1990s: Spring Water Family

Chapter 13: He's gotten quite temperamental after just one day apart.
"Okay, I understand. Thank you, Director Zhang."

The aunt's eyes lit up, she put down the Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor) and kept thanking him.

"Go back and get it done as soon as possible."

Director Zhang was very pleased with her insightful thinking: "The demolition has been finalized. At most, everyone will have to move out in two months."

"Thank you, Director Zhang."

The aunt looked grateful and got up with the uncle to say goodbye.

"Take the wine away, you're being too polite with me."

Director Zhang, carrying a bottle of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor), pretended to be unhappy. Before she could chase after him, her aunt and uncle lifted the curtain and walked away in a few quick steps.

-

Director Zhang is a good person who has gone to great lengths for the people in his jurisdiction.

However, man proposes, God disposes. No one could have predicted that her words would come true. Just as she had said, Grandpa Huang was old and might pass away at any time.

That evening, the old man suffered a sudden heart attack and died.

The first person to notice something was wrong was Aunt Wang.

Aunt Wang prepared breakfast early in the morning and, as usual, delivered it to Uncle Huang. After knocking on the door for a while without any response, she tentatively pushed it open a crack and peeked inside.

This one look was quite alarming; it scared the person half to death.

Grandpa Huang must have been struggling to get out of bed before he died. He fell off the bed while still wearing his clothes, and his head was broken, leaving blood all over the floor.

Aunt Wang screamed in fright, startling everyone in the courtyard.

Lin Xiyu's uncle was the first to run out of his house and rush into the south room. He saw that Grandpa Huang had died with his eyes wide open.

-

Grandpa Huang had no relatives around, but his kind-hearted grandmother asked his uncle to take a day off to help with his funeral arrangements. Director Zhang helped contact Grandpa Huang's son abroad, asking him to return to China to handle the estate matters.

Grandpa Huang's son didn't want to come back, so he entrusted his brother-in-law Yan Hao to make sure he sold the house during the demolition compensation period.

Yan Hao returned to No. 9 Donghua Street after ten years, his attitude even more arrogant than before.

"My brother-in-law said he will never go back to this backward and run-down place in his life. He thanks the JN municipal government for doing such a great thing for overseas Chinese, allowing him to legitimately drive away some people who are just occupying positions without doing their business."

"Hey, how can you talk like that?"

The arrogant and rude attitude infuriated Director Zhang, who had come to mediate the dispute, causing the veins around his eyes to throb.

Grandpa Wang and his son were even more furious. They grabbed a rolling pin and beat the man out again.

"Just you wait, your brother-in-law will definitely kick you out this time. Don't even think about clinging to their house and refusing to move out."

Yan Hao was chased and beaten by the father and son. He cried out in pain, uttered a few harsh words, and ran away in a sorry state.

-

"What's going on in your yard? Are they fighting again?"

While the elders were busy with Grandpa Huang's funeral, Lin Xiyu was helping her aunt look after the phone booth. When Gu Bin rode his bicycle to find her, he happened to see Yan Hao passing by in a fit of rage.

He stroked his chin, utterly incredulous: "One a day? That's a bit too fast, isn't it? How did a soft, easily bullied lamb like you survive the wolf's jaws?"

"What did you say?"

Lin Xiyu couldn't stand his teasing of her family. She was furious and glared at him, thinking she was being very assertive: "Who's the lamb? The people in our yard aren't wolves. If you don't know what's going on, don't talk nonsense."

"Ha, you've grown more temperamental after just one day?"

Gu Bin looked at her with amusement, leaned forward, and his magnified handsome face was almost touching the tip of her nose.

(End of this chapter)