Watching the shameless behavior of mother and son, Chen Lishu sneered, "There's nothing to say. Whether it's fake or not, you don't get to decide. The police will make a judgment soon. I'll say it again, move out within a day, or I'll find people to help you move. However, I can't guarantee the condition of your belongings then."
"Are you ungrateful?" Zhao Shengli moved to throw her out. But as soon as he raised his hand, a kick came from the side, sending him sprawling on the ground.
"Shengli!" Aunt Liu rushed over nervously.
"You must be tired of living if you dare to touch my sister-in-law."
Wang Dazhu gave Zhao Shengli a dangerous look and then turned his gaze to Chen Lishu. "Sister-in-law, are you alright? Did they lay hands on you?"
Fortunately, he knew to consider the two police officers behind him and didn't follow up with another kick.
Chen Lishu shook her head, "I'm fine."
"Who is the party involved? Come out and explain the situation." The police officer scanned the people in the courtyard, his gaze finally settling on Aunt Liu.
The police recognized Aunt Liu; she worked at the neighborhood committee, and they had dealt with her before. Therefore, one of the officers spoke with a relatively good attitude, "You tell us what happened."
Aunt Liu looked at the two police officers, then at Chen Lishu, and opened her mouth. She didn't know where to begin. Finally, she managed a strained smile, "Actually, it's all a misunderstanding. It's no big deal. We'll just clear up the misunderstanding."
"It's not a misunderstanding," Chen Lishu said sternly. "Three years ago, I bought this courtyard. Because of the distance, I couldn't manage it myself, so I signed a proxy rental agreement with Ms. Liu. She was to manage the rental of the property on my behalf. Later, when the rent increased, she concealed it, pocketed all the money herself, and even drove away the tenants before the lease expired, occupying the property for herself. All these actions were done without my knowledge. Her family has committed trespassing and illegal occupation of private property."
Chen Lishu's explanation was clear and well-reasoned, and the two police officers nodded subconsciously.
"Officers, she's talking nonsense. The house was never rented out well. I saw that no one was living in it, and it was even worse to leave it empty. I did this to look after the house."
At this point, who would believe that a house couldn't be rented out? Everyone present knew that Aunt Liu was merely quibbling.
However, most cases nowadays were handled through mediation, especially in Beijing. If every matter had to be taken to the police station, even double the police force wouldn't be enough.
"Your surname is Chen, right?" one of the police officers asked Chen Lishu. "Can you get them to vacate the house for you now?"
Upon hearing about vacating the house, Zhao Shengli panicked. If they had to move out, where would they live? Besides, there was Xiao Li. If they moved, his relationship would be ruined.
"Mom, hurry up and talk to them."
At this point, with the police alerted, Aunt Liu no longer insisted on her stubborn stance. Looking at Chen Lishu, she pleaded, "After all, I've looked after your house for so long. Even if I haven't done any meritorious deeds, I've at least put in the effort. Our house has already been sold, and we have nowhere to go. Can you be a little lenient and let us continue to live here? I promise to send you every penny of the rent collected from now on."
Aunt Liu increasingly felt that this method was feasible. "This house always needs someone to look after it. It's better to use someone familiar than a stranger."
Chen Lishu sneered at her. As the saying goes, once unfaithful, never to be trusted. Having made a mistake once, she would never use her again.
"Whether your family sells your house or not has nothing to do with me. Not only will I never let you look after the house again, but even if you paid me rent at market price, I wouldn't rent it to you."
"As I said, move out within a day. This is the limit of my tolerance. As for the rent you concealed, I can reluctantly let it go. However, you must pay me for the months you've lived here, not a penny less."
"Chen, don't push your luck!" Zhao Shengli's face darkened, and Aunt Liu's face wasn't much better.
"The house wasn't rented out, so we moved in. Why should we pay you rent?"
"This is my house. Did I ask you to live here?" Chen Lishu looked at the mother and son with a cold expression. "Either do as I say, or I will pursue legal responsibility for your entire family."
Pursue legal responsibility? They wouldn't dare to defy the law.
"Do you really think you're great just because you have a rundown courtyard? Who cares about it? Pfft, you ungrateful wretches! If I hadn't helped you back then, could you have rented out this house so quickly? Now you're crossing the bridge and burning it. May you be struck by lightning."
Seeing that the situation was decided, Aunt Liu was indignant and cursed loudly.
"Slap!" Without a word, Chen Lishu raised her hand and slapped her.
"Let me tell you, I've tolerated you for a long time. The fact that I could still speak to you calmly before only shows my good character and that I didn't want to stoop to your level. But you're wrong if you think I'm easy to bully. I'm crossing the bridge and burning it, ungrateful, am I? Fine, then all of you get out of here right now. I don't care if you sleep on the streets or under a bridge. Get out of my courtyard immediately!"
Aunt Liu covered her face, looking at Chen Lishu with utter shock.
"Don't look at me like that. Today's fruit is the cause of yesterday's seed. It's cold, and I don't have time to waste with you here. If you don't move soon, I'll have people help you."
She had initially intended to give them a day, but since they were ungrateful, Chen Lishu had nothing more to say to them.
Although Aunt Liu and Zhao Shengli were filled with hatred, the police officers said nothing, which meant they tacitly agreed with Chen Lishu's words. The mother and son could only turn around resentfully, preparing to go back and pack their belongings.
"Dazhu, go and gather all the tenants in the courtyard. We'll start re-registering now. Who paid rent in advance, and how much they paid – report it all to me in detail. Ms. Liu must return every penny."
Aunt Liu had still held onto a glimmer of hope, but upon hearing her words, her vision suddenly darkened, and she almost fainted.
The police officers were very responsible and remained at the scene to supervise.
Soon, Wang Dazhu called all the tenants. Most people were not financially well-off, and rent was usually paid month by month. However, a few had paid two or three months' rent in advance, as well as the deposits paid when they first rented the apartments. Chen Lishu tallied them one by one, and it was a considerable sum.
"Girl, are you not renting out this place anymore? We can't find anywhere to go right away. Can you be a little lenient?" the elderly woman who had spoken to Chen Lishu earlier asked courageously.
The location was convenient, and the environment was good. Moreover, everyone was accustomed to living there. It was quite reluctant to move on short notice.