Chapter 106: Taking Shape

The bathhouse finally began to resemble a building on the third day.

Once the drainage route had been checked and the ground prepared, Master Han’s workers set the foundation supports and began raising the timber frame.

Lin Yuan had seen the contractor’s crew build before, but watching the separate bathing sections appear made the original plan easier to understand.

A central wall would divide the structure into two sections. The heating area sat toward the rear, positioned so smoke could be directed away from the bathing rooms. Space for clean-water storage was reserved on the side closer to the well, while the drainage channel followed the slope toward lower ground.

The arrangement looked practical.

More importantly, it looked like something that could actually be operated without turning the area behind the tavern into a muddy mess.

Xiao Lan walked around the unfinished frame twice before stopping beside Lin Yuan.

"Which side is ours?"

He looked at her.

"Ours?"

"For women."

"You are already planning to use it?"

"Someone has to test it."

"That is not how testing works."

"Why not?"

"Because it isn’t built."

"I mean later."

Su Mei arrived carrying folded cloth.

"She’s been talking about this since breakfast."

"I know."

Xiao Lan pointed toward one side of the frame.

"This should be the women’s section."

Master Han looked up from where he was checking a support.

"Why?"

"It gets more shade in the afternoon."

Lin Yuan paused.

He looked toward the sun, then back at the building. The side Xiao Lan had indicated did receive more shade during the later part of the day.

"That’s actually not a bad point."

Xiao Lan smiled.

Lin Yuan regretted saying it immediately.

Master Han considered the angle.

"The difference is small, but she’s right. We can use that side without changing the plan."

Xiao Lan looked unbearably pleased.

Lin Yuan pointed toward the tavern.

"Go help Su Mei before you start redesigning the roof."

She left without argument, apparently satisfied that her opinion had influenced the construction.

Master Han watched her go.

"You may need to pay her as a consultant."

"No."

The contractor laughed and returned to his measurements.

Lin Yuan examined the frame again. Xiao Lan’s suggestion was a small one, but useful enough that he was glad Master Han had listened.

Construction made daily life less convenient.

Timber had to be moved around the market, workers came in and out of the tavern for meals and water, and the road behind the buildings needed to remain clear while the drainage channel was being prepared.

Travelers frequently stopped to watch. Children from one passing family spent half an afternoon following the workers until their parents finally called them away.

Despite the disruption, the tavern remained busy.

The higher room price continued without causing trouble, and several evenings still ended with most or all eight rooms occupied. Food sales remained steady as travelers and construction workers moved through the dining room.

That reassured Lin Yuan.

The bathhouse decision had been based partly on his belief that Blackstone’s traffic would remain strong. So far, the settlement was giving him little reason to regret that assumption, though he refused to treat a few busy days as a guarantee of future income.

Every evening, he updated the ledger.

Room income, food sales, market activity, supplies, and repair expenses all had their own entries. He also maintained a separate page for the bathhouse, recording the advance already paid, the construction balance still owed, and any additional expenditure that actually occurred.

For now, the bathhouse page contained no income.

Lin Yuan looked at it longer than he liked.

Su Mei passed behind him and noticed.

"It’s still being built."

"I know."

"You can’t expect it to earn anything yet."

"I know."

She glanced at the ledger.

"You look like you’re waiting for the paper to apologize."

Lin Yuan closed it.

"I’m checking."

"Of course."

Su Mei continued toward the kitchen.

Lin Yuan waited until she had gone before opening the ledger again.

He knew she was right.

A construction project couldn’t produce revenue before it opened. He had accounted for that when approving the bathhouse, and the outstanding construction balance remained reserved in his physical spirit-stone holdings.

Still, watching expenses accumulate without a corresponding income entry was an unpleasant experience.

The money had left his hands—or soon would—and the building wasn’t ready to serve a single customer.

He could only hope the coming weeks would justify the investment.

By the fourth morning, the tavern entrance was finished.

Master Han called Lin Yuan outside before breakfast to inspect the completed repairs. The temporary boards were gone, and the new frame had been cleaned, reinforced, and fitted properly into the existing structure.

Lin Yuan pushed against one of the supports.

Nothing moved.

He opened the door, closed it, then opened it again. The hinges moved smoothly, and the frame showed no sign of shifting.

When he turned around, Master Han was standing nearby with his arms crossed.

Lin Yuan stopped testing the door.

"Good work."

"Thank you."

"That sounded painful."

"It wasn’t."

"Then say it again."

"No."

Master Han laughed.

Lin Yuan stepped aside to examine the entrance from the road.

There was no longer any obvious sign of the damage around the doorway. The temporary boards were gone, the support was sound, and the repaired frame looked as though it belonged there.

It was a small thing compared with the mystery buried north of Blackstone, but Lin Yuan found it unexpectedly satisfying.

One more problem had finally been resolved.

Across the road, both repairable market stalls had also been restored. The third damaged stall remained dismantled, with its usable timber salvaged and the former site cleared for possible future use.

Of the two additional stalls, one was almost finished, while the other already had its main frame in place.

The market looked fuller even before anyone occupied the new spaces.

Lin Yuan stood beside the road and studied the area.

When he had first arrived, the ground in front of the tavern had been mostly empty. Now there were market stalls, Qiao Ren’s shop, wagons stopping along the road, travelers moving between merchants, and workers constructing another service behind the tavern.

The changes had happened gradually enough that Lin Yuan rarely noticed them all at once.

Qiao Ren came to stand beside him.

"You’re staring."

"I’m looking."

"At what?"

Lin Yuan gestured toward the market.

"This. It used to be empty."

Qiao Ren followed his gaze.

"Most places are empty before people build things."

Lin Yuan turned toward him.

"Thank you for the insight."

"You’re welcome."

Qiao Ren smiled.

Lin Yuan returned his attention to the market.

The repaired entrance meant one of the raid’s lingering problems was finally behind them. The warning formation had already been restored, and the market repairs were now complete.

Soon, the two additional stalls would give merchants more room to trade without setting up temporary tables along the road.

The bathhouse would take longer, but it was beginning to look like an actual building rather than a collection of plans and expenses.

Blackstone’s construction work no longer felt focused on recovering from the attack. With the repairs nearly finished and new structures rising, it was beginning to look like genuine expansion.

Master Han approached from behind.

"The additional materials arrived."

Lin Yuan turned toward the eastern road.

A wagon had just come into view, carrying more timber and stone along with several covered containers. According to Master Han, the containers held materials needed for the heating area and water-storage installation.

The workers began preparing space to unload the delivery.

Master Han looked toward the bathhouse frame.

"Once those are unloaded, we can continue with the main structure."

"How long until it’s finished?"

"If nothing unexpected happens, another two or three days."

Lin Yuan nodded.

He had learned not to celebrate construction estimates too early.

Master Han noticed his expression.

"You don’t believe me."

"I believe the words."

"That isn’t the same thing."

"No."

The contractor laughed and headed toward the wagon.

Lin Yuan watched the workers unload the additional materials. With the supplies arriving and the main frame already standing, the bathhouse was finally approaching the stage where opening it felt like a real possibility.

That meant he could no longer postpone the practical questions of fuel, cleaning, opening hours, staffing, and, most importantly, what customers would actually pay.

He glanced toward the tavern, where Su Mei was standing near the entrance.

She noticed immediately.

"No."

Lin Yuan blinked.

"I haven’t asked anything."

"You’re thinking about the bathhouse."

"That’s becoming an unfair skill."

"You make the same face every time money is involved."

Lin Yuan considered denying it, but Su Mei had already turned back toward the dining room.

There was little point.

He looked once more at the unfinished bathhouse, the repaired market stalls, and the workers unloading the materials for the next stage of construction.

Blackstone was growing.

The buildings were taking shape, and before long, some of the new spaces would begin serving customers.

For now, the ledger still held more construction expenses than income from the improvements.

Soon the ledger would need something more useful than an expense column.