Chapter 44 Compensation: I want half of this house

On the second day of New Year's Day, a thin layer of snow had accumulated on the ground. Yu Xue hoped that the snow outside would not stop, and that in a few days, when the snow was ankle-deep, she could go out and have a snowball fight with Wen Feng.

I've been sleeping quite well these past few days. Around nine o'clock this morning, everyone in the family got up. Yu Xue practiced singing on the balcony for a while. Today I don't need to go to the gym, so I can snuggle up with my family.

Her father called in the morning saying he missed her and asked if she wanted to have lunch together. Yu Xue said she had something to do and transferred 20,000 yuan to him.

She remembered that it was the same when she was a child. On New Year's Eve, her father would take her younger sister to her stepmother's house, leaving her alone at home. Every year, she would send a message to her father asking, "Are you spending this year with me?" Her father would reply, "I'm going to your mother's house. I'll give you two hundred yuan. Have something good to eat."

Fortunately, there was still takeout available on Lunar New Year's Eve, so she was able to have a decent meal.

"What are you thinking about?" Wen Feng opened the balcony door, patted Yu Xue's shoulder, and said, "Aren't you cold? Come in and practice. It's not noise, it sounds nice."

Yu Xue put her phone back in her pocket, responded, and followed him back to her room.

It's all in the past now.

From now on, she will no longer be alone on Lunar New Year's Eve.

She took Wen Feng's hand.

Wen Feng turned around.

Yu Xue said, "A kiss? A good morning kiss?"

Wen Feng smiled; he could never suppress a smile in front of her.

He stepped forward, kissed Yu Xue's forehead, and then kissed her lips. "What do you want for breakfast?"

Yu Xue said, "The chef probably won't be coming to work today, right? Heat up the leftovers from last night. I want to drink the soup you made yesterday; it was especially delicious." As Yu Xue spoke, she tightly grasped his hand and leaned back. Just as she was about to fall, Wen Feng pulled her back with a strong pull.

The two people repeatedly fell down and pulled each other up, as if they were doing partner yoga.

Wen Feng initially just played along with her, but later he also got into it and they played around for about five minutes.

Wen Feng patted her bottom. "Alright, stop playing. I'm going to cook. Mom must be hungry."

"Oh, oh, oh." Yu Xue let go of him. "Then hurry up and go. Mom always eats three meals a day regularly."

She took two more steps forward. "I'll go with you."

Wen Feng kissed her cheek again. "Go and keep your mother company."

"Okay." Yu Xue straightened up and skipped to her mother's room. "Mommy! Mommy! I'm here to play with you!"

She pushed open the door, and her mother was stroking the photo album.

She noticed that her mother's mood was off, and her joyful expression disappeared.

When Liu Xin saw her come in, she put the photo album back on the cabinet and said with a smile, "You're awake. I heard from Feng that you've been getting up at eight o'clock every day lately. I thought you would stay in bed a little longer today."

"I've been lazing around until nine o'clock." Yu Xue leaned over and picked up the photo album from the cabinet. "What's this? Are these photos of you and Dad?"

Liu Xin gently combed Yu Xue's hair with her hands and said, "Your father and I may be getting a divorce, baby. No matter what, Mommy will always love you. You will always be Mommy's child."

Yu Xue's smile froze on her face. "Why?"

Liu Xin turned around, stroked the album cover, and said, "Your father has always been a very quiet person. I was also very quiet when I was young. I thought his silence was the same as mine, just that he had been cooped up in the quiet atmosphere at home for too long and didn't know how to express his emotions and love."

She flipped through the photo album and pointed to it for Yu Xue, "This is a photo we took in the study room when we were taking our graduation photos. That's where we met. We weren't in the same class, but three times in a row, I ended up sitting next to him because there were no seats available. Later I found out that the first and second times were coincidences, and the third time he deliberately saved the seat for me."

Liu Xin didn't want to cry, but she couldn't help it. "Those were such good times. He was too shy to talk to me, so he borrowed my eraser. Later, he found out which club I was in and joined it. He got my contact information through the club's team-up program."

She didn't turn the page any further. She paused at the right moment to reminisce about the past. "I always thought that his silence meant he couldn't express his emotions, just like when I was young. Now I realize that his silence was utter indifference. His love was just like that, not enough to accompany me through my whole life."

Yu Xue wrapped her arms around her shoulders and pressed them against her face.

Liu Xin originally didn't want Yu Xue to know, but now she feels that Yu Xue should know.

She said, "Your father left a will, stating that all his personal property will go to Wen Feng after he dies. He can't take the marital property, so before making the will, he transferred most of the money in our account to Wen Feng's account."

She chuckled self-deprecatingly, "Does he think I have an illegitimate child?"

She noticed Yu Xue's distressed look and her hesitant mouth, and said, "It's okay, Xue Xue. I know it's not appropriate for you, as her daughter, to say anything about this. I didn't expect you to say anything either. I just felt that you should know."

Yu Xue said, "Mom, my property is your property. No matter what, my house is your house. Even if Wen Feng and I break up one day, you can come and stay at my house anytime. You are my mother."

Liu Xin patted her hand, "With you saying that, Mom is relieved. Mom is not alone."

"Dinner's ready!" Wen Feng called from downstairs.

"Let's go." Liu Xin put down the photo album, stood up and took Yu Xue's hand. "You must be hungry after all this time. Let's go downstairs and have some food."

Wen Feng used yesterday's soup to cook noodles and added a lot of ribs. He had made too many dishes yesterday and couldn't finish them all.

Yu Xue said, "Mom, why don't you stay at home for a few more days? When the snow piles up in a few days, we can have a snowball fight together."

Liu Xin said, "No, I prefer living alone. By the way, after your father is discharged from the hospital, let him go back to his mother's house. He needs someone to take care of him, and his mother is worried about leaving the caregiver behind."

Yu Xue glanced at Wen Feng. She wasn't her father's biological daughter, and her heart leaned towards her mother. She couldn't make a decision.

Wen Feng said, "Okay, we'll find two more caregivers to take care of Grandpa and Grandma. I'll make the arrangements, Mom, don't worry."

Liu Xin hummed in agreement.

Wen Feng cooked, and Yu Xue went to wash the dishes.

In the evening, a few people gathered around the heater, listening to music and playing mahjong.

Yu Xue said, "Oh, this isn't fun. How about we do a punishment?"

"What?" Wen Feng turned his head and asked.

Yu Xue said, "In this way, if someone touches or argues with something, they can make the other person do something, such as not speaking or standing up."

"Pong!" Liu Xin spread out two twos of bamboo, put them aside, and took the card that Yu Xue had just played.

After she finished hitting him, she pointed at Wen Feng and said, "Stand up."

"Hahahaha..." Yu Xue laughed as she leaned against the armrest.

"Hey, I'll touch it too!" Wen Feng said, looking at Yu Xue and slapping the table. "Stand up."

Yu Xue stood up with a smile, drew a tile, and exclaimed, "Hey! I've got a concealed kong!"

After she finished speaking, she glared menacingly at Wen Feng.

Wen Feng said, "Aren't you going to let yourself sit down first?"

“No, I prefer standing,” Yu Xue said, shaking her head. “I want you to squat down.”

"Hahahaha!" Liu Xin laughed so hard she couldn't straighten up.

Wen Feng won, and Liu Xin also stood up.

Finally, the three of them went from fighting while sitting to fighting while standing, and then from fighting while standing to fighting while squatting.

Yu Xue touched it again. She looked up at Wen Feng, who had already squatted down, seemingly at a loss for what to do.

Wen Feng said, "Why don't you sit down?"

"No!" Yu Xue said affectedly, "Take off one shoe."

Wen Feng: "..."

Liu Xin laughed until tears almost welled up in her eyes.

Several people experienced both wins and losses, and had a great time.

They played until 11 or 12 at night before Liu Xin said she was tired and went home to sleep.

About two weeks later, Wen Yuan's illness was almost cured, and she was discharged from the hospital.

Wen Feng handed the divorce agreement to Wen Yuan on Liu Xin's behalf, saying, "Mom said that it's the end of the year, and she's been so busy that she's working day and night. She really doesn't have the energy to argue with you about these things. She has drafted the divorce agreement and already signed it. She wants you to sign it, pick a time, and go get the divorce certificate to go through the process."

He helped Wen Yuan sit down, and before handing him a pen, he said, "Dad, I don't know why you did that, but no matter what, you've always been very good to me since I was little. No matter what your relationship is like, you're still my dad, so don't worry about that."

Wen Yuan looked at Wen Feng, thought for a long time, and said, "Is it because of that will? Your grandmother made me write it."

Wen Feng frowned. His father was still recovering from a serious illness, and he didn't want to have a conflict with him, but he had to argue back, "If that's really the case, why transfer the joint property? You know, Mom doesn't mind this. She knew when you transferred it, but she didn't say anything because she thought you were really doing it for me, not to prevent her from getting the Wen family's property."

Wen Yuan said, "Because of your grandmother..."

“Dad,” Wen Feng interrupted him, “You have a mouth. No matter what Grandma says, if you truly love Mom, you can refuse. Grandma won’t hold a knife to your throat to force you. What’s done is done. You hurt Mom, and there’s no way to defend yourself.”

Wen Yuan stared blankly at the divorce agreement.

After a long pause, he wiped away his tears, took the pen, and signed the divorce agreement.

Wen Feng said, "Mom said she wants this house. She spent a lot of money on the renovation back then, and over the years she has earned money to buy a lot of things for the house. She also pays the chef's salary. Since you transferred the joint property of the couple, she wants half of this house as compensation. If you don't agree, then we'll go to court."

Wen Feng opened his mouth, but hesitated to say the last sentence, "She wants to finish the lawsuit while you're alive. If you... pass away, it'll be hard to say."

Seeing that Wen Yuan was about to argue again, he said, "I know what you want to say. I have already sent the money back to my mother. My mother said that what I gave was what I gave, and what you transferred was what you transferred. They cannot be confused. What is hers is hers, and she can take it."

Wen Yuan moved her lips, but in the end she only said "okay" twice, got up and left.

As he reached the top of the stairs, he turned back and asked, "When are you selling the house?"

Wen Feng: "...Sell it immediately after you get your divorce certificate."