Chapter 968: Chapter 965: Heartfelt Laughter (Part 3)
She turned around and walked out.
The weather was very cold, but it was no match for the turmoil in her heart. Suddenly, she felt very confused: her constant defiance ultimately led to the old man’s tragic death in the hospital room. What does this count as? Struggle? Hard work? Not being a slave?
Or perhaps, the old man deserved to die?
Until the end, he still worried about his two grandsons.
The funeral arrangements for Old Man Xu were handled simply. Within five days, he was cremated, and they bought a cemetery plot.
When it came time to pay, the two started arguing again.
Ms. Xu said to her son, "Your dad’s surgery fees were all paid by your sister. So, you should just pay for the cemetery plot yourself."
Before Xu’s brother could speak, his sister-in-law shouted, "Mom, that’s not fair. Aren’t there funeral expenses? Isn’t some of it still reimbursable? How much covering can Xu Xiaoya do? She’s just left behind favors and won over some goodwill, but the practical benefits are hers. That’s not right; we need to split it half and half..."
Ms. Xu wanted to say something, but Xu Xiaoya stopped her calmly, "I’ve already paid all the money, you don’t need to argue."
The sister-in-law scoffed and turned to leave.
Finally, the burial arrangements were completely settled before the end of the lunar year on the twenty-ninth.
That day, after all the friends and relatives had left, only the family gathered in the house: Ms. Xu, Xu’s brother, his sister-in-law, and Xu Xiaoya. Outside, there were still a few of the sister-in-law’s relatives playing mahjong.
Xu’s brother closed the door, and the sister-in-law spoke up: "Now that everyone’s here, Mom, let’s discuss your retirement arrangements. Will you stay with us or with eldest sister?"
Ms. Xu replied coldly, "I won’t stay with anyone; I will live alone."
The couple exchanged a glance, and the sister-in-law continued, "Mom, you know that Dad left a will. After he passed, both houses were given entirely to the two grandsons. Your grandson is growing up, and education expenses, tuition fees, hobbies, and interests are all substantial costs. Take your eldest grandson for example, his English interest classes cost eight thousand yuan a year, drawing classes two thousand per semester, and adding some other classes, without three to four thousand a year for one child it’s impossible..."
Xu Xiaoya spoke lightly: "So, what is your point?"
The sister-in-law replied confidently, "Mom, you can’t make things difficult for us. My meaning is clear, you either live with us or live with eldest sister. Both houses must be vacated so we can rent them out to cover the costs of the children’s education. After all, this was the old man’s wish before he passed, and we shouldn’t go against it, leaving him restless in the afterlife..."
Ms. Xu stared at her daughter-in-law, then at her son.
"Your father’s corpse is barely cold, and you two already want to force me out?"
Xu’s brother coughed dryly.
"Don’t forget, I own half of this house too; it’s not entirely your father’s..."
The sister-in-law laughed, "Mom, what are you saying? How is this forcing you out? We’re just asking you to live with us. What’s the point of you living alone? Living with us, you can also take care of your grandson and enjoy family happiness. Is that not good? We even reserved a separate room for you..."
Ms. Xu firmly rejected, "I don’t want to live with you."
"That’s fine too. You can live with eldest sister."
"I’m telling you today, I won’t live with elder sister or you. I will live alone. Don’t even think about taking my house."
Ms. Xu perhaps harbored one last hope: "If you are filial to me, after I die, that house will be yours..."
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