Half an hour later, the two of them returned to the Neighborhood Office and pulled the cart back to the Red Star Courtyard. Third Aunt was still guarding the main gate; her sharp eyes spotted the cart loaded with furniture right away. She immediately trotted over with a face full of smiles—a smile that held a calculating glint, as if she were tallying something up.
"Oh my, young Xu, you just went out, and already you've bought so many nice things back!"
As she spoke, she paced around the cart, her eyes scouring every single piece of furniture. Xu stopped and replied politely, "Third Aunt, the furniture already in the room was unusable. I didn't have much choice; I had to buy some from the Neighborhood Office, or else it wouldn't be fit to live in."
Third Aunt nodded slightly, her eyes darting craftily before she continued. "I understand, it’s not easy for a young man starting a home. But look here, young Xu, now that you've bought this new furniture, you surely won't need the old stuff. You're alone, busy tidying up the room, setting up new things, and dealing with the old—how troublesome that must be."
She reached out and lightly brushed the edge of a wardrobe. "Why don't you give that old furniture to me? I’ll treat it as helping you out, and I’ll sweep the place clean for you while I’m at it. I’ve lived in this courtyard for so many years; I’m quite the expert at cleaning, I guarantee I’ll leave it spotless for you. And as you know, my husband is the Committee Head of this courtyard, and he loves solving problems for his neighbors. You can rest easy leaving this to us!"
Her tone was remarkably warm, making it seem as though she truly had Xu's best interests at heart. Yet, Xu knew better; he suspected there was more to it than that. This was only their second meeting, yet she was already demanding items so bluntly and matter-of-factly. She must be accustomed to such petty theft. This caused his impression of her to plummet instantly; he felt more than ever that the people in this courtyard were complicated. He calculated inwardly that while Third Aunt seemed enthusiastic, she was actually shrewish and calculating—he must not be fooled easily.
"There's no need to trouble you, Third Aunt. I can handle the cleaning myself. As for that old furniture, it may look broken, but I’m thinking if I tinker with it a bit, I might still be able to use it. I learned some crafts from my uncle in the village when I was young; this kind of work won't stump me."
Xu’s tone was firm and neither servile nor overbearing, leaving Third Aunt no room to maneuver. She was not about to give up. Her smile remained, but a flash of displeasure crossed her eyes.
"Young Xu, that room is only the size of a palm. It’s already packed with your new furniture, where could you possibly put those old things? Besides, a big lad like you, where would you find the time and energy to fiddle with all that? Give them to me, and you'll save yourself the time to attend to other things—isn't that better?"
She tried to use various reasons to persuade him. Xu was thoroughly annoyed, but he kept his composure. "Really, there is no need, Third Aunt. I can do it myself. I’m in a hurry to move my things in, so I won’t chat any longer."
With that, he stopped paying attention to her, turned around, and asked Chen Jun to watch the cart at the gate while he began moving items into the room. Seeing her scheme fail, Third Aunt was deeply unhappy. The room she had been eyeing had been taken by Xu, and now she hadn't even managed to snag this small favor. She gritted her teeth and thought to herself: once Yan Bugui returned, she would definitely make him teach this ungrateful brat a lesson and show him how things were done in this courtyard.
In the courtyard, the women were busy with their chores, but seeing Xu carry a wardrobe inside, their interest was piqued. They set aside their work, gathered around, and began asking questions.
"Young Xu, did you buy new furniture?"
"That wardrobe looks really nice, must have cost a pretty penny, right?"
Xu answered their questions honestly while panting for breath, his pace never slowing as he continued moving the furniture into his room.
Standing to the side, Mrs. Jia had a slight smirk on her lips, a cold, almost imperceptible sneer. She watched Xu’s back, her eyes filled with greed and fantasy. In her mind, she was already calculating how, once Yi Zhonghai returned, she would convince him to drive Xu out of the courtyard and take the room—along with this entire set of brand-new furniture—for herself. Just imagining the scene made her heart bubble with delight.
Qin Huairu was washing clothes nearby. She caught a glimpse of Mrs. Jia’s shifting expression out of the corner of her eye and felt a surge of confusion. But having been suppressed by Mrs. Jia for years, she didn't dare ask a single question, only lowered her head and continued scrubbing the clothes in silence.
Xu went back and forth between the cart and the room time and again. Sweat soaked his clothes and dripped steadily from his cheeks. After several trips, he finally moved everything into the house. He originally intended to return the cart to the Neighborhood Office first, then come back to clean, but before he could speak, Chen Jun stopped him.
"Alright, Xiao Xu, it’s getting late. You should go back and clean up, or you won't know where to sleep tonight. Besides, I’m heading that way anyway, so I’ll return the cart to the Neighborhood Office for you." Chen Jun patted Xu on the shoulder, his voice sincere.
Xu felt a wave of warmth wash over him. He didn't hesitate and agreed. "Then thank you, Brother Chen."
The two waved goodbye at the gate of the courtyard. Xu turned and walked into the compound, ready to face the heavy task of cleaning, while Chen Jun pulled the cart toward the Neighborhood Office.
Xu took a deep breath and stepped into the room. He first moved out all the rickety, dilapidated old furniture. With every piece he shifted, a choking cloud of dust billowed up, making him cough repeatedly. Once the old furniture was out, he found a dust-covered broom in a dark corner. He gripped it tightly and began to sweep with force. The dust rose and danced wildly in the faint light filtering through the window. Although the room was filthy, it wasn't large. After half an hour of vigorous cleaning, the original color of the floor began to show through the grime. The cobwebs in the corners were cleared away, and the room began to look noticeably different.
Afterwards, Xu picked up a bucket and walked quickly to the water basin in the Middle Courtyard. A few women were chatting while washing vegetables by the pool. Seeing Xu approach, they glanced at him briefly before returning to their conversation. Xu ignored their stares, turned on the tap, and filled his bucket. He carried the water back to the room steadily and began carefully wiping down the new furniture and the slightly mottled heated brick bed. He was meticulous, missing no corner; wherever the rag passed, the dust vanished, and the furniture and the bed began to reveal their brand-new luster.
It took him nearly an hour, but Xu finally transformed the room. Though the furnishings were simple, the space was clean, tidy, and radiated a rustic warmth.
He then began to bring in the new furniture. As he struggled to move the wardrobe into place to secure it, he noticed something strange about the wall behind it. The color of the wall there was slightly darker than the surrounding area, and the texture seemed different as well. Suspicious, Xu stopped what he was doing. He reached out and tapped the wall a few times; a hollow "thump-thump" sound confirmed his suspicion—that section was empty.
Driven by intense curiosity, Xu quickly pulled a small knife from his pocket. He carefully inserted the tip into the gap between the bricks and pried at them. As the brick loosened, fine dust trickled down. After some effort, he finally managed to remove it. By the faint, dim light of the room, Xu peered into the hole and saw a small wooden box resting inside. His heart began to race; an inexplicable excitement surged within him.
He reached in, trying to pull the box out. However, the interior of the hole was uneven, and a sharp protrusion cut his palm, leaving a drop of crimson blood on the floor. But Xu, his mind entirely occupied by the mysterious box, didn't even notice the minor injury.
Finally, he held the box in his hands. Upon closer inspection, the surface was smooth, devoid of any patterns or marks—simple and unadorned. Yet, for some reason, a strong premonition arose in his heart: this box and its contents were by no means ordinary. Unable to suppress his curiosity, his fingers trembling slightly, he opened the box.
Inside lay a warm, lustrous jade pendant. Xu picked it up and turned it over in his hand. Carved into the pendant was a strange, twisted symbol; it looked like some sort of Taoist talisman, yet it felt alien and profound. Other than that, there were no other marks. Though Xu had lived two lifetimes and seen much, he had never encountered such a peculiar pendant. He weighed it in his hand; it had considerable heft, felt cool to the touch, and possessed an indescribable texture.
Just then, the incredible happened. Xu suddenly felt a wave of warmth in his palm, as if a thin stream of heat was slowly spreading, traveling up his arm and quickly permeating his entire body. Within moments, his whole frame grew warm, heat rising from his limbs and bones, and he even began to sweat slightly.
Xu looked at the pendant in his hands with astonishment. The jade’s original luster was turning red, like a flame being ignited, the color deepening with every second. Then, the jade began to turn transparent; its clear outline started to blur as if it were about to vanish into thin air. This scene completely defied Xu's understanding. He was certain he had never witnessed such a fantastical event.
The moment the jade became completely transparent, Xu felt a sudden wave of dizziness, his consciousness blurring as if he were falling into a deep vortex. The sensation was strikingly similar to when his soul had first crossed into this body.
He did not know how much time had passed before his consciousness began to clear. To his shock, he found himself in an entirely unfamiliar dimension. He looked around; everything within a radius of about one kilometer was clearly visible. Beneath his feet lay a soft meadow where the breeze caused the grass to sway gently. Further out, however, there was a vast expanse of white, thick and shrouded in mist, obscuring everything beyond.
To his northeast, a clear spring bubbled up from the earth. The water was crystal clear, shimmering in the sunlight. It flowed down the terrain, gathering about ten meters away from the spring into a small pond of about two hundred square meters. The water in the pond was transparent, and the sand and stones at the bottom were clearly visible.
Facing this dreamlike, bizarre reality, Xu’s mind went blank. He couldn't find a rational explanation. But recalling his soul's journey to this world—since such an impossible thing had already happened—this miraculous scene, it seemed, was not entirely beyond the realm of possibility.