Chapter 120: Truth and Lies
Everyone in the courtyard turned toward the source of the voice.
An elderly couple, seemingly around the same age as Grandma Li, had arrived.
Grandma Li’s expression darkened. “Big Brother, Sister-in-Law, what are you doing here?”
Xu Youyou and Aunt Liu exchanged a glance, immediately understanding that this elderly couple must be Grandma Li’s elder brother and sister-in-law—the very ones trying to kick her out of her home.
The man had narrow, shifty eyes, a lean face, and a calculating gaze. The woman looked fierce and sharp, her mouth perpetually turned downward, clearly someone not easy to deal with.
“If we didn’t come, how would we know you’re doing something so foolish! You always have to make things difficult for us!” the sister-in-law said loudly.
Grandma Li frowned slightly. “I already promised to move out. I won’t go back on my word.”
But her sister-in-law scoffed, “That’s a separate matter! Moving out is one thing, getting paid is another! Don’t mix them up!”
Grandma Li replied, “Whether I take a salary or not is my own business.”
Her sister-in-law stomped her foot angrily. “How is that just your business? We never agreed with you keeping all these stray cats and dogs! You waste all your money on these animals, and now a rich person finally wants to pay you for work, and you’re stupid enough to refuse the money?”
Grandma Li didn’t want to argue. She knew no matter what she said, her sister-in-law wouldn’t listen.
Her sister-in-law grew even more agitated. “You’re all alone. When you’re too old to work, who are you going to rely on? Won’t it be my son and grandson?”
“Now that the boy is getting married, and you, as his aunt, haven’t even contributed anything? Are you planning to die without leaving a single penny behind? Just going into the ground with nothing?”
Everyone present understood immediately—Grandma Li’s brother and sister-in-law had been eyeing whatever savings she had. Or rather, they had always considered her earnings as their own. Every cent she spent felt like a loss to them.
Grandma Li found their scheming faces repulsive. She looked at them seriously and said, “My funeral arrangements won’t trouble you.”
Her sister-in-law shrieked in response, “If not us, then who? Do you expect us to just let your body rot and stink?”
Grandma Li replied calmly, “Once I’m dead, I won’t know anything. If I rot, I rot. The community will send me to the crematorium. I don’t need a grave. Scatter my ashes wherever—I don’t care.”
Her blunt attitude enraged her sister-in-law.
Grandma Li’s elder brother, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke. “Don’t be foolish. If our own sister has no one to take care of her remains, won’t that make us look bad? The neighbors will talk! How can we show our faces?”
Xu Youyou, who had been observing quietly, suddenly spoke up. “If you care so much about appearances, then why did you take her house and kick her out? Aren’t you afraid of what people will say about that?”
The sister-in-law was furious but, after glancing at Xu Youyou, she hesitated.
She had seen Xu Youyou and her group enter the alley earlier. They had stepped out of luxury cars, and Xu Youyou’s attire alone made it clear she was wealthy. On top of that, she was surrounded by four intimidating bodyguards.
The sister-in-law had no problem bullying her own sister-in-law, but she wouldn’t dare go up against someone with that kind of presence.
So, she replied stiffly, “Who says we’re kicking her out? She can stay in our living room! We’ll make proper arrangements for her.”
Of course, she failed to mention that their home was already cramped with multiple family members, and the so-called living room was so packed with furniture and clutter that there was barely any space to stand.
The more she spoke, the more she convinced herself that she was being kind. She even added, “This house isn’t hers—it belonged to my in-laws! A married daughter has no right to come back and fight for property with her brother and nephew! No matter how you argue, we’re in the right!”
Aunt Liu, who only had one daughter, was furious upon hearing this. “This isn’t the old days! What nonsense about daughters not inheriting property? Besides, your in-laws clearly said this house was for their daughter! Who are you to kick her out?”
The sister-in-law stomped her foot. “That’s not true! My in-laws never said that! If they really wanted her to have the house, why didn’t they transfer ownership to her back then? She’s just been shamelessly refusing to leave, and we, being kind, allowed it!”
Aunt Liu snapped back, “That’s not for you to decide! The neighbors must know the truth—let’s ask them to settle this!”
A flicker of panic crossed the sister-in-law’s face. The old man of the Li family had indeed told many neighbors that the house was meant for his daughter. If the neighbors spoke up, their scheme would fall apart.
Aunt Liu, sensing victory, pressed on. “Come on, Li! Get the neighbors to testify. If you refuse and just let yourself be bullied, then I won’t consider you my friend anymore!”
Aunt Liu was determined to stand up for her friend.
Grandma Li looked at her, smiled, and nodded. “Alright, I’ll listen to you.”
Only then did Aunt Liu relax. She turned to the onlookers gathered at the entrance and said, “Neighbors, you all need to stand up for justice! We can’t let this family bully an elderly woman! If you remember the truth, please speak up!”
The alley had been abuzz with gossip ever since Xu Youyou and her group arrived. A crowd had gathered outside, peering in with curiosity.
But at Aunt Liu’s request for witnesses, the neighbors’ gazes flickered, and some even took a step back, afraid to get involved.
Seeing this, the brother and sister-in-law, who had initially been worried, suddenly felt emboldened. They smirked, now convinced that no one would dare stand against them.
The sister-in-law puffed up her chest and declared, “See? I told you! My father-in-law would never have given the house to his daughter. It’s only because my husband and I have been kind-hearted that we let her stay all these years! She should be grateful!”
Just as she finished speaking, an old man in a tattered jacket pushed his way through the crowd and stepped into the courtyard.
The brother and sister-in-law exchanged uneasy glances. Their hearts sank—this man was also an old neighbor, a fellow scrap collector, and widely disliked by the community.
They feared he might speak out against them.
But to their surprise, he sided with them.
“I can testify! This house has nothing to do with Grandma Li! Her father clearly said it was for his sons and grandsons! He only let her stay out of pity! But now, she’s shamelessly trying to take it for herself!”
Aunt Liu’s face changed instantly. She blurted out, “You’re lying!”
