“The building is too small; it should be expanded,” A Lei said after a while.

"I think our efforts are all worthwhile." Qin Xiaoyu gripped his hand tightly. She decided to go and fight with Director Chen tomorrow; the industrial park had to be built.

This is her hometown; she can't abandon it. Though there may still be shadows here, the sun will always shine through.

Seeing them return from outside, chatting and laughing all the way, Zhou Xing's mother's expression softened considerably. She had been somewhat neurotic these past few days, either spacing out or extremely tense.

"Mom, I'm going to challenge Director Chen to a duel tomorrow," Qin Xiaoyu announced as she entered the room.

"Be ruthless, don't give that woman any face!"

Zhou Shiling said bitterly that he felt guilty when he thought about the mistreatment Zhou Yue had suffered back then. He said he loved his daughter the most, but in the end, he was kept in the dark about how much harm his daughter had suffered.

If it weren't for Qin Xiaoyu, Zhou Yue might have lost her life.

"I'll go with you too," my cousin-in-law said, getting excited about the idea.

"We don't need so many people. We've given her too much face. I can handle her myself." Qin Xiaoyu meant what she said and had already started making plans in her mind.

The security is good now; the doors are locked from the inside as soon as it gets dark. Xiao Chen's parents live in the gatehouse, and anyone who wants to come in has to call them through them.

This time, it was her third uncle and aunt who came. Qin Xiaoyu and A Lei came out to greet them.

"Why are you here so late? Is something urgent?" Qin Xiaoyu asked hurriedly.

“Master Wang has passed away. The funeral is tomorrow. I know her son is afraid to tell you, but since you were master and apprentice, I have to tell you.” Auntie was very thoughtful.

"What?" Qin Xiaoyu was startled. Master Wang wasn't very old. Although he had some health problems, they were all age-related. How could he have passed away so quickly?

Memories from the past flooded her mind; she had almost forgotten the embarrassing situation she faced right after her rebirth, but now they all came back. She couldn't help but wipe away her tears.

"What time tomorrow? I'll take Xiaoyu there," A Lei asked hurriedly.

"I heard they left at eight in the morning, it's too late, let's go back." Third Aunt said as she walked out.

Qin Xiaoyu got up and saw them off, chatting as they walked. It took them a full twenty minutes to walk from the building to the main entrance.

"If you're not done chatting, go inside. My legs are getting numb from standing." Uncle San said unhappily. Qin Xiaoyu had no choice but to let them go back.

"What exactly happened? I saw Mr. Wang buying groceries just a few days ago. He looked quite energetic, with a ruddy complexion," my cousin-in-law asked, leaning closer.

"My daughter-in-law was so angry she almost had a stroke. It's all because she's after that little bit of money in her hand. She's asked for it five times in a row, but she makes all sorts of excuses not to give it to her, and just denies that she has that money." Qin Xiaoyu had just heard this from her aunt.

Mr. Wang left in a hurry, and he died by the time he arrived at the hospital. His son and daughter-in-law were still shouting in his ear, asking where his bankbook was, which became a laughing stock.

The next morning, A Lei drove Qin Xiaoyu there.

Master Wang was stingy and didn't have many friends. Knowing the cause of her death, he had a problem with her son and daughter-in-law, so naturally he refused to come and support her.

All the attendees were her son and daughter-in-law's colleagues. There were no elderly people who knew the proper etiquette, so the event was just a haphazard affair with firecrackers and fireworks, making it look even more lively than a wedding.

Qin Xiaoyu felt sad, but she couldn't bear not to accompany him on this journey.

These people gathered downstairs, and when they saw that it was almost time, they called for the gate to be opened.

In Northeast China, it is a custom to burn a pillow after someone dies, and the burning should be done by a stranger.

Mr. Wang's son found a passerby and gave him a bottle of gasoline and a ten-yuan bill.

As soon as the car started moving, oil was poured on the pillows and set ablaze, sending up a plume of black smoke and flames soaring into the sky.

"That flame is quite strong; Old Mrs. Wang has quite a temper."

"How can one not feel aggrieved when one dies without knowing why?"

"I heard the passbook still hasn't been found?"

"That's right, they said they took apart the blankets and the bed, but they didn't."

"They might not even have a bankbook, who knows?" The onlookers seemed to know more than the family members, and Qin Xiaoyu got the gist of it.

She knew perfectly well that Master Wang had a lot of money, and he had later claimed that the money for the house was paid in installments, thus avoiding payment. Qin Xiaoyu pretended not to know and let him have his way this time, but unexpectedly, she didn't even get to spend the money.

"Look, what's that paper flying out of the fire?" someone with sharp eyes exclaimed.

As everyone looked over, they saw many scraps of paper flying out of the ashes of the burned pillow, like black butterflies, which shattered in the wind.

"Is there a bankbook inside?" a clever person exclaimed.

Everyone rushed over, and those with good luck used sticks to pry open the ashes and dug around inside. Sure enough, they found a piece of paper the size of a fingernail with black Arabic numerals printed on it. This was not from a savings account.

The people in the car ahead also heard the news. The convoy stopped, and Mr. Wang's son and daughter-in-law rushed over like madmen, pushing the crowd aside. Ignoring the heat, they held the ashes in their hands and searched carefully.

There are three pieces in total.

The passbook cover was burned off, so I don't know which bank it was from or how much money was in it.

In those days, there were no strict requirements for real-name registration for depositing money, nor were ID cards required.

This money is wasted.

Mr. Wang's daughter-in-law sat down on the ground, pounded the ground, and started wailing. Her crying was so miserable, it was even more heartbreaking than when she cried for her own mother.

She had some black ash on her hands, and when she smeared it all over her face, she looked like a little devil.

The onlookers initially held back, but then someone started laughing, which was rather unkind.

Qin Xiaoyu couldn't stand it any longer and pulled A Lei out of the crowd.

That's how the world is; you enjoy what you have, not a penny more or less. Master Wang desperately tried to scrape together money, only to be burned to ashes in the end. Where can he go to seek justice?

“Take the house back. They didn’t spend a penny, so they can’t live there for free. The house belonged to my master, and now that he’s gone, they have no reason to continue living there.”

Qin Xiaoyu called Brother Chen. This matter had to be dealt with harshly. Some people had too low a bottom line and needed to be corrected. Qin Xiaoyu was going to teach them how to behave.

Master Wang's daughter-in-law, Xu Dahua, is also a notorious shrew. She exploded when she heard they were going to take back the house.

Qin Xiaoyu didn't give a gift at the funeral, which she tolerated, but now she wants the house back, that won't do.

Xu Dahua whispered something in Chen Xiaobing's ear, and the two like-minded people hit it off immediately. This was to give Qin Xiaoyu a taste of her own medicine.

Isn't Qin Xiaoyu supposed to be chivalrous, righteous, and generous? Let's see how she crosses the river and burns the bridge. Her mentor, with whom she started the business, is gone, and she immediately takes back the house. Has she lost all her conscience?

The next morning, they took their son and ran to the clothing mall. When they saw that most people had left, they pulled out a piece of white paper with a few crooked red characters written on it: "Qin Xiaoyu is ungrateful."

That's how they schemed. There were fewer people at the villa, and they were all Qin Xiaoyu's family. Even if they made a scene, no one would watch, and it wouldn't be lively enough.