My Bizarre Relatives 01

"Fang Ruoruo, your parents are gone. They don’t want you anymore."

"Fang Ruoruo, your mom picked you up from a garbage dump."

"Fang Ruoruo, look, your mom prefers little boys. She doesn’t like you."

"I’ve never seen a child as disobedient as you."

"Crying just from teasing? You’re so fragile."

"If it weren’t for you, your mom would’ve remarried long ago."

These were the words Fang Ruoruo remembered vividly, all spoken by her aunt, Li Xue.

From a very young age, Fang Ruoruo knew her parents had separated. Her mother, Li Mei, took her back to her maternal home, while her father faded almost entirely from her life.

Her mother always urged her to be a well-behaved child, and so Fang Ruoruo grew up cautious and timid. She and her mother lived in her grandmother’s house—a large compound formed by connecting several courtyards. "This is how family should be," they said, "helping each other out." But ever since their return, Fang Ruoruo constantly heard them berate her mother: "She was blind, insisting on following that man. Look where that got her!"

Her mother would only lower her head and force a smile.

They had no home of their own. Her grandmother arranged for them to stay in Aunt Li Xue’s courtyard.

Aunt Li Xue, who had three sons, always held her head high during family gatherings. She loved making snide remarks, dismissing them with, "Don’t ask—it’s all for your own good."

Her mother often said relatives were family, and Fang Ruoruo, knowing how hard her mother worked, didn’t want to upset her. So she endured it all in silence.

But when her mother had to leave for work, she entrusted Fang Ruoruo to Aunt Li Xue’s care. Living under someone else’s roof was far from pleasant. Fang Ruoruo always ate leftovers. At a young age, she learned to sweep, mop, wash dishes, and do laundry. Her three cousins were each more spoiled than the last: the eldest stole her homework to fold paper planes, the second stole her half-year’s savings to buy game cards, and the youngest deliberately spilled ink on her only dress. Aunt Li Xue would just laugh it off: "They’re just kids. You’re the older sister—let them be."

Much later, Fang Ruoruo discovered that her absent father had been sending monthly child support, which her mother handed over to her grandmother and aunt. The amount was more than what a local nanny would earn. Yet Aunt Li Xue never missed a chance to complain in front of relatives: "Ruoruo grew up eating my food, wearing my clothes. Without me, she’d have starved." Her mother’s constant refrain—"family is family"—made Fang Ruoruo swallow her grievances. She learned to read moods, to shut up the moment Aunt Li Xue frowned, to silently finish her cousins’ leftovers.

But none of this spared her suffering. At family meals, she was always relegated to the corner—sometimes even standing—while relatives made her their favorite topic.

"She’s such a messy girl." But she barely had any clothes to change into, and the stains came from chores. Her mother only occasionally praised her with a faint "good girl."

"She’s slow, doesn’t do well in school." These were her mother’s words to the relatives, who then looked at Fang Ruoruo with strange, uncomfortable gazes. She couldn’t understand why her own mother seemed to side against her.

"Eats like a horse but never gains weight. Tsk, tsk." Aunt Li Xue’s loud voice carried, and her mother would just laugh along. Fang Ruoruo could only lower her head and quietly shovel plain rice into her mouth.

Her poor grades weren’t from lack of effort—she had to yield to her cousins, do chores, and avoid making her mother "look bad."

But against all odds, Fang Ruoruo outperformed in exams and got into a good school. When she shared the news, her mother frowned, while Aunt Li Xue’s face darkened with thinly veiled disdain.

She didn’t know what her aunt said to her mother, but days later, she was told she couldn’t attend that school—the tuition was too expensive, and her "useless father" couldn’t afford it. Fang Ruoruo bit her lip and agreed.

Strangely, her second cousin, who scored worse than her, was enrolled in that very school. Aunt Li Xue even threw a banquet to celebrate, where everyone praised her son. Fang Ruoruo sat in her usual corner, hearing her mother mention her name only to self-deprecate: "My daughter’s not bright." "She’s just not cut out for studying." The crowd nodded in agreement.

Fang Ruoruo ended up at a mediocre boarding school, which at least freed her from that household.

Without distractions, her grades soared, and she eventually made it to university—though not a prestigious one.

Yet her family, especially Aunt Li Xue, insisted, "What’s the point of a girl going to college? She’s clumsy anyway. Better marry her off early." Her mother seemed to agree.

Panicked, Fang Ruoruo dialed a number she’d never called before. A weary voice answered. Nervous, she stammered out her situation, but her father simply asked about her life and told her to focus on her studies—he’d cover the costs.

Gathering her courage, she informed her mother and left home with her bags packed.

Not long after, she learned her mother had remarried—a match arranged by Aunt Li Xue. No one invited Fang Ruoruo; she could only congratulate her mother in the family group chat.

As an adult, she worked relentlessly, saving diligently. Combined with the money her father had set aside, she managed a down payment on an apartment. But around that time, her father vanished—his phone number disconnected forever.

When her mother posted in the family group, "My daughter bought a place! Everyone’s welcome to visit," Aunt Li Xue called the same day.

"You bought a place?"

Fang Ruoruo hesitated. "Yes."

"Well, aren’t you fancy." Her aunt’s tone was dripping with sarcasm before shifting. "Ruoruo, I watched you grow up. There’s something I’d like to discuss."

"Your cousin’s getting married, but he doesn’t have a home yet. Could you lend him your apartment for the wedding?"

Fang Ruoruo was speechless.

"You lived in my house as a child," Aunt Li Xue pressed. "Ah, this isn’t a phone conversation. Let’s talk in person."

The next day, Fang Ruoruo opened her door to find her aunt’s entire family on her doorstep.

Aunt Li Xue barged in, scrutinizing the apartment with disdain. "This place is tiny—smaller than our living room back home. And the decor is so plain..." Her two sons followed, one looking smug, the other glued to his phone. Only the youngest cousin was absent. Her uncle trailed behind, immediately lighting a cigarette, filling the room with acrid smoke.

Fang Ruoruo felt uneasy, but old habits made her force a smile. "Aunt, you said yesterday..."