～
The place where Jian Hedong lived was not very near to Jian Si, yet not too far either; there was a direct bus service, and it was also reachable by electric bike.
Jian Hedong’s house was one of those single-story houses with a cent roof. In this area, many people lived in such houses, forming a dense, dark mass at a glance.
The governnt had planned to demolish and renovate this area many years ago, but due to funding issues, the plan had not been formally implented. Most of the inhabitants here were renters, with cheap rent being cost-effective.
In Jian Hedong’s backyard were several fruit trees, and it was now the season for apricots to ripen. Not long ago, he had brought a big bag of apricots for the brother and sister.
Upon entering, Jian Si imdiately slled the delicious scent of frying oil, thinly sliced fish fillets rolling in hot oil, lting in the mouth. Jian Hedong, who ca from a chef’s background, was best at cooking fish.
"Uncle," Zhengzheng flew in like a small sparrow, "it slls so good."
"There are washed apricots on the table, you two have so first, but don’t eat too much, dinner is about to start," Jian Hedong poked his head out of the kitchen, his face bearing the Jian family’s distinct affable smile.
Jian Si rolled up her sleeves and went into the kitchen to help, while Zhengzheng sat on the sofa and started eating apricots.
"Sisi, next Sunday is your parents’ death anniversary, I’ve already ordered the flowers from the florist, your mother always liked pink lilies best," Jian Hedong shook his head and sighed, "Sister-in-law was a good person; our family was extrely poor back then, and she didn’t despise us for being poor, resolutely marrying your elder brother. Later when your brother made so money in business, their lives finally cleared up. But who would have thought, the good days didn’t last long before that accident happened."
When the matter of her parents was ntioned, Jian Si’s nose tingled with sorrow. Although many years had passed since the tragedy, the pain of losing her parents felt like an invisible rope constricting her neck, which would occasionally tighten unexpectedly, making it difficult to breathe, reminding her of that unforgettable day.
"The accident happened so many years ago, and we still haven’t found the vehicle or the perpetrator. We shouldn’t hold too much hope anymore, even the traffic police have stopped investigating the case," Jian Hedong served the fish, "Ah, I have failed your parents’ spirits in heaven, unable to bring the culprit to justice."
"I will find out," Jian Si clenched the bowl in her hand, her fingernails digging into the rim, "I won’t let my parents die in vain. The person who hit them has to pay the price; they won’t get away with it. I rember his face, and I will rember it for a lifeti until I find him."
"How are you going to find out? We don’t know anyone in the traffic police departnt, they probably won’t even want to flip through the archives for us."
"There will be a way, I definitely won’t give up."
"Uncle, is the fish ready?" In the living room, an impatient Zhengzheng had already started to urge.
Jian Hedong glanced at the little one, then looked aningfully at Jian Si: "Sisi, about Zhengzheng’s matter, are you planning to keep it a secret forever?"
"Uncle, actually, I don’t know if what I’m doing is right, but I just want Zhengzheng to be happy, not to be looked down upon by others, after all...." Jian Si bit her lip, her eyes clouded with tears.
Jian Hedong patted her arm, "Alright, let’s not talk about these things today, you ca here for the fish, let’s be happy."
"By the way, has Auntie changed her mind?"
ntioning Jian Hedong’s wife, he beca irritable, "That woman, she was after my money from the very beginning. Now that she’s taken over my house and driven out here, what more does she want?"
"Isn’t the house registered under your na? And since you two haven’t registered your marriage, how could she possibly take over the house? We can sue her."
"I’m not very clear about it either, she and her son brought a lawyer at that ti, spouting a bunch of nonsense, aning to say that the house should belong to her. I couldn’t argue with them, couldn’t beat them, so I was just driven out," Jian Hedong placed the fish on the table and took off his apron, "Co, let’s eat."
While eating, Jian Hedong asked, "Sisi, do you know any lawyers? Can you help ask what I should do in this kind of situation, whether the house belongs to or not. She claims that even though we didn’t register our marriage, it already constitutes a de facto marriage, and she is entitled to a share of the house."
ntioning lawyers, the only person that Jian Si could think of was Nan Zhan, but she didn’t feel like such a proud person would answer what seed like a trivial question of hers. However, seeing the earnest look in Jian Hedong’s eyes, she nodded anyway, "I’ll ask for you later."
"Ah, uncle is old now, already out of touch with society. If I were ten years younger, I could have handled these things myself."
"Uncle is not old at all." Zhengzheng, who was eating with greasy little lips, said with a smile, "Uncle is young and handso, looking like he is thirty years old."
"Haha." Jian Hedong patted Zhengzheng’s shoulder, "Zhengzheng has good judgnt."
Speaking of Jian Hedong, Jian Si believed he was the person she should be most grateful to in her life. Her parents died suddenly in a car accident, her father died on the scene, and her mother stayed in the ICU for a whole month. Back then, she was just a high school student, helpless and vulnerable. In her darkest hour, it was Jian Hedong who took her in. She rembered that night; she overheard him arguing with his wife in their ho.
His wife disagreed with keeping her in the house to take care of, because another person ant one more mouth to feed, and their family’s finances weren’t abundant.
After repeated insistence from Jian Hedong, his wife loudly said, "I’m willing to take this wretch in, but I will manage her parents’ property."
The Jian family’s business was very prosperous when Jian Si was in middle school, and they had accumulated so wealth. However, after the death of Jian Si’s father, when Jian Hedong took her to her father’s forr company, they shockingly discovered that the company had changed hands, and soone had secretly sabotaged the Jian family’s fortune.
That was when Jian Si felt an unprecedented sense of powerlessness. **
Reviews
All reviews (0)