Chapter 368 Elizabeth Actually Dares to Come Back
Elizabeth ran all the way, without hesitation, to the bulldozer and stood there.
The bulldozer driver broke out in a cold sweat. He stopped his operation, got out of the vehicle, and yelled at Elizabeth, "Are you crazy? If you don't care about your life, you shouldn't come looking for trouble with me. Who are you? Get out of the way and don't delay our work!"
Elizabeth stood still. "This is my home. Did anyone get my permission to demolish it?"
The bulldozer driver was silent.
After a pause, he said, "We're just following orders. Your village agreed to the demolition, so it must have been approved by your village."
Elizabeth looked up and didn't see her childhood neighbors; perhaps they had changed so much that she didn't recognize them.
At this moment, an elderly person's voice came from behind. "Elizabeth, is that you?"
Elizabeth turned around and saw a hunched old man who looked to be about eighty years old. She hesitated and asked, "And you are?"
"Are you Elizabeth?" the old man asked again.
"Yes. My name is Elizabeth Spencer. My dad is Nico Spencer, my mom..."
Before Elizabeth could finish, the old man choked up. "You're finally here!"
Elizabeth was silent. For a moment, she didn't understand what he meant.
She asked again, "And you are?"
"I'm Bodhi Evans, your next-door neighbor. Don't you remember? When your parents went to work in the fields and no one was there to take care of you, they would leave you at our house."
Elizabeth's eyes immediately welled up with tears. "Are you Grandpa Evans?"
Images of Bodhi came flooding back to Elizabeth's mind. When Elizabeth was little, Bodhi looked about fifty back then. Bodhi and his wife only had a daughter, who found a husband willing to live with them. Because of this, larger families in the village often bullied Bodhi's family, just like they did Elizabeth's. Unable to endure the harassment, Bodhi's daughter, Ondine Evans, and her husband left for another city to work when they were young and didn't return for many years. Sadly, Bodhi's wife, frequently bullied, passed away early, leaving Bodhi alone at home.
At the beginning of this year, a notice was issued that the western area had to be completely relocated to build an artificial lake. The original villagers received compensation, except for Elizabeth's family, who had never returned. Every day, Bodhi anxiously went to the outskirts of the village, hoping someone from Elizabeth's family would come soon. Now, Bodhi had finally waited for Elizabeth.
"Elizabeth, come to my house. I need to talk to you in detail." Although Bodhi was old, he wasn't confused. He knew it wasn't good to talk here with so many people around.
Elizabeth looked at the people present and then at the bulldozer workers about to start digging. She said, "I am the owner of this house. Since I'm here, you must give me an explanation. Otherwise, I'll lie down right here and see how you dig!"
The bulldozer driver was silent. They were just employees, following orders from above. The team leader responsible for the bulldozer immediately made a phone call. After a while, the team leader sighed and shook his head, saying to the bulldozer drivers, "We have no choice. We have to stop work for now. After all, the villagers' opinions matter. The real owner of this house is here. We'll resume work once everything is sorted out."
Once the team leader spoke, they all turned and left.
Elizabeth's house, which was about to be demolished, was finally preserved.
It didn't really matter; it was just a few dilapidated rooms with no roof and some extremely old furniture that had long since rotted. But even so, Elizabeth still rummaged through the house. She actually found a photo of her with her parents from when she was a child.
In the photo, Elizabeth looked about six years old, and Quiana was very young. Nico looked at least ten years older than Quiana. They all looked like honest people, and the family of three seemed very warm. Seeing this photo, Elizabeth's vision quickly blurred.
"Elizabeth," Bodhi called her.
Elizabeth immediately turned around.
Bodhi invited her to his house once again.
Then Elizabeth put the photo away, and followed Bodhi to his house.
The villagers pointed and whispered about Elizabeth, but she couldn't hear what they were saying. As soon as Elizabeth walked in, they stopped talking. But it didn't matter what they said. Elizabeth was only staying for a few days to take her parents' ashes away. She wouldn't come back after that. Following Bodhi into his house, Elizabeth found that Bodhi's home was still bare.
Elizabeth couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. "Grandpa Evans, these past few years..."
Bodhi shook his head. "We're poor, and there's no one at home. Ondine and her husband have been too afraid to come back. They bought a house in the neighboring town and settled there. They wanted me to live with them, but I wasn't used to it, so I stayed. Elizabeth, I called you over to tell you that the demolition compensation for your house was taken by your cousin."
Elizabeth had no impression of them.
"Your uncle and aunt have always lived in the city. You left when you were twelve, so you're not familiar with them. Your cousin is two years older than you and now works in town. When the demolition compensation was distributed, it was her who came to collect it. It was a full three hundred thousand dollars. It's enough to buy a house in town," Bodhi said, choking up.
Elizabeth nodded. "I understand. How do I find her now?"
Actually, those money was nothing to Elizabeth now, but even if her home was to be demolished, had to be her decision. Besides, behind this house was where Nico was buried. Even though she hadn't returned, she knew Quiana must be buried with Nico. So even if she didn't want the demolition compensation, she had to take her parents' ashes first, right?
Did her cousin even think about how to handle her parents' remains?
Elizabeth decided to find her.
"They all live in town now and are quite well-known. They..." Bodhi hesitated.
At this moment, a sharp voice suddenly came from the yard. "I heard Elizabeth is back! Where is she? How dare she come back!"
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