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Ye Wenyu found the property ownership certificate and land certificate and handed them to her mother. Zhang Susu took them with trembling hands, immediately opened them, stared at them carefully, and then told Ye Wenyu to quickly find the ID card.
Ye Wenyu initially didn't understand why her mother wanted to see her ID card, but when she handed the ID card to her mother, Zhang Susu compared the name on the ID card with the name on the property certificate word by word. She finally understood that even now, with both documents in black and white, her mother still didn't believe that the house belonged to her, so she wanted to verify the name and number on the ID card.
Time passed, and Ye Wenyu nestled beside her mother, whispering, "Mom, it's all true. He bought it for me."
Zhang Susu nodded slowly, handed all the documents to her, and instructed her, "Keep them safe and don't lose them."
Ye Wenyu went back to put away the documents. When she finished and returned to the terrace, she saw her mother holding a cup of flower tea, slowly sipping it, seemingly lost in thought.
Ye Wenyu smiled, walked over and sat down in front of Zhang Susu, and said to her, "Mom, you can rest assured now. From now on, you don't need to worry about me. Just live your life with Uncle Wang in peace."
Zhang Susu nodded, then suddenly asked, "How old is that man?"
Ye Wenyu was stunned for a moment, then blushed and softly replied, "In my thirties."
Zhang Susu lowered her voice again and asked, "Is he married and has a wife?"
Ye Wenyu felt a burning sensation on her neck and shoulders. She didn't want to lie, but she didn't want to tell the truth either. Just as she was struggling with this dilemma, Zhang Susu didn't need her to answer anymore. She looked up at Ye Wenyu and said gently, "Many people can't afford this house even if they spend their whole lives, but he was willing to buy it for you. This shows that he is sincere towards you."
Ye Wenyu was stunned, her mouth agape. She thought to herself, she hadn't shown her mother the property certificate for the villa in Jiangnanli, Hangzhou yet. If the old woman saw it, she wondered what she would say.
Zhang Susu sighed, "Child, you're luckier than me. My life is over. I've never met a man who's both good to me and financially stable." She thought about her tiny, matchbox-like house, where a corner of the bedroom leaked, and it drizzled inside when it rained heavily outside. Her bedsheets were often damp and cold, like dumpling wrappers. Yet, she still had to pay a 25-year mortgage on this old, dilapidated house, with a monthly payment of 6,000 yuan.
Comparing people is a recipe for disaster; comparing goods is a recipe for disaster. Her life is almost being crushed by the struggle to make ends meet.
Ye Wenyu said softly, "Mom, Uncle Wang is a good person."
Overwhelmed with emotion, Zhang Susu sighed, "He is a good person, honest and kind, and he loves me very much, but he doesn't have much earning power. Right now, we're paying off the mortgage together, and we have to be very careful with our money every month just to get by. Your Uncle Wang is already fifty years old, but we went through a lot of trouble to buy that old, run-down house, and we've taken on a 25-year mortgage. By the time we pay it off, your Uncle Wang will be 75, and I'll be 70. My life will be over."
At this point, she gave a wry smile, looked up at Ye Wenyu's house, and saw an elaborate crystal chandelier, smooth and warm wooden floors, orange-red leather sofas, fresh flowers in the living room, fruit in the kitchen, and a terrace like a park, filled with exotic flowers and plants. All year round, no matter the time, the air was fresh and the sunlight was plentiful.
Zhang Susu said softly to Ye Wenyu, "You haven't been to my new home. It's an old house, less than 60 square meters, less than a fifth the size of this place. The four of us squeezed into it for a lifetime." It was like a tiny matchbox, with stuff everywhere, making it difficult to even turn around. It was on the third floor of a high-rise building, so it never saw sunlight, and even the most resilient plants couldn't survive. Looking out from the balcony and windows, all you could see were walls. Because the building was so low and didn't face south, sometimes she felt like her family was living in a cement coffin built of bricks, a coffin that still had a 25-year mortgage on, and it couldn't be said that it completely belonged to them.
Ye Wenyu didn't know how to comfort her mother, but fortunately, Zhang Susu didn't need her comfort. The old woman was silent for a few minutes, then looked up, smiled, and said, "My dear daughter, that's why you're luckier than me. You look exactly like me when I was young, but you're smarter than me and got into a good university. You're also luckier than me because you met a man who loves you and is financially secure. I know he's definitely married; he can't marry you."
Ye Wenyu was dumbfounded. Her mother's values shattered her logic. What she considered the most shameful thing was taken for granted by her mother, who even thought that her knowing Lin Tingfeng was her good luck?!
Zhang Susu said, as if explaining, "What's the point of marrying a poor man who's never been married before, even if he loves you very much? He has no money, and you'll suffer a lifetime of hardship and toil with him, unable to even afford a decent house. As for your biological father, he's even worse than Lao Wang. He's not only poor and incapable of earning money, but he also treats me badly and has affairs. So, when you were young, I divorced him. My life is over. Daughter, I won't scold you. In fact, I think you're very smart. You seized the opportunity and got such a big house. Child, you're better off than your mother. At least your life won't be as bitter as mine." Zhang Susu even showed a relieved smile at the end.
Ye Wenyu was speechless, and even felt a chill run down her spine because of her mother's thoughts.
Zhang Susu abruptly changed the subject, saying to her, "But being someone's mistress is not a long-term solution; you'll always be poor. I don't think you, or your future children, want to live in darkness, unable to see the light of day. I've always been proud, and I raised you to be proud too, which is why you were able to get into such a good university. The daughter I raised wasn't meant to be a rich man's mistress! I know you're suffering now, and you need someone to take care of you, but after you graduate from university, you can be independent. And once you're independent, you must leave him immediately!"
Ye Wenyu was stunned and looked up at her mother.
Zhang Susu blinked her incredibly cunning and worldly eyes, typical of someone from the lower class, and said with utmost seriousness, "Promise Mom you'll leave him after you graduate from university. Humph, stay with him for a few years, then buy a house—a fair trade, no one owes anyone anything. But if it costs you your whole life and your descendants, that would be unfair to you."
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