Records of Strange People and Strange Events in the Old Mansion

Chapter 146 Destruction

When Ma Yasha heard Zhu Hu say that it was her fault, she became even more confused and asked, "Why do you blame yourself?"

"It's my fault for being young and frivolous, and for hurting his self-esteem by speaking without restraint." Zhu Hu sat in the porch at the back door of the old house, leaning against the pillars and gazing up at the flying eaves of the ancestral hall's roof, feeling infinitely melancholy.

Ma Yasha had never seen Zhu Huan so sad. No matter what, no matter what happened, Zhu Huan always acted heartless, shameless, shameless, inconsiderate, without depth, without kindness or righteousness, and without fear in front of Ma Yasha.

Who is Zhu Hu? There are eight badgers in the world and nine fairies in the sky. She is not afraid of anything, so who is she afraid of?
Ma Yacha deliberately changed the subject and pretended to be nonchalant and asked Zhu Hao: "It's such a pity for that young male policeman. How did he get involved with Huang Qiukui?"

"Human nature is to eat, have sex and have pleasure. A young man can resist other temptations, but this nature is really hard to resist. After all, people are people, and he is the same." Zhu Hu sighed.

When Ma Yacha heard Zhu Hu mention him again, he didn't want to make her more sad, so he asked, "How did you know that the young male policeman had a relationship with Huang Qiukui?"

"At first I didn't associate the young male policeman with Huang Qiukui. Later he called me Badger Eight Immortals. Isn't that confessing himself?" Zhu Hu replied.

Ma Yasha asked: "With just one sentence, how come that young male police officer confessed himself?"

"If that young male policeman has nothing to do with Huang Qiukui, how would he know that you usually call me Badger Eight Immortals?" Zhu Hu asked Ma Yasha.

Ma Yasha smiled and said, "It shows that you are famous."

“I am famous because of the Fairy of the Old House, not the Badger Fairy. The young male policeman calls me the Badger Fairy, which means he often scolds me. Considering what he did after arriving at the old house, it can be concluded that he is Huang Qiukui’s accomplice.” Zhu Hu withdrew his gaze from the ancestral hall and looked at Ma Yasha.

Ma Yasha saw Zhu Hu staring at her intently and asked, "Is there any carving on my face?"

"It is actually very simple to identify a person. All you need to do is listen to what he says and observe what he does. Especially the people around you, they will form habits in how they talk to you and in their daily actions. Once these habits change, it means that he has ideas about you, and it is easy to judge whether these ideas are good or bad. If he was very affectionate to you before, but is cold as ice now, then he doesn't actually have much hostility towards you. He just has ideas about you. You just need to explain it to him clearly. And if he was indifferent to you before, but suddenly becomes very respectful now, then he must hate you to the core in his heart and want to poison you behind your back and completely destroy you." Zhu Hu stared at Ma Yasha and sighed.

Ma Yasha unconsciously turned his head and asked Zhu Hao awkwardly: "Then why are you staring at me? Is this him you are talking about the one who wants to destroy you?"

"I'm wondering how you dealt with him back then? How could you deal with him so easily when you are so clear about what you like and hate?" Zhu Hu frowned, looking thoughtful.

Ma Yasha smiled and replied: "You are complimenting me for my clear distinction between love and hate, but you are actually scolding me, right? When I am happy, I call you fairy, and when I am angry, I call you the Badger Immortal."

"Don't avoid the question. Tell me, how did you deal with him?" Zhu Hu still stared at Ma Yasha.

Ma Yasha felt embarrassed when Zhu Hu looked at him, so he stood up, brushed his sleeves a few times, and said to Zhu Hu with his back to him, "He is not a bad person, he just has an obsession in his heart. As long as you resolve his obsession, I believe he will protect you and the old house wholeheartedly."

"Of course I understand this. If he is a bad guy, he would not just turn a blind eye to some things, but would directly attack me from behind and completely destroy me." Zhu Hu stood up and walked behind Ma Yasha.

Ma Yasha walked out of the porch, went to the back door of the old house, turned back and asked Zhu Hu: "I still don't understand why he wanted to destroy you?"

"Didn't I say it? I hurt his self-esteem." Zhu Hu stood in the porch and didn't come out.

Ma Yasha said, "He wouldn't be so stingy."

"If he were magnanimous, he wouldn't have obsession. Obsession is only produced by narrow-minded people. You actually know this better than me, so you and my father have never been open to him, but just regard him as a relative, and just deal with him and use him." Zhu Huan said.

Ma Yasha did not respond to Zhu Huan and walked out of the old house on his own.

Zhu Hu looked at Ma Yasha's back and felt a sense of sadness in his heart. He felt so sad that he wanted to cry and so cold that he wanted to die.

Death, so what? Didn't he want to destroy me? If I died, wouldn't it just please him? As long as the old house is safe, what does it matter if I die? Zhu Hu sat down dejectedly on the stone bench on the porch.

Although the Dragon Boat Festival has passed and the weather is getting hotter day by day, the stone bench in the porch of the old house is like ice. Sitting on it will make people shudder. Zhu Hu's body shook, and his brain instantly woke up. He said to himself in self-mockery: "Why would I think of death? Lan Yuliu and Huang Qiukui want to kill me so much. If I die, won't it satisfy them even more? They will be so happy that they will have a feast for a month. Besides, he just wants to ruin my reputation as a fairy, not to kill me. He is my relative..."

"Kiss what?" A voice sounded beside Zhu Hu's ear, which scared him so much that he jumped up from the stone bench.

Looking around, there was no one in sight. A greyhound and a wild boar looked at the red badger in surprise. The red badger was sure that there was no one around her. But the voice was clearly ringing in her ears. She heard it clearly, and it sounded very familiar and kind. It was the voice she had been thinking about for a while.

Could it really be him? Has he really come back? Was he really the one who drank the bowl of wine on the millstone last night? Is the edge of his clothes sticking out from the screen a real him? What is he doing back? It can't be...

Zhu Huan didn't dare to think further. She hoped that everything she saw and heard was just an illusion.

"Oh no! It collapsed!"

Hearing shouts coming from the front yard of the old house, Zhu Hu immediately rushed out the porch and into the front yard.

The shouting came from the door of Zhu Hu's former home. Zhu Hu rushed closer and took a look, and couldn't help but gasp.

I saw a big hole at the door of Zhu Hu's house. The entrance of the hole was as big as a double bed and it was so dark that I couldn't see the bottom.

"Did anyone fall down?" Zhu Hu first thought of the safety of the craftsmen.

The craftsman who cried out that it had collapsed replied, "No, no one fell down. I was the only one standing right next to it."

"What's going on?" "What happened?" Uncle Liu and Rube rushed to the scene.

Zhu Hu ignored Uncle Liu and Lu Bo and said to the craftsmen who had gathered around him, "Don't get close to the cave entrance. Go find some ropes and some wooden boxes and surround the cave entrance."

After the craftsmen found ropes and boxes to surround the cave entrance, Zhu Hu pulled the craftsman who was shouting about the collapse aside and asked, "What happened at that time? Tell me in detail."

"Fairy, according to the division of labor, I am responsible for cleaning up this pile of debris today. When I was about to finish cleaning, the ground suddenly collapsed." The craftsman pointed to the door of Zhu Hu's house. Zhu Hu looked at the entrance and asked the craftsman: "How did you clean up the debris?"

"I was just cleaning it normally, fairy. Do you suspect that I collapsed it on purpose?" The craftsman was already old, and he looked very honest, not like someone who would lie.

Zhu Huan asked the old craftsman in a gentle tone: "Did you dig up that half of the persimmon tree?"

"Yes, yes, I originally thought there was no need to dig it out, but Master Lu insisted that I dig it out, so I did it." The old craftsman answered truthfully.

Zhu Hu asked: "Why do you think it is not necessary to dig it out? Why did Master Lu insist on asking you to dig it out?"

"Fairy, forgive me for being so nosy. Although only half of this persimmon tree is left, it is at least a witness to the old house for hundreds of years. According to my judgment, this persimmon tree should be older than the old house. It has witnessed the vicissitudes of the old house for hundreds of years. How can it be dug up casually? Master Lu didn't say why it should be dug up? He just said it must be dug up." When the old craftsman answered Zhu Huan, his pair of clear copper bell eyes unconsciously glanced several times at Lu Bo who was standing at the entrance of the cave and talking to Uncle Liu.

Zhu Hu believed the old craftsman's words, because his eyes told the story. An old man in his sixties could still have such a pair of clear eyes, which meant that besides being honest, he must have some special talents. So Zhu Hu comforted him and said, "It's okay, old man. You were frightened. Go over and have a good rest."

"Thank you for the fairy's forgiveness. Since the fairy believes in me, I would like to say something. The renovation of the old house cannot be rushed. Protection is the main priority, repair comes first, and renovation comes later. The priorities must not be reversed, and they must not be done at the same time." The old craftsman pulled Zhu Huan to the doorpost of Zhu Hu's house.

Seeing that Lu Bo was looking at him from time to time, Zhu Hao lowered his voice and asked the old craftsman: "Is there any difference between repairing and renovating?"

"Fairy, repair is the big thing, renovation is the small thing. Repair is the overall restoration and maintenance of the old house, which involves large-scale work such as structural reinforcement, roof repair, and wall renovation. Renovation pays more attention to details and local repairs, such as repainting a window of the old house or replacing a floor, in order to better restore the original quality of the old house." The old craftsman talked slowly.

When Zhu Huan heard the old craftsman say this, he couldn't help but respect him and looked at the old man in front of him carefully again.

The old man was wearing a simple cotton dress with a bluestone button tied around his waist. His face was covered with wrinkles, showing the traces of the passing of time. However, his eyes sparkled with wisdom, making people wonder what kind of vicissitudes he had experienced?
Only at this moment did Zhu Huan realize that the old craftsman in front of him must be more than just a craftsman, but also a wise man.

"Fairy, come here quickly." Ruber called to the red badger.

The red badger walked up to Rubeus and asked, "What's the matter?"

"Such a big hole suddenly appeared. You have to make a decision. Should you send someone to take a look or directly transport soil to fill it? The renovation of the old house can't be delayed. We must officially start tomorrow..." "This is a decision we have to make. Why are you asking my niece? The renovation of the old house will not take a day or two. Why have you become a woman with bound feet today? Are you talking so naggingly because you haven't drunk enough wine?" Uncle Liu didn't wait for Lu Bo to finish speaking. He pulled him to his side and began to scold him.

After Uncle Liu finished scolding Lu Bo, Zhu Huan smiled and said, "Two captains, go and take care of your important matters. I will handle such a small matter."

"You'll handle it?" Ruburt's eyes widened. He was extremely surprised.

"What? Are you worried about my niece? She is the fairy of the old house. You, an old thing, may not be able to be compared with her even if you live another half of your life." Liu Shula Lubo left the cave.

"Why can I only live half a life? Maybe I can live two more lives and make you mad to death." Lu Bo had no choice but to follow Uncle Liu to the central courtyard.

When Zhu Hu saw that Uncle Liu and Lu Bo had left the scene, he said loudly in front of the others: "Everyone, go and get busy. Whoever made this hole should find a way to solve it."

"Whoever dug this hole should be the one to find a solution to it? What does she mean? What solution can an old man come up with?" Ruber, who had not walked far yet, could not help but stop and look back at Zhu Hao.

Although Zhu Hao had her back to Rubeus, she knew that Rubeus would definitely hear her and would definitely stop, so she deliberately said to the old craftsman in a vicious tone: "Old man, you have until lunch to come up with a practical solution, or I'll leave."

"Fairy, this cave was really not dug by me. How could I have such great ability? Please be magnanimous and spare an old man like me. It is only because my family is poor that I have to work hard at this age." The old craftsman pretended to look pitiful.

Zhu Hao cursed: "Let you go? Let me tell you, if it weren't for your age, I would have pushed you down the cave. If you want to earn a living, you have to work, and if something goes wrong, you have to be punished. Stop talking nonsense, either find a solution quickly, or pack up and leave immediately."

"Fairy, I have an eighty-year-old bedridden mother at home and a son in my arms. I can't pack up and leave. Please be kind and let me stay. I will definitely find a solution that will satisfy you." The old craftsman was in tears and kept saying nice things to Zhu Huan.

Just as Zhu Huan was about to curse again, Ma Yasha arrived at the scene and reached out to hit Zhu Huan. Zhu Huan dodged, but he lost his balance and stumbled, falling into the cave.

Ma Yacha was still not satisfied, and cursed Zhu Huan at the cave entrance: "He came to help you repair your old house at such an old age, and you don't care about him, but you want to drive him away for a trivial matter? Did your dog and badger eat your conscience? The old man could be your grandfather, and you actually cursed him like this."

"Boss, it's all my fault. The fairy has the right to scold me. Oh, my, what should I do if the fairy falls down? What should I do? Oh, my old man, I'd better jump down and die with her." The old craftsman said as he jumped into the cave.

Regardless of Uncle Liu holding him tightly, Lu Bo struggled to break free from Uncle Liu's arms and rushed to the cave entrance. Just as he was about to jump down, Ma Yasha came over and blocked his way.

Uncle Liu chased after Lu Bo and cursed, "What's wrong with you, old man? Do you want us to hold a funeral for you?"

"You old thing don't know shit. If I don't go down, you will have to hold a funeral for your niece and that old man." Lu Bo wanted to jump over Ma Yasha and jump down the cave, but Uncle Liu was holding him tightly and Ma Yasha was blocking him, so he couldn't move.

Uncle Liu grabbed Lu Bo tightly with both hands and cursed back: "You don't need to care about my niece, and you don't need to care about that old man either. What can you do if you go down? I'll be the one to go down."

"If I don't take care of your niece and that old man, they will both die. You know, the cave is full of traps and ambushes. If you are not careful, you will be smashed to pieces." Ruburt insisted on going down the cave.

Uncle Liu scolded, "What do you know about traps and ambushes, old man? You only know about mortise and tenon. I am a master of traps and ambushes."

"The ambush in this cave is different. Only I can break it." Ruber looked anxious.

Uncle Liu refused to accept the news and said to Lu Bo: "The traps and ambush in this cave are different? How are they different? Only you can break them? How dare you, a lousy carpenter, say such big words in front of me? I want to go down and see what kind of traps and ambush they are? Humph!"

"Hmph, I'm just a lousy carpenter. So what? Not convinced? Then let's compete to see who can break the ambush in the cave?" Rube angrily retorted to Uncle Liu.

Ma Yasha said, "Can you two old kids stop humming? The fairy and the old craftsman have been in the cave for such a long time without any reaction. I'm afraid they are really in danger. You still have the mind to hum? Hey, uncle, how did you know there was an ambush in this cave? And you are the only one who can break it?"

"Yes, tell me the truth. What happened? Did you dig this cave? Is it to kill my niece?" Uncle Liu grabbed Ruber by the collar.

Lu Bo was not to be outdone. He also tightly grasped Uncle Liu's collar, stiffened his neck, and replied viciously: "I dug this cave, and I just want your niece's life. What do you think? Are you heartbroken? Old man, I tell you, if you dare to go down, I will still take your life, your life!"