The wellness center.
Chen Jiaxin arrived at Mrs. Xu’s room right on time and efficiently helped her pack.
Mrs. Xu didn’t have much. There was only a laptop, a few lightweight recording devices, several changes of clothes, and an old quilt patched in several places.
She looked a little embarrassed. “Young lady, I’m sorry to trouble you. I didn’t expect Director Yu to arrange for someone to see me off even though I’m not renewing my contract.”
Chen Jiaxin was pulling the zipper on the suitcase. She looked up and smiled. “It’s no trouble. But I’m not with Director Yu. I’m with Director Yu’s younger brother.”
“The Yu family is wonderful. They’re very close and always help one another. Our eldest brother said that if Seventh Miss Yu hadn’t helped him before, he wouldn’t even have made it past the first round. Now he’s helping his own brother too. They’re passing down the tradition of family members helping one another!”
Mrs. Xu nodded silently. “That’s true. The Yu family has been able to build such a vast business empire, covering every industry and all kinds of essential services. That proves the family as a whole must value loyalty and affection. Otherwise, they never would have lasted this long.”
That was why she hoped her own family could be like that too.
She hoped she could successfully return to her family this time.
Before long, Chen Jiaxin picked up two large bags.
She looked slender, but she was surprisingly strong. “Grandma Xu, let’s go.”
“All right. Thank you so much.”
Mrs. Xu picked up a suitcase herself and followed her out.
-
Chen Jiaxin hailed a cab, and they soon arrived at the residential complex where Mrs. Xu lived.
When they reached the flower bed, Chen Jiaxin set down the luggage and got down to business.
She pulled out her notebook and said, “Grandma Xu, before we go upstairs, let me explain the plan.”
Mrs. Xu looked surprised. “Huh? A plan?”
Chen Jiaxin nodded seriously. “Yes. I came up with quite a few strategies to help you drive out those in-laws who’ve taken over your home.”
“Strategy one: the civilized approach.”
“First, we reason with them and make it clear that the house is registered in your name.”
“You’re willing to let your son, daughter-in-law, and grandson live here, but there’s no legal basis or obligation for your in-laws to stay here long-term.”
“If they still refuse to leave, we’ll take the matter to court.”
She turned the page.
“Strategy two: the brute-force approach.”
“I’ll pretend to be a distant niece of yours, and you can tell them my family is being renovated, so I’m staying here temporarily.”
“You won’t have to do anything. I’ll take on the entire family by myself.”
“There was a homeowner in my residential complex whose awful relatives refused to leave. The homeowner didn’t want to fall out with them, so they asked me to pretend to be a relative and move in. I stayed up every night, acted short-tempered, banged and smashed things around, and made a filthy mess of the kitchen and bathroom…”
“In the end, those awful relatives packed their suitcases and ran away in less than three days.”
Chen Jiaxin continued turning the pages of her notebook.
“Strategy three: the public-opinion approach.”
“I’ll spread the word throughout the neighborhood about everything they’ve done. They have a son of their own and a house of their own, so why did they give all their money and property to their son while expecting their daughter to support them in their old age?”
“Most importantly, if the house had been bought by your son, then he could let anyone he wanted live there. But this house belongs to you.”
“The reasonable people in the complex will definitely side with you! It won’t be long before they shame those people into leaving!”
“Strategy four…”
Mrs. Xu was torn between laughter and tears. “All right, all right, young lady. You can stop now. Thank you for thinking of so many ways to help me.”
Chen Jiaxin waved it off cheerfully. “No need to thank me! I love teaching awful relatives a lesson!”
In this inheritance competition within the Yu family, the eldest brother had been assigned to manage property services. That meant she had the chance to mediate disputes among residents every day. She felt as though she had arrived in paradise!
She absolutely loved this job!
Mrs. Xu’s eyes were full of gratitude. “But I don’t want to make the situation worse. He’s my only son. If I don’t give my house and money to him, who else would I give them to?”
“If I truly fall out with him, I’ll have no one left in this world to rely on.”
“…”
Chen Jiaxin fell silent.
Mrs. Xu continued, “That’s why I came back. I want to discuss it with them and see if I can live here too.”
“I’m not insisting on having a nice room. There’s a bit of space by the balcony. If we tidy it up and put in a folding bed, I can sleep there.”
“As for my in-laws, I don’t have to drive them out either.”
“They’re elderly too. Life isn’t easy for older people wherever they go. We should all be considerate of one another.”
Chen Jiaxin could only close her notebook and put it back in her bag.
Everyone had to make their own choices. She couldn’t lecture someone else from her own perspective.
“All right. I’ll carry your luggage upstairs.”
She picked up the two large bags again and went upstairs with Mrs. Xu.
Soon, they arrived.
Mrs. Xu stood in front of the familiar door, staring at it with a dazed look in her eyes.
She and her late husband had saved enough money to buy this apartment in middle age. They had lived here for more than twenty years, and it held the happiest memories of her life.
Mrs. Xu raised her hand and knocked.
Before long, the sound of slippers scuffing across the floor came from inside.
When the door opened, her daughter-in-law stood behind it. The moment she saw the large bags at Mrs. Xu and Chen Jiaxin’s feet, her expression changed.
“Mom? Why didn’t you tell us you were coming back from Xuzhou?”
She had no idea that Mrs. Xu had returned to Pu City the previous year and secretly moved into the wellness center.
Mrs. Xu smiled gently. “I called Little Yu last night.”
She simply hadn’t had the chance to explain anything. Her son had said he was busy and hung up on her.
Unable to hold back, Chen Jiaxin said, “Isn’t this Grandma Xu’s house? Why does she need to tell anyone in advance before coming home?”
The older couple who had been watching television in the living room immediately poked their heads out when they heard that.
The older woman took one look at Chen Jiaxin and scrutinized her from head to toe. “Who are you? How dare you speak like that?”
The older man’s expression darkened as well. “What do old people live their whole lives for if not their children? Once a house is given to a son and daughter-in-law, it becomes their home. What do you mean, it’s hers? That’s a nasty way to put it.”
Chen Jiaxin was just about to ask why they didn’t go live with their own son and daughter-in-law when Mrs. Xu gently tugged at her sleeve and urged her in a mild voice, “Xiao Chen, don’t argue. Don’t argue.”
Chen Jiaxin had no choice but to shut her mouth.
Although she was extremely annoyed, she still carried Mrs. Xu’s luggage inside.
The apartment was over a hundred square meters, with three bedrooms and two living rooms. In a neighborhood like this, it was probably worth more than ten million yuan.
Chen Jiaxin asked, “Grandma Xu, which room should I put your luggage in?”
Mrs. Xu looked awkward as she glanced around the apartment. To her surprise, she didn’t know which room to point to.
This had once been her home, yet now there wasn’t a single place in it that had been left for her.
“Let’s wait until my son comes home and ask him,” she said softly.
Her daughter-in-law’s expression worsened when she heard this. She immediately took out her phone and walked over to the balcony to make a call.
“Stop fishing outside and come back right away. Your mother’s here. How should I know what she wants? Just hurry home!”
Mrs. Xu walked over to the sofa and saw her grandson sitting there playing a video game.
She gave him a gentle smile. “Yangyang, do you still remember Grandma?”
The boy didn’t even look up.
Mrs. Xu could only fall silent.
This was exactly what she had experienced before leaving the previous year.
No one in the family scolded her; they simply treated her with indifference.
She turned around and awkwardly pretended to tidy her bag.
Chen Jiaxin quietly sent Yu Zheng a message, complaining about it.
