"Old Su, you're back?"

My neighbor, Grandpa Zhang, was watering the flowers at the door and greeted me with a smile.

"Hey! You're back!"

Su Jianguo responded loudly, a smile he couldn't hide on his face.

"What a beautiful day!"

But when he pushed open his own gate, the scene before him was like a bucket of ice water poured over his head, leaving him completely stunned.

In the courtyard, Wang Xiulan lay slumped on a recliner, her face deathly pale, while Su Yufen massaged her temples.

Su Yuzhen squatted to the side wiping away her tears, and the two little ones, Da Mao and Er Mao, seemed to be infected by it as well, hugging each other and crying loudly.

Su Jianguo's smile froze on his face. He thought something terrible had happened, and the bicycle crashed to the ground.

"What happened? Who's in trouble?"

He rushed to Wang Xiulan's side, his voice trembling with anxiety.

Upon seeing her husband, Wang Xiulan's tears flowed uncontrollably, her lips trembling but unable to utter a word.

Su Jianguo's heart clenched; he had never seen his wife like this before.

"father!"

Su Yufen stood up, her eyes red.

"The boss just came back, he...he said..."

"Su Mingqiang?"

Su Jianguo frowned and his voice suddenly rose.

"That beast dares to come back?"

Su Yuzhen suddenly jumped up, her face turning red with anger.

"Dad! My eldest brother says he wants to divide the family property! He's even contacted people from the neighborhood committee; they're coming to our house at nine o'clock tomorrow morning! He also said... he said if we don't cooperate, he'll burn the house down!"

Su Jianguo felt a rush of heat to his head, and his vision went black.