Chapter 16 (2/2)

Even Yang Xiao was on his mother’s side. “That’s right, Dad. Isn’t it just a house? What’s the big deal about it? At worst, just ask Grandpa to move in and live with us in the future. It’s not like we don’t care about him. Why on earth are you treating that run-down house like a treasure? And there’s that noodle shop that’s so poor and destitute, how much can it make…”

Yang JianGuo glared at Yang Xiao, “You shut up!”

Zhao XueMei scoffed and stood up in the next moment, “What shut up?! What did Xiao Xiao say wrongly?! He can’t even afford to buy a house after so many years of running the restaurant! He even had to pinch and scrape in every way for the down payment and borrowed more than fifty thousand from my mother’s house. Even now he’s still sticking to the house and won’t even sell it. I already asked, now someone wants it. If it’s two years later, nobody would want to buy that shabby house!”

Thinking of the conversation that took place at home the other day, Yang JianGuo had a headache. Zhao XueMei would be pointing at his nose and cursing him again after returning.

Although he was not bad-mouthing his grandfather, Yang Xiao was still there swearing while talking, “Where did those two people come from? Our own family’s affairs are not their concern. They even dare to start a fight with me?! If Dad hadn’t stopped me, I would have simply killed him!”

Yang Jianguo glowered, “That’s enough! Where did you learn these indecent words?!”

When Yang Xiao saw Yang JianGuo staring at him, he finally exercised some restraint. But he was still unwilling to let it drop, “I say, Grandpa is too much! He’s so reluctant to sell his house that he went as far to call two outsiders. Am I still his grandson?”

Yang JianGuo rubbed his head. “Stop talking. That house has a different significance for your grandfather.”

Yang Xiao retorted belligerently, “What difference? Isn’t it just that Grandma bought it together with him? But Grandma’s already dead and we’re still not allowed to sell the house. It not like Grandma won’t come back if we sell the house…”

Yang JianGuo was furious, “How can you say that?!”

Yang Xiao turned his head and muttered, “Isn’t that how its like?”

Yang Xiao was already twenty two years old, but Yang JianGuo has been busy with his work so he did not take charge of his upbringing much. Yang Xiao’s character was simply a hand down from Zhao XueMei as he had always been taught by her. Zhao XueMei was extremely protective of Yang Xiao. Even if Yang Xiao did something wrong and was scolded for more than two sentences, let alone being beaten, Zhao XueMei would argue with Yang JianGuo in a shrill voice. This repeated day after day and Yang JianGuo no longer not be bothered to care about it, which was how Yang Xiao’s current character had been raised.

Each of them returned home with his own thoughts. Zhao XueMei was cooking. When she saw the two men coming in, she asked, “How was it? Did he agree?”

Yang JianGuo shook his head. “Dad still disagreed.”

Zhao Xuemei threw the pot onto the gas stove with a ‘bang’ and strode out. Her voice became shriller by several octaves, “What?! Disagreed?!”

Yang Xiao then came in. He changed his shoes and said, “Not only did he disagree, but Grandpa was absolutely furious. He even called two outsiders to drive me and Dad back.”

Zhao XueMei’s whole face was black and as Yang JianGuo had expected, she raised a finger and pointed at him, “Yang JianGuo! Your father is really good! Treating a rotten house is like a treasure! He refused to sell it when we were buying a house. Now I want to open a beauty salon and we’ve even decided on a place, yet he still refuses to sell it?! What’s he keeping it for?! Who else does he want to give to other than Xiao Xiao?!”

Yang JianGuo helplessly explained, “That’s not so. That house was bought by him and my mother…”

Zhao XueMei interrupted him with a screech, “So what it they bought it together?! Is it so amazing to buy a house together?! Do you want to say that this house belongs to your father and we don’t have a share in it?! Let me tell you, Yang JianGuo. What did he do for us even after I’ve married you for so many years? Don’t mention us, he has never even tried to do anything grandfatherly for Xiao Xiao! If he’s unwilling to sell his house now, he can forget about entering our door in the future!” Then she turned to Yang Xiao and asked, “What do you mean by an outsider? What kind of outsider?”

Yang Xiao shook his head, “I don’t know, just two men. I don’t know whether they are waiters or what at Grandpa’s restaurant. They even have the guts to want to start a fight with me.” It was clearly that he had wanted to shove others, but now he inverted right and wrong and said that others wanted to start a fight with him.

Zhao XueMei coldly snorted, “His shabby noodle shop can even afford to hire a waiter? How old are they? They even dared to start a fight with you?”

“They’re not old. The younger one is a little younger than me. They even called him grandpa, like they’re very close.”

Zhao XueMei looked askance at Yang JianGuo, “Could they be some bastards that came from your dad?”

Yang JianGuo was so angry that he was trembling all over, “What nonsense are you talking about?!”

Seeing Yang JianGuo’s ghastly pale face, Zhao XueMei snorted, “I’m just joking, what are you so agitated for? Who told him to dare to pick a fight with Xiao Xiao? Xiao Xiao, come serve dinner.” She walked a few step forward before turning around, “Yang JianGuo, let me make it clear. I will open this beauty salon no matter what. As for the money, you go think of a way to get it. If your father is unwilling to sell his house, tell him not to call us anymore.”