The next day, Beisitian and Tian Zhi went to that apartnt building again.
It was already the early 1990s, and so places had started to construct six-story buildings. In so places, these types of new residences were for people with connections.
Many people in this community either worked in education, or in the dical field, or were military families; they were not ordinary people.
Jiang Mingzhong could buy a house here not because he used to be a Mystic Doctor, but because his daughter-in-law’s family had connections in the education bureau.
His daughter-in-law’s aunt worked in the education bureau, and Elder Jiang’s son was a teacher. If he wanted to move up, he needed connections.
Actually, based on Elder Jiang’s son’s character, he shouldn’t have been a teacher. He didn’t do well in school before, and he took the teacher’s certification exam many tis before passing. But back then, Elder Jiang had a high social status, and pulling so strings was easy. During that ti, Elder Jiang’s son completely depended on him and could stand tall in front of his wife.
Later, Elder Jiang decided to stop supporting them, which also impacted his daughter-in-law’s job. This made both of them very displeased, including making them displeased with Elder Jiang, which was the beginning of all disputes.
Because Elder Jiang could no longer support his son with his work, his son, disappointed, had to depend on his father-in-law’s family. Therefore, when his wife criticized and cursed Elder Jiang, he didn’t dare speak up, except when things got excessive. This only fueled her arrogance.
Beisitian didn’t want to get involved in others’ family affairs, so she and Tian Zhi waited outside for Elder Jiang to co out for his morning exercise. But as ti passed, Elder Jiang still did not appear.
"I heard from the elderly n that Elder Jiang cos out every morning, for one, because morning exercises are good for his health, and secondly, to avoid his daughter-in-law, and he only goes back after she’s left for work," Tian Zhi said.
Beisitian sighed. Living like this must be so stifling.
After waiting a bit longer, they still didn’t see anyone coming out. The two discussed waiting until tomorrow to co again since there might be sothing or he hadn’t gotten up yet.
Just as they were about to leave, they saw two elderly ladies coming down the corridor, looking back as they walked.
"Oh my God, they started fighting early in the morning."
"That Jin Lixia is too much. She’s afraid people won’t talk behind her back, isn’t she? Who does things like that!"
"Elder Jiang’s son is useless. From the sounds of it, his wife is almost cursing him out, yet there’s not a peep from him."
The two elderly ladies spoke with unpleasant expressions. They also had sons and daughters-in-law, so seeing soone their age suffer this treatnt from the younger generation, they felt a sense of shared distress. Anyone facing sothing like this would feel very desolate.
Raising a son to provide for old age, but instead raised an enemy!
The two elderly ladies walked away into the distance. Beisitian’s expression darkened slightly, and Tian Zhi was equally expressionless, waiting for his master to speak.
"Let’s go and take a look," Beisitian said.
Tian Zhi had been waiting for these words; upon hearing them, he imdiately stepped forward into the corridor.
He rembered that Elder Jiang’s ho was on the third floor, so when he reached the second floor, he heard noises. It sounded like a woman talking, speaking rapidly and showing very agitated emotions in her words.
"I really can’t live like this anymore... I’m the only one counted on every day. So many idle people at ho, can’t even get one to co out and work. When I return at night, I still have to be the one to cook..."
"I really don’t want to support idle people in my house. Don’t you even realize what our family’s situation is? You don’t know how much your son earns in a month? And how much I earn in a month? Together we barely make three hundred a month, and we still have to support the child, put him through school. But you, every day it’s either going for a walk or playing chess. You really can’t understand the cost of running a household until you try it yourself!"
Standing at the door, Beisitian and Tian Zhi could clearly hear a woman shouting inside. Her words were infuriating.
Tian Zhi could hardly imagine what expression soone like Elder Jiang must have while facing his daughter-in-law’s scolding and accusations. Each word was like a slap in the face for Elder Jiang, yet his son just listened on the side.
Tian Zhi’s expression was grim. He turned to glance at Beisitian and saw her expressionless face; he knew his master was also angry.
When his master was angry, soone was going to suffer. With this thought, Tian Zhi’s heart cald a bit.
The current security doors typically had an outer layer with half a screen door, and inside there was a wooden door. Beisitian knocked on the screen door, making a crisp sound.
Upon hearing the knock, the curses inside abruptly stopped. Soon after, the wooden door was flung open, revealing a face that was ugly even with makeup.
The woman’s hair was slightly disheveled, likely due to her overly emotional state. She saw Beisitian and frowned, looking her up and down. Seeing such a beautiful woman suddenly appear at the door made her wary.
"Who are you?"
The woman’s tone was aggressive. She was likely Jin Lixia, the daughter-in-law of Elder Jiang, as ntioned by the two elderly ladies.
Beisitian was slightly chilled by her vigilant deanor. Where did this "defensive of the mistress" attitude co from? Just as this thought arose in her mind, she saw a man co over behind Jin Lixia. He was about half a head taller than her, around 1.78 ters tall, with a dark complexion, glasses, thin lips, and small eyes. He was not only short but also slightly hunched, lacking any sense of presence.
Beisitian was speechless. Was such a man worth guarding against? Left outside at night, no one would even want him.
"We’ve co to see Elder Jiang," Beisitian said coolly, her voice dousing the flas in her heart.
Jin Lixia stared at Beisitian. "Who are you? What do you want from my father-in-law?"
"Is this Elder Jiang’s ho?" Beisitian asked.
"No, this is my ho," Jin Lixia replied imdiately.
Beisitian’s expression remained unchanged. "There’s a major expert consultation at the city hospital. If Elder Jiang is available, we hope he can provide so guidance."
Jin Lixia raised her eyebrows at the ntion of the city hospital, looking up and down at Beisitian. She laughed. "An expert consultation at the city hospital? Are you interning there? Don’t you know my father-in-law is retired? Who are you guys, pretending to be from the city hospital? You should at least show a work ID."
Tian Zhiduo glanced at this woman, thinking she wasn’t so easy to fool.
At this mont, Elder Jiang hurriedly ca over after hearing the noise, speaking to Beisitian through the security door, "You should go back."
His voice was filled with helplessness. He appreciated the kind intentions of Beisitian and Tian Zhi, but Jin Lixia was not soone who could be fooled with a few words. Moreover, even if she was fooled today, what about tomorrow?
How could the city hospital possibly invite him to a consultation?
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