar from a corner. There were a few green coconut leaves and a camel printed on it.

Chang Youguang didn't care about the dirtiness, he just picked it up with both hands and went back to the living room, causing Yan Baozhen who was chasing him to stamp her feet repeatedly, "Youguang, clothes!"

"Boss Li, please take a look!" Chang Youguang placed the large ceramic jar directly on the square table. Boss Li quickly moved the teacup away, fearing that it would fall off.

Boss Li took out his glasses and put them on, carefully observing the seal, and then felt the weight with his hands, smiling: "Mr. Chang, yes, this is the authentic "Camel Brand" dye, and it has not been opened yet."

"If you are willing to give it up, then I will help you take it away?"

Chang Youguang smiled and waved his hand nonchalantly, "Take it. I want to thank you for helping me find a way to get this dye. It's just gathering dust here."

Boss Li counted out 120 yuan from his pocket, handed it to Chang Youguang with both hands, and said politely: "Thank you for your kindness!"

Wang Deming's eyes flashed with thought, and he asked casually, "Boss Li, are all these dyes so expensive?"

"Not entirely. Camel brand dyes have good color and don't fade easily. They are not like the pigments used to dye coarse cloth, which fade after a few washes."

Then he carefully picked up the jar and said, "Mr. Chang, let's go to the opera together some other day."

"Okay, wait a minute."

After Boss Li left, Yan Baozhen went into the hall and asked her husband, who was counting money with a silly smile, "Youguang, did you sell the dye?"

"I sold it. I didn't expect it to be so valuable. Hey, it's more valuable than porcelain."

Yan Baozhen sighed lightly: "Don't be silly, take off your clothes quickly and I'll wash them. Otherwise, they won't be clean in a while."

Chang Youguang slapped the money into his palm and said, "Deming, come on, brother-in-law will take you to the opera."

Wang Deming smiled and refused: "Brother-in-law, it won't work today. I have to go to the Chinese Medicine Association and complete the membership procedures. Then I will return to Changping."

"Hasn't it just been a few days since you came back? Why are you going back again?"

"Mom refused to come to the city with me. I have discussed with her that we will build a new house so that she can live more comfortably. We have already hired some help."

"Well, if you don't have enough money to build a house, ask your sister." Chang Youguang felt rather sorry. He went back to his room to change his clothes while looking back: "What a pity! Today, the Jixiang Theater is showing "Dingjun Mountain" by Tan Fuying, the second Peking Opera Troupe of Beijing. This is his first show since he came back from Tianjin." Chang Youguang went back to his room and changed into a lake-colored silk gown and cloth shoes. When he came out, he asked Yan Baozhen: "Baozhen, have my father and grandmother built a house?"

"It's almost time to get up."

"Come on, say hello and I'll be out."

"Not having breakfast at home?"

"I'm not going to eat anymore. I'll go to Wufangzhai to have a bite when I pass by Dong'an Market later."

Chang Youguang and Yan Baozhen went to Courtyard 82 to pay their respects to their father-in-law, Old Man Chang (father), and Grandma Ma (mother). Wang Deming went to the middle room of the south house (the back house) and pushed his bicycle out. He filled a basin with water and prepared to wipe the dust off with a soft cotton rag, and then apply some oil for maintenance.

Wang Deming's bicycle is a British Raleigh brand, commonly known as a phoenix-head bicycle, with a 26-inch large chain set, a thick cowhide seat, a speed-changing axle, a shiny motorcycle light, a reflector light on the fender and a bicycle bell.
If the Fei Ge bicycle produced in China in the 50s is compared to an Audi, then Wang Deming's Phoenix bike can really be compared to a Ferrari.
Phoenix head = the center of attention. Once this car is ridden out, it will definitely be the center of attention.

While he was wiping, he turned around and saw Chang Youguang and his wife coming back from Yard 82 together. Wang Deming was very curious, why did they come back together today?

Usually after the couple paid their respects, Yan Baozhen would stay in Courtyard 82 to help her father-in-law, mother-in-law, and elder sister-in-law wash and prepare breakfast. She would do it again at noon and in the evening. Not only that, she would also go to greet her parents-in-law before leaving and after returning.
Looking at Wang Deming's curious face, Yan Baozhen smiled and explained: "Ama. Dad asked us to throw away all these rules in the future."

"It's just a waste of time going back and forth. What else can we do with this time?"

"She also said that our family is registered as Han Chinese, and from now on we should change the names of the people in this family. We should stop calling them Ama and Grandma and call them Dad and Mom instead."

Wang Deming smiled with satisfaction and thought, these broken rules should have been thrown away long ago. Do you still think the Qing Dynasty is still around?

It's just that I have always been kind to others and have my own little thoughts, so my sister usually doesn't say anything, so that's it.

It seems that Old Man Chang is still very sober.

Yes, the main force of earning money now is actually my sister. The Chang family, like other banner families, has no skills to make a living, or their skills are outdated. Apart from selling their family property, the most they can do is to set up stalls to sell goods, or do small business from street to street. It's good enough if they can make a living.

Money is the courage of a hero. Master Chang Youguang put on sunglasses, lit a Camel cigarette, lifted the hem of his gown, waved to Yan Baozhen and Wang Deming in a dashing manner, walked out of the courtyard, hailed a rickshaw, and headed straight for Dong'an Market.

Sister Yan Baozhen accompanied Wang Deming in cleaning and maintaining the car while chatting with him.

"Deming, just now I told you to bring two bottles from home when you went to the Chinese Medicine Association to see Doctor Xia Xiwu. Although Fourth Master Rong has given us a greeting, we are now free after all. We can't let others think we are ignorant in terms of human relations."

"Got it, sister. When we go, I'll go to Yueshengzhai to buy some braised pork. We should keep things simple. It seems too heavy to bring antiques with you for the first time. It won't be conducive to future interactions."

"Okay, as long as you know what's going on."

"Okay, sister, I'm going to go out. You go make clothes with Stepmother. Don't work too hard. There is always work to do and money to be made." Wang Deming hesitated.
Yan Baozhen smiled with relief, gathered her hair, and replied gently: "Yes, I know."

In Wayao Village, the bricklayers who were building a house for Wang Deming arrived early. They worked very hard and just took shovels and pickaxes to start digging along the lines that Wang Deming had marked with lime.

Wang Deming said last time that because of the short time, he would continue to explain how to build the courtyard house next time.
What we talked about before was the most common single beam. The three-beam and five-beam ones later on are very complicated. There must be pillars in the middle, and the roof of the mountain should be covered with clear tiles. How do you build the Guangliang Gate and Ruyi Gate?
Hey, I'm just an educated person, how do I know so much about construction work?

By the way, the people who make kilns also know how to do that. Before leaving, they told Uncle Yan the right time to add water to the kiln. Hey, if Wayao Village can produce blue bricks and blue tiles again, how much money can they make?
While the bricklayers were working hard, Wang Shuqin and Qin Huairu got up early in the morning to light the big stove and boil water, adding salt and sugar to the water.

Seeing Wang Shuqin adding a lot of salt and sugar, Qin Huairu whispered a reminder: "Auntie, you don't need to put so much salt and sugar, right? It's a little older, it will probably cost 1 or 2 cents more!"

Wang Shuqin paused for a moment, first looking at the bricklayers who were working not far away and laughing, then she taught Qin Huairu in a low voice: "Xiaoru, I know you are doing this for my own good, and you are used to living a normal life. But they are working for us, so we have to take good care of them. Wages are wages, and kindness is kindness."

"Also remember, don't save small amounts of money. Money that should be saved is money that shouldn't be spent."

"Yes, I remember it, Auntie. Okay, Xiaoru, you can bring the water to them."

"Later, the sisters-in-law from the village will come to help us cook and make steamed buns made of 200 grams of flour. There is no market nearby today, so we can't buy meat. For the first meal, we will make fried eggs and stew some cabbage."

Qin Huairu was secretly shocked. No wonder Deming was so generous? It turned out that Aunt Yan spent money in the same way. However, she remained respectful on the surface: "Okay, Aunt."

"Hey, Huairu, you came to your husband's house to help in advance? You are so filial!"

"When are you planning to hold the wedding?"

“Should I ask when I will have my grandchild?”

"Ha ha ha ha."

Qin Huairu's face turned red from being teased by these bricklayers. Wang Shuqin immediately came to her rescue: "What's the matter? Is the water not sweet enough?"

"Are you making fun of my future daughter-in-law?"

"No, no, sister-in-law, let's just have some fun first. The water you prepared for us is so sweet. You are so generous!"

"Well, there's no big market today, and Xiaoru and I can't buy meat. Let's have some yellow vegetables for our first meal, so that you can add some meat to your energy!"

"Oh, sister-in-law, you are too polite. Just cook the cabbage. Save the eggs and exchange them for some money. At worst, exchange them for some oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, needles and thread."

"It's okay. Deming said that you guys are helping our family with work, so we have to accept this favor."

"Thank you, sister-in-law."

At lunchtime, when the steamed buns and yellow vegetables were served, the masons were grateful. This family was really kind, no wonder they built a house? And from the tone of voice, they would wait for the big market in a few days and buy meat directly!
During the lunch break, a bricklayer from Qinjia Village quietly avoided Qin Huairu, found Wang Shuqin, and whispered something to her.
Wang Shuqin's expression remained unchanged, but her eyes turned cold!
(End of this chapter)