Yesterday, my eldest uncle suddenly called me and asked, "How much is your school district house rent per year?" I was stunned for a moment, holding my phone in confusion, and asked back, "Why are you asking?" My uncle leisurely replied, "Your cousin's kid is starting elementary school next year. I want to rent a house for him early, reserve it first, and when the current tenants move out in half a year, we can move right in." My head buzzed—so after all that circling around, he’s after my house?

Before I could speak, my uncle continued on the phone: "We’re all family. Your house is empty anyway, just give me a cost price, how about 1500 a month?" My temples throbbed wildly, thinking, what kind of logic is this? Doesn’t he know how hot the school district housing market is? The neighboring house of the same layout rents for 4500, and people are lining up to rent it. Yet he’s willing to cut my price to almost nothing! I held my breath on the other end of the phone, forcing myself to say: "Uncle, this house has a long-term contract with the agent, the price can’t be changed casually!" Before I finished, he cut me off: "What contract? Family is family. You’re talking about contracts? Your cousin is worried sick about his kid’s schooling, and you’re willing to let your little nephew go without school?" I was so angry I almost threw my phone. So if I don’t agree, I’m unkind?

And it gets even more outrageous. Today at noon, my cousin actually showed up carrying two boxes of milk, all wrinkled like rags, with the expiration date glaringly printed on top. He sat on my sofa and kept sighing: "Sister-in-law, raising kids is so hard now. The mortgage and car loans are crushing me, just help your brother out a bit!" I stared at those two boxes of milk, so angry I wanted to laugh—he’s treating me like a fool? Giving expired gifts, how thick-skinned can he be? I was chopping vegetables in the kitchen, the knife hitting the cutting board with a loud clack, thinking, how can this family be so calculating?

That night, I vented to my husband. He advised me not to make things worse, saying that relatives are always around, just endure it and it’ll pass. But I just can’t swallow this! That school district house is something we saved for five years to buy, still paying off the mortgage every month, with property fees, utilities, and other expenses. Why should I give it away for free just because they’re relatives? The market rent now is 4500, and 1500 doesn’t even cover property fees! Not to mention my cousin’s attitude of “I’m poor, I’m right,” making me feel like I owe him millions. Last night, I was so angry I couldn’t sleep, tossing and turning, and at 2 a.m. I was on the balcony blowing air, getting more furious the more I thought about it.

I checked the local market for school district houses, and it’s indeed hot. On online agent platforms, similar units are listed between 4000 and 5000, with rents increasing 5% in the past half year. My uncle’s desire to take advantage is obvious, but I’m not running a charity. In the afternoon, my uncle called again, still saying “We’re family, no need to be strangers,” but I couldn’t hold back and said directly: "Uncle, I have no problem renting the house, but market price is 4000. I can’t explain to the agent if I rent it below that." There was a silence for a few seconds, then he muttered, "That’s so expensive," and hung up.

This has made me see clearly—helping relatives is fine, but there are limits. The house is something I worked hard to buy, not something that fell from the sky. Why should I be the fool? If my cousin comes crying poverty again, I plan to ask him directly: "Are you planning to let me drink those two boxes of expired milk, or feed it to the cats?" From now on, I need to stand my ground more, so no one thinks I’m easy to bully.