The days turned into weeks, and Meiying threw herself into the task of selling the land. It was supposed to be simple, or so she had thought. The plot of land behind the house was fertile, and it had been in her family for generations. Surely, there would be people in town or nearby farmers who would be interested in buying it. She had even asked Uncle Li, the local real estate agent who had helped neighbors with their properties, to keep an eye out for potential buyers.
But as the weeks went by, the answer was almost always the same: "I'm sorry, Meiying, but nobody is biting right now."
It was frustrating. Meiying would wake up early every morning, walk out to the land, and look at the rich, dark soil where her father used to grow vegetables and rice. It was beautiful land, good land. Why was it so hard to find someone who wanted it?
One afternoon, she was sitting on the porch, going through the stack of papers Uncle Li had given her lists of prices, old sale records, notes from people who had expressed interest but then backed out. Weiliang came over, bringing her a glass of iced tea. He set it down on the table beside her and looked at the papers, his expression concerned.
"Any news?" he asked, sitting down next to her.
Meiying sighed, rubbing her temples. "Nothing new. Uncle Li said someone from the next town was interested, but when he heard how much I was asking even though it's a fair price he said it was too expensive. He said land prices are down right now, or something like that."
Weiliang put a hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently. "It's only been a few weeks, Meiying. Don't be so hard on yourself. Good land takes time to sell. You'll find the right buyer eventually."
"I know," Meiying said, but her voice was tight. "But I don't have all the time in the world, Weiliang. I have to make the monthly payments to Li Yuhan starting next month. If I don't sell the land soon, how am I going to get the money? I can't just ask around for loans everyone knows we're already in debt. I can't burden anyone else."
Weiliang was quiet for a moment. "You know… what if we asked Yuhan for an extension? Just until you find a buyer. He seemed reasonable before. He gave you a fair deal on the payments. Maybe he'd understand."
Meiying shook her head immediately. "No. I can't do that. I already owe him enough. I told him I'd handle this on my own, and I will. I don't want to go running back to him every time I have a problem. I need to prove that I can do this myself."
There was a stubbornness in her voice that Weiliang knew well. Meiying had always been proud, ever since she was a little girl. She hated asking for help, especially from people she felt she already owed something to. And lately, that pride was mixed with something else an uneasiness about going back to Yuhan, about seeing him again, about the feelings that had surfaced in Shanghai. She wanted to put that whole chapter behind her, to prove that she could stand on her own two feet without him.
"I just don't want you to stress yourself out too much," Weiliang said softly. "You've been working so hard, going to the market, helping Auntie Wang with her shop, and now this. You're going to wear yourself thin."
"I'm fine," Meiying said, forcing a smile. "I just need to try harder. Maybe I should go to the city market this weekend? Or put up more posters in town? Maybe if more people know it's for sale, someone will finally be interested."
Weiliang looked at her, and though he didn't say anything, Meiying could see the worry in his eyes. It was the same look he had been giving her more and more lately like he was watching her slip away, even when she was right beside him.
"Okay," he said finally. "If that's what you want to do, I'll help you. I'll make the posters for you, and I'll go with you to the city market on Saturday. We'll do it together."
Meiying leaned her head on his shoulder, feeling a wave of gratitude. "Thank you, Weiliang. You're always so good to me."
He wrapped an arm around her, holding her close. "Of course. That's what I'm here for."
But even as she sat there, safe in his arms, Meiying felt a knot of anxiety in her stomach. She hoped Weiliang was right, that she would find a buyer soon. But deep down, she had a sinking feeling that this was going to be harder than she thought. And the thought of having to face Yuhan again, of having to admit that she couldn't do it on her own, was terrifying.
That weekend, they put up posters all over town and went to the city market. Meiying stood by a small stand they had set up, holding flyers with a picture of the land and the details of the sale. She talked to anyone who would stop to listen, explaining how good the soil was, how convenient the location was. But most people just glanced at the flyer, shook their heads, and moved on.
By the end of the day, Meiying was exhausted and discouraged. She had handed out almost all the flyers, but not a single person had given her their contact information or expressed any real interest.
They walked back to Weiliang's car, the sun setting behind the buildings, painting the sky in shades of orange and purple.
"Don't worry," Weiliang said, seeing the look on her face. "We tried. Maybe next weekend we can try a different market."
Meiying nodded, but she didn't say anything. She felt like she was hitting her head against a wall. What if she never sold the land? What if she couldn't make the payments? What would happen then?
Just then, her phone rang. She pulled it out of her pocket and saw the name on the screen: Uncle Li.
Her heart jumped. Maybe he had good news. Maybe he had finally found a buyer.
"Hello, Uncle Li?" she answered quickly.
"Meiying," Uncle Li's voice came through, sounding apologetic and uncomfortable. "I'm sorry to call you with this, but I just got off the phone with that fellow from the city, the one who was looking at the land. He called me back and said… well, he said he's changed his mind. He found another plot cheaper somewhere else. He's not interested anymore."
Meiying felt her heart sink. "Oh. I see. Thank you for telling me, Uncle Li."
"I'm really sorry, Meiying," he said. "I tried my best. I'll keep looking, but… it's tough out there right now. You might have to lower the price if you want to sell it quickly."
Lower the price. Meiying knew that if she lowered it much more, she wouldn't get enough to pay off the debt quickly, even if she sold it. It would take her years to pay Yuhan back at that rate.
"Okay," she said quietly. "Thank you, Uncle Li. I'll think about it."
She hung up the phone and stood there, staring at the ground. Weiliang looked at her, his face falling. "Bad news?"
Meiying looked up at him, and she could feel the tears pricking at her eyes. She was tired. She was discouraged. And she was scared.
"He said the buyer backed out," she said, her voice trembling. "And he said I might have to lower the price. But if I do that… Weiliang, I don't know what I'm going to do. I'm trying so hard, but it feels like nothing is working."
Weiliang pulled her into a hug, holding her tight as she let the tears fall. "Shh, it's okay. It's okay. You've done everything you can. Maybe… maybe it's time to ask for help. Maybe it's time to call Yuhan."
Meiying pulled back, wiping her eyes. She knew Weiliang was right. She knew that logically, it was the sensible thing to do. But her pride, and her fear, were screaming at her not to do it.
"I don't want to," she said, her voice small. "I don't want to have to rely on him again."
"I know you don't," Weiliang said gently. "But sometimes, doing the right thing means swallowing your pride. He's not going to bite your head off, Meiying. He's been fair so far. Just tell him the situation. Ask for a little more time. That's all."
Meiying looked at him, at the kindness and patience in his eyes, and she knew he was right. She had no other choice. She couldn't let the land go unsold. She couldn't miss the payments. She had to do this, no matter how much she didn't want to.
"Okay," she whispered. "Okay, I'll call him."