Chapter 33: Indifference

“Han Jun Mansion is only about ten minutes from Lake Half-City by car, right?”

Du Yingzhe replied, “Yes, both residential complexes were developed by the same real estate company.”

That confirmed it—it was part of the Chen family’s real estate holdings.

He Chi said seriously, “Yining isn’t close to her father’s side of the family. I could tell she was genuinely happy today. Honestly, since I met her, this is the first time I’ve seen her smiling like that the whole time.”

“If you buy a place at Han Jun Mansion, you’ll be living nearby. It’ll be easier to visit often. With family she cares about close by, Yining will feel like she has someone to rely on.”

He Chi was well aware that their marriage had no foundation, and because of that, Jiang Yining lacked a sense of security and still kept her distance from him.

In her heart, Jiang Yining hadn’t truly accepted him as her husband.

Outside the cemetery, Du Yingzhe and He Chi had already been waiting for half an hour. The others hadn’t come out yet.

Inside, Jiang Yining watched her uncle sit silently in front of her mother’s tombstone for a long time without speaking.

She understood what he was thinking—he was worried that he might not be able to come visit his sister again in the future.

Her eyes gradually reddened. Her phone buzzed in her bag. She pulled it out and saw it was her paternal aunt.

Last night, while chatting with Zhang Qiao, she had heard that a colleague was getting married and buying a house.

When Jiang Yining saw the words “buying a house,” it reminded her that the transfer of property still hadn’t been settled.

Lately, Zhao Hong and the others had stopped pressuring her, probably because they assumed that with her aunt stepping in, they didn’t need to push too hard. They weren’t afraid anymore.

Last night, Jiang Yining had asked Zhang Qiao for a favor—to have her colleague pose as a prospective buyer and go take a look at the house.

Zhang Qiao’s colleague had been eager to help. She figured her husband might even be able to pick up a real estate dispute case.

By now, the agent had probably already shown the house to the colleague, which explained why her aunt was now calling in a panic.

Jiang Yining stepped aside a few paces before answering, her tone cool as she asked, even though she knew the answer, “Auntie, is there something you need?”

Jiang Yufang hesitated. She had completely forgotten her original intent to scold her. After a pause, she finally said, “Ning Ning, did you really go and sell the house?”

“Do you really intend to let them end up on the street?”

Jiang Yining’s voice was calm, even cold. “Auntie, the choice is theirs now. My demands are simple. But I also have to prepare for both outcomes, don’t I?”

Jiang Yufang couldn’t refute her logic, so she had to ask instead, “When will you be free? Maybe we can meet somewhere this afternoon?”

Jiang Yining glanced at her uncle, still kneeling in front of her mother’s tombstone, and replied, “I’m not free this afternoon.”

Jiang Yufang quickly lost patience. She assumed Jiang Yining was doing it on purpose and raised her voice with reproach, “Ning Ning, how could you turn out like this? You weren’t like this before!”

Jiang Yining’s eyes darkened instantly. She gave a cold, mocking laugh, but there wasn’t a hint of amusement in her expression—only irony.

She said, “Auntie, I’m here at my mother’s grave with my uncle and the others. If you have something to say, I can put you on speakerphone.”

Jiang Yufang was left speechless. She hadn’t known Jiang Yining had gone to visit Du Ruo and assumed she’d just brought He Chi to pay respects to his mother-in-law.

“…Well, if you’re busy, I’ll call you again later. You go ahead.”

And with that, she hung up immediately.

That was fast.

When did everything change?

They all still wanted her to be that obedient, compliant girl—good and filial, easy to manipulate. But the moment she stepped outside the bounds of their expectations, they all turned on her.

Back then, Auntie hadn’t treated her too badly. But when it came to choosing between her younger brother and her niece, the brother clearly came first. And if Jiang Yi were thrown into the mix, she’d be the one asked to step aside.

Jiang Yining thought to herself, it wasn’t entirely Auntie’s fault. She too measured relationships with her own scale of closeness and distance.

After hanging up, Jiang Yufang immediately received a call from Jiang Wentao.

“What did she say?” he asked.

Jiang Yufang sighed, “Not much. They went to visit Du Ruo today. Wentao, try talking to Zhao Hong again. Let the bride price be Ning Ning’s dowry.”

“I think Ning Ning’s serious this time. She’s not just trying to scare you. I don’t know when she became so cold.”

She didn’t even want to deal with family matters from her mother’s side anymore—she feared being caught between both ends and pleasing no one.

Zhao Hong was stingy. Now that her stepdaughter had married well, who knew if she might need to ask Ning Ning for help someday?

Jiang Wentao had thought Jiang Yufang could sway Jiang Yining. Clearly, it hadn’t worked.

Zhao Hong came over as soon as she saw he’d finished the call. “What did your sister say?”

Her tone wasn’t friendly. Already irritated, Jiang Wentao snapped, “What do you think she said? You want both the house and the money! You’ve completely ruined what could’ve been a decent family!”

He stood up, intending to go outside for some air.

Zhao Hong grabbed him. “What’s that supposed to mean, Jiang Wentao? Huh?”

“So now everything’s my fault? Seriously? You Jiang family are something else. Your son’s trying to throw his father out of the house, and you, as the man of the house, only act tough at home!”

Humiliated by the outburst, Jiang Wentao shot back.

“Zhao Hong, don’t act like you’re blameless. Everyone knows how you, the stepmother, treated your stepdaughter. Always arguing, always stirring things up!”

He pointed a finger at her. “Don’t think I don’t know how you treated Ning Ning versus Jiajia. I’ve treated Jiajia like my own, but you—what did you do? You treated my daughter like an enemy.”

“You arranged that blind date that made Ning Ning hate me. This mess we’re in now—frankly, it’s all because of the crap you stirred up!”

Zhao Hong screamed, “Jiang Wentao, you spineless coward! If you’ve got the guts, let’s divorce!”

Jiang Wentao didn’t back down. “Fine! But give me back the money He Chi gave you, or we’ll settle it in court.”

That stopped Zhao Hong in her tracks. She hadn’t thought he was serious about divorcing. She pounded her fists against his chest.

“You heartless man! I risked my life to give you a son in my old age. You promised you’d treat me well. And now what? It’s only been a few years!”

“Jiang Wentao, you bastard!”

Her howling cries were so loud that neighbors started pouring out to see what the commotion was.

Aunt Sun came out holding a bowl of sunflower seeds, eager to watch the drama. “I just heard Old Jiang say something about a divorce. Did any of you hear it too?”

“Sounded like it,” said a middle-aged uncle nearby. “Honestly, good riddance. That Old Jiang—he’s been henpecked all day long. Even his own son can’t get a place to stand at home. Should’ve divorced ages ago.”

Aunt Sun chimed in, “Originally, Jiajia and Yining could’ve shared a room just fine. But Zhao Hong’s so petty—she insisted Yining move out. And now she’s even trying to snatch her dowry. No wonder Yining’s angry.”

“It’s a real shame. But if they get divorced, what about Yi? He’s still so young.”

Aunt Sun disagreed, “They fight all the time. If Yi keeps growing up in that environment, he’ll turn out worse. It’d be better if Old Jiang raised him on his own. At least he’s got that breakfast stall.”

“And I heard someone say they saw Yining and her husband outside the complex the other day. Her husband was driving some kind of… what was it… a Lu…”

Her husband cut in, “That was a Range Rover. Don’t pretend to know cars if you don’t.”

Aunt Sun shot him a look. “Yeah, like you’re such an expert.”

“Anyway, I heard that car isn’t cheap. If Old Jiang really does get divorced, Yining’s such a kind girl—there’s no way she’d let her father suffer.”

A neighbor said, “Not necessarily. I don’t think Yining is close to Yi.”

Zhao Jiajia came upstairs just then and first heard a bunch of uncles and aunties gossiping, then caught the sound of her mother crying and yelling.

She opened the door, and just before shutting it behind her, rolled her eyes at the nosy onlookers.

Aunt Sun stopped eating her seeds and called out to the others, “Oh no, Jiajia’s mad. Alright everyone, let’s go.”