Chapter 546: Peeping at the Villagers Bathing

Chapter 546: Chapter 546: Peeping at the Villagers Bathing

"Blueberry," Renee Jennings said, her brow furrowing slightly. "What’s going on?"

Blueberry crouched and leaped off Drake’s back, padding over to her on nimble paws. "Meow! Renee, there’s a really obnoxious human downstairs who says she’s going to live with us!"

"Huh?" Surprise flickered across Renee’s face. "Why would she want to live with us?"

Blueberry meowed, "That obnoxious human says she raised our mom. She said her own kids went without meat so our mom could eat it all."

"Really?" Renee pursed her lips. "How come I’ve never heard Mom mention that?"

Drake barked as well. "Renee, you have to go stop that awful human! Don’t let her stay here!"

’For Blueberry and Drake to have such a strong reaction, this person must be trouble.’

Michelle Fuller blinked. "What’s going on?" she asked curiously.

Renee explained the situation, then stood up. "Come on, let’s go downstairs and meet her."

"You got it." Michelle’s eyes brightened.

Zane and Jasmine tilted their small heads up at her. "Auntie Renee, should Jasmine and I go downstairs?"

"Let’s all go down together." Renee took their small hands.

In the first-floor living room, Rhea Dempsey stared at the woman across from her—her second grand-aunt—who was dressed in a floral-print dress with a tacky perm of short curls. Rhea was rolling her eyes so hard internally it hurt.

The second grand-aunt had devoured the entire fruit platter Glenn Zane had prepared. Wiping her mouth, she asked, "Is there any more? That was delicious."

Rhea’s mouth twitched. "Sorry, Second Grand-aunt, that was all we had in the fridge."

"All gone?" The second grand-aunt reached for a bag of cookies and started opening it. "Why don’t you buy more? I love strawberries and figs."

Rhea forced a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

Renee and Michelle heard this shameless remark just as they reached the bottom of the stairs, and they both let out laughs of disbelief.

Michelle and Sylvia Brooks had bought those strawberries and figs. The strawberries alone cost 288 yuan for just 200 grams. This woman certainly had expensive taste.

Without a second thought, Michelle shot back, "In your dreams."

The moment the words were out, she remembered this was Rhea’s relative. ’Had she gone too far?’

Michelle quickly glanced at Rhea’s expression. Seeing that she wasn’t upset, Michelle breathed a small sigh of relief.

’That was close.’

The second grand-aunt glared at Michelle, displeased. "Hey, watch your mouth, kid. You must be Dalton Jenson’s burdensome stepdaughter, right?"

The moment she said that, the expressions on Rhea and Renee’s faces darkened with anger.

"How dare you speak like that?" Rhea retorted, her voice sharp with displeasure. "Second Grand-aunt, Bella is my daughter too. Don’t you dare talk about her so horribly."

If anyone who didn’t know better heard that, they might think Rhea had a problem with Diana and was badmouthing her to her side of the family.

Renee added coldly, "That’s my sister. Watch your mouth."

Slider also started cursing from his basking platform. "Shameless old hag! I oughta drown you in a glob of my spit!"

Bella and Pippi were also furious, baring their teeth and glaring at the second grand-aunt.

The second grand-aunt turned to Renee. She frowned and sized her up for a long moment before her eyes suddenly lit up and she broke into a warm smile. "You must be Renee, right? My, you’ve gotten so big! And so pretty, too."

"And who are you?" Renee asked coolly.

"I’m your Second Great-grand-aunt!" the woman said, getting up and walking over to grab Renee’s hand. She chuckled. "I hear you’re an influencer?"

Renee pulled her hand back, frowning. "Where did you hear that?"

"On my phone, of course," the great-grand-aunt said slyly. "Being an influencer must be pretty lucrative, right? Enough for your family to live in a huge villa like this."

Renee scoffed. "You saw it on your phone? Then you should also know I don’t make much money as an influencer."

"How is that possible?" the great-grand-aunt asked, her face full of doubt. "If you don’t make any money, how can you afford to live in a villa this nice?"

"It’s my friend’s house," Renee said, pointing to Michelle.

Michelle immediately caught on and lifted her chin. "That’s right. This is my house."

"So you’re Renee’s friend?" The great-grand-aunt sized Michelle up again, a calculating glint in her eyes. "You’re a pretty one. Are you seeing anyone?"

"What’s it to you?" Michelle shot back.

The great-grand-aunt was taken aback for a second, then turned to Rhea and complained, "Honestly, Rhea, what’s the matter with you? Renee has such a wonderful friend and you didn’t even think to introduce her to your eldest nephew."

Rhea had been suppressing her anger, reminding herself that the woman was, after all, an elder. But after hearing her call Diana "baggage," she couldn’t hold it in any longer.

Her fake smile vanished. "Him? Is he even worthy?" she scoffed. "He’s built like a winter melon with a face like a bitter gourd."

"Pfft—" Michelle couldn’t help but burst out laughing. "Just how ugly is he?"

Rhea looked at her and laughed too. "He’s absolutely hideous!"

The great-grand-aunt’s face turned pale with rage. "You... you... What nonsense is this? That’s your own eldest nephew! How can you say such things about him?"

"I’m just telling the truth," Rhea said with an innocent expression. "He’s short and fat, with a face full of acne scars. Isn’t that just like a winter melon and a bitter gourd? I’m already being generous by not saying he looks like a watermelon."

"You..." The great-grand-aunt was too furious to speak.

Rhea smiled faintly. "Just stop parading him around. It’s embarrassing."

The great-grand-aunt’s face was ashen. A harsh, ragged breath escaped her throat, and her whole body trembled uncontrollably. "Rhea, you say that again!"

Renee glanced at the woman, then turned to Rhea. "Mom, what side of the family is she from, exactly?"

"My second grand-aunt. She’s your maternal grandfather’s cousin," Rhea explained. "We haven’t been in touch for years. She suddenly called me today saying she was in Zenvia and wanted to come visit."

Rhea didn’t think much of it and gave her the address. Who would have thought she’d show up with a few pieces of rotten fruit?

Still, it was the thought that counted, so she decided not to make a fuss.

Rhea had even asked Glenn Zane to cut up some nice fruit for her to try.

But the woman’s seat wasn’t even warm before she started trying to take credit for everything, claiming she was the one who’d raised Rhea. That without her, the Rhea of today wouldn’t exist.

What a load of crap.

But given the woman’s age, Rhea had just gritted her teeth and borne it.

But this great-grand-aunt was just too obnoxious, saying one inappropriate thing after another.

One minute, she was telling Rhea to keep a tight leash on Dalton Jenson, because many men in their second marriages like to cheat, and Dalton would surely be no exception.

The next, she was saying that since Rhea was living in a big house now, she could show her filial piety by letting her move in permanently.

Rhea hadn’t responded at the time, but Blueberry had been absolutely furious and immediately ran to get Drake so they could go tattle.

"Mom, what’s this I hear about this old lady yelling about how she raised you?" Renee asked, raising an eyebrow.

The great-grand-aunt immediately jumped in. "That’s right, that’s right! I’m the one who raised your mother."

At the mention of this, Rhea felt exasperated. She took a deep breath and began, her voice low. "Well, it was like this. I was about five or six at the time. My grand-aunt’s husband was caught peeping on the other villagers while they were bathing, so he skipped town."