Chapter 1

So blinding!

Wang Fulin instinctively squinted his eyes, trying to adapt to the drastic change from darkness to light. But before he could clearly see his surroundings, a voice reached his ears.

“Father?”

Who is this calling?

Wang Fulin looked around in confusion. In the next moment, he saw a child, about eight or nine years old, with clear features, leaning on the edge of the bed. The child stared at him for a while with wide eyes, then exclaimed in surprise and joy, “Father really woke up, Father woke up!”

This time, realizing that this was actually calling him, Wang Fulin was thunderstruck, and then he was so angry that steam seemed to rise from his seven orifices.

Who is the scoundrel who dared to use this cliché trick to trap him?

Wait, he vaguely remembered the severe accident before. Even if he didn't die, he would have been severely injured. How could he be here?

With these two shouts, his surroundings quickly filled with people. There were three women, dressed in red and green, with elaborate hairstyles and beautiful faces, but he had never seen them before! Immediately, he saw the child who called him Father bow politely to the three women and then called out, “Elder Sister, Second Sister, Third Sister.”

Just being called Father wasn't enough; now there were Elder Sister, Second Sister, and Third Sister? What is going on?

Wang Fulin felt his scalp tingle. In a panic, he simply closed his eyes and pretended to faint.

This act of closing his eyes caused chaos in the room again. The three women who were previously overjoyed by his awakening were now stunned and then became anxious.

“How could Little Brother wake up and faint again so quickly!”

“It’s all the fault of those two cursed sedan bearers who robbed and injured him halfway. The authorities haven’t caught them yet! Fortunately, Uncle was passing by on his way from Huizhou City to Songming Mountain and heard Brother’s cries for help!”

“Should we call the doctor from last time to take a look again?”

“Elder Sister! Why call that quack again? He said Brother wouldn’t last a few days, and even if he did, he would be a living dead man. Uncle had to beg him to prescribe medicine! He charged a huge fee, five taels of silver, and even after taking so much money, Brother still hasn’t woken up. If he comes to check again, I’ll beat him to death!”

“Second Sister, be quiet. Fortunately, Mother isn’t here. If she heard you say you’d beat him to death, she would definitely make you kneel in the courtyard!”

These chattering voices entered his ears one by one. Hearing the titles, Wang Fulin finally regained his composure.

He quietly opened his eyes a slit and carefully observed the three people crowded by the bed. The eldest woman, about seventeen or eighteen years old, wore a silver-red blouse and a lotus-green skirt, with bright black eyes, exuding a natural authority as the eldest sister. The woman who was shouting and cursing the quack wore a jade-colored dress, about twelve or thirteen years old, with her hands on her hips, her eyebrows raised, and a fierce look on her face. The youngest girl, still in her childhood, had twinkling eyes and caught his gaze just as he was peeking.

“Brother woke up!”

This sharp-eyed little girl! Wang Fulin was startled and quickly closed his eyes again to pretend to faint.

Just as he heard “Father woke up,” he now heard “Brother woke up.” The eldest sister and Second Sister simultaneously looked at the bed where Wang Fulin lay. Seeing him with his eyes tightly closed, lying like a corpse, the eldest sister looked suspiciously at the youngest sister, who immediately mumbled, “I just saw Brother’s eyes open a slit...”

The eldest sister frowned, but before she could do anything, Second Sister rushed forward and suddenly pinched Wang Fulin’s right cheek, twisting it a bit. With a cry of “Ouch!” under everyone’s watchful eyes, Wang Fulin grimaced in pain, his features contorted, and his eyes naturally widened.

“See, my method works, right?” Second Sister raised her eyebrows triumphantly, but received a reproachful look from the eldest sister. Realizing she had gone too far, she lowered her head sheepishly but then looked at the youngest sister defiantly, “In the past, when Brother overslept in winter, Little Sister would put ice in his bed...”

The eldest sister glared at her two younger sisters irritably and then sat down on the edge of the bed. Seeing Wang Fulin’s dazed expression and his avoidance of her gaze, she sighed.

“Little Brother, you entered the school, and your classmates invited you, but why did you send the servants back first and show off your wealth in front of others? In the end, you hired two ruffian sedan bearers and ended up with these injuries! Father is away on business and is ill, and Mother was afraid you would miss the examination, so she went to see you herself. The two elders are not here, and I am married, so it’s not easy for me to come back. The younger sisters are still young, and this time, it was all thanks to Uncle’s efforts in getting the doctor for you...”

Wang Fulin listened to these rambling words, feeling a headache, and didn’t know how to respond, feeling extremely conflicted about his current situation. At this moment, he caught a glimpse of the child in the corner out of the corner of his eye, remembering the sudden “Father” earlier, and felt a bit puzzled.

If he is now really this woman’s brother, how old could he be to have such a big son!

Although he didn’t speak, the eldest sister, sitting on the edge of the bed, noticed his gaze and followed it. She immediately called out, “Jinbao, come here!”

Taking a deep breath, Wang Fulin looked at the child who obediently approached, standing straight but clearly nervous.

Seeing Jinbao bite his lip and remain silent, the eldest sister kept her cold face, “I’ll send you back in a while!”

Jinbao’s face turned even paler. He stood there for a moment, then stammered, “Elder Sister, did I not take good care of Father?”

“Since your brother sent you here, you have been serving day and night, doing your best!” The eldest sister saw a bit of color return to Jinbao’s face but still didn’t soften her tone, “But since we are of the same surname and clan, Little Brother only listened to a few words from your brother and signed a death pact, making you a servant. This is not proper! Moreover, if it weren’t for showing off the silver given to your brother, Little Brother wouldn’t have suffered this misfortune.”

Wang Fulin felt a bit relieved but was completely confused. This child was calling him Father, but now he was a