I Returned to the Day He Brought His First Love Home-Chapter 131: The Most Satisfactory House

"What? Cat got your tongue? You were the one who tried to seduce my dad on the train, weren’t you? Trying to be a homewrecker and break up my parents’ marriage? Plenty of people saw what happened. Do you want me to go find some railway staff to prove it?"

"As for why I’m here, do you own Crestwood University? If you can be here, why can’t I?"

Grace Winslow looked at Yvonne Hale before her, her eyes filled with nothing but coldness.

She didn’t pull any punches, exposing Yvonne Hale’s lies.

In this era, gossip could be devastating, and yet here was Yvonne, deliberately spreading lewd rumors to slander her.

Since Yvonne was trying to back her into a corner, Grace saw no reason to be polite.

Hearing Grace Winslow’s words, the few people who had been standing with Yvonne Hale immediately took a couple of steps back, putting distance between themselves and her.

Yvonne Hale was livid. "What nonsense are you spouting? I did no such thing! It was your dad who tried to seduce me! I was kind enough to let it go and not make a big deal out of it. How could you..."

Yvonne Hale didn’t get to finish. Under Grace Winslow’s murderous glare, her voice trailed off into silence.

She stomped her foot and spat, "You just wait!"

With that, she turned and ran off.

The other students were still whispering among themselves.

Grace shot them a glance, paid them no mind, and left the campus by herself.

’Registration is over. Now I can focus on finding a house.’

’If I find a house before the semester officially begins, I won’t have to live on campus.’

After leaving the university, Grace had originally planned to head straight back to her guesthouse. But on a whim, she decided to wander around the neighborhood to see if she could find a decent house for sale.

There were plenty of homes near Crestwood University, but the streets were a bit quiet at this time of day.

In this day and age, people sold houses very discreetly. You wouldn’t see big, flashy advertisements or flyers. It was usually done by word of mouth, which made finding a suitable place rather difficult.

Grace wondered how Irene Lynch and the others were faring today.

"Hey, that Forrest family manor, is it really for sale? Why on earth would they want to sell their house?" Just as Grace was about to walk on, she overheard two old ladies whispering to each other by the side of the road.

The phrase "house for sale" immediately caught her attention, and she stopped in her tracks, straining her ears to listen.

When the two old ladies noticed Grace, an outsider, they immediately clammed up.

Grace waited a few minutes, but they didn’t resume their conversation. Looking over again, she saw them secretly sizing her up, their eyes filled with wariness.

Grace understood at once.

’The old ladies around here are very wary. They probably think I’m some kind of troublemaker.’

After a moment’s thought, Grace felt for the leftover candies from yesterday in her pocket. She approached them with a smile. "Excuse me, ladies. I couldn’t help but overhear you say someone nearby is selling a house?"

"I’m here to attend university, right at Crestwood. My parents were worried I couldn’t take care of myself, so they came along with me. We sold our old house back home and are hoping to find a place to buy around here."

"Could you tell me anything about the family that’s selling?"

As she spoke, Grace took the candies from her pocket and pressed one into each of their hands.

The moment they heard Grace was a university student, the two women instantly warmed up.

"Oh my, you’re quite something, young lady! A university student, and at Crestwood, no less?"

"My grandson goes to Crestwood, too! I should introduce you two sometime."

"Right, the family we were talking about. They’re at the very end of the alleyway. Their house is huge, thousands of square meters, so it probably won’t be cheap. There’s just an old lady living there now. If you’re interested in buying, you should go and ask her."

"But be very careful when you speak with her. The old lady has a prickly personality. Her sons and grandsons... some are dead, some are crippled, and some have gone missing. She can be very sharp-tongued."

Having received a small kindness from Grace, the two women spilled the beans, telling her everything they knew.

Grace was taken aback. She hadn’t expected the family to have suffered such a terrible fate.

She thanked the two old women and headed for the house they had described.

It was, indeed, the house at the very end of the alleyway.

At the main gate stood two stone lions. But time had not been kind to them; they were severely damaged. One was missing half its head, and the other was covered in cracks and marks.

The wide, mahogany gate exuded an air of dignity and substance, a clear sign that this had once been a distinguished family.

Grace knocked on the door. After a long while, a faint, listless voice called out, "Come in."

Grace cautiously pushed the door open and stepped inside, freezing the moment she saw the interior.

The courtyard was remarkably well-preserved, almost untouched by ruin. The flowers and plants within were thriving, clearly tended to with meticulous care.

In the center of the courtyard, an old woman sat in a rocking chair, basking in the sun.

The woman looked to be of a great age, with a full head of white hair and deep-set wrinkles. Her eyes were closed, and she didn’t bother opening them even when she heard the gate creak open.

"What do you want? There’s nothing left here for you people to covet."

"What more could you possibly want from me?"

The old woman’s voice was shrill, laced with malice.

Grace hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Excuse me. I heard your house is for sale. Is that true?"

"It is. Thirty thousand. Non-negotiable. If you can afford the price, you can buy it." The old woman opened her eyes. They were cloudy, but held a sharp glint.

Thirty thousand.

Grace glanced around at the property. A residence with three successive courtyards, plus front and back gardens. ’Decades from now,’ she thought, ’you wouldn’t be able to get this for three hundred million, let alone thirty thousand.’

Even in ancient times, a house like this would have been a residence fit for princes and nobles.

"May I look around? If you’re worried..." Grace began, choosing her words carefully, but was cut off.

"Look all you want. There’s nothing of value left. The most you could do is make off with the flowers and weeds." The old woman’s voice was laced with impatience.

With that, she closed her eyes again.

Grace looked at the old woman and sighed.

She took a look around. The place was indeed remarkably well-preserved, which was almost impossible under the circumstances.

Not unless the property had somehow avoided being partitioned and assigned to other families back in the day.

’But why wouldn’t a house this nice be put to use?’

’It could house dozens of families if it were partitioned.’

After a tour of the grounds, Grace understood why the old woman wasn’t worried about her taking anything.

Aside from the structure itself and the well-tended garden, the rooms inside were almost completely empty. Furniture like tables, chairs, beds, and wardrobes was nowhere to be seen. The place was desolate. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

There really was nothing of value left for anyone to desire.

When Grace completed her tour, she was thoroughly satisfied with the house.

Even if Nolan Winslow and Brandon Winslow both brought their families over, there would be more than enough room for everyone.

Plus, the location was perfect.

’It’s guaranteed to increase in value in the future.’

’The only issue is that I don’t have that much cash on hand. I’ll probably have to sell the gold I have.’

’But in this day and age, even half a kilogram of gold wouldn’t fetch several tens of thousands.’

Grace emerged with a frown, planning to bid the old woman farewell and leave. But then she saw the woman clutching her chest, her face ashen, a pained groan escaping her throat.

To Grace, it looked like she was having a heart attack.

Not daring to delay, she rushed forward. "Ma’am, where’s your medicine? I..."

"Leave me be! I’ve lived for eighty years. My sons and grandsons are all dead. I’ve lived long enough. You..."

Before she could finish, her eyes rolled back into her head, and she fainted.