Shi Man, having handled the loan herself, promptly paid the deposit and signed the contract as soon as she found a suitable property. The rest of the paperwork was left to the agent. The agent, noticing another quick transaction, remarked with surprise, "It seems quite a few people are buying commercial spaces lately. Two young people came in yesterday and made their decision just as fast."

Wang Qiqi and Shi Man covered their mouths, stifling a laugh. If Dai Lijun hadn't bought a shop yesterday, they might not have thought of it—some people really just wanted to keep their money in the bank. "Yesterday, a friend of ours came; he said your service was excellent. Look, we're establishing a proper business here, so could you offer a discount on the agent's fee?" Wang Qiqi thought it was quite a coincidence that they found the same agent for buying a house.

The agent, buoyed by two successful deals back-to-back, was in good spirits. "Deal. I'll give you a 20% discount." After all, neither of these transactions had taken much of their time. It was as if they already had targets in mind; they inquired about the location, price, and general overview of the shops, went to see them right away, and quickly signed the contracts. It made the agent deeply feel that there were quite a few wealthy people around these days.

A 20% discount was quite good. "Fine. We'll leave the rest of the paperwork to you. We are going abroad in July, so we hope to finalize everything as soon as possible," Wang Qiqi instructed the agent. At this point, haggling over fees was unnecessary; getting the property sorted quickly was paramount. Shi Man felt the same way: "We'll trouble you then."

The agent confirmed that they were likely connected, perhaps introduced by the young man from yesterday, because that young man had said he would pay the remaining balance today and mentioned he was also going abroad to study, so things needed to move fast. "Don't worry, I'll start processing the paperwork immediately."

By the time Dai Lijun’s parents arrived, Wang Qiqi and Han Tao were already on a plane back to their hometown. When they finally arrived home after a bumpy journey, they found the house quite lively—though "home" in this case was Luo Hongjuan's place.

Wang Qiqi and Han Tao stood at the top of the stairs, watching Xue Hong clinging to the doorway like a shrew, crying heartbrokenly and incessantly badmouthing how detestable Luo Hongjuan was. The two exchanged a look. The former Xue Hong was extremely image-conscious, always meticulously put together. Besides, they were already separated households, and their relationship wasn't close; why was she making such a scene here?

Wang Qiqi surveyed the surrounding neighbors who had gathered to watch. A chill ran down her spine. When her parents were alive, even if they weren't popular across the entire complex, at least the relationships within this building were decent. But after her parents passed away, who had offered any help? Although Wang Qiqi always blamed her own timidity for people not stepping in, now that Han Tao was successful and Luo Hongjuan maintained a decent relationship with others, seeing this scene, the neighbors looked on with expressions of pure schadenfreude.

"What are you crying and wailing about? Holding a funeral service? Han Tao, call the police. See what dog or cat is squatting here, or call a reporter to cover what horrific thing has happened in this house," Wang Qiqi thought. Since the woman wanted to be shameless, she might as well escalate things—bring in the police, bring in the reporters. "And call the radio station too." At this moment, Wang Qiqi deeply missed the radio stations of later years; any trivial family drama could make it onto television.

Wang Qiqi’s level-headed retort stunned everyone present. While it was known that Wang Qiqi was not an easy girl to deal with, the past two years—her cheerful comings and goings, either clinging to Luo Hongjuan's arm or sweetly stepping out with Han Tao—had made them forget the fierce side of this young girl. Some people quietly slipped away when Wang Qiqi appeared displeased, while others brazenly stayed. When they heard Wang Qiqi cursing, their expressions naturally soured, but what could they do? They were standing there watching a spectacle. As a result, even those not utterly thick-skinned began to retreat. A few super thick-skinned individuals remained, thinking that since the insults had been hurled, they might as well watch how the situation continued to unfold.

Wang Qiqi noticed Luo Hongjuan's door was closed and couldn't tell if she was home. As for whether the other person wanted to continue her act, Wang Qiqi didn't care. "Tao, I'm tired. Let's go back, take a shower, and rest a bit. I want my sister to treat us to dinner tonight." Then she moved to close the door.

Xue Hong hadn't expected that after crying her eyes out for so long, she hadn't managed to draw out her sister-in-law. Instead, the nephew, Han Tao, who shouldn't have been there, appeared. Furthermore, they showed no basic courtesy by greeting anyone, and the future niece-in-law had just cursed her out, followed immediately by opening and slamming the door. She was furious. After sitting there howling for so long, she was parched. She quickly lunged at the door to stop Wang Qiqi from closing it, trying to force her way inside.

Wang Qiqi hadn't expected Xue Hong to resort to such crude measures. "Han Tao, call the police. Honestly, we have to call the police. Some lunatic is trying to break into our residence. Does she think she's a relative of some big shot?"

"Okay." Han Tao agreed without hesitation, set down his bag, and reached for his phone to make the call.

Xue Hong was shocked that Han Tao, that wild boy, was actually preparing to call the police. This was disastrous! If she were taken to the police station, wouldn't her reputation be completely ruined? "Han Tao, I am your aunt! You're so heartless..."

"Excuse me, this is my home. Who are you, and what is your relationship to me?" Wang Qiqi genuinely wanted to take advantage of the moment the other woman was distracted and kick her out, but just as she was about to move, she abandoned the idea. She worried that if she actually kicked someone out, the person would instantly feign illness and demand compensation, turning a situation where she was clearly in the right into one where she was at fault. "Let go..." Wang Qiqi made a show of moving to bite Xue Hong’s hand, and Xue Hong, sensing danger, habitually pulled back her hand. Wang Qiqi seized this split second to swiftly slam the door shut.

After closing the door, Wang Qiqi ignored the frantic banging from the madwoman outside. In just that short time, she felt her clothes were thoroughly soaked, and sweat was dripping from her face onto the floor. "It’s not easy coming home. Sigh, I really think we can’t live here anymore." Neighbors who might offer a bit of care? Forget it. When there’s trouble, few good people appear, but if your house becomes entertainment, these people will certainly show up.

After venting her frustrations, Wang Qiqi noticed Han Tao was still holding the receiver. She found it strange. "Tao, are you really calling the police?" No way. It wasn't that Wang Qiqi was against calling the police, but what good would it do if they came? They'd just say it was a domestic private matter and dismiss it.

Han Tao shook his head. "No." He didn't have the police station's number, and secondly, he didn't believe the police could resolve this. He thought he should make a different call.

After listening to what Han Tao was saying on the phone, Wang Qiqi understood whom he was calling. Compared to her suggestion of calling the police, calling Han Ximing was much better. Xue Hong was his wife; her causing trouble was purely about money, so having him intervene was the best solution.

"I don't know how many times she's been here. Does she think that just because my mother is alone here, she can be bullied..." Han Tao grew angrier as he spoke. He didn't know how often Xue Hong had visited, but judging by the neighbors' expressions, it was quite often. Yet his own mother had never complained once on the phone. This angered Han Tao—not because Luo Hongjuan hadn't told him, but because as her son, he hadn't noticed the weary tone in his mother’s voice in their calls a few days ago. He had assumed she was busy organizing the luggage for their trip to Beijing or swamped with work matters, never imagining it was about this. "If this happens again, I won't hesitate to invite a few people to stage a scene right outside your door, or I can invite relatives from our side to mediate. I don't know why she came, but my family owes your family nothing. If you feel things are unfair, then sue us in court; I’ll hire a lawyer then."

"I don't want to meddle in your family's affairs, but that doesn't mean my family is a pushover either." Han Tao hung up the phone. "He'll be here to pick her up shortly."

Wang Qiqi murmured, "Oh. I'll go turn on the water heater, or maybe you should sleep for a bit." It was nice having a mother-in-law living nearby; every time she returned, the house was quiet.

After walking out of the kitchen, Wang Qiqi knelt before her parents' photograph and spoke at length about her recent life. "Mom, I've decided to sell this house." Every time she returned, the feeling she got here was negative. The neighborly relations were completely cold, especially since people learned Han Tao was going abroad; the looks they gave her and Han Tao were filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred, and their words were laced with sarcasm that Wang Qiqi found utterly sickening.

Han Tao knew Wang Qiqi was deeply conflicted about selling this house. It held shared memories of her maternal parents. However, the people here only gave her bad memories, making her angry every time. Previously, Han Tao hadn't agreed with selling it, reasoning that since they didn't live here often, the neighbors' attitude was irrelevant to them; it was better to keep a memento. But after today's events, Han Tao suddenly felt that if his mother moved out, it was likely these two houses would be left completely unattended. If a thief broke in, Han Tao was certain those neighbors would pretend not to see anything, or perhaps even help the thief close any unsecured doors. "Fine, I support you. We’ll buy places door-to-door and remain neighbors."

"Okay." Wang Qiqi turned and held Han Tao's hand. "Let's not tell those relatives. Let's find a place with better property management." It would be a shame to come back after a long time only to encounter such despicable relatives; the thought alone was unlucky. (To be continued)