Chapter 233: Chapter 232: Visiting the Gong Family
The Gong family couldnât stand Lin Wanwan spending money to hire people to "persuade" them to vacate the house.
It was only then that Gong Dewangâs only son, Gong Keyi, learned that the house they had been living in for more than ten years wasnât actually theirs!
When his wife was first cornered in their home by the neighbor from 301 downstairs and argued on camera, she was already breaking down. After several such incidents, she couldnât take it anymore and returned to her motherâs home in Mian City with their son.
Gong Keyi resented his parentsâ lack of ability, not being able to make the house theirs after all these years, and he also resented Lin Wanwan for suddenly appearing and disrupting his stable life.
Since Yongcheng was just another city away and he didnât know exactly where Lin Wanwan lived, otherwise, with his temper, he would have long ago stormed to Lin Wanwanâs door.
Gong Keyi blamed everything but his own incompetence, being a college graduate who earned only five thousand a month and still relied on his parents.
Because of this issue, the third son Gong Dexiong and the eldest daughter Gong Meijuan finally learned that the house their youngest brother bought in Hai City was actually registered under his daughter Gong Yueyaoâs name.
The siblings were not very educated and were relatively honest, always assuming that after their younger brother died, the house belonged to their elderly parents.
Back then, Gong Dewang, dissatisfied with the low salary of a substitute teacher, eventually resigned as a village teacher to strive in Hai City, and naturally, he had to live in the house left by his younger brother.
Originally, he lived there alone, but gradually he brought his wife and children over, and they stopped returning to the village.
Gong Dexiong and Gong Meijuan, one being the second son neglected by virtue of being between an older brother and a younger brother, thus never competing; the other a married daughter who naturally wouldnât think of her natal familyâs property.
Therefore, if Lin Wanwan hadnât suddenly appeared, there was a high probability that Gong Dewangâs family could have lived in the house forever.
The Gong family sat in their self-built rural small building, discussing strategiesâmainly it was Gong Dewangâs family jumping around, as Gong Dexiong and Gong Meijuan had no opinions.
For them, the house was never going to fall to either of them anyway, so it didnât matter who got it.
Of course, talking about relationships, compared to a niece they hadnât seen in eighteen years, Gong Dewang, their own brother, was certainly closer, but who the house belonged to wasnât up to them.
The old lady of the Gong family was furious when she heard about Lin Wanwanâs "persuasion" tactics.
The property certificate of the home in Hai City was with the old couple. They were illiterate but believed in rural logic: if the son died, the house naturally belonged to the old couple of the Gong family; in rural areas, when oneâs house is built by oneself, isnât it always like this?
How is it... when it comes to Hai City, the rules change?
Hearing that Lin Wanwan had hired a lawyer to sue Gong Dewangâs family and demanded they pay back what rent they owed, the old couple found it absurd!
How could the court do this, interfere in family affairs? The old couple couldnât understand it.
After venting his anger, Gong Keyi had a bad idea: "Dad, Mom, if this time we canât make them understand, you also go live in Hai City; youâre both so old, I donât believe the court can force you out."
The group of neighbors constantly provoking them because of the money Lin Wanwan promised had already been warded off with his sonâs pee-soaked diapers in every household. Now thinking of using their over-eighty-year-old grandparents to resist the court, he couldnât believe it wouldnât work.
Gong Dexiong immediately opposed, saying not to mention that the old couple was used to living in a large rural house and couldnât get used to living in a tiny flat in the city. Besides, it wasnât about bringing them to the city to enjoy life, but to take the fall, which wasnât right.
Gong Dexiong said, "I think this house should belong to whoever it should belong to. Why still think about arguing? Arguing wonât give you the house.
Elder brother, since you lived in your nieceâs house, you should have brought your niece back from her grandparentsâ house to raise her. If you had raised her, the family wouldnât be in court over this affair now."
Gong Dewang frowned: "Alright, stop saying these things. What good is it saying this now? You didnât raise her back then either, did you?"
Gong Dexiong wanted to say that although he didnât raise his niece, he also didnât take advantage of her or seize her house.
But he didnât say it in the end. Saying it now was meaningless and would only upset people.
"Sister, what do you say? How about having the old folks come to Hai City with us?"
Gong Meijuan only spoke when she was addressed: "If Dad and Mom agree, then I agree."
After all, the old folks werenât depending on her, the married daughter, for care, and she didnât want her natal familyâs money, so naturally, she was too lazy to fight for the house, as it wouldnât be hers even if she did fight for it. Why bother?
Just as the family meeting of the Gong family was at a stalemate, Lin Wanwan arrived at the Gong family home, following her uncle Lin Zhantian and aunt Xie Yuanying.
Lin Wanwan, on her first entry, was met with several unfriendly glances.
She didnât expect these people to be kind to her, so she wasnât bothered by their attitudes.
Everyone in the Gong family recognized Lin Wanwan immediately, there was no need to say anything more; this must be the child, looking just like Lin Qingyao back in the day.
The old lady of the Gong family snorted, taking the lead: "I heard youâre stealing the house from our Gong family?"
Lin Wanwan responded calmly: "Wrong, itâs the Gong family stealing my house."
The old man Gong slammed the table: "How dare you talk to your grandma like that? No manners, is this how your grandparents raised you?"
Lin Wanwan frowned: "Talk about me if you want, but donât mention my grandparents."
The old lady of the Gong family glared at Lin Wanwan: "Why shouldnât I mention them? Why didnât they come? They claimed theyâd raise you back then and raised you to be like this?"
Lin Wanwan looked up at Lin Zhantian: "Uncle, is this what you agreed upon with them? With this kind of attitude?"
Lin Zhantian was slightly irritated by the unprovoked scolding, so he said, "Uncles and aunties of the Gong family, calm down. If you want the younger generation to respect you, behave like elders. My parents are past; watch your mouths.
You took our younger sisterâs house and hadnât taken care of Wanwan at all; you have no right to complain no matter what.
However, we didnât come here to argue about this. What are your plans with the house that my little sister owned, which youâve lived in for all these years?"
"What do you mean by plans? Never heard of a woman taking a manâs house. You Lin Family, what a clever scheme, raising someone to bother us, huh?"
Lin Wanwan sneered silently. One side insisted this was the Gong familyâs house, another firmly claimed it was the younger sisterâs house, but neither acknowledged her name on the title deed.
But does it matter?
Acknowledged or not, her name was on the propertyâs certificate. If the Gong family wouldnât present the certificate, at most she would spend more time getting a new one, spend more money on filing a lawsuit.
Just didnât know where her mom and dad were buried. If communication with them was difficult, she could ask the neighbors, surely someone would know.