The old man stood motionlessly beside Alu, his mouth slightly open. "No, I can't move anywhere except to talk to you."
Earlier, as soon as they stepped inside, before they could even speak, Alu was controlled by the yellow light emanating from the paper on the door, and sat down cross-legged.
Although the old man was not controlled, he was rooted to the spot.
For reasons unknown?
After the two of them were immobilized, the yellow paper lost all its reaction.
However, Alu and the old man didn't dwell on this strange phenomenon. Instead, the quiet atmosphere made Alu confused.
"That's strange," Alu said, trying to glance sideways, "Why is no one here?"
The old man swallowed and said, "The room in front is my wife's and my room. My wife usually sleeps lightly and can't stand any noise, so it's natural that no one is here."
"You really know your wife well," Alu said coldly.
The old man sensed another meaning in Alu's tone, and to avoid provoking her, he remained silent.
Alu: "Dare not speak anymore."
"...." The old man pursed his lips slightly.
Alu sighed softly and said, "You night watchman, a poor man, but you live quite well."
Hearing Alu's words, the old man couldn't help but recall their lives decades ago.
At that time, with Alu's help, the old man had become a true businessman, and his finances gradually improved. However, even then, they were still homeless and could only stay in inns.
Therefore, this became a major concern for the old man.
On a subsequent day, the old man was determined to give Alu a surprise. Considering Alu's thrifty and unostentatious nature, he found this residence, which appeared unremarkable from the outside but was actually luxuriously decorated inside.
The residence had three small courtyards. Alu, who preferred quiet, had one, and the old man had another.
There was also a courtyard for the reception hall, and inside the reception hall was a study, where they conducted their business.
Everything changed twenty years ago. Alu left, the reception hall became the residence of the old man's second and third sons, and the courtyard where the old man used to live was given to his eldest son.
The courtyard they were in now was the one Alu used to live in, so hearing Alu speak like this at the moment, the old man couldn't help but feel a strange sensation.
"This is your courtyard," he said.
"...." Alu fell silent.
After leaving here twenty years ago, Alu had become the candle flame in the old man's lantern. For convenience, the old man always placed the lantern in a stable without horses.
Alu, to avoid disrupting their lives, had never stepped foot in here.
As for this courtyard, Alu was more familiar with it than anyone else, but she simply didn't want to admit it.
"..." The old man couldn't hear Alu's voice, so he didn't continue.
Outside the residence.
Mu Anxiao stood with one hand on her hip, looking at the closed residence gate. She took a few breaths and turned to Feng Qishi, "Shen Fengzi, it's all your fault."
"What did I do?"
"You ask what you did," Mu Anxiao pointed at the door with her finger, "If you hadn't appeared just now and stayed quietly on your tree, I would have gotten in."
"Are you blaming me?" Feng Qishi pointed at himself.
Mu Anxiao smiled, "Yes, I am blaming you. So what?"
Feng Qishi understood that Mu Anxiao would shift the blame whenever she faced failure.
However, he didn't intend to indulge her behavior. "If I hadn't appeared, you would have been beaten. Do you know what would have happened to you if that guy's fist had landed?" He knew Mu Anxiao would say something to shut him up, so he paused and continued, "You would have been disfigured. Although you're not exactly perfect to begin with, I don't want to see you turn into a pig's head."
"...." Mu Anxiao snorted lightly, "Even if I turn into a pig's head, it has nothing to do with you."
"Mu Shazi, you've gone too far," Feng Qishi widened his eyes.
Mu Anxiao tilted her head back, glaring fiercely at Feng Qishi's face, and said, "If he had struck, I might have been able to use the injury to hold him accountable. That way, I could have gotten in."
"You think too much. Look at his overbearing manner. He definitely wouldn't have let you in. Not only that, but he would have unceremoniously grabbed you by the collar of your shirt and thrown you out. At that point, you wouldn't just be a pig's head; you'd be dog-mouthed."
"Dog-mouthed? Shen Fengzi, clarify your words. Who curses like that?"
"Alright, I'll clarify. You're not a dog, you'd have fallen face-first like a pig eating dirt."
"Who are you calling a pig?"
"I'm talking about you."
"You're talking about me," Mu Anxiao deliberately shouted, then abruptly turned and began to kick the residence door repeatedly.
Seeing this, Feng Qishi took a step back. "Mu Shazi, you've gone mad."
As the saying goes, when one is in a good mood, they can do anything.
But once they encounter something unpleasant, that good mood sours.
And people immediately become scoundrels.
That's right!
Mu Anxiao deliberately let Feng Qishi provoke her because she knew that channeling anger into strength would be more effective!
The old man: "She deliberately let you provoke her. It shows," he clicked his tongue, hearing the force of Mu Anxiao's kicks, "that your words really stimulate her."
"...." Feng Qishi glanced at the old man, then back at Mu Anxiao's kicking feet. "Hey, Mu Shazi, your leg will be crippled if you keep kicking. Stop it." He reached out and grabbed Mu Anxiao's arm.
Unexpectedly, Mu Anxiao had already pushed herself to the brink of emotional collapse.
"Let go, or I'll kick you." She stopped kicking and shot a death glare at Feng Qishi's face.
Seeing Mu Anxiao's cold expression, Feng Qishi was startled and let go. "Watch your foot."
Mu Anxiao glared fiercely at Feng Qishi, then turned back, shouting, "Shen Fengzi, you're the pig!" while kicking the door with all her might.
Feng Qishi clearly heard Mu Anxiao's words, swallowed twice, dared not speak, and slowly retreated to the old man's side. "It seems I shouldn't have provoked her just now."
The old man looked at Feng Qishi and said, "Judging by the situation, she won't need anyone to open the door for her; she'll kick it open herself."
"Yes, all the anger towards me is in her kicks. Thinking about it," Feng Qishi shivered as he watched the residence door begin to creak, "if that were me, I'd probably die."
"If it were you, would you really let her kick you like that?" The old man was curious about Feng Qishi's answer.
Feng Qishi hesitated for a moment before speaking. "If it were me," he thought for a moment, then said, "I might run."
"...." The old man smiled faintly.