Chapter 9

As the most respected person in the Jia household, Grandma Jia's wailing caused a shock that exceeded Jia Huan's imagination.

There was no sign of Lady Yuanyang going out to give orders, but before long, the key figures of the Jia household hurried over.

The first to arrive was Wang Xifeng, whom Jia Huan had briefly met that morning.

"Oh, what's the matter? Old Ancestor, today is a good day, you mustn't be sad."

Wang Xifeng's voice preceded her, and the few old maids and young maidservants behind her waited outside the door. She lifted the door curtain and walked in, glancing at Grandma Jia, who was still hugging Jia Baoyu and wailing, then looked at Lady Wang, who was comforting her.

Lady Wang was patting Grandma Jia's back and slightly shook her head to indicate that nothing serious had happened. She then glanced at Jia Huan, the culprit who was pretending to be innocent.

Wang Xifeng frowned, feeling a surge of disgust. The initial liking she had felt for Jia Huan in the morning instantly vanished.

There were hundreds of people in the Jia household, and countless matters of varying sizes needed her attention every day.

But now, because of Jia Huan, she had to put aside a pile of work to come and comfort Grandma Jia.

She could only be truly possessed to like Jia Huan.

"Old Lady, if there are people who have upset you, just give them a beating. They are nothing but some cats and dogs, not worth much. Your crying fills the courtyard with good fortune. It's good for us to be near you and share in the good fortune, but those with thin luck don't have the fate to bear it. You should pity them and not let them suffer too much. Old Ancestor, please stop crying, I was handling affairs in the back room when I got the news. I heard that the senior and second masters are also on their way."

"Third Master, I told you that you are like a high-legged chicken, unable to stand on the stage. Even if you were misbehaving before, it was only in front of me and your brothers. This time, you fell ill and forgot everything, and I thought you had grown up. Who knew you would become even more infuriating, daring to act wildly in front of the Old Ancestor. Just wait, when the senior and second masters come, they will surely expose your skin!"

That's right, this is the true character of Sister Feng.

Her words were rapid and clear, yet sharp and articulate.

She first smiled and coaxed the Old Lady, then turned and scolded Jia Huan with a stern and fierce voice, her eyes blazing.

"Sister Feng, you are wronging me!"

Lin Daiyu, sitting on Grandma Jia's right side and wiping her tears with a handkerchief, suddenly turned and spoke.

Jia Huan did not pay attention to Lin Daiyu's defense, but her voice made him shudder.

This shudder was not due to the cold, but rather a mysterious, almost soul-deep tremor.

Lin Daiyu's voice was very unique, very clear, like a child's, yet naturally contained a coquettishness rooted in her feminine nature.

This coquettishness was not deliberately feigned, like Lin Xingling's, which made people feel she was being frivolous...

Lin Daiyu's coquettishness was inherent in her clear voice, charming but not cloying, making one's heart drunk without any impure thoughts.

Most importantly, this coquettishness would never make anyone feel disgusted, even the most morally upright person.

Jia Huan looked at Lin Daiyu with a dazed expression until he met her gaze.

Her eyes seemed to always contain a clear spring, refreshing and invigorating.

Like the waning moonlight at dawn, cold, lonely, and slightly fragrant...

Jia Huan found himself somewhat nervous, hurriedly forcing a smile, but she had already turned away.

Is she being proud and aloof?

However, seeing that she ignored even Wang Xifeng's inquiring gaze and the lecherous look of the little fatty opposite, Jia Huan felt relieved.

This little demoness, with her clear and naturally charming demeanor, had a strong presence and a high level of sophistication.

Bah! She's just a little girl of ten or so!

Jia Huan thought sourly, but then smiled.

This feeling was like in his previous life, when he, unnoticed, sat in a corner of the classroom, occasionally glancing at a certain spot.

That spot was where the class beauty sat...

Wang Xifeng, being the smooth-talking person she was, managed to make Grandma Jia stop crying with a few jokes.

However, before Jia Huan could relax, a series of hurried footsteps sounded outside the room.

The many maids and maidservants standing outside the door bowed and greeted them, creating a noisy scene.

The door curtain was lifted, and several men strode in.

Despite having imagined the men of the Jia household many times, none of them matched the images in his mind.

The leading middle-aged man, probably the oldest and highest-ranking in the Rongguo Mansion, was Jia She.

In the novel, he is described as a lecherous old man, but at this moment, Jia Huan saw a man with a dignified and imposing appearance.

He looked to be in his fifties, with a well-groomed beard, adding to his authority.

He wore a purple brocade robe, looking noble and grand.

Following him was probably his father, Jia Zheng, who had the appearance of a handsome middle-aged man.

He was handsome and elegant, wearing a white brocade robe that highlighted his scholarly demeanor.

Behind him was a young man, likely Jia Lian, the eldest and most legitimate son of this generation in the Rongguo Mansion, who also had a distinguished and refined appearance.

At this moment, all three had solemn expressions. Jia She, the leading middle-aged man, approached and knelt to pay his respects, then stood up without waiting for Grandma Jia's response. He ignored Wang Xifeng, Jia Baoyu, and Lin Daiyu, who were bowing to him, and looked at Grandma Jia with concern, asking, "Mother, what's the matter?"

Although Grandma Jia had stopped crying, she was still sad and seemed unable to speak. She raised her hand and pointed to Jia Huan, who was standing below.

Jia She followed Grandma Jia's hand and looked at Jia Huan, his brows furrowing and his eyes sharp.

However, because Jia Huan's father was present, he could not directly scold him.

Sure enough, before he could say anything, Jia Zheng stepped forward, his hair standing on end with anger, and pointed at Jia Huan, shouting, "You wicked child, you are truly lawless. Speak! What outrageous thing did you do to upset the Old Ancestor so much? If you can't give a reasonable explanation today, I will personally beat you to death, you disobedient beast."

The atmosphere was so tense it could be cut with a knife. Jia Huan looked at the handsome middle-aged man with an innocent expression, then at the speechless Grandma Jia and the indifferent Lady Wang, and glanced at the frightened Jia Baoyu. Finally, he looked at Wang Xifeng, who was whispering to Lin Daiyu with a smile.

"Slap!"

Perhaps annoyed by his wandering gaze, Jia Zheng, in a fit of rage, slapped Jia Huan hard.

Completely unprepared, Jia Huan fell to the ground, and this time he was sure he saw the legendary golden light.

Jia Huan, somewhat dazed, wiped his mouth and saw a trace of red.

His mind buzzed, and his first reaction was: Damn, dare to hit me?!

However, the thought of retaliation that had just formed in his mind was quickly extinguished. It wasn't that he cared about filial piety; he had no impression of this stepfather. It was because the thin, reed-like arm in front of him told him he might not be able to fight back...

Since he couldn't fight back now, he had to survive first. Jia Huan, feeling dizzy, stood up, straightened his clothes, and looked at Jia Zheng with an innocent tone, asking, "Who are you?"

"Wow!"

Everyone was surprised, even Grandma Jia and Lady Wang were somewhat disbelieving. They knew Jia Huan had lost his soul and forgotten everything.

But how could someone not recognize their own father? Such a grave act of disrespect!

Jia She and Jia Zheng were even more incredulous.

Jia Zheng, shaking with anger, all the love he had felt for Jia Huan vanished. His face turned red, and he pointed at Jia Huan, saying, "Good, good, good! I, Jia Zheng, have actually fathered such a disrespectful beast who doesn't even recognize his own father. Today, I will beat you to death, or I will have no face to live in this world. Someone, bring the family law!"

It seemed Jia Zheng was extremely angry, and figures moved behind the door curtain, possibly to fetch the family law.

Generally, the so-called family law was a ruler or a stick, established by the elders of the family to discipline unruly members.

Jia Huan had no interest in meeting the Jia family's family law. Jia Zheng could beat Jia Baoyu half to death, let alone him, a secondary son.

Jia Baoyu had Grandma Jia and Lady Wang to protect him, but Jia Huan looked at the women above and saw that they had little interest in explaining on his behalf. So, Jia Huan had to speak up for himself.

"Sir, is there some misunderstanding?"

Jia Huan's eyes were clear, and although he was just a seven-year-old boy, he could maintain his composure.

However, this sentence almost made Jia Zheng faint, his handsome face twisting into a dark purple. It seemed he still didn't know about Jia Huan's "lost soul" condition.

Perhaps to prevent Jia Zheng from being angered to death, or to avoid being "looked at differently" afterward, as she knew the truth, Lady Wang finally spoke softly, "Master, Huan not only doesn't recognize you, but since he woke up last night, he has lost his soul and doesn't recognize anyone."

"Scared?!"

Jia Zheng, Jia She, and Jia Lian all stared at Jia Huan, who looked innocent and pure, with disbelief.

The little fatty, Jia Baoyu, standing beside the couch, perhaps because of his love for reading, suddenly had his eyes shine brightly as he looked at Jia Huan.

Lost soul?

How amazing, how exciting, isn't it?!

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