"I robbed the robbers."

Alicia finished her explanation with this cryptic statement and looked at Ryu expectantly. Ryu who was busy concentrating on the road,turned his head to look at her and saw her s.h.i.+ning eyes and turned back to the road.She was almost jumping in her seat to boast but like a child wanted him t ask her about it.

Still,how could he not indulge her?So he asked,"How did you do that?"

Grinning like a fool,she started her story,"I told you it's long story.When I came to this city,I worked during the weekdays with Neil and did part time ch.o.r.es at a local bakery in the evening and weekends. Then,Neil started relying on me more so I started working weekends only.But did you know Lance Inc pays it's employees really well!Within 1 and a half year I was able to save up!And then,a little while back,around the lunar new year,Uncle Ye was a bit sick .So I decided to visit him and also place a bid for my house anonymously with all my savings,killing two birds with one stone..But fates had other plans."

Alicia stopped at this and Ryu turned to look at her and saw her nodding her head like an old wise person.She then continued,"I took the bus to go there.On the bus my seat mate was a woman in her 30's.While continuing the journey,we got talking and I came to know that she was going to be the Village account administrator and collector for all the villages around our district.I told her about my plan to buy my house and she offered to reduce the taxes if I were to help her some under the table.She felt embarra.s.sed but told me that she needed the extra money to save her daughter who was very sick..We exchanged numbers and I alighted at my stop while she went to the next village where the government offices were located.

I visited uncle Ye for a few days without meeting anyone else.However on the 5th day,he was feeling better so he insisted on going to the cafe to oversee things.I cleaned his house and prepared some stews and porridge and refrigerated them for future use.After this I went to fetch him,when I overheard a gossipy conversations.They were discussing my ex mother in law's plan to move into my childhood home but their entire conversation was shocking."

Alicia recounted the conversation,

Gossipy aunt 1 :"Old Xu is planning on moving into Old Lu's house.She had always loved that house and offered to buy from Old Lu so many times but failed."

Gossipy aunt 2:"Yes.I think that is why she made Lu's daughter her son's wife so that she could s.n.a.t.c.h the house."

Gossipy aunt 3:"But I heard that the girl was a simpleton so she was married off before her mother could die.

Aunt 1,scoffed at this and said,"She was no simpleton.The girl had a bright future ahead.Only Old Lu's sickness made her muddleheaded and she did not realize Old Xu's cunning and forced her daughter to marry that boy."

Aunt 2:"Then when she had achieved her goal,she slandered the poor girl threw her out of the house penniless and dest.i.tute.Old Ye,here took her in and helped her go to the city."

Aunt 1:"Yes and I heard she is very successful there working with some lawyer...you should see Old Ye boasting about her,proud as a peac.o.c.k."

Aunt 3:"But if everyone was aware then why did no one else help her?And why did that woman wait until now to move?"

Aunt 3 was new in the village so she did not understand these gossipy ladies.They were not interested in helping,they only knew how to enjoy other people's misfortune.

Aunt 2:"Of course to maintain her reputation.How could she immediately move into her dead friend's home.So she pretended to grieve and now that enough time has pa.s.sed,she is going to do it.She did not even open the house all these years. "

But the 3rd aunt's question gave her an idea.

That night, she went towards the back of her old house.Clad all in black and in the middle of the night,she prayed that the emergency keys her mother had hid in the garden were still there and the locks had not been changed.

Her prayers were answered and she immediately went into the house.Using a flash light she looked around the house and saw that it was still the same as she had left it after her mother's funeral.Her eyes flashed and she went towards her mother's room.There,in the bookshelf,was a file named 'tax receipts'.These were proof that the house and property taxes had been paid during the years.Picking up the file,she put it in her bag pack and exit the house.

The fates wanted her to punish that Xu woman!

The next morning,Alicia went to the next village to see her new friend and offer her a deal.

A few days later:

Old Xu received a letter from the government that her taxes for the last 14 years were in arrears.She must pay these or the house will be auctioned off."

She would have paid since her son was rich and he would have helped her, but the last date for submitting the money had already pa.s.sed.She had received the letter very late!Her sons were out of the village,and she knew nothing about the laws so she decided to wait for her sons to return to discuss the next plan.She had acquired that house after much hard work.She was not going to let it slip out of her hands.With that,she went towards the village to meet the officer in charge and plead that the previous house owner was responsible for it and had paid them.

But,naturally the officer was in cahoots with Alicia so she refused to listen and asked for proof.Old Xu always had a violent temper.Alicia had warned the officer of this so she kept the security on alert.So, when that woman was ignored and ridiculed by the officer,Old Xu lost her temper and tried to attack the lady officer.She was arrested for he troubles!Attacking a government officer on duty!

Using this pretext,the lady officer auctioned off the house to the lowest bidder(and only) which was Alicia within 2 days.n.o.body blamed the officer for being angry and using her power because everyone had seen the old woman being crazy.n.o.body wanted to deal with that.

So after 2 days,when Old Xu came out of prison,Alicia stood there and enjoyed that woman's disheveled state while holding the house deed in her hand.

With a peaceful mind and an almost empty bank account,Alicia came back to the city.