Chapter 41

It had taken three years to build the place, little by little. Who knew my wife wouldn't live to enjoy it? She passed away just a few years later. Plenty of people have wanted to buy it since, but I always said no. If I didn't have to hurry back to my hometown, I couldn't bear to sell it now."

The old man sighed.

"Sir, going back to your hometown means you'll have a good life," the woman said. "You've got a whole crowd of relatives there. It'll be lively."

The old man's expression softened, but he held firm. "This house is what I'm counting on for my retirement. Eleven hundred yuan, not a cent less."

"Well..." The woman looked at Gu Jinshui awkwardly.

She knew his limit was a thousand yuan.

"Sir! Sir!" A man pounded on the door outside, shouting at the top of his lungs.

The old man's face darkened. He went to the door and drew back the bolt. "What are you yelling for?"

"Sir, my dear uncle, why didn't you tell me you were selling the house?"

The man wore dark glasses. He had a broad, square build, and his military overcoat stretched across him like a tablecloth.

The old man sneered. "What's it got to do with you? This house belongs to the Wang family."

"Come on, Uncle. No need to treat me like a stranger, is there?"

The man grinned ingratiatingly, but he shoved his way into the courtyard.

The moment he spotted Gu Jinshui, his face fell. "Who are you people? Go on, get out. This courtyard isn't for sale."

"Bullshit! I'm selling my house!"

The old man gritted his teeth, then turned to Gu Jinshui. "Young man, tell me what you can offer."

The woman tugged at Gu Jinshui's sleeve and whispered, "This house looks like trouble. Maybe we should forget it."

The man had sharp ears. He heard her and immediately chimed in:

"She's right. I wouldn't buy it if I were you. If you do, I'll come knocking every few days. Do you know who my big brother is?"

"Who's your big brother?" Amused, Gu Jinshui lit a cigarette, took a drag, and watched the man through the smoke.

The man pointed at himself smugly. "My big brother is Gu Jinshui. Everyone around here is under his protection."

"Cough, cough!"

Gu Jinshui choked on his cigarette. He coughed so hard his eyes watered.

"Oh, Xiao Gu, are you all right?" the woman asked anxiously.

Gu Jinshui waved a hand and wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes.

He looked up at the fat man. "Say that again. Who's your big brother?"

"Gu Jinshui. What, scared now?" The fat man took off his dark glasses and looked him up and down. "Kid, you're all skin and bones. Don't go looking for trouble."

"You said your big brother is Gu Jinshui."

Gu Jinshui dropped his cigarette and ground it out under his foot. "Then how come I don't know you?"

The fat man froze and eyed him suspiciously. "Don't give me that crap. You think Gu Jinshui looks like you? Everyone says he's a giant of a man, with fists bigger than cooking pots."

Gu Jinshui sighed.

He turned to the woman. "You can vouch for me, can't you? Is my name Gu Jinshui?"

She blinked, unsure what was going on. "Yes, that's your name."

The fat man went still. His feet carried him a step backward before he knew it.

"Well? Need me to beat you up so you can see how big my fists are?"

Gu Jinshui stepped toward him.

The fat man tried to look fierce, but the flesh on his face trembled and sweat rolled down his cheeks. "Y-you... Assault is against the law! The Public Security station's right nearby."

"Hit him! Beat him within an inch of his life! Tell them I did it. Let's see if Public Security will haul in a man my age!"

Elder Wang pointed his cane at the fat man, furious.

"All right!" Gu Jinshui made as if to charge.

The fat man bolted. He tripped over the threshold and landed flat on his face, then scrambled up and fled.

"What a disgrace to the family."

Elder Wang's anger faded, leaving him looking helpless and worn down.

"Young man, I don't care who you are," he told Gu Jinshui. "You helped me. As long as your offer isn't too low, I'll take it."

"Eleven hundred yuan, sir."

Gu Jinshui didn't take advantage of him. He pulled two hundred yuan from his pocket. "Here's the deposit. My relatives are the ones buying the house. I'll bring them to sign tomorrow, and we'll exchange the money for the house then."

Elder Wang looked startled.

He gazed at Gu Jinshui, his feelings tangled. "You're a good man."

He accepted the money. "That fat man is my wife's nephew. Once I sell the house to you, he'll be back to make trouble."

Gu Jinshui smiled. "Don't worry about that, sir. I've got plenty of brothers. If he makes trouble, we'll break his legs."

Petty thugs who bullied the weak and feared the strong had no guts.

Gu Jinshui hadn't even touched him, and he had run away.

When Elder Guan's family moved in, Gu Jinshui would bring Shanhu, Douzi, and a few other brothers along. He'd make sure the fat man never dared walk past the house again.

"If you're sure, I won't try to talk you out of it."

Elder Wang pointed at the pile of wood on the ground. "I won't take advantage of you, either. I picked up that wood and meant to sell it later. You can have all of it."

Gu Jinshui agreed with a smile.

He paid the wood no mind. At most, it would fetch a few yuan.

The house was settled.

Gu Jinshui hurried to Beizang Village to tell Elder Guan and his family.

He said nothing about the extra hundred yuan. He had already come out well ahead on the deal; paying another hundred could count as a good deed.

The paperwork went through quickly the next day.

Elder Guan, Auntie Guan, and Guan Daya stared at their family's names on the deed, all a little dazed.

Auntie Guan was so moved that she cried.

Elder Wang was reluctant to leave. "I'm not taking anything in the house with me. Keep whatever you want and throw the rest away."

"Thank you so much," Auntie Guan said quickly.

Elder Wang waved it off. He looked at the stack of money before him, his feelings mixed.

"Sir, let me know when you leave," Gu Jinshui said. "I'll see you off."

Elder Wang paused, then understood his kind intention. "No need. My nephews from back home will be here shortly."

"That's good," Gu Jinshui said.

He saw the woman from the Housing Reform Bureau off first, discreetly handing her a ten-yuan thank-you gift.

She took one look at it. "Goodness, ten yuan? I can't take this. Put it away."

"Please keep it. You worked hard running around to help us buy this house. I'd feel bad if you didn't accept a little something."

Gu Jinshui smiled. "Besides, I'm sure I'll need your help again."

"Well, if you insist, I'll accept it. Don't worry, I'll keep an eye on that Courtyard House for you. It hasn't sold yet."

She tucked away the money with a smile, looking at Gu Jinshui as fondly as if he were one of her own younger relatives.

"Thank you. And if a smaller courtyard comes up, please remember me. You've still got my number." Gu Jinshui saw her onto the bus before returning.

A little while later.

Elder Wang's nephews arrived. He had little to take: a few changes of clothes, some bedding, and a memorial tablet. His nephews helped him leave. He glanced back at the courtyard, and a tear slipped quietly down his cheek.

As for the Guan family.

Elder Guan and Auntie Guan were already hard at work.

They fetched water, mopped the floors, and wiped down the tables. When Gu Jinshui came in, Auntie Guan hurried over. "Young man, we're moving tomorrow. Your family must come celebrate with us."

"Of course." Gu Jinshui grinned shamelessly. "The whole family will come. That'll save us cooking dinner."

"We'd be delighted to have you." The smile never left Auntie Guan's face.

Seeing how busy they were, Gu Jinshui made to leave. As he crossed the courtyard, his gaze fell on the wood.

He took a few steps, then hurried back. Crouching down, he wiped a piece with his handkerchief. It was golden with a hint of purple and gave off a faint fragrance. He hefted it; it was much heavier than ordinary wood.

Wasn't this the legendary Golden-Silk Nanmu, the wood that took a thousand years to grow?!

A Conversation Overheard

Old Master Xi rose from the ground. His legs had gone numb after crouching for so long.

Gu Jinshui hurried over to help him up. "Well, Master?"

Old Master Xi took off his glasses and looked Gu Jinshui up and down.

After a moment, he sighed. "I hardly know what to say. Your luck is something else. That old gentleman just gave you all this Golden-Silk Nanmu?"

"He certainly did."

Hearing that, Gu Jinshui could finally relax. He might have made a mistake, but Old Master Xi's eyes never would. "Master, how much do you think it's worth?"

"If you ask me, don't sell it." Old Master Xi sat down and reached for the teapot, but Gu Jinshui beat him to it and poured him a cup. Old Master Xi accepted without protest and leaned back in the rocking chair, letting it sway gently. "This much Golden-Silk Nanmu is a once-in-a-lifetime find. Keep it. You could have it made into furniture someday, or leave it to your descendants. This is something worth passing down."

"Then I'll do as you say!"

Gu Jinshui made up his mind on the spot.

Old Master Xi smiled at him. "What, no rush to make money anymore?"

"I'm in a rush, sure, but I've got to know what matters most," Gu Jinshui said. "If you say this wood is good and I sell it anyway, wouldn't that make me a wastrel?"

Old Master Xi couldn't help laughing.

Seeing him in such a good mood for once, Gu Jinshui asked, "Master, they're holding a housewarming dinner this afternoon. Want to come?"

"Why would I? It has nothing to do with me."

Old Master Xi had always kept his distance from lively gatherings like that.

He looked at the Golden-Silk Nanmu in front of him. "Leave it here for now. Come get it when you need it."

"Oh, I couldn't possibly trouble you again," Gu Jinshui said with false modesty.

Old Master Xi scoffed. "Enough. You've already brought it here, so stop pretending. Go on, get out of here. Just don't forget to read when you get home."

"I won't. Don't worry," Gu Jinshui promised.

After leaving, he didn't head home right away. He went to a nearby restaurant and ordered a month's worth of lunches for Old Master Xi, paying a server an extra five yuan to deliver them.

Only after arranging that did he leave.

The Guan family's move was easy. Elder Guan seemed to have made peace with leaving and didn't bring much from their old home. With Shanhu, Douzi, and a whole crowd from the Gu family helping, they finished in one afternoon.

Elder Guan didn't skimp on the housewarming dinner. There were eight dishes, all substantial: braised pork knuckle, roast chicken, roast duck...

At the end, he even gave Gu Jinshui and the others a pack of Daqianmen cigarettes each.

Even by Beijing standards, it was a generous spread.

"Sir, there's no need to be so formal. Come visit our place with Auntie Guan whenever you have time. Nearby neighbors can be closer than distant relatives. We ought to see each other often."

Gu Jinshui spoke with a cheerful smile.

Elder Guan smiled for once and nodded. "All right. We'll visit sometime."

He Chunlian said nothing in front of the others, but on the way home, she gave Gu Jinshui rare praise. "Jin Shui, you handled things well today. Helping someone like that is a good deed."

Gu Yinxing was jealous. "Mom, I save lives at the hospital."

He Chunlian shot her a look. "Isn't that what doctors do?"

"Hey, don't look down on my work! Could doctors save anyone without us nurses?" Gu Yinxing protested.

She complained plenty about how grueling nursing was, but if anyone else disparaged her job, she bristled at once.

Mother and daughter bickered all the way.

Gu Jinshui and Liang Ying listened and laughed.

Before they knew it, they were home. They had just reached the entrance to the Compound Courtyard and were passing the Courtyard Chief's room when Elder Guo suddenly called out, "Chunlian! Jin Shui..."

He Chunlian and the others stopped.

Elder Guo hurried out of his room. When he saw them, his smile was warmer than it had ever been. "Chunlian, your family is finally back."

He