latelenovela Chapter 303 is insurmountable.
Chapter 303 is insurmountable.
Chapter 303 Unable to Pass
Zhuang Xiaoting then turned to Li Jia, "Jia-jie, haven't you met anyone suitable either?"
Li Jia smiled slightly, "It doesn't necessarily have to be marriage. Many of my classmates who went abroad said that many people abroad follow the theory of not getting married, and being free is quite nice."
Zhuang Xiaoting laughed, "Sister Jia is really... fashionable!"
Li Jia glanced at Wu Shanshan with a half-smile, "These are just personal choices. How can you not live your whole life together?"
Taking advantage of Zhuang Xiaoting's inattention, Wu Shanshan rolled her eyes at Li Jia.
After the celebratory dinner ended, Zhuang Xiaoting asked Lin Dongzhe to drive the two of them home. This time, she drove Wu Shanshan first, since she lived closer.
When only Li Jia was left in the car, Lin Dongzhe asked her, "Something on your mind today?"
Li Jia was surprised that Lin Dongzhe was so observant; he noticed even though she hadn't shown anything.
"It's nothing, just about money."
Grandpa Li Jia's house is going to be demolished. The city plans to build a new residential area in Pudong to resettle the original residents, and then demolish the old houses and alleyways to create a new Shanghai.
The current compensation model is based on the number of people listed on the household registration book.
Li Jia's younger brother, Li Wen, had registered his household in Shanghai, and his household registration was under Li Jia's grandfather's name. Therefore, Li Wen would naturally receive a share of the compensation.
At the time, Li Jia signed a guarantee stating that her family would absolutely not fight for the house, and in exchange for this, she obtained Li Wen's residency.
There were advantages to Li Wen settling in Shanghai. His academic performance was average, and it was only because of Shanghai's advantages that he barely managed to get into a junior college. Although it was a junior college, it wasn't a good one; he almost could have applied to a teacher's college. Li Jia ultimately helped Li Wen choose a chemical engineering major.
Now they're going to have another argument over the house.
Li Jia didn't want her second uncle's family to continue taking advantage of her father. Decades ago, her father sacrificed himself to go to Northeast China for the sake of his family. Instead of being grateful, her second uncle's family bullied her father.
Now they want Li Wen to give up his rights and want to continue bullying him.
Li Jia felt she couldn't swallow this insult.
Lin Dongzhe summarized for her, "So, you want to get the house back for Li Wen, or have your second uncle give you some compensation, right?"
Li Jia nodded, "That's right, I just can't stand my second uncle's family, they've gone too far!"
"In other words, you just want your second uncle's family to be punished, not that you really care about those few taels of silver."
This time, Li Jia thought for a while and said, "It's impossible for me to say that I don't care at all, but if I have to choose between the two, I can do without compensation, as long as my second uncle doesn't get any advantage."
Originally, Li Jia planned to take the compensation and then consider a bank loan to buy a house for her younger brother. However, after the incident at her second uncle's house, Li Jia felt that the matter was becoming more complicated.
It's not that the struggle for compensation is difficult, but rather that Li Wen's cowardice makes it seem difficult.
Li Wen always hid behind Li Jia, refusing to stand up for her sister and even advising Li Jia to give up and not ruin their family relationship for a little money.
Li Jia didn't want to say anything to her younger brother anymore. If there was any family affection left, would Li Jia have needed to block her second uncle's door and argue?
I can't ignore my brother's situation. My father called and only said one thing: "You signed the guarantee back then, now you go and get the house back from Li Wen!"
Li Jia refocused her gaze and found that the car had arrived outside her dormitory, and Lin Dongzhe was smiling at her.
“I support avenging my father, but since we’ve signed the guarantee, we don’t need the money. So, I think the best course of action is to just give up our housing allocation!”
Li Jia wasn't surprised. She knew that it was unreasonable to go back on one's word when it came to something one had promised. Even if one tried to justify it with numbers or area, Li Jia still couldn't get past her own conscience.
"I know, I'll take Li Wen to the housing management bureau tomorrow!" Li Jia said listlessly, feeling that things were too difficult for her.
Lin Dongzhe took Li Jia's hand and said, "It's just a house, it's not a big deal, you don't need to take it so seriously."
Li Jia was both delighted and worried.
To her delight, she understood what Lin Dongzhe meant; this man was seducing her.
His concern was that Lin Dongzhe might see him as that kind of person!
Although I do have that kind of feeling, I don't want to be seen that way by Lin Dongzhe!
“But…” Li Jia lowered her head, “I… what… are you planning to do?”
Lin Dongzhe succinctly stated, "Just like Shanshan."
Li Jia knew about Wu Shanshan and Lin Dongzhe's relationship, and also about Lin Dongzhe's promise to Wu Shanshan. Wu Shanshan was really daring; Lin Dongzhe was only in high school when he made that promise, right? Li Jia was quite impressed!
Lin Dongzhe's favorite character is Voldemort; they would sacrifice themselves for their brother.
Zhuang Xiaoting saw the car return to the dormitory building and nodded in satisfaction. It was good that Lin Dongzhe hadn't stayed out overnight.
The next day, Li Wen was caught by Li Jia at the factory and taken to the housing management bureau, where he directly gave up the demolition compensation for his house.
Li Jia's second uncle only found out later, and he called Li Jia and they argued. "I can't believe you're so heartless! You'd rather not give compensation than give it to your second uncle?"
Li Jia said calmly, "Second Uncle, you forced me to do this! When you were arguing with me, you also said that Li Wen lives in the dormitory and is not considered a permanent resident. Second Aunt said she would report Li Wen to the housing management bureau and cancel his housing allocation qualification! Isn't this exactly what you wanted?"
Li Jia's second uncle: "Wasn't it because we were angry? But actually, we're still family!"
Li Jia didn't want to argue with him anymore. "I'm very busy. Goodbye, Second Uncle!"
With a snap, the phone rang and the call ended. Li Jia leaned against the wall and let out a soft sigh. This family bond, just like that, vanished!
Not long after, Li Jia's father called, "You canceled Li Wen's housing allocation? Who gave you permission to do that? Do you know what you're doing? That was Li Wen's only chance to stay in Shanghai!"
Having a household registration but no house means, in Li Jia's father's eyes, she hasn't truly stayed in Shanghai.
Throughout the entire process, Li Jia never heard her father mention her, only Li Wen. However, Li Jia was already used to it. She knew that it wasn't easy for her father to raise her, and that his obsession was that only Li Wen could settle down in Shanghai.
"Dad, I'll buy Li Wen a house by next year at the latest! A house in Shanghai that belongs to him!"
Upon hearing this, Li Jia's father suddenly fell silent. "What did you say?"
Li Jia repeated it again.
Li Jia's father: "Where did you get the money? Jiajia, we can give up the house, but don't do anything foolish!"
Li Jia smiled, "Don't worry, I won't steal or rob!"