Chapter 1: A Second Life

“I wonder what’s going on outside right now!”
“It’s the first time the madam has lost her temper like this. Didn’t you see that even the master couldn’t stop her just now? She’s probably crying and complaining in front of the old lady right now.”
“What’s the use of crying? Who doesn’t know that the old lady dotes most on the two young masters from the second wife’s family and hardly pays any attention to our master? Besides, the madam is an honest person—how can she compete with the second wife?”
“You’re right. The first and second masters are both officials, while our master isn’t favored by the old lady at all. Our master is indeed a good person and kind to us, but he can’t win over the old lady’s heart. This time, he was egged on by the first and second masters to climb a tree, fell down, and almost lost his life. It’s been three days and he still hasn’t woken up—how wouldn’t the madam be worried?”
“I just hope our master can wake up safely… Sigh, after all, the madam is the only one…”
Hearing the casual chatter of two women, Fang Jie unconsciously opened his eyes. Seeing the two girls with their backs to him, their high updos, and the hairpins in their hair, he suddenly remembered the few words he had heard in a half-dream, and his mind immediately froze.
He gently shook his dazed head and turned his neck, finally managing to make out the furnishings in the room. Whether it was the green silk curtain above, the embroidered bed beneath, the table and vase by the window, or the screens and other items, they all seemed to convey some kind of hint. When he looked down at his own hands, he instinctively let out a cry—his upper and lower teeth were grinding together uncontrollably.
Good heavens! These hands clearly belonged to a minor!
“The master has woken up!”
Hearing this excited shout, Fang Jie quickly raised his head. Before him were two unfamiliar faces. Their elaborate hairstyles and strange clothes were completely different from those of modern people. Moreover, the two girls stared at him intently for a long time, their looks of shock and joy making his hair stand on end.
After a while, one of the girls rushed out like the wind, while the other was overjoyed, clasping her hands and repeating “Amitabha” several times.

To be brought back to life is indeed a good thing, but returning to the world only to face such drastic changes—even Fang Jie, who was known for his adaptability, was utterly at a loss. Before he could try to convince himself with various reasons to calm down, noise arose outside. The next moment, the door that had just been closed was flung open, and a figure stumbled in.

“Yue’er… Yue’er, are you really awake?”

Fang Jie didn’t even have time to see who it was before he was tightly embraced, the immense force almost suffocating him. Tears fell on his face, hands, and clothes, their warmth causing his heart to tremble, but mostly he felt confusion. After a long while, he felt the tight arms loosen slightly, allowing him to finally see the person before him.

It was a woman in her early thirties, her face seemingly unadorned with makeup, appearing somewhat sallow. Her eyes were red and swollen, yet a hint of joy appeared on her lips. Her hands trembled as she held his cheeks, her lips slightly parted as if about to say something, but no words came out after a long while.

Fang Jie didn’t know what to feel.

Even the slowest person could guess what was happening, and he naturally understood. But understanding one thing was another—forcing himself to completely let go of the past and accept this new identity right away was beyond his ability. After reminding himself several times, he finally stretched out an arm and gently grasped the woman’s hand, but he couldn’t immediately call her “mother” or “ma”—it seemed too absurd!

“Brother Yue is awake?”

A stern voice suddenly filled the room, dispelling the warmth that had just been there.

Fang Jie looked up and immediately saw an old woman walking in, supported by two maids. A mink collar was wrapped around her hair, adorned with a deep blue gemstone in the center. She wore a long blue robe patterned with lotus, osmanthus, and evergreen leaves. Her silver hair was neatly tied back with a jade hairpin, and her expression carried an air of seriousness that couldn’t be ignored.

As the old woman approached, the woman who had been sitting by the bed stood up immediately, bowed her head, stepped aside, and respectfully called her “old lady.” But the old woman didn’t even glance at her, dismissed the two maids who were supporting her, and sat down right by the bed.

“It’s good that you’re awake. If you hadn’t woken up, your mother would have turned the house upside down!”

Faced with the old woman’s piercing gaze and her sarcastic, double-meaning remarks, Fang Jie grew somewhat flustered, a look of confusion appearing on his face. Yet when he met his mother’s cold and sorrowful eyes, he thought of the gossip he had just heard. In an instant, countless memories flashed through his mind, and he blurted out a sentence as if inspired by fate.

“It’s all my fault for causing worry to Grandma and Mom.”

Silence filled the room upon hearing these words. Not only the maids and servants standing below but also the woman standing nearby stared at the child in bed with disbelief. The old woman sitting by the bed was even more surprised. After studying him for a while, her tense expression softened slightly, though her tone still carried a hint of reprimand.

“Since you know you’ve worried me and your mother, you should have thought more carefully. Who has ever seen a young master climbing trees like a monkey? You’ve taken so many medicines and seen so many doctors since childhood, and your schooling has been intermittent. Now that you’ve finally managed to attend school for a month straight, you cause such a fuss!”

Facing such a stern lecture, Fang Jie could only lower his head, inwardly smiling bitterly. Though the words were harsh, for someone who had lost all his relatives in his past life, even biased scolding was not unacceptable to him.

After finishing her lecture, the old woman stood up and looked at her daughter-in-law standing nearby, saying indifferently, “Now that Yuege has woken up, the matter is over. Stop making a fuss. Chaoge and Qige are indeed mischievous. Your second daughter-in-law applied the family rules and gave them a good lesson. Let’s leave it at that. As for Yuege, you as his mother should pay more attention to him and teach him properly—don’t keep causing trouble!”

After saying this, the old woman was helped by the maids and left the room. Everyone followed her out, and soon only that woman and Fang Jie, sitting on the bed in a daze, remained in the large room.

The young woman sat down by the bed with a sad expression, staring fixedly at the child and murmuring, “Heaven, why can’t my son be as safe as others? Always sick or injured—how many lives can withstand such torment?”

At this moment, Fang Jie could only smile bitterly—firstly because of this extraordinary journey through time, secondly because he seemed to be plagued by misfortunes in this life, and thirdly because he appeared to be unwelcome in this family. Yet in an instant, he made up his mind. The old Fang Jie was dead; the person alive now was someone else. Whether he could accept these new family members right away or not, since he had been brought back to life and given another chance, he had an obligation to live better, for both others’ sake and his own.