Chapter 8

At that moment, the elevator doors suddenly opened, and a rush of air carrying the scent of perfume surged forth, instantly dispersing the suffocating atmosphere. Ganqing's tense muscles relaxed all at once, and she heard someone say: "Grandfather, what is this that you are holding?"

He suddenly had a thought; if this house truly cannot be sold, moving in here is not out of the question. At least it would save on rent, and he wouldn't have to drive to work. The only concern is that the old man's dubious friends might come over to disturb him...

Gan Qing truly did not expect that he still remembered her, for this gentleman's image and temperament were quite striking, clearly belonging to the type that would say, "All women in the world are mere frivolous beauties; I would rather fall in love with myself in front of a mirror"

Gan Qing did not understand and merely echoed in a dry manner

By the way, Yu Lanchuan thought expressionlessly, the neighbor's house is a den of spiders, inhabited by an old witch who enjoys getting hands-on with little boys

Ah," Yu Lanchuan thought helplessly, "Please do not test my conscience any further"

The composed and unflappable Old Yang, upon seeing her, felt his blood pressure rise sharply, and his dignified demeanor instantly crumbled: "Who told you to throw my things again!"

Old Master Yang said: "On a big weekend, you look like a fairy, where are you off to stir up trouble?"

He remembers that person as a wild fire, which can be seen several kilometers away even in the darkest night, vibrant and passionate.

The neighbors of No. 110 Courtyard seem to be of a different kind compared to those in other places. In the area where Yu Lanchuan currently resides, he does not even know whether the neighbors are male or female.

Gan Qing suddenly felt a pain in her knees

One could only see this legendary elderly lady, who was in her advanced years, sporting a head full of large wavy curls, with a few strands dyed pink. She was made up, and her curled and fluttering false eyelashes were particularly striking. Her nails were adorned with a row of dazzling rhinestones, and her home slippers were embellished with pink bows.

Gan Qing suspected that Yu Lanchuan had taken the wrong medicine, and after exchanging pleasantries, he actually lowered himself to engage her in conversation!

... ... perhaps it is better to let it go, thought Yu Lanchuan

He remembers that the neighbor next door seems to be

Only then did Old Lady Zhang see Gan Qing clearly. After a moment of silence, she frantically dialed Boss Meng's number and shouted, "Who told you to find me a woman!"

The elevator arrived in the blink of an eye, and the view from the tenth floor was expansive. Looking down from above, the entire tranquil courtyard came into view. Although the public corridor was narrow, it was exceptionally tidy. The aroma of meat being stewed from someone's home wafted throughout the corridor. This reminded him of his childhood, when he would spend weekends at his great-uncle's house. His great-uncle always believed that he did not eat well at school, so he would prepare a large spread of dishes for him, including frying, boiling, and roasting. If there were any "troublesome dishes" that were not often made at home, the old man would make a little extra, and after they were cooked, he would have him carry a bowl to deliver to the neighbors.

I haven't been to the gym for a week, and this troublesome injection is really causing delays

Yu Lanchuan smiled perfunctorily, absentmindedly thinking: "I have no desire to get to know them at all; I just want that 8,500,000."

"Give someone a hand," Old Yang advised Yu Lanchuan, then added, "Your hand has been injured, hasn't it?"

Yu Lanchuan entered the elevator, pressed "10", glanced at Gan Qing, and seeing that she did not move, asked: "Tenth floor?"

When Grandma Zhang opened the door and saw Yu Lanchuan, she immediately smiled like a blooming flower, her eyelashes fluttering up and down like a fan: "Are you the tenant my nephew is looking for? This handsome young man looks a bit familiar, have we met before?"

This is it, thank you. Gan Qing gently tugged at the bag that Yu Lanchuan was holding, saying, "I apologize for the trouble."

"You work for Boss Meng, right?" Yu Lanchuan said, "I remember that he has a relative living here as well. Did he help you find your apartment?"

What a coincidence, he thought, it seems quite fateful

So she was taken aback for a moment before responding briefly: "I just moved in."

Having spoken, he strode away with long legs, whisked away like a gust of wind in front of the old hag

Your martial arts world should have ended long ago

Yu Lanchuan came to her senses, returned the luggage to her, and looked up at the doorplate—1003—while the old man lived in 1004, next door

Gan Qing smiled slightly, shifted her luggage to the other hand, and mumbled, "The items are a bit heavy"

The woman let out a laugh, turned, and left. As she departed, she casually cast a flirtatious glance at Yu Lanchuan, provoking a strong sense of discomfort in Mr. Yu—he somewhat regretted coming in such a hurry today, dressed too modestly.

After such a commotion, Old Master Yang finally shifted his attention away from Gan Qing. Clutching his chest, he trembled as he leaned on Yu Lanchuan's arm, exclaiming, "The misfortune of the family, the misfortune of the family!"

Gan Qing pretended not to notice, taking a breath in a calm manner, trying to relax herself as much as possible. However, at that moment, her right hand unexpectedly lost its grip, and her two slightly bent fingers began to spasm uncontrollably.

"Please do not pick up any more junk on your way home," the woman said, "I just threw away that broken pickled vegetable jar of yours this morning"

Old Master Yang's scrutinizing gaze made her feel as if she were sitting on pins and needles—having immersed himself in martial arts for a lifetime, he was intimately familiar with how every muscle and bone in a person's body should move and exert force. Despite his eyes being magnified by his glasses to look almost alien, his gaze seemed to contain a flash of purple lightning and cold frost, and when it swept over her, it caused a faint ache.

I asked you to practice with me, but you refused and insisted on spending a lot of money to go to that... that place, lifting weights like a big fool, you...

The three of them looked up together and saw a woman coming down from the elevator. She had long hair tied in a loose ponytail, her face filled with hyaluronic acid, making it hard to determine her age. She wore designer clothes and carried a designer bag, with a pair of shoes emblazoned with a large logo on her feet. From head to toe, she resembled a walking showcase of luxury goods, and as she moved, a fragrant breeze wafted by, with four golden characters shining above her head—"I have money"

Perhaps due to the high bridge of her nose, this profile once again evoked his distant memories, leaving Yu Lanchuan feeling somewhat incredulous, as she was the complete opposite of the person in his memories, entirely two extremes

And Old Yang was gazing intently, waiting for her to take action

Before he could recall, the door of room 1003 opened from the inside. Boss Meng said that his second aunt's surname was Zhang, and Gan Qing quickly stood up straight: "Aunt Zhang..."

It seems a bit pitiful

This slight movement immediately caught Old Yang's attention, and he asked with a kind expression, "Miss, what happened to your hand?"

Old Yang was so angry that his face turned red and his neck thickened, he might need a quick-acting heart-saving pill

"If you don't throw it away, it will turn into fertilizer." The woman chewed her gum, blew a bubble towards the old man, and said, "It's one thing for you to dress up like a beggar, and I thought you were cosplaying, but if you're begging, then focus on that. Why are you picking up trash from other fields! Tsk... Handsome, let me have a go."

Old Uncle Yang let out a heavy sigh beside him, his expression difficult to describe in words

Hello, Grandma, my grandfather asked me to bring you some fried lotus root boxes. Yu Lanchuan adjusted his glasses with a serious expression and said, "I live next door, so I will take my leave now"

Old Yang still hadn't calmed down, muttering beside him: "Look at these unworthy descendants, what have they become! When I go down there in the future, I won't have the face to meet the ancestors... Xiao Chuan, among the younger generation, you're the only one left. With Old Yu gone, you should move back and live here, so you can make more friends."

As for the person in front of me ... tsk, like a lighter that has run out of fuel, pressing it for half a day only produces a feeble spark that probably goes out with a "sizzle" before anyone can even see it

As soon as he finished speaking, Old Yang's gaze turned and landed on Gan Qing: "Meng? Is that the kid from Tianyi?"

"Grandpa, what I want to train are my chest and buttocks, not some kind of stick training. I'm not Sun Wukong." The woman tossed her hair, unabashed by the presence of others, and spoke freely, "Moreover, look at yourself like this, do you have any credibility? What can I achieve by training with you? A washboard?"

Yu Lanchuan bent down in response, taking her large bag while simultaneously noticing her hands. The palms were calloused, and even in summer, the skin remained very dry. The fingertips, neglected in care, had a few ragged hangnails, bearing the marks of a life worn down. She clasped her right wrist, seemingly trying to calm her stiff right hand, but instead, the tension caused it to tremble even more, causing the long sleeves of her dress to quiver.

However, for Gan Qing, who was confined within a small space, more than half of her attention was actually focused on that crooked cane. The inch of the cane that was askew seemed to seal off her movement space in all directions, creating a suffocating sense of being trapped that instinctively made her want to evade it

Old Grandpa Yang—perhaps he has grown accustomed to being overlooked by his granddaughter, did not notice Yu Lanchuan's distraction, and continued to chatter on: "Old Yu has a special attachment to this house. Whenever friends from out of town come and cannot find a place to stay, they all come here to find him. Xiao Chuan, Grandpa Yang is going to say something meddlesome; you might not want to come back to live here, nor do you want to take care of it, but could you please not sell it to someone else?"

The muffled voice on the phone conveyed Boss Meng's increasingly exasperated response: "For goodness' sake! I am already of a certain age and do not wish to find a young second husband who is younger than my son!"

Gan Qing: "Hmm"

"Alas, this has caused a delay," Old Yang sighed slowly, "At a young age, minor injuries to the muscles and bones are trivial, but injuring the meridians would be a serious matter."

The two words "grandmother" choked in her throat

When I was a child, I fell by the roadside and my wrist was run over by a tricycle, " Ganqing said, " the hospital back in my hometown is not good, and it has never been treated properly.

The old-fashioned elevator was cramped, and Gan Qing was not far from him. With a glance downward, Yu Lanchuan could see her profile; her brow bone was straight, her nose bridge was high, with a slight, harmless hump. A thin layer of skin covered her bones, with no excess flesh, and her features were strikingly clean in their lines.

Old Yang suddenly took half a step towards her, and with his movement, the cane tucked under his elbow tilted slightly. The two were about one meter apart, and to an outsider, it appeared as if the old gentleman was simply tired of holding the urn and was changing his posture to stand.