Cleaning House. Part 1

A new planning policy was announced for the district where Daimao was located. Not just the streets and alleys, but even the nooks and crannies were to be changed. The dormitories of the major factories, the old private houses, the dilapidated storefronts, and that Antiques Market, which used a spirit screen for its facade—none would escape.

People had known for the past three to five years that the city was developing at a breakneck pace. The World Trade Department Store and the International Building were spreading out from the city center, and everything would eventually be made new. The citizens were delighted and looked forward to it, but the dealers in the Antiques Market were not. Where would they go in the future? The policy stated that this area would be converted into the new compound for the Municipal Public Security Bureau. Who would dare to conduct business and hawk their wares nearby?

One might sell a counterfeit one moment and end up in the police station the next.

Ding Hanbai, ever the one to worry about the world's problems before anyone else, had arrived. The moment he rounded the spirit screen, he sensed an unusual quietness. Strolling around, he saw the man selling Blue and white porcelain humming a tune and the one selling Tang Sancai smoking a cigarette, as if competing to see who was more dejected.

He stood before a stall, and the seller said, "If you see something you like, buy it now. You might not find it tomorrow."

He asked, "Where are you moving?"

The man said, "Culture Street, Jianjia. It was never that stable here anyway, we just run around and set up stalls wherever."

Ding Hanbai mused, "What if everyone moved into a large building, rented a shop, didn't have to endure the wind and sun, and no one could fight over stall space? What would you think of that?"

The seller was stunned. It was novel, unheard of. They weren't white-collar workers or sales clerks, could they really do business in a building? He had never heard of such a thing, never seen such a building that could accommodate them. He couldn't answer the question.

Ding Hanbai smiled and continued to wander, not buying anything. At noon, he went to the Cultural Relics Bureau to meet Zhang Yin for lunch. Face to face, he poured tea and served food, but not in a fawning way, treating the other man as a friend.

Zhang Yin had heard from Zhang Sinian that this fellow was planning a big venture, and he could be of help. "You're quite flexible, aren't you? Weren't you so arrogant back then?" he taunted, getting in a verbal jab first.

Ding Hanbai said, "I never planned on looking for you. Even if I needed help from someone at the Bureau, wouldn't it be faster to find the director?" The director was an old acquaintance of Ding Yanshou's, admired him greatly, and was a regular customer of Jade Pavilion. "But Master pleaded with you on my behalf. So never mind being flexible, even if I had to hold up my face for you to slap, I couldn't let the old man down." He continued, "Besides, the old man isn't just doing this for me, he's also doing it for you."

Zhang Yin's eyes shot up. He was hoping for an explanation but feigned disbelief.

"You like antiques, right? But for all your passion, your eye isn't good enough, right?" Ding Hanbai reverted to his old self, his words becoming sharp. "Government offices are slow and cumbersome. I'm only looking for you to speed things up, not to do anything against the rules. You lose nothing by helping me, and in the future, whoever I know in this circle, would any of them dare to cheat you? Whatever you take a fancy to, I can help you appraise it anytime."

It was a direct hit on his weak spot. Zhang Yin was tempted. Ding Hanbai added, "Do you know why the old man won't help you? If he helps you once, what will you do when he's gone and you stumble? He's entrusting you to me, so we can help each other out and both strive for a good future."

It was a well-reasoned emotional appeal. Ding Hanbai knew Zhang Yin couldn't resist. This guy was petty and vain, but not fundamentally bad. The way he had staggered through the Hutong that night, he had been genuinely hurt. One needed a heart to be heartbroken; the Zhang father and son were not at the point of complete indifference to each other.

The persuasion was a success.

Ding Hanbai continued to wander, heading over to see the large building that was nearing completion.

The old was on its way out, the new was about to arrive. Times of change were the easiest for heroes to emerge.

Besides heroes, there were of course villains. The representatives of the three Jade Pavilion shops gathered at the Second Shop, waiting for Ding Erhe to take full charge of distributing materials worth several hundred thousand yuan. Ji Shenyu didn't even show his face, staying peacefully at the First Shop to work. When the shop assistant returned with the boxes, he gave the inventory list a light glance.

The assistant grumbled, "Such a small amount, was it even worth distributing?"

Ji Shenyu chuckled. "It's better than nothing. These are all good materials." He knew the score. After personally recording and storing them, he got back to work, expressing no dissatisfaction with the distribution.

At dinner that night, Jiang Ting'en couldn't hold back any longer. He slammed the inventory list for the Third Shop onto the table, ready to complain to Ding Yanshou. Ding Erhe calmly explained with a smile that jewelry making required relatively less material, and besides, the materials hadn't all been distributed at once.

Ding Yanshou asked, "Shenyu, is the First Shop's share enough?"

Ji Shenyu replied, "One can never have too much material, so there's no such thing as enough or not enough. I'll abide by Second Brother's distribution." The answer was ambiguous, but it was enough to quell the dispute. After dinner, he was in the study drawing lines for a large piece, with Ding Yanshou supervising by his side. In these small moments, all conflicts seemed to be temporarily set aside. He was still the obedient apprentice, and Ding Yanshou was still the master who commanded both respect and awe.

It was a tall statue of Guanyin, made of Qingtian stone. Ji Shenyu's hand was steady and his mind focused, the lines he drew exquisitely smooth. As he drew the lotus medallion pattern on the robe, a connection seemed to form between his ears, nose, mouth, and heart, and he actually murmured, "Namo Amitabha."

Ding Yanshou was taken aback, a sense of pride overflowing. The highest state of craftsmanship was to be completely immersed in it, so much so that even one's mutterings were related to the object at hand. But in that same instant, he plunged into the depths of despair. Such a good apprentice, such a good son, why did he have to have such an unbearable flaw?

He let out a long sigh and turned to pace by the window. Ji Shenyu asked, "Master, did I not draw it well?"

Ding Yanshou said, "You drew it very well." He couldn't see the moon in the sky, nor the stars at night; his heart was shrouded in darkness. After a long moment, the head of the family spoke in an almost pleading tone, "Shenyu, let's correct that flaw of yours, can we?"

The tip of the brush trembled. Ji Shenyu's nose suddenly tingled. "Master, I don't have a flaw." He felt so wronged, wronged on behalf of Ding Hanbai as well. "At first, I also thought it wasn't right, but I just like Senior Brother... I'm willing to be good to him for my whole life, to become the person who helps him the most. We haven't committed any crimes, we haven't broken any laws... We just love each other."

Once he started, more came pouring out. He choked up and apologized, "Master, I'm sorry."

Ding Yanshou was silent for a long time, then asked, "Is he dabbling in antiques?"

Ji Shenyu replied, "I don't know."

Ding Yanshou turned to glare at him. "You're already the person who helps him the most, how could you not know?" That rascal had loved to burrow into the Antiques Market since he was a child, always dragging things home. He had just thought of him as a spendthrift squandering money, who would have thought he'd want to change careers for it.

Among the real and the fake, it was inevitable to make a mistake. He wasn't afraid of losing money; it was just that his own son's heart was higher than the heavens, and he was afraid the boy couldn't handle the blow. Besides, what about Jade Pavilion? That's right, they had already severed their father-son relationship, why should he care about Jade Pavilion?

This irreconcilable conflict was like a tangled ball of thread, chaotic and knotted, making one wish to set it ablaze.

Just then, Ji Shenyu asked, "Master, is this line for the hair thin enough?"

Ding Yanshou went over to look. "No problem. The line for the curved eyebrow needs to be half as thin."

In this exchange, they temporarily forgot their troubles, focusing only on the task at hand.

After Ji Shenyu finished the lines and left, Jiang Shuliu next door listened to the sounds. Out of twenty-four hours in a day, she could be conflicted for twenty-three of them. How was Ding Hanbai doing recently? Had he thought things through after being apart for a while? She had sprouted some white hair, worrying herself into the skinniest female comrade at her workplace.

Women are perceptive, and mothers even more so. Jiang Shuliu vaguely understood that driving one away and keeping the other was no solution at all. Ding Hanbai had been unyielding since the womb, and Ji Shenyu, though gentle, was also stubborn and resilient. She feared that in the end, instead of being separated by them, the two would abandon them and leave.

She also remembered a time when Ding Hanbai had been beaten, and Ji Shenyu had gone to great lengths to cook fish soup for him. She had been surprised then, but looking back now, everything was clear. So this was what happened when boys fell in love—it was just as earnest and considerate.

Unaware of all this, Ji Shenyu returned to the small courtyard, prepared a set of durable clothes, and went to bed early.

As Ding Hanbai had said, Ding Erhe told Ding Keyu to loosen his watch, giving Ji Shenyu a pass. Ding Keyu was happy to do so. Firstly, surveillance was hard work, and secondly, after spending time together, he felt Ji Shenyu wasn't a bad person.

At noon the next day, a van was parked at the gate of No. 6 High School. Ji Shenyu hopped in right after school, chewing on candy and singing a song all the way to Tong Village. The porcelain kiln had changed drastically. Batches of goods were lined up tightly, and the kiln fire never rested for a moment.

It was the same small office where the four of them held a meeting over a meal. Fang Huaiqing asked, "Boss Ding has already set up his own business, when are you going to leave and join him to build a life together?"

How would Ji Shenyu know? He couldn't answer. Ding Hanbai took over the topic. "Soon." He looked at the new delivery orders, the numbers densely packed—models, specifications, quantities, and finally, the total price. Someone bad at math would have thrown up.

He looked up and noticed Ji Shenyu watching him. He asked, "Really soon?"

He repeated, "Really soon."

Just for that one sentence, Ji Shenyu's mood and appetite lifted. He grinned even while eating a bun, earning a scolding from Fang Huaiqing for being spineless. The lunch break was short. He and Ding Hanbai huddled in this small room, Ding Hanbai's notebook laid out before them. The handwriting was a flurry of strokes, and he struggled to decipher it, realizing the magnitude of the project they were facing.

They couldn't wait for the chosen building to be finished; they had to apply immediately. Setting up an antique city required a lot of paperwork, and they needed to smooth over connections on all fronts. Then came the promotion, to get people in the circle to recognize the new place.

The first thing they needed was a large amount of capital.

Too many people with ideas and ambitions had given up at this stage.

Ding Hanbai's money mainly came from the porcelain kiln and antiques. The former took time, the latter required opportunity, and right now, time was tight. Ji Shenyu had two tasks today: to restore a batch of damaged pieces and to fire a batch of top-quality items.

Liang Hecheng had once said that his former apprentice had learned less than seventy percent of his skills and was only after money, not refinement, which was why Fang Huaiqing could only stand aside now. The glaze formulas had been written down long ago, and Ding Hanbai had also copied various patterns. After a sufficient rest, Ji Shenyu stayed in the kiln, directing the technicians and workers. By the time he came out, he was covered in dust.

He took off his mask and met the equally filthy Ding Hanbai. He leaned in for a sniff, the smell acrid. Ding Hanbai had lost several pounds from exhaustion. He took his hand, kneading his fingertips, and pulled out a clean handkerchief to wipe him down.

Ji Shenyu asked, "How much are we short?"

Ding Hanbai replied, "The eight repaired pieces have all been sold at their ideal prices."

In this business, selling was as difficult as finding a hidden treasure, let alone selling at an ideal price. "One big sale to feed us for three years. I need a treasure that can feed us for three years," Ding Hanbai said in an exaggerated, theatrical tone. "The Cultural Relics Bureau side is settled. I've been running around to all the relevant departments. I'm just afraid the software will be in place, but the hardware won't keep up."

A single penny can crush a hero. With so many overseas Chinese returning to invest these days, it would be a huge regret if someone else seized the opportunity first. Ji Shenyu was only seventeen. He was learning carving and forgery outside of school, and Chinese and math in school. He couldn't think of any good ideas. He could only draw closer, helping Ding Hanbai wipe his hands and face, using these gestures of care as comfort.

Ding Hanbai squeezed his hand, holding it in his palm. "I'm sorry," he said.

He looked lost, and Ding Hanbai said again, "Making you follow me at such a young age, with so much effort and worry. I've made you suffer."

Ji Shenyu was momentarily stunned. It was the first time this person had spoken in such a subdued tone, thick with apology and hiding a self-esteem wounded by hardship. He squeezed Ding Hanbai's hand back, feeling the thick calluses.

At this moment, he wanted nothing more than for Ding Hanbai to go home.

To the living room in the Front Courtyard, to that small courtyard. Ding Hanbai, this weary, wandering hawk, should return to the nest to warm himself for a moment. He wanted to brew a cup of green tea and place it on the stone table, and when the night grew deep, it would be his turn to gift Ding Hanbai a moon.

"Senior Brother, don't be like this," Ji Shenyu said. "Let me have dinner with you tonight before I go home, okay?" It didn't matter if he got scolded or beaten when he got back. Nothing mattered. They were deeply in love when things were carefree, and they would get through hardships together when things were overwhelming. He wanted to do both.

He stayed until evening, handing over another batch of new porcelain before leaving.

They returned to Chongshui Old District. The dilapidated Hutong was at its liveliest at this hour. The aroma of cooking wafted from every household, children blocked the road playing soccer and jumping rope, and people coming home from work could make a symphony with their bicycle bells. As they entered the Hutong, they both saw a person standing at their gate.

It was too dark to see clearly. As they got closer, they heard an anxious, hurried voice call out, "Big Brother." Jiang Ting'en was sick with waiting. He rushed to Ding Hanbai and said urgently, "Why are you two only back now?! I thought you eloped!"

Ding Hanbai said, "Why don't you say it a little louder? Are you afraid the neighbors won't know?"

Jiang Ting'en grabbed Ji Shenyu. Usually a lackey, he was now acting with surprising forcefulness. "Second Brother came to the Third Shop today, looked at the ledgers, and moved the funds. He used the Third Shop to cover the Second Shop's losses." It was dark, but his flushed, angry face was exceptionally clear. "I went home to find Uncle, but Uncle is sick, his coughing was louder than my voice. Second Brother even said I'm not a Ding, so I have no right to speak!"

Ji Shenyu was very calm. "I'm not a Ding either."

"..." Jiang Ting'en was so anxious and angry he could have dropped dead. It was true he wasn't a Ding, but Jade Pavilion was the lifeblood of his uncle and master. It had been maintained in an orderly fashion for so many years, how could he let someone exploit a loophole?

He mustered his courage and tugged on Ding Hanbai's sleeve. "Big Brother! What's your surname?!"

Ding Hanbai was amused by this loyal, hot-blooded fool. He broke free, put an arm around Ji Shenyu, and walked inside, deliberately shouting loud and clear, "—Master, what good dishes are there for dinner?"

Jiang Ting'en's large frame was for naught; he was on the verge of tears without any backup. He turned and ran, unwilling and resentful, hailing a cab to go home and find his own father. Jiang Xunzhu was extremely embarrassed. What kind of brother-in-law meddles in his sister's husband's family affairs for no reason? Before he could finish speaking, Jiang Ting'en had run off again, with the air of a soldier charging into battle.

The Ding Family Compound was brightly lit. They were having lamb in a copper hot pot. Strange, every time they had this, something bad was bound to happen.