The house is old-fashioned, with wooden beams that have become somewhat mottled. The window frames are painted with bright red paint, but after being washed by the rain, a lot of it has been washed away, leaving behind scattered spots of red paint that resemble bloodstains.

  In the main house, a conspicuous copper mirror was hung, seemingly for warding off evil spirits, but its surface had long been corroded to a dark black.

  Pushing open the main house, inside was a table with one broken leg and two small stools. There were no other things, empty and desolate, the eaves above were full of spider webs.

  Overall, this house gave Lin Qingyao a gloomy feeling, making her somewhat uncomfortable, but in the end she still decided to stay.

  What can she do if she doesnt stay? She didnt have much money on her, and the days ahead were long. It would be better to save some if possible. Although it was said that she could go live in a dormitory with others, which wasnt expensive, but there was a secret on her body now, making her instinctively want to avoid people.

  Lin Qingyao paid the money and casually drafted a contract. Xu Ran acted as the witness and signed the contract.

  Lao Yao got the money and smiled slyly, "I wont stay any longer, Im leaving!" He quickly walked out of the gate, as if afraid that something would come chasing after him.

  Lin Qingyao looked at the messy weeds in the courtyard and the dusty house, rubbed her head, and thought to herself that she should clean up, but it would take a few days.

  Xu Ran reached out and touched Lin Qingyaos arm, pulling her back from her reverie to reality.

  Lin Qingyao instinctively wanted to hide, but when she looked up and met Xu Rans calm gaze, she couldnt help but laugh at herself. Although her skin had improved a lot after walking on the cliff, her own plump body... who could bear to look at it? It turned out that she had misunderstood a good person.

  Xu Ran did not think that Lin Qingyao would misunderstand him, in his opinion, Lin Qingyao was just an older "sister" who was a bit more mature than himself. So he didnt have too many scruples, if todays Lin Qingyao was the lovely young girl of eighteen years ago, he might not even dare to stay with her in this desolate place.

  "Sister, are you really going to stay here? Ive been feeling a chill down my spine since I arrived, and that Old Yao is acting suspiciously too!" Xu Ran advised again.

  Lin Qingyao smiled wryly: "As a lone woman, I need to have a place to settle down. As long as I dont do anything shameful and am not afraid of ghosts knocking on the door, then Ill just stay here for now."

  Xu Ran looked at the copper mirror swaying on the beam, and somehow felt that this place was eerie. He hesitated for a moment, then turned to Lin Qingyao and said: "Sister, I... want... to discuss something with you." His tone was somewhat awkward when he spoke.

  Lin Qingyao smiled and asked in a clear and pleasant voice: "Whats up?"

  "I dont have anywhere to go either... I see that your yard is quite big, can you put me up for a few days?" Xu Rans face turned red with embarrassment as he said this.

  Before Lin Qingyao could respond, Xu Ran hastily explained: "Sister, Im not a bad person and I dont have any other intentions. I really have nowhere to live, and seeing you living alone here makes me feel like its not very safe."

  "He paused for a moment and added: Dont worry, Ill work too, we can split the rent."

  Xu Ran said these words, his heart was somewhat weighed, one is that he really had nowhere to go, another... He actually had some sympathy for Lin Qingyao, a woman, living alone in this desolate six-hutong, it would be difficult, wouldnt it?

  Moreover, he always felt that this mansion was inauspicious, with a faint feeling that something bad was going to happen. He was after all a hot-blooded young man who had saved Lin Qingyu once and had already let the heroic spirit in his heart sprout, making him feel that his existence was very fulfilling, so he thought about helping Lin Qingyu again.

  Lin Qingyao looked around the courtyard surrounded by walls covered in green ivy, this small world was indeed shrouded in gloom. She hesitated for a moment, then nodded her head. She could tell that Xu Ran was a good person and wouldnt have any ulterior motives, besides, she had nothing to lose now and wasnt worth anyones attention anyway.

  Although she comforted herself that there was no need to be afraid, how could her heart not have any fear at all? Now that Xu Ran has suggested staying behind, its naturally a good thing and can also boost her courage.

  Xu Ran saw Lin Qingyao nodding and smiled: "Sister, then lets clean up the house together."

  Lin Qingyao nodded, this collection, naturally needs tools, there is nothing here, how can it be collected empty-handed? So the two went out of the yard again, planning to buy some things, without locking the door... There is nothing in this yard, and there is nothing worth remembering for thieves.

  Out of the Liu Hutong, heading south, it took about half an hour to find a small shop. The owner was a fat woman who, upon seeing Lin Qingyao, who was even fatter than herself, felt a sense of camaraderie.

  "I say, big sister, have you just moved in?" The plump owner asked with concern as she saw Lin Qingyao buying a lot of cheap towels and mops.

  Lin Qingyao smiled and nodded slightly.

  "Where are you staying?" The fat landladys voice was a bit loud, and she laughed as she shouted.

  "Six Hu Alley." Lin Qingyaos voice was like a jade pearl falling onto a plate.

  The fat boss lady took another look, and the voice was really nice to hear. Wait... where did she just say she lived? Liu Hutong? The fat boss lady wanted to say something, but as soon as she saw Xu Ran, her face turned pale, a chill rose from behind, and the words that were about to be spoken were swallowed back.

  "Big sister, Ill give you a 50% discount on this thing," said the bosss wife proactively.

  "Ah?" Lin Qingyao was somewhat taken aback, but the plump owner had already returned the extra money to her, with an expression that indicated she didnt want to say another word.

  Lin Qingyao enjoyed inexplicable enthusiasm and coldness, touched her nose in confusion, then picked up the things and left the store.

  At another roadside stall, she bought two mattresses, plus two cooling mats and two summer quilts. She also needed to cook meals, so she bought an electric rice cooker, an electric frying pan, and some simple kitchen utensils. In total, Lin Qingyao spent nearly a thousand yuan, even though she was being frugal.

  Lin Qingyao touched her gradually flattening wallet, feeling a bit of a headache. After settling down, she should find a job as soon as possible.

  There were a lot of things, but Lin Qingyao couldnt bear to take a taxi anymore. She picked up the 50-kilogram bag of rice with one hand and the woven bag filled with many things with the other hand.

  Xu Ran was stunned by this, does this big sister have supernatural strength? Even if it were me, Im afraid I wouldnt be able to carry so many things.