Chapter 105: Work Underway

Construction resumed in earnest the next morning.

Master Han’s workers started with the tavern entrance, removing the temporary supports one at a time and replacing them with new timber measured to fit the existing frame. They opened the damaged section beside the door far enough for Master Han to inspect what had been hidden behind the patched boards.

Lin Yuan watched from several paces away.

"Well?"

Master Han examined the exposed frame before answering.

"The damage didn’t spread farther."

"That sounds good."

"It is."

Lin Yuan relaxed slightly, earning an amused glance from the contractor.

"You were expecting another problem."

"I’ve become cautious."

"That is one word for it."

Lin Yuan ignored him.

The replacement support went in before midday. By the time the new frame was fixed in place, the entrance looked less like something that had survived an attack and more like part of the original tavern again.

Xiao Lan stood outside studying it.

"It looks almost the same."

Master Han glanced at her.

"That is usually the goal of a repair."

"I thought it would look newer."

"It does."

She leaned closer, examining the fresh timber.

"Only a little."

Lin Yuan pointed toward the dining room.

"You have work."

Xiao Lan reluctantly went back inside.

Master Han watched her leave.

"She was expecting decoration."

"So was I."

"You specifically told me not to decorate anything."

"That doesn’t mean I didn’t expect you to try."

Master Han laughed and returned to inspecting the repaired frame.

Across the road, the market was changing more visibly.

The third damaged stall, whose frame had been too badly weakened to save, had already been dismantled. Much of its timber remained usable, so Master Han had set the sound pieces aside rather than waste them. The site itself had been cleared, with no replacement approved for that particular spot yet.

The other two damaged stalls were being reinforced, while farther along the market’s edge, workers had begun preparing the ground for the two additional stalls Lin Yuan had approved.

Qiao Ren had been watching the activity since breakfast.

Lin Yuan noticed him standing outside his shop, arms folded, paying considerably more attention to the construction than to his own customers.

"You have customers."

"They can see me from here."

"That isn’t the same thing as running your shop."

"I am supervising development."

"You are not supervising anything."

Qiao Ren looked toward the marked locations of the new stalls.

"One of those should be closer to my shop."

"Why?"

"Better customer flow."

"For you?"

"For the market."

"Your concern for the market is touching."

Qiao Ren did not appear offended.

Master Han walked past carrying a measuring cord. He had apparently heard enough of the conversation to understand the problem.

"Owner Lin chose the locations yesterday."

Qiao Ren turned toward him.

"Could they move slightly?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because I already measured them."

Lin Yuan smiled.

"I like him."

"I’ve noticed," Qiao Ren replied.

The merchant returned to his shop, though not before giving the construction site one last dissatisfied glance.

Lin Yuan watched him leave.

For someone who insisted he cared about the entire market, Qiao Ren had a remarkable talent for deciding that every improvement should happen directly in front of his own door.

The bathhouse site was prepared more slowly.

Master Han refused to begin laying the foundation supports until the drainage route had been checked again. That pleased Lin Yuan, who had already learned that seemingly simple buildings became considerably less simple the moment water was involved.

One worker followed the marked slope with a digging tool while another checked the difference in height between the bathhouse site and the lower ground beyond the market road.

Lin Yuan stood beside Master Han, watching them measure.

"Is there a problem?"

"Not yet."

"I don’t like that answer."

"It means we’re checking before there is one."

That was harder to complain about.

Master Han pointed toward the shallow channel they had marked.

"The used water needs to leave the building without pooling nearby. The slope is suitable, but this section is too close to where wagons sometimes turn."

Lin Yuan followed his gesture. The drainage route passed near a patch of packed earth that already showed the marks of repeated wagon traffic.

"So move it?"

"Slightly."

"Will that affect the building?"

"No. Only the drainage route."

"Then do it."

The workers adjusted the channel farther from the road and checked the slope again before continuing.

It was a minor change, but Lin Yuan was glad they had discovered the problem before the walls existed. Repairing a drainage channel after the bathhouse opened would have been considerably more troublesome than moving a few markers now.

He looked at the outline of the future building.

For the moment, it was still little more than marked earth, stacked timber, and bundles of materials waiting to be used. Nevertheless, travelers had already begun asking about it.

A merchant passing through the market slowed beside him.

"This is the bathing place?"

"It will be."

"When does it open?"

"When it has walls."

The merchant examined the stacked timber.

"Soon?"

Lin Yuan turned toward Master Han.

The contractor answered without looking up from his measurements.

"Several days, if the remaining materials arrive on time."

The merchant nodded as though he had received an official opening date.

"I’ll probably still be in Blackstone."

Lin Yuan looked at him.

"You’re staying that long?"

"Waiting for another caravan heading west."

That explained it.

The merchant glanced back toward the construction site.

"If it’s open before I leave, I’ll try it."

He continued toward the market, leaving Lin Yuan looking at the empty building outline.

Master Han smiled faintly.

"You have customers before the building exists."

"I’d prefer they wait until I’ve decided what to charge."

"That part is your problem."

"I know."

Still, the interest was encouraging.

Lin Yuan had committed actual spirit stones to the bathhouse without knowing exactly how much demand there would be. Hearing travelers ask about it before construction had properly begun was reassuring, even if their curiosity wasn’t the same as paying for the service.

By the second day, the tavern entrance was nearly complete. The replacement support was firmly in place, the damaged frame had been rebuilt, and Master Han expected to finish the remaining work within another day or two.

The market repairs progressed at the same time. One of the two repairable stalls returned to use before noon, while the other needed additional work around its frame.

The first new stall also began taking shape at the edge of the market, attracting attention almost as soon as the workers raised its roof supports.

A traveling herb merchant approached Lin Yuan while he was inspecting the construction.

"Is that available?"

"It isn’t finished."

"When it is."

Lin Yuan looked at him.

"You want to rent it?"

"If I’m still here."

"How long are you staying?"

"Three or four days."

Lin Yuan glanced toward the unfinished stall. He had expected the additional space to help during busy periods, but he hadn’t expected someone to ask about renting it before the roof was completed.

"What do you sell?"

The merchant gestured toward the bundles beside his cart.

"Dried herbs, basic salves, insect powder, travel medicine. Nothing rare."

That sounded useful.

Blackstone already had Qiao Ren’s shop selling general cultivation goods, but travelers still depended heavily on whichever merchants happened to be passing through. A stall offering practical medicine and travel supplies would be a welcome addition.

"The stall isn’t ready yet," Lin Yuan said. "Ask again when it’s finished."

The merchant nodded.

"Fair."

He returned to his cart without pressing the matter.

Qiao Ren appeared beside Lin Yuan shortly afterward.

"You should reserve it for him."

Lin Yuan looked at him.

"You heard that?"

"I was nearby."

"You are always nearby when money is being discussed."

"That’s a useful skill for a merchant."

Lin Yuan watched the herb seller return to his goods.

"He might leave before the stall is finished."

"Then someone else will take it."

"That confident?"

Qiao Ren pointed toward the market.

Three temporary sellers had already set up their own tables that morning because the available stalls were occupied.

Lin Yuan followed his gesture.

The sight made the need for additional space difficult to argue with.

"Fine. Maybe you were right about expanding the market."

Qiao Ren smiled.

"Four stalls."

"Don’t ruin the moment."

The merchant laughed, looking entirely too pleased with himself.

Lin Yuan returned his attention to the construction.

Two additional stalls were already a meaningful improvement, especially while the damaged market structures were being restored. If demand remained strong after the new spaces opened, he could reconsider the other two Master Han had recommended preparing space for.

There was no need to approve another expense before the current work was finished.

By the end of the second day, the repairs and market expansion were moving steadily. The bathhouse was still little more than prepared ground and waiting materials, but with the drainage route settled and the foundation work ready, that would not remain true for long.