Chapter 8: Such Arrogance for a Scammer!

Their eyes met. The awkwardness was palpable. Of course, Fang Ning didn’t feel awkward; the one feeling awkward was the hypocritical Fang Hong. Holding the bayberries, Fang Hong didn’t know whether to throw them away or keep them.

He grew angry from embarrassment. "What are you looking at?"

"I have sugar-coated bayberries here. Would you like to try some?" Fang Ning trotted over on her short legs. When it came to coaxing children, she never lost.

Fang Hong looked at the sugar-dusted fruit and swallowed hard. Fang Ning picked one up and fed it to him. Instinctively, Fang Hong opened his mouth and bit down. When he realized what he had done, he felt even more awkward. The sweet taste spread across his tongue, so delicious that he temporarily forgot he was supposed to dislike Fang Ning.

"Do you like it?"

Fang Hong didn’t want to admit it, but he had never tasted anything so good. However, he cared about his pride. "It’s not good." He swallowed the pit along with the fruit for good measure.

"Lying children aren't cute," Fang Ning snorted.

She scurried over to Grandma Fang, holding the dish of sugar-coated bayberries with a sweet expression. "Grandma, try some. I’ve been working on these ever since I got home!"

Grandma Fang looked at the white sugar and felt a pang of heartache. That wasteful girl! Oh, she really shouldn't have expected any improvement from them. Holding her chest, Grandma Fang was so angry she could barely speak. "Sugar is such a precious commodity, how... how could you be so wasteful?"

"Grandma, don't be angry. Just taste it first. If it's good, I plan to take it to town tomorrow to see if I can sell it. We’ve been messes in the past and haven't even managed the fields well, but we can't keep coming here to sponge off you forever, right?"

"Sell it?"

"Yes, Grandma, just try one first."

Hearing this, Mrs. Zhao, the second aunt, rushed out from the kitchen. "Fang Ning, our family doesn't have any money left for you to squander, so don't get any ideas about this place! Do you have any idea how much money we had to cough up yesterday because of what you two did? Do you think this whole family can survive on thin air? Can you please have some mercy? I’m putting it plainly: if you dare ask for money again, I’ll smash my head against the wall and die right here!"

Mrs. Zhao was genuinely furious. The eldest branch of the family was a lost cause, and the second and third branches were being dragged down with them. This time, she would make sure the eldest branch didn't get a single copper from the old woman’s purse.

Fang Ning felt a bit fearful. Really, driving someone to threaten suicide wasn't something she had done! When would she be able to shed this reputation? It was too miserable.

"Second Aunt, I really just wanted you all to taste if this sugar-coated bayberry is any good..."

"Isn't that what you say every time?"

Fang Ning had no rebuttal. The original owner's family had such a notorious record that it was difficult for anyone to believe her.

"Second daughter-in-law, go back to your work; this is none of your business!" Grandma Fang finally spoke up. "What’s all this talk about money? Didn't you hear what Ningning said?" Seeing the chance to stop, Mrs. Zhao knew the old woman wouldn't give out any more cash, so she returned to the kitchen.

Watching their interaction, Fang Ning felt a bit helpless. She placed the bayberries on Grandma Fang's lap and turned to leave the old house.

"Wait," Grandma Fang called out. Fang Ning paused. Grandma Fang stood up and went into her room. A moment later, she returned with two pounds of rice. "Take this and get out. Don't stand in front of me and make me angry."

Although the old woman’s tone was harsh, Fang Ning accepted it with a smile. "Thank you, Grandma. When I make money selling these tomorrow, I will surely show my filial piety."

"Forget it. Just not making me angry is enough of a show of filial piety." Grandma Fang scolded herself for being soft-hearted while feeling bad for her own flesh and blood.

Fang Ning hugged the rice and ran off. She wouldn't stand on ceremony with Grandma Fang!

Mrs. Zhao came out again. "Mother, how much rice did you give her?"

"Two pounds."

"Isn't that too little?"

"Are you worried those rascals won't be full?"

"I'm just afraid you'll feel bad if they go hungry and can't sleep at night." Grandma Fang glared at her.

"Grandma, I want to eat those sugar-coated bayberries; they really are delicious," Fang Hong whispered.

Grandma Fang grumbled while picking one up to taste. "With that much sugar, how could it not be good? That wasteful..." Her scolding stopped abruptly. She picked up another one. *How did that little brat come up with this snack?* Could it be that a brush with death really opened her mind?

"How is it, Grandma?" Fang Hong looked expectant. "I want some, too."

Grandma Fang called Mrs. Zhao and Fang Ling over, gave them three each, and then put the rest away. That evening, after dinner, Grandma Fang brought out the bayberries and told the family what Fang Ning had done. After tasting them, the whole family fell silent.

Finally, Grandpa Fang said, "If they want to try, let them. Who knows, maybe they really will carve out a path for themselves? Stop worrying so much!" With the head of the family having spoken, no one else had any objections, as long as the old lady didn't use common funds to subsidize the eldest branch.

Of course, Fang Ning knew nothing of the night's events. When she returned home, Fang Cinian and Liang Anrong had already arrived. Fang Ning frowned. "Did you run into trouble in town?" Even though they had cleaned up, Fang Ning was sharp; she could see at a glance that they had been in a fight.

"It's nothing, just a fall..." Before Fang Cinian could finish, Fang Ning grabbed his arm and rolled up his sleeve with lightning speed. There were abrasions on his forearm and a bruise on his elbow.

Fang Ning was furious, her aura intensifying. "What exactly happened?"

Seeing Fang Ning like this, the two were intimidated and dared not repeat their excuses, telling her the whole story. It turned out Fang Cinian had encountered a scammer in town. He had exposed the fraud, and the scammer, enraged, had attacked him with his accomplices. Later, Liang Anrong had grabbed a butcher's knife from a pork stall to defend them, scaring the thugs off, but not before they threatened that Fang Cinian and the others should wait for them at Futian Village.

"Besides this, where else are you hurt?" Fang Ning began to inspect them further.

Fang Cinian quickly stopped her. "Ningning, I'm fine. I'm a doctor myself; I know my own condition."

Liang Anrong asked, "What if those people really come to the village to make trouble for us?"

Fang Ning sneered, "I’ve lived this long and never seen a scammer so arrogant. I’ll just wait for them to show up!"

"Mom, help Dad lie down and apply some medicine. I'll go cook."

"It's fine, it's just a surface wound, it'll heal in a few days. Don't worry."

"Really?"

"Would your father dare lie to you?"

Hearing this, Fang Ning didn't press the issue. She brought out the sugar-coated bayberries she had made in the afternoon along with the remaining raw ones. "There are so many bayberries on the mountain. I think we can rely on them to earn our first bucket of gold."

Fang Cinian and Liang Anrong gasped. "You actually went to the back mountain? That’s where the tigers are! Do you have a death wish?"

"Dad, Mom, have you forgotten who I am?" Fang Ning said proudly. "The nation trained me, not to turn me into a coward who freezes at the sight of a tiger. By the way, how about we go sell these tomorrow and see how it goes?" And while she was at it, she could deal with those arrogant scammers!