But judging from the way these two were willing to risk their lives for money, Zheng Xu felt that Bai Jiaojiao's concerns were justified. What if these two sold Su Zhigao out of consideration for money?
Giving someone up for adoption and selling them are two different things.
Su Yahu's self-righteous attitude was infuriating enough, but Su Yalong was still putting on airs. Zheng Xu wished Shen Heng would rush up and beat the two of them up. He, as the captain, guaranteed that Shen Heng would not be punished this time!
"Zhigao can be given away, you can take as many as you want, but the families who adopt him must be approved by us first, and they can't go through you, they have to go directly through me, and they have to sign an adoption agreement. If the adoptive families lose the child without cause, they will be responsible for compensation."
Bai Jiaojiao didn't want to say much to the two brothers; she just wanted to resolve the matter as soon as possible.
She needed to know the contact information of the family that adopted Su Zhigao, because when Su Zhigao's father returned in his previous life, he couldn't find Su Zhigao.
Shili Village is located by the sea, and the docks are filled with all sorts of people. Many of them come here without identification and sneak over from under the decks to do petty theft or other illegal activities. There are also many people who take advantage of others.
They come from all over the country; if they were really sold to these people, there would be nowhere to find them.
These two brothers must have found a buyer before they came. Since Su Yahu was willing to offer them 600, it proves that the buyer over there also offered several hundred yuan.
Nowadays, adopting a child only involves providing some nutritional compensation. After all, for the original family, being willing to give the child away proves that the child is a burden.
The fact that they could give so much proves it wasn't through normal channels.
Bai Jiaojiao quickly thought through the situation and understood the matter between the two brothers perfectly.
Although that's what she said, she had no intention of giving Su Zhigao to them at all.
This kind of person is capable of anything; once she takes the child away, she'll be out of control.
Upon hearing Bai Jiaojiao's conditions, Su Yalong laughed in anger: "Who do you think you are to make such conditions? What, just because Zhigao stayed at your house for a few days, does that make him your child?"
Bai Jiaojiao said, "If I hadn't taken him in for more than a week, it's uncertain whether he would have survived. Those conditions weren't set by me; they were set by me on behalf of Zhigao. After all, no matter how unfilial you two are, that ancestral house still has to be divided among the three of you brothers. Since your eldest brother isn't here, his share belongs to Zhigao. If you send Zhigao away, what will happen to the old house? If the adoptive parents don't sign an agreement, there will be endless trouble in the future."
Bai Jiaojiao then presented a very real benefit, leaving the two brothers dumbfounded.
Even though the ancestral home is dilapidated, every little bit helps.
Su Yahu said, "His father is dead, so the house has nothing to do with him. Stop talking nonsense!"
Zheng Xu didn't want to explain to these two people who didn't even understand the law, and yelled, "You two haven't taken care of your parents for four years, what's the difference between you and being dead? If the old lady hadn't passed away so suddenly, and if she had made a will, neither of you would get a single penny!"
When Zheng Xu mentioned the will, another thought crossed Bai Jiaojiao's mind.
Grandma Su loves Su Zhigao so much, and knowing she's getting old, she might make plans for him. What if she really has a will?
Because everyone in the village knew that their family was destitute, and when Old Mrs. Su passed away, no one cared what she had left behind, let alone that anyone would rummage through her belongings.
However, all of this will be dealt with after the two brothers are settled. Right now, Bai Jiaojiao just wants to use the old house issue to muddy the waters and prevent the matter from being resolved quickly.
If we delay for a couple more days, Su Zhigao's father will be back.
Bai Jiaojiao achieved her goal easily. Su Yalong agreed with Su Yahu's point of view, but he knew that it really had to be divided among the three families, and they might not be able to make the decision for Su Zhigao.
But what kind of logic is it to send your child away and also give them a house in return?
“After he moved to someone else’s house, he is no longer my elder brother’s descendant, no longer a member of the Su family, so why should he be entitled to a share of the house? My elder brother is essentially without descendants, so of course our two sons have the final say on our old house.”
"Since you put it that way, then fine, let Zhigao live with us. We won't adopt him; let's just treat it as two families living together. He'll still have the surname Su, and his father will still be Su Yangang!"
Bai Jiaojiao was willing to suffer this loss, and Uncle Su, who had been silent, finally spoke up: "You really can't mess around with the old house. If you really send Zhigao away, the money will go with him. Also, our family doesn't sell children. It's a bit difficult to find a good family, but there's no rush. We have a good place to live now, so we can take our time to find one."
These were things that Bai Jiaojiao and he had discussed beforehand. Bai Jiaojiao said that it wouldn't matter if Su Zhigao stayed at their house for a year or two, since the child could eat so much. This touched Uncle Su deeply.
Zheng Xu echoed, "I think Jiaojiao is right, we need to sign that agreement. Also, if you dare to ask for that much money, it's considered human trafficking, and I'll call the police and have you arrested!"
Su Yahu and Su Yalong were both frightened by Zheng Xu's last sentence.
Su Yalong tugged at Su Yahu's sleeve, and the two brothers exchanged a glance.
After a long silence, Su Yalong said, "The adoption agreement you mentioned is fine. Would we, as his uncles, harm him? However, it's not proper for him to live in your house. Everyone has a hard time these days, and it's not right for you to raise someone else's child."
Su Yahu immediately understood Su Yalong's meaning: "We'll take this child away first, and we'll definitely let you know when we find a good home! Come over and we'll sign that adoption agreement!"
"That won't do! Who knows what you'll do after you take the child away? What if you sell the child and come back to us saying the child is lost? How are we supposed to find out? Do you think we're stupid?"
Bai Jiaojiao immediately saw through their little scheme.
It was only after Bai Jiaojiao finished speaking that Uncle Su realized something was wrong with what the two brothers meant.
On one hand, they were glad that Bai Jiaojiao was quick-witted, and on the other hand, they were terrified that their Su family had produced such two good-for-nothings.
"Don't push your luck!" Su Yahu said angrily.
"I'm just stating the facts. Blame yourselves for not keeping your word with us. This child said he wanted to leave through me, so he'll leave through me?"
Su Yalong's face darkened: "What, you think you're in charge of your family now? You think you're the boss of Shili Village? What can you do if I don't listen to you?"
"Give it a try." Shen Heng looked up at Su Yalong.
Su Yalong felt a chill run down his spine for no reason. Being stared at by Shen Heng made him feel as if he were truly being immersed in that icy well water.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
