Zhou Chenyu followed silently behind the old man. Li Xiuju had mentioned before that the old man was homeless and wandered around. She thought that the old man would usually live in some remote, dilapidated temple or abandoned house, but when they arrived at his place, she found that it was just in a corner of the market.
The old man's house was surrounded by independent courtyards, but strangely, many of the courtyards had their gates tightly closed, the trees extending from the corners of the walls were withered, and the eaves of the houses were covered with cobwebs, making it look as if no one had lived there for a long time.
Such a good piece of land is being wasted by no one living there.
Where did everyone go?
The old man pushed open the courtyard gate and waved happily, "This is my home, come in with me, come in quickly."
As Zhou Chenyu walked to the door, a cool breeze blew through. She looked into the yard and saw that the flowers, plants and trees were withered and dilapidated, and broken tiles, water tanks, fallen crossbeams and other debris were scattered haphazardly in every corner of the yard.
After crossing the courtyard and climbing a few moss-covered stone steps, I opened a tightly closed door. Inside, there was a bed covered with a straw mat, which was where I slept.
This place is also piled with all sorts of miscellaneous items, making it impossible to even step inside.
Zhou Chenyu touched the bed frame with her fingers; it was covered in a layer of dust. She was exasperated. "Uncle, you sleep here? How can anyone sleep in this place?"
"Sleep, just like this, hehe."
The old man took off his shoes and lay down on the bed. His thin, bony body was curled up into a small ball, small enough to fit in a cardboard box.
Zhou Chenyu stood aside and watched him. She saw him sometimes close his eyes and sleep peacefully, and sometimes open his eyes uneasily, as if to confirm whether she was still there. After a long time, he gradually fell asleep.
After the old man fell asleep, Zhou Chenyu looked at the scene and clenched her teeth.
Her original intention was simply to sweep the floor, cook, and have a planned encounter with someone to showcase some of her good qualities.
In short, her kindness towards the old man was one aspect, but the latter was even more important.
But looking at the messy house now, it's not as simple as just sweeping the floor.
This is a huge project.
How could she possibly do that?
Zhou Chenyu suddenly stood up, strode to the door, and prepared to sneak away.
"You're gone?" A voice sounded behind him. Zhang Longzi had woken up at some point.
Zhou Chenyu turned around and saw the old man's frightened eyes. She froze, her heart softening instantly. "I won't leave. You can sleep, I'll stay with you."
The old man lay back down, watching her stand there, muttering happily, "Hehe, I won't go, I won't go."
Zhou Chenyu coaxed him to sleep and then started working. First, she put everything that could be used into the house, then she cleaned out the trash. After working for an hour, she was exhausted.
"Yang Xi, Yang Xi, do you know how hard I've worked for you? Why don't you show up right now?"
The yard was mostly tidied up. Zhou Chenyu sat down to rest for a while, clutching his aching back, when suddenly footsteps came from the doorway.
"You've arrived." For this important moment, Zhou Chenyu straightened her makeup, grabbed a broom, and hurriedly stood up, pretending to be serious. However, upon seeing the unfamiliar guest, her forced smile vanished instantly.
The young man who entered the courtyard looked at Zhou Chenyu in surprise, "Miss, who are you?"
Fearing that others might mistake her for a thief, Zhou Chenyu explained, "I saw an old man wandering the streets all alone, and he looked so pitiful, so I followed him back to check on him. Who are you?"
"Oh, I live nearby. The old man hasn't been home for several days. I saw the door was open, so I came in to take a look." The man saw that the house was clean inside and out and felt respect. "My name is Sun Zhao. May I ask your name, young lady?"
After Zhou Chenyu said her name, Sun Zhao praised her, "Miss Zhou is not only beautiful, but also kind-hearted."
Zhou Chenyu blushed as she thought about her own ulterior motives and was praised. "Being a good person and doing good deeds are things I should do."
She asked Sun Zhao about the old man's situation. Sun Zhao had only moved here in the last two years, and what he knew was similar to what Li Xiuju had said.
Sun Zhao left Old Zhang's house and headed towards his own home. As he walked through a small alley, he saw Yang Xi approaching from a distance and said with a smile, "Yang, you've come to see Old Zhang again?"
Yang Xi noticed the heavy load on his shoulder, which made him sway. "Sun Zhao, are your injuries fully healed?"
Sun Zhao approached, put down his things, wiped his sweat, and said with a happy smile, "Thanks to Headman Yang and Doctor Shen, my injuries have long since healed. Not to mention carrying a load of grain, I could even carry a wild boar without a problem."
"Really? Then I'll have to give it a try."
Sun Zhao thumped his strong arms and stood obediently in place waiting for the examination. Yang Xi looked at his serious appearance, patted him on the shoulder, and nodded with a smile, "Your body has recovered quite well."
"Thanks to you so much." Sun Zhao scratched his head and smiled sheepishly, looking directly at him: "Squad Leader Yang, just now when I passed by Old Man Zhang's house, there was suddenly a strange woman cleaning the house. The girl said her name was Zhou Chenyu, do you know her?"
"Zhou Chenyu." Yang Xi's relaxed brows furrowed as he said goodbye to Sun Zhao and strode towards that direction.
Zhou Chenyu looked at the sky above her head. She had been here for almost three hours, and she still hadn't seen a trace of Yang Xi.
Did she make a mistake in her prediction?
Yang Xi will not be here today.
Looking at the fruits of her labor of several hours, Zhou Chenyu covered her face in despair, "Wasn't all that work for nothing?"
The old man woke up at some point, handed her the meat buns he had bought at noon, and said, "Hehe, have some buns."
Zhou Chenyu looked at the old man, unsure whether to laugh or cry, "I won't eat it, you can keep it for yourself."
"Eating steamed buns, hehe." The old man walked outside while munching on a steamed bun.
Zhou Chenyu watched him walk outside. The courtyard and house had already been cleaned. Since they were already here, they might as well go all the way and clean up the dusty bed boards as well.
She rolled up the straw mat and washed it, then lifted the wooden planks that were placed on the two long benches one by one, stood them upright by the well in the yard, rinsed off the dust with well water, and put them out to dry in the sun.
Zhou Chenyu stacked several dried wooden planks together, intending to carry them back all at once. However, she underestimated the weight of the planks and overestimated her own strength. After only two steps, she could no longer lift them.
As soon as Yang Xi entered, he saw her standing there. The house was clean inside and out. He went over and helped her hold the wooden plank.
“I don’t need your help, I can manage on my own.” Zhou Chenyu thought it was an old man’s hand, but upon closer inspection, it was clearly the back of a young man’s hand, and it looked somewhat familiar.
Zhou Chenyu looked up at the newcomer, whose face remained cold and unsmiling. She immediately smiled, her eyes sparkling, and released the wooden board, handing it to him. "Chief Yang, it's you?"
Yang Xi glanced at her casually, then picked up several heavy wooden planks with both hands, carried them straight into the room, and arranged them neatly one by one.
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