My Bizarre Relatives 011

"Oh yes, it was me who reported you."

Li Xue hadn’t expected Fang Yu to admit it so readily.

"You shameless bitch!" Li Xue roared in fury.

Fang Yu’s expression turned serious. She recalled her brother’s recent warnings, and her curiosity momentarily overshadowed her anger. "I also reported you for smuggling, but unfortunately, they didn’t take it seriously."

"You—!" Li Xue raised her hand to strike, but several laborers stepped forward behind Fang Yu. "Boss Fang, trouble?"

Fang Yu smirked mockingly. "What’s the matter?"

Xu Li grabbed his wife’s arm, his face dark. "We were just asking."

Fang Yu snorted. "All you do is bark like a mad dog. Report you? I’d rather just finish you off. If Ruoruo hadn’t stopped me, saying we’re still family, I’d have burned your house down that day!"

Li Mei’s eyes lit up with emotion. She hadn’t expected her daughter to remember her teachings so well.

"Now you’re reaping what you sowed, Li Xue. This is what they call divine justice." Fang Yu’s tone was deliberately provoking, but Li Xue could only hurl empty insults, not daring to escalate further.

As the group began to leave, Fang Yu suddenly remembered Fang Zhiyi’s instructions.

"Instead of biting at everyone, why don’t you think about who might be jealous of your son getting into that elite school? Tsk tsk, brainless mutt."

Li Xue, being dragged away, froze. For once, she didn’t retort.

The second brother’s family had a son, and the third brother’s daughter had also performed poorly in exams... If they found out that Fang Ruoruo’s admission letter had gone to her instead of them...

There was a saying: suspicion breeds like a seed, growing into a towering tree with just a single word.

Fang Yu watched them leave, humming cheerfully. But then she thought of Fang Zhiyi again, and an inexplicable chill ran down her spine.

Li Xue returned home, her mind racing. By the time she reached her yard, she was already shouting curses, venting her fury from day till night, grating on everyone’s nerves.

The second brother endured it, but the third sister, Li Lan, couldn’t take it anymore. She stormed over from the side gate, demanding to know who Li Xue was cursing. Li Xue snapped back, "Whoever’s guilty knows!"

Li Lan fired back, and soon their mother arrived. The old woman had always favored her eldest daughter and immediately ordered Li Lan to go home. But Li Lan refused. With the crowd gathering to watch the spectacle, she wasn’t about to back down—unlike Li Mei, she wouldn’t be the laughingstock.

The shouting escalated until Li Xue’s sons joined in, shoving and pushing. Li Lan called for her husband and daughter, and chaos erupted. Li Mei, frantic, kept repeating her mantra: "Stop it, we’re family! We’re all relatives!" But no one listened. In the scuffle, someone even slapped her, leaving her stunned.

The Li household descended into pandemonium, much to the amusement of onlookers. The old lady, overwhelmed, fainted and wasn’t discovered until much later—finally ending the farce. But the cracks in the family were now irreparable, and even the pretense of civility was gone.

In stark contrast was the Fang household. Though just three people, they lived in harmony. Fang Zhiyi watched his daughter eat obediently, a pang of emotion striking him. Watching her grow up was bittersweet... especially since he knew his time was limited.

He had asked Little Hei—defying fate wasn’t impossible, but the consequences would be relentless, like a never-ending series of disasters.

So, he had no choice but to pin his hopes on Fang Yu.

Fang Yu often grumbled. Fang Zhiyi’s business wasn’t huge, but it kept him constantly away, leaving her to raise Fang Ruoruo. Despite her complaints, she had come to see the girl as her own. When Ruoruo needed money, Fang Yu went to Fang Zhiyi. When bullies targeted her at school, Fang Yu stepped in. Over time, everyone knew Fang Ruoruo had a formidable aunt.

Ruoruo herself was sensible and kind, with few enemies. Unlike the original timeline, she had completely left her old environment behind, and her grades steadily improved.

The only downside was her continued contact with Li Mei. Her mother would recount the latest family drama—how the eldest cousin had beaten up the second uncle’s son, or how the second cousin had been jumped by the third aunt’s daughter.

Fang Ruoruo could only comfort her mother softly, unable to fathom why family could turn on each other like this.

She had noticed it herself—every time she visited her grandmother’s house, her aunt and cousins glared at her with hostility. But they feared Fang Yu, who always accompanied her, so they settled for snide remarks.

"Look at Ruoruo, living like a princess now, needing a chauffeur just to visit."

"Put that down! We wouldn’t want your fancy clothes getting dirty and blaming us."

"Ruoruo, your cousin’s unemployed. Can you ask your dad to give him a job?"

Fang Ruoruo nodded. "Okay, I’ll mention it to him."

Her aunt beamed, piling food onto her plate. "See? Ruoruo’s the only one who remembers family. After all those years staying with us, she hasn’t forgotten."

Ruoruo forced a smile, the memories of her aunt’s cruelty and her cousin’s torment still fresh.

"Your cousin’s just drifting around with no real job. Talk to your dad, alright? We’re family," Li Mei urged as they left.

"Don’t worry, Mom."

Li Mei glanced at Fang Yu, leaning against the car smoking, and frowned. "I know you resent them, but family grudges don’t last. When I was raising you alone, your aunt took us in. We’d have been homeless otherwise. You must remember kindness."

Fang Ruoruo looked up at her aunt and nodded obediently.

"Stop right there! Are you stupid? What, did your aunt save your life or something?" Fang Yu rolled her eyes. "How many times do you have to get burned before you learn?" She strode over and pulled Ruoruo away.

"Come here less often. This place is disgusting."

"What’s your problem? I’m talking to my daughter!" Li Mei had always disliked Fang Yu, especially seeing how close Ruoruo was to her.

"My problem? Ruoruo visits out of filial piety, and all you do is guilt-trip her. What, is your sister’s family starving? If they can’t survive, there are plenty of ways to end it—drowning, hanging, take your pick!"