Sun Xiulan was terrified when she heard footsteps coming from downstairs. She didn't dare to breathe. Fortunately, the sound stopped halfway down.
"Sister Sun, are you upstairs?"
Sun Xiulan hurriedly took off her skirt, stuffing it into the box while shouting downstairs, "I'm cleaning, it'll be done soon. Did you need something?"
"It's nothing, you go about your business. Remember to wash the dirty clothes this afternoon. We have guests tomorrow, and I've already prepared the menu. Don't forget to go to the market to buy groceries."
"Don't worry, I'll take care of it as soon as I finish my chores."
Sun Xiulan's voice was filled with fear and trepidation, causing Zhou Yun to shake her head helplessly. This Sister Sun had been living in their house for several years; she was good in every way, except that she was easily startled. Cleaning the room was such a normal thing, why did she act like she had done something wrong?
It made it seem as if Zhou Yun, the host, was being particularly harsh.
Zhou Yun closed the door and walked away. Sun Xiulan breathed a sigh of relief. She shook her head at Dai Qinxue, stuffed the dress into the closet, and rearranged the cosmetics so that Zhou Yun wouldn't notice anything amiss.
"Everyone has their own fate. She has a man to support her and an easy job, yet she doesn't want to do housework when she gets home and hires a housekeeper to clean for her. A woman like that deserves to be struck by lightning! Your mother is so unlucky. She's only two years older than her, but she works like an old ox, serving her like a servant!"
Sun Xiulan spat into the orchid in a fit of anger, then tried to spit it into the enamel mug but held it back.
Dai Qinxue felt somewhat uncomfortable facing such a vulgar mother.
The first time Zhou Jian'an took her home, Dai Qinxue, driven by vanity, brought him there. Zhou Jian'an indeed mistook her for a daughter of the Dai family, when in fact her mother was just a nanny hired by the Dai family. Coincidentally, she also shared the surname Dai. Dai Qinxue originally wanted to clear up the misunderstanding, but Zhou Jian'an only became more obsessed with pursuing her. The Zhou family looked at her with newfound respect; Zhou Fangchun not only served her hand and foot but also gave her two thousand yuan.
For the first time, Dai Qinxue experienced the feeling of a windfall.
People fawned over her, eagerly offering money and flattering her. How could she possibly be so foolish as to reveal that her mother was a nanny? As long as her mother stayed in the Dai family, this secret wouldn't be exposed, and Zhou Fangchun's money would continue to flow in.
Even if things were exposed in the future, Zhou Fangchun would not dare to reveal it. Zhou Fangchun is not stupid; she would not do anything that would bring trouble upon herself. She would not let anyone know that the money was used to buy an opportunity to climb the social ladder.
Dai Qinxue was confident she could completely control this person, but her mother was clueless. She was either wearing Zhou Yun's clothes or jealous that Zhou Yun had a man who doted on her, and she would do some dirty tricks behind her back. Sooner or later, someone would catch her red-handed.
Dai Qinxue disliked her mother for being uncouth and a burden, and patiently said:
"Mom, do your job well at the Dai family. Maybe if they see how well you do, they'll really help Jian'an out."
There's a nanny in the compound who's worked there for twenty years. To reassure her and let her stay home to take care of the children, they bought her and her family a house in Beijing. This kind of thing isn't unusual.
If Sun Xiulan does a good job, she might be able to climb the social ladder by marrying into the Dai family.
Sun Xiulan smiled and said, "If it weren't for Mom, would you have been able to marry a college student like Zhou Jian'an after your second marriage with a money-losing child? Mom is working so hard to help you, and you don't even show any appreciation?"
Suppressing her disgust, Dai Qinxue took out one hundred yuan and gave it to her.
"Mom, does the Dai family have a son? Do you have a picture of him?"
Sun Xiulan happily took the money, granting her daughter's every request. She pulled out a photo album from Zhou Yun's drawer, which contained many photos of Dai Donglin.
Dai Qinxue turned over them one by one, her face growing increasingly grim.
Chen Baifu's wife was very capable; she found out the truth the next day, and it was pretty much as rumored: the property rights of that house were a bit complicated.
"It originally belonged to an old employee of the candy factory. A few years ago, there was a big fuss. The employee's family had overseas connections, so he was arrested and struggled against for several years. He was exonerated in 1977 or 1988. In 1980, the old employee went to the candy factory to ask the factory director for mediation. The old factory director went to the housing management office and finally returned the house to his family."
Chen Baifu carried an enamel teacup and talked to Chu Yu as he walked.
"It's a good thing the house was returned. With the reform and opening up, there were many people who wanted to rent houses. The old couple could live a comfortable life with this small house. Who knew that their only son, who worked in the police force, had an accident during an arrest operation two years ago, hit his head, and became a vegetable. The old couple had no relatives or friends in the area, and they were afraid that when they passed away one day, the tenants would occupy the house, so they refused to rent it out."
Chu Yu never expected there was such a story behind the house. No wonder it could be vacant for months in such a prime location; it turned out the owner never intended to rent it out.
The old man's considerations are not without merit.
Older people are prone to various accidents at any time. If they really pass away, their only son will be in a vegetative state and unable to even collect rent.
If the tenant has a conscience, that's fine; if not, they might just occupy the house. If it really comes to a lawsuit, there has to be a plaintiff, right? The plaintiff is in a vegetative state; where can they seek justice? The tenant isn't the problem; the real concern is that things won't go smoothly with the housing management office either. Even if the elderly person has a written agreement, such agreements can be destroyed at any time. Even if their son does wake up, they might not be able to get the house back.
Chu Yu suggested raising the rent and then trying to negotiate again.
If they really couldn't reach an agreement, she even considered buying a house. Although most houses are owned by the government, privately owned houses on residential land are also allowed to be bought and sold.
Buying a three-story house by the roadside, using the third floor for living and the first and second floors for business, is more stable than renting.
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