The next day, Uncle Four takes Lan Zhan aside to talk to him. He's brought a whole team of helpers to shift all the rolls of fabric to a nearby warehouse for temporary storage. Wei Ying is watching it downstairs, and Wen Ning is coordinating things at the warehouse.

He's brought Lan Zhan up here to see what needs to be done, and also because it becomes apparent: what he wants to say is something he doesn't want Wei Ying to overhear, particularly because it concerns him.

"Thank you for not making it an issue last night," he starts off saying, giving Lan Zhan a little bow.

Lan Zhan bows back automatically and then says, "What are we talking about?"

"Our A-Ying. He is not good at understanding how much he is valued. This translates to him working harder than anyone I know and expecting very little in return." Uncle Four smiles shrewdly. "So I am negotiating on his behalf."

"That makes me feel better," Lan Zhan admits.

"You're a good person," Uncle Four says, out of the blue.

It makes Lan Zhan's ears hot. He's never thought of himself like that, and then he's embarrassed because this goodwill is restricted only towards Wei Ying, and not only because of these bizarre feelings plaguing him every time they see each other. Just that morning, it took Lan Zhan a good minute to reply to Wei Ying's greeting because he was wearing a pair of tight black yoga pants and a longish red vest revealing lean muscular arms and legs that went on for miles. Did he mention yoga pants? Skin tight and glorious, that's what they are.

Wei Ying even pretending to flex his arms most adorably did not douse the raging fire in his veins, and Lan Zhan had a hard time (in more ways than one!) calming down.

Uncle Four smirks as if he knows exactly what Lan Zhan is thinking, and that's mortifying because he's practically a parental figure to Wei Ying, and Lan Zhan's detailed musings on the logistics of ravishing the equivalent of his son, doesn't exactly prove his statement about Lan Zhan's intentions.

"I would rather Wei Ying be imbursed fully for his labour in a fair and mutually beneficial agreement." Lan Zhan replies, aiming to formally word it so it sounds professional rather than admitting that his mind is a permanent resident of the gutter these days.

"My thoughts exactly," Uncle Four slaps his back. "So first, give me a rundown on what you think needs doing up here and I'll draw up a contract. I'm thinking that the sooner we get the downstairs working, then I can move the team up here and have this place spic 'n span in no time. Then you can move up here."

"Mn."

Uncle Four takes a tour of the layout, making notes on a notepad in a traditional way, and Lan Zhan feels remarkably calm about basically trashing his mother's space and renovating it from scratch. He tells himself it's an investment for the next proprietor and stops the momentary panic that would have ensued. He's really doing this, then.

"Minor plumbing work and wooden flooring all round, then. Do you want underfloor heating? We're at the tailend of spring right now, and I imagine this place will feel too hot in the summer months, but winter is no joke around here." Uncle Four advises, waiting for Lan Zhan to choose.

"Air conditioning then, for summer, and underfloor heating for winter," Lan Zhan agrees.

"Okay, so that's a wrap," Uncle Four says after completing his written assessment. Then he tears off a strip of paper and hands it to Lan Zhan. "This is A-Ying's bank account number. He rarely ever looks so don't worry about his reaction. You might even have gone back home before he realises."

Uncle Four laughs to himself as he returns downstairs, leaving Lan Zhan in shock.

He will be back in Suzhou after six months. It's true.

That's a whole other country, several time zones and thousands of miles away from Wei Ying.

**************

That evening, Lan Zhan tries to ignore Wei Ying's disappointed face when he declines joining the Wens for dinner.

There's something he needs to do that will take up some time, and besides, he needs to get used to the idea of not being here in the UK by the new year.

He tackles the administration job first.

Uncle Four's comment about Wei Ying not looking at his bank account had given him an idea about how to go about this.

On the way home from the shop, Lan Zhan had picked up a sandwich from the same cafe Wei Ying had taken him to on that first day, and ended up meeting one of the owners, by the name of Song Lan.

The conversation was polite and stilted because there was no Wei Ying to smooth things over, but still pleasant. Lan Zhan picked up his food and left, and now he's sitting on the table in the bed-and-breakfast place because going back to his room and eating a solitary meal felt sad even to himself.

Mrs Smith, the owner, is a kindly woman who bustles about the place with a duster before settling down in front of her telly armed with her knitting needles and a ball of wool.

The faint clicking of them as she knits is a background white noise that settles Lan Zhan's mind as he sets up the financial plan for Wei Ying. What he plans to pay Wei Ying will only land in his account temporarily before moving into the investment account that carries a higher level of interest, so by the time Wei Ying discovers this, if at all, he should have a hefty sum at his disposal. That's only the half of it.

Lan Zhan remembers the look of longing in Wei Ying's eyes when he wanted to buy A-Yuan's ice cream and didn't have the cash for it. If he pays Wei Ying a part of his actual wage in cash, he can pretend that it's all he's paying him, bypassing any silly argument because Wei Ying is under the impression that Lan Zhan is poor.

That's kind of funny.

Not only does Lan Zhan have a healthy, thriving business of his own, he has a generous private fund courtesy of his father that pays a nice amount monthly. Lan Zhan is well aware that each business must and should bear the weight of itself, and that's just good business management, but just to start with, and in order to pay both Uncle Four and Wei Ying what they're owed, he will pay them from his personal funds.

But he has a good feeling about Blue's Fabrics.

Not only because his mother owned the business, and ran it with a loving hand, but because he's finally feeling brave enough to accept the challenge. He won't be alone, after all, in running it, and that factor alone is making his spine straighter, and boosting his courage.

Everything will be alright.

************

Lan Zhan joins in with the work.

Uncle Four protests at first, since the contract has been signed, but Lan Zhan explains that he's not comfortable just standing around, and that he wanted to make himself useful.

The truth is, he can't keep standing around and watching Wei Ying work. That young man is a menace no matter what he's wearing: Lan Zhan has been gifted the sight of Wei Ying's yoga pants, ripped jeans, and today, overalls that are tied around his waist with the sleeves, and no vest.

No vest.

So far, Lan Zhan has dropped a hammer (just missing his own foot), walked into a wall (absolutely on purpose!), and stubbed his toe tripping himself up, all within a single day.

So to balance things out, he hangs his suit jacket on a doorknob and rolls up his sleeves, taking care to do it properly. Then he starts lifting heavy things, all by himself. He and Wen Ning make a great team, and he feels smug about the way Wei Ying's eyes linger upon his frame, especially when he thinks no one notices.

In the evenings, Uncle Four takes care of the whole crew by either bringing them to Wei Ying's favourite cafe for dinner, or taking them home and cooking them a hot meal. Wei Ying never lets him say no now, insisting he's part of the team and eating together is part and parcel of the bonding process.

There's nowhere else Lan Zhan wants to be, anyway.

*************

One week later, the shop is fully fitted out with angled shelves that display the fabric rolls easily, and Uncle Four has promised that they can be dismantled if the next owner doesn't want to sell material.

The gleaming marble flooring is polished and reflecting the lights above making the space feel vibrant and alive, and Lan Zhan was right; the cream counters make all the difference, adding a brightness to the whole shop.

The team has started on the flat upstairs, and tomorrow is their first official opening day. Lan Zhan has a bowl of sweets ready to welcome his customers on the counter, and he's just about to lock up, when Wei Ying drags him over to where the door was, hiding the little room containing the sewing machine.

He pulls down the turquoise makeshift curtain that honestly Lan Zhan hadn't noticed, and sees that Wei Ying has gotten rid of the vanity wall.

It's now an open space and the machine is facing the shop so that whoever might be operating it can keep an eye on the retail floor as well. The wall behind it has spools of threads embedded into it, and Wei Ying demonstrates how easy it is to take one, use it, and put it back.

"Here," he says shyly, handing Lan Zhan a piece of cream unbleached calico carefully folded inside out so he can't tell what it might be without opening it fully.
"Congratulations on your first day, tomorrow. I've told anyone who might listen, actually, anyone with ears, that they better come and support you tomorrow."

"Wei Ying...what's this?" Lan Zhan asks him, opening it up.

"Um...so we found a box of remnants and I kind of got inspired? I hope you don't mind, I just thought it might be nice and-"

"I love it." Lan Zhan is horrified because he thinks he's going to cry.

It's a handmade banner. It says, 'Open Now For A Limited Time' in patchwork letters, and it's a plethora of colour and patterns, and Wei Ying has used the prettiest borders to go around the edges of all the letters. But best of all, he's added bunnies and flowers in between and in the corners, and it's so cute!!

"We can hang it up tomorrow, on our first official day of opening." Wei Ying says, blushing and shuffling his feet. He's looking down so he doesn't see Lan Zhan putting the banner down and coming towards him.

Lan Zhan simply goes to him and hugs him tightly. "Thank you," he whispers, meaning it.

Wei Ying's arms circle him just as tightly. "Ah, Lan Zhan, no need, no need! I just wanted to inspire people, you know, be a creative influence and show them what's possible. It's going to be okay, you know," he says, as if he knows that Lan Zhan is shitting bricks about tomorrow.

But Lan Zhan knows. He might not keep anything from here, but this banner? That's his. Wei Ying has given this to him and he's keeping it.