Since it was Uncle who wanted it installed at his own house, Gu Jiashu didn’t refuse.
He scratched his head with a sheepish grin and said, “Then I’ll go thank Uncle. Oh, and brother, you don’t need to worry about his place. I’ll get a truck tomorrow and move everything at once. He doesn’t have much anyway, just leave it to me, you don’t need to worry.”
After sending off Gu Jiashu and the door-and-window technician, it wasn’t long before the workers for waterproofing and insulation arrived, and the young couple got busy again.
While they were explaining their requirements to the workers, Shen Cong’s phone rang.
She glanced at the caller ID and said to her husband, “It’s Dad.”
Then she answered the call.
“Congcong, is the loan sorted out?” Gu Zhengchu asked from the other end.
“Yes, it’s all set. The appraisal company will be here soon. Gu Kai and I are waiting,” she replied.
“Can Gu Kai handle it himself? I want you to come help me move some things.”
“Move things…” Shen Cong hesitated a bit.
She glanced at the people standing nearby, then walked to a corner and whispered, “Dad, we returned the dorm this morning, everything’s still in the space. We haven’t had time to take it out yet, so there’s really nowhere else to put things.”
“You won’t need that. Drive over here, one car each, and we’ll move the essentials first. The rest, we’ll have Jiashu find someone tomorrow. Gu Kai can watch over things at home; I mainly need to deal with your parents, can’t be too late.”
Hearing her father-in-law say this, Shen Cong couldn’t refuse. “Okay, Dad. I’ll head over now.”
She left the keys to the civil servant district apartment with Gu Kai, then drove to the old Gu family house.
Before even parking, she noticed a printed sheet of paper stuck on the closed balcony door: “Medical clinic temporarily closed due to relocation.”
Several people were standing near the entrance, murmuring and pointing at the door, it wasn’t clear if they were neighbors or patients.
Shen Cong turned the steering wheel and entered through the community’s main gate.
Once inside, she saw that the house had already been mostly organized.
All the small decorations that had been outside were packed up. On the table in the outer room were several large bags, and two suitcases were standing by the wall.
In addition, there were boxes of already packed books.
Looking at all this…
Did the old man hardly sleep at all last night?
But looking at him, his complexion was pretty good, he even looked more energetic than me!
Shen Cong murmured this to herself while turning to Gu Zhengchu: “Dad, why rush so much? Once I move everything out of the space, we can set it all up in one go. Carrying these things in and out is exhausting!”
“No problem,” Gu Zhengchu said casually, waving it off.
“Come in with me,” he said, walking into the pharmacy first.
Shen Cong hurried after him.
The moment she stepped inside, she couldn’t help but take a deep breath. “It smells amazing! Wow, how did all these flowers bloom?!”
On the pharmacy table were two pots, one jasmine and one gardenia.
When Shen Cong had come in yesterday, they hadn’t even had a single bud. In just one day, they had all blossomed brilliantly, and the leaves had grown shiny and healthy.
“Did they eat some kind of magic pill?” she wondered, leaning closer and staring for a long while.
Gu Zhengchu pointed at the two pots and said, “You don’t need to worry about anything else. Put these two pots in your space, I’m afraid they’ll get knocked over if left out.”
Then he hesitated a moment and asked, “Your space can hold living things, right?”
“Plants, yes. Animals, no, I’ve tried,” Shen Cong replied.
Gu Zhengchu finally exhaled in relief.
Then he hurriedly urged, “Come on, come on, let’s get this done quickly so we can leave early. I really need to see your parents.”
So all this trouble of sending her all the way over was just for these two flower pots?
Shen Cong couldn’t help but take another careful look at the “little treasures.”
But aside from looking extra vigorous, they didn’t show anything unusual.
Seeing how anxious Gu Zhengchu was, she didn’t press further.
Shen Cong put the flowers into the space, then glanced at the small medicine cabinets and suggested, “Dad, how about I take out our clothes, bedding, and miscellaneous items? Tomorrow we can have Jiashu help move them, and then we can put these medicine cabinets and Chinese herbs in. Let’s be careful, even though no one really lives in that neighborhood, it’s best if no one sees these medicines.”
Gu Zhengchu nodded.
He watched Shen Cong moving things in and out of the space, and after a while, he asked thoughtfully, “Congcong, do you think it’s possible to expand this space a little more? Do you need me to prepare anything in advance for you?”
“Of course it can be expanded,” Shen Cong said firmly.
“This kind of space ability of mine appeared relatively late. Before me, many people had already developed powers. Although no one really understood why it happened or what the principle was, everyone loved discussing whose ability was stronger and whose ability had improved.
But there was no unified explanation for how to actually enhance it. People who genuinely improved their abilities were eager to keep it a secret, they definitely wouldn’t reveal it casually.
I feel that it’s related to personal constitution. My ability is so mediocre probably because I was too weak at the time.”
As he spoke, a hint of shame appeared on Shen Cong’s face.
Back then, she was the only one left in the family, struggling every day on the verge of starvation.
For her, the space ability made little difference. At that time, she didn’t even know if she could survive, let alone have the energy to think about improving it.
So six months passed, and the space remained exactly the same size as when it first appeared, with no improvement at all.
“If it’s a matter of constitution, then there’s no need to worry, we’ll definitely find a way,” Shen Cong said, clearly lifting Gu Zhengchu’s spirits.
For the first time, a faint smile appeared on his usually serious face.
“Congcong, do you know why these flowers bloomed?” Gu Zhengchu tapped the table with his finger, teasing her a little.
Shen Cong, naturally wanting to humor the elder, and already curious, asked, “Why?”
“Because of your book.”
“That book? The little booklet with the meridian diagrams?”
“Yes. I glanced through it yesterday and realized it describes a method for strengthening the body. Last night, when I had time, I tried practicing it a bit, and surprisingly, it really works!”
“A method? Like the [1]Qigong is a traditional Chinese practice that combines slow physical movements, controlled breathing, and focused intention to cultivate and balance what is believed to be the body’s vital energy, … Continue reading jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_1842893_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_1842893_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });Qigong my dad practiced?” Shen Cong could hardly believe it.
After all, that booklet had originally belonged to her grandfather and was only given to her shortly before he passed.
If it was really a body-strengthening method, why hadn’t he practiced it when he was still alive?
At that time, his health was already poor.
Before passing, he had kept muttering, “Too late, too late.” Shen Cong had no idea what exactly was too late, but she couldn’t believe that something that had caused her grandfather so much regret could be solved in just one night.
Seeing her skeptical expression, Gu Zhengchu glared at her. “What do you mean it’s just like your dad’s Qigong? His was purely for fun, how could this be the same?”
“Come on, come on, I’m not explaining to you, I’ll tell your parents. Don’t waste time standing around, get to work and hurry up!”
Seeing her grandfather about to lose his temper, Shen Cong swallowed the question that had been on the tip of her tongue.
She quickly finished organizing everything, then helped carry all the large bags and packages with the elder into the car, and they headed back to Ying Shui Village where her parents were.
By the time they arrived at the community, it was already past two in the afternoon. The road had been completely quiet, not a single person in sight.
But when they reached the villa, it was bustling with activity.
Several workers were measuring things in the yard with various tools, while her father stood on the fourth-floor roof with a middle-aged man in work clothes and glasses, gesturing at something and talking.
No need to ask, these were all the renovation workers.
Seeing their car, Cheng Ru quickly came out to meet them.
She shook the water from her hands and asked, “Why did you come now, right in the hottest part of the day? Have you eaten?”
“We grabbed a bite on the way. Mom, don’t worry about food right now. How are the rooms arranged? I’ll help Dad move the things upstairs first.”
“Everyone will stay on the second floor. It’s convenient to take care of each other, and it also saves energy,” Cheng Ru added quietly.
The three of them moved the items upstairs into the rooms.
Although it was convenient for Shen Cong to take things out from the space, it still required mental energy to support.
Taking a few items at a time wasn’t a problem, but repeatedly moving an entire set of household furniture and appliances in a short period was extremely exhausting.
After transferring all the items from the space and putting them in place, Shen Cong’s face had turned very pale.
Seeing her like that, Gu Zhengchu asked, “Do we have any jade at home? Jade jewelry will do too.”
“Jade?” Shen Cong and Cheng Ru both froze for a moment.
“If there is, bring me some, seven pieces to start. The shape doesn’t matter, just make sure the quality is good.”
Although they didn’t know what her grandfather needed jade for, his serious expression made it clear he wasn’t joking.
Shen Cong glanced at her mother, then shook her head frantically. “I don’t have any. I sold all my jewelry.”
Cheng Ru gave her a disdainful look. “I know you don’t have any. All those pieces were just costume jewelry anyway, none of them real. Even if you hadn’t sold them, they wouldn’t have been of any use.”
Shen Cong really didn’t care much for jade or jewelry. The few pieces she had before, though all high-end brands and quite valuable, were all set with synthetic stones, no real gems.
Even if she kept them, they wouldn’t have been of much use.
Cheng Ru went out to rummage through the family’s belongings.
Curious, Shen Cong leaned toward her father-in-law and whispered, “Dad, what do you need the jade for? Is it still about that book? Could it be some kind of martial arts manual, and you need to set up a Seven-Star Formation or something?”
Seeing her wide-eyed and full of curiosity, a faint smile appeared on Gu Zhengchu’s face.
He nodded. “It really is a manual.”
“No way!” Shen Cong was completely shocked.
She had flipped through that book countless times herself, how had she never realized it contained a treasure?
“Dad, can you take it out for me to see?” she asked eagerly.
“Later, after your mom brings the items here,” he replied.
It took Cheng Ru a while before she came in, accompanied by Shen Jianyi.
It seemed that the measurement workers had already left.
Apparently, she had already told her husband about needing the jade. As soon as Shen Jianyi entered, he asked, “Old Gu, what’s this for? Your sister-in-law isn’t really into dressing up, and we don’t have much of this at home. Should I go out and buy some now?”
Cheng Ru also looked a little embarrassed.
“Old Gu, I searched for a long time and could only find a pair of bracelets and two jade pendants. These pendants were actually for Tongtong and Shanshan, but I didn’t have time to give them yet. There really isn’t anything else. Could other gemstones work? I also have a set of gem earrings and a necklace, can those substitute?”
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