LRAB Chapter 297 It's all my money, mine!!
Chapter 297 It's all my money, mine!!
Chapter 297 It's all my money, mine!!
It was just a well, yet it took the head of a large family risking his life to stop it from being destroyed and buried by the terrified family. Feudal superstition really does cause a lot of harm.
However, Akutagawa Hiko wholeheartedly agreed with the idea of installing guardrails on water wells to prevent other possible accidents, believing that it's never too late to mend the fence after the sheep are lost.
Yukiko Kudo knew what happened back then. Shinichi Kudo was only two years old at the time. Neither of them had the habit of traveling abroad casually. Naturally, they knew about the tragedy that happened to their childhood friend's family.
About fifteen years ago, one winter, when it was snowing heavily, Hiromi Yabuchi's mother suddenly disappeared. Everyone searched for a long time, and it wasn't until the next morning when they wanted to report it to the police that they found her body in an old well.
Because of what happened, everyone felt that this ancient well was an ominous place and hoped that it could be destroyed.
However, Yabuchi Yoshichika did not want people's memories of his first wife to be erased by time, so he threatened to kill himself to preserve the ancient well.
Since someone had died, although the ancient well remained, complete with buckets and a windlass, no one would draw water from it for drinking unless absolutely necessary. Even simply using it felt unlucky and disgusting.
When the topic of those days came up, Yabuuchi Yoshiyuki gritted his teeth. This young man with a small mustache, who tried to appear mature, said indignantly, "The most difficult thing was my mother's funeral back then."
That year, one of his mother's brothers, who could be considered his uncle, suddenly broke into the funeral and caused trouble. He kept insisting that one of them must be the murderer who pushed her down.
In reality, everyone knows that the man who isn't doing so well is just looking for an excuse to get something out of him so he can secure a comfortable life for the rest of his days.
A female relative acted like a mad dog at the funeral; even if they were innocent, they would inevitably be the subject of gossip.
Moreover, compared to simple accidents, people are clearly more willing to believe rumors that they themselves have imagined, with dramatic twists and turns, like stories from a folktale.
These people don't care how much psychological pressure and blow the protagonists of those rumors will suffer as a result. They probably think that it's because they touched on the truth that they pushed the protagonists of the rumors to their limits.
Therefore, to this day, their family would never acknowledge that man as a relative.
"What exactly happened back then?"
Yabuuchi Yoshiyuki pointed to the old tree next to the well: "It's because of that Princess Camellia tree. Back then, before Uncle Yoshifusa left, I wasn't born yet, so I heard it from my mother."
This camellia tree was planted by Yoshifusa Yabuuchi to celebrate the couple's wedding anniversary. At that time, there weren't many people in the family, and this tree symbolized the whole family's blessings for his mother.
Hiromi Yabuuchi said with a guilty look, "I think it's because she liked it so much that she wanted to pick the camellias for me and Yoshiyuki to see, and that's when she stepped on the edge of the well and fell in."
When they retrieved the body, it was holding a blooming camellia in its hand.
As if suddenly remembering something, Yabuchi Yoshiyuki's wife, Yabuchi Keiko, suddenly spoke up: "Then where is this person now?"
Hiromi Yabuuchi was puzzled, but she still stroked her chin and pondered for a while: "When I first met him, he was already very old, and I don't know if he's still alive now."
Yoshiyuki Yabunouchi was clearly better able to follow his wife's train of thought, instantly thinking of the inheritance issue: "Sister, if he were still alive, wouldn't the inheritance still go to that guy?!"
The conversation then turned to inheritance, and Akutagawa Hiko found the family relationships quite interesting.
For relatives with whom they have a long-standing relationship and a strong emotional bond, their relationship is quite good. Whether he gets more or less of the inheritance, no one has any objections, at most they might complain a little.
However, if people with little emotional connection try to gain a share based on blood ties, they will unite against them.
The brother of the first wife of the Yabuchi family was, in a sense, their enemy, so how could they possibly be happy to have someone like him jump out and share the money?
The estate left by Yoshichika Yabunouchi is an astronomical figure that is unimaginable to most people; if there were more people to share it, how much less money would there be?
"Logically speaking, someone like him shouldn't get any money; he has no right to inherit."
Akutagawa Hiko explained, "That's generally how it is, but if the deceased mentioned in their will that this person should inherit a portion of their estate, then that person will receive a share."
The way inheritance works is that the deceased had a lot of say in who should inherit it during their lifetime. Making a legally binding will can, to some extent, disregard the relevant regulations on inheritance.
Yabuchi Yoshiyuki frowned: "Speaking of which, Dad probably didn't feel indebted to Mom, so he left an inheritance for that person as well."
Yabuchi Yoshichika's current wife, Yabuchi Machiko, turned around, her voice filled with unreadable thoughts: "You're absolutely right. As long as that man is still alive, he'll definitely rush over once he finds out about this."
This was unacceptable to everyone present. It was one thing for Yabuuchi Yoshifusa, after all, he was Yabuuchi Yoshichika's younger brother, and it was clear from all aspects that they had a good relationship back then.
Who does that man think he is? He caused our family to lose face back then, and my mother couldn't even have peace at her funeral. We've already spared him from trouble because of my deceased mother. How dare he show his face again?!
Yabuchi Yoshiyuki clenched his fists, looking as if he would not hesitate to punch that man if he appeared in front of them.
Machiko Yabuchi, who had actually investigated this man who was very famous in their family long ago, said in a nonchalant tone: "This has nothing to do with me. I hadn't joined your family back then, but that man seems to have hated your family for the past fifteen years—"
Leaving behind a bombshell, Yabuuchi Machiko chuckled and prepared to leave: "I have to go to a friend's wedding celebration, so I won't be able to stay with you any longer."
In reality, how could she not care? While there might be genuine love between older men and younger women, most of them are after the inheritance. The more people there are to share it, the less she will get.
These people, after all, called her "Mom." How dare these former relatives from her maternal family, who appeared out of nowhere, and this Yabuchi Yoshifusa, whom she had never even met before, try to take away her money?!