Dong Sanmei walked into the living room. The old lady was sitting on the sofa holding her grandson. She said, "Auntie's here."

Li Yuzhu's mother wasn't unreasonable; she said, "I just arrived, and my daughter is back."

"Just got back from get off work." Dong Sanmei took the child from the old lady's arms and sat down on the sofa next to her.

After the child was born, she rarely saw her aunt. The child was shy and wouldn't let anyone hold her. As soon as Dong Sanmei held the child in her arms, the child cried and wanted her maternal grandmother. Dong Sanmei said, "Don't be silly, I'm your dear aunt. I'll go out and buy you some candy later."

The child quickly stopped crying after being coaxed by Dong Sanmei. At this moment, Li Yuzhu also came out of the kitchen. Dong Sanmei said, "Yuzhu, sit down first. I have something to discuss with you."

Li Yuzhu sat down on the sofa. Dong Sanmei said, "Strictly speaking, now that you're divorced, my brother and I should have moved out long ago. Dongqing just went to the factory manager's house to ask for a house. It's not bad; a family moved out for a job transfer the day before yesterday, and they approved a vacant house for us. Dongqing and I can move out this afternoon."

Li Yuzhu's mother said, "Daughter, don't blame your aunt for being nosy. A divorce is a divorce. After a divorce, you can't live together anymore. Don't you agree with what your aunt said?"

“Auntie is absolutely right. I always praise you to my brother, saying you're a very understanding person. I've been urging him to move out for a while now, but we need to find a place to live first!” Dong Sanmei paused for a moment and asked, “Auntie, once my brother and I move out of this house, we can move anywhere, right? You won't be picky about that, will you?”

"You just need to move out of this house; I won't interfere with where you live."

The old lady had no idea that Dong Ermei was trying to trick her. She never dreamed that the house would be right across from her daughter's. She thought it was just a residential area, and as long as they didn't live in the same building or unit, it would be fine. She had no idea that Dong Sanmei was playing tricks on her.

“I was really worried that my aunt would complain if we moved out and lived nearby. Now that you say that, my daughter is relieved. I am so proud that Yuzhu has a mother like you.”

Dong Sanmei's praise of the old lady was less a compliment and more a way of completely trapping her, leaving her no chance to object. Sometimes, flattering someone is a way of preventing them from having a chance to back out.

The old lady said, "I'm not an unreasonable person. As I just said, I won't interfere with where you move to, as long as you move out of this house!"

Dong Sanmei wanted to hear those words from her. She said, "Yuzhu, how about this? My brother and I won't move. Would you like to move in with us?"

Li Yuzhu said, "Of course, just move my bed over there after we finish eating."

"Okay, it's settled then. I won't be having lunch at home. I'm leaving."

After Dong Sanmei finished speaking, she handed her nephew to her grandfather, stood up, and walked out of the house.

When Dong Sanmei returned to her new home, she saw her younger brother cleaning the room, which was already spotless.

When Dongqing saw his third sister return, he asked, "Third sister, what did the old lady say? You didn't argue with her, did you?"

"Do you think Third Sister is that argumentative? Grandma agreed, and I've already spoken to Yuzhu about having her move in. Come on, we'll buy her some decent furniture. Your wife has suffered a lot with you; she should be comfortable."

After Dong Sanmei finished speaking, she took the trash that her younger brother had cleaned up and walked out of the house with him.

The siblings first went to a restaurant for lunch, and then went to a furniture store to buy a new set of furniture.

"Little brother, I'm going to ask for a day off from work. I'll take half a day off this afternoon. Could you take them and return the furniture first?"

Dongqing said, "Third Sister, I can manage on my own, you go to work."

"Are you sure you can handle this? Just go back home, I'll be back in a bit."

Dong Sanmei was really afraid that the old lady would go back on her word. She could say and do anything to her younger brother, but she would at least show some consideration for her. That was why she was worried about taking time off work.

Dong Qing didn't think anything of it. Little did he know that his third sister hadn't told the old lady the truth at all. The old lady's agreement was obtained by tricking her into admitting it, and she didn't know where the house was at all.

Dongqing brought the furniture to the house with the help of the craftsmen, and just as they finished setting it up, Third Sister returned.

The siblings went out to buy a coal stove and coal briquettes, as well as pots, pans, rice, and flour. It took them more than three hours to buy everything, and they didn't get home until after 6 p.m.

Dong Qinggang had just lit the coal fire when Dong Sanmei said, "Little brother, go outside and hide for a bit. As long as the old lady can't see you, she can't do anything."

Dongqing asked, "Third Sister, tell me the truth. Did you lie to me at noon? The old lady never agreed to let us stay here."

Dong Sanmei recounted her conversation with the old lady at noon to her younger brother. She said, "You guessed right. The old lady had no idea the house was across the street. She agreed that we could live anywhere. I got all that information out of her. Listen to me, go out and hide for a while. You really shouldn't be seeing her. When you go home tonight, make sure you don't go to the wrong house. We're still living in our old house. This house will be Li Yuzhu's home from now on!"

After hearing his third sister's words, Dongqing understood everything. He said, "I didn't expect you to be even better at fooling people than your brother. Since you've done this, what can I say? But please don't argue with the old lady. If she doesn't agree, we can look for a house elsewhere, okay?"

Dong Qing and Li Yuzhu had feelings for each other, but out of respect for his ex-wife, he couldn't be angry with her mother, much less go against her. He always had to be subservient to the old lady.

To put it bluntly, it's all for his ex-wife, for their love. Importantly, she is his son's maternal grandmother and was once his mother-in-law. Even if he remarries his ex-wife, she will still be his mother-in-law. From any perspective, he can't afford to turn against her.

"Don't worry, Third Sister knows what to do."

After Dong Sanmei finished speaking, she pushed her younger brother out of the house, watched him go downstairs, and then took out her key to open the door of the room opposite.

The moment she opened the door, it suddenly opened from the inside, revealing Li Yuzhu and her mother standing in the doorway holding a child. She asked, "Are you getting ready to go out?"

The old lady said, "Yes, we'll have dinner with Sun Hao tonight and settle their marriage plans there."

The old lady said this intentionally, trying to extinguish the Dong family's illusions about remarrying their daughter.

Dong Sanmei wasn't stupid; she understood the old lady's meaning. She said, "Really? Congratulations, Yuzhu! I've arranged the house for you. You just need to move your clothes over; it won't take long."

Li Yuzhu asked, "Which building and which unit is the apartment in?"

Dong Sanmei took out her key and opened the door to the apartment across the hall. She said, "First of all, I want to clarify that my brother and I did not intentionally live here. This is the only vacant apartment in the residential area. Please understand our good intentions, Auntie."

Only then did the old lady fully understand why the girl had said so much to her at noon; it turned out she was trying to trick her.

She really didn't want Dongqing to live across from her daughter. She said, "Girl, this isn't the right thing to do. Why didn't you explain things to me clearly at noon? Do you think it's appropriate for my brother and my daughter to live across from each other?"