Chapter 18: Consulting

The next day, Chen Jin made another trip to Xiuli (beautiful) Community, where all the furniture for the apartments had been fully assembled. She and her third uncle then went to her eldest uncle’s house and handed over the money for the furniture. On their way out, they stopped by to buy a mobile phone.

Originally, Chen Jin had planned to buy a large mobile phone like her eldest uncle’s, but when she visited the Electronics Tech Mall, she discovered that there were now newer, more compact models available. The flip-phone design was particularly interesting and much lighter to carry around. Of course, it was also more expensive.

The cost of buying a phone and the network fee together comes to just over ten thousand. It’s expensive, sure, but compared to hundreds of thousands, it’s just a small amount. Chen Jin suggested that her third uncle buy a phone too, saying it would make it much easier to reach people in case of need. Carrying a pager sometimes didn’t guarantee finding a phone booth.

However, her third uncle didn’t want the latest model; instead, he chose a “Big Brother” phone, a heavy, brick-like device.

Chen Jin got her phone, pressing here and there, but realized she didn’t really have anyone to contact for now.

After that day, tenants of the rental house started coming to her to get their refunds. One by one, Chen Jin had them write statements confirming that their deposit, rent, and moving costs had all been settled, and instructed them to check if they’d left anything behind in the house.

It was the village’s lawyer, hired by the locals, who had advised her to have the tenants write the statements. The lawyer even provided a template— all the tenants needed to do was sign and put their fingerprints on it. With a lawyer in the village, everything was handled more formally.

For example: dividing family property, splitting assets between spouses, divorces…

Lawyer Mo set up a “stall” in the village for three days and answered all sorts of bizarre questions, but this was the first time someone asked him about the process of making a will.

Lawyer Mo looked at the young woman, around twenty years old, sitting properly in front of him. “Did you say you’re the one who wants to make a will?”

“Yes, it’s me,” Chen Jin frowned. “Is there an age limit for making a will?”

She suddenly felt she couldn’t afford to be legally ignorant anymore and should start looking for some basic legal information.

“No, there’s no age limit,” Lawyer Mo confirmed, and then added, “You can go directly to a notary office to handle it; you don’t necessarily need a lawyer to draft your will. I recommend you go to the notary office.”

“Oh, okay. Thank you, Lawyer Mo.” Chen Jin took the business card he handed her and walked a bit before circling back. “About what I consulted you on…”

Lawyer Mo smiled, “Don’t worry, we keep our clients’ privacy confidential.”

“Hehe, that’s good to know.” Chen Jin thanked him again and left.

Chen Jin decided to put off going to the notary office for now. Moving the ancestral hall and relocating the ancestral graves were happening almost at the same time, and although the tenants in the village were gradually moving out, the village remained lively. The men who had left to work and the women who had married away were all returning to their parents’ homes with their families.

Chen Jin’s eldest aunt, Chen Yun, along with her husband and child, and her younger aunt, Chen Kui, had also returned. Her younger aunt’s husband hadn’t come, as Mutang Village was still negotiating with the demolition office over compensation, and with millions at stake, he wasn’t in the mood to come over.

When her eldest aunt’s husband, Gu Shunfa, saw her eldest and second uncles, he greeted them warmly but wasn’t as friendly toward her third uncle. It wasn’t because her eldest and second uncles were her aunt’s full siblings while the third uncle was a cousin. It was because her eldest uncle ran a business and her second uncle had a job in an office, while her third uncle was a farmer, which her eldest aunt’s husband looked down on.

In fact, Chen Jin felt her eldest aunt and uncle were the same kind of people. Her eldest aunt didn’t think much of her mother or her third uncle either.

Her cousin, Gu Minmin, was alright, but since she was three years older, they hadn’t been able to play together much when they were younger. Moreover, Gu Minmin was closer to her cousins on her father’s side and didn’t have a particularly close relationship with her or Chen Jia.

“I heard you bought houses in Nanda and the city center. When are you planning to finish decorating and invite us over to celebrate?” Gu Minmin looked her up and down, “You’re not short on money now, so you should take some time to spruce yourself up. Look at Jia Jia.”

Chen Jia, who was mentioned, looked innocent. Today, she had specially drawn her eyebrows and put on lipstick just to match her new dress and shoes.

Chen Jin glanced at her own outfit and felt quite confident. “I think I look just fine like this.”

In the scorching summer heat, a loose floral shirt paired with beach shorts and flip-flops was the best outfit!

She moved the oscillating fan a little closer and sighed comfortably. This weather was just too hot! She thought about how the bedroom and study in her new house really needed air conditioning.

Gu Minmin still wanted to say something, but at that moment, Chen Yongan brought out a deck of cards, called Chen Jin over, and then asked Tian Miao and Chen Jia to join in. They were laughing and playing cards loudly. They invited her to play too, but she thought it was childish and didn’t join. Instead, she moved over to sit next to her mother and listened to her aunts chatting.

Last time Chen Yun came back, she tried to get a share of the demolition compensation for the old house that Chen Jin was handling, but it didn’t work out. After she returned home, she threw tantrums for several days, feeling disheartened by her two brothers, and stopped inquiring about the demolition progress here.

Even though she had stopped asking, Gu Shunfa had learned from others about her elder brothers’ new moves: they were buying houses in bulk. Especially Chen Jin, who had bought two apartments, each costing a million. Unable to sit still, when her elder brother called to ask if she would attend the relocation of the ancestral hall today, she brought Gu Shunfa and Gu Minmin along with her.

Although Chen Yun had caused a scene last time, everyone acted like nothing had happened, still chatting and laughing as usual.

Chen Wenqiang glanced at Chen Kui, who was sitting quietly nearby. “Mutang Village still hasn’t started demolition?”

Chen Kui shook her head. “It’s going to take a while. Several of the major families in the village are holding out to negotiate better terms. Some people want to sign early and get their money, but no one wants to be the first to make a move, so it’s just dragging on.”

Chen Wenqiang scoffed, “Nonsense! Do they really think the government will be threatened by them? Dragging it out further will only hurt them in the end.” Then he asked, “Are Zhang Leye and his brothers involved too?”

“They’re doing their own thing. They don’t listen to anything I say,” Chen Kui replied calmly. “Anyway, no matter how much Zhang Leye fights, in the end, the money will go to Zhang Bai and Zhang Xue. Since there’s no benefit for me, I’m not going to fight over it.”

Chen Wenqiang and Wei Xiuhe both sighed quietly, feeling like their little sister’s life had become so predictable, like it was all laid out in front of them.

Wei Xiuhe grabbed Chen Kui’s hand and was about to say something, but then remembered that Chen Yun was still there, so she swallowed her words. Some things couldn’t be said in front of Chen Yun; otherwise, it would make things difficult for her two brothers, Chen Wenqiang and Chen Wenhua. Luckily, Chen Kui didn’t press for more.

“Chen Jin bought houses near Wanmin Plaza, so why didn’t you buy two, big brother?” Chen Yun asked, clearly puzzled. “Yongcheng and Yongxin could easily live in them. Buying houses outside the city center—how can they compare to the value of those in the prime areas?” She really couldn’t understand why her elder brother had only bought over twenty units in beautiful Community.

This question really hit the mark for Meng Lin. Who would want to live in the outskirts when they could live in the center of the business district? Plus, the house in beautiful community hasn’t even been transferred to their name yet. Her father-in-law still needs to consult a lawyer to ensure they only have usage rights. Her parents said that her in-laws are guarding against them now, fearing they might not be filial in the future, so they’re holding onto the house tightly.

This really made Meng Lin furious.

But Chen Yun’s comment also offended Chen Ting. Why only mention the eldest and second brothers? Does that mean she doesn’t deserve a house in the city center too?

Her father had said he would buy her another house, but that hasn’t been settled yet. She went to check out the Hanlin Garden project with her friends. The houses there were excellent in every way, and she wanted one too. She even suggested giving up the three houses she got in beautiful community and the two resettlement houses, in exchange for a house in Hanlin Garden.

She thought this was reasonable, but her sister-in-law just thought she was being greedy and shouldn’t ask for so much…

Chen Wenqiang glanced at Chen Yun indifferently, “Chen Jin has a lot of cash on hand, and it’s not safe to hold onto it, so buying a house is the best option. The cash I have is needed for company operations. We already have enough houses to live in, buying more without renting them out would be a waste.”

Chen Yun felt as if her eldest brother had seen through her thoughts, so she didn’t dare continue the conversation.

A tenant came to Chen Jin wanting to terminate the lease, so Chen Jin asked his second brother, Chen Yongxin, to help play a few rounds of cards, and then went out with his notebook.

They couldn’t stay home for long either. The village chief’s eldest grandson came to call Chen Wenqiang and the others to help at the ancestral hall, so all the men in the family followed along.

At the predetermined auspicious hour, Chen Jin went with the group to the new ancestral hall to offer incense to the ancestors enshrined there. The firecrackers continued for over ten minutes before stopping, leaving the concrete ground in front of the new ancestral hall littered with remnants.

After moving into the new ancestral hall, dinner was prepared by a famous city chef, and fifteen tables were set up in the open space in front of the hall. The men loudly played drinking games, and the younger ones were talking about “where did you buy a house” and “what car did you buy.” One aunt came out this time wearing gold jewelry on her ears, neck, and wrists, and a group of people gathered around asking how much all that gold cost…

Gu Minmin looked around and noticed that Chen Jin, Tian Miao, Chen Jia, and Chen Yongan had squeezed themselves over to the table where Aunt Zhou was sitting. “Aren’t Chen Jin and the others sitting with us?”

The distance was a bit far, so Wei Xiuhe couldn’t hear exactly what Chen Jin and the others were discussing at their table, but judging by their expressions, it was clear they were gossiping.

“It’s fine, they just love joining in the fun.”

Meanwhile, at Aunt Zhou’s table, Chen Jin and the others were constantly exclaiming “wow,” “ugh,” and “tsk tsk…”

Chen Jin was once again grateful for her quick thinking and reflexes. As soon as she saw Aunt Zhou and Aunt Chen Wu leaning in to whisper, she immediately called Tian Miao to go over and listen to the gossip.

As soon as gossip was mentioned, Chen Yongan got excited and happily followed behind his two sisters, dragging the clueless Chen Jia along, “Let’s go ask Aunt Zhou about Uncle Wen Song’s divorce.”

Chen Jia looked at him with a complex expression: Why are you so happy about someone else’s divorce?

But after she sat down and heard Chen Yongan explain the backstory, Chen Jia became anxious too, urging Aunt Zhou not to keep them in suspense, “And then? And then? How much was split?”

Zhou Xiangxiang glanced disdainfully at Chen Jia, “Don’t interrupt me. When you interrupt, I almost forget where I left off.”

Chen Jin obsequiously poured her a glass of cola, “You were talking about Aunt Kexin, oh no, Aunt Kexin suing Chen Wensong in court, and how they caught him with his mistress. So, what happened next?”

“Oh, we’re getting to that.” Zhou Xiangxiang took a gulp of cola, her face scrunching up from the carbonation. “The court hasn’t even started, so we don’t know yet. But recently, Chen Wensong has been acting all submissive. He doesn’t want to divorce Jiang Kexin and even went to talk to Chen Yue, promising that he won’t mess up again in the future.”

“Who can believe what a man says? Right now, he’s too scared to let Jiang Kexin divorce him and split the assets. This time they’ve reconciled, but I bet he’ll mess up again next time. Do you all really think Chen Wensong is a good guy? It’s a case of a crooked beam leading to a crooked roof,” Zhou Xiangxiang spared no effort in criticizing the old secretary.

As she spoke, she recalled something else, stood up to look around, then sat back down. “Those two old fools are too ashamed to show their faces. Chen Wensong acts like nothing’s wrong. Ugh! That black-hearted, rotten bastard…”

During the meal, Chen Jin listened to Aunt Zhou cursing the old secretary for half the time, and then she switched to criticizing her in-laws, who had split from the family. The other aunts at the table also began discussing who had gone to consult a lawyer in recent days. Chen Jin’s chopsticks moved three times slower than usual as she picked up her food.