He Ru could only clear her throat and continue the conversation herself. She continued, "At that time, your cousin was only a little over four years old, and your cousin Meng was not even two years old. The debt that Li Zhenzhen left to our family was far from being paid off. Then this rotten woman threw you, who was crying for milk, into the Li family, making things even worse. It couldn't be worse!"

Your uncle's job is already incredibly tough and exhausting. He has elderly parents to care for, young children to raise, and is burdened with his sister's messy debts. His hair has turned white at a young age. You can only imagine how difficult our lives are.

Under these circumstances, it's perfectly normal that we can't raise you. Even if we did, registering your household registration would be a problem. Your grandfather is stubborn and unwilling to give you away, so he forced your uncle to register you under our household registration.

We already have two children. If we register another child, it would be considered an over-birth and we would be fined!

But your uncle is filial, and in the end he accepted it. So, even though you call me "auntie," on the Li family's household registration, your uncle and I are your parents!

How much effort and thought does it take to raise a child? You're old enough now, you should know a little bit about it.

Don't tell me that all these things were given to you by your grandparents and have nothing to do with us. If it weren't for raising you, all the effort your grandparents put into you, and the money and things they spent on you, would belong to your cousins.

But because of you, how could they possibly have the energy to help your uncle and me take care of your cousins? On the contrary, they are getting old, and your uncle and I have to go back and take care of them from time to time.

After your grandfather passed away, we took your grandmother and you into our home to care for you. But fate is unpredictable; your uncle also had an accident and passed away soon after. I was left alone, a woman with three children and an old woman suffering from numerous ailments.

That year felt like the sky was falling for me. No one knows how hard I was going through it!

Even if I was a bit short-tempered and strict with you back then, I never skimped on your food or clothing, did I? Why are you so eager to sever ties with us now?

Ask yourself honestly, do you owe the Li family anything?!

If Li Ke hadn't experienced the hardships of the apocalypse, and was still somewhat weak-willed, she would have felt guilty and soft-hearted after hearing these words. She would have felt that she had dragged down the Li family, and that her uncle's coldness and her aunt's beatings and scoldings would have been understandable. She shouldn't have been so hung up on those little grievances from her childhood.

But now, Li Ke is not only hardened-hearted, but also no longer so stupid. Li Ke wanted to put down the water glass in his hand before replying to He Ru.

Just as she was quietly looking for a suitable spot, a large, slender hand with pale skin reached out and took the water glass directly from Li Ke's hand.

Li Ke's eyes went blank for a moment, wondering what Xiao Yi was up to.

This interruption almost made Li Ke forget what she was going to say. She took a deep breath, forcing herself not to turn her head to look at Xiao Yi's actions, and then reorganized the words she was about to say.

“You can go and settle accounts with Li Zhenzhen for the debts she’s carrying. Ever since she left me with my grandparents, we haven’t had much of a mother-daughter relationship.”

As for what you said, I'm registered in your household and am your daughter in name only, but I only recognize whoever raises me, that's who I am.

In my childhood memories, you and my uncle were not involved. Regarding the fine for violating the household registration regulations, I believe that given my grandparents' personalities, they would definitely find a way to make up for the money owed to you and my uncle.

I don't accept that I took away my cousins' resources. You and my uncle moved to the city with my cousins ​​so that they could attend the best kindergartens and the best schools.

Grandpa and Grandma also send you money and food every year. They've done everything they could. As for what they gave me, it's because I'm the child they decided to raise, and it's what I deserve.

And my uncle's hair has turned white. If I remember correctly, he had premature gray hair. Your lives may have been really tough, but you made it through your own efforts. Your grandparents have always supported you.

Moreover, after Grandpa passed away, you and your uncle tricked Grandma into selling her property and moving in with you, claiming you would take good care of her until her death.

As soon as you managed to coax the money from Grandma into your own hands, you started acting all disrespectful and giving her attitude.

During the two years Grandma lived in your house, not a single day was without her heartache. She often couldn't sleep at night because of chest pains, but she dared not show any of her grievances to you. It was because of you two that this old woman became homeless and could only endure her suffering and live a life of quiet desperation.

From the very first day I moved into your house, I was ordered to clean and do housework. Every meal I ate with you was something I had worked for and was something I deserved.

After my uncle passed away, you started making veiled accusations against Grandma and me every day. Several times when she was bedridden and unable to get up, you refused to take her to the hospital for treatment.

I didn't understand before, I just thought you went crazy because you were too heartbroken about your uncle's situation, but now I'm all grown up, and I've seen through all your malicious thoughts.

You're not going crazy because of your uncle's death, you're using this to force your grandmother to die? You've taken all of the old lady's money, and she's riddled with illnesses and has no value anymore, so you don't want to support her anymore.

So you used those subtle, insidious words to attack the old man, one blow at a time. In the end, you didn't even bother to help with his funeral arrangements.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!