Reborn in the 90s, I traded my ex-husband for eight apartments.

Xia He arrived at the train station and, before even opening her shop, rushed over to tell Bai Zhenzhu that she had broken off her engagement.

His expression was one of unprecedented exhilaration:

“I had a serious talk with Xu Qinglin. I returned everything he gave me. He and his family wore my clothes, so I paid them back over a thousand yuan.”

"This broken engagement is finally off, and I no longer have to be disgusted by the Xu family."

After saying that, his face fell again:

"I've already packed my things. I'll buy a folding bed to sleep in at the shop later."

Xia He wasn't very angry when she said this, probably because she was used to it.

Some people's hearts can never be warmed or satisfied.

Youyou simply said:

“Ever since I started selling clothes, I’ve never been short of two outfits a year. People think it’s my duty to give her these clothes.”

“I live at home and I pay for my meals, but people still say I’m eating and using their food. If I’m going to eat, it’s my mom’s food. My mom is using her retirement pension to subsidize the family.”

Bai Zhenzhu knew Xia He was referring to her sister-in-law, so she couldn't comment and could only offer words of comfort:

"It's a good thing to leave someone you don't like; cheer up. If you're uncomfortable living at home, you can move out."

"But your shop is full of goods, so no one can live there. Come to my place. If you don't want to squeeze in with me and Shuo Shuo, you can sleep on the sofa upstairs. It's better than your shop."

Some shops in the market are used as residences, because they were originally planned with a dedicated living area. Some shops are quite large, and some, like restaurants, are two stories high.

The two streets where clothes are sold are all single-story houses, and even washing up is a problem for those living there.

Xia He didn't hold back either:

"You are like my own sister."

As soon as lunch was over, Xia He excitedly ran over, saying that someone was selling houses in the market and wanted to take Bai Zhenzhu with her to see them.

Bai Zhenzhu went with her.

The house is also behind the market, next to Shuoshuo Kindergarten and Xingfu Community.

It wasn't on the street, it was in an alley.

The house wasn't an apartment building; it was a small bungalow in a large courtyard.

There were six families living in the courtyard. When Bai Zhenzhu and Xia He entered, they saw two women washing clothes on the laundry table in the courtyard.

Upon seeing unfamiliar faces, one of the younger ones smiled and asked:

"You're here to look at houses?"

Xia He smiled and said, "Yes, sister, may I ask which company is selling their house?"

Another older woman shouted towards the east:

"Grandma Liu, someone is looking after the house."

Then an elderly woman with gray hair opened the door and came out with a smile on her face:

"I only announced the house for sale this morning, and I didn't expect people to come and see it so soon. Little girl, come in."

The eldest sister also addressed Bai Zhenzhu and Xia He:

“Go inside and take a look. Grandma Liu is all alone at home right now.”

Xia He thanked her and went inside with Bai Zhenzhu. She overheard the two older women saying:

"What a well-behaved little girl."

Although the house is a single-story building, the interior is quite nicely decorated, with white walls that make it bright and airy.

Grandma Liu is also a diligent person; she keeps the house spotless.

The house has two bedrooms and a living room. One bedroom has been divided into two small rooms. There is also a small open space behind the kitchen where some seasonal vegetables such as peppers and eggplants are planted.

The only downside is that there are no toilets; several families share one public toilet.

But the fact that they built a shower room outside the kitchen is actually quite nice.

Grandma Liu took the initiative to introduce her family's situation:

“My grandson is all grown up and it’s time for him to get married, but this house is too small and there’s not enough room for him to live in.”

The old lady's face was full of pride:

“My son bought an apartment building, it’s huge, with three bedrooms, and it’s already renovated.”

"It's expensive, and I also need to buy furniture. I'm out of money, so I have no choice but to sell this old house."

Xia He was quite interested. The house wasn't far from the market, and the people in the courtyard seemed like nice people.

"Grandma Liu, how much are you planning to sell it for?"

Grandma Liu paused for a moment:

"My son said he wants to sell it for 15,000."

Bai Zhenzhu asked, "Grandma Liu, do you have a property certificate for your house? What is the area stated on it?"

Xia He nodded in agreement. Yes, this is very important.

Grandma Liu: "I have a property certificate. This house was allocated to my son by his work unit. I can't remember the exact size of the property on the certificate. You'll have to ask my son."

Clearly, Grandma Liu couldn't make the decision.

Xia He asked Granny Liu when her son was home and arranged to come over that evening.

Xia He is an impatient person and wants to learn from Bai Zhenzhu so that she can complete the formalities in the morning and move in by evening, thus avoiding the trouble of Bai Zhenzhu.

Bai Zhenzhu said of her:

"You can't rush it. Even if you complete the formalities today, you can't move in tonight. The other person is still living there."

"Yes," Xia He said, deflated and embarrassed.

"I'll have to trouble you."

Bai Zhenzhu smiled and said:

"What's the trouble?"

Back at the market, Wen Fengqin was waiting for him at the entrance of Xiahe Clothing Store.

She felt a little embarrassed when she saw Bai Zhenzhu:

"Pearl, where have you all been?"

Bai Zhenzhu smiled and said:

"Aunt Wen, I've gone to look at houses with Sister Xiahe. You two keep chatting, I'm going back to the shop."

Xia He said as she opened the door:

"You can go back now. I'll go over with my mom tonight, and after we're done, I'll go straight to your restaurant."

Once inside the store, Wen Fengqin said in an annoyed tone:

"Aren't you usually quite fierce? You really bring this up after she said a few things to you?"

Xia He silently straightened her clothes.

"What else can we do? Just wait for her to divorce my brother?"

“I won’t take the blame for this, and I don’t want you to be caught in the middle and suffer.”

Wen Fengqin sighed:

"Why didn't you realize she was this kind of person back then? Your brother is a good-for-nothing too; he doesn't dare utter a single word when his wife speaks."

Xia He said in a muffled voice:

“She’s right. Xiaofeng is all grown up now, and he can’t sleep with you all the time. Don’t worry, I’ve found a house I like. Why don’t you come with me to see it tonight?”

She just couldn't understand why it had always been her room, the room she had slept in since she was a child.

Why has he become my nephew now?

She refused, and was accused of being an aunt fighting with her nephew for the family property.

But it seems like this is the case in every household: once a girl grows up and gets married, she seems to become an outsider.

It's rare to find someone like her who's still unmarried at 25.

She stopped arguing, since her mother still needed to live in that house.

Every time they argued, Wen Fengqin was the one who suffered the most.

Wen Fengqin took out a handkerchief from her pocket, opened it, and inside was a stack of money.

“Mom’s retirement pension isn’t high, and we haven’t saved much money since your dad passed away. Here’s two thousand, take it.”

Xia He's eyes immediately reddened:

"I have money, I don't need yours."

Her mother has to subsidize the family from time to time, so it's not easy for her to save any money.

Wen Fengqin stuffed the money into Xia He's hand:

"Just take it. Most of it was given to you by me as a gift. If I don't give it to you, who will?"

Xia He took the money, then used the excuse of going to the warehouse to sort the goods, while frantically wiping away tears.

Sometimes she gets angry that her mother doesn't speak up for her.

But she wanted to break off the engagement, to get rid of the "golden bachelor" everyone was talking about.

When her mother heard that Xu Qinglin was actually looking at other girls, she took her to break off the engagement without saying a word, no matter how much her sister-in-law tried to stop her.

That evening, Xia He rode her motorcycle to the restaurant.

In addition to a bag of clean clothes, he also brought a cured pork leg.

Bai Zhenzhu: "Why is there a pig's leg here too?"

Xia He: "My mom asked me to bring it."

He then turned to Bai Chenglei and said:

"Brother, could you please stew it later and make it an extra meal for everyone?"