Adam Sullivan ignored her, turned around and went into the house, leaving her with nothing but a perfect view of the back of his head. When faced with such an unreasonable shrew, arguing back would only play right into her hands. Win or lose, she would first drag you into the ranks of shrews and scoundrels, which in itself is a great insult.

The woman saw Adam Sullivan go back inside and thought the “little bastard” was afraid of her, so she became even more smug, swaying her plump hips as she climbed up, determined to regain the upper hand she’d lost a few days ago.

After much effort, the fat woman finally made it up to the attic, panting heavily. She steadied herself and pushed open the half-closed door, about to go inside.

Suddenly, with a splash, a foul-smelling liquid poured down from above, drenching her from head to toe. Immediately after, a clay basin fell, striking the fat woman on the shoulder before shattering on the ground.

The fat woman was stunned. With a splat, the watermelon hit the floor, but her chubby hand was still half-raised as she stood there in a daze, unable to make sense of what had happened for a long time.

Then she heard Adam Sullivan pinch his nose and say, “Ah, you broke my family’s heirloom basin! Pay up! Pay up!”

Only then did the fat woman come to her senses, catching a strong stench. Her face instantly turned green with rage and embarrassment. “You brat, just you wait!” she shouted, fleeing downstairs as fast as she could. As much as she wanted to skin the “little bastard,” she couldn’t stand the filth on her body and rushed off to wash up first.

Chapter 7: The The Sullivan Family Compound (Part 1)

After a while, Adam Sullivan heard faint sounds of arguing from downstairs. It seemed that the old woman was telling her husband to go upstairs and take revenge, but the man refused. The old woman then cursed him as a useless coward, grabbed a rolling pin, and stormed upstairs herself.

Seeing that the door was still ajar, the woman peered through the crack and, sure enough, saw a basket perched atop the door. She sneered, “You think you can fool me again?” Raising her head, she stood on tiptoe, gripped the rolling pin with both hands, and gave the basket a hard poke, knocking it down as expected.

“Ha! Out of tricks, aren’t you, you little bastard?” The fat woman pushed the door open, head held high, and strutted triumphantly over the threshold into the room.

But trouble lurks where you least expect it. As soon as her right foot landed, she felt as if she’d stepped onto a mirror. Looking down, she saw she’d stepped on a large piece of watermelon rind... With a whoosh, the fat woman slipped and fell flat on her back. As the saying goes, misfortunes never come singly—her calf caught on the threshold, adding to her momentum, and she crashed down even harder, toppling like a mountain, collapsing like a pillar, and landed with a tremendous thud.

Accompanied by a pig-like wail, the fat woman tumbled down the narrow stairs like a giant ball... The feeling was all too familiar. But this time, her husband had learned his lesson. Seeing a huge figure rolling down, he dodged aside without a second thought, watching as the woman crashed to the bottom, sprawled out in all directions.

Adam Sullivan listened from above, thinking, “That was a hard fall—she doesn’t even have the strength to curse anymore.” He knew this wasn’t the end of it, but he didn’t care in the slightest.

He leaned quietly by the window, watching the little bridge and flowing water outside, the smooth bluestone streets, the endless stream of black-awning boats, and the men and women in long gowns and short jackets. They worked, chatted, and laughed, and occasionally someone would glance up at the young man by the window and burst into good-natured laughter.

Everything was so vivid, so familiar, without the slightest sense of alienation. It was as if he had always belonged here.

“This is my life now,” Adam Sullivan said to himself, waving goodbye to the world of his dreams...

※※※

He wasn’t wrong—trouble arrived before nightfall.

Adam Sullivan was lost in thought when he heard a commotion in the courtyard, followed by the sound of heavy footsteps coming upstairs.

Just as Adam Sullivan sat up straight, there was a loud bang as the door was kicked open, and a burly man with a fat head and big ears appeared before him.

The big man didn’t rush in, but looked around carefully. Once he was sure it was safe, he strode inside, stepping aside to clear the doorway... and didn’t forget to kick away the watermelon rind on the floor.

A frivolous young man appeared at the door, wearing a tasseled cap and a green silk robe, fanning himself with a gold-speckled fan. He was only sixteen or seventeen, but carried himself with great arrogance, looking down his nose at Adam Sullivan and saying, “Are you the one who injured Seventh Miss?”

Adam Sullivan looked puzzled. “Excuse me, but who is this Seventh Miss?”

The young man snorted, nostrils flaring even wider, and said to the big man beside him, “Tell him who Seventh Miss is.”

“Listen up,” the big man rumbled. “Seventh Miss is our young master’s cousin’s daughter—the one living downstairs from you.”

Adam Sullivan almost choked, thinking to himself that the fat woman’s husband must have heard the name but never seen the person before marrying her, and so fell into a trap. Outwardly, he replied calmly, “I didn’t injure her.” She hurt herself.

“Don’t try to deny it,” the young man sneered. “You should know that our The Sullivan Family has strict family rules—no fighting among relatives!” With that, he snapped his folding fan and said, “Tie him up and take him to the master to receive family discipline!”