The moment Gu Wan heard this, her heart sank. This was an outright threat!
Wang Cuilan knew very well that joining one’s husband in the military was subject to a time limit, and it was impossible to remain in the city indefinitely. Property-rights assessments, on the other hand, could drag on for years. And by the time the assessment was finally completed, there was a good chance the house would simply be confiscated.
“Who says there’s a problem with the property rights?”
A booming voice suddenly rang out.
The crowd automatically parted, revealing a tall, elderly man wearing an old military uniform that had been washed so many times that it had faded. His beard was streaked with gray, and his back was ramrod straight.
“Who is that?”
The onlookers whispered among themselves.
“You don’t even know him? He’s the famous old curmudgeon around here, Zheng Dehai. He joined the revolution before Liberation and was a war hero! Even the people at the neighborhood office treat him with the utmost respect.”
“That old man has always hated evil and stood up for what’s right. Wang Cuilan is going to have a hard time dealing with him this time…”
The moment Wang Cuilan saw Zheng Dehai, her face darkened.
“Old Zheng, what business is this of yours? Stop sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong.”
Zheng Dehai didn’t even look at her. He walked straight over to Gu Wan.
“Girl, are you really going to sell this house?”
Gu Wan hesitated before nodding.
“You want to sell this dump?” Wang Cuilan hurriedly cut in. “Just the property-rights dispute alone—”
“Fine. Five thousand yuan. I’ll take the house!”
Zheng Dehai’s words were like a resounding slap, forcing the rest of Wang Cuilan’s sentence right back down her throat.
The crowd erupted in an uproar.
Gu Wan couldn’t believe her ears either.
Real estate prices could naturally rise and fall, especially in this era when people’s purchasing power was limited. Gu Wan hadn’t expected to sell the house for its original price. If she could get three or four thousand yuan, she would have been satisfied.
She never expected Old Master Zheng to offer the full original price the moment he opened his mouth!
“Are you crazy?” Wang Cuilan shrieked. “This house is worth five thousand yuan? Only that dead old grandfather of hers would—”
“Slap!”
Zheng Dehai slapped a stack of banknotes onto the table beside the door.
“Five hundred yuan as the deposit. Tomorrow, we’ll complete the procedures at the housing bureau and I’ll pay the remaining amount in full.”
He turned around and stared at Wang Cuilan as though she were a mangy stray dog.
“Do you think I don’t know whether there’s anything wrong with this house? I was the one who vouched for it when it was originally purchased!”
“Wang Cuilan, you’re pulling this stunt because you saw that this young girl has no one left by her side and thought you could seize her house at a bargain price, aren’t you? Just like when you forced Old Li’s family to sell their house to you last year for only 200 yuan, then turned around and sold it for 1,200 yuan. Did you really think nobody knew?”
Wang Cuilan’s face instantly turned deathly pale.
The crowd grew even more agitated. Someone whispered, “No wonder she was so eager…”
“You’re slandering me!” Wang Cuilan jumped up, the veins on her neck bulging. “Zheng Dehai! What kind of relationship do you have with her? Why are you protecting this capitalist’s daughter so much?”
The accusation was vicious!
Gu Wan’s face turned pale. In this era, an accusation like that could cost someone their life.
She couldn’t drag this kind old man into trouble because of her.
Gu Wan was just about to speak when Zheng Dehai suddenly laughed.
He slowly reached inside his uniform and pulled out a red booklet—a disabled veteran’s certificate.
Then, with a sharp slap, he smacked it against Wang Cuilan’s face!
“When I was taking bullets on the battlefield, you were still stealing sweet potatoes from the production team!”
His voice thundered like a bell.
“I’ve decided to buy this house. If you don’t like it, go ahead and report me to the committee!”
Wang Cuilan was forced backward by his words and nearly tripped over the threshold.
“Fine! Very fine!”
Furious, Wang Cuilan pointed at Gu Wan.
“Just you wait!”
With that, she spun around and left, nearly knocking over an elderly woman who had been watching the commotion.
Seeing that there was nothing more to watch, the crowd gradually dispersed in twos and threes.
Before leaving, several elderly women secretly gave Gu Wan a thumbs-up. Wang Cuilan had been unpopular in the neighborhood for a long time.
Soon, only Gu Wan and Zheng Dehai remained by the doorway.
“Grandpa Zheng, you…” Gu Wan’s voice trembled.
She could simply leave, but now she had caused the old man to become enemies with Wang Cuilan. He would probably be harassed and given a hard time afterward.
Zheng Dehai waved his hand.
“I’ve wanted to teach that shrew a lesson for a long time!”
He lowered his voice.
“Back then, my wife was hospitalized and we didn’t have enough money for her surgery. Your grandfather generously helped us. I’ve never forgotten that kindness.”
Gu Wan’s eyes immediately reddened.
She had never expected that her grandfather’s simple act of kindness all those years ago would one day come back to protect her.
“But are you really going to sell the house?” Zheng Dehai frowned. “This was left to you by your grandfather…”
“I want to join my husband in the military.”
Gu Wan smiled bitterly.
“I can’t keep this house…”
Zheng Dehai nodded thoughtfully.
“All right. We’ll complete the paperwork tomorrow. I’ll buy it first. Once things settle down, I’ll return it to you.”
Gu Wan suddenly looked up, unable to believe her ears.
“How could we let those wolves, tigers, and jackals get their hands on something your grandfather left you?”
Zheng Dehai snorted.
“Wang Cuilan is probably smashing pots and pans at home right now!”
Sure enough, a loud clang came from next door, as though an enamel mug had been violently smashed onto the floor.
The two exchanged a glance and couldn’t help laughing.
After seeing Zheng Dehai off, Gu Wan waited until no one was around and put everything in the kitchen into her space. Before leaving, she locked the door with a piece of wire.
As she passed Wang Cuilan’s door, she glanced at it a couple of times.
She never would have imagined that there could be such a disgusting neighbor in this world, someone who would use such vicious methods to try to seize other people’s property.
The evil and greed in people’s hearts always arose alongside their desires.
Fortunately, she wouldn’t be living here anymore. If she had to remain neighbors with someone like that for a long time, she couldn’t imagine how unpleasant it would be.
Gu Wan left without looking back.
What she didn’t know was that because of this incident, her scumbag father was about to suffer a devastating blow.
Only after leaving the residential compound did Gu Wan remember to look at the property certificate.
She took the bag of documents out of her space and found the property ownership certificate. Her name was written on it. When her grandfather had purchased the house, he had registered it under her name.
He didn’t know whether he would be able to protect that little Western-style villa, and he also didn’t want her living there and attracting unwanted attention. So he had bought this small house near his workplace instead, hoping only that she would have a home where she could live a peaceful and stable life.
But beneath the overwhelming tide of the times, every speck of dust that fell upon an ordinary person became a mountain. No one had the power to resist or struggle against it. All they could do was adapt to the circumstances.
Perhaps choosing to leave the city and join her husband in the military was the best choice after all.
Gu Wan casually took out her certificate for joining her husband at his military post.
But the moment she looked at it, her expression changed drastically!