Chapter 34: Agreement

Jiang Wentao was the first to compromise. He asked Jiang Yufang to pass on a message, saying they were willing to give the over 300,000 yuan to Jiang Yining.

Jiang Yining removed Jiang Wentao’s number from her blacklist and sent him a message, saying she would come back the next afternoon.

Jiang Wentao thought of calling her to ask what time she would arrive, only to find that he had been blacklisted again.

So he and Zhao Hong had no choice but to stay home all afternoon.

They waited until evening. Zhao Hong finally ran out of patience and snapped, “Is your daughter standing you up?”

Jiang Wentao said nothing.

Zhao Hong grew even more irritated. “Are you mute? Can’t you at least call her and ask?”

Jiang Wentao didn’t dare admit that Jiang Yining had blacklisted him on both WeChat and his phone. He felt it was too humiliating and was afraid Zhao Hong would mock him for it in the future.

He kept his mouth shut. Zhao Hong grew angrier the longer she waited. She thought of going to the kitchen to cook, but since Jiang Yi wasn’t home and was at his maternal grandmother’s place, she simply couldn’t be bothered.

Just then, they heard footsteps outside, followed by the sound of the door opening.

When the door opened, Jiang Wentao saw several people following behind Jiang Yining.

Jiang Yufang walked in first, followed by Fan Peihua, their neighbor Sun Shujun, Du Yingzhe, and finally Jiang Yining and a man neither of them recognized.

Zhao Hong recognized Du Yingzhe. She glanced at the well-dressed, refined-looking man beside Jiang Yining whose sharp gaze stood out, and assumed that this must be Jiang Yining’s husband.

She didn’t even know his surname and didn’t care enough to ask. Jiang Wentao hadn’t said a word about him either.

But then Jiang Wentao asked, “Yining, who is this?”

Jiang Yining introduced him. “This is Attorney Liu.”

Jiang Wentao and Zhao Hong were completely baffled. They had no idea what Jiang Yining was up to.

Zhao Hong glared at Aunt Sun in anger. “Sun Shujun, what are you doing here again? You’re not welcome in this house.”

Jiang Yining calmly replied, “I invited Aunt Sun. If you don’t welcome her, then there’s no point in us talking about the house today.”

Aunt Sun smiled smugly at Zhao Hong.

In front of everyone, Jiang Yining gave Zhao Hong no face at all. Zhao Hong was nearly livid with rage.

Jiang Wentao tugged lightly at the corner of Zhao Hong’s clothes.

Zhao Hong suppressed her temper, gave a cold snort, and said no more.

Jiang Yining ignored her and turned to Jiang Wentao. “Dad, I came today to talk about the house.”

“To avoid future disputes, I specifically asked Attorney Liu and my aunt and cousin to be here today as witnesses.”

Jiang Wentao glanced at Du Yingzhe. He understood that Du Yingzhe was representing Du Ruo’s side of the family.

Jiang Yining was making a point: her mother’s family was standing behind her.

It was true that he had remarried shortly after Du Ruo’s death. That had been his fault.

Now that Du Yingzhe was here, Jiang Wentao was clearly displeased that Jiang Yining had brought so many people. But he didn’t dare say anything.

Jiang Yining swept her gaze over them. Unbothered by their darkened expressions, she raised her voice slightly and said, “Before my mother passed away, she asked my father to transfer the house to me.”

“Just a few days ago, my father told Aunt Hong that Jiang Yi will be starting elementary school next year and asked me to transfer the house back to his name, so Jiang Yi could attend a good school.”

Zhao Hong interjected, “It’s not just to his name—it’s to both our names jointly.”

Jiang Yining glanced at Zhao Hong but didn’t bother replying.

Jiang Yufang couldn’t stay silent any longer. “Zhao Hong, this house was bought outright by my father as a wedding home for Wentao and Du Ruo. What does it have to do with you?”

“The renovations and the furniture were all paid for by Du Ruo. I had no issue when Du Ruo wanted to transfer the house to Ning Ning.”

“After all, Ning Ning is a child of the Jiang family. A father transferring property to his child is completely normal.”

Fan Peihua saw through Zhao Hong’s intentions at a glance and asked deliberately, “Zhao Hong, are you trying to get the house for yourself, or is this really about helping Jiang Yi get into a good school?”

Aunt Sun chimed in with a sarcastic tone, “Some people go through all this roundabout effort just to come up with an excuse to swallow the house.”

Jiang Yining waited quietly. Once she saw that Zhao Hong was seething but didn’t dare say anything, she continued, “If this is to be a gift transfer, with the house registered under Jiang Wentao’s name, then it is legally his personal property.”

Zhao Hong raised her voice, “I don’t agree!”

If the house was transferred as a gift, it would have nothing to do with her at all.

Jiang Yufang ignored her and turned to Jiang Yining. “Ning Ning, do you have more to say?”

Jiang Yining nodded and continued, “Before the transfer, I have a few conditions. I want to make them clear in front of my father and Aunt Hong.”

“First, after the transfer, neither of you may interfere in my life in any way. If you do, I reserve the right to take the house back and sell it.”

“Furthermore, once Jiang Wentao passes away, the house shall return to me. It may not be bequeathed to Jiang Yi or anyone else.”

Jiang Wentao had strong opinions about this, but after all, Jiang Yining was still his daughter. He didn’t believe she could be that heartless.

He thought it best to take the house back first, and later he would play the part of the soft-hearted father.

Jiang Wentao voiced no objections. And with so many people present, Zhao Hong couldn’t say anything either.

“Second, I bear no obligation to support Zhao Hong in any way.”

Zhao Hong had no retort for this.

“Third, if Jiang Wentao ever becomes unable to care for himself, the responsibility for his care shall fall equally on his three children—Jiang Yi, Zhao Jiajia, and myself. Additionally, Jiang Wentao may not make unreasonable demands of me. If he does, I reserve the right to refuse.”

Zhao Hong objected to this. “Jiang Yi is still young. By the time your father needs care, he might still be in school. And Zhao Jiajia’s surname is Zhao—why should she be responsible?”

Jiang Yining smiled faintly. “Aunt Hong, come on. My father has social insurance and savings. He probably won’t need support until he’s in his seventies or eighties. By then, Jiang Yi will have graduated from college.”

“As for Zhao Jiajia—when I was in university, you told me the family income was barely enough to support everyone, and I had to cover my own expenses. But Zhao Jiajia never had to worry. The money her biological father gave was secretly put into savings by you, and all the household expenses came from us.”

Jiang Yining looked at her coldly. “And after I started working, you said the house was too crowded. So I moved out, and…”
(To be continued in next segment)