Call Me Daddy

When Su Youwen returned with his niece, he heard his mother spewing various obscenities in the yard, causing both him and the cute, chubby little girl in his arms to frown.

“Mother! Fu Bao and fourth brother have returned!”

As soon as she saw her daughter, Xiao Lishi’s eyes instantly brightened.

Like her mother-in-law, she firmly believed that her daughter was a bearer of great fortune. Throughout her life, whenever she held Fu Bao, good things always seemed to happen around her.

The recent days had been truly distressing at home, which was likely related to Fu Bao’s absence. Now that Fu Bao had returned, her great fortune would surely improve their situation gradually.

It was indeed strange. Behind Su Youwen and Fu Bao were a pair of grandparents and granddaughter. The older woman looked very composed, while the younger girl, who was about the same age as Fu Bao, had a sharp gaze but behaved very properly. From the moment they entered the courtyard, the grandmother and granddaughter kept their heads down, not daring to look around.

These were the grandparents and granddaughter whom Fu Bao had rescued on the way back from Fuzhou. Their master had committed a crime, and the maidservants who had been sold into servitude were being sold off. By the time Fu Bao passed by, most of the servants had already been sold, leaving only this pair. The old woman and the young girl hadn’t yet been sold.

Later, the flower building’s Madam Hua noticed the young maid’s appearance and wanted to buy her to nurture her properly. As for the old woman, she could help with chores at the flower building. Moreover, with the old woman as a hostage, there was no fear that the young maid would be disobedient; she would be trained to learn the trade and eventually be compliant.

When the grandparent was in despair, Fu Bao, unable to bear it, used her money to buy them. This act moved the grandmother deeply, making them tearful with gratitude towards their new, though recently met, benefactor.

Their arrival solved the biggest problem at the main household. The old woman, accustomed to working in the kitchen, could handle ordinary cooking and also assist with washing clothes, chopping firewood, and cleaning. Her granddaughter could serve as a playmate for Fu Bao and handle lighter tasks. As she grew older, she could take on responsibilities similar to those of Yuan Niang and Er Niang.

In Xiao Lishi heart, there was some lingering dissatisfaction about spending so much money on this old woman and young girl. For the same price, she could have bought younger and stronger servants. However, considering the circumstances, Xiao Lishi felt that her granddaughter’s luck was indeed great. Whatever the family lacked, Fu Bao seemed to bring exactly what was needed, increasing her affection for her.

With Fu Bao, such a lucky granddaughter, the second branch only had a child who was a misfortune to her mother. In the future, we’ll see how things turned out.

After taking a few deep breaths, Li Shi finally felt her accumulated frustration dissipate.

Unfortunately, she didn’t have long to enjoy her relief before her most cherished son delivered a crushing blow.

***

“I’ve heard about the family matters. For such a major decision as the family division, why didn’t you consult me?”

Su Youwen appeared refined and delicate, like the scholarly figures described in storybooks. However, those familiar with him knew that he was deeply calculating and far from as harmless as he seemed.

He thought his mother’s actions were foolish. For a small gain, she had tarnished the family’s reputation. While she might have felt that being a scholar was an accomplishment, Su Youwen, having seen the broader world, knew that being a scholar was merely the beginning of the imperial examination path. To reach higher places, one’s reputation was crucial; otherwise, even a seemingly insignificant issue could ruin one’s prospects.

Had Su Youwen been at home earlier, he wouldn’t only have prevented his mother from dividing the family but would also have persuaded her to take their half-brother to the best pharmacies in the town or county, regardless of the cost.

He understood that over the years, thanks to Fu Bao’s occasional windfalls, their family had amassed substantial wealth, making the cost of such treatments trivial. What was important was that their second brother felt profound gratitude and that their reputation for being caring and righteous was maintained.

If the children of the first wife and the second wife could develop a deep bond, and if the second wife could treat the children of the first wife as her own, it would reflect well on their family. With an older brother who was already at odds with them, pushing out the second brother who was more favorable to them was a foolish move, driven by short-term satisfaction.

Su Youwen had plans for his second brother, whom he considered easy to handle.

Su Youwen had a future beyond the small village of Shili and even beyond Fengyang County. He would eventually soar to greater heights and would naturally take their parents and eldest half-brother away from the countryside.

At that time, even if they left the land and the old house to the second brother, what did it matter? By leaving him behind to guard the ancestors’ graves, the brothers who generously bestowed their wealth could still retain a good name.

Unfortunately, such a good plan had been ruined.

The second brother had been kicked out of the house while he was still limping, and his mother had helped him and the third brother claim the major share of the family assets. When Su Youwen heard this news, he nearly fainted from rage.

His classmates, who already had grievances with him, were always watching. It was inevitable that this incident would soon spread to his school.

What would the teachers think of me? What would the classmates I wanted to befriend think of me?

Even though Li Shi was his beloved mother who had always cared for him, Su Youwen couldn’t help but curse her in his heart; So foolish!

“Fourth, do you think mother’s actions were wrong?”

Because he was her most cherished son who had brought her honor, Li Shi managed to suppress her anger.

Su Youwen knew that he couldn’t reason with his mother at the moment. He could only shake his head, thinking about what he could do to restore the family’s reputation.

Suppressing the brilliance in his eyes, Su Youwen decided that the best course of action was to handle matters concerning the second brother.

***

Early the next morning, Su Aobai wandered around the foot of the mountain with a cane.

The spiritual energy he absorbed the previous night was enough to expel the toxins from his calf, but to make the act more convincing, Su Aobai only expelled half of it and then performed a second round of marrow cleansing, pushing the toxins again to his right calf.

The spiritual energy at the mountain foot was much richer than in the village, but even so, this amount of energy was barely enough. It would only allow him to reach the upper levels of the mortal realm in this world; invincible among ordinary people. The methods of summoning wind and rain, communicating with deities, and connecting with spirits, as seen in the immortal realm, were out of his reach.

Su Aobai strolled at the mountain’s foot, using his special sensitivity to spiritual energy to search for aged medicinal herbs.

By the end of his walk, he had gathered a basket of ordinary herbs but hadn’t found anything particularly valuable. Indeed, the foot of the mountain was frequented by countless people every day. If there were any valuable herbs, they would have been picked long ago.

Just as Su Aobai was about to walk further up the mountain, he sensed a fluctuation in spiritual energy.

The energy was quite faint, hidden among ordinary herbs that also carried a slight trace of spiritual energy.

It was a ginseng root, about 20 to 30 years old. While it wasn’t extremely valuable, it was worth a decent amount of silver.

Su Aobai carefully dug up the ginseng from the soil, taking care to keep it intact, and then placed it at the bottom of his bamboo basket, covering it with ordinary herbs.

“Second Uncle.”

Fu Bao and a group of friends had come to the foot of the mountain to pick wild fruits and mushrooms. She had heard about how her grandmother had expelled her older and second cousins, and as a child who had enjoyed the grandmother’s favoritism, she had no grounds to criticize the old lady. But she also knew that both her eldest and second cousins had suffered over the years.

Especially her second cousin; what would she do after leaving home?

So, Fu Bao thought about gathering more mushrooms and wild fruits and secretly placing them in the small courtyard where her second cousin now lived. As long as her second cousin didn’t know they were from her, she would probably accept them.

However, shortly after arriving at the mountain’s foot, she suddenly had a special sensation. Whenever she had this sensation, she would always find something good.

She had once told her grandmother about her special intuition, and her grandmother had advised her to avoid others and search alone whenever she felt this way. So, Fu Bao left her friends and walked in another direction.

But this time was strange. Following the mysterious feeling, she ended up seeing only her second uncle, who had been expelled from the family. As soon as she saw him, the special sensation vanished.

Could it be that Second Uncle was the treasure?

Fu Bao glanced at him timidly. But since her second uncle was now separated from their family, she couldn’t bring him back home.

Moreover, Fu Bao felt that her grandmother probably wouldn’t consider her second uncle as something good.

This was the first time Su Aobai faced this little girl, who had an almost otherworldly streak of luck, since coming to this world.

He had initially imagined her to be some sort of malevolent being who absorbed the luck of those around her for her own gain. On the contrary, this girl radiated an aura of pure virtue.

Her good fortune in this life was the result of her benevolent deeds in previous lives. However, in this world, every action, no matter how small, might be predetermined. Her fortune, derived from virtue, could diminish if used excessively.

If those around her could perceive her uniqueness and contribute to her virtue, the fortune she spent could be replenished. But if people exploited her good luck and it resulted in negative consequences for others, her virtue would dissipate more quickly.

It seemed that Su Aobai had inadvertently stumbled upon an opportunity that originally belonged to this little fortunate girl.

Su Aobai only felt a fleeting sense of regret before it vanished, as he had no moral qualms.