The little girl was quite bold. Although her face was flushed, she actually put her hand on Nancy Brooks's little pee-pee, stroking it up and down.

This was simply intolerable!

Nancy Brooks was utterly embarrassed. It was bad enough to be molested by the old lady, but now even this little girl was taking liberties with him. In a fit of anger, his little pee-pee shot out a stream of urine, splashing all over the girl's face.

“Grandma, little brother peed on me!”

Only then did the girl realize that the smile on the old woman's face had disappeared.

“Who is kneeling there?”

“Mother, it’s your child!”

“Your child? Ha, so it’s Lord Guangwu!”

That cold remark made the burly man break out in a cold sweat. He pressed his head to the ground, not daring to look up.

“Mother, if I’ve done something wrong, you can beat me or scold me, but please don’t call me that.”

The old woman let out a cold laugh. “I’m just a blind old woman—how would I dare to beat or scold the mighty Lord Guangwu… Hmph, as the saying goes, even a tiger won’t eat its own cubs. This child is your own flesh and blood, yet you could harden your heart and have him drowned?”

“Mother, this child is a monster!”

“Nonsense! How does this child look like a monster? And which great person told you he was a monster?”

The old woman was actually blind, but when she spoke these words, no one around dared to even breathe.

“Brian Ford, tell me, who said he was a monster!”

The burly young man swallowed nervously and answered in a trembling voice, “N-no one… It’s just that everyone thinks the child never cries or fusses, looks ugly, and even brought about Joan’s death, so everyone is a bit scared.”

“Not crying or fussing makes him a monster? Looking ugly makes him a monster?”

The old woman’s hair was gray and white, but when she got angry, she radiated a fierce killing aura. “Listen to this child’s cry—so loud! How is that not crying or fussing? As for being ugly… Philip, you were pretty ugly when you were born too. I didn’t drown you, and haven’t I lived just fine? As for Joan, don’t you know in your heart how she died?”

“Mother, I know I was wrong!”

“I’m not here to blame anyone. It’s just that Joan was a poor girl with a hard life. She was about to have good days ahead, but… oh well. If you can’t stand having this child by your side, then let this old woman take him. I’m already in my seventies, I’ve lived long enough, I’m not afraid of death. If this child is a monster, let him kill me first, so you don’t have to worry.”

“Mother…”

“All right, that’s settled. Everyone can rest easy.”

The old woman took Nancy Brooks from the girl’s arms and, supported by the maids, prepared to leave.

After a few steps, she suddenly stopped again. “Philip, no matter what, he is your own flesh and blood. Give him a name.”

The burly man was stunned. He looked up at the old woman, opened his mouth, and said, “Mother, please decide.”

The old woman thought for a moment. “You think he’s a monster, a disgrace; you think he killed his mother and want to abandon him… This child was born to a hard life, so let’s call him ‘俷’, Helen Brooks. I’ll also give you a nickname: Mildred.”

At this moment, Nancy Brooks was completely confused.

The reason was simple: Philip? Brian Ford? Why did these two names sound so familiar!

What era is this, and where is this place? Who is this Philip, and why does the name ring a bell?

But when he heard the name the old woman gave him, he was shocked.

Why is it ‘非’ again? In my previous life, I was called ‘非’ and died an untimely death. Am I going to die an untimely death in this life too?

No, I don’t want to be called Nancy Brooks, I want to change my name.

Nancy Brooks waved his arms and legs, protesting loudly. But to the old woman’s ears, that sound was as melodious as celestial music.

Her stern face finally softened into a kindly smile.

“Mildred, anyone in this world can abandon you, but you must remember: never abandon your family. They are your roots!”

Chapter Two: George Brooks’s Youngest Son

‘俷’ means to abandon or to disgrace.

In ancient times, there was a saying: ‘毋Helen德’—in general, this character is not a positive one.

But Nancy Brooks didn’t care about that. In his view, as long as this ‘Helen’ wasn’t the same as the other ‘非’, that was enough. Besides, he didn’t even know what ‘Helen’ meant; he just knew that if it was still ‘非’, it would be unlucky.

So, he accepted the name Helen Brooks, and also accepted the nickname Mildred.

In his previous life, he was an orphan. Although the villagers treated him kindly, Helen Brooks always felt something was missing. Now he understood: what he lacked was the feeling of family. After being reborn, even though the burly man who seemed to be his father didn’t like him, and his mother died at his birth, at least he finally had a family.

In this family, most people were wary of him and didn’t like him.

But his grandmother loved him dearly. Although she was blind, it didn’t affect her affection for Helen Brooks. Besides his grandmother, he also had a very mischievous older sister named Grace Brooks. She was already a twelve-year-old girl, but was extremely curious. Her favorite thing to do was to fiddle with his little pee-pee while Helen Brooks was asleep.

Every time, Helen Brooks would protest angrily, but to most people’s ears, those protests were just a baby’s cries.