Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
âWhat era are we in now? We canât solve the problem by fighting. Iâve already called the police. You canât do anything stupid,â the middle-aged woman comforted.
âThen what should we do now? Are we going to reason with them?!â
âDidnât we already call the police? Itâll be fine when they come.â
âThis is f*cking annoying!â
The young man was furious. He threw the cigarette and lighter in his hand to the ground to vent his depression.
Lin Yi and Zhang Peng, who were walking over, looked at each other. They felt that this young manâs temper was quite bad.
âMom, the police are here.â
The young man said when he saw Lin Yi and Zhang Peng coming over.
The latter looked up and hurriedly got up when he saw the two of them. It was as if she had suddenly found her backbone and was full of energy.
âPolice comrade, youâre here.â
Lin Yi nodded. âAre you the person who reported the case, Zhang Lixia?â
âItâs me, itâs me. This is my son, Li Qiao.â
âDonât cry, tell us what happened, we need to understand the situation,â Lin Yi said.
âThis is what happened.â Zhang Lixia pointed at the house next to them and said,
âThis house was left to me by my father. It was written clearly in the will. Now itâs being occupied by my brother. Police officers, you must uphold justice for me.â
âWaitâ¦â Lin Yi said.
âWhat did you just say? This âhouseâ?â
âYes, itâs this building. My dad left it behind.â
Lin Yi, ââ¦â
Zhang Peng, ââ¦â
The building in front of them was a townhouse, six stories high, with four units, each occupying an entire floor.
Given the market price of around 20,000 yuan per square meter, this building was worth at least a billion yuan.
Being rich was really something!
âOfficer, did I say something wrong?â Zhang Lixia asked cautiously.
âNo,â Zhang Peng replied.
âI just wanted to ask, what did your father do for a living to have so much money?â
Neither Zhang Lixia nor her son Li Qiao dressed like wealthy people; they looked like ordinary folks.
They seem completely mismatched with such a fortune.
âThis area used to be a rural village. Our family had a chicken farm. When it was redeveloped, we were compensated with this building and over 10 million yuan in cash.â
The two officers nodded in understanding.
âSo, your father left the house and cash to you, but your brother took over the house, right?â
âWe have the cash, but my brother hired a lawyer and sued us, so we canât spend any of it,â Zhang Lixia said, wiping her tears.
âHe even sued you?â They were surprised.
âHe claimed I forced my father to write the will, so he refuses to give us the house, and the money is frozen. Weâre stuck.â
âYour father passed away six months ago. Why did you wait so long to call the police?â
âHeâs my brother. I didnât want to make things too ugly,â Zhang Lixia sobbed.
âBut two months ago, my husband was diagnosed with severe pancreatitis. Weâve already spent 300,000 yuan, and we donât have a penny left. If I donât ask him for the money, my husband wonât survive.â
Hearing this, Lin Yi understood the situation.
Severe pancreatitis was a serious illness, and spending 300,000 yuan in two months wasnât unheard of.
Such treatment costs were beyond what most people could afford.
âDo you have your fatherâs will? Let me see it.â
âItâs at home, but I took a photo of it.â
Zhang Lixia took out her phone and showed Lin Yi the photo of the will.
Although it was just a photo, Lin Yi thought it could still serve as evidence.
A quick scan of the contents showed that it matched Zhang Lixiaâs story. The next step was to hear her brotherâs side.
âIs your brother upstairs? Letâs go talk to him,â Lin Yi said.
As Zhang Peng mentioned, in such matters, it was essential to hear both sides.
âHeâs there. We went to see him earlier, but he chased us out.â
âNow take us over there to have a look.â
Zhang Lixia led them to the door and rang the bell.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
About ten seconds later, the intercom was answered, and Lin Yi spoke.
âIâm Officer Lin Yi from the Xinshan precinct. Open the door; we need to discuss the situation with you.â
âAlright, wait a moment.â
The manâs tone was clearly impatient, but he had to comply with the police.
Soon, the door to the unit was opened, and Lin Yi and the others went up to the third floor.
There was only one apartment unit on the third floor, and the door was ajar.
Lin Yi walked up and opened the door.
Inside, there was a middle-aged couple, both looking to be in their early fifties. The woman was slightly younger, in her forties.
The man was Zhang Guoping, and the woman was Pang Lanjun, Zhang Lixiaâs brother and sister-in-law.
Seeing the four of them enter, Zhang Guoping and Pang Lanjun didnât look pleased as Zhang Guoping said.
âWe havenât come to you, and you brought the police here. What for?â
âDad left the house to me. Itâs clearly written in the will. Why are you occupying the house?â
âWhat do you mean, left it to you?â
Before Zhang Guoping could respond, Pang Lanjun spoke up.
âWeâre his son and daughter-in-law. How could Dad leave the house and money to you!â Pang Lanjun said.
âYou must have used some dirty trick to get him to sign the will. Now you want the house? Have some shame!â
âWhat do you mean, dirty trick?â Zhang Lixia argued.
âDad had a stroke two years ago, and I was the one taking care of him. Did you ever visit him or bring him fruit? Now you want to take the house? Whereâs your conscience?â
âWeâre talking about fairness. Parentsâ estate should go to the son. What does it have to do with you?â Pang Lanjun said.
âStop talking nonsense and hand over the money Dad left, or things will get ugly.â
âYou!â
Zhang Lixia trembled with anger, pointing at Zhang Guopingâs nose.
âYou havenât said a word. Did you fulfill your duties as a son when Dad was sick?â
Zhang Guoping waved his hand impatiently. âStop with the nonsense. Iâm the son, the estate should be mine. It doesnât matter who you bring.â
âAlright, stop arguing.â
Zhang Peng couldnât take it anymore and looked at Zhang Guoping.
âWeâre in a society ruled by law. Who told you that being the son means the estate is automatically yours?â
âThis has been the rule since ancient times, and itâs our family matter. It has nothing to do with you,â Zhang Guoping said rudely, pointing at Zhang Peng.
âStay out of it!â