Zheng Shuqin was just good at ruining the atmosphere.

They had eaten like this in previous years, and the Mao family hadn’t added any new members, so why was the house suddenly too small this year?

It wasn’t that the house was small, but that people’s hearts had grown bigger and greedier.

Thinking they could take advantage, and when they couldn’t, they couldn’t accept it!

“What are you saying!”

Everyone in the room was silent, and Mao Guosheng couldn’t maintain his composure.

This was too foolish – why was the elders’ house small? Wasn’t it because they had exchanged houses with his family? Over this matter, the other brothers also had objections, but Zheng Shuqin had shamelessly said that she and Mao Guosheng lived nearby and could take care of the elders, which made the other Mao family members shut up.

Hearing Zheng Shuqin speak like this, Mao Guosheng’s second sister-in-law disagreed: “Shuqin, with New Year approaching, if you’re going to make everyone unhappy, then let’s clarify things today. How is this house small? Our father-in-law worked hard his whole life, and the Provincial Institute recognized his contributions by giving him a three-bedroom apartment before retirement… The elders living in a three-bedroom apartment seems quite spacious, don’t you think?”

Mao Kangshan’s eldest son had passed away early, and his second son worked in infrastructure construction and seemed to be spending another New Year away from home this year.

The second daughter-in-law usually couldn’t be bothered to argue with Zheng Shuqin. With her husband often away, she managed the household herself and couldn’t always take care of her in-laws. She had tolerated Zheng Shuqin’s calculating nature – but today she couldn’t hold back anymore. She had been helping with cooking since morning and heard neighbors gossiping about the Mao family, holding in her anger until now!

Complaining about the small house? Then give back the three-bedroom apartment that was allocated to the elders. Being sarcastic like this, did she think the whole family was afraid of her?

Zheng Shuqin slammed down her bowl:

“What I’m saying isn’t false! The old man cares more about an outsider than his son, and I can’t even say anything about it?”

The Mao family members all criticized Zheng Shuqin at once, but she was thick-skinned and unyielding, fixating on how Mao Kangshan had done too much for Xia Xiaolan.

“Enough, all of you be quiet! Guosheng, tell us what you think. Do you feel the same way?”

Mao Kangshan despised Mao Guosheng’s cowardly behavior. If he had complaints, he should speak up – he wasn’t an adopted child, what couldn’t he say to his parents? But Mao Guosheng just hid behind his wife – how was that manly at all!

Everyone in the room now looked at Mao Guosheng.

Mao Guosheng’s face turned red: “I… I agree to exchange the houses back.”

Zheng Shuqin screamed: “Exchange back? Where will the children live then? Life is impossible like this!”

Originally, Zheng Shuqin wanted to exchange houses back to please her in-laws, but now that Mao Guosheng was at Guangdong Provincial Construction, and his father wouldn’t help pull strings, why should she exchange houses back?

Zheng Shuqin argued incessantly, and Mao Guosheng lacked authority at home, unable to control his wife.

The Mao family members were speechless watching this, and Mao Kangshan was utterly disappointed.

The neighbors listening in didn’t understand either – had Master Mao made a mistake in taking on an apprentice? Before, the Mao family seemed to have fewer conflicts, but after taking on an apprentice, all the conflicts had intensified.

“Master Mao, your home is really lively, with children and grandchildren all around – what a blessing.”

At some point, Vice Director Zhong appeared at the doorway.

Zheng Shuqin and Mao Guosheng both fell silent. Director Zhong was a powerful leader at the Provincial Institute, and Mao Guosheng was only seconded to Guangdong Provincial Construction – his organizational relationship was still with Hangcheng Provincial Institute. Director Zhong had approved his secondment paperwork, so they naturally weren’t foolish enough to argue in front of him.

“Director Zhong…”

“Director Zhong, come in and have a bite.”

The Mao Guosheng couple ceased their hostilities, and the other Mao family members welcomed Director Zhong.

Although Director Zhong was from a younger generation, Mao Kangshan also stood up:

“Ah, family quarrel – we’ve made a spectacle for Director Zhong!”

But Director Zhong didn’t sit down, “I just heard something about housing issues outside. It’s my fault for being away on business for half a month and leaving in such a hurry without explaining things properly. The Provincial Institute was negligent in not considering that you and Madam Song are elderly and have difficulty walking, letting you live on the sixth floor. But you’ve taken on a good apprentice – the housing issue can be resolved!”

The Mao family members were confused by Director Zhong’s words.

Madam Song wondered if Director Zhong knew about Xiaolan giving them an apartment in Pengcheng.

But that wasn’t right – after returning to Hangcheng, neither she nor her husband had mentioned this to anyone. They hadn’t even decided how to handle the Jinshachi apartment. If they moved to Pengcheng, with all their children in Hangcheng and other relatives here, how could they just leave everything behind?

“Director Zhong means-“

Director Zhong pointed to the ground floor across the way.

“By rights, the Provincial Institute already allocated a three-bedroom apartment to Master Mao, and how you handle it is your freedom. But your apprentice was filial, reported your family’s situation to the Provincial Institute, and insisted on paying part of the difference to exchange your current sixth-floor two-bedroom apartment for a three-bedroom apartment on the ground floor… The exchange was completed in September, and she had it renovated, with four or five months of ventilation now. Wouldn’t it be perfect for you and Madam Song to move downstairs before the New Year?”

The Mao family was stunned.

Neither Mao Kangshan nor Madam Song had expected this.

Although Xia Xiaolan had mentioned the inconvenience of climbing to the sixth floor when she first visited, Mao Kangshan hadn’t expected her to go this far.

After all, Xia Xiaolan hoped they would eventually live long-term in Pengcheng and had left them an apartment in Jinshachi.

Now they realized that Xia Xiaolan had also considered their desire to return to Hangcheng and had arranged everything well here too.

“That’s our house? Renovated since September, with things being moved in constantly, but no one living there… that’s our house?”

Zheng Shuqin could hardly believe it.

Mao Guosheng’s second sister-in-law sneered: “Have some shame, that was prepared by the master’s apprentice for the elders, since when did it become your house?”

Zheng Shuqin argued strongly, “Second sister-in-law, am I not part of the Mao family?”

Mao Guosheng was already too embarrassed to show his face: “Shut up! If you keep making trouble, go be part of whatever family you want – the Mao family temple is too small for such a great Buddha as yourself!”

But Mao Kangshan had no interest in watching his youngest son and daughter-in-law’s drama. The food was cold anyway after all this commotion, so he simply asked Director Zhong: “I really didn’t know about that house, can we go see it now?”

Director Zhong had come to deliver the keys anyway, so he naturally agreed.

Madam Song followed behind, along with the other Mao family members and curious neighbors.

Mao Guosheng slipped away in shame, while Zheng Shuqin shamelessly followed at the very back.

The ground-floor apartment even had a newly installed security door.

When they turned on the lights after opening the door, the entire house was bright and clean, with newly installed large windows that improved the ground floor’s lighting problem, and carefully designed light strips… The neighbors who had followed the Mao family to watch couldn’t help but exclaim:

“This house looks high-end, done up like a luxury hotel.”

Exchanging houses for Mao Kangshan, renovating it, and even furnishing it – they could move in directly just bringing personal items. In the entire staff quarters, no one’s house had been done up so nicely – if an apprentice taken on halfway could do this much and still not be considered filial, then biological children could only die of shame by jumping in the river!