Chapter 53: Hey, Isn't That a Coincidence! (Two-in-One)
If the other party weren't a relative, Zhou Yi would really like to say: So what if I don't go to work!
Why do they always think that working is good, and why do they feel that we aren't happy if we don't work?
Oh right, here it should be called "toiling for a wage"!
Just kidding, let me ask everyone present: if it weren't for the pressures of life, who would genuinely enjoy toiling for a wage!
Staying at home playing games, scrolling through videos, reading novels, and when idle, finding a few friends to drink a little, chat about everything under the sun—living a free and easy life, isn't that good?
Must one go to work and take abuse from this leader or that leader to call it life?
Don't talk about those who have several houses at home and go to work; that's not going to work, that's enjoying life, because if they don't want to work, they can fire their boss at any time...
A certain Company's cleaning lady worried about the company going bankrupt and even took out her own money to help the company—that, now, is life...
Zhou Yi can believe that his cousin heard some things and knew he had resigned to do some freelance work, but didn't know he already had a house...
Moreover, among relatives, there is very little interaction, and you don't know which of the two types the other party belongs to: "they are very happy to see you doing poorly" or "they are very worried to see you doing poorly."
Don't find it strange; some relatives, especially those who started out just as poor as you, find it even more painful to see you doing well than to see their own enemies doing well.
The human heart is just that strange...
Therefore, Zhou Yi only smiled and said: "The previous Company had too much overtime, and freelance work is indeed unstable, but it's free, and mainly, I'm still young."
Zhou Yi didn't say anything about the house either; since he was small, his parents told him not to talk about how much money he earned in front of friends or relatives, because there was no need for it.
Whether your life is going well or not, you just need to know it in your heart.
Saying it out loud will make you happy for a short while, but there will be more trouble later on.
Therefore, Zhou Yi just dealt with it with a smile.
"Precisely because you're a young person, you need to suffer more; don't be afraid, this is all life experience. Look at me, I didn't even go to college and went straight out, struggling until now—look, didn't I buy a house just the same!"
The cousin had already started, and although he wasn't many years older than Zhou Yi, he had gone out into the world early.
But mentioning this, Zhou Yi already knew who this was; back in college, every time he came back for the holidays, this cousin would have to tell him these things.
People who didn't go to college now have very complex feelings about college students!
On one hand, they feel they are college students, but that's all; on the other hand, they look down on college students very much, thinking they don't understand anything, and once they come out, aren't they still being taught by someone like him who didn't even go to college?
Subsequently, a mentality arises: going to college is just like that; look at me, I didn't go to college, and I'm still his master...
Zhou Yi's cousin probably has this kind of mood, self-proclaimed to have "knocked about" in society two years longer than Zhou Yi, so he can certainly teach him.
Especially upon hearing that the other party currently has no job, he became even more spirited...
The two sides chatted "heatedly" like this, and Zhou Yi felt he couldn't take it anymore.
Fortunately, Zhou's mother came out of the kitchen at this moment and said very enthusiastically: "Eh, Xuecheng, you're here, chatting away."
The cousin heard this and hurriedly stood up, saying: "Aunt, it's nothing, just chatting with Xiao Yi about his resignation. Actually, you should also teach him; this job is still very important..."
Zhou's mother smiled and said very casually: "It's fine, Xiao Yi is an adult now and has his own considerations. Besides, this freelance work is also very profitable."
Pausing, Zhou's mother continued: "Xiao Yi has already bought a house in Jingzhou himself; your uncle and I didn't help with anything."
Well, Zhou Yi looked up at the sky; he hadn't intended to say it, but his mother had let the secret out.
But it didn't matter; parents' education is one thing, but you have to consider another point: every mother hopes her child is doing well.
So there are often many parents who show off their children; praising their children will make them happier than praising them directly.
Zhou Yi "bought a house with his own ability"—Zhou's mother wished she could let everyone around her know within a day that her child had bought a house just one year after graduating!
This is not contradictory at all.
The cousin was just lifting his teacup to drink tea, and at this, he froze instantly.
"Aunt, what did you say? Xiao Yi bought a house in Jingzhou?"
The main thing was that he had just been talking about how he had struggled for many years to finally buy a house, but one was in Lincheng and one was in Jingzhou—there was simply no comparison!
Jingzhou is the core of the entire Handong Province, while Lincheng is the poorest place in Handong Province...
"That's right, and he paid in full, too. Sigh, your uncle and I have struggled for a lifetime, not as good as Xiao Yi struggling for a year," Zhou's mother said with a smile and a sigh.
It looked like a sigh, but Zhou Yi couldn't help but want to look at the sky again; Mom, your head is practically tilted up to the sky!
"Ah, full payment, good, good indeed." The cousin smiled unnaturally on his face and continued: "Is freelance work so profitable now? Not bad."
"Alright, you two keep sitting, I'm going to cook."
Zhou's mother returned to the kitchen, leaving Zhou Yi and the others in the living room to have an even more awkward conversation.
The cousin kept drinking water to cover up his embarrassment, and Zhou Yi didn't know what to say either.
Just then, a phone call came in; Zhou Yi felt relieved and hurriedly got up to answer it.
Looking at the caller, it was actually Lawyer Fang.
"Hello Zhou Yi, that labor dispute case of yours is about to have its First Instance hearing. Now they want to start Mediation; what are your thoughts on that?" Lawyer Fang asked on the phone.
A labor dispute case... Zhou Yi was stunned for a moment upon hearing this; it had been such a long time that he had almost forgotten he even had such a case.
Of course, it might be because no money had been paid out yet... who knows.
And this was only just reaching the First Instance; after the First Instance comes the Appeal, which is the Second Instance, and after the Second Instance, Compulsory Execution is another headache. It could even be said that for some lawsuits, once the final judgment is handed down, the Long March has only just taken its first step...
This experience is probably only understood by those who have fought a lawsuit to the stage of Compulsory Execution.
It's really not like you can just apply for a freeze beforehand, and then once you win the judgment, you can execute the other person's money from their account in a minute...
If it were really that easy, then the problem of "difficulty in execution" wouldn't exist.
"I won't go to the Mediation or the First Instance, is that okay? You just tell them: either pay the money according to our demands, or we continue the lawsuit. That's my requirement," Zhou Yi replied.
"That's fine."
After chatting a few more words with Lawyer Fang, he hung up the phone and was just preparing to think about how to awkwardly chat with his cousin when he suddenly heard a child crying.
Zhou Yi ran over quickly and saw his cousin's brat wailing loudly next to the piano.
"What's this? What's wrong? What happened to Xuanxuan?" Zhou's mother also ran out from the kitchen, her face full of nervousness: "Did he bump his head? Or smash his hand?"
The cousin and his wife were already busy coaxing the child, and Zhou Yi stepped forward to look at the piano, instantly stunned.
Because there were some water stains on the piano at this moment, and smelling it, the scent was a bit familiar; it seemed to be some kind of milk-based beverage!
Did someone pour a beverage into the piano?
It was impossible for the adults in this room to be that bored, so it must have been the little brat who had been running wild.
After hesitating for a moment, Zhou Yi still spoke up.
"Cousin, look at this... it seems like Xuanxuan poured a beverage into the piano!"
The cousin-in-law, who was busy coaxing the child, got up and walked over upon hearing this, took a look, and said, "That can't be right. Xuanxuan is usually very well-behaved; how could he possibly pour a beverage into the piano..."
Just as she finished speaking, the little brat over there cried even louder. The cousin-in-law hurried over to pick up the child and comforted him, saying, "It's okay, Xuanxuan, it's okay, Mommy is here."
A trace of helplessness appeared on Zhou Yi's face: "Cousin-in-law, Xuanxuan was the only one playing here just now while I was on the phone. Someone must have poured the liquid; these things couldn't have just appeared out of thin air."
It was truly difficult to speak since they were relatives; otherwise, Zhou Yi really wanted to ask this cousin-in-law: if it wasn't the child, was it the two of you adults?
Although Zhou Yi had tried his best to phrase it as gently as possible, it was obvious that the cousin-in-law was displeased.
"Xiao Yi, you're wronging people by saying that. Where would Xuanxuan find a beverage? It might have been there before, right? Why does it have to be my Xuanxuan who did it?"
Her tone was a bit harsh, and the cousin beside her hurriedly tugged at her, only to be shaken off.
"Don't pull me! Xuanxuan is so well-behaved, and you're just going to watch him get wronged!"
Zhou Yi felt a bit helpless upon hearing this and said, "Cousin-in-law, come over and take a look. This beverage was clearly poured on just now. It hasn't been long; if it had been there for a while, it would definitely look different from how it does now."
"This piano is my mother's most cherished possession; it was only recently repaired by my father after much effort..."
The cousin and his wife came over to take a look, and it was indeed as Zhou Yi had said; those beverage stains clearly looked like they had been poured on only a short while ago.
"Also, Cousin, look in Xuanxuan's pants pocket. That's a small bottle of yogurt drink, right?"
The cousin checked upon hearing this, and sure enough, a small bottle of yogurt drink was right in his son's pants pocket.
Zhou Yi shook his head. This cousin-in-law had just been holding that little brat; how could she not have seen this thing? Yet she was actually still arguing with him here.
Now that the evidence was laid out before them, the cousin could only say, "Aunt, it should be fine that milk was poured into the piano, right? I don't think there's much of it."
Although Zhou Yi's mother felt pained, they were relatives after all, so she could only say, "It's nothing major. We'll just have the inside cleaned after this."
"That's good, that's good. Since that's the case, Aunt, and Xiao Yi, we'll be heading back now."
The piano wasn't his, so Zhou Yi hadn't intended to say anything more, but hearing this, he couldn't help himself.
He didn't know if the system had influenced his personality, or perhaps it was because he saw that the little brat had suddenly stopped crying the moment he was picked up and was even making faces.
Therefore, Zhou Yi said directly, "Cousin, wait a moment. The cleaning and such is fine, but Xuanxuan did something wrong here; at the very least, he needs to apologize."
As he spoke, Zhou Yi looked at the little brat and said, "Xuanxuan, did you hear that? Apologize to your Great Aunt. You broke her piano, do you know that?"
Just an apology—Zhou Yi felt this wasn't much. After all, children must be educated properly; they are like a blank sheet of paper, and if they are to have correct values in the future, they must at least be made to understand when they are wrong.
Instead of making faces after clearly doing something bad!
However, the little brat didn't say a word; he looked at Zhou Yi and suddenly started crying loudly again.
The child was crying, so the cousin and his wife hurriedly started coaxing him again. The cousin said, "Xiao Yi, look, why don't we let it go? Xuanxuan is scared right now."
Scared? Looking at the little brat who had been wailing for a long time but didn't have a single tear, this was called being scared?
"Cousin, you can't spoil the child. If he makes a mistake, he must be educated, otherwise, in the future..."
As soon as these words came out, the cousin-in-law became unhappy: "It's not that I'm complaining, Xiao Yi, but is it necessary? How old is Xuanxuan? He's still just a child. Can't we talk about the future later?"
"Besides, Xuanxuan is usually very well-behaved. He just made a mistake today; why do you have to make such a big deal out of it!"
"Alright Xuanxuan, stop crying. Ah, it's fine, it's just a bit of liquid spilled..."
Zhou Yi let out a soft breath again; he felt his blood pressure rising!
Never mind the little brat, the cousin-in-law's attitude gave him a faint sense of seeing a young Xu Dama!
Therefore, he couldn't hold back anymore and said, "Cousin-in-law, how am I making a big deal out of it? This piano is my mother's most cherished possession, and it was only repaired by my father after much effort!"
"Now, taking it out to be cleaned costs a significant amount of money. I haven't even said anything about that; is there a problem with asking Xuanxuan to apologize and recognize his mistake?"
"Look, aren't you just trying to say you want money? And you're talking about making Xuanxuan apologize..."
Zhou Yi: "..." I'll hold it in. These are relatives, I'll hold it in...
"Enough, shut up!" The cousin shouted at his wife, then looked at Zhou Yi's mother and said, "Aunt, I'm really sorry about this..."
Zhou Yi's mother waved her hand: "It's fine, it's fine. Xiao Yi, don't say anything more either; we're all relatives."
After speaking, the cousin and his wife left with the child. Zhou Yi stepped forward and said, "Mom, they..."
"What else can be done? He calls me Aunt; can you argue with him, and can I, as an elder, argue with him? Forget it, don't cause trouble. You go find someone to clean it this afternoon."
Zhou Yi nodded. There was nothing he could do about such matters; it really wasn't worth falling out over this.
After eating, Zhou Yi directly found someone to move the piano onto a vehicle and headed all the way to the musical instrument street in Lincheng.
This street specialized in selling musical instruments, and a friend Zhou Yi knew had a shop here.
This person also happened to be quite skilled at repairing instruments.
After parking the car and unloading the piano, the friend, who had already been called, walked out. Seeing Zhou Yi, he smiled and said, "You're here. Come on, let's go inside first."
Zhou Yi nodded and was just about to call for people to lift the piano inside when he suddenly heard bursts of arguing coming from ahead.
"What's going on over there? Why are they arguing?" Zhou Yi asked curiously.
"Over there? Sigh, a family brought their child here to look around this afternoon. As it turns out, the kid snuck into the display area when no one was paying attention and poured a bottle of cola into a piano in that display. That piano is a collector's grade instrument worth over a million!"
What? Zhou Yi felt this matter sounded a bit familiar. He let his friend get back to work, stepped forward to take a look, and hey, what a coincidence—isn't this the cousin's family!
…………
Jingzhou City, Zhou Yi's former Company.
Director Wang looked at the legal department in front of him and said, "The First Instance is about to start, right? Send a Lawyer's Letter to Zhou Yi. Tell him that if he doesn't withdraw the Lawsuit, we will sue him. Because of his own reasons while working previously, he caused losses to the Company!"
Watching the legal department leave, Director Wang's expression finally improved slightly. Zhou Yi leaving really didn't mean much to him, but Director Wang just felt annoyed!
The fact that the other party dared to take the path of Arbitration and a Lawsuit was, in his view, a provocation!
Today's update is here, a two-in-one big chapter. Thanks to Molie, Book Friend 2018, Zhaimowang, Qing Yuni, Alex, Kuailai Maige Mengba, Yu Min, Qian Ruoxiyue, Kankan H Shu Ye Hao, Qingtian, Ruoneng Chujian, sukl, Puwuzhe, Liushi De Shengming Teng, Qing Jiao Wo Liang Hongyu. Thank you to these brothers for their tips. Also, the group number has been posted in the latest chapter; if you all want to join, you can come in to chat.
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