Quick Travel to the Clouds

Chapter 447 Ghost Catcher 8

The calendar turns quickly and the summer sun becomes more and more scorching.

Qixiaju underwent a tremendous transformation in just five days.

This speed is a miracle in the eyes of ordinary people, but for Yun Chu, it is nothing more than the combination of Taoism and exquisite craftsmanship, supplemented by unceasing concentration day and night.

For some repairs, Yun Chu no longer used Taoist magic, but repaired them for outsiders to see.

Half a month later, when the last bit of putty used to repair the gaps in the wall had dried, the last carved wooden window with new brass hinges was gently fastened.

The last pile of renovation waste in the courtyard was quietly turned into dust by magic - this old Republican-era residence, once shrouded in heavy gloom, finally regained its due tranquility and solemnity in mid-July 1990.

The winding iron gate was repainted with a deep dark green paint, and the rusty "Qixiaju" doorplate was carefully wiped and re-hung, revealing the warm luster of time in the sunlight.

The dark green vines that originally grew wildly have been carefully combed and are now winding and climbing neatly along the columns, becoming an elegant green embellishment to the building.

The stained glass windows, which were originally covered with thick dust, became translucent again, and the sunlight passed through, casting mottled and gorgeous light and shadows on the spotlessly clean mosaic floor tiles.

The broken crystal chandelier had long since disappeared, replaced by a few simple yet bright wall lamps.

The air is no longer filled with the smell of mold and decay, but with a light woody fragrance and a hint of the clean smell of new wall coverings.

The entire mansion is like an ancient pine tree that has been washed clean of all impurities and stretched its muscles, standing quietly in a corner of the west city. There is even an uncarved stone table and several stone pillars in the courtyard that Yun Chu moved from somewhere else using magic, for people to cool off and take a rest.

At two o'clock in the afternoon, the sun was at its brightest and the cicadas were chirping.

Yun Chu changed into a clean indigo-colored casual suit (no longer a Taoist robe, but with a simple and neat cut). The sleeves that could hold the repair tools now contained a few snack packets wrapped in clean oil paper.

The dim sum was the seasonal goodies she had queued up to buy at the state-owned dim sum shop this morning - a few mung bean cakes, a few pieces of sachima, and a small bag of slightly warm white sugar biscuits that had just come out of the oven.

Although it was not expensive, it was considered a decent neighborhood courtesy in the summer of the early 90s.

Yun Chu pushed open the repaired iron gate that slid smoothly, and the sunlight instantly filled the gravel path in front of the gate.

The chirping of cicadas, the occasional sounds of children playing in the neighborhood courtyards, and the sound of radio broadcasts can be clearly heard. All these lively worldly sounds blend wonderfully with the tranquil atmosphere of Qixiaju today.

In the area where Qixiaju is located, the houses are old but the layout is still acceptable. Most of the residents are local elderly people or ordinary working-class families.

The neighbors were curious about this young girl who had just arrived and was living alone in that "notorious" western-style building, but there was also a hint of alienation and wait-and-see attitude towards her.

Especially after that thrilling "night of exorcism" (of course, ordinary neighbors only heard some "strange winds" and "abnormal noises"), and the following five days of inexplicable, yet busy noises in the house, as if many people were working, but in fact few people were seen coming and going.

Yun Chu first walked towards his left neighbor.

It was an old-style bungalow that looked quite old. There were several roses in full bloom planted at the door. A white-haired old lady was sitting on a bamboo chair at the door, fanning herself with a palm-leaf fan and taking a nap.

"Grandma," Yun Chu's voice was calm and clear, breaking the afternoon drowsiness. "I'm Yun Chu, who just moved in next door. The house is finally tidy and I bought some fresh snacks. Please try them."

The old lady opened her eyes slightly, and her cloudy eyes suddenly became clearer when she saw Yun Chu's fresh and young face and the Qixia Residence that was obviously different from the past. There was a mixture of surprise and inquiry in her eyes.

She subconsciously glanced at the newly renovated house behind Yun Chu and murmured, "Oh... Qixia... Comrade Xiaoyun? Oh, thank you so much for the trouble. You built it so quickly! That house, before..."

She seemed to feel that it was not appropriate to mention "the past", so she quickly stopped talking and put on a polite smile on her face. "Come, come and sit down." She moved to find another stool from the side.

Yun Chu gently placed a small package of snacks on the small bamboo table next to the old lady, but did not sit down. "Don't worry, I just came to greet you and say sorry for bothering you. I bought these snacks this morning, and they are best eaten while they are fresh. It's hot, please take care of yourself."

Then, she walked to the other house across the street. The man of this house was washing his bicycle (a 28-inch bicycle) at the door, sweating profusely. Seeing Yun Chu approach, his hands stopped unconsciously and looked at her and the dim sum package in her hand with a complicated expression.

"Master," Yun Chu nodded slightly and handed over a snack. "I live in Qixiaju, and I'm a new neighbor, Yun Chu. We just moved in and didn't clean up yet, but they started working on it. It was so noisy and caused a lot of trouble. Now the repairs are finally done, I brought this as a small gift, please try it."

The host took the snack and weighed it, his rough fingers stained with water and oil.

He glanced at the delicate shape of the pastry revealed within the wrapping paper, then looked up at Yun Chu, a strained smile plastered across his face. "Oh, you're so polite! Um... Comrade Xiao Yun, right? You've improved so quickly! You look much more energetic!"

"It's just... the noise coming from that house just now really scared me. I'm glad you're okay, I'm glad you're okay!" The temptation in his tone was obvious.

Yun Chu's expression remained unchanged as he said calmly, "Well, thank you for your concern. This old house has been abandoned for so long that there are always some strange noises. It could be birds or animals making nests, or the structure being deformed and the wood rubbing against each other. After a good cleaning and reinforcement, it will naturally become quiet. Please take care of me in the future."

Her attitude was calm and steady, her eyes clear, and the sight of the newly renovated mansion before his eyes dispelled most of the man's doubts. He exclaimed, "Of course, of course! A distant relative is not as good as a close neighbor!"

Just like that, Yun Chu, with a bit of indifference and politeness, delivered the remaining snacks to two other families nearby.

Her visit was brief and effective. It not only fulfilled the etiquette of first meeting neighbors, but also appropriately hinted that the previous "unusual movements" were just the normal state of the old house's "disrepair", which has now been completely solved by "meticulous repairs".

The neighbors' reactions varied, from initial suspicion and tentativeness, to politeness and relief after receiving the snacks, and then to surprise and admiration when they looked at the brand new gate of Qixiaju.

Regardless of whether they still had a trace of doubt in their hearts, at least on the surface, the dark clouds lingering over Qixiaju, along with the previous fear and alienation of the neighbors, seemed to have been quietly dispelled and melted away by the midsummer sunshine and these bags of simple snacks.