William stopped in his tracks and turned back to ask coldly, “Does the lord have any business?”

“You… never mind, it was wrong of little brother to scold you. I’ll go back and discipline him. You don’t need to trouble Grandfather.”

Andrew Harris was only five years old and didn’t understand. He thought his father had caught up to punish William, so he ran after them, jumping up and down with excitement. “Daddy, hit him! Hit him!”

Patrick Harris had originally come to scold William to stand up for his son, but in the end, he found himself apologizing instead. He was both angry and annoyed. Seeing his son making a fuss beside him, he slapped him in anger. “Shut up!”

Andrew Harris was stunned, his mouth quivered, and he burst into loud wails.

Patrick Harris, fuming, grabbed him and started to leave. At that moment, William suddenly reverted to being a three-year-old child. He asked in surprise, “Uncle, why did you hit brother?”

Patrick Harris was instantly at a loss. He suddenly realized that this was something he really couldn’t talk about. He had actually been outwitted by a three-year-old. He couldn’t even tell Andrew’s mother, or where would he put his pride?

He slowly turned around and stared at William for a long while, hesitating as he asked, “Are you… really only three years old?”

William scratched his head, his big eyes full of innocence. “Uncle, what are you talking about?”

Patrick Harris looked at him for a long time, then finally shook his head with a bitter smile and left, dragging his son away…

William watched Patrick Harris walk off into the distance. He understood in his heart that this man would absolutely not tell anyone about this. Not only did he care about saving face, but more importantly, he was, after all, the legitimate eldest son Philip Harris’s child. To bully the son was to bully the father. That man would not offend Philip Harris over such a trivial matter.

William lowered his head to look at the jade pendant his grandfather had given him. With this illegitimate son’s identity, he wasn’t afraid of being bullied. He couldn’t help but recall something from his previous life: he had a neighbor who was a released labor reform convict. In the past, the man kept his head down, desperately trying to hide his past, terrified that others would find out he’d been in prison. But later, times changed. If anyone dared provoke him, he’d just throw his labor reform release certificate in their face, and then he was the boss.

It seemed he was the same today. This illegitimate son’s identity had actually become his weapon against bullying. William gave a bitter laugh. The reason he could use his youth to outwit his elders today was because he had successfully borrowed power—his grandfather’s formidable influence. Without that, as a newly arrived illegitimate son in the Harris household, he was nothing. Even the steward’s son could beat him up. People! No matter the era, the most important thing is still having backing and strength.

“William gege!”

A shout from behind came from Daisy. William turned to see her running over, panting, with a butcher’s knife from the kitchen in her small hand. The knife was heavy for such a little girl, so she dragged it along the ground as she ran. William was stunned—this little girl was fierce!

Daisy ran up to William, breathing heavily, and tossed the butcher’s knife to him. “William gege, if bad people bully you, let’s use this knife to kill them!”

Volume One: A Boy Grows Up in the Harris Family

Chapter Five: The Secret Manual of Swordsmanship (Part One)

When Evelyn Brooks returned from the small kitchen carrying food, the two little ones were in the courtyard catching ants, their heads pressed together as they lay on the ground, completely absorbed. Evelyn Brooks couldn’t help but smile with satisfaction. In the future, the two little ones would have each other as playmates.

“Little ones, are you hungry?” She walked into the courtyard with the food, smiling as she asked.

“We’re hungry!”

William and Daisy jumped up at the same time and raced toward the small kitchen. But halfway there, William stopped and let Daisy rush in first. Daisy grabbed the best spot and clapped her hands in delight. “William gege, I won!”

“Silly Daisy, it’s because William gege let you!”

Evelyn Brooks walked into the kitchen, smiling. Seeing William dawdling, she asked curiously, “Aren’t you hungry?”

William scratched the back of his head, annoyed at his own lapse just now. “Damn it, I’m already in my twenties, how could I be fighting a three-year-old girl for food? Do I really still have a bit of childlike innocence in my bones?”

“William, hurry and wash your hands for dinner.”

Evelyn Brooks was setting out bowls and chopsticks for them, urging him with a smile, “Your little tummy must be starving!”

Looking at his aunt’s gentle and kind smile, William’s annoyance instantly vanished. After all, he was only three years old! Isn’t it normal to have a bit of childlike innocence? What’s there to be upset about?

He happily agreed, washed his hands, and squeezed in next to Daisy, picking up his chopsticks and shoveling food into his mouth, mumbling, “Auntie, I really am hungry.”

“If you’re hungry, eat more.”

Seeing him eat so heartily, Evelyn Brooks doted on him and gave him the biggest piece of meat. She asked them, “Did you two behave while I was out this afternoon?”

“No! We were very good.”

William and Daisy exchanged a smile—that was their secret…

After dinner, Evelyn Brooks tidied up the dishes and was about to start teaching them to read. The oil lamp in the small room was already lit. The two children sat obediently on the wooden couch, with a small table between them, one on each side.

The maid Autumn Grace brought them plenty of paper and brushes. As for textbooks, Evelyn Brooks had her own. She pulled out a bamboo chest from under the bed—her only remaining possession, a box of books, thirty or forty volumes, which had been spared by the soldiers during the house search because they were considered worthless.