Because it had been agreed that the Zhang Family would pick her up, after Zhang Yu got up, she prepared an extra breakfast for the driver.
Even though it was a request from a leader, it still meant inconveniencing the other party.
Pan Juan hadn't had a good rest all night, including in her dreams where she dreamt she was actually cooking, which terrified her quite a bit.
It had been so many years since she last cooked, and now the task had fallen to her again.
Pan Juan, seeing Zhang Yu making breakfast, felt terribly upset and couldn't contain her irritation, "Yo, aren't you supposed to be leaving?"
"Why are you still making breakfast?"
Was she taking out her frustration on her? Zhang Yu was slightly startled and then responded indifferently, "Yes."
"After all, this is the last time I'll be cooking in this home."
Zhang Yu quickly finished her breakfast and then waited for the driver to pick her up.
Throughout the meantime, she didn't chat with Pan Juan because she knew Pan Juan must be very angry about her leaving. All these matters would be hers to handle in the future—how could anyone feel happy about that?
When the car stopped at the end of the alley, Zhang Yu and the driver made several trips to load up the things she was taking with her.
"Mom, I'm leaving now."
"You and Dad take good care of yourselves." Regardless of the situation, she still had to keep up appearances.
Pan Juan looked at Zhang Yu with mixed feelings. To be honest, she really couldn't understand how a good person could change so quickly, so drastically, as to become unrecognizable.
"You have it so good staying at home; why insist on going out? What if you get a headache or a fever while away? What then?"
Pan Juan was full of worries, even though she knew it was pointless to say all this now, she still felt the need to advise her daughter.
"Mom, don't worry, I'll take good care of myself."
"You and Dad also need to take care of yourselves." Zhang Yu hugged Pan Juan one last time, "Mom, I'm leaving."
Zhang Yu, with her bag on her back, walked away with decisive steps, saying goodbye to the old neighbors along the way.
Watching the excitement is in the nature of the people, and knowing that Zhang Yu was actually going to work out of town, their first reaction was whether it was related to the recent demolition issue with the Zhang Family.
The Zhang Family's three children all had apartments except for Zhang Yu, who hadn't been allocated one.
Regarding the neighbors' inquisitive behavior, Zhang Yu of course kept denying any connection; after all, she wasn't concerned about those apartments belonging to the Zhang Family.
"How could my perfectly normal job transfer be related to a demolition?"
"Whether my family's home is demolished or not, my boss asked me to work out of town, and that's my job." Zhang Yu smiled amiably, putting work first.
As for what the others thought about her explanation, that wasn't her concern.
"Oh right, Little Yu, with you going out of town, who's going to help your family pack up when they move?" said an elderly lady who got along well with Pan Juan.
Regarding this matter, Zhang Yu smiled amiably and said, "Don't worry, Auntie, my brother and sister-in-law know I'm going out of town today; they rushed back overnight."
"My sister-in-law promised she would help sort things out."
"And once I get settled with my new job there, I will also come back to help."
"Plus, my second brother and big sister will come back to help pack up too."
"They're busy with work, but they definitely have time on the weekends." Continuing to refute any suggestion that Zhang Shouhua and the others wouldn't have time to come back and help with the move.
There was no excuse; they had time to come home for meals on weekends, so they should have time when it comes to packing up, or else their behavior would be quite unseemly indeed.
If that were truly the case, their attitudes would be really quite appalling.
"Exactly, there are still Guohua and the others," said an old lady who often heard Pan Juan praise how filial her children were. She was also curious to see if the rest of the Zhang Family's children were truly that filial.
These old neighbors all knew that whenever Zhang Dagu or his wife felt unwell, it was their daughter Zhang Yu who ran around caring for them.
As for the weekend get-togethers and holiday feasts, Zhang Guohua and his siblings would come back for meals, but they didn't need to lift a finger; everything was ready for them, all thanks to the bustling efforts of this lass, Zhang Yu.
One could say that among the entire Zhang Family, the only one who really worked was this foolish girl, Zhang Yu. Yet, in the mouths of Zhang Dagu and his wife, this daughter was just a ne'er-do-well.
Now look, Zhang Yu, that girl, was going to work out of town, and it was uncertain which of the so-called filial descendants of the Zhang family could take over her role.
"Right, there's also my eldest brother and the others," Zhang Yu didn't bother considering what these neighbors and the surrounding residents might think of her words.
If there was anyone to blame, it was Zhang Dagu for singing their praises too highly, and each of them was someone who cared about saving face.
So, for the sake of a reputation of filial piety, no matter how reluctant they felt inside, they still had to keep trying.
Zhang Yu felt that this morning was particularly good; they were about to set off, but she still managed to set a trap for them. Not bad at all.
After all, for the so-called fame, one must indeed take on more responsibilities.
Zhang Yu got into the car in high spirits, and the first thing that came to the driver's mind when he saw her happy demeanor was, "Accountant Zhang, is your family's house going to be demolished?"
It wasn't a secret; Zhang Yu affirmed with a hum, "Yes, the notice has already been issued."
The driver had just seen Zhang Yu's house and roughly estimated, "Then congratulations to you, Accountant Zhang, you're going to get rich."
Such a big house—once it's demolished, they'll surely get several new apartments in return. If that's not getting rich, what is?
Indeed, if it were him, he would be in a very good mood as well.
Congratulate her? Zhang Yu laughed, "It's a pity that the demolition of our house has nothing to do with me."
The driver paused, puzzled. What did she mean it had nothing to do with her?
"I have two older brothers and an older sister above me; the three of them have a share, and so do my parents."
She wasn't the one getting rich from the demolition, or to say, this wealth had nothing to do with her a single penny, so of course, she needed to explain.
The driver was truly stunned, "You don't have a share?" It was somewhat surprising that there were two older brothers and an older sister above Zhang Yu.
But how could such a big house be demolished and she not have a share? The driver couldn't understand.
Zhang Yu affirmed with a hum. See, whoever it was, learning that she didn't have a share would be surprised.
"Maybe it's because I'm not married?"
"But after all, it's my parents' house, and how they choose to divide it is their right."
The driver was quite the conversationalist; upon knowing Zhang Yu could only live with her parents in the future, he said, "Accountant Zhang, I think that people should have their own house."
"No matter how big the house is, at the very least, it is your own."
"You'll never have to worry about being chased out by anyone, no matter when it happens."
"Especially for someone like you who has no children," the driver understood all too well. It's not that they thought giving a house to Zhang Yu would be a waste because she had no offspring.
But in the driver's eyes, it was precisely because Zhang Yu was childless that she needed a house even more.
"Nieces and nephews might be good, but they have their own parents to care for. How much effort can they really spare for an aunt,"
"Especially an aunt without a house of her own?"
The driver, often on the road, had a keen eye for people, and he wouldn't have spoken up otherwise.