Mixed in 1980

Chapter 460 Lost His Soul
Mr. Lu understood his eldest son's thoughts. He wanted a new house but was unwilling to pay for it, clearly wanting to get the lion's share of the benefits and not wanting to suffer any losses.

"You want to settle the accounts, right?"

"Then let's calculate it all. How much did your family spend on your wedding? How much did they spend on buying the house and car? And how much have you taken from your family over the years?"

“Since we’re going to settle accounts, let’s settle them all today, one by one, so you don’t feel like you’ve been taken advantage of and complain about us, the old folks, in the future.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Ming looked sullen.

Cao Ning objected: "Dad, how can you calculate it like that? It's normal for parents to help their son when he gets married and starts a family."

Lu's father snorted, "Is it not normal for us parents to pay for Lu You's schooling? Besides, he gets subsidies for his master's and doctoral studies, so how much does it cost the family?"

Cao Ning retorted, "That's different. Lu You was the one who studied, but he also got married. He changed his address, and you even prepared a big gold bracelet for him, but I didn't."

“You asked for a dowry of 38 yuan for your wedding, the car was bought in full, and we paid the down payment for the house. Yan Yin didn’t ask for any of these. Do you want to calculate it item by item?” Mr. Lu said angrily.

Cao Ning was speechless and dared not refute any further.

I know what I've done. If I really want to settle things, I should give both plots of land to my brother-in-law.

Chen Yanyin watched quietly, without saying a word.

She said that dividing the family property was fine, and the elders could handle it, since there wasn't much to divide. But she wouldn't back down; things had to be done the way they should be done.

If you take a step back, others won't be grateful; they'll only take advantage and try to take advantage of you in the future, causing a series of unnecessary troubles.

It's true that Chen Yanyin is rich, but that doesn't mean she's willing to let others take advantage of her.

When faced with jewelry they like, worth hundreds of millions, they won't even blink an eye. But when browsing street stalls, they'll still haggle over items that cost tens or hundreds of dollars.

Seeing that neither of his daughters-in-law spoke, Mr. Lu coughed lightly: "Let's continue talking about the house. Who wants the new house and who wants the old house?"

"Brother, you choose," Lu You said.

Before Lu Ming could even speak, Cao Ning rushed to ask for the new house. The house originally cost 21 yuan to build, but with the increase in building material prices in the last two years, it's now worth more than 25 yuan.

The new house is in a good location, close to the road, making it easy to get in and out, unlike the old house, which is at the foot of the mountain, where it has been abandoned and there are hardly any people left.

"No one has any objections, so it's settled."

Mr. Lu nodded slightly and began to divide the other items. This area used to be a rural area, and the family still had a few acres of farmland, which were also divided up.

What remains are the shops in town and Lu's father's truck.

Cao Ning was thinking of dividing it up, but Lu's father complained, "That's what we old folks saved up to eat. If you don't divide it all up, we'll just retire and you'll support us?"

Cao Ning immediately fell silent.

They want to fleece them and then support them in return. What a ridiculous idea!

Seeing this, Mr. Lu shook his head slightly: "Dividing the family property is not just about dividing things; we also need to divide up the issue of our care in old age."

"Our elderly couple can still work now and don't need you to support us, but everyone gets old eventually. What will we do when we can't work anymore?"

"If someone gets sick, how will the costs be split?"

“Mom and Dad, there’s no need to discuss this. You’ll be living with us from now on, and my husband and I will take care of everything, including your retirement.” Chen Yanyin looked at her husband.

Lu You hurriedly said, "Mom and Dad, just listen to us on this matter. Anyway, you don't need to worry about taking care of your retirement."

Before the two elders could speak, Cao Ning chimed in, "Mom and Dad, that's the way it is. Lu You and Yan Yin are both PhDs, and their incomes will be much higher after graduation, definitely much better than ours."

"What do you think?" Mr. Lu asked his eldest son.

Lu Ming said reluctantly, gritting his teeth slightly, "Mom and Dad, this is good. Xiao You has a high income, and he can live with them in his old age, which will give him a better quality of life."

"My husband and I are just ordinary wage earners. It's already difficult for us to raise one child. We don't know what our future will be like."

After hearing what he said, Mr. Lu looked at Mrs. Lu.

The elderly couple looked at each other in silence. The eldest son had taken the most from the family, but when it came to the matter of taking care of their parents in their old age, he didn't want to take any responsibility at all.

I've finally seen things clearly today.

But it wouldn't be fair to the youngest child if all the responsibility were placed on him. Mother Lu pondered for a moment and said, "My wife and I are still able to work, so we don't need you for the time being, so let's not talk about it for now."

"Boss, transfer 10 yuan to Xiaoyou tomorrow, and then transfer the house to your names. Once the old house is repaired, we'll move in."

“Okay!” Lu Ming replied.

"That's settled then. Everyone, be our witnesses. From now on, the two brothers will officially separate and live their own lives." Mother Lu looked at everyone.

Everyone nodded in agreement, confirming this.

Chen Yanche and Zhou Jingshu returned to their hotel in the city and couldn't help but complain: "My brother-in-law's older brother, tsk tsk... he's really a jerk."

"That's better."

Zhou Jingshu curled her lips and said sarcastically, "The eldest son of the Lu family has shown his true colors. If he wants to take advantage of others in the future, his parents will stop him without Fourth Sister having to refuse."

"Today's division of the family is to make things clear."

"If you don't distinguish clearly, you'll have to be on guard in the future, like your brother-in-law's brother and sister-in-law coming to your door to freeload. It's so much better now, as long as things look good on the surface."

“That makes sense,” Chen Yanche nodded.

After thinking for a moment, she said, "When should we go back? Should we leave tomorrow, or stay and play for a few days and wait for Fourth Sister to set off together?"

"I'll play for a few days, I have nothing else to do anyway." Zhou Jingshu stretched, leaned back on the sofa, took out her phone, opened the Baby Come Home app, and started browsing it again.

It's been several years, and there's been no movement.

Zhou Jingshu no longer holds much hope of finding her biological parents, but over the years she has developed the habit of occasionally looking back at the photos.

Occasionally, I'll hear the voice in my head: "Yaya, little brother, take care of your little brother..."

After watching for a while, Zhou Jingshu closed the app and started surfing the internet. Weibo was full of topics about the Chinese New Year, and it was very lively.

The following day, Zhou Jingshu and Chen Yanche strolled around Guilin, soaking up the local Spring Festival atmosphere.

Chen Yanyin was not idle either. She called Lu You to go see the old house, a red brick and tile house with local characteristics, and the roof had several large holes.

There is also a 20-meter-tall ginkgo tree in front of the gate.

Further ahead lies a vast expanse of fields, currently barren, but once the rice is planted, it will be lush and green, creating a truly beautiful scene.

"This place is nice!"

Chen Yanyin nodded repeatedly, unable to stop the corners of his mouth from turning up: "I'll find a designer later and design a farmhouse courtyard based on the characteristics of your area."

Lu You shook his head: "Isn't it unnecessary? We only live there a few days a year anyway. Just build a two-story villa so that my parents can live comfortably."

Chen Yanyin rolled her eyes at him: "A homestead can be passed down from generation to generation, which is much better than a commercial house in the city. If you're going to build one, build it well, and it will be more comfortable to live in."

"Ok, deal!"

Before Lu You could raise any objections, Chen Yanyin continued walking forward, circling the foot of the mountain. The more she looked at the surroundings, the more satisfied she became with the environment.

To be honest, Guilin is full of beautiful scenery.

The scenery in Yanshan Town is also excellent. Like the scenic areas in Guilin, it is a typical karst landform with features such as isolated peaks, peak clusters, and caves.

In the past two years, the highway from Guilin to Yanshan Town has been expanded, making transportation extremely convenient. Tourists come here from time to time, and at this rate, it will eventually develop into a tourist attraction.

After walking around for a while, she returned home, where Lu Yan happened to be there with her two children. Upon seeing Chen Yanyin, the two children rushed over, calling her "Auntie" affectionately.

After playing with the two children for a while, Chen Yanyin looked at Lu Yan and said, "Sister, there are quite a few tourists here. We just ran into several groups of people."

"Yes, there are some." Lu Yan nodded.

After thinking for a moment, he added, "It can't compare to a tourist attraction. There are only a few visitors during holidays. Last year, there were many tourists during the third day of the third lunar month."

Chen Yanyin asked, "If we invest in a resort here, will anyone stay there?"

Lu Yan was slightly taken aback: "There are a few hotels in town, and business is actually not bad. The main problem is that there is not much competition. If it were like a tourist area, there definitely wouldn't be many people staying there."

"What, you're planning to build it?"

"I'll think about it later," Chen Yanyin said with a smile.

After thinking for a moment, she said, "Sister, have you ever thought about developing your career in Beijing? You and Mom and Dad can move there together, and I'll find you a project."

Lu Yan shook her head: "No way, the capital is nice, it's fine to stay for a few days, but I'm still used to life in my hometown, so I don't want to cause you any trouble."

"The swallow is right."

Hearing this from the side, Lu's mother interjected, "There's no place like home. We've always been used to living in our hometown."

“If you have children in the future, it would be fine for us to help take care of them for two years, but it won’t do for us to live in Beijing forever.”

Upon hearing this, Chen Yanyin gave a wry smile.

To put it bluntly, they didn't want to trouble themselves and were afraid of adding pressure to Lu You. In that case, they decided to build a resort or something similar for them to manage.

They're all family, so we definitely need to take good care of them.

There is a tradition in my family that after the parents or siblings get married, they will make arrangements for the family members so that the atmosphere at home will be good.

As for how to build it, that remains to be seen. It must have enough unique features: "I'll go back and find Xiao Wu and Jing Shu and ask them for some ideas."

Chen Yanche and Zhou Jingshu have already left.

Sitting on a bamboo raft, drifting along the Ten-Mile Gallery in Yangshuo, Chen Yanche thought for a while: "We came here when we were kids, but we don't remember much about it."

"I don't remember either. I was too young then to remember clearly. Fourth Sister was older then, so she should remember." Zhou Jingshu smiled and took out her phone to take a picture.

I took several photos, but I wasn't satisfied with any of them. It was Chinese New Year, and tourists flocked to the area. The river was full of bamboo rafts, and all I could take pictures of were of bamboo rafts.

I put my phone away, leaned back, and found a comfortable position to enjoy the beautiful scenery.

A dozen meters ahead of them on a bamboo raft was a young couple with a little girl. The little girl was very lively, standing in her father's arms, waving rhythmically towards the mountains and rivers.

It seemed as if it was humming a lullaby.

Seeing this, Zhou Jingshu slightly raised the corners of her mouth. What an adorable little girl. But when her gaze fell on the little girl's wrist, her pupils instantly contracted.

"Bracelet, Xiao Wu, look at the bracelet."

The sound was faint, as if the person had lost their soul; it was almost inaudible unless you were very close.

P.S.: One update for today. I couldn't stay up any longer, so I'll go to bed early to adjust. Thank you all for your support!

(End of this chapter)