Chapter One, The Second Life.

Heavens, this hand clearly belongs to a minor

Fang Jie felt a mixture of emotions in his heart

It is good that you are awake. If you do not wake up soon, your mother will turn the house upside down

The young master has awakened

Yue'er... Yue'er, are you really awake?

I wonder what the situation outside is like right now

Since you are aware of the concerns I and your mother have, you should have thought more about it from the beginning. Who has ever seen a young master climbing trees like a monkey? How many medicines have you taken and how many doctors have you consulted since childhood? Even your schooling has been intermittent. Now that you have finally managed to attend school for a month straight, you have caused such a commotion again

Faced with the piercing gaze of the old woman, and confronted with the double entendre of her words, Fang Jie could not help but feel a bit flustered, his face naturally revealing a hint of confusion. However, as soon as he met his mother's cold and sorrowful eyes, he recalled the gossip he had just heard. In almost an instant, countless fragments of memories flashed through his mind, and he instinctively uttered a phrase.

Although being resurrected is certainly a good thing, returning to the world has brought about such tremendous changes. Even though Fang Jie is known for his adaptability, at this moment he is utterly bewildered and in a state of chaos. However, before he can make an effort to convince himself to adjust his mood with various reasons, a loud commotion erupts from outside. In the next moment, the door to the room, which had just been closed behind him, is suddenly pushed open with a bang, and a figure stumbles in.

Madam is throwing such a big tantrum for the first time; didn't you see that the master couldn't even stop her just now? At this moment, Madam is most likely crying and complaining in front of the old lady

I only hope that the young master can wake up safely... Sigh, after all, the lady has only this one...

It is all my fault, causing concern for both my grandmother and mother

She was a woman in her early thirties, her face seemingly devoid of makeup, appearing somewhat sallow. Her eyes were red and swollen, yet at that moment, a faint smile of joy lingered at the corners of her mouth. She trembled as she cupped his face with her hands, her lips slightly parted as if she wanted to say something, but after a long pause, no words came forth.

After a while, one of the young girls suddenly dashed out like a gust of wind, while the other was overjoyed, clasping her hands together and repeatedly uttering "Amitabha".

At this moment, Fang Jie could only smile bitterly—first, due to this extraordinary adventure; second, because in this life he was indeed a person beset by three disasters and eight difficulties; and third, because he seemed to be unwelcome in this household—however, in an instant, he resolved to steel his heart.

As I raised my eyes to look, I immediately saw an elderly woman entering, supported by two maidservants. She had a mink fur wrap around her hair bun, with a deep blue gemstone embedded in the center of the wrap. She wore a long garment adorned with a blue pattern of hibiscus and osmanthus, and her silver hair was neatly arranged, held up by a jade hairpin. Her face bore an expression of solemnity that was hard to overlook

As the old woman approached, the woman who had been sitting in front of the bed suddenly stood up, lowered her head, and stepped aside, respectfully addressing the old lady. However, the old woman did not even glance at her, casually brushed off the two maids who were assisting her, and directly sat down at the head of the bed

He gently shook his drowsy head and twisted his neck, finally managing to see a few furnishings in the room. Whether it was the green gauze canopy above, the silk bed beneath him, the vase on the table by the window, or the screen and other items, all conveyed some kind of implication to him. When he looked down at his hands, he instinctively let out a cry of despair, and his upper and lower jaws could not help but clatter against each other.

After finishing the lesson, the old woman stood up and looked at her daughter-in-law standing nearby, saying in a neither warm nor cold manner: "Since Yue Ge and Tu Shu have already woken up, the matter is over. You need not make a fuss anymore. Chao Ge and Qi Ge are indeed mischievous; the second daughter-in-law has disciplined them and taught them a lesson, so this matter is settled. As for Yue Ge, you, as his mother, should pay more attention to him, teach him well, and avoid causing trouble all the time"

A commanding voice suddenly echoed in the room, scattering the warmth that had just filled the space.

It is indeed true that both the eldest and second masters are officials, while our master does not particularly please the madam. Although the young master is a good person and treats us kindly, he does not win the madam's favor. This time, he was incited by the eldest and second young masters to climb a tree, fell down, and nearly lost half his life. It has been three days, and he still has not woken up; how could the madam not be anxious

Hearing such an excited shout, Fang Jie quickly raised his head. Before him were two unfamiliar faces, their elaborate hairstyles and strange clothing distinctly different from those of modern people. Moreover, the two young girls had been staring at him for a long time with a gaze filled with both surprise and joy, making him feel a chill run down his spine

In a daze, Fang Jie heard the casual chatter of two women and unconsciously opened his eyes. Seeing the two young girls with their backs to him, along with their tall hair buns and the hairpins atop, he suddenly recalled the few sentences of conversation he had just heard in a half-dreaming state, causing his mind to immediately go blank.

Faced with such a heartfelt lesson, Fang Jie could only lower his head, yet he couldn't help but smile bitterly in his heart. Although the words were somewhat harsh, for someone like him who had lost all his loved ones in his previous life, even a biased lesson was something he found acceptable.

As soon as these words were spoken, the room fell silent. Not only did the several maids standing on the ground fall silent, but even the woman standing beside them looked at the child on the bed with an expression of disbelief. The elderly woman sitting at the head of the bed was even more astonished; after scrutinizing for a moment, her previously tense face softened slightly, yet her tone still carried a hint of admonition.

The young woman sat down at the head of the bed with a look of despair on her face, her eyes fixed intently on the little one on the bed, murmuring to herself: "Heaven, why can't my son be safe and sound like others! He is both sickly and prone to injuries; how many lives can withstand such torment?"

Is Brother Yue awake

After the old woman uttered these words, the two maidservants came over to assist her. As she turned and exited the room, everyone else followed her out. In no time, the large room was left with only the woman and Fang Jie, who was sitting on the bed in a daze.

Fang Jie barely had time to see the appearance of the person who had arrived before being tightly embraced. The immense force nearly took his breath away. Drops of tears fell onto his face and hands, and the warmth of that sensation made his heart tremble involuntarily, yet what he felt more was a sense of confusion. After a long while, he felt the constricting arms loosen slightly, allowing him to finally see the person in front of him.

The person who once was Fang Jie has died; the one who lives now is a different individual. Regardless of whether he can immediately accept these new family members, since he has been given the opportunity to return to life after death, he has the obligation to live better, whether for others or for himself

What is the use of lamenting? Who doesn't know that the old lady dotes on the two young masters of the second branch and hardly pays any attention to our young master? Moreover, the madam is an honest person; how can she compete with the second madam?

Even the most obtuse person can barely guess the current situation, and he naturally understands it. However, understanding is one thing; to suddenly bid farewell to the past and accept this new identity in the present is something he cannot accomplish immediately. After reminding himself several times, he finally extended an arm and gently grasped the woman's hand, yet he found it impossible to immediately call her "mother" or "mom"—because it was simply too absurd