Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

  Qiao Nan had taken all of the family’s money, left her elder sister to die, and had abandoned her parents. She would wait and see what kind of retribution a heartless thing like Qiao Nan would receive in the future. Anyway, if Qiao Nan dared to return, she would never let Qiao Nan step into the Qiao family’s house if she did not return ten times of what she took away and kneel down to apologize for her mistake.

  If Qiao Nan dared to return, she would break Qiao Nan’s leg. Then, she would see if Qiao Nan would still dare to run away in the future.

  Seeing how Ding Jiayi’s anger toward Qiao Nan had not dissipated even though she had been dissatisfied with the amount of money Qiao Zijin had given, Qiao Zijin sighed in relief. This proved that she was still more important than Qiao Nan in her mom’s heart. She was still her mom’s favorite daughter. That was good. “Mom, don’t mind me for being straightforward. I’m only saying this because I feel sorry for you and Dad.”

  “It hasn’t been easy on you raising me and Qiao Nan all these years. You’ve shed a lot of blood, sweat, and tears. Dad even left the military because you guys had Qiao Nan. Qiao Nan’s my sister and I care about her as well. If her departure hurt only me, I would never have said a thing. But her selfishness caused you and Dad to worry a lot, so I really can’t hold this in anymore.”

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  Ding Jiayi looked at Qiao Zijin. “What? Just say it? Do you have anything that you can’t tell me?” It seemed rather serious.

  Qiao Zijin said in the calmest tone possible, “It’s nothing much. You know that this courtyard is under Dad’s name, right?”

  “Yes.”

  “Because it’s under his name, if you and Dad are no longer here anymore, I’ll have to split this house equally with Qiao Nan according to the law. She’s filial to you, but she can’t get along with me. I’m willing to give her the entire courtyard, let alone half. If not for Qiao Nan, this courtyard would have been someone else’s. It’s just that she’s gone overboard this time. She should have been here to help out while I was ill. She made the two of you work so hard. I think that it’s unfair that you’ll have to give her half of your assets. I’m not saying this because of the money involved. Mom, I can promise you that I’ll donate half of what this house is worth to the Red Cross if the courtyard becomes mine. I’ll use the money to help the helpless who have a sense of righteousness and love.”

  Qiao Zijin’s words moved Ding Jiayi deeply and she sniffled. “Mom has always known that you’re the best child in the world. I don’t even want to talk about that fool, Qiao Nan. She was so heartless toward your dad and me, and she even left you to die. What right does an ingrate like that have to inherit anything of our family? I would rather throw everything we have into the river than let her have anything! She wants the house? She can dream on!”

  Holding her ‘good daughter’s’ hand, Ding Jiayi thought about it. “But what do you mean by donating your money? Do you not have to live? It doesn’t matter to your dad and me since we’re already so old. But that won’t do for you. You’re still young. You should find someone to take care of you. It’s better to have more money on hand just in case. This house has nothing to do with Qiao Nan. The house is your dad’s and mine. It’ll go to whomever we prefer. Qiao Nan won’t have a say in this. Don’t you dare donate your money. We’re not rich. Keep everything for yourself. Besides, you’ve already sold your big apartment. You’ll have to live in the courtyard in the future. Don’t sell it!”

  A family was only a family with a house. She knew how much the courtyard was worth, but the way she saw it, the courtyard was her home. It was not a temporary accommodation that they paid for. As such, Ding Jiayi had never equated the courtyard with that large sum of money.

  With her goal achieved, Qiao Zijin smiled. “Don’t worry, Mom. That was just a suggestion. I won’t sell the house. I grew up here and it’s full of memories of our family. I can’t bear to leave this place or sell it. But Mom, can you really give me this house without leaving anything to Qiao Nan?”

  To put it bluntly, this was only her mom’s idea. She was only listening to her mom’s wishes. She had no intention of discriminating against Qiao Nan. She would not be at fault if anything were to happen in the future. She was sisters with Qiao Nan, after all.

  “It doesn’t matter what she thinks. She took away all of our family’s money even while knowing that you needed it to save your life. I made my own calculations. She took with her almost four to five hundred thousand yuan! If she can’t repay me four to five hundred thousand for her mistake, I’ll never acknowledge her as my daughter. Is it that easy to steal from our family?”

  Ding Jiayi spoke with viciousness in her voice. At the mention of money, Qiao Zijin could always hear Ding Jiayi’s heart break. Qiao Zijin nodded in agreement. It was indeed a huge sum of money. If they had that four or five hundred thousand yuan, would she have needed to sell her house? It was all Qiao Nan’s fault.

  That big apartment had been sold for two million. If she wanted to purchase another house in the future, it would definitely have to be a bigger one than before. In that case, she would need at least four to five million yuan. If Qiao Nan could fork out that sum of money to make up for her loss, she would consider acknowledging Qiao Nan as her sister again.

  “Mom, what you said doesn’t count. I heard today that Qiao Nan will still be able to inherit half of this house if you and Dad pass away.” Qiao Zijin blinked forcefully. Damn! Her mother had almost caused her to forget the main topic. “We can’t just rely on what you say.” They had not even had a witness here today. If they were to go to court in the future, the court would never admit this as evidence. In the end, Qiao Nan would receive half of what was rightfully hers.

  “So, what should we do?” Ding Jiayi was stunned. “Zijin, do you already have a plan?” Ding Jiayi was no fool. Her elder daughter’s conversation was mainly about the courtyard. She could feel that her elder daughter was already scheming something. Otherwise, there was no need for her to harp on this matter.

  “Yes……” She should not have to say it so explicitly. Why was her mother so foolish? She had already made herself so clear. Did she have to state it so explicitly? Since she did not want to hand the house over to Qiao Nan, she could either hand it over to her now or get a lawyer to draft a will.

  But between the two solutions, Qiao Zijin very much preferred the former, which would directly make her the owner of the courtyard.