Chapter 25: Visiting Uncle’s House Again—And Emptying It Out

After returning, Gu Siqing had the real estate agent confirm that there were no issues with the property. As soon as that was done, she had them list it for sale—if there was interest and the price was right, she would sell it directly. With that settled, she made a trip to the market, bought vegetables and meat, and quickly returned to the hotel. Entering her space, she started preparing the meal.

Around this time every day, Qi Yuan would take the two kids out to play, and they hadn’t returned yet. Gu Siqing finished cooking everything inside the space, and just as she set the food out on the hotel room table, Qi Yuan came back with the kids.

Seeing the food, Qi Yuan was surprised. “I was just about to ask you all what you wanted to eat and go pack something up. You already bought it?”

Gu Siqing rubbed her nose sheepishly. She mainly wanted to use the spring water from her space for cooking, so she had gotten a head start. This way, Qi Yuan wouldn’t suspect anything. Shen Qingyan helped her out, “Siqing went out earlier to check her property and had the real estate agent list it. On the way back, she picked up the food. Let’s eat while it’s hot.”

As the family ate, Gu Siqing shared her plans. They would stay at the hotel for the next few days. Even though the house had been emptied out, it was bare inside. To move in, they’d need to buy furniture, which wasn’t cost-effective. Since the agent had already rushed to list the property, they’d wait.

“It’s fine, let’s stay here a little longer,” Qi Yuan said. “It’s summer vacation now. I don’t need to teach. I just want to spend time with my grandsons.”

Gu Siqing agreed. She wanted to stay a bit longer to enjoy time with Dabo and Xiaobao, knowing that once they left, they might never return again.

“Then thank you, Mom,” Gu Siqing smiled.

Qi Yuan looked lovingly at her two precious grandsons, grinning, “It’s no trouble at all! I love playing with Dabo and Xiaobao!”

After dinner, they relaxed for a while. Then Qi Yuan took the kids back to their room. Although Gu Siqing and Shen Qingyan had children together, they’d been conceived from a chaotic night. Now that they were together, they needed time to cultivate real feelings. Qi Yuan knew better than to interrupt.

As soon as they left, Gu Siqing wheeled Shen Qingyan into the space. It had been nearly a week since the surgery. She had taken him for imaging, and the results pleased her. “It looks like your leg is healing well.”

As she spoke, she started massaging his leg, carefully avoiding the surgical area. Her technique was precise, moving from the upper thigh downward. Gu Siqing was completely focused, but Shen Qingyan—now with restored sensation in his leg—couldn’t help but feel awkward as her hands moved near his upper thigh. His face flushed with heat.

Due to his leg injury, he thought everything “down there” wasn’t working anymore. But now he was feeling… something.

He coughed. Gu Siqing looked up in concern, “Does it hurt?”

“Massage helps circulation,” she explained. “Even though you had surgery, we still need to keep this up to help your recovery. Rehab is essential.”

Shen Qingyan’s face was burning, but he turned his gaze away and nodded, “I’ll cooperate with everything you say. But it’s getting late—you must be tired. You should rest early.”

Gu Siqing nodded. “I’ll finish this round and go.”

Even though they were resting in the same space, they had separate rooms. Shen Qingyan’s room had a professional care robot. Gu Siqing’s room was a large bedroom with a floor-to-ceiling window and furnishings that matched her tastes.

As the massage continued, Shen Qingyan felt increasingly restless. Gu Siqing’s touch grazed his inner thigh—igniting something in him that had long been dormant. He lowered his head, trying to hide his reaction. If she found out, wouldn’t she be scared?

Thankfully, the session soon ended. Gu Siqing yawned, “If you need anything, just call the robot. If your leg hurts, press the bell—I’ll hear it.”

Shen Qingyan glanced at his leg, nodding vaguely. Gu Siqing returned to her room, showered, and fell asleep quickly.

But Shen Qingyan remained awake. Even after she left, her light scent lingered in the room. The memory of that night three years ago flooded back, and for the first time, he felt something again. Still, he pushed it down, smiling quietly to himself before finally drifting off.

The next morning, Gu Siqing got up to make breakfast. She wanted to finish cooking before waking Qi Yuan and the kids. After setting the porridge to boil, she visited Shen Qingyan’s room. The robot was helping him slowly lift his leg. After a few seconds, the leg dropped back down.

“That’s already really good progress,” she said from the doorway. “It’s probably because of your military background—your body handles stress better than most.”

Few people could lift their leg like that just days after surgery.

Seeing her, Shen Qingyan’s lips curved into a small smile. Looking at his leg, a flash of excitement crossed his face. “Soon I’ll be able to start lifting it myself.”

Gu Siqing nodded and sat by the bed. Yesterday’s scans showed obvious improvement. After chatting for a while, she returned to check the porridge, added two simple stir-fried dishes, then went to call Qi Yuan and the kids.

Seeing the porridge, Qi Yuan said, “Let me handle breakfast from now on. You get up way too early—it’s too tiring.”

Gu Siqing looked helplessly at Shen Qingyan. If Qi Yuan started buying breakfast, she wouldn’t be able to cook with spring water from her space—which she believed had health benefits.

Of course, Shen Qingyan immediately understood. He took a sip of porridge and said casually, “Mom, let Siqing do it. She knows what the kids like, and she’s used to getting up early to exercise anyway.”

He lied with a straight face.

“Yeah, Mom, I’ll handle it. You don’t need to worry about meals. If there’s something you want to eat, just let me know,” Gu Siqing quickly added.

Qi Yuan waved her hand. “No need. I’ll eat whatever you bring.”

The family shared a warm and harmonious breakfast.

After two or three days, Gu Siqing figured it was time. After giving Shen Qingyan his massage, she made an excuse to return to her room—but instead of her usual routine, she dressed in black, tied her hair in a high ponytail, and slipped out of the space.

She left the hotel and headed straight for a familiar courtyard.

Tonight, she was going to revisit her uncle’s house.

She had deliberately given them a few days to settle in—to let them figure out what was missing and fill in the gaps. Now that time was up, and her house was close to being sold, it was time to speed things up.

Following her memory of the previous break-in, she went directly to the second floor and used lock-picking tools she bought recently. In no time, she was inside. She stood in the living room, inspecting everything.

These people really hadn’t spared themselves—using the 1,600 yuan to buy quality furniture and even adding plants. Everyone had their own room, and Gu Ruizhuo had bought two pairs of expensive shoes that were still untouched in their boxes.

After surveying the place, Gu Siqing began transferring everything into her space—including the shoes. She didn’t care for their old stuff, but she definitely liked the new.

She emptied the living room, raided the wardrobes and nightstands in Gu Dakai and Bai Cuiyan’s room, and even found over a thousand yuan in hidden cash. Only the beds were left behind.

When she got to the grandparents’ room, she paused to scan the area from within her space.

Before she could act, the old lady groaned.

“Oww!”

She was a light sleeper due to her age. That groan was enough to wake her up. Holding her aching waist, she muttered, “Why does my back hurt so much?”

She tried to wake the old man next to her.

“Can’t you sleep?” he grumbled, rolling over. “Why are you making noise in the middle of the night?”

Irritated, the old lady kicked him.

Gu Siqing had already retreated into her space when the noise started. She watched from there as the old woman tried to get up but winced in pain. Giving up, she stayed in bed and soon drifted off again.

Once she was sure they were asleep, Gu Siqing came out and ransacked the room. Aside from the bed, she took all the old couple’s clothes.

Then she headed to Gu Ruizhuo’s room. He was snoring loudly—completely unaware. His room was the nicest. The clothes he had worn that day, draped on a chair, were from a popular brand. Even a T-shirt cost at least ten bucks.

Gu Siqing, unimpressed, shoved everything into her space.

By the time she finished and stood in the bare living room, looking at the stark white walls, she felt extremely satisfied.

Though she could move things with just a thought and make no sound, she still marveled—how could this family sleep so soundly?