Chapter 77: Whose Home?
“She came to deliver these things and said she had something else to attend to first, so she left.”
Hearing this, the old Yan couple, frustrated as if iron couldn’t be forged into steel, were nearly angered to the point of falling backward.
“Then why didn’t you go with her? Who told you to come back by yourself?!”
Just this?
He wondered if he could ever drink a cup of hot tea poured by his grandson’s wife before he died!
Old Madam Yan also looked at her youngest grandson with a face full of disapproval. “She just went through such a dangerous incident last night, and the little girl is still injured. Since she had something to do, how could you not accompany her?”
Yan Bei gave a wry smile after the successive rebukes. Did they really think he didn’t want to? Unfortunately, the beauty didn’t give him the opportunity.
However, after asking clearly and knowing she was just going to check on the house left by her maternal grandmother, he no longer pressed the matter.
Who could he blame but the girl he liked, who was strong, independent, and had her own ideas?
“Where is her maternal grandmother’s home?”
“Xinyuan Street.”
“Over on Xinyuan Street?”
The three people concerned about her whereabouts simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing the location. The city J Bureau was right there, so safety wasn’t an issue.
Fu Jiaming glanced at the bag in his hand a few times and asked curiously, “What did Su Ning specially make a trip to deliver?”
“She said she rented a hotel kitchen and specially made some pastries and biscuits.”
“She made them herself?!”
Fu Jiaming, pleasantly surprised, couldn’t help jumping up from the sofa, momentarily forgetting that he had eaten his fill earlier.
“Two portions, right? Does that mean there’s one for me too? Quick, give it to me!”
Thinking of that girl’s culinary skills, he automatically started salivating.
He didn’t know how someone who was clearly pampered had developed such culinary skills. Perhaps this really depended on talent?
Like Su Ning, or like his own mother…
“Yours.”
Although deep down he really wanted to keep his share, Yan Bei was afraid this guy who would throw away all dignity for food would go find Su Ning and spill the beans, so he reluctantly handed over one portion from the bag.
Old Master Yan twitched his nose and smelled the sweet fragrance, his eyes lighting up.
Seeing the delighted expression on Fu kid’s face and the unwillingness on his own youngest grandson’s face, did the Ning girl’s culinary skills even need to be mentioned?
“Cough~ Fair share for all who see it.”
“When people get old, their tastes change too. Don’t say it, but I really like sweets. Give me a portion too!”
Amusement swirled in Yan Bei’s eyes as he slowly shook his head in refusal. “Grandpa, Grandma, I’m afraid not this time.”
Su Ning had specially instructed him before leaving that she had added a portion of the Su Family’s ancestral secret medicine to these two portions of pastries and biscuits, which had remarkable effects for recovery from injuries. They were specially prepared for the two patients according to the dosage.
The reason they were made into pastries and biscuits was because they were easy to store and convenient for them to eat on time and in portions.
“The ingredients and secret medicine are limited, so there’s only this much…”
“Since it’s for you two to recover your health, then naturally we’ll pass.”
Although he wanted to taste her culinary skills, it wasn’t a must. Compared to these sweets and his grandson’s health, his own body was more important.
The old Yan couple exchanged a tacit smile: the future grandson’s wife—there would be plenty of opportunities later.
Only Fu Jiaming, after hearing his words, was full of unhappiness. There were good eats, but he couldn’t finish them all at once?
“What’s the difference from taking medicine? Still have to do it on time and in portions…”
“If you’re not happy, you can give it to me.”
“Bullshit, you think you’re handsome enough for that?!”
……
On the other end, after delivering the things, Su Ning indeed didn’t return to the hotel but went to Xinyuan Street.
She knew her own injury best. After applying the spring water, it was completely healed, and the gauze was just a cover to mislead others.
The travel proof for coming to Shanghai City had a limited time, and now there was no need to worry about the task. Since she had time, of course she had to visit her maternal grandmother’s home.
Xinyuan Street had few street thugs because the city J Bureau, newly built there a few years ago, was nearby.
Holding the yellowed property proof, she followed the address recorded on it, asking local residents when she couldn’t find it.
After circling around several times in the unfamiliar area, she finally found the small Western-style building that her maternal grandmother had reportedly lived in as a child.
A two-and-a-half-story red brick small building with somewhat mottled walls revealing gray-black underneath, and at the iron gate entwined with thorns, there were faint yellow rust stains.
All the houses left by her maternal grandfather had people occasionally checking on them, except this one.
From what her maternal grandfather had mentioned about her maternal grandmother, perhaps it was because this house held not-so-pleasant childhood memories for her that her maternal grandfather didn’t like it.
“Creak—”
The unlocked iron gate creaked sourly as she pushed it open with force.
Bending down to avoid the thorns overhead, Su Ning entered the courtyard.
Several cracks appeared on the wall to the left, and even at the low corner, it had collapsed into a hole.
Strangely, unlike the chaotic weeds and branches growing wildly in the courtyard, there was a clear path trampled by people from the hole along the small building’s wall.
Someone in the building?
She quickly looked up at the second-floor windows of the small building and the balcony on the roof.
After thinking for a moment, Su Ning turned and left the courtyard straight to the Xinyuan Street Neighborhood Committee.
After explaining her purpose and showing the property proof for the house, two public servants from the Neighborhood Committee accompanied her back to the small building.
Among them, Cadre Ma, who wore a striped short sleeve and a red-background armband with yellow characters on his arm, and was slightly younger, asked casually as they walked.
“Comrade Su, it’s just in time for the second national population census in early July. Are you planning to return to Shanghai City to live? We can register you while we’re at it.”
“No, I’m working in Xiangnan now and can’t return to Shanghai City to live temporarily.”
“I see.”
Cadre Ma nodded to show understanding. “So you see, when people aren’t around, houses easily get into trouble and occupied—it’s too common!”
“Does Comrade Su intend to rent or sell? Since you’re out of town and it’s inconvenient, you can completely hand it over to us to help handle.”
“Not for now, but I’ll consider it carefully before leaving.”
Seeing that he seemed to have ideas about her small Western-style building, Su Ning kept her expression unchanged, but the smile at the corner of her mouth faded a bit more.
“Cough~”
Director Liu, who was older and clearly more steady and tactful, cleared his throat, interrupting Cadre Ma who was about to say more, and turned to smile at her as he explained.
“Little Ma is about to handle his major life event, so he’s excited and talks a bit much. Forgive him, Comrade Su.”
She instantly understood the purpose behind this Cadre Ma’s concern and inquiries about her house.
This small building was her maternal grandmother’s childhood home, so she wouldn’t sell it, but renting it out…
It could provide care and add liveliness to the house, which wasn’t a bad idea.
Seeing her understanding and relaxed expression, Director Liu smiled warmly and continued leading the way, but glared fiercely at Little Ma the moment he turned back.
Mouth without hair, work not firm.
Young people just aren’t steady!
Lifting his hand to rub under his nose a few times, Cadre Ma, who also realized it, showed an embarrassed grin and said no more.
When the three arrived one after another at the wide-open iron gate, Director Liu called out to her. “Comrade Su, please wait outside for a moment. Little Ma and I will go in first to check the situation.”
“Thank you for the trouble.”
“Hey, no problem at all—serving the people!”
Director Liu cheerfully responded and gave Cadre Ma a look: You big burly guy, if you’re not going first now, are you waiting for me to take the lead while you eat in the back?!
“…”
Cadre Ma straightened his posture, his expression turning into that of a fierce and ruthless thug in a second.
It wasn’t his first time handling such cases of houses being forcibly occupied; he had experience. These were either rascals or second-rate hoodlums, and you had to look fiercer and more ruthless than them.
Striding in aggressively, Cadre Ma pushed aside the obstructive weeds and branches blocking the way and headed straight for the main door.
……
She had thought he was a scheming and deep-minded man, but he seemed more like a straightforward oaf.
Su Ning, waiting outside the iron gate, watched the two who had already entered the door and shook her head with a smile.
After just a few minutes, a big head poked out from the second-floor window. “Comrade Su, you can come in now!”
Hearing this, she raised an eyebrow. It seemed the people inside weren’t the ruffians they mentioned, or they wouldn’t have resolved it so quickly.
No longer thinking much, she quickly stepped through the iron gate and followed the path they had trampled to the small building’s main door.
The walls inside were even more peeled than the outer red brick walls, empty without furniture, and in the corner were piled a bunch of worn-out bottles and jars of unknown use.
After looking around, she stepped onto the wooden stairs to the second floor.
Upon reaching upstairs, she saw two adults and one child squatting in front of the two men.
These two adults were only relative to that one child.
“Comrade Su, you see, the situation is like this. They’re just a few children. Regarding compensation for the house…”
“This is our home, it’s ours…”
“Xiao Tong!” “Xiao Tong, shut up!”
