Chapter 31: The Old Witch

“Good morning, Granny,” Ji Linmo greeted politely.

The so-called Ghost Granny—Gu Yulan—seeing that the person knocking was a man, her expression softened slightly. She sized Ji Linmo up, her cloudy eyes and yellowed teeth forming a stark contrast to her delicate face.

“Young man, I’ve heard about you. You’re the newcomer in Room 403, pretty handy at chess. Ma Jianguo mentions you often.” Ghost Granny—Gu Yulan—shot Ma an indignant glare, her tone tinged with grievance.

“But, Ma Jianguo and I still have some matters to discuss. Why are you standing at our door so early, listening in? Is there something you need?”

Sensing her displeasure, Ji Linmo hurried to explain. “Granny, you’ve misunderstood. I wasn’t eavesdropping; I’m here to return something.”

He set down the bags filled with gifts and drew a ring from his pocket, handing it to Ghost Granny—Gu Yulan.

“I came early because I found Ma Jianguo’s lost ring and thought you might be worried, so I wanted to return it as soon as I woke up.”

“My ring!” Ghost Granny’s eyes lit up at the sight, slipping it eagerly onto her finger before a hint of suspicion flickered across her gaze.

“Thank you, young man. Where did you find it?” She muttered, “My old man is so muddled these days. No matter how I ask, he claims not to know. He won’t even try to recall how he lost it.”

Ji Linmo nodded, casting a discreet glance at Ma Jianguo before maintaining his polite smile and pointing to the gold ring.

“Granny, don’t rush—let’s make sure this is really yours.”

She removed the ring and squinted, as if searching for something. After a moment, she nodded in satisfaction.

“Yes, it’s mine. This ring is the wedding band my old man gave me when he proposed. Though the pattern is simple, inside the ring is engraved my surname’s English spelling. Look, here’s the inscription—this is my ring.”

She showed Ji Linmo the inside. Only now did he notice the tiny inscription.

But upon closer inspection, he realized it wasn’t a letter, but an upside-down character.

—Fang.

Fang? Had she changed her name? Her current name didn’t include Fang.

Ji Linmo kept silent, recalling Ghost Granny’s words just before he entered. Awkwardly, he snuck a glance at Ma Jianguo.

But Ghost Granny—Gu Yulan—seemed unaware, grinning broadly as she slipped the ring back on, revealing a row of missing, wind-worn yellow teeth.

“Found at last, found at last…”

Ma Jianguo wiped his brow, smiling at Gu Yulan.

“Granny, look closely—don’t you think this ring is brighter and cleaner than before?”

At Ji Linmo’s words, Ghost Granny raised her hand, inspecting it under the light.

The spotless gold ring glimmered, even in the dim corridor, catching the light through the cracks in the wall.

“It’s much brighter—almost as if it’s been remade,” she said, pleased, waggling her finger.

As her shriveled, bird-claw-like finger moved, the gold ring shimmered, dazzling and oddly out of place.

“Good child, tell me—what happened to the ring?”

Ji Linmo smiled, glancing at the scattered age spots on her back and her delicate, youthful face.

“It’s nothing, really. I happened to have some jewelry cleaning solution left and gave it a thorough polish.”

“Yesterday, while playing chess with Ma Jianguo, he mentioned the ring looked old and wondered if it could be restored. I suggested cleaning solution, then we got lost in the game.”

“We were so absorbed, we didn’t even realize the ring had fallen. When we finished, I found it on the floor and decided to take it home for a good cleaning before returning it this morning.”

In truth, Ji Linmo hadn’t cleaned the ring at all.

When he’d pulled it off Qin Feng’s finger, it had reverted to its original gold form, flawless and gleaming.

“Excellent, excellent…”

Ghost Granny—Gu Yulan—looked at her ring with satisfaction, her gaze toward Ma Jianguo now devoid of anger.

“This old man is so careless—doesn’t even notice when something’s lost. Thank goodness the young man was attentive and brought it back.”

“Young man, don’t be so formal. Just call me Granny Gu from now on… Come in, since you’ve returned the ring, we owe you our thanks.”

[Task triggered]

[Visit Granny Gu’s home as a guest]

[Task reward: ?]

[Task failure: ?]

Ji Linmo picked up his things and entered Granny Gu’s home.

As soon as he stepped inside, the sound of a woman singing opera echoed abruptly.

“For love I twist my tender heart~ So I am sick all day and night~ I swore before the lamp with Xie Zhaolang~ Who knew fate would tear us apart~ Now, ill-fated, my days are numbered”

—On the tea table, an old radio was playing opera.

The mournful, winding voice wove through the static and occasional discordant notes, creating an eerie atmosphere.

“Oh, my memory! Letting you in and I haven’t prepared anything. Young man, sit in the chair for a while—I’ll cut some fruit for you,” Granny Gu said, patting her head and shuffling toward the kitchen.

“Sit, sit. My old woman takes her time—standing around won’t help,” Ma Jianguo said, pulling Ji Linmo to a seat. He picked up the chess manual from the table and resumed reading, apparently right at the most exciting part when he’d been chased out earlier.