Chapter 119 Demolition: This is Just a Rumor

"You know him?" Gao Xiuxiu asked anxiously. "Are you two close?"

“Those who work in the same unit naturally have very good relationships,” Fang Xudong said. “Those who have only ordinary relationships are acquaintances.”

Fang Xudong thought that many of them were unaware of this matter, and indeed, the fewer people who knew about it, the better. Fang Xudong didn't know how long those people had been doing this, but he did know that it might have started as early as the first or second year after the resumption of the college entrance examination.

Others worked hard to participate in the college entrance examination

Kao, wanting to change his fate, found that someone else had taken the credit.

Fang Xudong found it terrifying. He couldn't believe he had such people around him, and they acted as if nothing had happened. Fang Xudong had no idea they were capable of such heinous acts; it was utterly horrifying.

"Stop arguing with them," Fang Xudong said. "Don't get involved in those things."

“I didn’t say anything,” Gao Xiuxiu said. “How could I dare to say something so big? I was afraid you would get involved. You know I don’t have a job and I rely on your salary.”

Gao Xiuxiu is in poor health and stays at home to take care of two children, so Fang Xudong cannot be without work.

“I’m telling you, don’t go around making a fuss like before,” Fang Xudong said. “When something like this happens, it causes a huge uproar. Some of the people living nearby are in the area, so you should say less.”

"Okay, say less," Gao Xiuxiu said.

Gao Xiuxiu was not one to keep quiet. She went to the family living next door to Fatty Sister and they told others. Then, a family member impersonating her came up to Gao Xiuxiu and slapped her across the face. These people were already defendants, some had been arrested and were waiting to be sentenced, and Gao Xiuxiu's words angered them, so they came and beat her up.

As for whether Gao Xiuxiu's man works for the police station, that's not of utmost importance to those people.

When Fang Xudong learned that Gao Xiuxiu had been beaten, he was speechless. Fang Xudong warned Gao Xiuxiu again not to go out and talk about it. He said that those people were so desperate they wouldn't give her any face. "Those people are wicked," he said, "they'd steal someone else's university spot; what good could they be?"

If they were recommended to go to university, they could simply change their names, replacing someone else's with their own. Now, with the college entrance exam, since they haven't changed someone else's name, they've simply changed their own name to be the same as someone else's.

Even after everything was regulated, such dark things still happened.

Fan Yani sighed; she never imagined this would happen to someone she knew. She'd seen similar scenes in TV dramas and in the news, but she never expected it to occur in real life.

"It's outrageous!" Fan Yani said over dinner. "Those people are all bad. Do they know how difficult the college entrance exam is? No, they do know. It's precisely because they know that they sell other people's college admission notices. A single admission notice can fetch a lot of money. How could they do such a thing?"

"Don't be angry." Yue Hongwei put some food on Fan Yani's plate.

“What about those who passed the college entrance exam in the early years?” Fan Yani said. “The schools can’t possibly let them go back to school again.”

"Sigh, this is..." Yue Hongwei wanted to say: This is fate.

“This isn’t fate.” Fan Yani immediately realized what Yue Hongwei was about to say. “Those people are so heartless. Fortunately, it’s because Sister Fenglan is in the capital and her older brother works in the Education Bureau. If Sister Fenglan wasn’t in the capital and didn’t have this connection, maybe no one would know.”

"this……"

“You’re useless too, none of you are useful,” Fan Yani said. “What martyr’s daughter? You can’t protect her.”

“We’re useless,” Yue Hongwei said. “We never imagined something like this would happen.”

“There are many things you wouldn’t expect,” Fan Yani said.

The main problem is that impersonation is very common at this time. With the advent of the internet, student photos and other information will be readily available. It will be much more difficult for those who want to impersonate others.

“No wonder they wanted to find Song Fenglan instead of you,” Fan Yani said. “If it were you, and someone told you that she didn’t pass the exam, you would just assume that she really didn’t pass.”

After all, when applying to universities, some people will aim too high. Then, if the teachers say something and the girl doesn't get in, and the admissions officers and high school teachers all say the same thing, Yue Hongwei and his friends will definitely think the teachers are right. They'll all think it's the girl's fault for not doing well on the exam.

“This…we had no idea about this,” Yue Hongwei said. “This is the first time we’ve encountered something like this.”

“Once is enough, why meet so many times?” Fan Yani said. “Do those people think that just because they changed their child’s name, their child will become so useful?”

"Don't be angry, don't be upset," Yue Hongwei said. "Hasn't it already been discovered?"

“They’ve been discovered here, but they might not be discovered elsewhere,” Fan Yani said. “Those people didn’t do well on the exam, yet they still have the nerve to impersonate others. Don’t tell me they’re minors; they’re basically sixteen or seventeen years old. They’re not people who don’t know anything. Their parents told them to impersonate others, so they did. Some of them are even classmates, classmates, not just anyone.”

Fan Yani really couldn't understand those people. Did they think that if they didn't impersonate someone else, someone else would?

“These kinds of things are usually arranged by the parents beforehand, and the money has already been spent. They only talk about it after everything is confirmed,” Yue Hongwei said. “Not all children know this from the beginning.”

“Even after they found out, they still took the spots,” Fan Yani said. “Don’t say they’re innocent just because they’re young.”

“They were minors at the time, and the main issue was that their parents were sentenced to prison,” Yue Hongwei said. “Once they were discovered, they couldn’t continue as before.”

“But other people’s lives are ruined like this. They were thinking of going to a school, whether it’s a junior college or a better university,” Fan Yani said. “As long as you go to junior college, things will be much easier afterward. At least junior college can teach junior high school, so there won’t be any major problems. You can still have a relatively stable path in life, especially for women. Many women who don’t get into junior college have to get married early.”

How could Fan Yani not be angry, even though it hadn't happened to her? If she had a computer, Fan Yani would definitely give these people a good dressing down online. These people weren't good people at all; they were all wicked.

Brother Song has done a commendable job this time, resolving the matter quite well. Impersonation, regardless of the reason, is unacceptable; even if the person selling the admission notice is the one in question, it's still illegal. The Education Bureau has instructed all universities to investigate whether there are other cases of identity theft, especially those who have changed their names.

Of course, some people change their names without leaving a trace. If someone wants to impersonate another person, there are many ways to do so, and they may not leave any evidence in the open.

When Song Fenglan went to the Song family, she overheard her older brother say a few words.

"This is just the tip of the iceberg," Brother Song said. "When the various universities were investigating, they also found some people who had impersonated others. In some schools, many students were admitted to the same school, which made it easy to be discovered. They usually went to schools where they had fewer classmates before, so they could better avoid being found out."

“Besides those who take someone else’s place in college, there are also those who take someone else’s place in a job, using someone else’s name to fill someone else’s work position,” Song Fenglan said. “They might not be discovered now, but they might be found out when they retire. If… if they have the means, they might not be discovered in the end.”

Before this information was networked nationwide, people had all sorts of ways to get married; some even married multiple times in different provinces.

"If we can find out, we will. If we can't, we'll wait and see if we can find out later," Brother Song said. "Major newspapers and TV stations have already broadcast this news, and some students have called the school's admissions office to inquire about the situation. But in those remote areas, they may not be able to see the newspapers or watch TV. What we can do is try our best to let the sunshine reach more places."

“Yes, those people are demons,” Song Fenglan said. “That’s how it is with these things. When you haven’t discovered anything, there’s no way to find out. Without evidence, it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack. Only with evidence can you quickly find the direction.”

"That's right," Brother Song said. "We owe you a lot this time."

“I didn’t do anything,” Song Fenglan said. “I was just asking on behalf of someone else.”

"Some people also said they were impersonated, or that they didn't receive their admission notices, but it turns out they really didn't pass the exam." Brother Song works at the Education Bureau, and this happens every year. Some people even said they must have scored very high marks, and that their exam papers were switched. When those people's exam papers were found and the handwriting was compared, it was indeed their own work; the papers hadn't been switched at all.

Therefore, Brother Song felt that Song Fenglan was quite patient, "You didn't think that she would fail the exam."

"It's just asking a question, letting the facts speak for themselves," Song Fenglan said. "I haven't suffered any losses, so there's no question of whether I believe it or not."

Song Fenglan's thinking was that simple: it's not like she couldn't ask a question. She wasn't forcing anyone to accept her; that would be immoral and illegal.

"That's true," Brother Song said. "What about Zihang? He's in university now. What are your plans?"

“He’s pursuing a master’s and a doctorate,” Song Fenglan said. “He’s already decided on his own path. Some teachers at our school are willing to mentor him, and one professor wanted me to mentor his relative so he could mentor Zihang, but I refused. I don’t want to do that. People who don’t know the situation might think we’re using connections to mentor relatives. It still depends on ability and the school’s arrangements.”

“You’re just too naive,” Brother Song said. “You’re quite capable, otherwise…”

"If he's not capable enough, I'll just compromise," Song Fenglan said. "I only have one son, what else can I do?"

"..." Brother Song's lips twitched slightly, "Where's your integrity?"

“Academic cliques, have you heard of them?” Song Fenglan said. “Many professors’ sons and daughters can get into graduate school without having to get very high scores. It’s very simple, it’s all done behind the scenes.”

Song Fenglan certainly understands; independent admissions offer a lot of room for manipulation. Most people would turn a blind eye—"My son is your graduate student, your daughter is my graduate student," exchanging resources. If you're not strong enough, isn't this how you make things difficult? And later, you can arrange your children's jobs the same way.

In essence, this world is still ruled by those with extensive connections. They wield great power, can do countless things, and others cannot criticize them.

In her past life, Song Fenglan knew of a school that used its independent admissions process to suppress students' scores to an absurdly low level. Students who scored very high the previous year would have their scores plummet the following year, and this was something that hadn't even been exposed. People said that if the school hadn't suppressed the scores so much, that student might have been able to transfer to another program; but because of the circumstances, with such low scores, that student had no chance of being transferred.

The matter blew up online, but that's about it. The school simply maintains that they did nothing wrong, and the students' scores were indeed that low.

People say the school just adds up the score without checking how well the answers were, so it can't be said there were any real mistakes. If there were, many things would be difficult to resolve.

“I’m not completely ignorant,” Song Fenglan said. “Zihang has good grades, there’s absolutely no need for that, to avoid being criticized later. When he was recommended to our school, someone still reported him. Even if the report goes to the Education Bureau, you have to avoid suspicion, brother. You can’t investigate, someone else has to do it.”

"Yes, I did try to avoid suspicion." Brother Song nodded. When he learned about this, he was furious. Qin Zihang's grades speak for themselves; there was absolutely no behind-the-scenes manipulation.

Brother Song was furious, but he remained relatively calm. True gold fears no fire, and he wasn't afraid of others investigating Qin Zihang.

“Zihang can find a suitable teacher on his own,” Song Fenglan said. “I don’t need to worry about him. Some professors haven’t said they want to change students, but they’ve suggested that Zihang become their student. I said, let Zihang make his own decision. It’s not good for Zihang to be my student; it’s better for him to have another mentor. If Zihang wants to learn from me, he can learn from me anytime.”

“That’s true,” Brother Song said.

Brother Song's children are a family: his eldest son, Song Heng, was admitted to Tsinghua and Peking Universities, and his daughter was admitted to Capital Normal University. Song Heng is about five years older than Qin Zihang, and Qin Zihang started primary school two years earlier. Therefore, Song Heng has not yet graduated from university; he is currently a senior.

Although Song Heng and Song Zi had spent a long time in the countryside, they initially struggled to keep up when they arrived in the capital, but they quickly caught up. Song Zi's score was slightly lower, so she went to Capital Normal University, which is under the Ministry of Education and is considered one of the best normal universities in the country.

Song Zi wants to be a teacher in the future. Of course, she doesn't just want to get an undergraduate degree, but also a master's degree. After that, it will be easier for her to get a teaching position and promotion.

Brother Song has a plan for his children. If they want to do research, they can do research; if they want to do something else, they can do something else. Brother Song doesn't force his children to do anything; he simply tries his best to think of things for them. Having a Beijing residency permit does indeed help his children avoid many detours and makes it easier for them to get into good universities.

"Dinner's ready," said Song's mother as she came over. "What were you two siblings saying over there?"

"Let's eat, let's eat," Brother Song said.

After Grandma Jiang passed away, Jiang Yufei found nothing else in Grandma Jiang's room, and Aunt Yu stopped her from searching further. Aunt Yu thought that since Grandma Jiang hadn't left those things for Jiang Yufei, they didn't belong to her.

Aunt Yu searched Grandma Jiang's room and found nearly a thousand yuan. Grandma Jiang was quite good at saving money; she didn't spend all the money her children gave her on food, but saved it up. There were also some candies in a cabinet, some of which had melted, and some of the money inside had become moldy.

Grandma Jiang hid a little money here and a little money there, in several different places.

Aunt Yu searched through the clothes one by one until she found the money, which allowed her to burn the old clothes. She then used the money to buy several silver bracelets—not large ones, but thinner ones—and distributed them to Grandma Jiang's grandchildren, sons, and daughters, giving each of them one hundred yuan. The rest was left for Grandpa Jiang's family; this was a way of sharing something with everyone.

Jiang Yufei wasn't very happy, but it didn't matter what she did, since the money wasn't hers anyway.

Aunt Yu wasn't the type to be stingy, and others shouldn't think the things were too little; after all, it was Aunt Yu and her husband who were supporting Old Lady Jiang. Old Lady Jiang's other children didn't make a fuss; they all knew Old Lady Jiang was old, and it was already quite good that she had left behind these things. Actually, if Aunt Yu hadn't taken those things out to distribute, the others wouldn't have been unhappy. It wasn't a lot of money, and there was no need to fight over it.

Over the years, Jiang Ersao and her husband have paid back all the money they owed their relatives, and they still run their tofu stall, making and selling tofu. Jiang Erge's stinky tofu stall is doing alright, not too badly.

Jiang Erge and Jiang Ersao's children have grown up. Some of the children have gone out to work and moved into the company dormitory, while the younger ones stayed at home. Their house is too small; their house has been divided into two rooms, and with four children crammed into one room, it's not so bad when they're young—they can be separated by curtains. But as the children have grown up, it's become very difficult.

The couple's child didn't do well in school and started working at a young age. Since Jiang's brother and sister-in-law didn't have jobs to fill in for their child, they told the child to find work on their own or try to find someone with connections.

"It's time to save up for a house." In the bedroom, Jiang Ersao calculated the money they had earned recently. Buying a shop was out of the question; they could still make tofu in the yard, and the yard was big enough. The children were growing up, and they needed a house. They had two sons, and they couldn't let them live with them after they got married.

That's unrealistic; we still need a house, or at least an extra room.

The two daughters are going to marry out of the family, while the son will stay at home. There are two rooms in the house. One room is for one of the sons and his wife, and the other son?

"If I had known, I shouldn't have had so many children," Jiang Ersao lamented. "I shouldn't have borrowed money from loan sharks, I shouldn't have borrowed that money."

Jiang Ersao thought that if they hadn't borrowed that money, they would have been able to buy a house long ago.

"Don't borrow money to invest in the future." Jiang Erge was scared. He had been paying back money for several years, but he hadn't saved much money yet.

“I know, I know,” said Jiang Ersao.

Before Jiang Erge and Jiang Ersao could even buy a house, the following year, rumors circulated that the house would be demolished.

The capital needs to develop, so some houses will have to be demolished and rebuilt. The Jiang family's house is in this batch, and not only the Jiang family's house, but also the house that the Qin family bought for Qin Yizhou will be demolished.

The property certificate is in Qin Yizhou's name, so the demolition compensation should naturally belong to Qin Yizhou. When Qin's mother found out about the demolition, she wanted Qin Yizhou's share of the compensation. She'd heard that the compensation would be substantial, especially for single-story houses, while the compensation for demolished tenement buildings wasn't as high.

Tian Keshu also went to see Qin Li'an. She felt that the house Qin's parents had given to the eldest son's family was a single-story house, and even if that house had been demolished, they wouldn't have received that much money. Qin Yizhou, on the other hand, would receive a considerable amount of money from the demolition of his single-story house, including both a new house and cash. Tian Keshu wanted Qin Li'an to fight for it; how could he not fight for such a large sum of money?

"I'm not going." Qin Li'an refused to go find Qin Yizhou.

Qin Li'an and Tian Keshu were talking in a small alley outside, and Tian Keshu insisted that Qin Li'an argue with her.

"Your uncle's house will be demolished, and there will be a lot of money, you know?" Tian Keshu said. "The house you live in might not be demolished. Even if the house your dad rents out is demolished, it won't be worth that much."

"How much money? They used to say your grandparents were biased, and now they're getting so much money."

“That’s their house, the property certificate is theirs, and my household registration isn’t there.” Qin Li’an didn’t want to offend Qin Yizhou.

Qin Yizhou is still working in the military, Song Fenglan works in a classified unit, and Qin Zihang is in college.

Qin Li'an was worried that if he tried to compete for it, something bad would happen.

"Mom, I don't want to go to jail," Qin Li'an said. "If it's not mine, don't make me fight for it."

Qin Li'an believed he could fight for what his father had, but he couldn't fight for what his uncle had.

"Why didn't you want that bungalow before you and Dad got divorced?" Qin Li'an retorted. "If you had wanted that bungalow, none of this would have happened."

“I…I didn’t know back then. If I had known, of course I would have wanted that bungalow,” Tian Keshu said. “Your father and I are divorced, and I can’t control so many things now. You should ask your father and your grandmother, and it would be best if you could get some money from them. Your father and your stepmother have a son, so your father will definitely not side with you in the future. In your father’s eyes, you are already useless.”

"That's all because of you!" Qin Li'an harbored great resentment towards Tian Keshu. He felt that the reason he had become like this was largely due to his mother's upbringing, which had failed to properly guide him.

“It’s not because of me,” Tian Keshu denied. “Go back and talk to your father and the others properly. It’s such a large sum of money. With that money, you can do a lot of things and even get a house.”

"I won't ask," Qin Li'an said. "I won't fight for my uncle's things."

"Why are you so stubborn?" Tian Keshu reached out to poke Qin Li'an's head. She wasn't as tall as Qin Li'an, and he had grown up, so she had to withdraw her hand. "If you could get a house and some money, your life would be much easier. I'm still renting a place now. Do you know how expensive rent is?"

"I……"

“You’re still living with your dad, so you don’t know these things,” Tian Keshu said. “If you moved out on your own and had to rent a place, you’d know how tough life is. Mom wouldn’t do anything to hurt you; Mom is doing this for your own good. When you were little, you knew to fight back against Qin Zihang, so why don’t you know how to fight back now?”

Qin Li'an didn't want to talk. He turned to leave, but Tian Keshu grabbed his arm again. "Go back and talk to your dad and the others. The demolition compensation should be split equally."

Qin Li'an felt very annoyed. Qin Zihang was Qin Yizhou's biological son, while he was just Qin Yizhou's nephew. What did he have to compete with?

The properties had already been divided, and the deeds were all in writing. Qin Li'an thought it was ridiculous to try and claim a share of the property and money now. While in prison, Qin Li'an had studied some law; what his mother wanted him to do was no different from robbery, and the law would never support him.

During dinner, Qin Li'an didn't bring up Qin Yizhou's house, but Qin's mother did.

"Is Yizhou's house going to be demolished? I heard that people living there will be given new houses and compensation for the demolition, is that right?" Qin's mother asked.

Despite being in a wheelchair, Qin's mother still had a caregiver push her around and chatted with the neighbors. The neighbors told her about the impending demolition of Qin Yizhou's house, and Qin's mother immediately set her sights on it.

"What do you want to do?" Qin's father had a bad feeling.

“Didn’t they say it wasn’t fair? Then give the eldest son’s apartment in the tenement building to them, and give their bungalow to the eldest son,” Qin’s mother said.

Brother Qin put down his chopsticks and looked at his mother in disbelief. His mother must have gone mad.

"You won't go tell him, so I'll go tell him myself." Qin's mother wiped her mouth with a handkerchief. "He..."

"No one is allowed to go!" Qin's father slammed his fist on the table. He looked at Qin's mother and said, "If you dare to go, we'll get a divorce, and you won't be staying at home either."

"you……"

"I've had enough! You're always watching over me..."

"What's the point of Zhou having those few things?" Qin's father said. "Our house is even bigger than Zhou's. If our place gets demolished someday, will you give Zhou some of the money too? Eldest son, don't even think about your brother's money. It's your brother's! Nobody else is allowed to have it."

After Qin's father finished speaking, he glanced at Qin Li'an, who quickly lowered his head and started eating.

Qin Li'an felt wronged. He had no intention of fighting for his uncle's inheritance, yet everyone assumed he was. It was only because Qin Li'an often spent time with his mother, who doted on him, that his father suspected Qin Li'an had said something to her.

“Even if we go to court, those things can’t possibly be ours,” Qin’s father said.

"It was originally a gift from us to him," Qin's mother murmured.

“He said it was a gift from us,” Qin’s father said. “The things we gave him weren’t worth much originally. If it weren’t for the demolition compensation, he wouldn’t have gotten any money. He’s currently living in his wife’s house, and the people he employs are paid for by his wife. He hasn’t contributed much money himself. Now that there’s compensation for the demolition, isn’t this great?”

Qin's father didn't want to argue; there was nothing to argue about. His youngest son was so promising, still working in the army. It was all the eldest son's fault for being so disappointing. Qin's father glanced at Qin Li'an again. If Tian Keshu's family hadn't had spies, Qin Li'an should have joined the army; perhaps none of this would have happened.

"We live in a house here, it's very good," Qin's father said. "We don't lack money at home, and Yizhou sends money over every month, isn't that enough? You're so old, why are you still so greedy? What do you want those things for? Things you can't take with you when you die, or are you going to leave them to Li'an?"

"I……"

“If Li’an is to inherit anything, he should inherit his father’s things, not his uncle’s,” Qin’s father said. “You may be disabled, but are you mentally disabled? Has your brain been eaten by pigs?”

"I've only said a few words, and you've said so many?" Qin's mother said, her eyes red.

In the past, no matter how badly Qin's father treated Qin's mother, he never mentioned divorce or asked her to move out. This time, however, he brought up divorce and refused to live with her, which deeply saddened Qin's mother.

It's important to know that Mr. and Mrs. Qin were already sleeping in separate rooms. Mrs. Qin felt that Mr. Qin didn't care about her anymore, and she just wanted to fight for something for her eldest son's share of the house.

"Is the eldest son starving to death because he's unemployed?" Qin's father asked. "We have to give him every benefit imaginable?"

“We’re not going to starve to death,” Brother Qin said.

Brother Qin had no intention of fighting over Qin Yizhou's money; it was all fate.

Back then, Brother Qin thought the house his family gave him was better, and he thought Qin Yizhou's house was inferior because it wouldn't bring in much money even if rented out, while his own house would fetch higher rent. Now, however, Qin Yizhou's house is slated for demolition, and Brother Qin is heartbroken. It truly is a case of fortunes changing drastically over time.

"Li'an." Qin's mother looked at Qin Li'an.

“My mother came to me and told me to fight for it. I said that it belonged to my uncle, not to me.” Seeing that everyone was looking at him, Qin Li’an said with a forced smile, “I never intended to take my uncle’s money.”

"That would be for the best," Qin's father said. "Those things were never yours, nor your father's. You shouldn't be fighting over them."

You Yun sat to the side, not thinking of competing, but simply envious. Hearing Qin's mother's words, You Yun felt that the reason the Qin family was so rotten was inextricably linked to Qin's mother.

“You have to fight for everything. You don’t want to be brothers, mothers and sons, or even fathers and sons anymore,” You Yun couldn’t help but say. “You have to fight for other people’s things. You’re shameless.”

It's not just a little shameless, it's extremely shameless.

You Yun had never heard of the family property already being divided, let alone the fact that they would have to fight for it again. They knew their current house was huge, occupying a large area with many rooms. What if this side of the house was to be demolished for redevelopment? Even if this side wasn't, the property here would still appreciate in value.

You Yun wasn't completely brainless; she didn't have to keep an eye on her brother-in-law's things.

"Mom, are you sure your brother-in-law is your biological son? I don't think so. You've been so heartless to him," You Yun said. "You've made him lose all face in his in-laws' family, absolutely no face. You already had a written agreement that he wouldn't take care of you in your old age, and you even expect him to pay for it. Now, he's lucky, his house is being demolished for compensation, and you're going to take it too. You're so old, you might as well just die!"

"You... if he's not my son, whose son is he?" Qin's mother was furious. Qin Yizhou was someone she had carried and given birth to with great difficulty. It was precisely because Qin Yizhou was her biological son that she acted so recklessly.

“Don’t blame me for being blunt, but if you keep making things like this, won’t my man and his brother be unable to be brothers?” You Yun said. “Do you know how insecure it is to work in a private company? I’m afraid my man will lose his job someday, afraid he’ll be laid off. Besides, his brother is a cadre now, you know? He’s capable, he didn’t rely on you.”

You Yun told her daughter to take her son away first, not to let the child listen any longer; a little listening was enough for the child. Things that weren't theirs shouldn't be coveted.

"I……"

“You Yun is right,” Brother Qin said. “Mom, let’s not fight over it. You heard Li’an say the same thing. If our area gets demolished later, we’ll get more money. We can divide the small share now, and Yizhou can take the big share later.”

"You've already said everything, what else can I say?" Qin's mother gritted her teeth.

None of these people were on her side, and Qin's mother was afraid that she would really be abandoned, so she dared not go to Qin Yizhou's side.

The demolition is still just a rumor and hasn't been implemented yet.

Some people are already thinking about how much compensation they'll get from the demolition and what they'll be entitled to. But demolition isn't something that can be done casually; there has to be some form of compensation.

Qin Yizhou had also heard about the demolition and relocation, but he didn't deliberately inquire about it. He figured the announcement would come when the policy was finalized. Qin Yizhou wasn't concerned about how much money he would receive; he was fine with whatever the amount, as long as it was in accordance with national policy.

Besides the rumors about the demolition, Qin Yizhou also heard from his second sister that his parents had gotten into a fight. Apparently, his mother wanted Qin Yizhou's demolition compensation, but his father wouldn't allow it, and his older brother and the others weren't even trying to compete, which led to the argument. Qin's mother was afraid to come over now, firstly because she needed to be pushed around, and secondly because she was scared; she was afraid she wouldn't be able to stay at home and that those people would take her away.

"I really don't know what Mom is making a fuss about? Why can't she just live a normal life? She has to make such a fuss," said Qin Erjie, as she walked with Qin Yizhou on the road.

Qin Erjie had no intention of claiming a share of Qin Yizhou's demolition compensation. Her household registration wasn't there, and the house wasn't hers, so she had no right to claim any money.

"She's had so many caregivers, and now she doesn't dare to cause too much trouble for them. She's probably learned her lesson," said Sister Qin. "As for you, you shouldn't go to see Mom too often. If you do, she'll grab you and start saying those things."

"We signed a written agreement back then," Qin Yizhou said.

“You know what kind of person Mom is. She doesn’t care whether there’s a written agreement or not. All she knows is that you’re her biological son,” said Qin Erjie. “My sister-in-law even asked if you were Mom’s son, and Mom said yes. Isn’t that ridiculous? Everyone else thinks you’re not Mom’s biological son.”

When Qin's second sister went to visit her mother, she overheard her mother nagging about how badly those people treated her. Qin's mother then asked her how good she was to others. If Qin's mother had just been a little less troublesome, Qin's eldest brother and You Yun wouldn't have said those things.

The other couple didn't even think about fighting, and Qin Li'an didn't think about fighting either, but Qin's mother, who was practically on her deathbed, insisted on fighting.

It's laughable to even talk about it; Qin's mother isn't starving or destitute, yet she's still like this.

For a person's heart to be so biased, that's Qin's mother.

"I guess your older brother and his family are too embarrassed to come in front of you," said Qin Erjie. "They won't compete with you or rob you. Mom is saying outside how good they are to you, buying you such a nice house. You weren't satisfied at first, but you should be overjoyed now."

Qin Erjie and her husband had bought a house long ago, and their house was not subject to demolition. Qin Erjie was not unhappy; being able to stay in the capital and having their child's Beijing residency was more important than anything else.

"They can take it from me if they want, but they can give me their big house," Qin Yizhou said. "We can't let them have all the benefits."

"That's what Dad and my eldest brother said too, that's why Mom didn't come looking for you," said Qin Erjie. "Otherwise, do you think Mom would have stayed home peacefully without coming to ask you for money?"

"Nothing has been officially confirmed yet," Qin Yizhou said.

“So what if it’s not confirmed yet? Mom is just someone who talks the talk.” Qin Erjie said, “Mom also told me that my sister-in-law said that if she died, the family would be at peace.”

"..." Qin Yizhou didn't say anything more.

“Under normal circumstances, my sister-in-law wouldn’t say such things,” said Sister Qin. “It’s clear that my sister-in-law was really angered by Mom. Back then, when Mom asked you and your sister-in-law for money to hire a caregiver to look after her, my sister-in-law was criticized. People said that they took all the benefits. If it weren’t for the Song family being exonerated and the state returning those assets, your family would have had a hard time.”

Qin Erjie thought about it and realized that the eldest son's family got all the benefits. Good jobs were like that, and so was real estate. Just because Qin Dage was a man and was born earlier than the others, he naturally got the majority of the advantages.

"Fortunately, Mom doesn't live with you," said Qin Erjie. "Mom is afraid of being really kicked out, so she doesn't dare to say anything."

When Qin Erjie and Qin Yizhou reached the intersection, she decided not to continue walking.

"Won't you come over for a visit?" Qin Yizhou asked.

"I'm not going," said Sister Qin. "I have other things to do, so I'm not going."

Qin Erjie thought it best to visit Qin Yizhou's house less often. Her brother wasn't a son-in-law, but the Song family had indeed contributed significantly. Qin Erjie didn't want to cause her brother any trouble, and besides, she had other things to do.

"I'm going to make a home visit; that student's home is over here," said Sister Qin.

"Okay." Qin Yizhou nodded and went back first.

Watching Qin Yizhou's departing figure, Qin Erjie hoped that her mother would truly calm down and stop causing trouble. Her mother was already quite old; not everyone could possibly cater to her every whim. Qin Erjie thought You Yun was right; if her mother died sooner, everyone could live more comfortably.

When Song Fenglan learned about the Qin family's mess from Qin Yizhou, she wasn't shocked by Qin's mother's actions; what shocked her was Qin Li'an's statement that he wouldn't fight back.

"Is Qin Li'an still the same Qin Li'an?" Song Fenglan asked. "When he was little, he would fight for everything. He wouldn't even let Zihang take a look at a tiny thing."