27 Cottage in the woods (1/2)

As the sun rose, the coldness gradually dissipated, filling the air with warmth. In the end, it was still fall and summer was still quite recent, so there was no reason for the weather to have changed so drastically.

Gan Tian Chi led Xue'er to a clearing in the forest. Within all that dense brush, there was actually a place that had sunshine could reach down on the grass.

It was a small cottage. The cottage was simple, just as any other common family's cottage. What was special about it was its location, there was no other living person within a ten-mile radius and the closest village was about fifteen miles away.

[They could not build this cottage in a more isolated place.]

The cottage was made mostly of wood and bamboo, with a straw roof. Looking so poorly built, that a slight wind could easily blow it away. The doors were carved with simple geometric patterns, it didn't look like much.

”Come on.” Gan Tian Chi said as he walked towards the door that seems to have been untouched for many, many years. Xue'er stayed where she was, a good distance from the door.

[It hasn't been opened in a while, I wouldn't want to be the one who opens it.]

With a light push, the door easily opened, and with that, a giant cloud of dust fell on the ground, it was just like a fog, as it swallowed the figure up.

Gan Tian Chi coughed heavily. He had breathed in a great deal of dust and was exhaling dust, like a dragon's breath after breathing fire. He slowly patted the dust off his shoulders, it was just like a rug that had collected up dust for many years, finally getting beaten to remove the dust collected over a long time.

Gan Tian Chi helplessly looked towards Xue'er, who was free from dust, as she had been a good distance from the dust cloud, her clothes had not changed, unlike his clothes that had become a gray, powdery color.

”You clean up the place, I'll wash up.” Gan Tian Chi said to Xue'er as he walked outside to look for a place to clean up.

After all that traveling, they had yet to feel tired, in fact, they were still brimming with energy. They felt that a new house could easily be built, let alone the cleaning of a cottage.

”Fine.” Xue'er sighed.

[It's on the account that you're the one who opened the door and got bombarded with the dust cloud.]

Gan Tian Chi set off somewhere to clean himself up, while Xue'er went to the well to fetch a bucket of water, with a rag and set to clean the inside of the cottage.

The cottage was surprisingly spacious inside, it would have felt like a whole different world, if not for the thick layers of dust covering everything.

[How long has this place been neglected?]

She dipped the rag into the bucket of water and started cleaning. Within no time, the water became a gray sludge from the accumulation of wiping the dust and submerging the towel in the water.

By the time she finished with the cleaning, the water was no longer recognizable as water and the rag in her hand had become one with the dust.

[It would have been easier with a broom.] Xue'er thought to herself after she finished cleaning.