After listening to Chen Yuelan’s words, Ye Huohuo let out a contemptuous snort from her nose. "Old Mrs. Chen, I address you as Grandma Chen out of respect, but I hope you also carry yourself with some dignity. I haven’t lost my memory; I recall past events clearly. I have repeatedly denied any relationship with you and your family.
Yes, my surname is Ye, but I have no connection with you whatsoever. I haven’t just arrived in Haicheng; I’ve been here for quite some time. Why is it that when I was fortune-telling under the overpass and struggling to afford my next meal, none of you came to claim me? Yet, the moment I became Li Mohan’s fiancée, you all, one by one, three by three, started proclaiming I was your long-lost family member.
I have an injury on my ankle; anyone with eyes can see that. It’s not just you who knows; anyone who pays even a little attention would be aware of it. So what? Can you claim that the injury on my ankle makes me your grandmother?
If that were the case, then perhaps every old lady in Haicheng would be my grandmother, and I would have to support them all until their dying days?"
As Ye Huohuo spoke, many people around them couldn't help but laugh.
"Indeed, if she had to support all old ladies, even the Li family would go bankrupt."
"Right, who wouldn't try to claim kinship with such a relative?"
"We don't have that much thick skin to claim kinship with everyone we meet!"
"..."
Ever since Li Mohan’s appearance, the tide of opinion among the crowd had turned. Those who had just accused Ye Huohuo of being ungrateful and abandoning her relatives upon gaining wealth now shifted their focus to attacking the Ye family.
Ye Huohuo cast a sidelong glance at them, thinking to herself how many sycophantic and opportunistic people there were in this world. However, they could be useful. She slightly raised her chin and turned her gaze towards the three women from the Ye family.
"I've always kept silent about your intentions to save you face. But you are far too shameless, insisting on… trying to get close to me…"
Ye Huohuo paused, a mocking smile playing on her lips. "No, not to get close to me. It’s to claim kinship with the Li family. I believe everyone present can see your intentions clearly: you want to latch onto the Li family and benefit from them.
Unfortunately, you can’t expect a harvest without sowing seeds. You never raised me, so why should I acknowledge you as family? Did you think you could deceive me or threaten me into agreeing?
I am now a member of the Li family. My actions and decisions must consider the Li family’s interests. Your Ye family is already mortgaging the east wall to pay off the west, drowning in debt. Forget that I’m not part of your Ye family; even if I were, I wouldn’t let the Li family fall into your bottomless pit."
Ye Huohuo’s words left the three women from the Ye family with faces flushing and turning pale. Chen Yuelan trembled with anger. "You... you..."
She had never expected the timid little girl from back then to become so sharp-tongued. She had originally thought her past authority would intimidate Ye Huohuo, but instead, it had backfired. Now, the Ye family’s shamelessly claiming kinship to curry favor with the Li family would likely become public knowledge.
They had tried to snatch a melon but ended up losing their rice.
However, Chen Yuelan was an old hand and wouldn't easily admit defeat. She sneered, "Xiao Qing, this scar can't prove you're our Ye family’s person, but as I said earlier, Ye family blood flows in your veins. A DNA test will confirm our blood relation.
Xiao Wan is your cousin from your uncle’s side. A DNA test can certainly establish our blood connection.
What do you say? Do you dare to take the test?"
More and more onlookers gathered, including many who enjoyed a good spectacle and feared no trouble.
"Young Madam Li, if you want to shut them up, go ahead and take the test. If it comes back negative, see how they back down!"
Someone in the crowd shouted.
"That’s right, a test would make it clear."
"Yes, DNA is accurate. It will reveal the truth or falsehood!"
For a moment, the crowd was abuzz with all sorts of opinions, plunging them back into chaos.
It was supposed to be an engagement banquet, and before any real matters were discussed, they were already getting into a blood test to confirm kinship.
Li Mohan clearly felt Ye Huohuo’s fingertips trembling. The hand he had just warmed had turned cold again.
Ye Huohuo felt Li Mohan grip her hand twice. She looked up and saw him gazing down at her, his light brown eyes resembling a clear spring, soothing her agitated heart.
"As I said earlier, Huohuo is part of my Li family. My Li family will not be dictated by your demand for a DNA test. How else would my Li family stand in Haicheng?
Old Mrs. Chen, since you claim Huohuo is your family, and no DNA test is needed to prove it, I ask you, is she on your household registration book? You constantly claim she is your granddaughter Ye Xiaoqing, whom you’ve been searching for. Then Ye Xiaoqing should have a place on the Ye family’s registration, right?
Why don’t you show it to everyone? If your family doesn’t even have Ye Xiaoqing registered, then on what grounds are you asking my fiancée to prove she is *not* Ye Xiaoqing?"
Li Mohan’s few words left Chen Yuelan and the other two speechless. They had, in fact, deliberately removed Ye Huohuo from the household registration when she had been missing for ten years, fearing she would claim their family fortune.
Now, the Ye family’s household registration only listed their four family members; there was no record of Ye Xiaoqing whatsoever.
"That’s right. You’ve been claiming you’ve been tirelessly searching for your granddaughter, your niece, your sister. It’s unlikely you’d deregister her from the household registration without knowing if she was alive or dead!
Or perhaps, your Ye family simply doesn't have a Ye Xiaoqing, and you’re merely trying to impersonate relatives?" Li Moyan chimed in, seizing the opportunity.
The three from the Ye family were filled with regret. If only they had known back then that Ye Huohuo would end up with the influential Li family, they wouldn’t have deregistered her; they would have placed her as the head of the household!
But now, it was too late. Of course, they couldn’t produce the household registration book. And by refusing to present it, they inadvertently proved they had been lying all along.
Either Ye Xiaoqing didn't exist, or they were heartless and had deregistered their missing relative.
They had been trying to bind others with family ties, yet they themselves were proving to be the most heartless and unfeeling.
The onlookers, while seeking entertainment, were not foolish. Upon seeing the predicament of the three Ye family members, they began to piece together the situation.
If Ye Xiaoqing truly didn't exist, they wouldn't be making false claims of kinship in such a public setting. This Ye Huohuo must indeed have some connection to the Ye family.
However, the Ye family must have treated this child poorly in the past. Even if they offered explanations about sending Ye Xiaoqing to an orphanage due to unavoidable circumstances, it was obvious to anyone looking that this was blatant abuse.
Now that the young lady had achieved success, they were shamelessly trying to claim her and use her to get close to the Li family, which was utterly despicable.
The crowd began to murmur amongst themselves, openly and subtly mocking the Ye family.
Seeing the Ye family’s dream of latching onto the Li family shattered, and with Li Mohan’s words and tone clearly indicating he had offended them, the Ye family was in deep trouble.
For these fair-weather followers, it was clear they needed to choose their side quickly. And there was no hesitation in knowing which side to support.
Just as the three women from the Ye family were left speechless, wishing the ground would swallow them whole, Ye Huohuo suddenly took a step forward.
"Grandma Chen, since you are so eager to claim me as your granddaughter, I can’t possibly refuse you outright. How about this? I’ll go to the hospital with you for a DNA test. If it proves we have a blood connection, then I’ll acknowledge you as my grandmother, what do you say?"
The chaotic crowd instantly fell silent, bewildered by Ye Huohuo’s sudden proposition.