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The old lady waved her hand. "It's not expensive. It didn't take much effort to grow them."

"Alright." Seeing that the old lady refused to accept it, Chu Yuening had no choice but to give up. After seeing her out, she handed her a talisman.

"This talisman will help you sleep. Remember to keep it safe."

"Really?"

"Indeed." Chu Yuening smiled.

The old lady was unaware of the talisman's value and assumed that the young lady's intentions were genuine. She didn't want to disappoint her.

After bidding farewell, Chu Yuening stood by the window with the address Nancy had given her.

Upon closer inspection, she realized that the address was actually in the same neighborhood as where the old lady lived.

Under the night sky, a faint black aura above the distant neighborhood suddenly grew denser, gradually taking the shape of a giant crane. Its sharp, long beak continuously pecked angrily at the top of the complex.

She seemed lost in thought.

"The winds... carry the cries of cranes."

Chapter 61

Dawn

A thin mist rose over the bay, as light rain tapped against the windows. The young girl quietly opened the door to her room, tiptoeing in with a hunched back.

She was dressed in a black sweater with a Peter Pan collar and had her long black hair cascading down, topped with a small white cap.

Chu Yuening opened her eyes.

She saw Chu Yi sitting cross-legged by the bed, propping her cheeks up with her hands. Upon seeing her wake up, she leaned in with delight, "Big Sister!"

"Did you get the money back?"

Chu Yuening made an 'OK' sign, "I got it all back."

Yawning, she rubbed her arms, feeling the chill of the approaching winter. Reaching for a knitted cardigan on the bedside, she draped it over herself.

"Fantastic!" Chu Yi jumped up in delight.

Before leaving, Chu Yi had asked if Yuening wanted to come along, but was met with a refusal.

Anyway, Yuening was more than capable of dealing with the Fangs on her own.

Back in the 1970s, the 7,000 yuan was practically the entire fortune of the Chu family. Fang Jingguo had taken it all with just a casual remark about needing it.

This later led the Chus to struggle financially for a long time.

In reality, the Chus were an educated family and shouldn't have fallen on such hard times. Chu Yuening's grandfather, a high school teacher, was later labeled a counter-revolutionary. Although he was later rehabilitated, their life was never the same.

"The Chus' money is finally being returned!"

When lending the money to Fang Jingguo, her grandfather had even pawned his beloved pocket watch.

Fortunately, the money had been retrieved.

Chu Yuening brought Chu Yi before their mother's and the rest of the Chu family's portraits, and they burned the IOU in front of them.

Chu Yi knelt down solemnly, clasped her hands together, and spoke earnestly, "Mom, I've burned the IOU for you. I hope that if you're aware in the afterlife, you'll turn into a vengeful spirit and strangle Fang Jingguo..."

"Stop talking nonsense," Chu Yuening interrupted, exasperated. "If you really become a vengeful spirit and harm someone, you'll have to face Heavenly Retribution and be reduced to ashes."

"Ashes?" Chu Yi's small mouth gaped in fear, and she waved her hands repeatedly. "Then let's not become a vengeful spirit. Tsk tsk tsk..."

Chu Yuening watched as the IOU burned in the fire pit. After extinguishing the flames, she carried the pit to the kitchen. Chu Yi followed closely behind, persistently asking questions.

"Sis, tell me what happened? When you went to collect the money, there's no way Fang Jingguo would give it willingly, right?"

Chu Yuening recounted the entire process.

The more Chu Yi listened, the happier she became. Her round eyes crinkled into a smile.

"Fang Jingguo deserved his misfortune! Hmph! Let's see if he dares to provoke us again!"

After her tirade, Chu Yi beamed and linked arms with Chu Yuening. "Sis is the best!"

The telephone in the living room rang.

"It must be one of my classmates!" Chu Yi dropped what she was doing and skipped over to answer it.

Ten minutes later, Chu Yi hung up the phone.

"Sis, I've arranged to sell mineral water with friends. I'll be off~"

"You're going with friends? When did this come up?" Chu Yuening had just finished changing her clothes and was arranging her long hair out of her outfit.

"Yeah. The business has expanded to two other venues. I've asked two classmates to help me sell, and I'll pay them daily wages."

There were more than one sports venue in Hong Kong. Chu Yi had her eye on two busy indoor facilities for quite some time. Once she had enough startup capital, she immediately put her idea into action.

"Can't chat now, sis. Gotta rush!"

With her small shoulder bag in hand, Chu Yi hastily headed out the door.

Once she left,

Chu Yuening had just retrieved a telephone directory from beneath the TV cabinet when she flipped through it and dialed Wei Yanlin's number. She asked him to make her some small scarecrows.

In truth, she could make them herself.

But without the necessary tools, she was too lazy to bother.

"How many scarecrows do you need?" Wei Yanlin was delighted to receive Chu Yuening's call and assured her that it wouldn't be a problem, no matter how many she wanted.

"Hmm..." Chu Yuening pondered for a moment, recalling the neighborhood she had seen the previous night. "At least ten."

"Sounds like a big project," Wei Yanlin said cautiously. "Can I tag along and broaden my horizons when the time comes?"

Scarecrows served various purposes in mystic arts, and throughout history, there were numerous ways to harm others using voodoo dolls. For example, by attaching someone's birthdate and zodiac information, one could use the scarecrow to inflict harm on that person.

Of course, Wei Yanlin trusted that Chu Yuening would never resort to such tactics.

Ten or more scarecrows!

The mere thought of it thrilled Wei Yanlin, who eagerly requested to join in.

Chu Yuening consented.

She could use some assistance with carrying items anyway.

In the afternoon.

Chu Yuening reappeared in the furniture store, and the salesperson who had attended to her last time lit up, clasping their hands together and hurried over.

Not to mention that Chu Yuening paid without any hesitation, while others might take two or three days just to make a decision.

Yet, this lady managed to place an order and have it installed all within half a day.

Such a patron was indeed a rare gem.