Chapter 232: Request for the House

As soon as Xu Mingwei arrived at work that morning, he was called into the office by his supervisor.

The director of the power supply bureau was his wife’s uncle, and it was through this connection that he had become the office director the previous year.

Director Ma gestured to a chair beside him as Xu Mingwei entered and said, “Mingwei, what’s going on with the house you’re currently living in?”

Upon hearing this, Xu Mingwei’s heart sank. Could it be that his brother had contacted the bureau?

After pondering for a moment, he chose to deflect the question and replied, “Uncle, that house was purchased by my brother when he got married. A few years ago, when they went to the countryside, we moved in.”

Director Ma said, “Why do I hear that the house was bought by your sister-in-law’s family? I also heard that your two families have severed ties, and their family is planning to sue you for occupying their house?”

Upon hearing this, Xu Mingwei hurriedly replied, “Uncle, who did you hear that from? How could I possibly occupy my brother’s house? I’m just keeping an eye on it since they’re not around.”

Director Ma looked at this oblivious son-in-law. You’ve already severed ties with them, yet you claim to be helping them look after their house. Do you even believe what you’re saying?

However, he didn’t bother to confront him directly. Instead, he said, “Since you’re helping your brother look after the house and now that his family is back, you should return the house to them.”

Xu Mingwei fell silent at this. Noticing his reluctant expression, Director Ma initially hesitated to intervene. However, considering their familial connection, he decided to offer a word of caution.

“Your eldest brother’s in-laws, the head of the Beijing Military Region Hospital, called me personally,” he said.

“You’ve claimed to have severed ties with Xu Minghong, yet you’re occupying his family’s house. Now, his family is homeless and plans to sue you,” Director Ma continued. “Mingwei, we’re relatives, so I’m just reminding you: don’t be foolish! Don’t let a house cost you everything.”

At that moment, Xu Mingwei grasped the seriousness of the situation, a cold sweat trickling down his forehead. He turned to Director Ma and said, “Thank you for your advice, Uncle. I’ll move out in a couple of days.”

Seeing that he understood the gravity of the matter and considering their good relationship as relatives, Director Ma urged, “Don’t wait a couple of days; take the day off today to pack. Tell your wife not to cause a scene. If this escalates, you won’t come out unscathed.”

“I understand, Uncle. I’ll go back and pack right away,” Xu Mingwei replied.

When he got home, Xu Mingwei told his mother to pack their things and move back to their original house.

Upon hearing her son’s words, Grandma Xu was quite confused. “Why do we need to move when we’re living so comfortably here? That old courtyard wasn’t as nice as this one.”

Xu Mingwei quietly explained the situation and the stakes involved to her.

Grandma Xu was also a shrewd woman; she sat there contemplating for a while before saying to her son, “You and your family of four can move back first. I’ll stay here and see who dares to force me out.

After all, I’m still his nominal mother. Unless he and his wife lose all shame, I’m not afraid to confront them if it comes to that.”

When Xu Mingwei heard this, he thought his mother’s plan was quite clever. They could stay here for now and gradually move back when they had the chance.

It was indeed very comfortable living here, and he was reluctant to leave.

The two of them whispered for a while, and then Xu Mingwei moved their family’s clothes back to their old home, leaving the rest of the things untouched.

However, there weren’t many items here that belonged to them. When Father Xu and Mother Xu hurriedly went to the countryside, they had hidden the valuables. The furniture and daily necessities were all intact, as they had only brought a few pieces of clothing when they moved in.

When Wang Guiqin got off work and saw her mother-in-law and her husband packing things up, with several large bundles in the courtyard, she asked, “Mom, Mingwei, what are you doing?”

Xu Mingwei explained the situation to her again. When he saw her eyes widen in anger, he quickly covered her mouth and recounted Director Ma’s words.

Although Wang Guiqin was quite tough, she was also shrewd. After hearing her husband’s explanation, she decided to follow her mother-in-law’s advice: the family would move out first, and they would figure things out later.

When the neighborhood office staff arrived, they found that the family had already packed their belongings. It seemed the family was somewhat aware of the situation, prompting the staff to give them a reprimand for occupying someone else’s property before they left.

Aunt Lu, along with Xu An and Xiao Mo, watched as the four members of the Xu family moved their items, but they noticed the old lady was missing, which indicated that things might not go as smoothly as they had hoped.

Concerned, Xu An instructed Uncle Lin and Aunt Lin to find four strong and assertive women who knew how to handle such situations. They planned to take the old lady out that afternoon while she wasn’t paying attention.