Chapter 39: Thirty-nine, sold Chapter 39: Thirty-nine, sold Li Meixiang stepped forward and took out her key to try it, but just like Yang Lisheng, her key couldn’t fit in, “Could it be that the lock core has been changed?”
Yang Lisheng carefully compared the lock core and nodded, “It seems it has been changed. I’ll go ask next door.”
Upon arriving at the neighbor’s, Yang Lisheng raised his hand and knocked on the door. They hadn’t come back for nearly ten years, and he didn’t know if the person living there was still the previous old neighbor.
“Coming!” A frail voice came from the yard.
In a moment, the door creaked open.
An old man about the same age as Yang Lisheng came out. Upon seeing Yang Lisheng, he was stunned for a moment, then his face broke into a smile of surprise, “Are you Dr. Yang? Are you back?” It had been many years since he last saw Dr. Yang. When Dr. Yang and his wife used to live here, he’d go to Dr. Yang for every headache and fever.
“Old Wang, you’re still living here. Haven’t seen you for so many years, and you haven’t changed at all.” Seeing it was the old neighbor, Yang Lisheng was very happy.
“Where haven’t I changed? Look at my hair, it’s all white, and the wrinkles on my face could trap flies. Dr. Yang, why have you come back? Are you not leaving this time?” Old Wang looked at Yang Lisheng joyfully.
“We came back to have a look. Old Wang, do you know who changed the lock on our house?” Yang Lisheng asked.
“It was your daughter who had it changed. The house has also been sold to someone else, didn’t you know?” Old Wang said incredulously. Over the years, the property prices kept rising, and he heard that his courtyard home could sell for tens of millions. But he had lived here since he was a child and had developed deep feelings for the place; no amount of money could make him want to sell it.
Upon hearing the news, Yang Lisheng’s heart surged with anger and he forced a stiff smile, “Oh! I forgot. Old Wang, I have something else to deal with, so I won’t chat for too long.” When he left, he worried that in case something happened to him and his wife, they gave the house deed to Xinxin for safekeeping. He never thought she would sell his house; it infuriated him. He had planned to change the house into Xiao Ning’s name this time he came back.
“What happened?” Seeing Yang Lisheng’s expression was not very good, Li Meixiang asked.
“The house was sold by Xinxin, that unfilial daughter. She really makes me mad!” Yang Lisheng said with a stern face, his heart filled with rage. If Xinxin really had difficulties and had to sell the house, he wouldn’t be angry. But she married Song Yufeng, the future helmsman of the Song Family, and a single order from the Song Family’s company was worth tens of millions. Would she lack that little bit of money? Moreover, she didn’t even discuss it with him.
“Sold?” Li Meixiang’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Yang Xin’er stormed back home and threw her bag on the couch, “It’s all because of that eyesore; she can dream of acknowledging me.”
“Xin’er, don’t be angry.” Song Yufeng walked over to Yang Xin’er, gently patting her back to comfort her. He didn’t blame the child; after all, it wasn’t her fault, but he also knew it would only make Xin’er angrier if he tried to intervene.
“What right does she have not to acknowledge us? Who does she think she is? So ugly, who would want her?” The more Yang Xin’er thought about it, the angrier she got, and the more she regretted not having the heart to give the girl away in the past.
Just then, the phone in her bag on the couch started to ring.
“Xin’er, your phone is ringing.” Seeing that Yang Xin’er hadn’t heard it, Song Yufeng reminded her.
Yang Xin’er reached for her bag, pulled out her phone, saw the caller ID, took a deep breath, and pressed the answer button, “Dad!”
“I’m asking you, why did you sell my house?!” Yang Lisheng asked sternly. That courtyard was his ancestral home, the place where he was born, filled with countless memories. How could she sell it without his consent?
“Dad, don’t be angry. I saw that place was too old and many of the wooden parts had been eaten by termites, so I sold it. I’ve bought another place for you, in a good location, convenient to enter and leave, and it’s in a newly developed estate. I’ll come and take you to see it later.” Yang Xin’er knew it wasn’t good to sell the house without discussing it with her parents, but it was already sold; could she even ask for it back?
“I don’t want it. I just want my own house,” said Yang Lisheng angrily. His attachment to that courtyard could not be replaced by any other house.
“Dad, can you be reasonable?” Yang Xin’er also got angry. If it wasn’t her father on the phone, she would have hung up already.
“I’m giving you two choices, either help me get the old house back, or from now on we’re no longer father and daughter,” Yang Lisheng didn’t want to talk further with Yang Xin’er and hung up the phone.
“Grandpa, don’t be angry. Let’s find a place to sit down first and then slowly figure out what to do.” Song Yan Ning took Yang Lisheng’s hand gently shaking it. Having such a daughter was just bad luck for her grandparents. As for the courtyard, even if Yang Xin’er didn’t agree to buy the house back, she would find a way to get it back.
Angry at the disconnected call, Yang Xin’er threw her phone onto the coffee table, “This is infuriating. So unreasonable.”
Song Yufeng was about to say something when Yang Xin’er’s phone rang again.
Yang Xin’er, not wanting to answer it, saw the caller ID, her furrowed brow slightly relaxing, and picked up the phone to press the call button, “Xiao Yue, are you looking for me?” She was really not in the mood now, but Xiao Yue was her best friend, and she didn’t want some trivial matter to affect their relationship.
“Xin’er, have your mom and dad arrived in Beijing?” Liu Shanyue inquired. She had told her in-laws yesterday that Xin’er’s father would be returning to Beijing today. The older generation knew of Dr. Yang’s medical skill; if even he couldn’t cure it, then it was indeed incurable.
“They have,” Yang Xin’er said. Naturally, she knew Xiao Yue’s grandmother-in-law had not been feeling well recently. Sometimes she really didn’t understand her parents. With their medical skill, they could have gained both fame and fortune by staying in Beijing, yet they preferred to stick to that small village.
“Is your father with you?” Liu Shanyue asked eagerly. Her mother-in-law had been feeling unwell these past few days, and she was truly anxious.
“He’s not with me, but I can give you his phone number; you can call him yourself.” Her parents were still angry, and she didn’t want to provoke them.
“That’s fine,” said Liu Shanyue, although she found it strange. But asking for Xin’er’s father’s help to see to her mother-in-law was the most important thing right now.
