Chapter 18: Construction Begins

Six days passed quickly.

By the end of the second day, the old staff room was clean and usable. The remaining days disappeared between customers, cultivation, and preparations for the expansion.

Business remained steady.

The four guest rooms filled most nights, and during the busiest hours, customers sometimes had to wait for a table.

Lin Yuan had stopped wondering whether the expansion was necessary.

On the morning of the sixth day, he was carrying a sack of grain toward the kitchen when the sound of wheels reached the courtyard.

He stopped.

More than one wagon.

Su Mei came out from behind the counter.

"They’re here."

Lin Yuan put down the sack and followed her outside.

Several wagons were approaching along the road.

Timber filled one. Another carried stone and roof tiles. The others were loaded with tools and construction materials.

The broad-faced merchant rode at the front.

Master Han was with him, along with five workers.

There was also someone Lin Yuan didn’t recognize.

A young woman sat beside the merchant with a travel bag resting near her feet.

Su Mei recognized her immediately.

"Xiao Lan!"

The young woman looked up.

The tiredness on her face disappeared.

"Su Mei!"

The wagon had barely stopped before she climbed down.

She appeared around Su Mei’s age, with her dark hair tied back and simple traveling clothes covered in a thin layer of road dust.

Su Mei walked over to meet her.

"You came."

"I said I would."

Xiao Lan looked past her.

Her eyes moved across Wandering Cloud Tavern, the courtyard, the stable, and finally the empty wasteland stretching beyond them.

She slowly turned back.

"You left out the part where there was nothing else here."

"I told you it was in Blackstone."

"I thought you were exaggerating."

"I wasn’t."

Xiao Lan looked around again.

"No. You definitely weren’t."

Lin Yuan almost smiled.

The merchant climbed down from the wagon.

"Owner Lin."

Lin Yuan turned toward him.

"You brought everything?"

"Everything you ordered."

Master Han approached from behind him.

"We’ll check before unloading."

The merchant frowned.

"You don’t trust me?"

"I trust measurements."

The merchant stared at him.

Lin Yuan decided he liked Master Han.

The courtyard became crowded quickly.

Master Han directed the workers while the materials were checked and unloaded.

Timber was stacked along the eastern side of the tavern.

Stone followed.

Roof tiles and iron fittings were placed farther back, leaving the path between the courtyard and stable open.

Lin Yuan watched long enough to make sure nothing needed his attention.

Then he went back inside.

He had hired builders because they knew how to build.

His customers still expected lunch.

Before long, the sound of tools mixed with the usual noise of the tavern.

Nearly an hour later, Master Han entered the kitchen.

"Everything’s here."

Lin Yuan glanced toward him while stirring a pot.

"When do you start?"

"Already did."

Lin Yuan looked through the window.

Two workers were driving wooden stakes into the ground along the eastern side of the tavern. Another was stretching a line between them.

Master Han turned to leave.

"We’ll mark the foundation first."

Lin Yuan nodded.

"Tell me if you need anything."

"I will."

Master Han walked back outside.

Lin Yuan returned to the stove.

For the next several hours, the empty ground beside Wandering Cloud Tavern steadily changed.

Wooden stakes outlined the future extension.

Lines marked where the walls would stand.

Then the digging began.

Some customers wandered outside after eating to watch.

One cultivator stood near the entrance with a cup in his hand.

"Expanding already?"

Lin Yuan was carrying two bowls toward a table.

"We need the space."

The man glanced back at the crowded dining hall.

"I can see that."

Lin Yuan placed the bowls down and returned to the kitchen.

That was explanation enough.

Xiao Lan had eaten after arriving and disappeared upstairs with Su Mei to see her room.

Lin Yuan expected her to rest afterward.

Four days on the road wasn’t a short journey.

Then the lunch rush arrived.

Seven cultivators entered almost together.

Two tables needed clearing.

Someone upstairs called for hot water.

Su Mei moved between the counter and dining hall while Lin Yuan handled the kitchen.

He was reaching for another bowl when he heard an unfamiliar voice outside.

"Two bowls of beef noodles and one vegetable dish."

Lin Yuan looked through the kitchen doorway.

Xiao Lan stood beside a table with an empty tray tucked beneath one arm.

Her travel clothes were gone. She had changed into something cleaner and tied her sleeves back.

Su Mei passed her carrying a pot of tea.

"You were supposed to rest."

"I did."

"For less than an hour."

"I got bored."

A customer raised his hand from another table.

Xiao Lan turned immediately.

"Coming."

Lin Yuan watched her cross the dining hall.

She cleared an empty bowl on the way without being asked.

A moment later, she returned to the kitchen.

"Table three wants another jug of ordinary water."

Lin Yuan pointed toward the water containers.

"Take it."

She did.

There was no confusion about where dishes went or what needed cleaning. She had clearly worked in a restaurant before.

When the rush finally eased, Xiao Lan came to the counter.

Lin Yuan was waiting there.

She stopped.

"Did I do something wrong?"

"No."

"Then why are you looking at me like that?"

"Su Mei said you knew restaurant work."

Xiao Lan glanced toward her friend.

"She was telling the truth."

"Apparently."

Su Mei walked past them.

"You sound surprised."

"I hired you, didn’t I?"

"You were desperate."

Lin Yuan couldn’t argue with that.

He looked back at Xiao Lan.

"You know the terms?"

"Three low-grade spirit stones a month. Food and lodging."

"Correct."

Xiao Lan nodded.

"Then I’ll stay."

Lin Yuan held out his hand.

"Welcome to Wandering Cloud Tavern."

Xiao Lan shook it.

"Thank you, Owner Lin."

Lin Yuan released her hand.

"Can you cook?"

Xiao Lan paused.

"You’re testing me already?"

"You started working already."

She glanced at Su Mei.

Su Mei pretended not to hear.

Xiao Lan sighed.

"What do you want me to make?"

Lin Yuan gave her ordinary ingredients and stepped aside.

Xiao Lan chose rice, sliced meat, and vegetables.

Her knife work wasn’t particularly fast, but her movements were practiced.

She knew how to control a normal flame, season without measuring every ingredient, and keep several things cooking at once.

Lin Yuan watched until he was satisfied.

When she finished, he tasted the dish.

Xiao Lan waited.

"Well?"

Lin Yuan took another bite.

"It’s good."

Her shoulders relaxed.

Su Mei appeared at the doorway.

"That’s all?"

Lin Yuan looked at her.

"Do you want me to write a poem about it?"

"No."

"Then it’s good."

Xiao Lan laughed.

Su Mei gave him an unimpressed look before returning to the dining hall.

Lin Yuan handed the bowl back.

"You can help in the kitchen when needed."

"Understood."

That would become much more useful once the expansion was complete. The current kitchen was already cramped with two people working inside.

From beyond the eastern wall came the steady sound of construction.

Work continued through the afternoon.

By evening, shallow foundation trenches followed the outline marked beside the tavern.

It didn’t look like much yet, but the empty ground was gone.

Master Han’s workers cleaned their tools while the last customers ate inside.

Lin Yuan stepped outside.

"Good progress?"

Master Han wiped dirt from his hands.

"Good enough."

"Tomorrow?"

"We finish the foundation work. If there are no problems, we’ll start the frame after that."

Lin Yuan looked toward the stacked timber.

"Where are your workers sleeping?"

"We brought tents."

Lin Yuan pointed toward the western side of the courtyard.

"Use that side. Just keep the stable path clear."

Master Han nodded.

The workers had brought their own supplies, but Lin Yuan let them use the well and provided hot water.

The merchant had already left after finishing the delivery, continuing along his usual route.

The tavern finally quieted late that night.

Xiao Lan had gone to her room.

Su Mei finished checking the dining hall before heading upstairs.

Lin Yuan stepped outside alone.

Moonlight covered the courtyard.

The construction site was silent now.

He walked toward the eastern side of the tavern.

Six days earlier, there had been nothing here except open ground.

Now foundation trenches marked the shape of the future dining hall.

Stacks of timber waited nearby.

Lin Yuan stopped beside one of the wooden stakes.

A faint panel appeared before him.

Wandering Cloud Tavern

Expansion Project Detected

A second line formed beneath it.

Construction Compatibility: Confirmed

Lin Yuan read it once, satisfied that the Core had recognized Master Han’s work.

He dismissed the panel.

Beyond it, the real outline of the expansion remained beneath the moonlight.

Lin Yuan looked at it for another moment before turning back toward Wandering Cloud Tavern.

The expansion had begun.