Zhang Yu had packed everything she needed and was only waiting to go to her unit tomorrow to handle the procedures, and while there, stop by the logistics company to pick up some cardboard boxes in preparation for moving.
When Zhang Guohua and the others were leaving, they all stood at the staircase entrance, shouting up the stairs, "Little Yu, we're leaving."
To Zhang Guohua and the others, this evening really made them uncomfortable.
In the past when they chatted, Zhang Yu was always busy boiling water, pouring drinks for them, preparing snacks, and getting fruit ready.
They only needed to call people over and could relax to their heart's content while Zhang Yu did all the work.
But unexpectedly, today, Zhang Yu washed the dishes, then swiftly went upstairs to pack her things.
She didn't come downstairs at all, let alone boil water to make tea or prepare fruit for them, which really made them uncomfortable.
What made them even more anxious was thinking that after Zhang Yu moves away to work, they shouldn't count on coming over on the weekends for ready-made meals.
What made them feel even worse was that now, with Zhang Yu in the house, if the old couple felt unwell, she was the one bustling about taking care of them.
Once she moved away, if the old couple felt unwell, wouldn't it become their responsibility?
At this thought, Zhang Guohua felt upset. Taking elderly parents to the hospital meant losing wages for taking leave, not to mention all the running around and hassle involved.
Not to mention that if the old couple were unwell, they certainly couldn't cook for themselves; they'd have to cook for them, help them bathe, do household chores, and so on.
Zhang Guohua glanced at his wife, Chiang Yun, next to him and felt that relying on her to take care of Zhang Dagu and his wife was hopeless.
Chiang Yun's mood was actually quite good today. With the family home being demolished for redevelopment, they were soon to get a new apartment.
This meant that when Zhang Yi got married, there would already be a marital home, and there'd be no need to spend money on buying a house; as for the renovation costs, weren't there still the old couple's bankbooks?
Their pensions were quite high, and being the eldest grandson's wedding, surely the old two wouldn't hesitate to spend the money?
Yet unexpectedly, Zhang Yu caught everyone off guard by deciding to work away from home.
To Chiang Yun, taking care of Zhang Dagu and his wife was just a matter of paying lip service, simply humoring the elderly pair since there was someone else to do the heavy lifting.
But now, once Zhang Yu moved away, she was sure that the responsibility of caring for the elderly would fall more on the eldest son's shoulders.
For someone like Zhang Guohua, who wasn't adept at chores, expecting him to care for Zhang Dagu and his wife meant that the burden would fall on her instead.
The more Chiang Yun thought about it, the angrier she became. "Zhang Guohua, what's wrong with your sister? Such a big matter as going away to work, and she didn't even discuss it with the family."
Zhang Guohua, already in a bad mood, was not expecting Chiang Yun's incessant muttering on the side.
"Discuss? Discuss what? The leaders have already talked to her; what do you expect her to do?"
"After all, she is not an only child and has no family burdens to bear. The leaders think she is the best candidate for the job abroad, and they are not in the wrong."
"Even if the leaders talked to her, she could have tactfully declined," said Chiang Yun, unable to believe that even at this point, Zhang Guohua was still defending Zhang Yu.
If not for her reason telling her not to get angry, not to argue with Zhang Guohua, she would have lost her temper.
"I think your sister is doing this because the house is not in her name..." Chiang Yun increasingly felt that Zhang Yu agreed to work away because of this.
Zhang Guohua, in his heart, also felt that Zhang Yu's agreement to work away must have been driven by some thoughts and dissatisfaction.
But he disagreed with Chiang Yun's speculation or thoughts, "How could this be related to the house?"
"We just found out about the home being demolished today, and the parents plan to divide the house into four parts, with nothing for Zhang Yu."
"We've all just learned about it, so how could Zhang Yu know?"
"After she got home, she was busy preparing dinner; we didn't mention that she wasn't allocated a share of the house."
"She spoke about moving away to work even before dinner, meaning she didn't know about the house demolition and being left out before she brought up her job transfer."
Chiang Yun didn't have a comeback to Zhang Guohua's reasoning, but still, her intuition told her that Zhang Yu's decision to work away was definitely connected to her not getting a share of the house.
But, as Zhang Guohua said, Zhang Yu's announcement came first; there was no evidence she knew about not being allocated a share of the house beforehand.
"That's just what I think, otherwise why would she want to go away?" Chiang Yun grumbled.
"What we need to discuss now is, once Zhang Yu moves away for work, have you thought about what to do with your parents?"
"Although their health is good for now, you know they need to go to the hospital every quarter."
"Zhang Yu used to accompany them; what will we do in the future?"
"Let me tell you, I'm also very busy," said Chiang Yun, aware that Zhang Yu's job transfer was unavoidable.
If that's the case, then there was a need to discuss the future care of the elderly Zhang Dagu and his wife.
This was the most important issue; many matters had to be established and rules set now.
Zhang Guohua understood Chiang Yun's intentions, which entailed discussing with his own family and the two other households of Zhang Shouhua and Zhang Hong, how to take turns caring for their parents.
When it came to the three siblings caring for their parents, Zhang Guohua, of course, had no objections; after all, they were their parents.
But this brought another significant issue, and that was:
"Have you thought about it?"
"Once they start to help care for mom and dad, that property under our parents' names, I can guarantee that even if Zhang Hong refrains from fighting, the other two will compete, won't they?"
After all, it was an apartment worth tens of thousands; who wouldn't be tempted?
Zhang Guohua's words struck Chiang Yun; indeed, once Zhang Shouhua and the others started taking care of the old couple, they would never give up the claim to Zhang Dagu and his wife's property.
By that time, wouldn't it mean that, having birthed Zhang Yi, the firstborn grandchild of the Zhang family, they would deserve a larger share of the property?
"I initially thought that the house would be where the old couple and Zhang Yu lived, with our parents letting Zhang Yu take care of them."
"That way, it wouldn't be easy for the second and third siblings to demand the house."
"Before the parents pass away, I would talk to them to see if the house could be transferred directly to Xiao Yi, letting Zhang Yu continue living there."
"Then, no matter how much the second sibling resents it, they would have to bear it."
"But I didn't anticipate that Zhang Yu would just go away like this, clearly opting out of these matters."
"It has left us in a tough spot." Zhang Guohua had meticulously considered every angle after learning that Zhang Yu was not going to marry.
He thought it was the best and most fantastic arrangement, but to his dismay, Zhang Yu had just dropped the responsibilities and walked away, which was quite despicable.