Chapter 4: A Villa? Even Dogs Wouldn't Live There!

It was already past one in the afternoon when Jiang Yubai finally arrived home.

As soon as he walked through the door, the empty house was so quiet that he could hear his own breathing. Clutching his grumbling stomach, he instinctively raised his voice and called out, "Mom? Mom—"

When no response came, Jiang Yubai clicked his tongue. Resigning himself to his fate, he slipped into the kitchen to scavenge for something to temporarily fill his stomach. He pulled open the refrigerator door and sighed at the meager contents left inside: two eggs, half a wilted green onion, and a jar of Lao Gan Ma chili sauce.

Glancing at the half-pot of leftover rice from yesterday sitting in the corner, he finally rolled up his sleeves in resignation. "Fine, this will have to do," he muttered.

He heated some oil in a wok, beat the eggs, chopped the green onion, and dumped in the cold rice, struggling a bit to mix it all together. Looking at the mushy clumps of rice and overcooked eggs in the wok, Jiang Yubai clumsily scooped a large spoonful of Lao Gan Ma and tossed it in. Drops of oil SIZZLED AND POPPED, splashing outward and scaring him into jumping half a step back.

The final product he plated was unevenly colored—dark in some patches and light in others—with charred bits of green onion mixed among the grains of rice. It looked... barely edible.

"As long as there's something to eat... as long as there's something to eat..." Jiang Yubai hypnotized himself with these words as he carried the pathetic-looking bowl of egg fried rice out of the kitchen.

Some things Lin Jianxia had assumed weren't entirely wrong. Jiang Yubai was, in fact, a bona fide "demolition heir."

Back when the city underwent urban redevelopment, his family's exceptionally well-located ancestral homes were swept up in the demolition policies. After receiving a substantial relocation payout, his mother—who possessed quite a talent for investment—seized the opportunity. Before housing prices skyrocketed, she acted decisively, gradually purchasing several residential properties and commercial storefronts to rent out.

Coupled with a few scattered investments over the years, the family might not have been ultra-wealthy, but they certainly never had to worry about food or clothing. As a result, his father quit his job as a company driver and happily spent his days fishing with old friends. His mother, meanwhile, transformed into a somewhat famous landlady in the district.

After sitting down at the dining table, Jiang Yubai didn't immediately pick up his chopsticks. Instead, he pulled out his phone, found the contact saved as "Empress Dowager," and dialed the number.

"Hello? Son?"

The call connected quickly, and his mother's exceptionally loud and cheerful voice rang out. Mixed into the background were the WHOOSH of the wind and faint sounds of chatting and laughing. It sounded quite lively on her end.

Jiang Yubai reflexively pulled the phone away from his ear before speaking. "Hey, Mom. I went and collected the rent over at Jinxiu New Village."

"Oh, as expected of my son! You get things done so efficiently. Very impressive!"

Jiang Yubai's mouth twitched slightly in mild helplessness. He thought to himself that it was just picking up some money; there was nothing impressive about it. "By the way, one household couldn't pay right away. I told them they could hand it over next Saturday."

His mother sounded very casual. In the background, there was the faint voice of what seemed to be a tour guide giving an explanation. "Mhm, mhm, just handle it however you see fit. By the way, that family didn't give you a hard time, did they?"

"Give me a hard time?" Jiang Yubai paused in surprise. "Why would they give me a hard time?"

His mother drawled lazily, "You don't know this, but some tenants who are tight on money and can't pay their rent don't feel in the wrong at all. Instead, they turn around and blame us for charging too much and being unreasonable. It's not uncommon for them to hurl insults. You're young and thin-skinned; I was worried you'd be taken advantage of."

For some reason, Lin Jianxia's eyes—forcing a facade of calm—and the image of Lin Tingwan quietly writing flashed through Jiang Yubai's mind.

If anyone was giving someone a hard time... he felt like he was the one making things difficult for them. He guessed that the older twin sister was probably holed up at home right now, silently fuming while counting her money, and perhaps even cursing him out in front of her younger sister.

The corners of his lips quirked upward involuntarily before he replied, "No, they were quite reasonable."

"That's good. Oh, right, son. Next weekend, remember to make some time to collect the rent for those storefronts next to Third High School. The ledger is in my study."

"Next week?" Jiang Yubai's voice unconsciously rose an octave. "Wait, where are you?!"

There was an obvious pause on the other end of the line before his mother let out a slightly awkward laugh. "Well... son, a few of your aunties and I made last-minute plans to go to the seaside for a few days to relax. So, I'm leaving the house in your care for now.

"As for the rent, you can just keep it as your allowance. How about it? Your mom treats you well, right?"

Hearing this, Jiang Yubai almost laughed out of sheer exasperation. "Dad said he was going ice fishing up north last week and bolted at lightning speed. Fine, I let that go, but now you're ditching me without a word too?

"And 'leaving the house in my care'... Is it possible that I'm the one who needs caring for?!"

"Why do you need caring for?" his mother retorted lazily. "The school cafeteria feeds you during the day, and you can just order some takeout when you get home at night. Problem solved."

It would have been fine if she hadn't brought that up, but the moment she did, Jiang Yubai's temper flared up with a WHOOSH.

"Let! Me! Tell! You! Why did you two insist on buying this suburban villa in the first place? The location is absurdly remote—it's in the middle of nowhere!

"Order takeout?! Within a ten-kilometer radius, the only places that deliver are either those overpriced, terrible-tasting private kitchens or a convenience store selling stale sandwiches! I had to scrape together this plate of egg fried rice using the very last of our fridge's inventory!

"The maid you hired only cleans the house, so I still end up having to cook for myself!"

The other end of the line fell silent for a moment before his mother spoke up in a faint, eerie tone. "I know. Why else do you think your dad and I run off to travel every day? Isn't it just so we can eat some decent food?"

"?" Jiang Yubai was left utterly speechless.

"Alright, alright, we were tricked by the real estate agent," his mother's voice immediately softened, carrying a coaxing tone. "They kept going on about the beautiful mountains and clear waters. Who knew it would turn out to be such an isolated spot?"

She paused, then quickly tried to make amends. "Oh, right! Didn't you say you wanted to find a place to move out and live on your own?

"Just go take a look around. If you find a suitable place, tell me, and I'll reimburse your rent. I promise I won't let you suffer. Deal?"

Jiang Yubai finally felt a little better. "That's more like it."

"Great, just remember to collect the rent for the Third High School storefronts next week." His mother's voice turned brisk and cheerful again. "My seafood feast is fully grilled over here, so I won't talk your ear off. Hanging up now!"

Jiang Yubai had no words.

Listening to the BEEP, BEEP, BEEP of the dial tone, he stared at the disastrous bowl of egg fried rice on his table, unable to speak for a long time.

To be honest, if there were even a single decent restaurant near this suburban villa, Jiang Yubai wouldn't have bothered lifting a finger to whip up such a monstrosity. Forget restaurants—even the nearest bubble tea shop was nearly ten kilometers away, far beyond the range any delivery rider was willing to travel. Even if he managed to sweet-talk someone into delivering for an extra fee, the food would often arrive with some sort of mishap—it would either be spilled or stone-cold.

There were even a few times when the delivery guys were vehemently blocked by the security guards at the gate, leaving Jiang Yubai with no choice but to go out and rescue them personally. He was so tired of it all.

Staring at his plate, Jiang Yubai took a deep breath. Finally, wearing a tragic expression of someone resigning themselves to their doom, he scooped up a heaping spoonful, squeezed his eyes shut, and shoved it into his mouth.

"Fuck, it's burnt," he thought.

As Jiang Yubai gritted his teeth and chewed the strangely textured fried rice, he made a silent vow to himself. Spacious rooms and tranquil environments were just useless fluff. When he moved this time, he absolutely had to find a place right next to a food street. If it could also be close to school, that would be even more perfect. A villa? Even a dog wouldn't live in a place like this!