The Vampire Family Members Who Came to Claim Kinship 05

But his illusions were quickly shattered.

Before dawn the next day, someone woke him up rudely. Fang Zhizu opened his eyes blearily to see his eldest brother, Zhang Xiong.

"Big Brother?"

"Still sleeping! Get up and feed the chickens!" Zhang Xiong said impatiently. He tossed the basket in his hand onto Fang Zhizu’s bed, muttering curses as he returned to his own room.

Fang Zhizu was dazed. Me? Feed the chickens?

By what right? Fang Zhizu lay back down indignantly. He was the youngest son of the family! They expected him to work the moment he returned?

By now, the novelty of his return had begun to fade. What filled his mind instead were his biological father’s cold eyes, his angry shouts, the dilapidated house, and his crude eldest brother... He had never been treated like this back at the Fang household!

The more Fang Zhizu thought about it, the angrier he became. He grumbled about one person then another, eventually pulling the covers over his head to go back to sleep.

But before long, his door was kicked open with a loud bang. Zhang Daming stood at the threshold, fuming with rage. "You little brat! You dare to slack off when I told you to feed the chickens!" As he spoke, he stepped forward and ripped the quilt off Fang Zhizu.

Fang Zhizu jolted upright and shouted back, "Why should I have to do it? Why don’t Big Brother and the others do it?"

Zhang Daming was so enraged he raised his hand to strike him. Fortunately, Wang Ling hurried forward to pull him back, though she also said, "Sangou, just be a good boy and go feed the chickens. Don’t make your father angry."

Last night, after counting the gift money they had collected, she had discussed the matter with her husband. Their conclusion was to send Fang Zhiyi to town to find a job. He was educated; surely he could find a good position. But as for this third son... he was a bit disobedient and needed to be properly disciplined.

Watching Fang Zhizu climb out of bed with a pout, muttering, "I have a name, it’s not Sangou..."

Zhang Daming exploded. He kicked him hard in the backside. "You don’t have the surname Zhang? Let me tell you, don’t think that just because you ate city food for a few years, you’re actually some young master!"

Fang Zhizu was stunned. Things hadn't been like this just yesterday. The pain brought tears to his eyes instantly.

At that moment, he saw Fang Zhiyi walking past while stretching. He couldn't help but point at him and ask, "Then why doesn't Brother have to feed them?"

"Oh, Ergou is up?" Wang Ling noticed Fang Zhiyi getting up and immediately smiled. "What would you like to eat? Mom will make it for you."

Fang Zhiyi looked over at the scene. Seeing Fang Zhizu clutching his rear, he laughed inwardly. Whether in the original plot or now, you’re just a tag-along. Did you really think you were someone special?

"Anything is fine."

"Alright then." Only in this moment did Wang Ling act more like a biological mother.

Seeing Fang Zhizu standing there in a daze, Zhang Daming gave him another kick. "Still staring? Get lost and feed the chickens!"

"Brother..." Fang Zhizu was starting to feel regret.

But Fang Zhiyi looked at him and said, "How can you make Mom and Dad angry the moment you get home? You have to be obedient." He even shook his head, wearing an expression of profound disappointment.

Fang Zhiyi’s words immediately signaled his stance to Wang Ling and her husband. From that point on, they no longer showed any courtesy to Fang Zhizu.

While Fang Zhiyi finished his breakfast and did some light exercise, Fang Zhizu finally finished feeding the chickens. Since he had never done such work before, he naturally received another round of scolding.

"Brother..." Fang Zhizu had clearly been crying. He walked over to Fang Zhiyi’s side sheepishly. "Take me home..."

Fang Zhiyi was taken aback. This was only the beginning. He couldn't even last a single day?

"Go back to what home? Isn't this your home?" Fang Zhiyi raised his voice. "You can't be like this, Sangou. Mom and Dad worked so hard to bring you into this world and went through so much trouble to find us. You want to leave as soon as you get back?"

The three people inside the house heard him clearly.

Fang Zhizu was stunned, looking at Fang Zhiyi in disbelief.

"You little brat, what do you think you’re doing?" Zhang Daming was the first to jump out. He kicked Fang Zhizu’s backside, sending him sprawling to the ground.

"Yesterday you were calling us Mom and Dad, and today you refuse to do a single thing for the family? You want to go find the human traffickers who kidnapped you, don't you?" Wang Ling dropped her facade completely. "They’re the ones who spoiled you!"

Fang Zhizu, after all, was someone whose rebellious phase had lasted nearly eight years. He gritted his teeth and shouted, "You said you would treat me well, but instead you hit me and make me feed chickens! They might be traffickers, but they never made me work! What kind of biological parents are you!"

Zhang Daming was furious. He reached for a thin bamboo switch. Seeing this, Fang Zhiyi hurried to stop him.

"No, no, no, no." He snatched the bamboo switch from Zhang Daming’s hand.

Fang Zhizu’s eyes brightened slightly. At least his own brother was still looking out for him.

"Use this." Fang Zhiyi handed over a wooden club instead.

........

Fang Zhizu received his first beating since being sold by his parents. Indeed, no matter how much he had acted out in the past, the Fang parents had never struck him once, always trying to persuade him with kind words.

Fang Zhizu’s miserable screams echoed through the surroundings. Unfortunately, their house was some distance from the village, so no one came to intervene.

Zhang Xiong had just woken up. He stepped out and laughed at the sight. "This little bastard should have been thrashed long ago." He was the one least happy about his two brothers returning. If it weren't for the thought that one could work and the other could make money, he would never have agreed to it.

Fang Zhiyi shook his head. "I told you before, one must put filial piety above all else. How could you be like this, Sangou?"

Fang Zhizu lay prone on the bed that day, unable to move. Zhang Daming had struck with extreme cruelty, nearly breaking the wooden club. This beating truly terrified the usually fearless Fang Zhizu.

Not only that, but as he lay injured on the bed, no one brought him medicine or food.

"Medicine? What medicine? What child doesn't get a beating when they’re disobedient? Just endure it and it’ll pass." This was said by Wang Ling, the person he felt closest to.

Fang Zhiyi didn't know what his ungrateful younger brother was thinking in the room, but he felt very refreshed today. Truly, it takes a wicked person to deal with another wicked person.

"Son, when are you going to the town to look for a job?" Zhang Daming got straight to the point.

Wang Ling gave him a nudge and said to Fang Zhiyi with a smile, "You know that your father and I can't do much labor anymore, and your eldest brother has nothing to do. This family depends on you."

Zhang Xiong ate his meal with a dark face, saying nothing. If it weren't for the money, he would have flipped the table long ago.

Fang Zhiyi took a mouthful of rice and smiled. "Let me rest for a couple of days. I need to think carefully about how to make the most money—the kind that can make our family rich all at once."

Hearing the word "rich," except for Zhang Xiong who looked skeptical, the faces of the Zhang couple lit up. Wang Ling, in particular, wouldn't stop praising Fang Zhiyi for his capability.

The sounds of these praises reached the ears of the suffering Fang Zhizu in the inner room. He felt like killing Fang Zhiyi right now.

Why am I lying here while you’re out there eating? Why are we both their sons, yet they treat you so well and treat me like this?