Chapter 386 Demolition
"Brother, me too!" A little girl who was hiding aside, her eyes instantly lit up when she heard this, and she quickly ran over from the corner.
"Are you together?" Jiang Yichen squatted down, keeping a very low profile, his eyes full of kindness, and greeted the two children softly.
"Yes, he is my brother. Now grandma is the only one left in our family." The little girl answered crisply, her childish voice echoing softly in the air.
"A few years ago, my father heard that this place was going to be demolished, and a woman said she wanted to marry our father. But who could have thought that the woman took the family's money and ran away without saying a word. My father was so angry that he had to go out to work. Now, it's just us and grandma who depend on each other." The little boy added, his tone of calmness and helplessness that an adult shouldn't have.
Xu Sisi listened with a look of distress on her face, and comforted them in a gentle tone: "It's okay, this place is really going to be demolished soon, and your father will definitely come back."
"Really? Sister, then please come to our house for dinner. Grandma really loves to entertain people and the neighbors all like her very much." The little girl's eyes sparkled and she made the invitation with anticipation.
Eating? Is this appropriate? We just arrived at this place. For a moment, I was confused, thinking quickly in my mind how to politely refuse.
But before I could think of a reason to refuse, Song Yang had already been led by the little boy and walked several steps forward.
"Momo, do you want to go? Actually, it's good to go and take a look. After all, only by hearing from the locals can you get a deeper understanding of the situation here." Jiang Yichen turned his head and looked at me with eyes as gentle as water.
"Since we're here, let's go and take a look." I hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded.
"Okay." As he answered, he naturally took my hand and followed them.
When we arrived at the old lady's house with the two children, we saw a slightly shabby but clean courtyard. There were a few unknown small flowers planted in the courtyard, adding a bit of vitality to this simple environment.
The little boy pushed open the mottled wooden door and shouted crisply, "Grandma, we're back with our guests!"
There was a slight noise in the house, and then an old lady with a hunched figure but vigorous spirit came out. She had a kind smile on her face.
"Hey, come in, come in. Our home is simple, please don't mind." The old lady greeted us warmly. Although her voice was hoarse, it was full of warmth.
Xu Sisi responded with a smile: "Grandma, you are too polite. We are sorry to disturb you." Then he and I followed the old lady into the house.
The layout of the house was very simple, the furniture looked old, but it was spotless. There were some yellowed photos hanging on the wall.
The little girl took Xu Sisi's hand and said in a skipping manner, "Grandma, these sisters and brothers are so nice. They said they can help us."
The old lady's eyes flashed with tears, and she said gratefully: "Thank you, these two children have a hard life, and you are worried about them."
At this moment, there was a sudden noise outside. A loud voice shouted, "Old Zhao family, I heard someone came to inquire about the demolition? Don't be fooled!" Then, several people who looked like neighbors walked into the yard.
I looked at the people in front of me and realized that I hadn't seen them before.
One of the middle-aged women looked us up and down, and said with a suspicious tone: "What do you do? There are so many scammers these days, and they specifically target people like us who are about to be relocated."
Xu Sisi hurriedly explained: "Sister, don't get me wrong, we really want to understand the situation and see if we can help the children."
But the woman still refused to give in: "Help? How can I help? This demolition matter is very complicated, don't cause trouble for others when the time comes."
The atmosphere suddenly became awkward, and the old lady quickly came out to smooth things over: "Everyone, please stop arguing. They are all kind-hearted children. Come inside and have a drink of water."
We followed the old lady into the house, and the neighbors followed in with some doubt.
At this moment, the little boy suddenly remembered something and took out an old notebook from the cabinet with some words densely written on it.
I felt a little strange watching this action. Then, he handed it to us and said, "Sister and brother, this is what Dad wrote before he left. It's about the family property and demolition. I don't understand it either. You can take a look."
Jiang Yichen took the notebook and gently stroked the yellowed pages with his fingertips.
The dim light in the room cast shadows of varying depths on his face. His brows were furrowed tighter and tighter, as if he was troubled by some thorny problem.
I stood beside him, my eyes unconsciously falling on the book. The edges of the pages were curled, and in some places there were even tiny holes eaten by insects. Song Yang's finger stopped at one of the pages, where a few lines were written in sloppy handwriting. The ink had faded, but you could still see the haste with which it was written.
"What's wrong?" I couldn't help but ask, my voice was particularly clear in the quiet room.
Jiang Yichen raised his head, his eyes solemn: "There is a problem with the property rights of this house." He pointed to a place on the notebook, "Look here, that woman not only took away the money, but also tampered with the property rights."
My heart sank, and I felt that things were not that simple. The air in the room seemed to become thicker, and even breathing was a little difficult. The old lady sat on a wooden chair beside her, holding the corners of her clothes tightly with both hands, her eyes flickering. The little girl still held Xu Sisi's hand, but her eyes kept glancing at the book from time to time, as if she was expecting something, or afraid of something.
"Is there a problem with the property rights?" Xu Sisi repeated in a low voice, with a hint of uneasiness in her tone, "Then the compensation for demolition is not..."
Jiang Yichen nodded, closed the notebook, and took a deep breath: "Yes, compensation may be troublesome. If the property rights are not clear, the demolition money may be stuck or even not be received."
The atmosphere in the house suddenly became heavy. The neighbors looked at each other, and some whispered, "This is no small matter..." The middle-aged woman frowned, with a bit of dissatisfaction in her tone, "I told you, this matter is not that simple, why are you guys interfering?"
I felt a little uncomfortable and was about to retort, but I heard the old lady suddenly speak with a trembling voice: "Then...what should we do? The three of us are relying on this house to make a living..."
There was helplessness and despair in her voice, which made me feel nervous. The little girl hugged the old lady's arm tightly, her eyes were red. The little boy lowered his head, clenched his hands into fists, and his knuckles turned white.
I looked at Jiang Yichen and found that his eyes were still focused, as if he was still thinking about something. His profile looked particularly resolute under the light, and he was muttering something in a low voice, so I couldn't hear it clearly.
After a while, "Don't worry, things haven't reached the worst point yet." Jiang Yichen finally spoke in a steady tone, "We can first check the specific situation of the property rights and see if we can find any clues that woman left behind."
His words eased the atmosphere in the house a little. A glimmer of hope rekindled in the old lady's eyes, and even the neighbors stopped being aggressive and started discussing in low voices.
I stood aside, still feeling somewhat uneasy.
Jiang Yichen's calmness made me feel a little relieved, but the vague sense of foreboding never went away. The lights in the room flickered, and the pictures on the wall looked particularly blurry in the shadows.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
