"Yeah, it's pretty good. Teacher Guo really cares about me and Zhou Hua. Teacher Guo has also told the class monitor about it. The students are all very kind."

"Okay, that puts my mind at ease. I'm going to the city soon. Is there anything you need to buy?"

"No, we have everything. Don't worry, Zhou Hua and I can take care of ourselves. Zhou Hua is feeling much better now, and his daze-like episodes are decreasing."

In this case, it seems that it is most appropriate to arrange my third brother here. He and Zuo Heng share the same suffering and generally would not say anything hurtful.

"You should practice your riding skills first before riding out to buy groceries or go to school. And be careful about your safety."

"good."

Zhou Hua carried two people's school bags and said, "Zuo Heng, let's go to school."

"Okay, let's go."

After watching the two people leave, Zhou Xiang pushed the bicycle into the house, locked the door, and then locked the yard gate.

At the Zhou family's house, after lunch, Zhou's mother called Zhou Yu into the main room and pointed at the things on the kang. "These are all bought by your sister. There are two sets of women's clothes. I'm sure we both have them. You can choose. And then choose the fabric for the pants. It's time to make thin pants."

Zhou Yu pounced on the pile of things on the kang in surprise. Great, there were new clothes.

All leather shoes are black, choose your own size, choose light-colored clothes, dark colors look old-fashioned, and are for mom to wear, and choose pants made of heavy and drapey fabric.

Zhou's mother directly picked out the clothes for her eldest son.

"Boss, come here."

Zhou Niao walked in reluctantly.

Zhou's mother asked, "Boss, what's wrong?"

"Why doesn't my sister come home? I miss her."

"Your sister will be back this afternoon. She went to buy you some clothes. Look, these are all yours. She also bought you some leather shoes! Take all these and put them on your kang."

"Oh, okay!"

Zhou Xiang went to Old Lady Liu's small yard. Old Lady Liu was basking in the sun at home!

"Grandma, why didn't you go to set up the stall?"

"I don't want to move."

"Oh, how's things going with my cousin?"

"Twelve items, ten were recovered. He has already sold two of them. One of them is a copybook of calligraphy, which was your grandfather's favorite. The institute said it was a common cultural relic. I have already handed it in, and they will issue me a certificate later."

Then he looked at Zhou and thought, "He and Xiao Hou have been fired. I don't want to sue him. I just want him to go back. Do you agree?"

"Does it matter whether I agree or not? The key is whether he leaves or not? What if he refuses to leave? He's been out for ten years and has nothing. Is he willing to go back?"

Finally, Zhou Xiang accompanied Old Lady Liu to the detention center and found Liu Shan to negotiate.

Liu Shan was unwilling to go back, so Zhou Xiang planned to sue him for stealing cultural relics and report the matter to his hometown so that his daughter would be criticized for the rest of her life.

Liu Shan asked for consideration.

"Okay, let's think about it! There are still three days left. If you don't withdraw the lawsuit, the trial will officially begin. I'm not sure if I'll have time to come."

Zhou Xiang helped Old Lady Liu walk away. Liu Shan looked at the backs of the old and the young in dejection.

How did it come to this? I left home intending to make a difference. What kind of future could I have by staying at home and farming?

My aunt came home and said she wanted to give the job to my second brother. I threatened my second brother to come over, and I also coaxed my aunt into agreeing. Why did it come to this?

It was Xiao Hou who said that without adoption and without changing the name, there would be no inheritance rights, and it was also Xiao Hou who advised me to get all the good things into my own hands.

Maybe I should have listened to my aunt and found someone here. Maybe I shouldn't have been so closely connected to my hometown. Maybe...

Too many maybes cannot change the fact that I am in detention.

Zhou Xiang helped Old Lady Liu out of the detention center and said, "Let's go to your workplace!"

"what?"

"Go and completely take over the house in your name, so that you have the power and the confidence to kick Liu Shan out and even throw out their things."

"Is it allowed to buy and sell public housing?"

"No, but now there is a rent-to-sale system. After paying the rent for 70 years, you have the right to deal with the house."

"Then go home and get the money."

"I have money."

"No, go home and get the money."

Zhou Xiang helped the stubborn Old Lady Liu back to the courtyard, and Old Lady Liu took out her passbook.

“How much does it cost?”

"When did you start deducting rent from your salary?"

"I don't remember."

"My yard originally cost over 7,000 yuan. Although yours is much smaller, it's in the county, so you'll probably need to prepare 5,000 yuan!"

Old Mrs. Liu took out two passbooks, and Zhou Xiang accompanied her to withdraw money again.

After withdrawing 5,000 yuan, Zhou Xiang accompanied her to her workplace.

When the unit manager saw Old Lady Liu coming, he quickly invited her to sit down on the sofa.

"Comrade Lao Liu, is there something wrong?"

Old Lady Liu looked at Zhou Xiang.

Zhou Xiang said, "My grandmother wants to pay the 70 years' rent for her house in one lump sum."

The manager asked Mrs. Liu, "Really?"

Old Mrs. Liu nodded.

The manager called the accountant and said, "Calculate the lowest rent for Comrade Lao Liu."

"Comrade Lao Liu's house is the smallest in the unit. It costs two yuan per room, so the two main rooms cost four yuan, and the kitchen costs one yuan. His salary has been deducted for five years, so in 1965, it was 3,900 yuan."

Zhou Xiang thought about the rent deducted from the pay slip in the corner of his grandmother's closet in his previous life, which showed two dollars and fifty cents.

"Wait, isn't rent listed as $2.50 on Grandma's pay slip?"

The accountant explained, “That’s after discount.”

Zhou wanted to ask the manager, "Can this total amount be discounted?"

The manager said in embarrassment: "Ninety percent at most, this is already the biggest discount."

"Okay, as long as there's a discount. The yard is about 20 square meters, so let's include it."

The accountant calculated, "If we consider the yard as one room, it's just right based on the price of a kitchen. That's 780 yuan plus the 3900 yuan, a total of 4680 yuan, or 4212 yuan after the discount."

Old Mrs. Liu opened the handkerchief she had been holding in her hand, took out some money and handed it to Zhou Xiang. Zhou Xiang took it, quickly counted 43 bills, and handed them to the accountant.

Holding the receipt and certificate for the change, Zhou Xiang helped Old Lady Liu leave.

The manager sighed, "Comrade Liu has a wonderful granddaughter!"

The accountant nodded in agreement. The little girl was so amazing that he treated her like an adult.

Back in the small courtyard, Zhou Xiang handed the receipt and certificate to Old Lady Liu. Old Lady Liu took them and then rummaged through her closet.

After a while, he took out a small cloth bag and handed it to Zhou Xiang.

"What's this?"

"The things your grandfather left behind, plus the receipt and certificate just now, are all here. Please take them back and keep them for me. It's no longer safe to leave them here."

"Do you trust me? Aren't you afraid that I might steal it?"

"Don't be afraid, in the end it's all yours, right? Whatever you want!"

Zhou Xiang took the cloth bag and said, "Then I'll go back."

Old Lady Liu waved her hand and said, "Let's go, let's go."

After leaving the yard, he casually put the cloth bag into the space.