Volume One: Head of the Family

Chapter One: Father!

So bright!

Frank Warren instinctively squinted, trying to adjust to the stark contrast from darkness to light. But before he could see his surroundings clearly, a voice rang in his ears.

"Father?"

Who are they calling?

Frank Warren looked around in confusion. The next moment, he saw a boy of about eight or nine, with delicate features, lying on the edge of the bed. The boy stared at him with wide eyes for a while, then, overjoyed, shouted again, "Father is really awake! Father is awake!"

This time, realizing that he was the one being called, Frank Warren was utterly shocked, both inside and out, and immediately fumed with anger.

Which scoundrel dared to use such a cliché trick to set him up?

Wait, he vaguely remembered that violent accident before. Even if he survived, he should have been badly injured—how did he end up here?

With those two shouts, the area in front of him was soon crowded with people. There were three women, dressed in bright, retro clothes, with elaborate hairdos and beautiful faces, but he had never seen any of them before! Then, he saw the boy who called him "father" respectfully bow to the three women and address them, "First mother, second mother, third mother."

Being called "father" was bad enough, but now there were first, second, and third mothers? What on earth was going on?

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

As soon as he shut his eyes, the room descended into chaos again. The three women, who had just been overjoyed, were stunned, then quickly became anxious.

"Why did little brother faint again just after waking up!"

"It's all the fault of those two damned sedan bearers, robbing and hurting people on the road. The authorities still haven't caught them! Luckily, uncle happened to be traveling from Huizhou City to Songming Mountain and heard brother's cries for help!"

"Should we call that doctor from last time to take another look?"

"Elder sister! Why bother with that quack? The moment he opened his mouth, he said brother wouldn't last a few days, and even if he did, he'd be a living corpse. Uncle had to beg him with so many kind words just to get a prescription! Yet he dared to charge five taels of silver per visit, took so much money, and brother still didn't wake up. If he comes again, I'll beat him to death!"

"Second sister, keep your voice down. Luckily mother isn't here. If she heard you talking about beating people again, she'd definitely make you kneel in the courtyard!"

All this chattering reached his ears, and hearing those forms of address, Frank Warren finally started to regain his senses.

He quietly opened his eyes a sliver and carefully observed the three people crowded at his bedside. The eldest girl looked about seventeen or eighteen, wearing a silver-red top and lotus-colored skirt, with bright black eyes and a natural air of authority—a true big sister. The one complaining about the quack wore a jade-colored dress, was about twelve or thirteen, stood with hands on hips and arched brows, looking fierce. The youngest was still a little girl, her eyes sparkling, and she happened to catch him peeking.

"Brother is awake!"

What a sharp-eyed little girl! Frank Warren was startled and quickly shut his eyes again, pretending to be unconscious.

He had just heard someone say "father is awake," and now someone said "brother is awake." The eldest sister and second mother both turned their gaze to Frank Warren on the bed. Seeing his eyes tightly closed and lying stiff as a corpse, the eldest sister suspiciously looked at the youngest, who immediately muttered, "I just saw brother open his eyes a crack..."

The eldest sister frowned deeply, but before she could act, the second mother darted forward and suddenly pinched Frank Warren's right cheek with two fingers, twisting it half a turn. With a cry of pain, under everyone's gaze, Frank Warren groaned in agony, his features contorted, and his eyes popped open.

"My trick works best, right?" The second mother raised her eyebrows proudly, but only 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 in defiance, "Back in winter, when brother got up late, little sister even put ice cubes in his bed..."

The eldest sister glared at her two younger sisters, then finally sat down at the edge of the bed. Seeing Frank Warren's blank expression and for some reason avoiding her gaze, she sighed.

"Little brother, you entered the academy this time, and your classmates invited you out, so you had to go. But why did you send the tenant servants home first and then show off your wealth in public? In the end, you hired two villainous sedan bearers and ended up injured like this! Father is away on business and fell ill, and mother was afraid your exam would be delayed, so she went herself. With both parents gone and me married off, it's not easy for me to come back. The younger sisters are still little, and this time it was all thanks to uncle running around to get the doctor for you..."