CHAPTER 31
After the household registration was moved, she lived her life as usual. One day, she was cooking dinner in the kitchen when a strange yet familiar man appeared in front of the window—Shen Haiyang’s brother. She was curious about what this man was doing, so she left the kitchen before she finished rolling the noodles.
“Hello, I’m sorry to come to your house again.”
The man was dressed in a suit and had slicked-back hair. He stood in the cozy courtyard and was very polite. His attitude was much better than it was last time. As the host, Shen Haiyang raised his hand to offer his seat, and the other person sat down on the chair opposite him.
“You must be here for something, right?”
Shen Haiyang looked calm, sitting in a rocking chair and drinking milk leisurely. He should have been drinking tea, but he had a heart disease and couldn’t drink tea, so he had already given it up and switched to milk. The two brothers were talking, and Li Xia saw that the other party was quite polite, so she went into the house and poured him tea. Thinking of what his wife said last time, she thought that if he said the same thing, she would throw it in his face.
“Thanks.”
Well, this time the courtesy was in place. Since they seemed to be harmonious on the surface, she would not care and let the two brothers talk on their own. Whether this person was sincere or had changed his strategy, Shen Haiyang was sure that he could handle it.
“I should call you brother now. I was too abrupt last time. I apologize.”
Shen Haiyang waved his hand: “It’s okay. Just say whatever you want to say. It’s okay.”
“Do you know how our father survived overseas?” After saying that, seeing that Shen Haiyang didn’t respond, he continued with a smile.
“He almost died when the railway was laying tracks. Later, he met my mother and recovered under her careful care. He started by delivering newspapers and then got involved in sales, and step by step, he got to where he is today. My mother followed him everywhere and was always by his side whenever he encountered a crisis. Now his health is getting worse, and the domestic environment is not good in all aspects.”
“Please speak frankly if you want to say anything.” It’s just one-sided. I don’t know how credible your words are. You don’t have to tell me about your mother’s achievements.
With just one simple sentence, the man’s faint smile almost disappeared. “I mean, it has not been easy for father over the years. He is in poor health now, and it is not suitable for him to return to this backward place to retire. As a son, you should think about your father.”
Shen Haiyang was still calm and collected, and he got to the point as soon as he spoke: “Why didn’t you tell Father directly? And your mother’s contribution—did she ask you to question me? She thinks I am not worthy of my father’s gift; do you want it back, or what do you mean?”
The man was silent for a moment and even blushed. His parents had divorced long ago, and their property had been divided. Strictly speaking, his father’s life had nothing to do with his mother.
It makes sense, but how can he be willing to accept it? If the old man really returns to the mainland and develops feelings for Shen Haiyang over time, coupled with the guilt he has felt for him over the years, if he leaves all his inheritance to him, wouldn’t he be at a huge loss?
“I say this just to let you know that it was us who stayed by our father’s side all these years, and it was also us who endured the hardships with him.”
Shen Haiyang still said the same thing: “You should go and tell the old man about these things.”
The initiative is obviously in the hands of the old man. You can’t control him, so you come to control us? You are picking on the weak. You know how to judge people by their appearance.
“You…” The man frowned and was very angry. Something happened that was beyond his expectations. He couldn’t argue and started to get angry.
“Poor mountains and bad waters produce unruly people. It seems that the old Chinese saying is true. I tried to reason with you, but you didn’t understand. It seems that I was just talking to a cow this time.”
“You…” Li Xia’s temper suddenly flared up, and just as she was about to speak, Shen Haiyang retorted back.
“The law stipulates that all children have equal inheritance rights. You want to take all of my father’s property, but you say we are unruly people. Then may I ask, What is the point of your monopolizing behavior?”
The man’s face turned red, and he was speechless. Shen Haiyang had been calm and composed from beginning to end. You came here to find fault in a new way. How long can you keep up the good work?
“Everything I do is from my father’s perspective. The mainland is too backward and really not suitable for him to live on in his old age.”
After being criticized, he put on his mask again. Shen Haiyang was not moved by any soft or hard words. Every word he spoke hit the nail on the head: “You should tell this to the old man. He is the one who makes the decision.”
Shen Yaozong was really helpless. He didn’t expect this half-brother to be so difficult to deal with. He returned empty-handed, and when he left, he was thinking about how to explain it to his father.
After he left, Li Xia whispered to her husband, “It’s the common property of the couple. If Shen Yaozong’s mother is not willing to give it, then do we have to return the old man’s money? It doesn’t seem right. You have the right of inheritance.”
Shen Haiyang explained to her, “I have the right to inherit the old man’s property. Don’t worry about it. Judging from the situation, the old man has a lot of property, and Shen Yaozong is not here to ask for money. He is afraid that the old man will live with us, and we will be the first to get the moon. From this point of view, the old man should have a lot of property.”
“Oh, I’m just calculating our cash flow and how much we need to solve any problems if they arise.”
“Don’t worry, just go about your business.”
Li Xia went into the house to cook, and Shen Haiyang finished drinking milk and got up to go into the house to help. His attitude towards his father depends on his mother. Since his mother has let it go, it doesn’t matter to him as a son. Although he has no feelings for his biological father, since they have contacted each other, they can get along naturally.
He didn’t know his wife was pregnant, so he traveled across the ocean. Ignorance is not a crime, and his mother also said that his decision was not wrong. Shen Yaozong said that his mother accompanied him through hardships, so everything he has should be his. What about his original wife? Isn’t it hard for her to raise the child and take care of the family alone?
He didn’t care about the old man’s property, but that didn’t mean he agreed with Shen Yaozong’s words. If the old man didn’t give him a cent, he wouldn’t fight for it. If the old man wanted to give it to him, then he would be justified both morally and legally, and it wouldn’t be Shen Yaozong’s turn to say whether he deserved it or not.
Li Xia had seen a lot of this kind of property dispute on TV, whether it was a TV series or a legal program, but she never thought it would happen to her one day. She smiled, shook her head, and went into the house to cook. For a moment, she felt that life was really like a drama.
She didn’t know how much money the old man has, which makes him so anxious.
Other people’s wealth is just an illusion; earning money yourself is real. Li Xia thought about it and made her own money. An old customer introduced a new customer to her, and she placed two wholesale orders the next day.
The goods are getting less and less, and the funds are getting more and more. At night, she sorted the cash according to the denominations and put the piles of money neatly into the small box. Seeing them, she feels more at ease.
Suddenly, she heard someone talking outside, so she quickly closed her cash box. She stood up and pushed the door open. It was indeed Han Jun, Shen Haiyang’s old classmate. Shen Haiyang poured him some water, and the two sat down on the sofa in the living room.
The two of them had already exchanged greetings when they entered the room. Han Jun smiled and stood up when he saw her. “Sister-in-law,
“Sit down.” Li Xia smiled and greeted them. After chatting for a while, she stood up and said, “You two can chat. I’ll go see if the monkeys have finished watching TV. And let them go to bed early.”
Seeing that she was about to leave, Han Jun stood up quickly. He seemed to be in a dilemma, as he hesitated to speak, and Shen Haiyang patted him and rolled his eyes at him.
“We are all brothers. Just say whatever you want to say. Your sister-in-law is not an outsider.”
Han Jun smiled bitterly and touched the back of his head, then he spoke with determination, “I came here to borrow money. My mother’s condition worsened, and she’s in the hospital, and I’m short of money.”
I see; no wonder he was having a hard time speaking. His mother was paralyzed in bed all year round, and he was the only one who could support the family, so the economy must be tight. A seven-foot-tall man asking for money was really a tough ask.
“How much?”
Shen Haiyang and his wife spoke together. This straightforward attitude made Han Jun feel better. He raised a finger. Li Xia immediately took over.
“One thousand? Wait, I’ll go get it for you.”
“No, no, one hundred.”
How much is the monthly salary? You asked for a thousand yuan right away. Han Jun quickly corrected himself, and was shocked by Li Xia’s generosity. Was this because the old classmate had some US dollars left after buying the house, or did she make a lot of money from her business?
Ten big notes are already so hot in his hand. His family is a typical moonlighter, and sometimes they are even in debt. How long will it take to pay off the debt with their salary?
Han Jun only wanted to borrow 100 yuan from them. Shen Haiyang looked at his wife and laughed helplessly. Li Xia also realized that she had done something wrong.
It was an inappropriate thing, but fortunately, the other party was her husband’s best friend. Moreover, since coming to the city, Han Jun has helped her with everything. Han Jun knew how much money Shen Haiyang’s father had sent her, so she was not very wary of him.
“Don’t show off your wealth. I’ve been foolish today.”
The other party was Han Jun. Shen Haiyang smiled and said nothing. He trusted his childhood friend. “How much did you have?”
“Eighty thousand.”
As expected, the only thing that can make people arrogant is wealth. With 80,000 yuan in cash at home, it is no wonder that they would think a finger is only 1,000 yuan.
“It’s okay; Han Jun is not a quick-talker.”
“I’ll be more careful next time.” Putting aside the matter of borrowing money, she remembered that he seemed to come back a little late these days and immediately asked, “What have you been busy with these days? Is it about the house?”
Shen Haiyang nodded. “There are no properties for sale in the whole yard at the moment, but there are several individual households. So I am negotiating with several families in the backyard to exchange. If successful, I will renovate the backyard, open up the alley, and turn it into a small gate, as you said, so that there will be someone to take care of it.”
“Exchange? You mean you buy out those retail investors and then exchange houses with those people in the backyard?”
“right.”
“Will they agree to that? The location here is very good.”
“It’s a question of price. I believe as long as the money is in place, changing the location is not a problem.”
Li Xia nodded and agreed with him. If you can get a house and earn some money at the same time, I believe many people will do this deal. It just depends on the conditions of each family, and you can give more to those with better conditions.
“How did the talk go?”
“The east and west rooms have already been negotiated, and they will move in at the end of the month. The wife of the main room is not very happy about this. I guess she thinks the house is not good enough. I will look for another one.”
The house in the backyard is similar to theirs. It was originally a large courtyard. There is one entrance here and two entrances in the back. It was originally the place where the women of the family lived. However, the backyard is full of people living in a mess, and the main house has also been damaged by the private construction in the yard, affecting the overall beauty. When we buy it, we have to demolish it first and then renovate it.
“Do you think the old man can get used to it when he comes back? He is sick, and the medical conditions on the mainland are not as good as those abroad. Will he stay for a few days before leaving?”
“That’s his business. We’ll help him find a house, and he can stay as long as he wants.”
“Well, don’t worry; take your time to look for it.”
Knowing that she was worried about his health, Shen Haiyang nodded with a smile. She went out to tell the children to go to bed, and after opening the door, she found that Yiyi and Shen Hui were actually snorting at each other, ignoring each other.
She looked at her daughter silently, shook her head helplessly, and said nothing, pulling her to her bedroom in the west wing. As a result, Yiyi followed behind her, Shen Hui turned around and ignored everyone, and quickly returned to the east wing.
Li Xia couldn’t help but ask after entering the room, “What’s going on?”
Huihua sighed again. The little girl had bright eyes, white teeth, and delicate skin. She looked at her mother with her big eyes and blinked playfully. Just as she was about to explain the two to her mother, Yiyi climbed onto his mother’s lap and sat down to speak for himself.
“My brother is a stingy person. We argued about watching different TVs, so he said he wouldn’t let me sleep in the west room.”
Li Xia looked back at her daughter, and Huihua nodded at her obediently. “Recently, Yiyi has been fighting with his brother for the TV, and his brother seems to hate him. How about letting Yiyi live with me in the west room?”
T/N:- I have posted ADVANCE Chapters (completed) of this novel on my Ko-fi page you can visit here. https://ko-fi.com/s/469b5da95e
Li Xia: I brought tea.
Guest: oh, how n-
Li Xia: it’s a weapon