Chapter 33

The group followed Lin Zezu back to the residence. After two days of intensive cleaning, the drainage ditches around the yard had been cleared, with dead branches and rotting leaves removed to reveal the fresh soil underneath. Many of the branches of the surrounding poplar trees had been pruned, and as the sunlight poured in, the area around the house felt much brighter. The wild grass and tangled shrubs that had grown around the perimeter were also cleared; once dried, this brush would likely provide enough firewood for cooking for a long time. Fugui pushed open the courtyard gate and led Lin Zezu through every room, from the inner courtyard to the outer, inspecting them one by one. Everything, from the ceilings to the walls, had been swept clean, and the floors had been dusted with lime as Lin Zezu had requested. Small piles of dry wood were burning in each room to dry them out. In the inner courtyard, the lush branches of the two persimmon trees had been thoroughly trimmed.