Chapter Seventy-Nine: Building a House

Wei Renshi and Jiao Haiqing left the Jiao residence together and made their way to Old Wang's flatbread shop.

Old Wang and his daughter had already learned several recipes from Wei Renshi, and from what they’d said, a few of those new dishes were now for sale in their shop. However, Wei Renshi had never actually gone to see for himself.

From a distance, he could see a throng of people milling about in front of Old Wang’s shop, with low stools and small tables set out along the roadside, all filled with customers.

When they drew closer, they found there were no seats left, and many more people stood waiting for their turn.

“When did Old Wang’s shop become so popular!” Jiao Haiqing exclaimed in astonishment.

Wei Renshi edged forward for a better look. True to his advice, Old Wang had hung a menu on the wall, listing the dishes available for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

There were quite a few offerings; about eighty percent of what Old Wang and his daughter Wang Xiaosui had learned from him had made it onto the menu.

“Manager Wang,” Wei Renshi called out as he approached.

Manager Wang looked up, his face lighting with delight. “Master Wei, you’re here!”

Hearing her father’s voice, Wang Xiaosui hurried out from the back and called, “Master Wei, you’ve come!”

Jiao Haiqing looked at Wei Renshi in surprise, then broke into a broad grin.

“Uh, I told you, you don’t have to call me ‘Master’...” Wei Renshi scratched his head, then added, “I’ll have a bowl of lamb soup with stewed noodles!”

“I want that one...” Jiao Haiqing pointed to the menu. “The chili oil noodles! Just the name makes my mouth water.”

“Give him a bowl of morning porridge and a few of the leftover pan-fried buns,” Wei Renshi said to Wang Xiaosui, glancing at Jiao Haiqing. “Make the buns vegetarian. And prepare a small pot of thick noodles for us as well.”

“There’s no room out here—Master Wei, please take a seat inside!” Wang Xiaosui led them into the inner room, usually reserved for her and her father to rest when business was slow.

Once they were seated, Wang Xiaosui excused herself and went out to prepare their food.

After she left, Jiao Haiqing sidled up to Wei Renshi, waggling his eyebrows with a grin. “I think that young lady rather likes you.”

“Don’t talk nonsense,” Wei Renshi replied, shaking his head. “She’s just grateful I taught cooking to her and her father.”

“Nonsense?” Jiao Haiqing echoed curiously. “What is this ‘nonsense’? And why shouldn’t I talk about it?”

Wei Renshi rolled his eyes. “Let’s talk business. I originally meant to ask for your help finding some good builders, but on the way here, I stumbled upon a new business opportunity.”

“What kind of business?” Jiao Haiqing asked.

“Coal,” Wei Renshi replied. “Coal is a fine thing, but people don’t know how to use it.”

“Coal?” Jiao Haiqing frowned. “That filthy, heavy stuff? It burns slow, too. What kind of business could there possibly be in that?”

“That’s exactly the opportunity. Everyone thinks like you—that coal is dirty, heavy, and burns slowly. But I know that if you process it, and use the right equipment, it can be wonderful. Tell me, when your house gets cold in winter, how do you keep warm?”

“What else? We set out charcoal braziers. Doesn’t everyone?” Jiao Haiqing replied. “Surely you’re not suggesting burning coal? That’s even smokier!”

“I said it has to be processed, and you need the proper equipment,” Wei Renshi explained. “I can make a coal stove that not only heats the room but also serves as a stove or table, and it prevents carbon monoxide poisoning. The fuel is honeycomb coal, made from processed coal. My business idea is to mine coal, make it into honeycomb briquettes, and sell both the briquettes and the stoves.”

Jiao Haiqing considered this. “But I already have a stove for cooking and braziers for warmth. Why switch to these honeycomb briquettes and stoves you mention?”

“With my coal stove, as long as you tend the briquettes regularly, you can wear spring clothing indoors even in the dead of winter. How many braziers would it take to achieve that?” Wei Renshi countered. “And my coal stove doesn’t create foul odors or cause poisoning.”

“For restaurants, my coal stove burns the honeycomb briquettes efficiently—a dozen or so can last through a meal rush, and just a few dozen for a whole day. How much firewood would that take? For an ordinary household, seven or eight briquettes keep the fire burning all day, so the stove is always ready. Leave a kettle on top, and you’ll have hot water at any time.”

“That’s rather interesting,” Jiao Haiqing admitted, stroking his chin. “But I’ve never seen one myself—I’d want to have a look before investing.”

“I understand. I just wanted to give you advance notice,” Wei Renshi said. “I haven’t had time to make a prototype yet. Once I do, you can come try it at my house.”

Jiao Haiqing nodded. “Of course. By the way, you mentioned looking for builders?”

“That’s right,” Wei Renshi said. “I’ve taken on a few tenant workers, but I have nowhere for them to live. And the house is old—I figured now that the weather’s not so hot, it’s time to repair or even rebuild as needed.”

“You want to build houses for your tenants?” Jiao Haiqing was surprised. “That’s hardly a frugal way to run a household.”

“These tenants are somewhat special,” Wei Renshi said. “I mean to treat them as household guards.”

“Alright, I do know some skilled builders. They built my house, in fact. I’ll call them over and send them to Changgu to find you,” Jiao Haiqing promised.

Wei Renshi nodded, then lowered his voice. “Brother Jiao, if I wanted to buy a mountain, does your family have any connections that could help?”

Jiao Haiqing, recalling what Wei Renshi had said earlier, quickly caught on. “You want a mountain with coal deposits?”

“Exactly,” Wei Renshi replied. “Do you have any way to help me with this?”

“Buying an entire mountain is probably impossible. But fencing off a section of land at the foot of a mountain shouldn’t be too hard,” Jiao Haiqing said. “Besides, even if you bought a mountain, where would you find the manpower to mine coal? I don’t know much about mining, but if it’s anything like quarrying stone, you’ll need thousands of people. That’s a huge number to hire, and the authorities might not even let you hire so many. Even if you could, how would you support them? Even if my family partnered with you, we couldn’t sustain so many. Brother Renshi, I think if you’re serious about this business, you should start small. If it’s as promising as you say, others will come to invest later on. Then it’ll be easier to support more workers.”

Wei Renshi was taken aback by this reminder.

He truly hadn’t considered that problem.

“You’re right, I hadn’t thought of that,” Wei Renshi admitted. “With my current resources, I couldn’t possibly support thousands. I’ll go inspect the area first; if it’s not feasible, I’ll just produce a small batch and try selling to wealthy households this winter to test the waters.”

“Good! Ha! Just don’t forget to give me one first, Brother Renshi!” Jiao Haiqing laughed. “After what you’ve said, I’m really curious! If your stove can keep a house so warm that I can wear spring clothes in winter, it’ll be a treasure fit for the immortals!”