CHAPTER 577: CHAPTER 577: ENDING 3

Her children discovered that the property deed they were holding was essentially worthless.

In Hexing Village, the homestead land wasn’t something you could just decide to sell on a whim.

Moreover, Hexing Village wasn’t the Imperial Capital or any other major city.

Even though they had made money from Hexing Rice, the surrounding area was still underdeveloped.

The land and housing prices there simply couldn’t rise.

That’s why the villagers, after earning money, were able to build villas with such vigor.

Because they earned a lot and spent little.

For the villagers of Hexing Village, this was a good thing, but for those like them who lived in the city and never returned to Hexing Village, it was of no benefit at all.

They wouldn’t move back to Hexing Village.

The houses in the village couldn’t be sold and weren’t worth much.

For them, holding onto the property was utterly useless.

After a phone conversation, Grandma Xu’s son and daughter finally understood.

They had thought the house was going to be demolished and replaced with a building.

They assumed the government would offer them a hefty compensation.

So, disregarding the bond of parent and child, they had a fallout with Grandma Xu and drove her away.

But now, they realized that nothing had changed.

Those who had stayed in Hexing Village had actually become wealthy.

The Hexing Rice produced there was the core and most famous brand, fetching the highest prices.

Naturally, it earned the most.

With the rising market demand for Hexing Rice, even the rice produced by the neighboring villages, categorized as B-grade Hexing Rice, brought prosperity due to its sheer volume and affordability despite lower prices.

Because the difference wasn’t substantial and the villagers around also depended on Hexing Rice to make money, a slight difference didn’t matter.

After all, their current lifestyle was countless times better than before.

Even Grandma Xu’s children regretted making her leave Hexing Village.

If Grandma Xu had stayed, continuing to farm in Hexing Village.

Even if her age meant she couldn’t farm much, just hiring some help as she did before could have made her quite a bit of money.

They wouldn’t have to be as impoverished as they were now, constantly worrying about money.

Grandma Xu’s house in Hexing Village had already been converted into a small villa; did they really need to live so stifled?

When Grandma Xu’s children, Zhang Jialiang and Zhang Jiayu, discussed this matter over the phone, the more they talked, the more regretful and angry they became.

They even ended up blaming Grandma Xu.

"How could Mom be so stubborn? Did she really have to leave Hexing Village?" Zhang Jialiang complained, "Couldn’t she just see who in the village had a spare house and rent it?"

"Exactly. I heard that the Lu Family had a vacant house, and Lu Youxi had a good relationship with her, right? Always so respectful, calling her ’Grandma’ this and ’Grandma’ that. Couldn’t she just stay in the Lu Family’s place? With such a good relationship, they could even charge her less rent. They’d be embarrassed to take her money." said Zhang Jiayu.

"Yeah, isn’t that cheaper than renting elsewhere? And yet it’s made to look as if we drove her away, making it difficult for us to return to Hexing Village these past years," Zhang Jialiang pushed all the blame onto Grandma Xu.

But he didn’t mention what they would even do in Hexing Village now that Grandma Xu was no longer there.

"I don’t even know where Mom is now," said Zhang Jiayu, frowning.

"She doesn’t have much money and can’t have gone far, probably somewhere nearby. Like in Hetai Town," guessed Zhang Jialiang.

"Do you think she might have gone with Lu Youxi to the Imperial Capital?" Zhang Jiayu asked.

"Impossible," Zhang Jialiang asserted definitively. "If Lu Youxi wouldn’t even let Mom stay in that house in Hexing Village, how could she possibly take her to the Imperial Capital?"

"What kind of place is the Imperial Capital? We already struggle living in an ordinary city; how could Lu Youxi possibly have the heart to take our mom there?" Zhang Jialiang was skeptical.

"But she’s rich now, isn’t she? Her business has grown so much," Zhang Jiayu said.

"She is rich now, but she was penniless back then. When she had no money, how could she bring Mom over?" Zhang Jialiang said.

Thinking it over, Zhang Jiayu found Zhang Jialiang’s point made sense and replied, "So how do we find her? Even if she’s in Tai Town, it wouldn’t be easy to find. And it might not even be in Tai Town, it’s just our guess right now."

"Let’s go to Hexing Village," Zhang Jialiang suggested. "There will definitely be someone in Hexing Village who knows where Mom went."

And so, under these circumstances, Zhang Jialiang and Zhang Jiayu returned to Hexing Village.

By that time, the village chief had already retired and no longer held the position of village chief in Hexing Village.

The village chief’s family had also moved to the Imperial Capital to settle permanently.

Just like Lu Youxi, during the New Year, they would return to Hexing Village to gather with Aunt Lin and Aunt Liu, with whom they had good relations.

After all, their roots were in Hexing Village, which they could not completely abandon.

Additionally, since the village chief was responsible for Hexing Rice, he needed to return periodically to check on it.

Zhang Jialiang and Zhang Jiayu arrived at Hexing Village, but by then, Aunt Lin and Aunt Liu had already received instructions from Grandma Xu not to tell them anything about her situation.

When asked, they would claim to know nothing.

Aunt Lin quickly instructed everyone in the village accordingly.

As for the neighbouring villages, they genuinely did not know where Grandma Xu had gone.

Thus, by the time Zhang Jialiang and Zhang Jiayu arrived at Hexing Village, they naturally couldn’t find out anything.

In the mouths of the people of Hexing Village, Grandma Xu seemed to have vanished.

In the past, seeing Grandma Xu living a good life with Lu Youxi while they were still poor might have sparked envy that could have led someone to speak.

But now, things were different; everyone was prospering with Lu Youxi.

And considering how outrageously Zhang Jialiang and Zhang Jiayu had acted back then,

Now, it was they who were destitute.

Instead, some took pleasure in watching their plight and were even less likely to inform the siblings about Grandma Xu’s situation.

Although Zhang Jialiang and Zhang Jiayu didn’t believe it, after staying there for a few days, they really couldn’t find out anything.

They even reluctantly visited the surrounding villages.

But the surrounding villages truly didn’t know.

Grandma Xu was elderly and lived alone in Hexing Village; at most, she went to Tai Town.

She did not interact with people from the surrounding villages.

So, Zhang Jialiang and Zhang Jiayu left the way they came, completely unaware of Grandma Xu’s current wealth in the Imperial Capital.

*

Today was Lu Youxi and Zhou Shuyan’s anniversary.

Speaking of anniversaries, they indeed had quite a few.

Lu Youxi himself didn’t remember them very clearly, but Zhou Shuyan remembered them very well.

Including the day Lu Youxi found Zhou Shuyan by the roadside.

The day they registered their marriage.

The day they officially got together and decided never to divorce.

And the day they officially became husband and wife.

All were anniversaries.

It was fortunate that Zhou Shuyan could remember them so clearly, as Lu Youxi couldn’t keep track of those dazzling days.

And today was precisely the anniversary of the day Lu Youxi found Zhou Shuyan by the roadside.